We have come to the end of 2020. Whew! Of course it is merely an end to the calendar year. Symbolically important in so many ways, but of course the World keeps turning (I am glad of that) and our issues will roll over into 2021.
So many things have transpired. First I want to again express the well wishes for Adrienne McCauley, who gave birth to a daughter in early December. Both mother and baby are doing well. Adrienne will certainly be missed; she did an incredible job, providing leadership for the Fox River Valley Initiative as well as DuPage United, a truly herculean task. All our best to her.
Moving on, we are very fortunate to have Amanda Reilly-Sokoli added on as Lead Organizer for DuPage United and Rabbi Ricky Kamil, as a part time organizer, both working together with Greg Pierce. Amanda is an experienced and energetic leader who has eagerly taken the reins of our amazing organization, and we already know how great Rabbi Ricky is from working with him as part of Etz Chaim. DuPage United is fortunate to have such skilled and dynamic leaders.
In addition, Carl King is our new Mental Health organizer across all 4 Metro IL-IAF organizations and is working to strengthen our mental health campaign.
Summary of past events :
In February of 2020, a two-day Leadership conference was held. These conferences are essential for developing leaders, and I know that the conferences I attended changed my entire outlook on community organizing and power.
In July, a major assembly on Mental Health Care was well-attended at The Mecca Center in Willowbrook. This was the first step taken to initiate the Mental Health initiative that The Mecca Center has started to ensure the mental wellbeing of community members and program attendees.
On October 25, our sister organization, United Power for Action and Justice, had an important meeting with Senator Don Harmon, the new president of the Illinois State Senate, whose district includes part of eastern DuPage County. We asked Senator Harmon to help with these four issues: (1) Rebuilding communities throughout Illinois with affordable, accessible, supportive housing; (2) Ending the incarceration of those caught up in episodes brought about by reactions to mental illness or drug use. (This includes a new issue we are researching regarding the incarceration of those from DuPage County judged "unable to face trial"--even for a misdemeanor--for up to a year at the Elgin Mental Health Facility.); (3) The building of Crisis Stabilization Units as an alternative to jail or emergency rooms; and (4) Help us get a meeting with Governor Pritzker on these and other issues in DuPage County sometime in 2021.
October 27, 2020, we had a virtual (ZOOM) action with candidates for DuPage County Board, which led to our hosting the 1212 Larkin Tour.
On January 13 and 14, 2021 we had a tour of the 48 unit 1212 Larkin development in Elgin. It is an important step in our goal of creating at least six similar developments of Affordable, Accessible, Supportive Housing (AASH) across DuPage County. Although the need is far greater, every time we can help create these developments, we are making an important impact on the crying need for such housing for our citizens. This was a true success and represented untold hours of work from our organizers, both DuPage United and Fox River Valley Initiative, together with local officials. As I have said before, at times it may seem our progress is slow, but we do keep moving ahead.
HB 3653 passed the Illinois General Assembly. This was not directly due to work by DuPage United, but it, among other aspects, made more changes in Crisis Intervention by law enforcement, something we have long worked on, and other de-escalation tactics, besides the elimination of cash bail requirements for non-violent offenders. DU and other members of the 4-county IAF in Illinois have worked positively with Gov. Pritzker, Attorney General Kwame Raoul and other legislators on these issues which impact mental illness and incarceration.
Upcoming Events:
More ZOOM training opportunities are coming up. Important for those wishing to learn how to be engaged in community organizing, as well as those who wish to strengthen their skills: Wednesday February 17, 2021, 6-7:45 p.m. CST, 7-8:45 p.m. EST, Why and how to do a power analysis.
Thursday March 4, 2021, 6:00 p.m., DuPage United Leaders Meeting (information will be forthcoming).
Summarizing, we will continue our important work in 2021, and let us all remember that we do not all have to individually have all the solutions and perform all the tasks to make the changes in our communities which we desire. But together we can accomplish more than we sometimes dream of.
Happy 2021! David Rinaldi