Dear Mayor Rahm Emanuel: Go means Go!

December 25 2015

Dear Mayor Rahm Emanuel:

Go means go!

We understand from your recent series of press conferences and appearance at City Council that you are sorry. Sorry to who? Sorry for what? You are only sorry you got caught.

You have purposely sabotaged our city, privatizing and selling it off to the highest bidder while filling the pockets of your rich campaign donor friends (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-rahm-emanuel-political-donors-met-20150130-story.htmlhttp://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-rahm-emanuel-political-donors-met-20150130-story.html).

Meanwhile, your constituents include thousands of ordinary, everyday people who hold the city in their hearts and know you are not to be trusted with leading it.

Your holiday vacation to Cuba in light of what’s happening now in Chicago only emphasizes your “do whatever you want” attitude. You purposely ignore the cries of those who suffer from your cold-hearted actions.

The closing of fifty public schools—we know that wasn’t a hard-to-make decision, but rather a reckless and hateful action towards our communities, our people, and our city. You are responsible for mass firing of teachers because of slashed school budgets, along with cuts to so many city services—libraries, mental health clinics, transit. These are direct attacks on our children and their education, children who are facing all forms of racism and discrimination.

Destroying Chicago’s public schools alone is reason to say that you don't care about our kids, but it is just the start of the list. Since you became the Mayor, we, communities of color in Chicago, have experienced escalating violence, our children injured or killed; loss of homes through foreclosures, hoarding of CHA funds (https://newrepublic.com/article/125056/rahm-emanuels-next-scandal-chicagos-public-housing), and gentrification pushing out poor families; continued mass incarceration paying for prisons (http://chicagosmilliondollarblocks.com/) rather than schools or job programs; and international recognition of the massive human rights abuses of the Chicago Police Department (http://chicago.suntimes.com/news-chicago/7/71/147571/un-panel-singles-out-chicago-police-in-us-torture-condemnation).

You should be aware that the exposure of the brutal murder of Laquan McDonald and the subsequent cover-up has also exposed both the fraudulence of your re-election as mayor and the illegitimacy of the police power in our city.

You have exploited, hurt and embarrassed our beautiful Chicago. We don't want or accept your apology. We believe you are not fit for the job of mayor of the City of Big Shoulders. This is the people’s city, and we deserve better. We demand your resignation.

Sincerely,
Rousemary Vega, Chicago activist