ICYMI — Chicago Appleseed Hosted a Press Conference Last Week to Announce Release of New Report
A week ago, Chicago Appleseed hosted a press conference to announce the release of our new report: 500 Days Forward, 10 Years Back: An Evaluation of Eileen O’Neill Burke’s First 500 Days as Cook County State’s Attorney. The report explains the policies put in place by the Burke administration in its first 500 days and their consequences for the people of Cook County.
Chicago Appleseed Executive Director Rachel Lyons and Research Director Austin Segal spoke at the press conference, as well as Stick Talk organizers Toussaint Daniels and Malik Cole and Assistant Public Defender Mel Delgado. Collectively, this group of speakers were able to summarize the findings in the report, flesh out the nuances missing from Burke’s language around gun possession, and highlight the ramifications of Burke’s decision to eliminate disclosure and do-not-call lists.
In the press conference, Segal said:
Mass incarceration and hypercriminalization have long been understood to corrode public safety and impose extreme harm on the most marginalized communities. By reversing decarceral policies put in place by the Foxx administration and broadening the office’s usage of felony charging and pretrial jailing, Burke has taken a step backward in the march toward safer, freer communities.
We were honored to discuss our findings and recommendations for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office before an audience of reporters. The report was spotlighted on a CBS segment, in the Chicago Tribune, on Unraveled, and in multiple large-audience newsletters. We look forward to continuing our advocacy efforts following the release of the report to reach more members of the community.Please check out the report and let us know if you would like to co-host an education event in your neighborhood.
