Chicago's budget, SGA elections and COVID on the rise
And a film recommendation
Happy Monday, everyone! It’s your newsletter team – Fran, Robin, Justin, Cam and Grace – here to give you the low-down on everything Chicago and DePaul University.
Another reminder that Pueblo at 14 East is hosting their first ever Public Newsroom next Wednesday, October 28 at 6pm.
More info can be found at the Eventbrite page or on Pueblo’s social media.
On that note – let’s get into the news.
What’s happening in Chicago?
Starting off this week’s Chicago section with some not so great news: COVID numbers are rising. This morning, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwardy joined Mayor Lori Lightfoot for a press conference to discuss the city’s COVID-19 response.
The City of Chicago is now up to 500 new cases per day, a 50 percent increase from the beginning of the month. Last week, a total of 800 individuals tested positive for COVID-19, the highest rate seen since May.
Two of three people that have tested positive for COVID-19 are reported to have gotten the virus from a family member or friend. The mayor said that the city is considering going back Phase 3 but would prefer not to as it would hurt small businesses.
This Wednesday, the mayor will be presenting her budget proposal for 2021. With an $800 million deficit and a potential $1.8 billion budget shortfall, while still being in the middle of a global pandemic, the city must find ways to meet the needs of its budget crisis.
Eighty-seven percent of the 38,336 respondents to the Office of Budget Management’s survey that circulated online for two weeks in August to September said they wanted the city to defund CPD and reallocate funds to other departments. While the mayor campaigned on not raising property taxes, sources told theChicago Tribunethat she may do just that, as well as lay off more than 300 city employees.
Activists with the Defund CPD campaign will be taking to the streets outside of City Hall on Wednesday at 10 a.m. to demand that the mayor listen to the survey responses as a part of their action to #TakeBackTheBudget.
Other Chicago headlines
As the coronavirus cases soar in Chicago, with an average of 508 new cases per day, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is warning the city of a Phase 3 shutdown if cases don’t reduce, Kelly Bauer of Block Club Chicago reports.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is looking at several options to reduce the $1.2 billion gap, including a five-day furlough for nonunion city employees, a $77 million cut to unfilled positions, and a potential $40 million pension reimbursement from Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Chicago Sun-Times reports Gov. J.B. Pritzker places Illinois’ inability to reopen on President Trump and unnamed “Trump allies in our state” that allegedly contributed to the spike in Illinois.
Block Club Chicago reports activists are calling for transportation to stay open post-election for any protests. The city is being criticized for its lack of concern for people’s safety and there are fears that the public transit might be shut down without any communication, putting the vulnerable in danger.
What’s happening at DePaul?
It’s been another slow week for DePaul news, but here’s what you need to know.
Amid campus social distancing policies, the SGA election is once again online and has created a new look for student campaigns. Under normal circumstances, potential candidates would be canvassing DePaul, spreading word about their policies to fulfill the signature requirement needed to get their name on the ballot. Normally, this would entail the gathering of 100 to 250 signatures, depending on the position. However, this has been reduced to 25 signatures due to the pandemic. Candidates are also getting creative with the methods of campaigning they use, turning to social media to create campaign graphics and videos to send their message out. Voting begins a week from today, and all students are encouraged to attend a Meet the Candidates night tomorrow at 5:30 p.m.
The Board of Trustees has welcomed two new faces to its ranks: Manny Favela, former CFO for McDonald’s Latin America, and Christopher Jorge Del Moral-Niles, executive vice president and CFO for Associated Banc-Corp and Associated Bank.
Do you wear your face mask? Do you like selfies? If you answered “yes” to these questions, DePaul has a contest for you. The university is looking for your masked selfie shots to be entered to win a new DePaul mask (*excited broke college student sounds*). While creativity is encouraged for submissions, any and all face masks will be accepted. To enter, fill out this form.
If you don’t want to read the news, here’s the headlines to know.
More than 8.2 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed since the start of the pandemic in the United States; 219,700 Americans have died, according to the New York Times. Cases across the Midwest and Great Plains are skyrocketing, with Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Utah and Missouri hit the hardest.
Early voting is in full force across the country, and states are seeing higher turnouts – and more technical issues. Long lines and improper ballots are only some of the issues that voters are facing this election, though that hasn't stopped nearly 26 million voters from casting their ballots so far, according to political scientist Michael McDonald and NPR's Miles Parks.
The United States' borders with Mexico and Canada will remain closed to nonessential travel for another month, according to NPR's Laurel Wamsley. "The situation in the United States continues to be of concern," Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada, said in an interview with a Canadian radio station. "So we're going to make sure we're keeping Canadians safe as best as we can."
Bolivia has elected a new president: Luis Arce, a member of Movimiento al Socialismo, or the Movement Towards Socialism, according to Tom Phillips and Dan Collyns at the Guardian. Arce is backed by former Bolivian president Evo Morales, the first indigenous head of state for Bolivia.
A judge in Wisconsin has upheld the emergency order instated by Gov. Tony Evers, according to WISN-12 News. This upholds the 25 percent capacity limits for restaurants and bars announced as Wisconsin's COVID-19 cases spike.
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, artists and activists are centering at this time.
This week’s educational resource is the 1973 Ivan Dixon film The Spook Who Sat By the Door. In this film, a Black social worker, Dan Freeman joins the CIA to learn the training and then, in turn, brings his knowledge to Black communities in Chicago to incite the next American revolution. The film was an overnight success but was almost immediately removed from distribution.
The film can be found for free at solidaritycinema.com.
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
At Open Counseling, there’s a list of people and non-profits with counseling services available for free or low cost.
The Center on Halsted offers behavioral health, anti-violence and educational resources for LGBTQIA+ youth.
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
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago who provide services 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
Where to Access Food in Chicago
Freefood.org has a running list of free food resources for those in need.
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.
As always, thanks for tuning in, and be sure to check back with @14eastmag on social media to read this week’s Policing Issue, out this Friday. Other than that, we’ll see you next Monday!
Fran, Grace, Cam, Justin and Robin