People of this great city should be grateful that we now have the opportunity to move the needle forward regarding race relations and criminal justice reform.
Those of us who have lived here for some time should not have to be reminded how skillfully former Mayor Richard M. Daley would use the media to let us know that the police had a job to do. With equal parts salt, pepper, sugar, spice, fire and water, he would assuage the public and assure us that reform would come and that he had everything under control. Then, just like that, it was back to “business as usual.” There most likely would not have been the current protests if he were still mayor. The machine was that strong, and he was that cunning.
We should be thankful that Rahm Emanuel is not the communicator that Daley was, at least as it pertains to relating to the citizens of Chicago. We now actually have the opportunity to make long overdue systemic changes to our policing and judicial systems as well as potentially leading the way to bigger structural reforms in our national judicial and penal systems.
Thank you to those in Chicago who have risen up and let their voices be heard. Let’s be on the right side of history. We can do this.
— Sam Stephan, Chicago
