Since the beginning of April, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx has faced an unrelenting onslaught of deceptive public attacks and racialized vitriol intended to malign her office over its decision to drop charges in the sensationalized case against actor Jussie Smollett. What began as an isolated public protest, made up of hardline opponents of police reform and members of white nationalist groups, rapidly erupted into a barrage of insidiously distorted media reports and unjustified calls of condemnation against Foxx from the likes of outgoing Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and President Donald Trump. The culmination of this politicized charade was marked by an unprecedented vote of no confidence by the Chicago police union and 30 suburban police chiefs.
Foxx's detractors have sought to exploit the scandalous nature of the allegations in the Smollet case as a means to stoke unwarranted public outrage against the State's Attorney. The true object of her opponents' indignation, however, is Foxx's assailing commitment to promoting racial justice in county law enforcement and upending systemic police violence, corruption and impunity. The success Foxx has achieved in enforcing police accountability and reversing mass incarceration as head of the nation's second largest prosecutor's office has incited outrage among Cook County's powerful police unions and their allied stakeholders. The recent outpouring of hostility, misinformation and inflammatory dog whistling over the Smollet case marks the opening salvo in what is certain to be a ruthless battle to unseat Kim Foxx in the 2020 prosecutor's race.
The decision of the State's Attorney's office in the Smollet case should serve as a model for all public officials who profess their commitment to reversing mass incarceration and promoting equal justice in law enforcement. Despite the disgraceful nature of the allegations and mounting public outcry for retribution, Foxx's office handled the Smollet case with equanimity. Resisting the ingrained political impulse to sate public bloodthirst with the proverbial pound of flesh, the State's Attorney's office exercised reasoned prosecutorial discretion in its decision to drop charges against Smollet. Under Foxx's progressive policies, 75% of defendants who, like Smollett, plead not guilty to class four felonies have their charges dismissed. This practice -- which has diverted nearly six thousand community members accused of low-level offenses away from the toxic prison system -- is a fulfillment of Foxx's campaign promise to reverse Cook County's overly punitive and racially targeted prosecutorial policies. Our communities deserve more leaders like Kim Foxx, who will uphold principles of justice, equity and liberation, not only when it is politically popular, but also when it is not.
Throughout her tenure as State's Attorney, Kim Foxx has implemented policies that promote racial and economic justice in the law enforcement system. She has championed reform of the county's wealth based pretrial detention practices, initiated mass exonerations of convictions stemming from abusive policing, and refused to prosecute low level charges related to unpaid traffic fines, marijuana possession and minor retail theft. Moreover, Foxx has advanced a public safety narrative that calls for an end to mass incarceration and racially targeted policing, and a reinvestment of taxpayer dollars into schools, mental health services and drug treatment programs.
By improving police accountability and fostering equity in the court system, Kim Foxx poses an existential threat to individuals and institutions that derive power through the subjugation, exploitation and plunder of Black communities. In an effort to preserve systems of racialized dominance and control, Foxx's opposition has unleashed a calculated campaign of deceit, fearmongering and race baiting, with the aim of removing the State's Attorney from office.
Amidst this hostility, the Workers Center for Racial Justice is proud to stand with State's Attorney Kim Foxx as an unwavering champion justice, equity and liberation in Cook County
This legislative session, state lawmakers will consider a critical bill that would advance justice, equity and liberation for thousands of Illinoisans returning from incarceration each year. HB 1115 proposes a ban on the use of electronic monitoring for individuals who have served their full prison term. Under current Illinois policy, re-entering residents who have completed an entire sentence are routinely subjected to extended terms of house arrest under electronic monitoring, as determined by extrajudicial prison review boards.
The pervasive use of electronic monitoring in Illinois has had devastating consequences for thousands of individuals returning from incarceration. Under the extreme restrictions imposed by remotely surveilled house arrest, re-entering Illinoisans often lack the flexibility required to secure employment, pursue educational goals, access medical care, and reestablish relationships with community support systems. Moreover, electronic monitoring perpetuates the unjust and racially targeted cycle of re-incarceration. By facilitating overly stringent conditions of community based supervision, electronic monitoring all but ensures that hundreds of Illinoisans will return to prison for mere technical parole violations each year.
The practice of community based electronic monitoring further entrenches Illinois’ pernicious investment in the for-profit carceral industry. As states across the country enact legislation to reverse mass incarceration, private prison corporations have adapted their business models to monetize community based supervision services as an alternate source of revenue. In order to boost profits, the industry has aggressively lobbied local policymakers to adopt unnecessary and inhumane post release corrections practices, including electronic monitoring. As a result, the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) directs millions of public dollars each year towards harmful privatized electronic monitoring services.
Your voice is crucial to advancing the fight for racial equity, opportunity and justice. Advocate for the change you want to see in your city, state and beyond by visiting WCRJ’s Racial Justice Online Action Center and demanding policy action of your elected officials now.
This legislative session, Illinois lawmakers will vote on a critical bill that proposes urgently needed reform of the state's overly punitive felony theft law. By increasing the property value threshold for felony theft from $500 to $2000, HB 1614 would take a significant step towards reversing mass incarceration in Illinois. In order to advance this important piece of legislation, WCRJ is calling on our allies and supporters to take action.
Illinois’ overly punitive property theft laws have played a foundational role in driving the state’s inhumane and racially targeted practice of mass incarceration. The $500 property value baseline that triggers a felony theft charge in Illinois falls well below national norms, with 29 states setting thresholds at least twice as high. This excessively punitive policy results in the charging and sentencing of thousands of Illinoisans -- often accused of minor, poverty-based infractions -- each year. The overbroad classification of felony theft also exacerbates racial disparities in Illinois’ criminal justice system. In incidents of alleged property theft, law enforcement exercise wide discretion over which cases to charge, resulting in staggering racialized imbalances in the state’s felony theft conviction rates.
In the wake of a decades-long decline in local crime rates, 35 states have raised the felony theft threshold. Despite the baseline increase, these states witnessed a continued reduction in rates of property theft, confirming that overly punitive theft laws have no positive impact on public safety. To foster communities that are truly safe, lawmakers must end the state’s overreliance on prisons and aggressive law enforcement, which perpetuate racialized structural inequity and oppression.
Your voice is crucial to advancing the fight for racial equity, opportunity and justice. Advocate for the change you want to see in your city, state and beyond by visiting WCRJ’s Racial Justice Online Action Center and demanding policy action of your elected officials now.