VIOLENCE BUT FIRST...

EARLIER IN THE PROGRAM WE SPOKE

WITH SOME ALDERMEN ABOUT THE

CITY'S POLICING STRATEGY AND

FEDERAL AGENTS COMING TO CHICAGO

THEY JOIN US AGAIN NOW THIS TIME

TO FOCUS ON WAYS THE CITY IS

DRESSING THE IMPACT OF THE

COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

ONCE AGAIN ARE COUNCILMEMBERS,

HARRY OSTERMAN, GILBERT

VILLEGAS, MARIA HADDEN AND MATT

MARTIN THANK YOU FOR STICKING

AROUND.

THE CITY COUNCIL TODAY YOU

PASSED AN ORDINANCE THAT WOULD

GIVE LONG-TERM RENTERS UP TO

FOUR MONTHS NOTICE OF EVICTION

AND SOME EXPRESSED FEAR THAT

HOMEOWNERS AND LANDLORDS MIGHT

BE FORCED INTO FORECLOSE BY THIS

MEASURE.

HARRY OSTERMAN HOW DO YOU

ADDRESS THOSE CONCERNS?

>> I THINK TODAY WAS AN

IMPORTANT ORDINANCE FOR TENANTS

THAT GIVES THEM MORE NOTICE

ABOUT WHEN THEIR LEASES WILL NOT

BE RENEWED OR WHEN THEY WILL GET

A RENT INCREASE AND THAT GIVES

FAMILIES THE ABILITY TO FIND NEW

HOUSING.

HOUSING STABILITY IS A CRITICAL

COMPONENT RIGHT NOW WITH THE

PANDEMIC THAT WE'RE DEALING

WITH.

AND I THINK THE ORDINANCE DAY

WAS A POSITIVE STEP IN THE RIGHT

DIRECTION.

WE ARE WORKING TO GET FEDERAL

AND STATE MONEY TO HELP PROVIDE

RENTAL SUBSIDIES.

BUT TODAY PROVIDES STABILITY FOR

TENANTS THAT NEED IT VERY MUCH.

>> THE CITY COUNCIL PASSED A

ORDINANCE TO PREVENT CARS IF

BEING IMPOUNDED FOR NON-DRIVING

OFFENSES.

GILBERT VILLEGAS WHY WAS THIS A

PRIORITY FOR THE CITY COUNCIL

RIGHT NOW?

>> WELL, THIS BOTTOM LINE WITH

THE FINES AND FEES PASSED EARLY

IN THE ADMINISTRATION, COOK

COUNTY LED THE NATION IN

BANKRUPTCIES DUE TO FINES AND

FEES.

SO THIS IS JUST ALONG THE LINES

OF CORRECTING THIS PRACTICE OF

PREDATORY TOWING AND THIS IS

JUST THE BEGINNING.

THERE ARE OTHER TOWING

ORDINANCES AND HEARINGS THAT

WILL TAKE PLACE ESPECIALLY

AROUND THE TOW TRUCK COMPANIES

THAT ARE CHASING ACCIDENTS AND

GOUGING CONSUMERS.

>> ALDERMAN MARTIN, STARTING

THIS FRIDAY, THE CITY WILL BE

ROLLING BACK SOME OF THE PHASE

FOUR REOPENINGS RELAXING --

TIGHTENING RULES AROUND DRINKING

IN BARS, INDOOR DINING AND GYMS

AND PERSONAL SERVICES.

DO YOU SUPPORT THAT MOVE?

>> I DO.

WE ARE TRYING TO BE AS

DATA-DRIVEN AS POSSIBLE WHEN IT

COMES TO MANAGING THIS CRISIS

AND WE HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB

THAN MANY CITIES BUT WE CANNOT

TAKE THAT GOOD WORK FOR GRANTED.

WE'VE SEEN AN UPTICK IN THE

ROLLING AVERAGE WHICH IS ABOVE

5%.

SO I THINK IT'S ABSOLUTELY

APPROPRIATE TO ROLLBACK THOSE

THINGS.

BUT MAKE SURE IN DOING SO THAT

WE DON'T LOSE SIGHT OF THE FACT

THAT A LOT OF OUR RESTAURANTS

AND BUSINESSES WILL CONTINUE TO

STRUGGLE AND SOME A LITTLE BIT

MORE SO AS A RESULT OF THIS.

IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT WE HAVE

FEDERAL ASSISTANCE PASSED FOR

OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AS WELL AS

THOSE EMPLOYEES TO HELP THEM

THROUGH THESE INCREDIBLY

TROUBLING TIMES.

>> ON SCHOOLS REOPENING WE SPOKE

WITH ONE PARENT SHE IS A TEACHER

AT A C.P.S. CHARTER SCHOOL IN

ADDITION TO BEING A MOTHER OF

FOUR AND SHE TOLD US HOW SHE

FEELS ABOUT THE PROSPECTS OF HER

CHILDREN RETURNING TO SCHOOL IN

THE FALL.

>> AS A PARENT MY NUMBER ONE

CONCERN IS WHY ARE WE REOPENING.

WE CLOSED IN MARCH TO AVOID THE

SPREAD OF COVID AND NOW AFTER

130,000 PEOPLE DIED AND THE

CASES ARE GOING NOW WHY WOULD IT

BE SAFE NOW TO OPEN SCHOOLS WHEN

IT WAS DANGEROUS ENOUGH AT LOWER

ENOUGH TO CLOSE SCHOOLS?

PEOPLE ARE SUGGESTING NATIONAL

TEACHER STRIKES.

>> NOW, THE CHICAGO TEACHERS'

UNION HAS BEEN VOCAL ABOUT

OPPOSING A RETURN TO SCHOOL.

MARIA HADDEN DO YOU HAVE FAITH

IN THE PLAN THAT WE'VE HEARD SO

FAR FROM C.P.S. THAT SCHOOLS CAN

REOPEN SAFELY?

>> I HAVE HEARD FROM MANY OF MY

RESIDENTS AND CONSTITUENTS FOLKS

IN THE AREA THAT THEY DON'T HAVE

FAITH IN THIS PLAN.

I CERTAINLY HAVE MY OWN

QUESTIONS.

I WAS PLEASED TO SEE US COME OUT

SOONER THAN THE END OF AUGUST

WITH A STARTING POINT FROM WHICH

PEOPLE COULD HAVE CONVERSATIONS.

AND ALSO WE'VE GOT TO DO A

BETTER JOB AND C.P.S. NEEDS TO

DO A BETTER JOB OF BEING

INCLUSIVE IN THE DECISION MAKING

PROCESSES.

I KNOW SOME CONCERNS WE WERE

PUTTING OUT SURVEYS TO COLLECT

MORE INFORMATION FROM RESIDENTS

WHEN THEY HAD MAKE THE

DECISIONS.

SO BASED ON THE FEEDBACK I'M

GETTING HEARING FROM THE

TEACHERS AND HEARING FROM THE

OTHER STAFF THERE ARE SO MANY

CONCERNS THAT I THINK WE SHOULD

BE FOCUSING ON WHAT IT LOOKS

LIKE TO HAVE FAIR, EQUITABLE

REMOTE ON-LINE OPTIONS AND MOVE

FORWARD IN THAT WAY.

>> WHAT HAPPENS IF TEACHERS

REFUSE TO RETURN TO THE

CLASSROOM BECAUSE THEY DON'T

FEEL SAFE?

>> WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE

TO FUNCTION.

SO WE NEED TO INCLUDE PEOPLE WHO

ARE MOST IMPACTED.

THE STUDENTS, THEIR FAMILIES THE

TEACHERS AND THE STAFF.

AND I HOPE THAT C.P.S. HOLDS

TRUE ON WHAT THEY SAY THEY WILL

DO WHICH IS TO INCLUDE THE

VOICES IN MAKING ANY FINAL

DECISIONS.

>> ALDERMAN MARTIN ACCORDING TO

DATA 4400 AREA BUSINESSES HAVE

BEEN FORCED TO CLOSE DUE TO THE

PANDEMIC AND 2400 WILL NOT BE

REOPENING.

WHAT MORE CAN THE CITY DO TO

HELP BUSINESSES SURVIVE THIS

PANDEMIC?

AND I APOLOGIZE WE HAVE 40

SECONDS LEFT.

>> SO I THINK WE NEED TO

CONTINUE TO FIND WAYS TO

EXPEDITE THE PERMITTING PROCESS

IF SOMEONE SAYS WE WANT TO HAVE

AN OUTDOOR SPACE AS A RESTAURANT

WE WANT TO UTILIZE THAT WORK

THROUGH THAT PERMITTING PROCESS

QUICKLY.

WE HAVE MODEST RESOURCES AT OUR

DISPOSAL TO CONTINUE TO HANDOUT

TO RESTAURANTS AND BUSINESSES.

BUT WE'RE STRUGGLING TO MEET

THAT DEMAND.

AND WE KNOW THAT WITHOUT REAL

EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIP AT OTHER

LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT WE ARE

GOING TO CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE

ONCE WE GET INTO THE BUDGET

SEASON AND SEE WHAT THE EFFECTS

OF COVID HAVE BEEN ON REVENUES,

SALES TAX AND THE LIKE.

SO THERE'S MORE THINGS WE NEED

TO DO.

BUT GET MORE HELP FROM THE

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS REALLY

WHAT WE NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON.

>> WE HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE.