By: Ashmar Mandou

In a galvanizing move, thousands of concerned Chicagoans descended onto the UIC Forum Tuesday evening for a town hall meeting to propose a new, effective economic plan to ‘take back Chicago’ to their elected representatives.

“We’ve come together today to build a movement for social and economic justice in our city. For too long, we the people, the neighborhoods, the communities of Chicago have been ignored,” said Amisha Patel, executive director of Grassroots Collaborative, in a statement.

Attendees of the town hall meeting focused on multiple issues affecting city neighborhoods and asked their representatives to tackle these issues with practical, effective solutions.

“In my neighborhood, my local school was cut after surviving the largest school closings in the nation. Schools throughout the district are experiencing cuts of more than 20 percent,” said Mauro Ortega, student and youth leader with the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council. “Meanwhile Mayor Emanuel is giving $50 million in subsidies for the DePaul Arena and Navy Pier development.”
Another issue that came to the forefront was that of the closing of six of the city’s 12 mental health clinics. Member of Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP) N’Dana Carter stated, “The clinic closures are just one example of the city’s push to cut public services and give tax dollars to private corporations instead. The city is destroying Chicago’s safety net along with many people’s lives. It is an obligation of Chicago’s leaders to invest in the mental health and welfare of its citizens to make this city safe for everyone.”

Numerous organizations who participated in the town hall meeting included, Grassroots Collaborative, Action Now, Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Chicago Teachers Union, Enlace Chicago, Kids Off the Block, Logan Square Neighborhood Association, Pilsen Alliance, Stand Up! Chicago, among others.

The Take Back Chicago town hall meeting was led by a rally in the Forum plaza. The crowd of thousands posed for photos with eight-foot-tall puppets that represented prominent CEOs. In the weeks to follow the town hall meeting, participants will be canvassing city neighborhoods to create sensible answers for the city’s working families. Elected officials who attend the meeting included, Governor Pat Quinn, State Representative Toni Berrios, Cook County Commissioner Jesus Chuy Garcia, Alderman Joe Moreno, Alderman Ricardo Munoz, to name a few.