Chicago, IL – Community advocates from Chicago’s West and South Sides delivered a petition with 1000 signatures to the office of Governor Quinn in the State of Illinois Building, Nov. 27. The petition calls for shorter sentences and justice for prisoners in Illinois. In a statement read by Curly Cohen of Affordable Power & Justice, the group asked, “What kind of Thanksgiving is this, with 50,000 in Illinois prisons, and 10,000 in Cook County Jail?”

Anabell Perez was there on behalf of her imprisoned son, Jaime Hauad, who was tortured by the Chicago Police Department. Darlene English came out for her nephew, Jason Samuels, to ask for a reduction of his 23-year sentence.

The group also read the names of homicide victims in Chicago, including those killed by the police. They put the blame for the crisis in Chicago on the authorities, including the mayor.

The lack of decent paying jobs, the closing of public schools and deportations breaking up families, combined with police violence and an unjust prison system, are tied together in the eyes of the activists. As Cohen said, “Is the only choice for Chicago youth either to be dead before they reach 21 or to spend 20 years in prison?”

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