I joined CRS’ Police Accountability issue team because a police officer profiled and assaulted my son outside our home in Northlake, Illinois.

God, you are the light of my life and the lover of my soul. You are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. You know all, see all, and care for all.

Each and every one of God’s children has been endowed with the divine. This divine blessing is what connects all of humanity and when one of us is oppressed and suffers, all of us are oppressed. The Englewood shooting on Sunday, August 9, and the ensuing riots speak powerfully to this.

Community Renewal Society, as a member of the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability coalition, continues to fight for the GAPA Ordinance developed by community members and coalition allies.

We share this video, produced by Black Lives Matter, as a resource for faith communities seeking to facilitate the eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence in honor of Brother Floyd.

We share in the righteous lament of stolen lives and reject white supremacy and a normalized culture of violence that sanctions the undue lynching of Black and Brown bodies.

It has been a year since Lori Lightfoot took office and she has yet to fulfill a critical promise to communities of color to establish a civilian oversight board over the Chicago Police Department.

Superintendent Eddie Johnson accepted the mantle of leadership during one of Chicago’s most tumultuous moments in recent history.

Community Renewal Society is in solidarity with the Justice 4 Laquan collective. Join us by taking action!

Fundamental to navigating the staircase is understanding racism, or perhaps better stated, "racialization.”

A prayer vigil is held in front of the Chicago Police Department headquarters in memory of Laquan McDonald and to call for a federal investigation into the case.

Community Renewal Society is committed to police accountability and reform that centers the needs of those most directly impacted by police misconduct.

The City of Chicago’s contracts with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and the Illinois Policemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (PBPA) are currently under negotiation. The current contracts codify policies that enhance the code of silence in the police department. The contracts do not effectively hold police accountable, they make it hard to identify and investigate police misconduct, and they allow police to lie about misconduct.

Calling all Faith in Action advocates!  We are midway through the 2017 spring legislative session and your voice is needed to bring justice to Springfield. 

CRS member churches came together to affirm our priorities for the “Platform for Renewal 2016-17,” present our annual congregational and partner awards, celebrate campaign victories, celebrate board members whose terms have ended, elect new board members and dialogue about our strategic vision. Father Larry Dowling of St. Agatha Catholic Church and Jaquie Algee of Trinity UCC co-chaired the assembly.

If you want to stay informed on police accountability, please sign up! We'll let you know when organizing and advocacy opportunities come up.

The FAIR COPS Ordinance would immediately increase police accountability by establishing an Office of Police Auditor to independently monitor patterns of police misconduct, ensure that officers are investigated and held accountable for their actions, and make policy changes that provide meaningful systemic reform. As people of faith, we are called upon to demand justice now.

Update: The Chicago City Council is scheduled to vote on the Mayor's ordinance on Thursday, September 29, 2016.  CRS does not endorse the Mayor's ordinance.

A new research report from Community Renewal So.ciety finds that the two civilian oversight agencies charged with investigating and disciplining police misconduct in Chicago.

Fifty days have passed since the video of LaQuan McDonald’s killing was released, and yet Mayor Emanuel and the City Council have taken no decisive action to address the systemic failures of Chicago’s police oversight.