Hard to believe that summer is already almost over. In the past few weeks, we've almost wrapped up our Arts Bus People's Budget Pop Up Tour, with Grassroots Collaborative and Chicagoans United for Equity - keep an eye out to hear our findings after speaking with over a hundred young people across the South and West sides about their budget priorities!
In this summer issue of our newsletter we're sharing out a bunch of new resources as part of our Community Safety Beyond Policing work, highlighting recent news coverage from the campaign we've joined to End Youth Incarceration in Illinois, and showing some exciting spotlights from youth alumni of our programs. Thanks, as always, for your support of our work!
Community Safety Beyond Policing
Blog Post!
In this moving, data-driven, blog post by our intern Karla De Jesus, you can learn about how mental health investments inside Chicago Public Schools compare to historic spending on policing in schools, using maps she created. Karla lays the case for how young people directly experiencing gun violence deserve more counseling and mental health support, not to be treated as suspects when they are victims. Excerpt below and be sure to read and share the full blog post here!
"These 2019-2020 maps show how Chicago Public Schools had SROs on their campus but no staff who specialized in mental health support. In addition, they don’t have the resources for preventive measures like conflict resolution training or wrap-around social services."
SEE THE MAPS!
Webinar!
Take a look at the recording of our July webinar on Policing and White Supremacy.
In the webinar, we explore the ways that white supremacy and policing have been intertwined since the days of slave patrols, the impact of this connection, and what can be done about it.
Speakers:
Aislinn Pulley (Co-Executive Director of Chicago Torture Justice Center and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Chicago);
Dylan Rodriguez (author and Professor at University of California, Riverside);
Yazan Zahzah (co-author of Why Treating White Supremacy as Domestic Terrorism Won't Work and How Not to Fall For It, and staff at Vigilant Love);
Jamala Rogers (Organization for Black Struggle, Ferguson/St. Louis, and author of Ferguson is America: Roots of Rebellion);
and Tyler Wall ( Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and co-author of Police: A Field Guide).
View the Policing and White Supremacy Resource Guide
Safer Alternatives to 911
Photo by Love & Struggle Photos
Chicago Peacebuilding has been working with partners to expand the Treatment Not Trauma program to more wards, and developing abolitionist safety protocols for mutual aid spaces, read about it here.
Ending Youth Incarceration
We are proud partners in the emerging campaign to close the five remaining youth prisons in Illinois, the Final Five Campaign! Earlier this summer, we helped facilitate 10 weeks of training on strategy and power building with young leaders from the campaign. Now we're excited to share some recent coverage from our recent collective efforts!
"Youth Advocates Push to Close Illinois Juvenile Prisons"
By CBS Chicago
Check out this coverage of our recent action, Live from Illinois Youth Center St. Charles!
"After holiday weekend violence, youth incarceration is still not the answer."
Op Ed by Olivia Blocker for Chicago Tribune.
Read the full op ed here!
LEARN MORE
Youth Intern Spotlight
Earlier this summer, the campaign to remove police from schools in Chicago was awarded the "Power of Community" award by the Woods Fund at the annual Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards event. We are incredibly proud of the young people across Chicago who have fought for years to win the victories that #CopsOutCPS is now experiencing, as 30 more schools voted to remove one or both of their police officers this summer.
We worked with the producers to help create this short video celebrating their achievements, featuring youth alumni of our programs Destiny Bell and Jen Nava. Check it out!
Support Youth Organizing!
THIS WEEK ONLY!
Donate to our program and we will share proceeds with the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council's youth organizing fundraiser. This original, limited edition, t-shirt was designed by former AFSC intern Citlali Perez - who also spent years with BPNC!
For $20 you will support two excellent causes, and receive a t-shirt and free shipping within the U.S. Don't snooze on this deal!