The Purge is an American anthology media franchise centered on a series of dystopian action horror films … The films present a seemingly normal, crime-free America in the near-future. However, the country is a dystopia which celebrates an annual national holiday known as “the Purge,” a day in which all crime, including murder, becomes decriminalized for a 12-hour period.
* Sen. Darren Bailey today, with a bit of italicized commentary by me and some links for you…
We’re standing here today near the spot where two tourists were mugged at gunpoint just outside of their hotel last night.
This is not a test, this is a wake up call. Chicago is living The Purge. When criminals ravage at will and the cops are told to stand down.
JB Pritzker and his cohorts in mayhem are directing the film. With his SAFE-T Act, JB is set to unleash The Purge in neighborhoods all over Illinois as of January 1.
For those who will not see, many in the media, those who deny the hellhole Chicago has become. More people have been murdered in Chicago this year than in New York City and Los Angeles combined [Close, but not accurate]. Let that sink in. More than 500 deaths so far.
JB Pritzker, Lori Lightfoot and Kim Foxx are personally responsible for this.
For those who will not see, lift the veils from your eyes before they’re ripped away by one of the gangs or criminals that our leaders have set free.
Watch the video of a gang of armed robbers terrorizing Wicker Park residents Monday. The cops spotted them getting away, but they were told to stand down. Don’t try to catch them. Don’t pursue, was the words. That’s the rule in Chicago. Those Wicker Park robbers are serial criminals. They went off scot free and they will return.
Alderman George Cardenas, a Democrat, tweeted in a response, ‘Public Safety in Chicago is a joke. Why bother calling the police?’ Except it’s not a joke. It’s a nightmare.
Chicago has strict vehicle pursuit guidelines that make it impossible for police to do their jobs and let criminals go free. [If the city is going to have these pursuit guidelines to protect innocent bystanders, then it really needs alternatives, like drones and helicopters, and it needs them soon.]
And it gets worse. JB is so enamored of these horrific rules that he passed legislation that imposes them on the entire state of Illinois.
Soon, all of Illinois will look like Chicago, like a scene from a horror film come to life. We can and we must stop this.
He then went on to outline his anti-crime program, which he’s done before. Also, as always, please pardon any transcription errors.
* Bailey seems to be riding a wave of recent TikTok videos claiming Illinois is about to enter The Purge on January 1. Most of the videos are based on false or woefully incomplete information, including a meme produced by a far-right southern Illinois website using call letters that make it look like a licensed broadcast station.
…Adding… It’s spreading like wildfire on these sites…
I see the Safe-T Act being referred to as the "Purge Law" on hip-hop and entertainment news and blogs.
We really have to address how misinformation is spreading because bloggers are searching for content. They're not fact-checking.
There are no “non-detainable offenses” coming on January 1. Those judged a flight risk can be held, as one example. But, there’s been a lot of behind the scenes talk about changing the SAFE-T Act during the post-election veto session, particularly to tighten up some language on who gets released and when, and clarifying some things in the anti-trespassing law. So, this Fox 32 take is mostly correct…
Even some top Democrats concede privately they’d like to amend ambiguous language dealing with exactly when judges will be able to detain violent offenders.
* Last word…
I am trying to imagine someone standing on Restaurant Row in the West Loop, surrounded by gleaming new high rises and some of the best food in the country, and declaring that this place is the purge.
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday introduced a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy nationwide, the most prominent effort by Republicans to restrict the procedure since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.
“I think we should have a law at the federal level that would say, after 15 weeks, no abortion on demand except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother,” Graham said at a news conference. “And that should be where America is at.”
Graham’s measure, which stands almost no chance of advancing while Democrats hold the majority in Congress, comes just weeks after he and most Republicans had defended the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe by arguing that allowing states to decide on abortion rights would be the most “constitutionally sound” way of handling the issue.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) suggested Graham had gone a bit rogue with his latest legislation: “That wasn’t a conference decision. It was an individual senator’s decision.”
“There’s obviously a split of opinion in terms of whether abortion law should be decided by the states, which is my preference … and those who want to set some sort of minimum standard,” Cornyn said of the 50-member Senate GOP conference. “I would keep an open mind on this but my preference would be for those decisions to be made on a state-by-state basis.”
* More…
McConnell on Graham’s bill: “you’ll have to ask him about it.” Says most Republicans want to leave it to the states
* I asked Gov. Pritzker’s office for react. Here’s the governor’s response…
Illinois is and always will be a state where we respect women’s rights to make their own decisions about their bodies and their healthcare. The extremists in the GOP told us it should be up to the states to decide and we knew they couldn’t be trusted. A nationwide ban on abortion is not only an egregious attempt to strip away long held rights, but it puts the lives of women at risk. The GOP’s blatant lies are disappointing, but no longer surprising. As Governor, I will never stop fighting to protect every Illinoisans’ right to choose, and I call on all of our representatives to put people over party and vote against a nationwide ban on abortion.
* Sen. Bailey was asked today whether he would support a national abortion ban after 15 weeks…
I’ll have to look at that. I haven’t looked at that. I want to remind people here in Illinois that women are well protected and cared for and nothing is going to change here in Illinois regarding abortions as Gov. Pritzker tries to throw me in that category.
…Adding… DPI…
Today, Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Lisa Hernandez issued the following statement on Republicans’ national abortion ban:
“The Republican party has made clear that it will stop at nothing to strip women of their reproductive rights. Far-right extremist Republicans in Illinois have threatened to do the same here at home — but we will not let them.”
“The stakes of this election could not be more clear. Now more than ever, we must unite to support Democrat pro-choice champions up and down the ballot who will fight to protect abortion access in Washington and here in Illinois. Together, we will ensure that our state remains a safe haven for those who call Illinois home and a beacon of hope for reproductive rights across the country.”
State Senator Darren Bailey (R-Il55), the Republican candidate for Illinois governor, made a campaign stop Saturday at the Palestinian American Club of Bridgeview, Illinois where he spoke in front of a map that erased the state of Israel, depicting the entire region as “Palestine.” The map labeled Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, included Yafo but not Tel Aviv, and restored the Golan Heights to Syria.
* Meanwhile, this relatively new Pritzker campaign video already has 670,001 views as of last check, which is in the top five of all his online videos…
*** UPDATE *** Bailey walked it back today, but considering his past behavior, one wonders how long it’ll be before he doubles down or claims he was taken out of context…
I strongly support Israel I always have and I always will. But I will listen to every one who wants to come to the table and talk.
That was a conversation that I had had with them earlier and I told them, they they told me it was unconstitutional. I said if it is we’ll take a look at that.
In an interview with Palestine TV at the event, Bailey also questioned the constitutionality of legislative measures backed by his opponent Governor JB Pritzker to counter the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
“I’ll always stand on the constitution and it sounds like some of those values are being stepped on right now,” Bailey said in his interview with Palestine TV. “And that makes sense, that’s what’s taking place in every aspect of government with this governor of ours. He doesn’t follow the law, he doesn’t follow the constitution. So the constitution will always be front and center. The Muslim community, the Arab community will always have a seat with me as we learn together, work together, and live together.”
* The Martin Luther King, Jr. statue near the Statehouse was “toppled over” last night, according to Beth Kaufman at the Secretary of State’s office.
A person is in custody, but has not yet been formally charged. The statue is currently at a state warehouse being “assessed for damage,” Kaufman said. According to Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) there’s video of the alleged crime. Rep. Butler took this photo today of the empty pedestal…
I really hate people sometimes.
*** UPDATE *** According to Ms. Kaufman, Fernando Garcia Martinez, 24, has been formally charged with criminal damage to state supported property, which is a felony. He’s currently at the Sangamon County Jail.
…Adding… I’m told Martinez “has no address,” so it’s unknown at this time where he’s from. Bail will be determined tomorrow during a court hearing.
Chief Justice Anne M. Burke has announced her retirement from the Illinois Supreme Court. Her last day on the bench will be November 30, 2022. Chief Justice Burke has served on the Supreme Court since 2006 and has served as Chief Justice since October 2019. Her term as Chief Justice concludes on October 25, 2022. Justice Burke’s full statement on her retirement is available here.
“I have been blessed to serve as a Supreme Court Justice for the past 16 years and have loved working with my staff, colleagues and Judicial Branch staff to serve the people of Illinois,” Chief Justice Burke said. “The past three years as Chief Justice have been a challenging time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but I am thrilled with the progress made by the Illinois Courts.”
The Supreme Court has constitutional authority to fill interim judicial vacancies and has appointed First District Appellate Justice Joy V. Cunningham to fill the seat vacated by Chief Justice Burke. Justice Cunningham, whose term is effective December 1, 2022, through December 2, 2024, will be the second Black woman to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court. The first, Justice Lisa Holder White, was appointed earlier this year.
“I am grateful to the Supreme Court for the trust it has placed in me by allowing me to continue to serve the people of the State of Illinois as a Justice of our Supreme Court. I will do my best to serve with humility, integrity and compassion and always remember why I am there – to serve the people,” Justice Cunningham said. “We have a distinguished Supreme Court in Illinois, and I am proud to have the opportunity to serve alongside these exceptional public servants. I am pleased to live in a state and a country in which my contributions are valued and my opportunities are limitless.” […]
Justice Joy V. Cunningham has served as a First District Appellate Court Justice since 2006 and currently serves as Chair of the Executive Committee. She has served on and chaired the Settlement Committee and serves on the Orientation Committee for new justices. She spent a decade on the Education Committee and chaired the court’s Judicial Performance Committee. She currently co-chairs the First District’s Diversity Committee.
Justice Cunningham received her Bachelor of Science from the City University of New York and earned her Juris Doctorate from the John Marshall Law School. She began her career in 1982 as an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. She went on to be a law clerk to First District Appellate Court Justice Glenn T. Johnson. For 10 years she was the Associate General Counsel and Chief Counsel for HealthCare at Loyola University where she established, directed, and managed Loyola University’s in-house healthcare legal division.
In 1996, Justice Cunningham was sworn in as an Associate Judge in Cook County Circuit Court where she was assigned to the civil trial division. She left the bench in 2000 to serve as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Northwestern Memorial Healthcare where she reported and provided counsel to the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer. She returned to the bench in December 2006 as an elected First District Appellate Court Justice and was retained by voters in 2016.
Her professional associations include the Chicago Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Cook County Bar Association, the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, the Black Women Lawyers Association, the Illinois Judicial Council, the Illinois Judges Association, the Economic Club of Chicago, the Chicago Network, the CBA Past Presidents’ Council, the American Law Institute, and the American Bar Foundation.
Justice Cunningham was the first African American woman elected President of the Chicago Bar Association, the nation’s largest municipal bar association. Her awards include the John Paul Stevens Award, the Earl Burrus Dickerson Award, the Mary Heftel Hooten Award, and the Torchbearer Award.
I ran into the Chief Justice at an event the other day and she talked a little about finishing out her term as the state’s top judge, but gave no indication that she was planning to step down from the Court.
Maybe her husband will finally take the hint and retire as well.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
The Illinois Supreme Court announced today that Justice Mary Jane Theis will be its next Chief Justice. Justice Theis was selected by the Court to serve a three-year term commencing October 26, 2022. She succeeds Justice Anne M. Burke whose tenure as Chief Justice began in October of 2019.
An installation ceremony marking Justice Theis’ selection as Chief Justice will be held at the Supreme Court Building in Springfield during the Court’s November Term.
“I would like to thank my colleagues for giving me this opportunity to serve the people of Illinois as Chief Justice,” Justice Theis said. “I would also like to congratulate Justice Burke for her successful term as Chief and her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to working with the bench, bar and community at large to further the Court’s mission of providing access to equal justice, ensuring judicial integrity and upholding the rule of law. Our goal continues to be increasing public trust and confidence in the courts.”
Justice Theis will be the fourth woman to serve as Chief Justice following the late Justice Mary Ann McMorrow, Justice Rita B. Garman, and Justice Burke. She will be the 122nd Chief Justice in Illinois history.
* McLean County’s largest school district recently denied four resignations submitted by tenured special education teachers weeks before the first day of school. WGLT…
Unit 5 has invoked a rarely used state statute that allows school districts to reject teacher resignations in certain circumstances.
McLean County’s largest district denied four resignations, submitted by special education teachers weeks before the first day of school. Two of the teachers agreed to stay for the 2022-2023 school year.
But for two others who ignored the warning, Andrea Jefferson and Emily Andris, who left to teach elsewhere, their teaching licenses now are in jeopardy. […]
What’s at issue here is Illinois statutes in place that apply to tenured teachers during the school term: A district has the right to reject a tenured teacher’s resignation if that means the teacher would leave during the school term to take a teaching job at a different school district. […]
That critical need for special education services was key in Unit 5’s decision, said Baldwin. The district already had four vacancies in special education. The newly-submitted four resignations would have doubled the shortage.
While districts across the state report slight and sporadic shortages, there is little dispute that there continues to be a shortage of special & bilingual education, along with world languages, agriculture, and some secondary sciences teachers. And, according to Liam Chan Hodges, Media Coordinator for Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), “These current shortages have a disproportionate impact on chronically struggling schools, underfunded schools, and schools serving low-income communities.” The shortages hit hardest where the need is often the greatest – and simply doing more of what we’ve done in the past will not solve the issue.
* Some suburban school districts’ solutions to the special education and language teacher shortage is substitutes, ABC7 reports…
Superintendents around the area say the main problem they are encountering is that they simply don’t have enough qualified people applying for the positions they have open, most of which appear to be special ed, bilingual and dual-language teachers. […]
Around 35,000 students returned to the classroom in School District U-46, the second largest in the state, including Elgin as well as 10 other surrounding communities. But even as students begin to shake off the summer cobwebs, many will be taught by substitutes, for now.
“We still have around 100 teacher vacancies,” District U-46 Supt. Tony Sanders said. “We’re able to fill those. We have retirees. We have long-term subs. We have lots of people to step in to fill those roles.”
Most of U-46’s vacancies are for dual language and special ed teachers.[…]
It’s a similar story in Joliet’s Public School District 86, where students will be welcomed back on Wednesday. They are still short about 20 full-time teachers, and the Illinois State Board of Education will only allow districts to use subs for 30 days at a time in a single classroom.
* Illinois State Board of Education’s statement to ABC 7…
Like many states across the country, Illinois is currently experiencing a teacher shortage. In the hopes of better understanding this shortage, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) conducted an analysis to understand the specific students and communities most impacted by teacher vacancies. This analysis found that the current shortage has a disproportionate impact on chronically struggling schools, underfunded schools, and schools serving low-income communities, as well as specific subject areas including special education and bilingual education. The data reinforce the importance of equity as the driving strategy for continuing to strengthen the teacher pipeline in Illinois.
To help address the shortage of substitute teachers, ISBE has instituted changes to expand the pipeline for substitute teachers. For example, in addition to any individual with a bachelor’s degree, we also now allow those enrolled in an Illinois approved educator preparation program who have completed 90 semester hours of coursework to substitute teach beginning January 1, 2023. We have also waived the $25 application fee during public health emergencies, such as the current covid-19 pandemic, so individuals can get licensed to sub completely for free. Short-term substitutes can also teach up to 15 consecutive days, instead of the usual five, for up to 120 days for school year 2022-23.
The state has also employed several other strategic initiatives, which have proven to be effective in growing the teacher workforce, raising enrollment in educator preparation programs, and increasing teacher retention rates. […]
As a result of these initiatives, and others, the teacher workforce in Illinois has grown year-over-year since 2018, adding more than 5,000 new teachers to the profession. The state also saw an 11 percent increase in enrollment in educator preparation programs between 2019 and 2020, and last year teacher retention rates rose to over 87 percent, the highest since 2014.
This school year, 48 states, including Hawaii, reported shortages of special education teachers to the federal government.
The shortage is so severe that Hawaii is one of several states that rely on teachers without licenses in special education to teach some of the highest needs students — like those who do not speak and those with challenging behaviors.
But Hawaii’s pay increase [$10,000 per year for special ed teachers], which began in 2020, was a game changer. Before the incentive, in October 2019, almost 30% of the state’s special education positions were vacant or staffed by teachers without appropriate licenses, district data shows. By October 2021, that number dropped by half, to about 15%.
We finally obtained a copy of the settlement agreement in the lawsuit where Senator Michael Hastings was sued, along with the Illinois Senate, for discrimination and harassment against Cassandra Matz, a former employee of Sen. Hastings.
In the settlement agreement, Hastings and the Senate deny any wrongdoing but agree to pay a total of $100,000 to Matz and her attorneys.
The settlement also:
• prohibits Matz from disclosing the settlement (a gag agreement) to anyone,
• prohibits the filing or use of the settlement in any court
• agrees to file a Stipulation to Dismiss in the court stating that each party shall bear their own attorney fees, costs, or expenses (kind of flies in the face of the $100,000 payment)
This leads us to think there are wider harassment issues in the Illinois government than simply this lawsuit, which by all appearances attempts to make the public think it was dismissed and no payments were made.
* I told subscribers about the $100,000 payout last week, but here’s WBEZ today…
And those were not the only costs to taxpayers from that legal battle. The state also hired a private attorney who represented Hastings — with the payments to the outside counsel’s firm adding up to nearly $47,000, according to records obtained by WBEZ.
Still, a veteran environmental lobbyist in Springfield told WBEZ that Kathleen Hastings’s complaint to police — and what she says are her own personal experiences of being bullied repeatedly by Michael Hastings in professional interactions — have led her to decide she would no longer lobby him and to call for his resignation from the Senate.
Jen Walling, the longtime executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council, said in an interview last week that Hastings had yelled at her, pounded his hands on a table in a Capitol meeting room and approached her in a menacing manner during disagreements over legislation in Springfield in the past five years.
“He clearly, to me, in observing him, has had serious issues with anger management that aren’t appropriate for the workplace where we are making laws for the state of Illinois,” Walling said. […]
But in a written statement sent to WBEZ, Hastings spokesman Ray Hanania said Walling was “not being honest,” and Hanania suggested her accusations and other complaints against Hastings recently — including those stemming from the senator’s marital problems — were designed to hurt his reelection bid. […]
Hastings’s spokesman, Hanania, said Walling “is the bully. And she is not being honest. Hastings has been the sponsor of the most sweeping environmental legislation we have seen.”
Yeah, that attack ain’t gonna fly, dude. Stay tuned.
…Adding… I asked Senate President Don Harmon’s spokesperson if Harmon had a comment…
We are just seeing this article, and at this time we do not.
…Adding… Sen. Napoleon Harris has released a statement in support of Sen. Hastings…
“With the statements made by Jen Walling, I cannot sit by and allow her misleading and false political rhetoric to go without a response.
“First, how coincidental that Ms. Walling decides to make a statement two months before an election. I have known Mike Hastings to be one of the most upstanding, professional, and honest legislators in the Illinois Senate. As the Chairman of the Senate Energy & Public Utilities Committee, he helped champion one of the most sweeping clean energy pieces of legislation in the nation and has fought to implement diversity hiring requirements throughout the utility industry.
“Second, there is an unknown truth to Ms. Walling and the manner in which she conducts her business. She is one of the most abrasive and disrespectful lobbyists in Springfield. She is a bully. When trying to advance a piece of legislation that would help the South Suburbs and the 17th District, she literally threatened to organize local people in my community against me along with threatening to protest my office location. I know that she did the same to Senator Hastings in his district when she did not get her way.
“Jen Walling does not have the slightest clue about the best interests of Harvey or the South Suburbs, for that matter. However, when she does not get her way or someone does not agree with her demands, she either threatens you or bullies you to get what she wants. In this instance, she should be ashamed of herself and reflect on the way she conducts business.
Walling flatly denies the protest threat. She doesn’t deny asking constituents to contact their lawmakers, which is pretty common. The issue in question was SB1104, a bill pushed by the fossil fuel industry.
That Napo comment is just weird, man.
…Adding… ILGOP…
Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings continues to blame everyone but himself for his problems, like the inexcusable domestic violence allegations and the taxpayer-funded defense of alleged discrimination and retaliation against a former staffer. Meanwhile, Hastings’ Democratic colleagues have been either completely silent on his alleged misconduct or, in some cases, have even come to his defense.
Senator Napoleon Harris went so far as to defend Hastings, saying in a statement he was, “one of the most upstanding, professional, and honest legislators in the Illinois Senate.”
According to the police report as quoted in WBEZ, Hastings’ wife, “advised on 11-09-2020, Michael battered her, by placing her in a chokehold/neck restraint, and slammed her body into a door multiple times.” What has Hastings himself had to say?
Instead of taking responsibility for these deplorable allegations, Hastings has attempted to deflect time and again.
According to WBEZ, “Records show Hastings called two different police departments and unsuccessfully sought to have his wife arrested and charged two months ago in a dispute over visitation rights. In addition to denying his wife’s allegations of domestic-battery, he also sued south suburban Frankfort for allegedly leaking the report containing those allegations.”
According to the Chicago Tribune last month, Hastings accused the police report of being, “intentionally leaked to the news media in a sinister attempt to influence the elections, hurt me politically by tarnishing my reputation, and turning the divorce around to blame the divorce on me by using these false domestic violence accusations.”
While Hastings and his colleagues dodge and deflect, Illinois taxpayers are left to pick up the tab for his state-funded settlement and legal fees, to the tune of nearly $150,000.
“Senator Hastings’ colleagues should be ashamed of their silence. He has lashed out against everybody while using our tax dollars to do so. It’s time for Illinois Democrats to step up and condemn Hastings for these allegations unbefitting of anyone, let alone a public servant,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy.
Are you concerned about election integrity? You should be. Do you realize the Constitution has a position for us to serve in to monitor election integrity. It’s called poll watchers and election judges. The poll watchers, we’re training poll watchers, I am assigning pollwatchers into high-risk precincts that we’ve located. We’re going to train you, we’re going to equip you, we’re going to be there to support you. And as you’re keeping records and doing your job and see something that’s concerning, there’s going to be lawyers available that we can call and get advice and take care of business and activity if it so happens. Our state, our future, our children are depending on this, friends.
We’ve discussed his campaign’s emphasis on Chicago poll watchers before. It’s a huge waste of resources, unless he’s preparing the grounds for some sort of excuse about how he didn’t really lose. I mean, his campaign’s State Election Integrity Coordinator worked at a radio station which organized a January 6 bus trip.
* Equality Illinois…
Equality Illinois, the state’s civil rights organization for LGBTQ+ Illinoisans, on Thursday announced Illinois General Assembly and county-level endorsements for the November 8, 2022 General Election.
“Equality Illinois is excited to announce our state legislative endorsements today as we continue to make our state fairer and more just for LGBTQ+ people,” said Justin DeJong, Board Chair of Equality Illinois, a 501(c)(4) organization. “In recent years, Illinois has been a beacon of equality and inclusion. Ensuring our beacon continues to burn brightly is so important at a time when anti-equality forces have introduced more than 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in state houses across the country. These endorsed candidates will continue to advance our progress as we keep fighting for equality and inclusion for all LGBTQ+ residents and visitors in Illinois.”
The full endorsement list is here. It’s quite long, so I asked my associate Isabel Miller to go through it and find Democratic incumbents who were not endorsed for reelection…
Sens. Patricia Van Pelt, Emil Jones III, Napoleon Harris III, Bill Cunningham, Patrick Joyce, Meg Loughran Cappel, Scott Bennett and Kris Tharp.
Reps. Jawaharial Williams, Angie Guerrero-Cuellar, Curtis Tarver II, William Davis, Mary E. Flowers, Cyril Nichols, Marcus Evans, Nicholas Smith, Frances Ann Hurley, Kelly M. Burke , Fred Crespo, Martin J. Moylan, Lance Yednock, Anthony DeLuca, Lawrence Walsh, Jr., Jehan Gordon-Booth, Sue Scherer and LaToya Greenwood.
* ILGOP…
Republicans from across Chicagoland joined together Wednesday night at the Jefferson Park Copernicus Center for a standing-room-only grassroots fundraising event to highlight the 65 Republican candidates running for office in Cook County and the City of Chicago - a historic number.
“Never before have we seen the grassroots energy that we’ve seen so far this cycle. A record number of Republican candidates stepped up and answered the call to run for office up and down the ballot in Chicago,” said Chicago Republican Party Chairman Steve Boulton.
Cook County Republican Party Chairman Sean Morrison added, “Voters are fed up with the dangerous ‘soft on crime’ policies of Kim Foxx and Toni Preckwinkle. We’re energized to take on their failed tax & spend policies that have given us record inflation across Cook County. It’s time to put an end to the institutional corruption of the Chicago Democratic Machine. Taxpayers can no longer afford it.”
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy echoed their sentiment, “Republicans are ready to take back our state after decades of mismanagement, corruption, and turning a blind eye to the rise in crime all across this great city. There’s no better evidence of this energy than the presence of so many great candidates who have stepped up and put their names on the ballot to take on this corrupt machine. The path to victory in November goes through Cook County and voters are clearly fed up with the status quo.”
Last month, the Cook County and Chicago Republican Party slated over 30 candidates for the November General Election. They joined the 35 Cook County and Chicago Republicans running for offices ranging from Illinois State Legislature, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, and Cook County Commissioner who were already on the ballot.
Several of their slated legislative candidates did not survive the petition process. Click here for the list of objections sustained and overruled. Only two were overruled.
* It’s tough to imagine the mild-mannered Demmer as some far-right MAGA guy, but I suppose the object here could be to make him deny that he is one…
With two months to go until the general election, it’s far past time for MAGA conservative candidate for Illinois treasurer Tom Demmer to explain why he has been a consistent anti-woman, anti-worker, pro-gun vote in Illinois.
Demmer refused to complete any candidate questionnaires during the primary, trying desperately to dodge his own far-right agenda and his support for former President Donald Trump, former Governor Bruce Rauner and GOP gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey.
Voters are still waiting for answers to major questions such as:
• Do you stand by Darren Bailey’s extremist positions, his obstructionist voting record, and his divisive rhetoric?
• How will you prioritize fiscal responsibility after leading the voting bloc to help Rauner break the state by going two years without a budget?
• Why do you oppose common sense gun measures to restrict dangerous military-style weapons?
• Why did you vote against the Equal Rights Amendment?
• Why did you refuse to support critical health measures for working families such as a cap on out-of-pocket insulin costs?
Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs’ record of delivering for Illinoisans speaks for itself. Over two terms, he has:
• Created one of the best college savings plans in the country, increasing college savings from $7 billion to $17 billion and saving families more than $100 million in fees.
• Established a retirement savings program that travels with the worker, enabling over 100,000 workers who previously did not have a retirement plan to now save $85 million with Secure Choice.
• Returned a record $1.5 billion in unclaimed property and tripled the number of claims paid per year, streamlining the process such that some residents do not even have to file a claim in order to be paid.
* Pritzker campaign…
A new ad from longtime political loser Dan Proft and January 6-supporting megadonor Dick Uihlein calls Darren Bailey a “practical problem solver” — but his legislative record tells a different story.
Candidate Darren Bailey is quick to point out issues facing Illinois, but State Senator Darren Bailey has roadblocked progress by consistently voting against solutions every chance he got and is best known for trying to separate Chicago into its own state.
Following decades of financial mismanagement by previous administrations, Gov. JB Pritzker has enacted four consecutive balanced budgets and delivered an unprecedented amount of tax relief to working families. Darren Bailey voted against all four budgets and voted against pension consolidation, which takes pressure off of property taxes. Bailey also voted to raise property taxes 81% while serving on a local school board.
While Bailey often calls out “high crime rates” as a key issue plaguing the state, he’s also spent the last four years standing in the way of budgets that prioritize public safety and voting against bipartisan legislation that supports law enforcement. Bailey voted against the single largest investment to expand cadet classes in Illinois history, $10 million for a local law enforcement retention grant program, and $8 million for a multi-year equipment replacement program at the Illinois State Police.
This ad is just the latest in Bailey’s long pattern of saying one thing while doing the opposite. While he parades himself around as a “practical problem solver” — Illinoisans know the truth: on the issues that matter most, he’s all talk and no action.
* Pritzker campaign highlights the founding chair of Personal PAC…
Lifelong conservative and Winnetka-native, Marcie Love, is the latest Illinois Republican to denounce Darren Bailey and his radical plans in a new video released today. Bailey’s extremism continues to show he’s unfit for office, and Illinois Republicans are speaking out against his cruel and hypocritical stances on abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and health care.
In my mind, no Republican woman and no man who loves a woman should vote for Darren Bailey. Unless you want him in your bedroom.
I’m Marcie Love, an 84-year-old lifelong Republican. I live in Winnetka.
I think of myself as a limited government person. I do not believe that the government should come between individuals and what they do in their bedroom or at their doctor’s offices.
That, to me, is very important. It’s a privacy issue.
When I hear that Darren Bailey is against abortion for rape or for incest, I think he must be a very cruel man. How can anybody be against abortion for a ten-year-old who’s a rape victim?
Rape and incest?
Tell me that. Tell me where their heart is.
If Daren Bailey wants to intrude in our private lives on the issue of choice, what else does he want to intrude in? What else, in personal liberties, does he want to take away?
…Adding… ILGOP…
llinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs has a long history of changing his facts. Last week, he lashed out against State Rep. Tom Demmer and the media for repeating comments he made about taxing retirement at the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce Forum in 2020.
FACT: Frerichs added one argument for the progressive tax is the consideration of taxing retirement income of those who can afford it.
Daily Herald, June 17, 2020: ‘Frerichs added one argument for the progressive tax is the consideration of taxing retirement income of those who can afford it. He said he knows people who receive 6-figure yearly pensions and do not pay income taxes, but the current system doesn’t differentiate between them and retirees who barely get by on their savings or pensions.
“One thing a progressive tax would do is make clear you can have graduated rates when you are taxing retirement income,” he said. “And, I think that’s something that’s worth discussion.”
FACT: Frerichs has been flip-flopping on whether he supports combining the offices of the Comptroller and Treasurer.
Chicago Tribune, September 21, 2014: “I think his statements on Israel bonds weren’t carefully thought out. It’s been one of the better investments in the state treasurer’s office,” Giannoulias said of Frerichs.
Giannoulias also appeared critical of Frerichs’ back-and-forth on the issue of combining the offices of state treasurer and comptroller. Frerichs had supported the idea, later appeared to back off the position, but then said he was in favor of combining the offices.”
FACT: Rather than taking accountability for his statement on retirement income or repeated flip-flops on the Comptroller’s Office Frerichs said everyone else is lying.
Herald-Whig September 1, 2022: “It is good to hear that Tom Demmer agrees with me in that retirement income should not be taxed and that the comptroller’s office should be folded into the treasurer’s office,” Frerichs said, in an email to The Herald-Whig. “I’ve been saying the same thing for years. Anything that contradicts these statements simply is not true. Anyone who contradicts these statements should be asked, ‘Why are you lying?’
FACT: Frerichs has been supporting a progressive income tax as a way of raising taxes since 2007.
Frerichs introduced his own constitutional amendment to create a progressive income with SJRCA69 in 2007 and followed with two more amendments SJRCA92 and SJRCA89 in 2008, SJRCA101 in 2010, SJRCA17 in 2013.
Since becoming Leader, McConchie has dedicated himself to significantly growing his Caucus. His commitment to doing so is proven by continuing to dramatically improve fundraising results, putting Senate Republicans in a position to achieve victory this November. As our fundraising continues to accelerate, he will ensure that voters across Illinois know they have a choice this election.
*** UPDATE *** The Senate Democrats just sent over a spreadsheet showing that committees controlled by Senate President Don Harmon filed disclosure reports today totaling $2.2 million, which is of course larger than the Uihlein contribution to the Senate Republican Leader. Click here.
* Gov. Pritzker said this yesterday about Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s sending people seeking asylum to Illinois…
At the staff level, our staffs have been in contact with one another. But they have been wholly uncooperative in Texas. They are trying to sow chaos around the country, not just here in Chicago.
The Texas Republican’s office in turn told the Sun-Times Pritzker and his staff “have at no point made any effort to reach out to Governor Abbott or his office.” […]
But Pritzker’s office countered that Illinois Emergency Management Agency head Alicia Tate-Nadeau has made repeated efforts to reach Abbott’s emergency management director, including phone calls, voice mail messages and a letter emailed on Thursday morning.
The Democratic governor’s administration provided a copy of that letter to the Sun-Times. It was sent to W. Nim Kidd, who serves as chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
The letter requests that a liaison officer be able to work with the Texas Department of Emergency Management to provide demographics and population of those on the buses, departure and arrival times and “anypertinent information related to overall medical disposition.”
WGN Investigates has learned several dozen of the migrants Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent to Chicago have now been relocated to a hotel in the suburbs without advance warning to the local mayor.
“I am concerned neither the village administrator nor I were told about this,” Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso told WGN. “We want to know: Why Burr Ridge?”
Just days ago, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot blasted Abbott for treating the migrants like “cargo” and not providing her with advance notice they were arriving.
“My frustration comes from the actions of the governor of Texas,” Lightfoot said Sunday, when the first bus load of 50 migrants arrived. “There could be a level of coordination and cooperation, but he chooses to do none of those things and instead tries to send human beings — not cargo, not freight — human beings across the country to an uncertain destination.” […]
The governor’s spokesperson issued the following statement:
The state is working with our partners at the City of Chicago and Cook County along with advocacy organizations to welcome those seeking asylum in the United States and provide them stability as they work to build a new life in Illinois. The state has a prior relationship with the hotel being used in the suburbs and their staff has done amazing work welcoming refugees and asylum seekers before, so it is interesting that local officials are choosing this specific instance to gripe to the press about this specific group of asylum seekers that consists of about 30 families. Gov. Pritzker has made it clear that Illinois is welcoming state and xenophobia has no home here.
Sources told the Sun-Times Texas officials opted to drop off the immigrants at the very public Union Station, instead of a welcoming center, where local officials had implored bus operators to send them.
Burr Ridge doesn’t have to do anything because the migrants are being brought directly to a welcoming center with experience dealing with this sort of thing. They’re not being dumped at some random bus station, where the town would have to expend finite resources to handle the influx. It isn’t remotely the same thing.
Still, a heads up might’ve been nice.
…Adding… The state also housed Afghan refugees in that hotel and not a peep was heard from Mayor Grasso or Fox News.
Chicagoans in search of reliable political coverage in today’s fractured media environment have a new source this campaign season. But whether that source is news or recycled propaganda from a prominent political activist is most debatable. As are the actions of the big donor who’s apparently picking up the tab.
At issue is the recent appearance in mailboxes all around town of Chicago City Wire, a broadsheet publication that bills itself just below its nameplate as “Real data. Real News.”
In fact, articles in recent editions of the newspaper mostly are negative pieces about Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot, mixed with a little positive coverage of GOP gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey. […]
Particularly striking in one issue are two pages of mug shots of people accused of violent crimes who may be released without bail under terms of a criminal justice reform bill Pritzker signed into law. At least 25 of the 36 men pictured are Black.
In DuPage County, one of the papers, entitled the “DuPage Policy Journal,” showed two full pages of photos of men – mostly Black and Latino – whom the publication says will be released from prison because of the new legislation. […]
Pritzker says that the mailers are not marked properly as campaign material, and says that the reduction of local media outlets throughout the state has allowed the paper to gain circulation.
“When you get one of these in the mail, you should know that this is not a real newspaper,” he said. “It isn’t even marked properly as campaign material. It’s put out by this right-wing network of newspapers that we all know exists in Illinois, and they’re trying to take over where local, real journalism unfortunately has receded.”
Proft dismissed Pritzker’s concerns about the publications in an email to NBC 5 Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern.
“Newspapers spreading misinformation and representing only one point of view? Pritzker must be talking about the Chicago Tribune and the NPR/AFL-CIO (Chicago) Sun-Times.”
* Gov. Pritzker was asked about the papers again today…
Well, first of all, this is a messaging that’s coming from a racist political consultant, who used to associate himself with Illinois, now lives in Florida. And he’s sending messages that are, you know, if you look at what he’s printed, it’s clearly all about the idea that, again, what he’s printing, that Black people are threatening your way of life. That’s essentially what he’s putting in these publications.
It’s a scare tactic. It’s meant to have people you know, concern for their safety. And the truth of the matter is that what he’s purveying here is complete hogwash. I’m probably being polite when I say that. It’s disgusting. It’s a terrible thing to do. We’re seeing it more and more in American politics, and unfortunately, we hadn’t seen it as much in Illinois, until this guy, Dan Proft, I think it’s missing an ‘i’ because it’s really all about profit for him. But that’s what he does.
And frankly, he’s doing it on behalf of Darren Bailey. And that says as much as you need to know about Darren Bailey
*** UPDATE 1 *** We have some react. Rep. Deb Conroy…
The DuPage Policy Journal and the “papers” Dan Proft puts out are trying to scare people with lies. They printed and doubled down on the hateful líes that caused months of threats to my life and prevented me from not only doing my job but going out and gathering petitions to run for DuPage County Board Chair. This is not journalism, this is paid for lies for political gain.
* Senate Black Caucus Chair Robert Peters…
The following is a statement from State Senator Robert Peters, Chair of the Illinois Senate Black Caucus, responding to the growing number of racist attack ads paid for by far right conservatives. These include “The Summer of Joy” ad, the People Who Play By The Rules PAC’s ad, and the mailer in the form of a fake newspaper, “Chicago City Wire” with the lead story titled, “It’s going to be the end of days,” referring to the end of money bond:
“The drumbeat of racist attack ads intended to decieve and scare suburban voters into supporting anti-abortion, pro-assault weapon right wing radicals must be called out for what they are: Willie Horton-level propaganda harkening back to Birth of a Nation that has nothing to do with working towards real public safety.
“The SAFE-T Act is based on evidence, data, and solving root causes of violence. It dares to imagine a world–that actually existed up through the 1970s–where people who never posed a threat to others weren’t rounded up and thrown into jail. And, it’s the only criminal justice reform legislation that has the full support of domestic violence, sexual assault, and victims rights organizations because it protects victims over perpetrators.
“These right wing groups have no intention of keeping us safe–they only want a rope around our necks. The SAFE-T Act will not be part of a Willie Horton-style lynch mob carried out by January 6th Oathkeeper zealots.”
* His papers seem to have quite the fixation on the governor’s daughter…
Governor JB Pritzker continues to attack private citizen, radio host and People Who Play By The Rules PAC President Dan Proft during press conferences around the state, first in Chicago yesterday, and then again today in Harvey while talking about the extremely controversial SAFE-T Act. On January 1st, thousands of violent alleged perpetrators will be let out of jail when HB 3653 applies statewide. 100 of 102 Illinois State’s Attorneys of both parties oppose the law. According to NBC Chicago’s Mary Ann Ahern, Pritzker said the following yesterday in Chicago regarding Proft’s association with local newspapers that have printed photos of some of the violent alleged perpetrators who will be released: “It’s pretty awful. These are lies and they’re putting them out in various forms, attacking people based on their background.”
All of the photos in the stories are accurate and publicly available, and all of the information printed is 100% objectively factual.
Pritzker comments in Harvey today: “Well, first of all, this is a messaging that’s coming from a racist political consultant, who used to associate himself with Illinois, now lives in Florida. And he’s sending messages that are, you know, if you look at what he’s printed, it’s clearly all about the idea that, again, what he’s printing, that Black people are threatening your way of life. That’s essentially what he’s putting in these publications.”
Dan Proft’s response:
“Pritzker infuses race into every, single policy debate. He never deals on the merits, particularly on public safety. He signed the state’s death warrant with his no cash bail law. Challenge to JB: name one specific item in the newspaper you excoriate that is untrue or inaccurate.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice takes up Proft’s challenge…
We have detailed four of the most egregious lies featured in the mailer here as a resource for journalists:
1. The mailer’s centerfold includes pictures of people—the vast majority of whom are Black—who it suggests are currently incarcerated in Cook County Jail. It then claims that under the Pretrial Fairness Act, they will be “released to Cook County’s Neighborhoods.” This is a lie. After January 1, 2023, judges will still have the ability to detain every person pictured.
Right now, any of the people pictured could be released from jail at any time by paying their money bail. In the current system, the amount of money someone has determines whether they can be released—not whether they pose a threat to someone else or are likely to flee prosecution.
The Pretrial Fairness Act ensures that the facts of a person’s case will be the main factor determining who is jailed and who is released pretrial, instead of the size of their bank account. When the Pretrial Fairness Act takes effect, a robust, individualized hearing will determine who is able to safely return to the community while awaiting trial.
2. “The Summer of Joy” section of the mailer claims that the Pretrial Fairness Act “mandates” that people charged with murder are released while awaiting trial. This is a lie. Any person charged with murder may be denied pretrial release under the Pretrial Fairness Act if they are found to be a danger to others or a flight risk.
3. The mailer features a list of charges that they claim are “non-detainable” under the Pretrial Fairness Act. This claim is factually incorrect; most of the charges listed are detainable if the person poses a flight risk. And anyone who is arrested for one of these charges while already on pretrial release for another crime can be denied release until trial.
4. Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow tries to sow fear by suggesting that Drew Peterson—a person convicted of both the murder of his wife and of attempting to hire someone to kill State’s Attorney Glasgow himself—would not have been able to be detained under the Pretrial Fairness Act. This is completely false.
Anyone charged with murder who poses a specific, real and present threat to another person can and would be denied release under the Pretrial Fairness Act. In fact, State’s Attorney Glasgow lays out in the article the exact facts that he would be able to present to a judge to have Mr. Peterson jailed without money bond under the Pretrial Fairness Act.
Fentanyl-laced mail is making its way into Illinois’ corrections system and some are demanding a change in policy to make it stop.
Scot Ward, president of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Corrections Lodge 263, said there are ongoing issues concerning safety of staff and inmates.
“There’s always a staffing issue, there’s always mental health for the offenders and the officers,” Ward told The Center Square. “There’s all kinds of things going on in the [Illinois Department of Corrections] that needs to be spoken about.”
But, Friday, in a statement Ward was critical of what he characterized as a system being watered down to appease special interest groups.
Keep in mind that Lodge 263 does not collectively bargain on behalf of corrections’ workers. AFSCME does that. The Lodge is a fraternal organization in this case.
* Ward’s full statement…
The environment in Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) facilities is becoming increasingly more dangerous for both correctional officers and offenders and there seems to be little or no movement toward improving the situation, according to the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Corrections Lodge 263.
According to Lodge 263, during the Pritzker administration the Governor’s appointee Camile Lindsay, who gives direction to IDOC, has dangerously shifted focus to an anti-law enforcement, criminal-centered environment that placates social justice advocates at the expense of accountability for criminal behavior.
“Over the last several months working conditions for IDOC officers have become increasingly more stressful and dangerous,” said Lodge 263 President Scot Ward. “There is no valid plan in place to improve the situation, and frightening tragedies will undoubtedly occur unless something is done soon.”
Illegal, synthetic drugs are entering IDOC facilities at a more rapid pace through mail sent to the offenders. These drug-soaked cards, letters and fraudulent attorney-client correspondence has led to an increase in offenders being under the influence of drugs, carrying out violent acts on staff and other offenders. In addition, IDOC officers handling the mail have been unknowingly exposed to these substances, and as a result several officers have required a dose of Narcan or an emergency room visit.
“Many correctional agencies in the United States scan the offenders’ mail and then deliver those scans to the offenders, which keeps illegal drugs from entering the prison through the mail,” Ward said. “We have suggested this solution to top IDOC officials, but to date no action has been taken to stem this postal poison flow.”
The system that holds incarcerated offenders responsible for their actions has been watered down through policy and law changes, Ward said, and the result is that offenders no longer fear repercussions if they harm or kill a fellow offender or an IDOC officer. Restrictive housing for offenses has been reduced or eliminated, fewer cases of offender violence are being sent to county state’s attorneys for prosecution, and parolees are not being sent back to prison for violating the terms of their parole.
“Offenders are no longer concerned about being punished for their violent acts, and that means they literally have nothing to lose by assaulting any human being they encounter in prison,” Ward said. “And if they are not accountable on the inside, how can you ever hope to safely return them to society once their sentences are over?”
The mental health of IDOC officers is also a major concern. Ward said that these men and women work in some of the state’s most dangerous environments and they are under the constant threat of violence, intense scrutiny, lawsuits, investigations, drug exposure, and the daily fear of walking into an environment where anything can, and often does, happen.
“What makes matters worse is that these officers are forced to work excessive amounts of overtime to deal with critical staff shortages,” Ward said. “The mental health assistance systems in place do not offer the anonymity that officers need to avoid the stigma and negative scrutiny of both offenders and their fellow officers.”
“Mental health professionals with experience in helping law enforcement officers must be made available to assist IDOC officers when needed,” Ward said. “IDOC administrators must also be open to the idea of mental health time off, assignment changes, and small acts of appreciation for officers.”
Camile Lindsey has only been in the governor’s office for a few months.
* I asked the governor’s office for a response. Here’s Jordan Abudayyeh…
While smuggling contraband through the mail is a challenge for corrections institutions across the country, let’s look at the facts— the Department of Corrections houses approximately 29,000 individuals and this year there have been less than 230 instances of synthetics being discovered in the mail. If every individual in custody received just one piece of mail, that comes out to less than one percent. We remain committed to ensuring that staff are safe and instances of synthetics being smuggled into facilities are treated with the utmost importance.
What seems to be the real problem for the union is that a Black woman is in a position of power and is working diligently to carry out this administration’s mission to clean up the Department of Corrections and ensure we are treating those in our custody with respect and with a focus on rehabilitation.
* Background from the governor’s office…
• The Department’s evolution to an incentive-based corrections model is an administration-wide initiative and has resulted in a reduction of violence within DOC facilities. The restrictive housing reform is in accordance with the Department of Justice’s guiding principles and ACA standards.
• The Department offers staff wellness training, which uses best-in-class curriculum as well as providing staff wellness teams that provide peer support for facility staff statewide on an as needed basis. The health and safety of staff and the individuals in custody is the Illinois Department of Correction’s top priority.
It was also noted that the shift iaway from placing individuals in restrictive housing is part of active litigation. IDOC is apparently trying to avoid a consent decree.
* Also, I’m having a hard time buying the “several officers have required a dose of Narcan or an emergency room visit,” line. The FOP swears this is true, and I don’t doubt that officers have asked for Narcan doses or visited emergency rooms. However…
* Fact Check-Overdose of fentanyl just by being in its presence is not possible, experts tell Reuters: “You cannot overdose just by touching fentanyl or another opioid and you cannot overdose just by being around it,” said Dr Ryan Marino, medical director of Toxicology & Addiction at University Hospitals, Cleveland. “It will not get into the air and cause anyone to overdose.” … Lewis S. Nelson, professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and director of the Division of Medical Toxicology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey, agreed with these comments, explaining that an overdose from fentanyl by being in its presence was “not possible”. … “All of the findings that we see on this, and other videos, are inconsistent with fentanyl poisoning and are fully consistent with a stress/anxiety response.”
* Accidental Occupational Exposure to a Large Volume of Liquid Fentanyl on a Compromised Skin Barrier with No Resultant Effect: The high prevalence of fentanyl in the illicit drug supply has generated concern among first responders regarding occupational exposure. Social media sharing of unconfirmed first responder overdoses after brief exposure to fentanyl may be contributing to an inappropriate risk perception of brief dermal fentanyl exposure. This case details a dermal exposure to a large dose of analytically confirmed pharmaceutical fentanyl (fentanyl citrate, 10 microgram fentanyl base per ml), over a large skin surface area. Additionally, the exposure occurred at a site with some skin barrier compromise, a factor that can increase fentanyl absorption. The patient underwent appropriate decontamination and underwent a brief medical assessment with no clinical effects of opioid exposure observed.
* Cops say touching fentanyl is making them sick. Doctors say it’s impossible: Pharmaceutical fentanyl is used in hospitals — often in the form of a patch — for patients with extreme pain. But even then, said Dr. Ryan Marino, an emergency medicine physician and toxicologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who uses #WTFentanyl to bust myths surrounding the drug, it’s not easily absorbed . “Fentanyl patches require putting fentanyl into special liquid vehicles so it can be absorbed through skin, and then sealing them against the skin for 72 hours at a time,” Marino said. “The patches took decades and millions of dollars to develop and are still incredibly slow and inefficient.”
The Pritzker administration, once again, has decided to try and divert attention from a serious and deadly issue instead of taking care of the problem. They are playing the race card while putting lives at risk by their inaction.
The men and women who staff our prisons, many of them people of color, are facing more dangerous situations every day. As recently as Sunday, at the Western Illinois Correctional Center, an 18-page drug-soaked book caused several offenders to need medical attention and posed an extreme risk to staff.
So while the Pritzker administration plays the race card, they ignore the incompetence and inaction of the person who should be their advocate for change and safety in our prisons.
Color doesn’t matter, competence does. The 50 percent of our executive board and the large percentage of our membership who are people of color join all of their brothers and sisters in Lodge 263 in just wanting to go home safely to their families each night.
