CHICAGO – In the wake of a mass shooting at a Gresham funeral that wounded at least 15 people, State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) expressed her support of the victims, asked those with knowledge of the crime to come forward and called for city and state government to act to address the root causes of violence.

“We face two pandemics in Chicago. Both spread and perpetuate themselves. And we already know how to end both,” Collins said. “We know the solution to the coronavirus is to bring our resources to bear to support public health and follow the science. We know that to end the pandemic of violence we need to stem the flow of guns, drugs and gangs, and address the poverty, disenfranchisement and criminalization of communities of color in Chicago.”

Collins also urged the city’s leaders and the community to come together to end the shootings. Gresham has experienced a spike of violence this year, and reports indicate last night’s shooting was a retaliation in an ongoing, deadly feud.

“Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once wrote that ‘Few are guilty, but all are responsible,’” Collins said. “Those with knowledge of these crimes must come forward and work with police. And it must be said that police need to foster a relationship of trust that starts with reform and accountability. This has to be a two-way street.”

Collins cited a number of recent actions the General Assembly has taken in an attempt to fix the root causes of violent crime in Chicago. The state legislature created the Commission on the Elimination of Poverty to explore ways of ending the cycle of poverty in Illinois. Collins was among those who supported a minimum wage increase to $15, which will proceed in stages over the coming years, as well as the legalization of cannabis for adult use with the most robust social equity provisions in the country’s history. In addition, Collins advocated for increased funding for violence prevention, youth employment and Teen Reach programming in the FY 21 Budget. Collins is in the midst of acting to address the vast disparity in banking and home lending between white and Black and brown communities.

“Gresham is an epicenter of these two pandemics, and for the same reasons. We can’t give up on our efforts to end them simply because the solutions are costly or inconvenient to those in power,” Collins said. “A person who wears a mask protects another from COVID-19. A child with a bright future and a supportive society does not pick up a gun. We know how we need to act, and we need to act now.”

COLLINSVILLE –State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) joined area legislators and officials with the Illinois Department of Transportation in Collinsville Tuesday to announce funding for the Metro East’s next projects as part of the state’s ongoing multi-year construction plan.

“Although Illinois is experiencing vast economic issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, this announcement comes at a time when residents need good-paying, labor jobs as well as reliable transportation,” Crowe said. “By investing in our state’s infrastructure, we’re committing to both of these necessary expectations.”

In total, the governor announced the state’s $21.3 billion plan to improve Illinois roads and bridges over the next six years. The program will create hundreds of thousands of job opportunities for residents across the state.

Earlier this year, construction began on multiple projects within the Rebuild Illinois plan, including the ongoing $67 million Interstate 255 rehabilitation project in St. Clair and Madison counties. The project is expected to be completed on time.

Passed in 2019, IDOT’s complete Multi-Year Plan can be found here.

CHICAGO – Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced a plan to deploy agents from the Department of Homeland Security to Chicago to respond to local unrest.  State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) released the following statement:

“The president continues to wreak havoc and chaos across our country by determining that Homeland Security agents should be sent to Chicago,” Feigenholtz said. “There is no way to identify them, no specific purpose for their deployment, and they have no business coming to our city. The Trump administration’s actions provide nothing more than an endless list of failures since the day this administration began.”

The news comes just days after federal agents were deployed to Portland, Oregon. Quickly, footage of these agents using excessive force on protesters surfaced, leading many to fear similar acts of violence may occur in Chicago.

“If the president is truly concerned about the well-being of Chicago residents, then he should do something to address the public health crisis we’re currently facing instead of risking further serious injuries by sending in federal agents,” Feigenholtz said.

The Trump administration has not released any information about when the deployment of federal agents is scheduled to occur.

DEERFIELD — State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) is highlighting the Illinois Department of Human Services’ COVID-19 Summer Youth Employment Program, which created 100 summer jobs for Lake County teens.

“So many teens rely on summer work — especially those who live in low-income households,” Morrison said. “The current pandemic made finding jobs more difficult. However, thanks to the program, dozens of teens will be able to earn money while learning skills they can put to use both now and for years to come.”

Lake County-based Employee Connections was one of 30 youth employment providers to receive $500,000 to employ 100 youth between June and August. The program will provide a total of $9.3 million to support dozens of projects across counties hardest hit by the pandemic, which in turn will employ thousands of teens.

Many people — both teens and adults — have struggled to find work during the COVID-19 health crisis. The program will curb those struggles by putting Lake County teens to work while helping complete projects in the community.

“The program will allow teens to kick start their careers by learning the skills they need to succeed in the future,” Morrison said. “This is a great opportunity for young adults to receive career training that will shape them into community leaders for years to come.”

GRAYSLAKE — State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) is warning Illinoisans about possible unemployment debit card fraud after multiple reports of people receiving cards they didn’t apply for. 

“There are so many people struggling to get legitimate unemployment benefits right now,” Bush said. “It’s sickening that there are people taking advantage of other people’s problems to perpetrate scams at a time like this.”

According to a recent report from ABC7 in Chicago, multiple people have received unemployment benefits even though they never applied for them. The Arlington Heights Police Department said it received nearly 20 reports in four days, and it’s working with the Illinois Department of Employment Security to get to the bottom of it. 

People who receive a debit card in the mail they didn’t apply for should do the following:

• Don’t activate the card
• Contact the bank and report fraud
• Report it as fraud to IDES
• Freeze their credit report
• Check their bank balances online
• File a police report

“Fraud and identify theft are real problems that need to be taken seriously,” Bush said. “If you suspect that you’re a victim of these crimes, report it immediately.”

People who believe they are a victim of this fraud should contact their local police department or IDES at 312-793-3200. 

Feigenholtz: AJ Freund case a reminder that there is still work to be done

CHICAGO – A judge in McHenry Country sentenced JoAnn Cunningham to 35 years in prison Friday for the murder of AJ Freund, her 5-year-old son. State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), who established a bipartisan, bicameral working group to address shortfalls in the Department of Children and Family Services in the wake of AJ’s death, stressed the importance of addressing and fixing these issues.

“There is no possible sentence that could provide justice to AJ Freund,” Feigenholtz said. “He was only five years old, and was killed by someone who was supposed to be taking care of him. The unfortunate reality is that until we can address and fix the issues plaguing DCFS, AJ’s story won’t be the last.”

Cunningham killed Freund in April of 2019 in what Judge Robert Wilbrandt described as “inhumane, repulsive and, frankly, shocking” actions. Freund was beaten to death by Cunningham while in their home on April 19, 2019, and was buried in a shallow, unmarked grave by his father, Drew Freund. He was found six days later.

The case shined a light onto the deficiencies in the DCFS system, which Freund and Cunningham were a part of, and prompted Feigenholtz to push for the formation of the working group.

“After I heard the tragic news of AJ’s death, my stance was that we as a legislature need to continue our diligent work so that we can ensure DCFS and its partner agencies have the resources and tools they require to protect all of the children that fall under their care,” Feigenholtz said. “We made some progress, but there is still a long road ahead of us and a lot of work to be done.”

Cunningham faced up to a maximum of 60 years in prison. Under Friday’s sentencing, she is ineligible for parole. Drew Freund is also charged with first-degree murder but has not yet faced trial.

Van Pelt, Peters call for death penalty to be abolished

CHICAGO — Last week, the US Supreme Court lifted a stay of execution of federal prisoners, leading the way for the state of Indiana to conduct the first federal use of capital punishment in 17 years.

State Senators Patricia Van Pelt and Robert Peters (D-Chicago) both call for the dealth penalty to be abolished nationwide.

“In a time when hundreds of thousands of people are dying from a viral pandemic, we should be looking to lower the number of deaths, not unnecessarily add to them," Peters said. "Even if we ignore the fact that many prisoners who are executed are innocent, executing people for crimes is extremely inhumane and barbaric, and it has no place in modern society."

Read more from Peters.

“Is this the way we want to use the power of the state, in the middle of a global pandemic: to kill people?” Van Pelt said. “There can be no true exoneration after the death penalty. People like George Stinney can never be brought back.”

Read more from Van Pelt.

Manar moves to memorialize MLK Jr.'s 1965 speech at Illinois AFL-CIO convention

SPRINGFIELD — Nearly 55 years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his renowned speech at the Illinois State AFL-CIO’s 8th annual convention, in which he predicted that future generations would look back and honor those who sought to unite the Civil Rights and Labor Movements, State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker) is leading an effort to make Dr. King’s words a reality.

Manar filed Senate Joint Resolution 67 last week, calling for a bronze plaque to be placed at the site of the historic address — the soon-to-be restored Illinois State Armory — to commemorate the civil rights icon’s legacy and visit to Springfield.

Read more.

Villivalam speaks for Illinois' growing Asian American population in Illinois Senate

CHICAGO — Reacting to news that the Census Bureau has identified Asian Americans from countries like India and China as the fastest growing demographic group in Illinois, State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) vowed to continue to vigorously support Asian Americans, both recent immigrants and those who have been here for generations.

“We need to ensure Asian Americans have access to all of the same state services as other Illinois residents,” said Villivalam, the first Asian American elected to the Illinois Senate and the Co-Chair of the Illinois General Assembly’s Asian American Caucus. “Making sure documents and websites are available in Asian languages is an important first step, and one that I’ve been pushing especially hard during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Read more.

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CHICAGO – Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) released the following statement in response to the loss of Congressman John Lewis Friday night.

“We lost a giant in the fight for civil rights. Congressman John Lewis unapologetically and fiercely fought for the rights of Black people and every marginalized population in our country. He carried on the dream that Dr. Martin Luther King first manifested in 1963 to his dying day, and we have to continue to carry that vision until it is reality.

“Have no doubt that we are in a movement that has the power to finally turn the tide, and if we each approach it with an ounce of the courage Congressman Lewis had, we will change our country.

“Last night, the Chicago Police department took actions against protestors that are much too reminiscent of the same actions that were taken against Congressman Lewis in his youth. We cannot be public servants if our interest is not in serving the public, and we cannot treat monuments better than we treat people.”