Budget survey results, online Winter Quarter and a presidential outbreak
And a public newsroom tackling judicial retention on the ballot
Welcome back to 14 East’s weekly COVID-19 updates newsletter! Fall quarter at 14 East is as busy as it ever was, and we took the week off to rework a few aspects of our newsletter process. It’s all about efficiency, baby!
The news this week hasn’t slowed down. Actually, sort of the opposite. This week’s newsletter team has a new addition: Associate Editor Robin Mosley, alongside newsletter regulars Francesca, Justin, Grace and Emmanuel, all here to unpack a wild week in news across the country.
Join us in collaboration with Injustice Watch for our first DePaul Public Newsroom of the 2020-21 school year at 6 pm, this Wednesday, October 7. We’ll be discussing judges, why they matter, what they decide and how you can #CheckYourJudges going into this judicial election.
Sign up on our Eventbrite and join on Facebook Live Wednesday evening.
What’s happening in Chicago?
Last week in Chicago, the socials were buzzing with all things budget. Confused? Stick with me.
On Wednesday, September 30, Mayor Lightfoot joined Budget Director Susie Park in presenting the results of the 2021 budget survey. The budget survey, which is made available online for residents annually, asks questions regarding the allocation of the city’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
This year the survey saw an uptick in responses, increasing from 7,347 responses in 2019 to 38,336 in 2020. So, why this increase, and why now?
Since the rise in civil unrest at the end of May, spurred by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, the activists with Defund CPD campaign, which comprises a coalition of grassroots abolitionist organizations, have called for the city to defund the Chicago Police Department and reallocate funds into community services. The majority of survey responses prioritized defunding CPD and reallocating funds to community services.
As of right now, Chicago is the only major American city that has yet to agree to take on reforms of its police department and the survey was further reinforcement of the Defund CPD activists’ calls to do just that.
Out of the over 38,000 respondents, 90 percent said they were in favor of relocating funds from the city’s budget and 87 percent said they wanted those funds to come out of CPD’s budget.
On the seventh question on the survey, it asked, “What concerns or revenue ideas related to the 2021 City budget would you like to add?” Out of the 19,650 comments, over 18,000 mentioned police, calling on the city to defund, reform and establish more credibility measures for CPD.
Something that was also mentioned in the survey and which has been a large push among those who want to see CPD defunded is the call to enact the Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC), an elected civilian oversight board that will have complete control over police accountability.
Currently, 19 out of the 50 aldermen support the council, 26 are needed to pass it and 34 to make it veto-proof. Despite the current 38 percent aldermanic approval of CPAC, during the budget briefing, the mayor stated that she does “not support it.”
In the survey, residents from every section of the city cited community services as their highest priority. Every section, with the exception of the Loop, cited police services as the lowest priority.
Just days after the survey results were made public, the Black Abolitionist Network (BAN) released its own guide to defunding CPD, which includes enacting CPAC and defunding and eventually abolishing CPD.
The official City of Chicago budget is set to be released on October 21.
Other Chicago headlines
A family in Humboldt Park is asking for help in finding out what happened to 22-year-old Yesenia Venegas. Venegas, whose family described her as loving and sociable, went missing the night of September 26. Her body was found by police on September 27. “We all feel like there’s a big hole missing inside of us,” said Yanet Millan-Calderon, one of Venegas’ sisters. “We want to ask the community [to] please, please share any video footage of her in the area.” — Mina Bloom of Block Club Chicago reports.
Today, the Department of Planning and Development will hold the first in the series of three meetings to take this month to vote to pass the Pilsen Landmark Ordinance. The ordinance has been met by consistent protests from community members, who say that it has increased gentrification in the community and increased costs for its lifelong residents. If passed before January 2021, the ordinance will go into place in February, Mauricio Peña of Block Club Chicago reports.
The historic publication the Chicago Reporter stopped publishing without explanation last month after its editor and publisher were fired. The publication, which has spent decades reporting on issues that are centric to race and the working class, is on hiatus till further notice, Tom Schuba of the Sun-Times reports.
For some communities within Chicago, extremely low census response rates are normal. But what does it mean for these communities when it comes time to fund their community services, and what’s behind the low response rate? City Bureau’s Alex Arriaga investigates for the Chicago Reader.
Six weeks after the August 15 protests, which culminated in police kettling protests in streets of the Loop, reporter Raven Geary, with photographs from Dominic Gwinn, writes a detailed account of what transpired that evening.
What’s happening at DePaul?
DePaul students awaiting the return of in-person classes will have to hang tight for another quarter. Today, the university announced in an email to faculty that Winter Quarter will be another mostly online experience, with just over 4 percent of classes being held on campus. While that number may seem small, it’s more than twice the amount of in-person classes being offered this quarter.
Those wishing to get back in shape after months in quarantine can do so at the Ray, but their visit there is going to look different. As with any campus building, regardless of your purpose for entering, a confirmation message must be shown on the #CampusClear app. Inside, exercise machines have been spaced out to accommodate for safe social distancing, with caps placed on the number of people allowed in at one time. Those who visit during peak hours may experience a wait time before being let in. The staff at the Ray has drastically upped their cleaning measures, but it is up to the individual patron to wipe down machines before they begin their routine and after they’re finished using it. Masks are also a must.
The SGA turned its attention to proposed changes to Title IX regulations from the Department of Education with conversations held with Kathryn Statz, DePaul’s Title IX coordinator and director of gender equity. Should the changes go through, Title IX would not protect cases that occur off-campus, as it currently does, and would only apply to on-campus cases. The rationale for this proposal is based on the duty of off-campus incidents being the responsibility of local law enforcement — not the college.
Another proposed change is to require that reporters of “quid pro quo harassment” attend a hearing. “Quid pro quo harassment” is often applied to cases where professors force students into sexual acts to protect or improve their grade.
Under current regulations, this is not the case due to concerns from the Title IX office regarding the unequal power dynamics between the student and professor in that situation. Though, Statz says, this is a double-edged sword that could open up opportunities for students who wish to directly confront their abuser to do so, while also posing the aforementioned threat.
The Study Abroad office announced the cancellation of most of its scheduled programs for the 2020-2021 academic year. Among the few that remain, some have transitioned to a virtual setting, while others are planned to continue as-is. The Study Abroad office is monitoring a variety of sources such as the CDC and the U.S. Department of State to determine the safety of its programs and inform its decisions to rework or cancel programs.
In 14 East news … we’ve started a new advice column! Titled “Dear Jackie,” the column is open to any and all individuals in need of advice. It’s run by Justin Myers, 14 East’s event coordinator, and Cate Hoogstraten, 14 East’s director of development. You can learn more about the column here.
If you don’t want to read the news, here’s the headlines to know.
Many in the White House and who work closely with President Trump have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Vox. Those who tested positive included the first lady, Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, campaign manager Bill Stepien, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
Here’s a timeline of President Trump’s symptoms and treatments as reported by the New York Times. On Wednesday, President Trump traveled to Minnesota for a rally and Hope Hicks, one of his advisers, started to have symptoms. On Thursday, Hicks tested positive; while President Trump went to a fundraiser at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. By Friday, President Trump and the first lady both tested positive for the coronavirus. On Saturday, President Trump’s oxygen levels dropped, and on Sunday, his oxygen levels improved as doctors tracked any damage to his lungs.
After being admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday, President Trump has been discharged early and returned to the White House. He pushed to be discharged on Sunday, but doctors weren’t in favor of that decision. Rather, the president was driven near supporters so he could be seen.
Amy Coney Barrett might not have the votes necessary to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. After the September 26 festivities introducing Barrett as the nominee, Senate Republicans all supported Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s plan to ensure Barrett’s confirmation before election day. But as several senators fell ill from the coronavirus, the status of claiming majority in the Senate is unclear.
Your Educational Resource of the Week
Each week we will be using this section to highlight a different educational resource on race. It may come in the form of literature, film, art or anything that Black scholars and activists are centering at this time.
This week’s educational resource is not a book or a film, but rather a platform from Black female Chicago artist Alexie Young. Last year, pre-COVID, her platform, Art West, produced an art crawl and day party on the West Side. Recently, she had a three-day grand opening of Art West gallery. More information on their website.
Resources for Returning Students
773-325-7290 and deanofstudents@depaul.edu
The Dean of Students’ Office provides a variety of resources like the Student Emergency Assistance Fund (SEAF) and academic assistance.
Provides financial assistance to students.
Located in the Lincoln Park Student Center, the student food pantry is free and available to all students during limited hours. DePaul ID required for access.
Provides funding for projects led by faculty, staff and student groups.
An online portal linking students to all sorts of virtual events on campus.
A database created by the Illinois Department of Health of all testing centers in the state.
The Chicago Queer Exchange is a network of individuals across Chicago working in collective unity to help those within the LGBTQ+ community. It offers a wide variety of services from cheap furniture to emergency housing and more.
I-Share is a network between libraries across Illinois that allows for reciprocal lending of books and materials to students, even if they don’t attend the college or university they’re borrowing from. DePaul recently updated their I-Share protocol in light of the university physically reopening.
Mental Health Resources
This document is a resource for Black people experiencing racial trauma. This master list includes specific resources as well as protesting tips and donation links.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago (and here for under $75)
Here’s 7 virtual mental health resources supporting Black people right now, including Chicago-based community organization Sista Afya’s support groups
And the Trans Lifeline’s Peer Support Hotline is a resource operated by transgender and nonbinary staffers for the trans community: 877-565-8860.
The Center for Religion and Psychotherapy in Chicago is a nonprofit that provides affordable, sliding-scale counseling. Call (312) 263-4368 extension 9081 to schedule an intake appointment. Disclaimer: although this is a Christian-founded organization, religion is not incorporated into the counseling practice at the sliding-scale clinic.
Where to Access Food in Chicago
Brave Space Alliance has a crisis food pantry for Black and trans individuals in need. If you would like to request assistance from Brave Space Alliance, fill out this form.
This spreadsheet highlights businesses and locations providing food. There are also links to donate to these organizations.
Check out the Greater Chicago Food Depository for food banks or donate.
Free Resources for Non-Black Allies
The NPR podcast “Code Switch” tackles a diverse array of topics centered around racial identities and racism in America.
Reading guide of texts about race. All PDFs are free.
Here’s a guide to protest safely during the pandemic
Here’s the ACLU’s Right to Protest guide for Illinois
If you think someone you know has been arrested – call the Chicago Community bail fund at 773-309-1198 to locate them (you need to know their birthdate and full legal name)
Want to increase your awareness about environmental racism, racism in the medical field or another specific subject? Here’s a database by activist and artist Angelina Ruiz, which details reading lists over a range of subject matter pertaining to race.
And that’ll do it for this week’s updates. As always, please leave us feedback if there’s anything you want to see more of in your inbox each week. We hope everyone has a lovely week of sweater-weather, and we’ll see you next Monday!
All the best,
Robin, Francesca, Grace, Justin and Emmanuel