AustinTalks (http://austintalks.org/author/zach-cunning/page/6/)
The Austin Peoples Action Center hosted a rally Friday that featured George Floyd’s brother Po Floyd and former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who called for Blacks to come together and stop the violence. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced $5 million in anti-violence funding at the event.
ROYAL, a group of youths from Oak Park, led a march through Austin, Garfield Park and Oak Park last weekend. They were protesting police brutality and commemorating the death of Elijah McClain, a Black man who died while walking home from work last year in Colorado and after police put him in a choke hold.
Dozens of West Side residents gathered to commemorate Nelson Mandela and call for economic empowerment in Austin.
SEIU Illinois and The Loretto Hospital reached a tentative contract agreement last week. The new contract includes wage increases, regular raises for staff and staffing protections. Workers will vote on the agreement on Wednesday. On Monday, they’ll will gather outside the hospital as part of the “Strike for Black Lives National Day of Action” to their solidarity for workers across the country “calling for the resources, wages and workplace protections needed to protect Black lives on the job and in our communities.”
The Austin Adams Block Club hosted the event last weekend. They planted rose bushes along Adams Street, ate barbecue from Smoky Zo’s and were visited by the mayor. Another community event is planned for this Saturday.
SEIU Illinois has announced that the nearly 200 workers it represent at the Austin hospital have authorized a strike as early as July 20. SEIU accuses Loretto of unfair labor practices and failing to bargain in good faith. The hospital says it’s “offered favorable terms, especially in light of the current economic environment.”
The businesses – Avery and Pryor Construction, DLV Printing Service, L. May Creations and T&C Fitness Club – will receive a total of $717,320 from the city’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund. It was started in 2016 to help support commercial corridors in Chicago’s underserved neighborhoods. In the latest round of funding, 32 businesses on the West, South and Southwest Sides will be getting a total of $5.4 million.
For many Austin residents, celebrating the Fourth of July means fireworks, lighting up the grill and time with family and friends – but it’s not a celebration of independence. That day was celebrated on June 19th.
People gathered for a rally to remember a toddler and 13-year-old who were killed in separate shootings over the weekend in Austin. They were two of more than 100 people injured or killed in shootings in Chicago over Father’s Day weekend. Faith leaders and community groups are offering a $13,000 reward for information leading to the person who killed 3-year-old Mekhi James.
West Side organizations hosted events in celebration of Juneteenth on Friday. Commemorating Juneteenth this year was seen as especially important in the wake of the national movements sparked by the police killing of George Floyd.