IN THIS ISSUE

public meetings report documenters and scott pemberton .... 2 assault weapon ban draws praise from chicago anti-violence advocates jacqueline serrato and adam przybyl 4 all power to the people

A recap of select open meetings at the local, county, and state level.

The Protect Illinois Communities Act is already facing lawsuits from Republicans.

A conversation with members of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party. debbie-marie brown, Chicago Reader 5

The faculty union at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) secured increased minimum salaries, annual raises, stronger job protections, and commitments for student resources after going on strike last week. The nearly 900 members of the UIC United Faculty (UICUF) union went on strike Tuesday after nine months of fruitless negotiations with administrators and working without a contract since August. At stake were the union’s demands for pay raises to match increased living costs, mental health support and learning disability assessments for students, and stronger job protections for non-tenure track faculty. The union suspended the strike after just four days and reached a tentative deal with administrators on Sunday, which guaranteed minimum salaries of $60,000 for non-tenure track and $70,000 for tenure-track faculty, equity adjustments to base salaries for faculty, and the demands listed above. In a statement, Nicole Nguyen, UICUF negotiator and associate professor of criminology, law, and justice, said, “The campus is thriving, but many faculty are not...We have spent the past three years scrambling to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, and our whole community—students and faculty—are exhausted. Management needs to invest in resources that strengthen our entire community.”

Street vendor robberies

Street vendors in Little Village, Pilsen, and Humboldt Park have experienced an increase in armed robberies since November 2022. These robberies, which have often put vendors in direct danger, have persisted into the new year. And yet, vendors continue to come out day after day to seek their livelihood and provide a vital service to their community. With many starting work at 4 am, some vendors have been pleading with the City and the Chicago Police Department (CPD) to provide police officers in the morning hours as a form of protection. But community members and organizers have been the ones to most reliably show up for them. When neighbors began looking for volunteers to watch over the vendors, a local chapter of Brown Beret members and other youth started waking up early to check on eloteras and tamaleras during their busiest hours. Local alderpersons and aldermanic candidates have held townhall meetings and press conferences to draw attention to the issue—many voters are paying close attention to their responses as they get ready to vote in February.

op-ed: anti-black and anti-immigrant racism reinforce one another. solidarity is the only way we win #SanctuaryForAll, including for long-term Black Chicagoans.

benji hart .............................................. 10 as investors buy more homes around the obama presidential center gentrification worries soar

“Gentrification is gradual right now but it is intensifying every year.” manny ramos, illinois answers project .......................12 affordable housing advocates push for co-ops

The City recently launched two pilot programs intended to support limited-equity cooperatives. grace del vecchio and sonal soni, city bureau 14 calendar Bulletin and events. south side weekly staff ...................... 18