Today we mourn the passing of a leader and trailblazer in social justice movement, Charlene Mitchell.

Read this article to learn about a National Day of Racial Healing celebration and healing circles hosted by Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Greater Chicago. Be sure to register for these events!

The Pretrial Fairness Act, a provision of the SAFE-T Act that would eliminate the use of cash bail in Illinois, was halted by an Illinois Supreme Court decision on December 31, 2022.

To clarify the status of the SAFE-T Act, the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice drafted a letter explaining next steps in the legislation’s implementation. Read the letter here.

Here is a letter of support for the implementation of the SAFE-T Act on January 1, 2023 from the Cook County Public Defenders Office signed by Kim Foxx and Toni Preckwinckle.

As the nature of the Israeli apartheid regime becomes more and more apparent to the outside world and the rightward shift in Israel becomes harsher and more indefensible, false charges of antisemitism have increased. Learn more here.

We are pleased to share this summary of recently enacted amendments to Illinois’ Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act (SAFE-T Act) from the Safer Foundation.

Arguments against voting rights restoration have no merit. I hear all the time that incarcerated Americans don’t deserve to have a voice in their community. As a mother, you always deserve a voice to advocate for your children and the community they call home.

During the last day of the recent veto sessions, Springfield legislators finally approved changes to the Pretrial Fairness Act that were intensely debated by lawmakers in order relieve the public’s concerns of this controversial bill. Learn about the amendment and ways to advance the Pretrial Fairness Act here.

The Chicago Consent Decree Coalition released a statement on their decision to boycott the sham search warrant “Advisory Group.” Read the statement here.

More than 400 community advocates rallied at the State capitol in support of ending money bond in Illinois. Read a press release from the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice that highlights the importance of the Pretrial Fairness Act and what this legislation means for communities.

CRS staff and more than 400 people from all across Illinois spoke to legislators and attended a rally where organizers and clergy spoke with passion about the moral mandate for people of faith to advocate for the most vulnerable in our community and to protect the Pretrial Fairness Act.

Community Renewal Society announced that a highly regarded Chicago area news leader has been named to the top spot at The Chicago Reporter. L. Nicole Trottie will take the helm as publisher. The announcement builds on a strategic plan to guide the future of Chicago’s top nonprofit investigative news organization.

The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice released a letter that was sent to the Illinois Supreme Court by more than 40 academics calling to protect the electronic monitoring provisions of the Pretrial Fairness Act and to halt the expansion of this harmful technology. Read the letter here.

The Pretrial Fairness Act is again under attack, and we need your help to defend it.

120 organizations from across Illinois call on the Illinois legislature to stop SB4228. Read the joint letter here.

On Thursday, October 20, 2022, Community Renewal Society held our 140th Annual Membership Assembly entitled, “Together, We Win!” This year, we are pleased to recognize the following honorees for their distinguished and longstanding service for equity, inclusion, and the principles of Beloved Community.

Here is a letter that was sent to the City Committee on Budget and Government Operations and the Community Commission regarding the CPD budget and police accountability.

On September 23, people from in and around Chicago gathered for an in-person event to celebrate TCR’s 50 years of investigative reporting on racial equality. Learn more and view the video and pictures from the event here.

Learn how The Chicago Reporter began as a publication and why it holds a unique racial justice focus.