Members of the Illinois General Assembly will have a chance to vote for a proactive long-term solution to the Illinois budget crisis when they go back to Springfield next week.

Current Illinois law prohibits park districts from even considering qualified candidates with certain criminal convictions—regardless of how long ago those offenses occurred, the circumstances surrounding them or any other mitigating information. As a result, deserving and qualified applicants in our communities are unable to access jobs in their own communities.

At the April 12 rally in the rotunda of the Illinois State Capitol, hundreds of faith leaders joined CRS and put their faith into action. We marched, chanted, and prayed outside the Governor’s office demanding a fair budget now! We met with legislators and asked them to: increase job opportunities for people with criminal records; improve police accountability; and enact a fair tax and fair budget that protect the most vulnerable.

Thanks to you advocacy, four bills to increase jobs opportunities for men and women with criminal records are advancing with significant bi-partisan support through the Illinois General Assembly!

A new research report from Community Renewal So.ciety finds that the two civilian oversight agencies charged with investigating and disciplining police misconduct in Chicago.

Governor Rauner delivered the annual State of the State Address to the members of the Illinois General Assembly on Wednesday, but he ignored the state’s most pressing issue: nearly seven months into FY16, the state of Illinois is still operating without a budget and this crisis is devastating families and communities across the state.

Fifty days have passed since the video of LaQuan McDonald’s killing was released, and yet Mayor Emanuel and the City Council have taken no decisive action to address the systemic failures of Chicago’s police oversight.

Join us as we demand action from our elected officials to stop police brutality, end violence, enact fair tax reform, and increase job opportunities!

On behalf of Community Renewal Society, I urge you to immediately close the Illinois Department of
Juvenile Justice’s Youth Center at Kewanee.

The State of Illinois is about to enter its fifth month of operating without a budget, while children and families in our state continue to suffer. Illinois is now worst in the nation for access to affordable, quality child care.

We can prevent violence in our communities by investing more in community-based Restorative Justice programs that literally save lives.

Clearly, we have a reprehensible police accountability problem in Chicago. Read Part 1 of this blog for an in-depth look at the numbers that demonstrate just how bad it is.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, and other top brass at city hall would have you believe that Chicago’s policing and police oversight are the standard of excellence.

They say that police and community relations have improved, the Superintendent just finished a “community listening tour,” the newly-created Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) is holding police accountable for misconduct, and the Police Board has fired the “bad cops.”

"No more public giveaways without benefits for the community," said Angela McClellan. "We need a Community Benefits Agreement because it’s no more business as usual on the West Side."

Our communities on the South Side of Chicago experience disproportionate rates of violence and police brutality and we need our elected officials to stand with us for real change. Our efforts to reduce violence and increase police accountability are at a critical moment and we need your voice.

The Reclaim Campaign will conduct an 8-week Court Watching Project from July 1 to August 25, 2015 to verify that reforms to bond court and pretrial services we won are being implemented.

Aldermen and Cook County Commissioners will soon make decisions to commit taxpayer funds and public land in the Illinois Medical District without any accountability from the developers to benefit Westside residents.  

Isaiah 58:1, 6 and related verses speak to us in the faith community and to people of conscience to "Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voices like a trumpet to let the oppressed go free." 

One of my favorite scripture passages is Psalms is 51, verse 10 that says:  “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

July 1 marked the first day of the new fiscal year in Illinois. With no budget in place, uncertainty and instability reign. As people of faith, we can and should respond in two ways...