"Day for Hope" Protest
Accountability Conversation
Care
Advocate for Hope, other children and their families to receive culturally responsive resources from Black women led organizations. Protect all Black girls by increasing funds available to care for system involved children in Chicago. Provide an adequate number of organizations with funding to offer trauma-informed services for child sexual abuse and exploitation. Prioritize support for community led organizations who understand the unique vulnerability of Black children due to structural racism and pervasive social inequities.
Divest
The 2021 City of Chicago has a 1.7 billion dollar budget for the Chicago Police Department. Divesting from the police, even for 1 week could provide millions of dollars for services for Black girls in the City of Chicago. Invest in community responses, survivors and advocates to build accountability processes and solutions for violence against ALL youth.
What You Can Do
Demand
Call Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly M. Foxx and Governor JB Pritzker to demand the following:
The known harm doers against Hope be charged appropriately.
Chicago leadership will account for our city’s sexual violence crisis, specifically against Black girls and the failures of CPD.
Mayor Lightfoot's response to the failures of CPD will provide a public plan with clear and comprehensive objectives, and a detailed timeline for accountability.
Demand
Demand a commitment from Governor JB Pritzker to guarantee the following:
Hope will be placed in a home that has resources and experiences with children who have been raped, and trafficked.
Hope will be assured that she and her family will be given long-term care and resources as needed including free therapy, free access to quality education, free access to healthcare and services, and access to safe, healthy environments
Demand
Demand a commitment from City Council to addressing gender-violence through better funding and transparency, including:
The reallocation of CPD funding to survivor services and prevention initiatives
State lawmakers expand survivors’ options for justice and restoration outside the criminal justice system