Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 6 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • How Local Groups Worked to Increase Youth Civic Engagement Ahead of Chicago's Runoff Election

    Ahead of Chicago's runoff municipal election, organizations such as GoodKids MadCity and Chicago Votes targeted youth voters with nontraditional events such as fashion shows and art installations, hosted youth-led candidate forums, and helped young residents get set up with IDs and driver's licenses needed for registration. Turnout among voters age 18 to 24 increased by 32 percent between the February election and the April runoff.

    Read More

  • Despite Hurdles, Automatic Voter Registration Law Adds to Voter Rolls

    Illinois’ 2018 automatic voter registration law resulted in 111,000 additional voter registration applications. Under the automatic system, eligible voters are automatically registered to vote with their most up-to-date address and information every time they interact with state agencies, like the DMV. Each time there is a new interaction with a state agency, voter rolls are updated and individuals who don’t want to be registered can proactively opt-out.

    Read More

  • In Woodlawn, a Ground-Up Approach to a Healthier, Safer Community

    Urban areas that have more trees tend to have lower crime rates, attracting more investment and have higher income levels. They also make neighborhoods nicer places to live so that’s why Blacks in Green, a community group in Chicago, is focused on building more gardens, planting orchards and trees with the help of the Morton Arboretum, which works with community groups around the city. Blacks in Green has combined the initiative with efforts to provide more jobs for the community’s young people as well.

    Read More

  • Survivors of Torture Under Jon Burge Find a Place of Respite

    Two years after the city of Chicago approved reparations for the dozens of men tortured by a squad of police, one part of the plan, the Chicago Torture Justice Center, opened as a provider of mental health counseling and other services needed by the survivors. Under the direction of police detective Jon Burge, white police officers used electric shocks, suffocation, beatings, and racial slurs to coerce confessions from black suspects. One survivor, Darrell Cannon, served 24 years in prison before being released in 2007, but until the center opened in 2017 he had received no counseling.

    Read More

  • New Program to Stem Chicago's Violence Epidemic Starts in Jail

    Chicago's Cook County Jail seeks to short-circuit the cycle of violence by involving young men from the city's most violent zip codes in a program that includes counseling, conflict resolution and anger management. The Sheriff's Anti-Violence Effort, or SAVE, then connects them with services once they're released to find housing and employment. Results are preliminary, but so far more than 80 have gone through the program and 20 were released, with just two ending up back in jail.

    Read More

  • Police Officers, Former Inmates Break Bread, Build Bridges

    At monthly lunch meetings, former inmates get together with Chicago Police officers to make connections outside of law enforcement situations and try to understand one another better. The Building Bridges, Building Connections initiative fosters honest dialogue through facilitated discussions that touch on all kinds of topics based in individuals' personal experiences. It's not an easy path, but it has continued for four years and many participants say they wish the meetings lasted longer.

    Read More