Taking back our city

Busy day today. I'm sitting in on a doc student's dissertation defense at UIC and then heading down the street at 5 p.m. to the UIC Forum for the Take Back Chicago rally and town hall meeting.

TCB is being organized by the Grassroots Collaborative, an alliance of neighborhood and community organizations who are working to develop a unifying vision for the city's future. I'm hoping that the coalition will be able to launch a new round of organizing around school and community issues and also be a force in the upcoming elections.

Amisha Patel, Executive Director of Grassroots Collaborative tells Gapers Block that Take Back Chicago plans to educate these city officials and push them towards political change that reflects the will of the people, not just the will of Mayor Emanuel.

"Mayor Emanuel isn't the king of Chicago. That's not how we make policy. We're pushing for real democracy."

Participating organizations include:
Action Now • AFSCME Council 31 • Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation • Brighton Park Neighborhood Council • Chicago Coalition for the Homeless • Chicago Teachers Union • Enlace Chicago • Illinois Hunger Coalition • Kenwood Oakland Community Organization • ONE Northside • Pilsen Alliance • SEIU Healthcare  •Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation • Southside Together Organized for Power • Southwest Organizing Project• Stand Up! Chicago

I'm told that many State and local officials will be attending, including Gov. Pat Quinn, Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, State Representatives Andre Thapedi, Christian Mitchell, Mary Flowers, Kenneth Dunkin, and Monique Davis, Cook County Commissioner Jesus Garcia, and Aldermen Scott Waguespack, Nicholas Sposato, Roderick Sawyer, Joe Moreno, Toni Foulkes, Pat Dowell, William Burns, Bob Fioretti, and Ricardo Munoz.

Surely somewhere in this list is a mayoral candidate who can unite the movement to at least take back City Hall.