Shortly before closing the books on 2023, Mayor Brandon Johnson shifted $95 million in federal pandemic relief funds to cover the mounting cost of Chicago’s migrant crisis — after informing City Council members, but without seeking their approval. Ald. Bill Conway said Johnson “talks a lot about collaboration, but did not collaborate on how this money was spent and didn’t collaborate on a whole host” of other things, adding that the city still has $400 million in unspent COVID-19 relief funds.

“The Constitution grants the federal government exclusive power to regulate immigration. The federal government also must deal with housing insecurity in America. These are federal issues…As Democrats prepare to showcase our big, broad, diverse coalition to the world, in this big, broad, diverse city, there is an opportunity to deliver on the promises that are embedded in our platforms. Federal resources need to begin to flow immediately, and the convention should be the impetus to do that.”

Gov. JB Pritzker said, “We do not have enough shelters as it is in the city of Chicago. The city has not told the state where they would like us to put our resources to build new shelters and we need to make sure that we’re not ending shelter capacity as the city is now planning to do at the end of winter.” A city spokesperson replied, “There are 1,300 municipalities in the State of Illinois, of which Chicago is one. The State has the authority to fund, stand up and operate a shelter in any one of those municipalities

“During the winter’s frigid temperatures, where tens of thousands Chicagoans were left without electricity, now is the worst possible time to hastily slam through an ordinance without examining true cost,” said Ald. Gilbert Villegas.

The controversy highlights the city and state’s ongoing problem finding adequate and livable housing for a new wave of immigrants who last year were camped outside police departments.

In 2022, New York City’s transit agency reported 237 major assaults, the Chicago Transit Authority disclosed 73 such events and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, serving the nation’s capital and the surrounding area, had 22 major assaults on workers.

Under draft legislation sponsored by Ald. Bill Conway, 34th, the city would not be able to spend more than $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds without council approval. He plans to introduce the ordinance at the Jan. 24 City Council meeting.

Both the Obama initiatives—inclusive capitalism and asset-based community development—are optimistic about the trust that can form between community members and those in power when they have a defined common goal. When it comes to the Center, some University constituents would find more reassurance in concrete commitments.

Said volunteer Erika Villegas, who has been receiving frantic messages from families with pictures of their hand-written eviction notices, “I don’t understand the purpose of just creating another crisis, by not giving any direction to the most vulnerable people in the city. It’s unfair we’re not providing the tools for people to become independent.”

Illinois is picking up steam in acquiring clean energy companies, but progress — in terms of jobs and less reliance on fossil fuels — has been slow. Renewable sources in Illinois make up only 10.5% of power, including current and planned projects. Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, are required to account for a quarter of all power by 2025.

“The mayor met privately with small groups of aldermen Friday — keeping groups small avoids the pesky open meeting rules — to brief them on how the city will no longer set up new shelter space because the costs are too high. That means it won’t build industrial tents for migrants, either…The city will work with churches and private individuals to find beds for asylum seekers.”

According to a recent poll, 64% of Chicagoans said they felt unsafe. And respondents indicate they want more police, not fewer. A RealClear Opinion Research survey showed 77% of Black Chicagoans want to see as many or more police in their communities. Close to 80% of all Chicagoans answered the same way.

“The current system benefits the tax-rich communities by allowing them continually to levy lower amounts and still gain more in revenue. The lower rates likewise make it more attractive for even more industrial and commercial growth to occur within their confines.”

“Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has set his sights on eliminating high-achieving magnet schools in the name of equity…So, why would Mayor Johnson want to eliminate one of the few opportunities for gifted but economically disadvantaged students to access quality education? Well, according to Chicago Public Schools Board CEO, Pedro Martinez, allowing gifted students access to quality education causes “stratification and inequity in Chicago Public Schools.” One has to wonder whether this excuse (as incoherent as it is) is sincere or whether it reflects instead a cynical push to discard selective schools that have proven to be top-tier nationally because these

Pastor Corey B. Brooks, of Chicago’s Project H.O.O.D.: The reality is that DEI is an ideology for the privileged. It helps people like Claudine Gay who exploit race for power and prestige and it hurts communities like mine by exploiting them for poverty-porn.

In New York, as will be the case in Chicago, migrants forced to leave shelters can head to the city’s reticketing center to either apply to return to shelter or get help buying a ticket to leave the city. Around 23,000 migrants have hit New York’s limit of their shelter stay, said a mayoral spokeswoman, and of those, only

The ages of the victims range from 18 to 32.

“More than a decade ago, the CTU helped inspire unions around the country to bargain for the common good of our communities and humanity. This shift, to bargain for the common good, forced Chicago politicians to not only bargain over our pay and benefits, but to bargain about housing for our students, hiring social workers and nurses, and creating green schools free of lead and asbestos. It is in this same vein that we look to events that impact students around the world.”