WOODLAWN — Six candidates are vying for the police district council seats for the Grand Crossing (3rd) district, which includes parts of Woodlawn, South Shore and Greater Grand Crossing. Meet them below.
Credit: Kirk Williamson for the Chicago ReaderAna Marija Sokovic
A computational scientist at UIC, Sokovic is a CAPS beat facilitator for Beat 215. In the late 1990s, she participated in the nonviolent student movement in Serbia that overthrew Slobodan Miloševic. “I experienced firsthand that the people together, with discipline, humor, and careful planning, can move mountains,” she said. She envisions a public safety approach where “the community is empowered, and healing and reconciliation are prioritized over punishment.”
Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th), and aldermanic candidates Martina Hone (5th Ward) and Desmon Yancy (5th Ward) 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? Yes
- Do you have experience working or interacting with government? No
- Should the city hire more police officers? No
- Is CPD adequately funded? Yes: funding should be reduced
- CPD reform: The police need significant reform.
- Mental health crises: Police should accompany healthcare workers to mental health crises.
What do you consider the primary role of a police district councilor to be?
- Establishing civilian control of the police department
- Communicating with the department on behalf of the community
- Helping the police do a better job
- Other: “Support policies that reflect the needs of the community. Provide resources for alternatives to policing to the community. Help build trust between the community and the police. Engage the community in public safety efforts.”
Why are you running for Police District Council?
I decided to run for this position because of my deep commitment to democracy and racial equity as well as my desire to give back to my community. This ethos was instilled in me from a young age by my mother who worked as a medical doctor in Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola, and from my participation in the Serbian student protest group Otpor. Moreover I know that with privilege I have a duty to leverage my position to empower others and give back to my community. I was always told that you are doing well in life if you are breathing, you strive to be better, and you do good for others!
Living in Chicago since 2010, I have come to understand that police departments are among the government institutions most shielded from genuine community input. I wholeheartedly believe that to ensure safety in our neighborhoods, we must all be engaged. District Councils give us the unique opportunity to put the community’s voice at the policy making table.
With my computational science background I have the skill set to do what is needed in this effort:
- Provide evidence-based and data-driven models in order to help implement solutions for sustainable development and safety in our community
- Facilitate community access to policing data, documents, and records to support greater transparency and police accountability.
- Train communities with research tools that they can use to take community safety initiatives from ideation to implementation
My vision for public safety is one where the community is empowered and healing and reconciliation are prioritized over punishment.
My hope is that I will help my community to better understand and use its own power!
Jim Blissitt III
A member of CAARPR, Blissitt has worked with a variety of community organizations including Resident Association of Greater Englewood and Chicago Community Trust. With the Woodlawn Children’s Community Promise Freedom School, he organized youth demonstrations against gun violence. He also worked with the Urban League to facilitate police board community input forums. Blissitt owns a secured transportation company that serves the cannabis industry.
Aldermanic candidates Desmon Yancy (5th Ward) and Patrick Brutus (5th Ward) 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? Yes
- Do you have experience working or interacting with government? Yes
- Should the city hire more police officers? Yes
- Is CPD adequately funded? Yes: funding should stay about the same.
- CPD reform: The police need significant reform.
- Mental health crises: Police should accompany healthcare workers to mental health crises.
What do you consider the primary role of a police district councilor to be?
- Establishing civilian control of the police department
- Helping the police do a better job
- Communicating with the department on behalf of the community
- Other: “Increasing the number of Third Police District residents serving as community-focused law enforcement officers.”
Why are you running for Police District Council?
I have resided in the Third district for much of my life. As a grandchild of the great migration, I am interested in uplifting Chicago’s Black community.
I will focus on implementing equitable CPD hiring practices, reducing the number of blighted properties, empowering families impacted by crime, eradicating police abuse, and strengthening community knowledge about public safety.
My family has always been involved in the community. My father, a veteran and USPS truck driver, volunteered at my public elementary school. My mother is a nurse serving the vulnerable members of our community. My parents taught me the importance of public safety in the maintenance of wellness and healthy outcomes.
The sacrifices of my family afforded me the opportunity to attend (HBCU) Alabama A&M University (AAMU) after graduating from Luther South High School. While attending AAMU, I was introduced to social service as I volunteered at Harris Home for Boys. I graduated from AAMU and completed my MA at DePaul University where I am now completing my PhD focused on postsecondary vocational access.
I participated in peaceful demonstrations in the wake of the release of the Laquan McDonald execution video. While working with the Children’s Defense Fund/Woodlawn Children’s Community Promise Freedom School program I organized youth demonstrations against gun violence and the accessibility of illegal guns in the Black community. I also worked with the Urban League to facilitate police board community input forums. I am also an advocate and activist fighting for true social equity in Illinois’ cannabis industry. I am also a member of CAARPR and am receiving capacity development related to the ECPS ordinance.
While employed with Chicago Public Schools’ Office of School Counseling and Postsecondary Advising, I worked with Dr. Jackson in managing the Mayor’s Learn/Plan/Succeed initiative. While employed with the Chicago Urban League I managed programming funded through the Mayor’s Mentoring Initiative. I’ve also managed DFSS funded SEL grant programs. I also developed CCC Urban Agriculture curricula components as a Lecturer with City Colleges of Chicago. I coordinated with the department of planning related to the large lots program. I coordinated with the city’s zoning administration related to securing a rental property in compliance with the state’s Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act.
I have served more than 15 years with organizations such as the Chicago Urban League, Centers for New Horizons, R.A.G.E., Salvation Army, Community Pipeline Inc., Chicago Community Trust, PAL, CPS and many others. Now owner of McKenzie’s Secured Transportation, I works diligently to secure equity in Illinois’ cannabis industry. These institutions introduced me to the tremendous need for public safety interventions in the stabilization of Chicago’s underserved communities.
Janice Jones
Jones is facilitator for CPD beat 334. She says, “No single approach is right for every community.” Ald. Gregory Mitchell (7th) has endorsed.
Political endorsement |
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 in 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 not be involved in mental health crisis calls at all.
What do you consider the primary role of a police district councilor to be?
- Communicating with the police on behalf of the community
- Helping the police do a better job
Why are you running for Police District Council?
I am running because I believe it is a great way to better serve my community, and the more I delved into the functions, I saw an opportunity to change a system historically rooted in racism to one filled with greater public safety, accountability and equity for all. What I like most about the ordinance is that it will give Black communities and other minorities a voice in a system that serves and protect them. Lastly I believe accountability is key to building trusting relationships, with mutual respect and open lines of communication between the police and the community. It is trusting relationships that will help us to achieve greater public safety. The bottom line is: We need each other to increase public safety and reduce the violence and crime occurring across the city.
Kenya Franklin
A political strategist and mother of three, Franklin has lived in the third district her entire life. She says she wants to improve transparency between CPD and residents. She supports a two-strike rule for officers who garner racial and violent complaints, and wants to end qualified immunity, the legal principle that protects police officers from being personally sued for civil rights violations.
Supports more police accountability |
Candidate questionnaire responses
- Do you have experience as an activist or community organizer? No
- Do you have experience interacting with CPD? No
- Do you have experience working or interacting with government? No
- Should the city hire more police officers? No
- Is CPD adequately funded? Yes: funding should be reduced.
- CPD reform: The police need significant reform.
- Mental health crises: Police should accompany healthcare workers to mental health crises.
What do you consider the primary role of a police district councilor to be?
- Helping the police do a better job
- Communicating with the department on behalf of the community
Why are you running for Police District Council?
I would like to see civilians’ expectation of law enforcement to meet the actual job description in the middle. I think there is a disconnect between what the public expects and what is actually provided. Transparency is paramount to trust in the community.
Craig T. Carrington
A community court case manager for the Restorative Justice Community Court in Englewood, Carrington has also worked as a court liaison for the Cook County Adult Probation Department, as a community organizer for St. Anthony Hospital, and as a paralegal in the office of the Illinois Attorney General.
Activist or organizer | Supports more police accountability |
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? Yes: funding should stay about the same
- CPD reform: The police need training and some reform.
- Mental health crises: Police should accompany healthcare workers to mental health crises.
What do you consider the primary role of a police district councilor to be?
Other: “To forge a healthy and positive relationship between the residents of the Third Police District and the Third District Police. To do away with antiquated policies that are no longer useful or effective. Specifically, policies that continue to bring strife and dissension.”
Why are you running for Police District Council?
I’m running to utilize my community outreach experience to build a better relationship between the Third District residents and the Third Police District. Specifically, I seek to undo policy that’s not conducive to the residents of the Third Police District and to develop and implement policy that will be effective in overseeing how the police, police the community.
Anthony David Bryant
Bryant has worked as a government affairs associate for Metropolitan Family Services, as a legislative administrator for State Representative Lamont J. Robinson, and as a community outreach and engagement associate for The TRiiBE.
Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th), Desmon Yancy (5th Ward candidate), Coalition of African American Leaders (COAL), and Center For Racial & Gender Equity (CRGE) 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? Yes
- 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 need significant reform.
- Mental health crises: Police should accompany healthcare workers to mental health crises.
What do you consider the primary role of a police district councilor to be?
- Establishing civilian control of the police department
- Communicating with the department on behalf of the community
- Helping the police do a better job
- Other: “The primary role of a Police District Councilperson is to create a platform not only for the community to speak, but provide an innovative think tank for the community to turn their concerns into policies.”
Why are you running for Police District Council?
I’m running for the Police District Council to include residents of the Woodlawn community at the decision-making tables to amplify our collective voices. My life’s work has been rooted in putting the community first, not political relationships, private interests, or financial gains. I’m running to make sure community centers, businesses, institutions, political organizations, and government officials work together to develop strategies to provide spaces and places for implementing restorative justice practices and getting the residents’ perspectives on police accountability.
Unfortunately, in our society, we have thought of public safety as a law enforcement problem. This strategy has not only limited what governments can provide our communities but it is the wrong formula for a much bigger interconnected and systemic policy issue. Our communities need public officials and policymakers to address societal issues like affordable housing, rent control, adequate healthcare, quality food services, culturally enhanced education, and entrepreneurial ownership opportunities. As a future public official, I plan to advocate and provide programs and services that address these issues while working to decrease the need for policing and mass incarceration.
