ARTICLES

The coalition has done much more than issue statements. For the past month the growing campaign — whose hashtag recently received the endorsement of Chicago Grammy-award winning artist Chance the Rapper — has publicly canvassed and engaged the city’s West Side and downtown citizens with numerous outdoor press conferences, rallies, call-ins to inform citizens, public protests and spirited demonstrations like “train takeovers.”

“Demonstrators Blast Plan For $95M First-Responder Academy”
CBS News – Audrina Bigos

They’re chanting, “No cop academy” on what they’re calling commuter “train takeovers.” These Chicago youth are also organizing teach-ins and collective call-ins to aldermen, and they’re canvassing the streets. It’s all to protest a nearly $100 million public safety training academy for police officers, firefighters and medics. “Ninety-five million dollars should go to schools, and youth and homeless people and mental health clinics,” says Nita Tennyson of Assata’s Daughters.

“Chicago incentivizes abusive policing through overtime policy”
Chicago Reporter – Sheila Bedi

The Inspector General’s audit demonstrates that the No Cop Academy campaign is right on point. CPD has no business hiring hundreds of additional officers or spending $95 million on a new training academy when it has directed the resources it has in ways that are so deeply racist, corrupt and counter to public safety.

“Rahm’s police academy plan met with youth-led backlash from #NoCopAcademy campaign”
Chicago Reader – Maya Dukmasova

In recent days Hampton-Murff has collected 30 signatures in opposition to the development from people in her neighborhood. She says most of those folks had no idea it was coming and said they’d rather see the city spend more money on schools and youth activities. “It’s an under-resourced community, and the government is telling us we don’t have the funds to fix it,” she says. “But then we’ll have a $95 million building sitting on the corner where there are abandoned buildings?”

“Rahm Emanuel Wants $95 Million for a New Police Facility. Chicago Activists Have Other Ideas.”
In These Times – Charles Preston

Nita, a 19-year old member of Assata’s Daughters, was friends with LeGrier and says his killing shows why the #NoCopAcademy campaign is so important.

“I’ve got involved because I have multiple friends that were killed by police,” says Nita. “When they killed my friend Quintonio, the cop sued Quintonio’s family. I feel like $95 million can go into something way different than police.”

“Activists Block Street Outside City Hall With Coffin Installation To Protest Cop Academy, Gang Database”
Chicagoist – Stephen Gossett

Activists briefly blocked traffic on Randolph Street outside City Hall Tuesday with a large-scale art installation to protest the city’s gang database, as well as plans for a multi-million-dollar police and fire training academy to be built in West Garfield Park.

“Chance Stopped By Police, So He Records It Live On Instagram”
DNA Info – Kelly Bauer

More recently, he asked people to read posts with the hashtag #NoCopAcademy. The hashtag has been used by activists calling on the city’s leaders to stop their plans for a $95 million police and fire training academy and instead use the money on Chicago Public Schools.

“Public safety training center proposed for W. Garfield Park”
Austin Weekly News – Igor Studenkov

Other organizations have since joined in opposition to the training facility. One of those organizations, the Lincoln Square-based Tzedek Chicago Synagogue, teamed up with Assata’s Daughers, Trans Liberation Collective and Jewish Voices for Peace to hold a press conference in front of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s fifth-floor office downtown on the morning of Sept. 22.

“#NoCopAcademy” Campaign Opposes $95 Million for New Police Grounds”
It’s Going Down – Anonymous Contributor

We demand a redirecting of this $95 million into Chicago’s most marginalized communities instead. Real community safety comes from fully-funded schools and mental health centers, robust after-school and job- training programs, and social and economic justice. We want investment in our communities, not expanded resources for police.

“Chicago’s ‘Green Zone’: Community Coalition Opposes City Plans for Massive Police Training Compound”
Shadowproof – Kevin Gosztola

If Emanuel is seriously interested in community investment and stabilizing communities, May said he would propose a youth jobs training center. A facility for ensuring 16-18 year-olds get jobs will do far more to reduce crime. She also recommended investments in mental health care centers, schools, grocery stores, and child care centers.

“Coalition Wants Funds For New Police & Fire Academy To Go To Struggling Communities”
Chicagoist – Aaron Cynic

Rather than spending the money on the academy, the group wants the city to put the money towards things like public schools, accessible mental health clinics, living wages, and after school and job training program, which they say will strengthen communities.

“Chicago’s communities need resources–not criminalization,” said Page May of Assata’s Daughters. “We should be defunding and downsizing the Chicago Police Department and investing those funds in providing the vital resources our communities need.”

“New Police Training Center Advances; Protesters Want Funds Spent Elsewhere”
DNA Info – Heather Cherone

Monica Trinidad, a member of the People’s Response Team, which is part of the “No Cop Academy” effort, said the money would be better spent on restoring cuts made to Chicago Public Schools’ budgets or reopening mental health clinics closed by Emanuel.

“We aren’t falling for Rahm’s charade,” Trinidad said. “Don’t expand CPD when we are strangled in our own communities.”

“Black People Are Demanding Police Abolition – We Could Be Demanding Much More”
By RadFag

While the mayor’s office continues to deny funding for a host of public services—announcing the cutting of over 900 jobs from Chicago Public Schools just this week—it also recently announced the construction of a new $95 million police training academy, to be raised on the West side. The same police department which was just described by the Justice Department as violating the civil rights of Black residents on a systemic level is receiving an expensive new firing range—the exact opposite of reparations.

“How Do Chicago Police Treat Mental Health? With SWAT Raids.”
By Sarah Lazare & Debbie Southorn

“FEDERAL POLICIES AREN’T the only factor driving local law enforcement militarization. Last month, Chicago media reported that Emanuel’s office is moving to funnel $95 million into a new police and fire training center with a shooting range and “active scenario” exercises.”

“Wanted: Straight Talk About Chicago Police Training”
By Andy Shaw

“The city pegs the cost of the project, including land acquisition, at $95 million, but that’s only an estimate, and the funding mechanism is dubious—the underperforming Chicago Infrastructure Trust the mayor created to structure public-private partnerships that have been more of an “Infrastructure Bust” for lack of private sector interest.”

Wednesday November 8th, #NoCopAcademy at Chicago City Council coverage:

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