Juanita’s Perspectives

By Juanita Bratcher

On Saturday, November 1, Probation Challenge and the PCC Network – both under the direction of Rev. Harold E. Bailey – held a Chicago Mayoral Candidates Debate at St. Paul Community Development Ministries, 4526 S. Wabash, in Chicago.

The mayoral debate was interesting, enlightening, impressive, informative and, yes, refreshing, an excellent show of attendance…and a shot-in-the-arm for many of those who attended. They quickly filled the seating capacity of the room and many were standing, lined up around the walls to hear what the five  candidates had to say about issues they were concerned about – the escalating crime rate in Chicago (specifically gun violence), the city of Chicago set-aside program in regards to minorities getting their fair share of contract letting, jobs, minimum raise increase, the TIF (Tax Increment Financing) program, the closing of 54 public schools in mostly black neighborhoods, whether it would be better to move away from an appointed school board to an elected school board, the high cost of feeding parking meters and if at all possible can the city get out of the parking meter contract; red light cameras and speed traps, abandoned vacant homes and buildings, low-income housing, education and anything else that came up on the agenda. It was obvious that people were hungry for knowledge and that they cared about the happenings in this city that needed to be addressed. They appreciated Rev. Bailey for his efforts, and they said as much,  for bringing the forum to them, giving them a platform so their voices could be heard in an organized manner…structure…and in a sophisticated setting.

It was an event that was certainly needed, and one (whatever subject matter to unite the community) should have occurred a long time ago. And who better to do it than Rev. Bailey, some attendees said after the event; to be able to bring such a gathering together after a long dry-period devoid of any serious interaction to bring the community together in such astounding dialogue.

A panel of respected Journalists – Chinta Strausberg, PCC Talk Show Host and Editor-In-Chief of 3:16 Magazine; Art Norman, NBC; and Author Juanita Bratcher, Publisher & CEO of CopyLine Magazine – polled questions of the candidates. Facilitator was Elder Kevin Ford, St. Paul Community Development, and Bailey served as Commentator. Others participating in the event were Judge Mary Maxwell Thomas, Judge William Cousins and Pastor Mitty Collier, More Like Christ Ministries.

All invited candidates appeared at the debate with the exception of incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Candidates Appearing at the Debate:

Dr. Amara Enyia

Robert ‘Bob’ Shaw

Bob Fioretti

William ‘Dock’ Walls

Frederick Collins

For some time now, I, as well as others, have been involved in debatable conversations at small private home gatherings as to what happened to black activism in Chicago. Why had everything gotten so quiet on the political front when back in the 1980s Black activists were out and about taking care of business in seeing that our voices are heard? Some of the void was pointed to the deaths of several activists and some to oldsters that are now immobile.

I’ve been a Journalist now for two months short of 39 years. I remember entering the newspaper industry as a cub news reporter in 1976, two weeks before I hustled down the aisle at graduation to pick up my Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. Today, I consider myself a veteran journalist and I revel in the fact that I’m pretty much up on knowing the tricks and trade of politics and many of the players.

I got a good baptism into politics in 1983 when I was assigned to the campaign trail of Congressman Harold Washington who was then running for mayor of the city of Chicago. I had just returned back to the country after a fact-finding mission assignment in Israel on the war in Beirut.

There were so many meetings going on back then in the black community that dealt with education, housing, set-aside program, healthcare, politics and a myriad of other issues. There was an over-plus of city activists that knew how to get things done, politically, strategically and otherwise.

In 1983, many of those activists who usually worked together in some regard started looking at the idea of pushing for a black mayor of Chicago, after becoming angry and frustrated with Mayor Jane Byrne Administration. Meetings, strategizing and planning were on target in every sense of the word.

The late popular and renowned Journalist Lu Palmer and his organization, CBUC, held a Plebiscite at Bethel A.M.E. Church, 4444 S. Michigan Ave., one of the largest black churches on the south side of Chicago to select a black candidate to run for mayor in 1983.

And at that Plebiscite, a group of grassroots organizations selected Washington as the Number One choice from a list of 10 blacks to run for mayor. The initial list had included some 21 names. Not that he was interested in running for mayor – and he said as much – but community activists were well abreast of the political arena and politics as a whole, and refused to let him off the hook. Washington had served as an assistant Corporation Counsel, a state representative, state senator and was a sitting Congressman. And he had many legislative achievements under his belt.

They knew that he was well-qualified to take on the task, and they were ready to work and get others involved to make that happen. They finally got him to say ‘yes’. Harold would carry the banner but there were strings attached. Harold requested that they:

* Add 50,000 new voters to the voter registration roll (they doubled that amount and more)

* Put in place adequate campaign funding to launch such an endeavor.

A Black mayor for Chicago? There were naysayers outside and inside the Black community that felt it couldn’t happen. But that mindset didn’t stop those who felt that it could happen. And the rest is history. Harold won the mayoralty over his two opponents – the incumbent Mayor Jane Byrne and then State’s Attorney Richard M. Daley. After the death of Harold Washington in 1987, Alderman Eugene Sawyer was selected by the Chicago City Council to serve as interim mayor, and in a special election in 1989, Daley was elected to the post.

In addition to Rev. Bailey being the Founder & President of Probation Challenge & the PCC Network, he is a former Cook County Adult Probation Officer, served in the courtroom of the late Judge R. Eugene Pincham. He was also Chairman of the Cook County Board of Corrections, and started his Probation Challenge program in 1979.

Probation Challenge is the first program of its kind in the country, and has helped thousands and thousands of youth, sending them back into society as meaningful and productive citizens. Many of his clients have gone on to various colleges and universities.

After Saturday’s Mayoral Candidates Debate, many were looking forward to Bailey’s continued leadership in bringing the community back together for informational dialogue, suggesting that Bailey had done an excellent job of bringing black Chicagoans back together again in serious dialogue, something that was clearly needed – and that strong activism that was once alive and well in the trenches of the neighborhoods in years past will now go on to greater heights.

Will Rev. Bailey step up to the plate? More likely than not…he will.

Sponsors and supporters of the event were: South Shore Gardens Betterment Association, Demetrius Evans, Jason Cotton, Sheila Cummings & Food Company, More Like Christ Ministries, Feed A Neighbor Program, Probation Challenge, Food Assistance Program, Chicago Street Journal, CopyLine Magazine, PCC Network, 3:16 Magazine

Probation Challenge Board of Directors/Advisors are: Geri Patterson, Claudette Henderson, Hurbert C. Jackson, Queen Mother Helen Sinclair, Howard Saffold, and Clarence McMillan.

Juanita Bratcher is an Award-Winning Journalist, the Publisher of www.copylinemagazine.com and the author of several books, songwriter and poet. She has been a Journalist for more than 38 years covering politics, education and a wide-range of other topics.

Fiscal office candidates to make stops in Marion, Peoria, Quad Cities, Rockford & Springfield

CHICAGO, IL – Illinois fiscal office candidates Judy Baar Topinka and Tom Cross will travel the state on Sunday and Monday to join local leaders in rallying voters and meeting with media as part of a two-day Follow the Money tour in advance of Tuesday’s election.

The Republican candidates for Comptroller and Treasurer, respectively, will encourage residents to vote on Tuesday and highlight their vision for the state’s fiscal offices before taking questions from local media.

Contact:
Chris Cleveland
312 339 2677 mobile
chris.cleveland@chicagogop.com

Chicago Republican Party · Chicago, IL, United States

You can also keep up with Chicago Republican Party on Twitter or Facebook.

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President highlighted the progress our economy is making, and the commonsense policies that could make it even stronger by ensuring that everyone who works hard has the opportunity to get ahead, especially women and working families. This commitment has been a core part of the President’s Year of Action and a priority since the start of his administration, which is why he has put forth a range of policies that would help women and working families get ahead, from raising the minimum wage, to ensuring equal pay for equal work, to increasing access to high-quality child care and paid family leave. This week’s address follows remarks the President delivered on Friday at Rhode Island College, where he discussed the importance of harnessing our economy’s momentum by making policy choices that will help women and all working parents fully participate in and contribute to our economy.

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, November 1, 2014.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
November 1, 2014

Hi, everybody.  On Friday, I had a discussion with working women in Rhode Island about the economic challenges they face in their own lives — challenges shared by many of you.

Thanks to the work we’ve all put in, our economy has come a long way these past six years. Over the past 55 months, our businesses have added 10.3 million new jobs. For the first time in six years, the unemployment rate is below 6 percent. And on Thursday, we learned that over the past six months, our economy has grown at its fastest pace since 2003.

But the gains of a growing economy aren’t yet felt by everyone. So we’ve got to harness this momentum, and make the right choices so that everyone who works hard can get ahead.

In recent weeks, I’ve talked about these choices, from raising the minimum wage to creating new jobs in construction and manufacturing. Today, I want to focus on what I discussed with those women — the choices we need to make to help more women get ahead in today’s economy.

Right now, women make up almost half of our workers. More women are their family’s main breadwinner than ever before. So the simple truth is, when women succeed, America succeeds. And we should be choosing policies that benefit women — because that benefits all of us.

Women deserve fair pay. Even though it’s 2014, there are women still earning less than men for doing the same work. We don’t have second-class citizens in this country — we shouldn’t in the workplace, either. So let’s make sure women earn equal pay for equal work, and have a fair shot at success.

Women deserve to be able to take time off to care for a new baby, an ailing parent, or take a sick day for themselves without running into hardship. So let’s make sure all Americans have access to paid family leave.

Pregnant workers deserve to be treated fairly. Even today, women can be fired for taking too many bathroom breaks, or forced on unpaid leave just for being pregnant. That’s wrong — and we have to choose policies that ensure pregnant workers are treated with dignity and respect.

New parents deserve quality, affordable childcare. There’s nothing like the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your kids are safe while you’re at work. And the benefits that children get out of early enrichment can pay off for a lifetime. But in many states, sending your kid to daycare costs more than sending them to a public university. So let’s start demanding Pre-K for our kids.

And when most low-wage workers are women, but Congress hasn’t passed a minimum wage increase in seven years, it’s long past time that women deserve a raise. About 28 million workers would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage to ten dollars and ten cents an hour. And more than half of those workers are women. The local businesses where these workers spend their money would benefit, too. So let’s do this — let’s give America a raise.

All of these policies are common sense. All of them are within our reach. We’ve just got to speak up and choose them. Because they’ll build a stronger America for all of us.

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

Attorney General Alleges Fraud by Former Board Members of Wilmette Bank against U.S. Treasury Fund, First Midwest Bank

CHICAGO, IL — Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan  joined with the Special Inspector General for the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to announce new charges against two former members of the board of directors of the Wilmette-based Premier Bank for defrauding First Midwest Bank and the Department of Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.

Madigan announced the new charges against Zulfikar Esmail and his wife Shamim Esmail, both of Evanston, following indictments last year for a scheme to defraud TARP of $6.8 million and which cost the FDIC $64.1 million when the bank failed on March 23, 2012. The new charges allege more fraud was committed during the pair’s time on the Premier Bank board – an $8.1 million loan from First Midwest Bank in 2009 and additionally, Shamim Esmail’s obtaining more than $1 million in TARP funds reserved for banks in distressed communities.

“As these new charges allege, the defendants fraudulently secured federal aid funds at a time when the country’s economy and its major financial institutions were on the brink of disaster,” Madigan said. “Their illegal scheme ultimately resulted in the failure of the bank at a great cost to the bank’s customers and American taxpayers.”

Zulfikar Esmail was indicted on Oct. 16 in DuPage County on two counts of financial institution fraud and one count of loan fraud for fraudulently obtaining a more than $8 million loan from First Midwest Bank in 2009, which was a recipient of TARP funds. The Esmails were charged together with defrauding First Midwest Bank in a workout agreement after they defaulted on the loan.

Shamim Esmail was also indicted on additional charges in Cook County of two counts each of theft and wire fraud for defrauding TARP’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. Premier Bank fraudulently received more than $1 million in funds in 2010 and 2011 from two programs under the CDFI Fund which were designed to assist banks in providing banking services to economically distressed communities.

Madigan previously charged the Esmails and two co-defendants, who were also members of the bank’s board of directors, alleging that from 2006 until the bank’s failure, they hid the poor financial condition of the bank from state regulators. Madigan alleged Zulfikar Esmail engaged in a criminal shakedown scheme, soliciting and demanding bribes in connection with applications made for business loans and lines of credit.

Over a six-year period, the indictment alleged the bank officers submitted numerous fraudulent reports to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, misrepresenting the financial condition of the bank’s numerous loans and lines of credit. To cover up the true condition of the bank, the indictment alleged money from third parties was used to make payments on several loans that were past due, including payments from a limited liability corporation owned in part by Zulfikar Esmail’s children.

The public is reminded that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

This case was investigated by the Office of the Special Inspector General for TARP and the Office of the Inspector General of the FDIC. Bureau Chief Edward Carter and Assistant Attorneys General Edward Snow and Anshuman Vaidya are handling prosecution of the case for Madigan’s Special Prosecutions Bureau.

A Chicago man who robbed and assaulted a 78-year-old senior citizen in his own back yard has been sentenced to 28 years in prison after pleading guilty to armed robbery charges in connection with the 2012 attack, according to the Office of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.

Dalvin Rayford, 20, of the 2500 block of east 72^nd Pl., pled guilty to armed robbery for the December 2012 attack on the 78-year-old South Side man, who died weeks after the assault due to complications from a hip fracture he sustained after being pushed to the ground by the defendant.

According to prosecutors, Rayford was armed with a handgun when he entered the back yard and approached the 78-year-old victim in the 10200 block of East Bensley Avenue.  Rayford then demanded money from the victim and knocked the man to the ground.  Rayford proceeded to strike the victim while rummaging through his pockets and taking the victim’s keys and money.

A nearby neighbor witnessed the incident and called police and then yelled for help, at which time Rayford fled the scene.  Rayford was apprehended a short distance away after police observed him running through an alley, clutching something on his side.  The arresting officers recovered the handgun and some clothing worn by Rayford which had been discarded nearby.  Rayford was positively identified by both the victim and the witness.

Rayford pled guilty to armed robbery on Oct. 30^th during a hearing before Cook County Judge Michael McHale, who handed down the 28-year sentence.

State’s Attorney Alvarez thanked Assistant State’s Attorney Sherie DeDore and the Chicago Police Department for their work on this case.

Nov. 5 protest to commemorate birthday of Rekia Boyd, an unarmed bystander killed by off duty CPD officer Dante Servin in 2012.

CHICAGO, IL -  On Wednesday 11/5, families and loved ones of people who have lost their lives at the hands of Chicago Police will rally with supporters outside police headquarters at 3510 S. Michigan. Those speaking out will include Martinez Sutton, representing the family of Rekia Boyd, Cynthia Lane, the mother of Roshad McIntosh and Panzy Edwards, the mother of Dakota Bright.

The event description states, “Though the crimes of police brutality and sexual violence against women of color have been committed systematically in Chicago and throughout the U.S., these stories remain unheard… Please join them to protest the ways in which the Chicago Police Department obstruct, rather than uphold, the rights of women of color to raise their children in safe and healthy environments without the constant threat of senseless violence.”

At the demonstration family members and loved ones of those killed by police, along with their supporters, will make the following demands:

1. We advocate for an end to all beatings, sexual abuse and torture of women of color by the police and demand an end to the impunity given to police officers for their crimes.

2. We demand that Dante Servin’s charges be raised from Manslaughter to 2nd Degree murder and that he be convicted in court.

3. We demand that the Chicago Police Department’s disproportionate use of deadly force against black residents be investigated by the State’s Attorney for Cook County, Illinois Anita Alvarez.

4. We demand an investigation into the deaths of all individuals killed by CPD by the Department of Justice.

5. We demand for an elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (As called for by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression) to serve as a democratically elected committee that oversees the actions of the Chicago Police Department to ensure true justice is being carried out, and the community is involved in matters of hiring, firing and the accountability of the actions of those in the force.