* Excerpt from a secretary of state memo…
Effective April 1, 2022, tours, rallies and events will be permitted inside the Capitol Building. Masks are recommended, but not required to be worn by the public.
* So, now groups like this won’t have to go across the street like they had to yesterday…
Rep. Camille Lilly and other IL State Legislators will join restaurant owner and worker advocates gathering for a press conference at the Lincoln Steps to rally support for the One Fair Wage Act (HB 5139), which would end the subminimum wage in Illinois.
The legislation was introduced in response to a wage shortage crisis across Illinois. One Fair Wage has issued multiple reports demonstrating that raising wages for restaurant workers who work for subminimum wages is critical to helping the industry recover. One Fair Wage has also tracked over 200 restaurant owners in Illinois who have voluntarily raised wages for tipped workers in order to recruit staff during the state’s worst-ever staffing crisis; this bill would create a level playing field for these responsible restaurant owners and help them fully reopen by sending a signal to millions of workers that wage increases will be permanent.
WHERE: Across the street from the IL State Capitol Building at the Illinois State Library in the Atrium
WHEN: Wednesday, March 30, 3:00pm CT
WHO: Restaurant Owners, Restaurant Workers, Representatives from the Illinois Full and Fair Wage Coalition Including Speakers from One Fair Wage, Women Employed & Shriver Center on Poverty Law
* Meanwhile, some members of this group, which tried to hijack a recent Chicago event, gathered on the 3rd floor of the Statehouse yesterday. It didn’t appear to be an organized rally, however…
A rally to draw attention to the deaths of two Black transgender Chicago women turned into a chaotic shouting match when another small group of anti-violence advocates crashed the event at Federal Plaza on Monday evening.
As transgender activist Zahara Bassett was pleading for justice for the two women, several members of Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change, including founder Tyrone Muhammad, interrupted the event with bullhorns.
“Our community is dying every day in these streets,” Muhammad said into the bullhorn.
After a scuffle between members of the two sides, the transgender advocates said they’d reschedule their action.
Sheesh.
* ECCSC has some very sharp-looking automobiles with the group’s logo and its activists have been down here this session looking for more state funding…
…Adding… I meant to also put this here. Tribune…
Maria Pike found her calling after her son Ricky was shot and killed in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood in August 2012.
She became an advocate for a better support system for grieving families, which is why she and hundreds of other relatives of victims of violence came to the Illinois capital on Wednesday to push legislators to invest in community-based efforts to combat street violence that would serve as alternatives to traditional law-and-order methods.
“I want them to see us,” said Maria Pike in a ballroom at a downtown Springfield hotel, where activists were joined by several state legislators. “Those survivors are in pain. They want answers and solved cases, right? But they also have other needs.”
Those needs include better housing and employment options, as well as mental health support for families coping with the loss of loved ones.
Tuesday’s event was hosted by the group Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice. Family members held up photos of relatives lost to violence and signs that included one saying, “Freedom from violence is a human right.”
Photos and video…
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Mar 31, 22 @ 10:00 am:
Glad to see this all coming back.
It’s important for democracy, but it’s also important because it’s a beautiful building.
Illinois is lucky to have such a gorgeous statehouse, it’s wonderful that it’s again back for the people.
- Boone's is Back - Thursday, Mar 31, 22 @ 11:34 am:
Ah yes, the flourishing restaurant industry has just been doing so well in this state. We should pass more laws that make it harder for them to operate.
- Give Me A Break - Thursday, Mar 31, 22 @ 11:43 am:
As much as I’ve been guilty of complaining about tour groups in the past, as OW says, “It’s important for democracy”.
Lawmaking is not suppose to be done virtually and without lawmakers facing those who their actions impact. The lockdown of the Statehouse and limits on access were justified and needed, but so glad to see the Statehouse coming back to “normal”.
- LoyalVirus - Thursday, Mar 31, 22 @ 12:20 pm:
I hope that Rep Robinson & others had some words w/the ECCSC folks about their horrific actions at Monday’s rally in Federal Square. Tone deaf, intolerant, forest for the trees stuff. Trans women of color have been literal targets for years - how about you stand with and for your trans siblings instead of pouring salt in so many wounds. Do better.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Mar 31, 22 @ 12:30 pm:
===w/the ECCSC folks about their horrific actions…===
Monday’s actions seem fairly typical of the ECCSC tactics. They also like to be present in front of cannabis dispensaries to harass the staff and customers for some reason. They post long Facebook videos of their encounters with law enforcement that make them look like crazy, vigilante style self-appointed arbiters of social justice.