View as Webpage ...Mayor Lightfoot / ex-Mayor Rahm, Is there a Difference?------12/18/20
Greetings!

President-elect Biden chose Pete Buttigieg as his Transportation Secretary, bypassing former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel. and that is fine by COAL.

Why?

Because COAL's position is that Rahm does not deserve to be named to any position within the Biden Administration, due to his well documened treatment of black and brown Chicagoans during two terms in Office.

Please read the following two commentaries that do an excellent job of framing COAL's reasoning for its strong position.

Respectfully,
COAL Board of Directors
  
"The time to work seriously and collectively, to improve the state of our Community, is upon us..."
Let's Get to Work
11/12/20

Just Say No To A Rahm Emanuel Appointment

New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is young enough and independent enough that she doesn’t have to ask permission to speak her mind. We need more elected officials like her. Thank you for speaking up against a proposed Rahm Emanuel appointment to the president-elect’s cabinet.

This is a time of reckoning for Black voters across the country. For decades Black voters have been loyal to the Democratic Party. Now, it’s time for Democrats to be loyal to us. That’s not to say party leaders have never done anything for us, but they do take us for granted.
Dear President-Elect Biden:
Rahm Emanuel is not for your administration.

Political rumor has it that former Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel is being considered by the Biden administration for a position, perhaps a cabinet post as Secretary of Transportation.

Rahm is intellectually keen, politically savvy, and a chief fund raiser, however, there are serious flaws in his character, that say loudly to Biden from Chicago’s Black community, ‘HELL NO!” He lacks the moral fortitude to serve in public office. Today, we see his political expertise expressed on Sunday mornings as a pundit on “This Week.” But noticeably as the Black male police murders are discussed, he is absent from the set.
"Progressive Democrats and civil rights leaders are ridiculing reports that former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is being considered for a Biden administration Cabinet position, and critics are honing in on Emanuel's role in the cover-up of a 2014 police shooting as evidence he cannot help combat systemic racism."
-Another video, another attempt to block it from coming to light-
Video Shows Chicago Cops Storming Into Wrong Home

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration tried to prevent the footage from being aired on television in an emergency court filing Monday, which a federal judge rejected. Young’s attorney, Keenan Saulter, blasted the city’s handling of the case. “This city has a history of attempting to cover up unfavorable video,” Saulter told the Chicago Tribune. “That’s all we’re dealing with here”

The Root
Bodycam Footage Shows Chicago Police Handcuffing a Naked Black Woman During Botched Home Raid
For nearly two years, Anjanette Young has been trying to get Chicago police to account for the harm caused to her during a botched raid, in which officers broke down her door with a battering ram, handcuffed her and turned over her home. The entire time, Young, who had just stepped out of the shower when police showed up, was naked—and repeatedly told police they had the wrong home.
COAL asks, " Is Mayor Lightfoot 's attempt to block the police webcam video of the botched raid and mistreament of a black womn in her home materially different than Rahm attempting to block the LaQuan McDonald video?
and a Major environmental issue on Chicago's Southeastside
Residents ask why Madam Mayor?
Message to COAL re: ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM
COAL, i wanted to see if you were aware that General Iron, a known polluter and notoriously bad neighbor who was run out of Lincoln Park has been given a pass from the city to dump more pollution in an already over polluted Black and Brown neighborhood on the Southeast side (10th ward). All this in the midst of a respiratory pandemic that is disproportionately killing Black and Brown people.  This would never happen in reverse.

I'm trying to shine some light on this sneak attack, inform the people and stop them from sneaking this in on us.
Glenn M. Harston II
The Gemini Group, LTD
312.583.9366 ext. 84
WHO IS GENERAL IRON AND WHAT HAS HAPPENED

A notorious and corrupt polluter, General Iron shreds scrap metal currently along the North Branch of the Chicago River. Neighbors have battled the company for years. The list of grievances is long: spewing toxic auto fluff (similar to insulation), generating nauseous odors, creating loud noises and endangering neighbors. Simply put: It’s not a good neighbor.
ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM HAPPENING IN REAL TIME

The two explosions in May weren’t enough to do the company in. Mayor Lightfoot and her administration have allowed the polluter to restart operations on the North side. Despite a broad, deep and diverse coalition, the Mayor and her Health Department have also provided a clear path for General Iron to move its operations to the 10th Ward on Chicago’s Southeast side, a heavily minority and poor community that the Illinois EPA has designated an area of environmental justice. Environmental racism is underway in real time in Chicago.
Southeast Side residents tell city they don’t want General Iron
At a glitch-riddled virtual public meeting, almost two dozen residents speak against the proposed car-shredder.
By Brett Chase  Dec 10, 2020
Southeast Side residents accused Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration of ignoring their pleas to stop a car-shredding operation set to open in their neighborhood after General Iron shuts down on the North Side.

In a Thursday night public meeting held online and plagued by technical glitches, some residents said it was unfair and racist that they have to receive a polluting nuisance in an already heavily industrialized area so General Iron can leave its longtime home in Lincoln Park to make way for new development.
“Lincoln Park has beautiful buildings and landscaping — our landscape is this ugly industry,” said resident Mark Velez. “We don’t want these dirty businesses down here anymore.”
City Officials Quietly Approve East Side Permit For General Iron Owner — Breaking Promise To Alert Public

Just recently the city granted permits without notifying the public as they promised (City Officials Quietly Approve East Side Permit For General Iron Owner — Breaking Promise To Alert Public), which again would've never happened on the north side. The city later issued an apology but did not resend the permits (Lightfoot’s health officials issue mea culpa over General Iron, say public should have been told before car shredder given permit).  
COAL asks, "Mayor Lightfoot / ex-Mayor Rahm , is there a Difference?
Members, Friends, If so inclined, please leave a response to these serious questions.

Georgia Senate
Runoffs
CPD - Public Comment & Policy Review
As part of the Chicago Police Department’s ongoing reform efforts, CPD has recently published several policies that the Department is planning on implementing early next year. As part of this posting, we are inviting members of the public to review the draft policies and provide any comments, feedback, or suggestions on the policies.
Each of the following topics are currently open for public comment:
  • Use of Force
  • Community Policing
  • Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program Policy Draft
  • Recognizing and Responding to Individuals in Crisis Policy Draft
  • Persons Subject to Involuntary or Voluntary Admission Non-Arrestees
  • Persons on Unauthorized Absence From a State-Operated Mental Health Center
  • Mental Health Transport and Related Duties Matrix
  • Arrestees in Need of Mental Health Treatment
  • Crime Victim Assistance Policy Draft
  • Preliminary Investigations Policy Draft
  • Prohibition of Retaliation Policy Draft
To review the policies and make any comments, please click here. If you have any questions, please contact us at community@chicagopolice.org.
Dear COAL,

I want to share some important news with you –

Earlier this week, members of the Conviction Integrity Unit went into court and sought to vacate the convictions of six men. These six men were victims of corrupt ex-police Sergeant Ronald Watts. Watts spent years abusing his power by planting evidence, extorting residents, and preying upon men and women in the Ida B Wells Housing Projects.

I’m incredibly proud of the Conviction Integrity Unit’s hard work, investigating, and reviewing these cases. We cannot address violence in our communities or work to restore faith in the criminal justice system without confronting the wrongs of the past and seeking justice for victims.

Since I took office in 2016, we have vacated over 100 convictions. While this is a historic milestone, it also serves as a reminder of the work ahead to rebuild the relationship between communities and law enforcement. We are making progress, but we must continue our efforts to ensure all victims receive the justice they deserve.  You can read more about the cases here.

 Thank you, 

 Kim Foxx 
What We Believe
The Coalition of African American Leaders believes that it is important to examine the critical issues confronting the African American community where injustice, inequality and the absence of access and opportunity continue to prevail, thereby negatively impacting us as a people. COAL is an assemblage that advocates and organizes for appropriate and responsible public policy change, system behavior change and equality of opportunity. We aim to achieve for all of our people the fullness of the life experience without any form of racism or exclusion as a deterrent. We believe we must prepare ourselves for the opportunity of this full participation, thereby achieving the necessary education and training to participate.