BELMONT CRAGIN — Five candidates are seeking the Grand Central (25th) police district council seats. The district includes parts of Belmont Cragin, Hermosa, Belmont Central, West Humboldt Park, North Austin, Galewood and Montclare.
Jacob Arena
A resident of Belmont Gardens, Arena did not respond to requests for comment.
The candidate has not yet responded to our questionnaire.
Saul Arellano
The son of immigration activist Elvira Arellano, who sought sanctuary from ICE agents in a Humboldt Park church for a year in 2006, Arellano has worked with Centro Sin Fronteras and Healthy Hood Chicago on immigration and mutual-aid fronts. “We must hold the police accountable,” he says. “Our communities deserve better, and must be treated with the utmost respect.”
Alds. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), MWRD commissioner Dan Pogorzelski, and Rep. Will Guzzardi have endorsed.
 Activist or organizer |  Supports more police accountability |  Political endorsement |
Candidate questionnaire responses:
- Do you have experience as an activist or community organizer? Yes
- Do you have experience interacting with CPD? No
- Do you have experience working or interacting with government? Yes
- Should the city hire more police officers? No
- Is CPD adequately funded? Yes: funding should be reduced.
- CPD reform: The police should be defunded or abolished.
- Mental health crises: Police should not be involved in mental health crisis calls at all.
What do you consider the primary role of a police district councilor to be?
- Police should not be involved in mental health crisis calls at all.
Why are you running for Police District Council?
I will soon graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Justice Studies, with two minors in Sociology and Political Science. My focus of study has been the Social Injustices occurring within our social institutions, such as racism, classism, homophobia, sexism, and many other forms of oppression. I have dived deep into these different forms of oppression, and the real consequences it has caused marginalized communities.
Therefore, I decided to run for the position of District Council for the 25th Police District.
I intend to serve the community and the immense need for community investment. We must invest in life-changing social services, and offer well-funded social institutions (schools, mental health clinics, youth programs, and mentorship programs). A safe community works to prevent situations and issues from escalating.
For starters, providing funding services to youth recreational spaces, mental health services, and community events allows for community participation. Within that creating an emphasis on protecting under-served youth such as BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth, could significantly lower suicide rates, increase academic records, and reduce their chances of homelessness and ending up in the prison system. It means creating a support system rather than a punitive form of correction that discourages growth, therefore, stunting it, a community flourishes when all its members are given an opportunity to grow.
In addition, our campaign is running on a POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY platform, it is not excusable the hundreds of human rights violations the police have been responsible for. Therefore, I am fighting to re-imagine a new department that stems away from the racialized roots it was created from. I plan to step away from the hard-on-crime ideology, because, this has not been working.
Angelica P. Green
Green is an advocate for adults and children with developmental and intellectual disabilities. She also advocates for “integrity, accountability, and public safety.”
Alds. Carlos Ramirez Rosa (35th) and Emma Mitts (37th) and Congressman Danny Davis have endorsed.
The candidate has not yet responded to our questionnaire.
Activist or organizer | Supports more police accountability | Political endorsement |
Perry Abbasi
An election attorney, Abbasi was tapped by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) to assist other pro-FOP candidates in filing election paperwork and to challenge the ballot petitions of progressive candidates in the 19th, 20th, and 24th districts.
In an interview with the Reader, Abbasi said that the FOP gave him a “green light” to run because they had no other candidates running the 25th District. He added that the district councils must figure out “how we’re going to ameliorate the rise in crime, but it has to be done constitutionally and equitably.”
On January 19, the Reader reported that Abbasi is the author of numerous racist and misogynist social media posts and group chat messages. Abbasi said the posts are meant to be humorous trolling.
The Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed.
 Ties to police or FOP |
Candidate questionnaire responses:
- Do you have experience as an activist or community organizer? Yes*
- Do you have experience interacting with CPD? Yes
- Do you have experience working or interacting with government? Yes
- Should the city hire more police officers? Yes
- Is CPD adequately funded? No: funding should be increased.
- CPD reform: The police need training and some reform.
- Mental health crises: Police should accompany healthcare workers to mental health crises.
* “I’ve been active in community groups in the Galewood Community where I live, including founding a farmer’s market and organizing the community to stop a potential problem business from opening.”
What do you consider the primary role of a police district councilor to be?
- Communicating with the department on behalf of the community
Why are you running for Police District Council?
To give the residents of the community a voice to communicate with the district to find solutions to the rising crime rate, in a manner that respects the civil rights of all.
Edgar “Edek” Esparza
A fifth-grade teacher at St. Genevieve Catholic School in Belmont Cragin, Esparza ran for alderman four years ago. He says he’s running to create “cooperation between the communities and the police of the 25th police district.”
The candidate has not yet responded to our questionnaire.
The Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed.
Ties to police or FOP |