Newly-elected Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s allies are trying to convince him to pursue a financial package that would allow him to save $12 billion that would be used to fund community safety. The proposal from Action Center on Race & the Economy (ACRE) and People’s Unity Platform was released on Tuesday and it included several measures, including higher taxation which could be used for those financial goals to be achieved.
The People’s Unity Platform is also calling for Johnson to take action in various areas including housing, education, climate, and violence prevention by following their suggestions which could be found in their proposal titled “First We Get The Money.” The group further called for Chicago to “pass the Bring Chicago Home ordinance” which would curb homelessness through the provision of permanent housing and services to homeless individuals.
The group is also pushing for Johnson to invest more in public health and especially in the 24 industrial corridors which are predominantly in Black and Brown communities. They note that environmental health in those zones being improved would actually help bring safety to these communities that have long suffered the consequences of “decades of environmental racism.”
The group is also calling for reforms in the handling of Black youth, stating that it should be prohibited for them to be criminalized. The group argues that it is time to use the funding to support the Black and Brown communities in the area, stating that the way for the money to be generated would be through taxing the wealthy and corporations as well as changing the spending priorities of the city.
