* Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) has been an outspoken critic of the Illinois Policy Institute during the cartoon controversy. Ford was at an event today with Gov. Rauner and things were going pretty well at first…
* But then…
* From a reporter friend who was there…
Ford “did it so adorably. Like not aggressive. Almost like a joke. But he was in [Rauner’s] face.”
* And then…
* Press release…
Landmark juvenile justice reform legislation signed Thursday by Gov. Bruce Rauner will clear roadblocks to success for tens of thousands of Illinoisans whose youthful mistakes have restricted access to education, jobs, and housing.
House Bill 3817 strengthens confidentiality protections against the sharing of juvenile records and expands the number of juvenile records eligible for automatic expungement. The new system of erasing past mistakes and protecting public safety is similar to an American Bar Association model statute and implements most of the recommendations of the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission’s 2016 report “Burdened for Life: The Myth of Juvenile Record Confidentiality and Expungement in Illinois.”
“As one of the first juvenile justice systems in America, the Illinois system was built on the principle that mistakes made by children should not brand them for life,” said Paula Wolff, Director of the Illinois Justice Project. “However, confidentiality protections eroded over time, and a complicated and expensive expungement system has made record clearing uncommon, rather than the norm.”
“Loose confidentiality laws and arrest records that follow kids for life make it extremely difficult for youth to overcome their mistakes – can cause families to become homeless, can stall or end a youth’s education and can make every road to a job a dead end,” said Julie L. Biehl, Director of the Children and Family Justice Center at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. “This broken system has made our neighborhoods less safe, but this new, balanced law will eliminate some of the burdens for young people attempting to leave their past behind them and lead productive lives.”
The Illinois Justice Project commended the HB 3817 sponsors, Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Northbrook, and Sen. Michael E. Hastings, D-Tinley Park, as well as Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who championed these reforms and was a strong advocate of the reforms.
- Sparky791 - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:31 pm:
I wonder who will be fired now. Rauner looks like he wants to kill someone.
- 360 Degree TurnAround - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:32 pm:
Any video, or can someone re-create it with claymation? Anyone except the IPI?
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:34 pm:
It’s amazing what it takes to get white male Bruce Rauner to denounce racism.
- Phenomynous - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:34 pm:
Reminds me of a certain South Park episode.
“Apologize”
- Grand Avenue - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:41 pm:
In a weird way, if Rauner actually gets a good comms team with government experience instead of the previous BTIA, the end result of this cartoon kerfuffle might be good for the Gov.
- City Zen - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:43 pm:
Mandela Road would’ve been a more appropriate venue.
- PJ - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:45 pm:
Did he really think black legislators would do an event with him without even mentioning his total flop on that cartoon? This was so easy to make a total non-story by condemning it days ago.
- Grand Avenue - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:45 pm:
Don’t forget part of Roosevelt in LaShawn’s district will soon be Muhammad Ali Road.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:45 pm:
==if Rauner actually gets a good comms team with government experience==
Among those who meet that standard, knowing what we know of the Rauner’s, who in their right mind would want the job now?
- Mr. K. - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:46 pm:
No one tells white male Rauner what to do.
Except La Shawn Ford.
What a dance.
- walker - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:47 pm:
La Shawn Ford confronts without appearing nasty. He never backs down from his values or strong words, even when they are soft-spoken. He feels social justice in his bones. He’s the real deal.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:50 pm:
Rauner, as a white male, denounces racism, just not IPI cartoons that “may”… to “some people” depict it?
This is not a good look, Governor, for you or Diana’s Brand.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:53 pm:
Certainly nothing matches the atrocity of the Holocaust, but that moment when Ford confronted the governor over IPI’s racist cartoon was really awkward and uncomfortable.
- Trapped in the 'burbs - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:54 pm:
He blew it. Let’s move on to the next crisis.
- Grand Avenue - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 2:59 pm:
Rauner’s Comms team was dropping the ball again & again & again, so like I said, I think the whole cartoon episode might be a blessing in disguise for Rauner because it led to him firing the Comms team, presumably to be replaced with people with basic Government experience
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 3:09 pm:
Why wasn’t Rauner prepared for this?
- 360 Degree TurnAround - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 3:09 pm:
“Nobody puts white male in the corner” said Governor Junkswazey.
- Rabid - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 3:11 pm:
” I had nothing to do with”t you did give your money to express yourself
- New Slang - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 3:12 pm:
A billionaire, scared of ruffling IPI feathers. Bizarreness. And I thought he had the capacity to “ruin” anyone??
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 3:14 pm:
I dunno, is Rep. Ford a hero for the Governor or now just another name on that “Enemies” list?
Depends how the video of the incident is edited I suppose…
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 3:19 pm:
Congrats to the IJP, but Illinois isn’t one of the first juvenile justice systems in US.
It is the first.
The first Juvenile Court in the country was established by statute in Cook County in 1899.
- phocion - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 3:21 pm:
Would Rep. Ford say the cartoon image of that African American child was racist if the message of the cartoon was advocating a cause he champions? This is pure race hustle that the media can never get enough of.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 3:36 pm:
- phocion -
Are you saying Rep. Ford is disingenuous?
You could just say that…
- jimk849 - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 3:37 pm:
I’m takin the Ford nameplate off my Escape. I think that’s p.c.
- Rabid - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 3:38 pm:
IPI cartoon is a referendum on your staffs alma mater and wife’s web page
- phocion - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 3:40 pm:
Willy,
Yes, I am saying that. Thought that was clear. Thank you for asking.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 3:44 pm:
Here’s why I ask, and thanks for your “Yes”
===…if the message of the cartoon was advocating a cause he champions===
I can’t think of a racist cartoon that advocates well for a cause or belief, can you?
So, if your premise is Rep. Ford is disingenuous here because he’d see a racist cartoon, that’s a positive to advocate a vise he believes in, differently, how can a racist cartoon be a positive, advocating thing?
- Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 3:52 pm:
Phocion, you don’t think drawing an African-American child with enormous lips is racist? What if an Asian child was drawn with slanted eyes and buck teeth? Or a Latino child wearing a sombrero? You cool with that too, bro?
- Perrid - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 4:09 pm:
Anonymous @3:52
Is that really a stereotype of black people, the lips thing? This whole debacle was the first I had heard of it. And in the toon, both people’s heads are excessively large, suggesting (to me) that it might just be the artists style. But whatever, I generally think IPI is at least a little racist, I just can’t see it here.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 4:16 pm:
You could ask Bill Cosby, who created the premise and produced it.
Now, Mr. Cosby might be a tad busy with pending litigation…
You could ask the 105 Illinois House members.
You could ask Rep. Ford.
Funny, thou, the IPI took down their cartoon, saying it was a distraction. What made it a distraction?
You can’t take a cartoon down as a distraction and then say the distraction wasn’t racism when, well, it’s seen by, oh, the entire Illinois House as racist…
- Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 4:29 pm:
Fat Albert was almost 50 years ago. Amos & Andy was deemed acceptable at one time. Mickey Rooney playing a caricature of an Asian man was acceptable at one time. Speedy Gonzalez was acceptable at one time. It’s 2017.
- Wensicia - Thursday, Aug 24, 17 @ 4:29 pm:
Rauner sounds like Rambo, “But I didn’t do anything.”