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Neighbors,
First things first: tomorrow at 7:00PM, Whiskey Girl Tavern will be hosting an open mic fundraiser for Edgewater Mutual Aid Network. EMAN has been a terrific partner for the IPO and provides lots of critical relief for our community, which will become more important now that the Trump administration has launched an assault on federal funding. We will be grabbing a table there at 6PM to support their fundraiser, and will be buying some pizza for everyone who is able to join us. Come on out, have some fun, and support some of our organizing cousins!
We also have been contacted by Alderwoman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth about two legislative initiatives:
- Broadway Avenue is currently on track to be rezoned. This change would allow for new apartment buildings to be built on both the east and west side of Broadway, and would require that 20% of all new units meet Chicago’s definition of affordability.
- Legislation has been put forward that would create a city-owned non-profit that would fund the development of housing that is affordable, mixed-income, and environmentally sustainable. You can read about the Green Social Housing initiative here.
Alderwoman Manaa-Hoppenworth has asked our organization to support both initiatives. We encourage everyone with an interest in either of these topics to join the conversation on our Signal to discuss next steps (Signal can be accessed by desktop or on a cell phone app!).
If you haven’t seen it on social media, we also wanted to share that the IPO is officially participating in the annual Chicago Abortion Fund this year! We have been working with some other groups in the area to raise at least $2,500 to support abortion care in the Chicago area and are happy to share that we are more than 80% of the way to our goal. Here are a few easy ways to support the campaign that you can share with your networks.
- On Friday, April 25th, 46th Ward Neighbors will be working with our organization to host our own open mic fundraiser at Nabala Cafe. Attendees will have a chance to donate to the fundathon team, and food and beverages will be available for purchase from Nabala. Anyone interested in performing can sign up here. No RSVP is required to attend, but doors open at 6PM and there are limits on how many people can be in the building at the same time.
- On Saturday, April 26th, local group Daycare Democracy Defenders is hosting Solidarity Sounds at Senn, a meet-up with music for young children. This is a great opportunity to support reproductive care in Chicago while connecting with other parents and caregivers. The event will take place on the Senn High School Lawn unless it rains, in which case it will be pushed to May 3rd.
- You can also ask your friends to give directly to the campaign at this link!
We want to echo the extreme concern that IPO members have voiced about the federal government’s kidnapping and incarceration of individuals like Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk, as well as the purposeful and illegal deportation of immigrants like Kilmar Abrego Garcia to prisons in El Salvador. These are disgusting attempts to break apart families, harm immigrants, and suppress political speech, particularly speech that opposes our government’s extremist support for Israel. We want all members to know that we are watching these situations closely and will immediately consider endorsing any action calling for these steps to be reversed. We also want to thank Alderwoman Manaa-Hoppenworth, Representative Jan Schakowsky, and Senator Dick Durbin for releasing statements calling for Khalil’s release. To our knowledge, Senator Tammy Duckworth has said nothing about prisoners like Khalil but she and Durbin have called for Garcia’s return.
This summer, we will be shifting our tabling and community engagement efforts towards reversing these developments, including by supporting non-profits that extend legal aid to those that are most at risk of deportation. We encourage everyone who wants to help with these efforts, including rapid response should it escalate, to join the conversation on our Signal or sign up to volunteer here.
Finally, we want to wish everyone a happy and safe International Worker’s Day on May 1st. Keep your eyes out for protests and actions on social media, and if you can stop by one of our unionized cafes that weekend to show your support for organized labor. Interested members can also learn about potential union support campaigns like this one for USPS.
Solidarity, and see you soon,
Steering Committee
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