Dear Neighbor,

As the City faces unprecedented fiscal challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing civil unrest, citizen participation in the budget process is more important than ever. Elected officials need to hear from you to make sure that the City maintains the services that you rely on, provides robust funding for programs that lift up the most vulnerable Chicagoans, and supports the small businesses and institutions that define our neighborhoods.

I invite you to join me in watching the Budget Week Virtual Town Hall series. This week-long series will be streamed online nightly via Facebook Live:

Budget Week Virtual Town Halls
Monday, August 31 – Friday, September 4
Streaming nightly from 6:00 pm to 7:00pm
Watch: Facebook.com/chicagomayorsoffice

The Budget Week Town Halls are an opportunity to learn about the critical functions of each City department, receive updates on issues that impact the City’s finances, and most importantly, provide feedback on how the City should allocate funding in the 2021 budget.

In order to make sure that your voice is heard during the budgeting process, I invite you to take these three action steps:

Watch the “State of the Budget” Town Hall
Visit facebook.com/chicagomayorsoffice on Monday, August 31 at 6:00 pm for an overview of the City’s current finances.

Tune in to at least one additional Budget Week Topic
You can pick topic you are already interested in, or a topic you would like to learn more about! You may also submit a question for each topic by filling out this online form. Click here for a full schedule of topics.

Take the Budget Week Survey
Submit feedback on your priorities for the 2021 budget by taking the Budget Week Survey. The survey will be open from August 31 to September 13.
These important discussions help me advocate for the best use of limited financial resources in order to promote safety, prosperity, and equity for all Chicagoans. I will be listening closely to the Budget Week Town Halls, and I hope you will join me.

For more information on the Budget Week Virtual Town Hall series, please visit the 2021 budget website.
Sincerely,

Alderman Brian Hopkins
2nd Ward

Budget Week Virtual Town Hall Schedule

Monday, August 31: State of the Budget
Featuring Susie Park, Budget Director; Jennie Huang Bennett, Chief Financial Officer; and Alderman Pat Dowell, Chairman of the City Council Committee on Budget and Government Operations

Tuesday, September 1: Public Safety
Featuring Susan Lee, Deputy Mayor of Public Safety

Wednesday, September 2: Human Services
Featuring Commissioner Lisa Morrison Butler, Department of Family and Support Services; Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady, Department of Public Health; and Commissioner Rachel Arfa, Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities

Thursday, September 3: Infrastructure
Featuring Commissioner Randy Conner, Department of Water Management; Commissioner John Tully, Department of Streets and Sanitation; and Commissioner Gia Biagi, Department of Transportation

Friday, September 4: Neighborhood and Economic Development
Featuring Commissioner Maurice Cox, Department of Planning and Development; Commissioner Marisa Novara, Department of Housing; and Commissioner Rosa Escareno, Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection

Source:  8/31/2020 Brian Hopkins 2nd Ward Alderman

Alderman Reilly Reports – August 28, 2020

Saturday, August 29, ‘Shutdown the Magnificent Mile – Black Lives Matter,’ is a planned protest set to occur at 5:00pm. While this protest is scheduled to occur in the 42nd Ward, Aldermanic approval is not required for these types of demonstrations, as the right to peaceful protests is protected by the First Amendment.

Based on intel collected so far, the Chicago Police Department (CPD) has indicated they are not expecting a large gathering and they continue to monitor open source social media.

In an abundance of caution, City agencies and the CPD will be relying upon its all-hands-on-deck neighborhood protection plan. CPD will be implementing other strategies to protect the area as needed and plan to have high visibility with hundreds of officers downtown this weekend.

In the event it is needed, the Department will deploy officers from the impacted District, the Critical Incident Response Team, and the Community Safety team to the affected location. Each officer will be given a specific block to protect.

Additionally, City resources – including Streets and Sanitation vehicles – will be mobilized to assist CPD in maintaining control of the area through tactics such as traffic control. These resource deployments will ensure CPD has adequate coverage to protect businesses and residents.

CPD is actively partnering with city agencies to deploy new and enhanced ways to shut down geographies—including parts of the downtown core—in the event of another looting incident. These tactics include blocking and disabling vehicles as well as creating new hardened cityscapes (such as bollards and improved concrete structures) to limit movement.

CPD’s Crime Prevention and Information Center (CPIC) has formed a specialized twenty person team to focus on around-the-clock robust review of open source social media activity that could indicate plans for looting. This will include ongoing key term searches as well as review of relevant pages or accounts that have been used to organize such activity previously.

This proactive monitoring will provide crucial intel so that CPD is aware of planned activity at the earliest time possible and can appropriately respond and shut it down.

Alderman Reilly encourages residents to plan ahead if you will be traveling in the area on Saturday and carry a photo ID at all times. Property Managers are asked to remind door staff to keep eyes open and call the police to report unusual events.

To receive emergency alerts for updates on street closures and public transportation, subscribe to Chicago’s text or email alert system at NotifyChicago.org or follow OEMC on Facebook and Twitter. Please visit transitchicago.com for real-time updates regarding CTA service.