SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. joined the Alliance for Safety and Justice Team to push for commonsense solutions to public safety at a rally Thursday.

“I see so many times across my community the pain – the extraordinary pain – that individuals feel because they are suffering from loss,” Sims told nearly 250 advocates at the Capitol. “Enough is enough. We are far too tired of being sick and tired.”

The Chicago Democrat and hundreds of local crime victims joined forces to speak for the need to make communities safer. Aside from the rally in the rotunda, many advocates met with a number of Senators and Representatives to outline their ideas for public safety solutions that stop the cycle of crime.

“We need action. You act by making sure you hold the individuals who are harming our communities accountable,” Sims said. “Don’t blame the survivors for being victimized in their own homes. We need to eradicate the individuals who are stripping and harming our communities.”

Alliance for Safety and Justice is a multi-state organization that aims to replace over-incarceration with more effective public safety solutions rooted in crime prevention, community health, rehabilitation and support for crime victims. Focused on the largest states in the country, they partner with state leaders and advocates to achieve safety and justice reforms through advocacy, organizing, coalition building, research and communications.

“I need you to stand with us. I need you to stand shoulder to shoulder with us because you are our best weapons in this fight,” Sims said to the survivors who traveled to Springfield. “When survivors speak, change happens.”

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