AustinTalks (http://austintalks.org/category/news/page/36/)
Ira Acree, pastor of Greater St. John Bible Church, and Jose Abonce of Austin Coming Together both traveled to D.C. last week to take part in the “Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks.”
A couple dozen people gathered Sunday to remember teenager Elijah Sims, who was killed four years ago, and to call for better witness protection. His case remains unsolved.
Starting at noon Monday at 4000 W. Jackson, state Rep. La Shawn Ford and representatives from several community groups – including Prevention Partnership, Thresholds, The Night Ministry, Fathers Who Care, Rush Hospital, Heartland Alliance and Healthcare Alternative Services – will provide overdose reversal training; distribute Narcan/naloxone and PPE; make referrals to medication-assisted recovery for addiction treatment; and help with housing.
Representatives from The Loretto Hospital, the Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, and the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois recently discussed the demand for organs, especially among African Americans, Hispanics and Asians.
About 50 people gathered at La Follette Park Friday before marching to Chicago Board of Education member Dwayne Truss’ residence. They were protesting the contract between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department, and calling on Truss to vote against the contract at CPS’ Aug. 26th meeting.
BUILD Chicago has bee n hosting a summer camp in Austin, providing 60 young people with a much needed outlet this summer. Their activities have included peace circles, basketball, volleyball and a small farm with some very friendly chickens.
Eleven Austin high school students out of nearly 600 citywide have been accepted into the Chicago Scholars program. Since 1996, about 900 students have completed the program, which provides support throughout college and once the participants have graduated.
High school juniors and seniors at Austin College and Career Academy – as well as the district’s dozens of other high schools – will be learning exclusively at home. The school is still deciding whether to keep its two school resource officers. Two other Austin high schools – Michele Clark Academic Prep Magnet High School and Frederick Douglass Academy High School – have already voted unanimously to keep their officers.
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.