Join Cambria hotel strikers on the picket line this MLK Day! Cambria workers are on strike for year-round health insurance, reasonable workload, and other protections. Part of a citywide 26-hotel strike that began in September, the Cambria is the only remaining Chicago hotel on strike.
#ChicagoHotelStrike

Today, Judge Stephenson ruled that all three cops involved in the cover up of the murder of Laquan McDonald were not guilty. She claims that there was no evidence of a cover up in their reports or statements. With tomorrow being the verdict of Van Dyke, things are looking grim.

This is a call to action: Tomorrow, 1/18/2019, in room 500 at 9 AM, show up to stand in solidarity with organizers and the family of Laquan McDonald as we demand, again, #Justice4Laquan

CANCELLED! Will be rescheduled when weather is improved.

There is a long history, dating back to slavery of our Black women and girls being hypersexualized, silenced, and targeted by sexual violence, as well as abuse. The stories of Black women and girls are often never heard and when they are, victim blaming and shaming occur.
The plight of our Black women and girls is currently on full display as the #MuteRKelly movement has led to a spike in the artist’s music sales. Apologists and supporters of Robert Kelly are complicit in his attacks and sexual abuse of underage Black girls and women.
As a Black man, I believe it is of the upmost importance that other Black men and all allies of Black women and girls take a stand and put an end to R. Kelly’s reign. We can no longer accept and ignore the plight that many of our women face at the hands of powerful men with influence.
We must continue to apply pressure as the organizers of the #MuteRKelly campaign has in ending R. Kelly’s ability to generate cash and hold property that allow him to carry out and cover up his crimes.

We are asking all who stand against R. Kelly and stand against sexual assault, rape, abuse, pedophilia, & the overall toxic masculinity that promotes such cultures to join us this Saturday @ 10 am in front of R. Kelly’s Chicago studio to send clear messages that he does not represent Chicago and he will no longer be protected in Chicago or anywhere. We also want to demand that the building’s owner (Midwest Commercial Funding) immediately engage in further efforts to break whatever contract is held with R. Kelly as this building has been identified as a location of abuse. Any artist, concert promoter, DJ, influencer etc. also know, that the #MuteRKelly movement will continue and you will be called out for any complicity in his actions!

R. Kelly must be held accountable and needs professional help. But, more importantly the Black women and girls who are victims and survivors of his reign of terror must be believed, supported, and know that we as a commUNITY stand with them in calling for justice!

Let this action be part of greater actions in empowering not only our commUNITY, not only Black women and girls, but all commUNITYs and all women and girls in knowing they are not along and this will not be accepted. We must be purposeful in what we are teaching are next generations that the lives of women, particularly Black women must be valued over talent and money!

The wasteful and shameful government shutdown is now in its third miserable week. The shutdown has already caused needless suffering for federal employees and their families, many of whom live paycheck-to-paycheck and have already fallen behind on their rent, mortgage payments, or bills. As the shutdown continues, vital public services will come to a halt, creating an exponential increase in the cruel effects of the shutdown.

THIS NEEDS TO END. Please come and show your support for these employees and to call for an immediate end to the government shutdown!

Young women, femmes, non-binary folks, and allies of all ages are coming together in Chicago to stand in solidarity with the Women’s March on January 19, 2019! #WomensWave

The Women’s March believes that the single most powerful act we can do is prepare young people with the skills and commitments to take action around causes that matter to them with courage, compassion, and collaboration.

It is time for the next generation to raise their voices, and commit to dismantling systems of oppression through nonviolent resistance and building inclusive spaces for all. This includes all women—Black women, Indigenous women, poor women, immigrant women, disabled women, Jewish women, Muslim women, Latinx women, Asian and Pacific Islander women, lesbian, bi, queer and trans women.

The 2019 Women’s Agenda priorities that youth leaders will be speaking to are issues important to us:

• Ending Violence Against Women & Femmes
• Ending State Violence
• Reproductive Rights & Justice
• Racial Justice
• LGBTQIA+ Rights
• Immigrant Rights
• Economic Justice & Worker’s Rights
• Civil Rights & Liberties
• Disability Rights
• Environmental Justice

This rally is youth-organized and youth-led, but everyone young and old is invited to attend this event. More details coming shortly, and we will see you at Federal Plaza!

The time is now. You are NOT powerless.

Youth Empower is the youth voice of the Women’s March Network, aligned with the Women’s March Unity Principles. Note, this rally is not associated with We March On Chicago/Women’s March Chicago.

RSVP at this link: https://actionnetwork.org/events/womens-march-chicago-2019?source=direct_link&

Join CAARPR on January 9th as we hear from the aldermanic candidates who are planning to fight for CPAC and lay out our plan to make community control of the police a reality.

No matter where you stand on the question of police accountability there is one thing we can all agree on: the murder of Laquan McDonald by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke, and the video that recorded it, ignited one of the largest and longest protest movements in Chicago history. It also created an unprecedented political crisis in Chicago. The attempted cover-up of the Laquan McDonald murder unveiled corrupt collaboration between the Mayor, the City Council, the City Law Department, and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). It exposed a conspiracy among them all to cover up a heinous murder by a racist cop. Even State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez had to call it first degree murder after a judge ordered the release of the video recording of the crime over the objections of all of them.

This movement demanded community control of the police: an all-elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC).

The upcoming 2019 elections can be a bold beginning of a new, progressive political realignment in this city. We’re hosting this candidates forum on the 20th in order to help make this happen. There are over 55,000 CPAC supporters city-wide and the list grows every day. The people have made it clear that they demand a real police accountability council. Now is the time to make it happen.

#FreeGeraldReed On Dec 19th 2018, Judge Gainer who has been presiding over the evidentiary hearing on the torture of Gerald Reed by Chicago police is scheduled to make his ruling. He will be deciding on whether the tortured false confession is to be suppressed and a new trial ordered. 

The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression calls on all people to join with Gerald Reed’s family and community of supporters to pack the court room. This is a very important day in Gerald Reed’s 28 year fight for freedom and justice, we demand his immediate release. Join us at Dec 19, 10am Cook County Criminal Courthouse (26th and California), room 604 to free Gerald Reed!

Gerald Reed was tortured and forced to falsely confess to a murder he did not commit in October, 1990. He has been in prison for 28 years. 

The Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission voted unanimously six years ago that the evidence showed that Gerald Reed was tortured. It took six years for the actual hearing to commence. There have been endless continuances by the court appointed special prosecutors, who are all attorneys from the O’Rourke & Moody private law firm.

Gerald is one of more than 100 Jon Burge torture survivors who were tortured, wrongfully convicted and who are all still imprisoned. 

Reed was tortured in the CPD 3 Violent Crime Unit. Disgraced Commander Jon Burge supervised CPD Detectives Victor Breska and Michael Kill, who tortured Reed. He was savagely beaten; his femur and a previously inserted metal rod fractured.

There was no material evidence against Reed, only his false confession. He was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. 

For 27 years Reed has repeatedly requested medical intervention to fix the excruciating painful damage done by his torturers. He has been unable to walk. In 2016 he finally received the first stage of surgery to repair the damage to his femur, his orthopedic surgeon, Dr Steven Rabin, made it clear a second follow-up surgery is necessary.

We demand the immediate release of Gerald Reed. 
We demand that the governor of Illinois grant pardons to all police torture survivors and free those still incarcerated in prison

#FreeGeraldReed #FreePoliceTortureSurvivors

It’s time to march again. And this time, we’re coming back with an agenda.

On January 19, 2019, we’re going to flood the streets of Woodstock Square in sisterhood with cities across the globe. The #WomensWave is coming, and we’re sweeping the world forward with us.

‘Healing, Community, Resistance’ is our theme. We are asking all participants to take action locally. We will rally at the Gazebo, follow with a march ending at Home of the Sparrow, 120 E. Calhoun St., where we will drop off donations to help homeless women and children in our community.

Please RSVP here and at the Women’s March website https://actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/third-annual-womens-march-womenswave

Questions or to volunteer, please message us. 
Organizers: Cathy Johnson, Ruth Scifo

NOTE: Chicago is not sponsoring a sister march at this time; we are posting Rockford information as it develops.