Latest News

The only way to reduce harm for Cook County’s Black and Brown communities is by investing in resources and programs that help people thrive. Even with budget crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic, these investments are possible if Cook County commits to making significant divestments from Cook County Jail.

On September 9, 2020, the Budget for Black Lives Coalition proposed a Cook County budget that reallocated $157 million from the Sheriff’s Office to public services. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle issued the Cook County budget recommendations for 2021 on October 15, and while this proposal expands public services in Black and Brown communities to an extent as laid out in the Budget for Black Lives – it does not go quite far enough.

Chicago Appleseed proudly supports the Budget for Black Lives proposal. On October 29, 2020, we submitted testimony (below) to the Cook County Board in favor of a $157 million reallocation of funding from the Sheriff’s Office into community-based public services – a proposal that prioritizes an equitable Cook County.

Black, Brown, and lower-income communities in Cook County are in deep crisis due to decades of systemic racism, violence, and economic divestment that have now been exacerbated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Cook County budget issued on October 15 gives $42 million for absolutely necessary public service expansions for these communities, it falls short of the kind if reinvestment necessary to fundamentally improve equity, wellbeing, and opportunity for all in Cook County. While we applaud the investments in the Public Defender’s Office, the elimination of vacant positions from the Sheriff’s Office, and the expanded funding for the Justice Advisory Council, Chicago Appleseed believes that some of the funding allocations in President’s proposed 2021 budget would be better spent supporting proven, harm-reducing policies and resources.

Cook County has a higher poverty rate than the surrounding counties, and much of that can be attributed to the historically ineffective and racist policies of our local criminal legal system. The cycles of poverty created by fines, fees, and other costs of punitive approaches are detrimental in myriad ways—for everyone living in our community. In the past several years, though, Cook County has seen much success when we prioritize humanity over monetary gain. 

For example, County and Circuit Court data shows that in the 15 months following General Order 18.8A (bond reform), 99% of people charged with felonies who were released pretrial were not charged with a new violent offense and 83.2% of released people make all of their scheduled court appearances. 

Today, there are 5,434 people in Cook County Jail—over a 30% increase since the Jail’s lowest number (around 4,000 people) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in May – but still substantially less than before General Order 18.8A was implemented. Unfortunately, Sheriff Tom Dart continues to call for massive spending on policing and incarceration that harm Black and Brown communities. The Sheriff’s budget increases spending on the Cook County Jail despite a continued decrease in the number of people incarcerated.

Chicago Appleseed proudly supports the Budget for Black Lives Coalition’s proposal from early September that reinvests $157 million from the Sheriff’s Office into community-based public services – a proposal that clearly reflects Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s stated priorities to create an equitable Cook County.

Budget for Black Lives Testimony 
Chicago Appleseed – October 29, 2020

The revenue supporting the County’s Public Safety Fund is derived mainly from our property taxes, Sales Taxes, and the taxes we pay on alcohol and for amusement—in other words, directly from residents’ pockets. Yet, the County has clearly shifted away from the “tough-on-crime,” punitive way of thinking that has led so much to the tragedy and horrific violence that continues today at the hands of the State—as was clear with the election of State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. In Chicago alone, a budget survey issued by the City from August 31 through September 20 found that 87% of 37,679 respondents indicated a desire to defund the police (“reallocate funding from” to community and other resources). There are allocations to the Sheriff in the County’s proposed budget – such as the $2.6 million for mental health services and the $1.8 million for “community-based alternatives” – that could and should be reallocated to Cook County Health or community-based organizations whose mission can provide expertise, mutual aid, and support for health and wellbeing during this extremely difficult time.

Learn more about the Budget for Black Lives at BudgetForBlackLives.org or from The People’s Lobby, here.