The Illinois Environmental Council issued the following statement regarding the Trump admin’s pending deployment of federal officers in Chicago:
CHICAGO – The continued uprisings following the murder of George Floyd have demonstrated yet again that while the right to protest may be granted to all, it is a privilege for only some in this country. We continue to stand with Black, Brown and Indigenious communities expressing demands and seeking justice. There is no climate justice without racial justice.
The reports coming out of Portland over the past week have been extremely disturbing. There is no place for that here in our city. We appreciate the work our elected officials are doing to keep Chicagoans safe from this objective abuse of power.
The right to protest and come together in dissent have long been fundamental in securing bedrock environmental protection policies and stopping polluting industries from further harming Black and Brown communities across the nation.
Much of our work as an organization is done through mobilizing groups of concerned Illinoisans. IEC brings people together for rallies, marches and lobby days, and so the preservation of these rights is one of our core values. We certainly cannot encourage people to use their voice for positive change if we are not also willing to defend it.
That’s why we’ve stepped in to oppose bills that punish environmental protest in recent years, and it’s why we’re using our voice now to oppose the presence of Donald Trump’s unidentified federal officers operating in Chicago.
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