Page 14 - June2021

Communications Report
Representation in the Illinois legislature
A few months ago, I wrote about HB 3653, the Criminal Justice and Police Reform Bill, and how the bill has the potential to make our city and state less safe. That bill, which ultimately became law, does indeed make the community less safe, and Lodge 7 is working diligently to amend the worst parts of that terrible law.
I also wrote about how if only a few more mem- bers of the Illinois Legislature voted against the bill, we would not be stuck with such a horrible situa- tion. That’s the reason why I’m writing about this
again — it’s that important.
Who represents us in the Illinois legislature matters. These
are the people elected to represent us, our neighbors, our fam- ilies and our communities. Too often, members of the Legisla- ture propose and support bills that are bad for Illinois. It’s not always their fault; they just don’t know any better.
The Lodge has received a number of calls from senators and representatives apologizing for voting “yes,” asking how they can make it up to us, how they can “fix” their relationship with our membership. For most of those members, the only way we can fix the situation is by kicking them out of their seat. The best way to get real representation to fix the problems in Springfield and support the men and women of law enforcement is by run- ning our own candidates.
So Lodge 7 and our political action committee (PAC) have a
homework assignment for you: Find out who represents you and your family in the Illinois legislature. Find out who your representative is and who your state senator is. Look them up, find out if they support you and support the men and women of the Chicago Police Department. Find out if they voted in favor of HB 3653. Find out if they support defunding the police. It’s that important.
If they don’t support law enforcement and voted in favor of that terrible bill, we want to find a candidate to run against that legislator in the March 2022 primaries.
That candidate may be you.
Additionally, new legislative district boundary maps are be- ing drawn, a process that occurs every 10 years with the decen- nial census, so the individual who represents you in the State House and Senate may change in the coming months. We need you to keep yourself educated about who represents you. It’s that important.
The importance of having individuals in the Illinois legisla- ture who not only support law enforcement, but truly under- stand the profession in which we all have taken an oath, is paramount. So many in Springfield haven’t the foggiest under- standing of what it means to be a cop. Instead, they choose to listen to misguided members of the community and those of the “defund the police” crowd. We need real representation to fix the problems caused by HB 3653 and support the men and women of law enforcement. It’s that important.
MICHAEL CARROLL
14 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JUNE 2021