We greet the new year with celebration of allies in the struggle for justice and with many opportunities and resources for pursuing the fight.
The section of the website on Upcoming Programs and Events highlights a link to information on registering to participate in the Restorative Justice Convening being held remotely on the morning of Friday January 23. The section on Books, Reports and Articles highlights links to a study about the difficulty that people returning from prison in Illinois experience in finding housing after their release, and to expressions of concern by the ACLU and others about the implementation of the initiative of the Cook County State’s Attorney of turning over charging decisions for serious crimes to the police without participation by the State’s Attorney. The section of the website on Getting Involved in Criminal Justice Reform also contains these and other links to resources and opportunities of interest.
Holding ICE Accountable: The current lawless intervention by ICE in our communities has created a new front that requires our attention in our pursuit of justice through our criminal legal system in Illinois. Therefore, the website highlights a link, included again here, to, https://reporticenow.com/, the website of the Ice Accountability Project, launched in Chicago on January 8, 2025, where people in Illinois can go to submit testimony, video, and other digital evidence of incidents of abuse by ICE, on a confidential basis, so that the information can be validated, gathered and secured for later use in future legal proceedings to hold ICE accountable for it actions. Please circulate this link widely. You can find more about this initiative by going here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96McpUqZRzY to watch Lori Lightfoot’s press conference launching this initiative.