About the Campaign​

The Workers Center for Racial Justice (WCRJ) is fighting to dismantle systems of anti-Black police brutality in our neighborhoods by advancing a campaign to establish community control over the Chicago Police Department (CPD). For decades the Chicago Police Board, which governs the rules and operations of CPD, has lacked the independence needed to effectively regulate the department and abolish systemic officer abuse. As an appointed body, the loyalties of the Chicago Police Board rest with the mayor, city council, and by extension, CPD. This system actively undermines the will of the people, and perpetuates egregious patterns of racialized police violence and corruption in our city.

 

In order to end structural anti-Black violence within the police department, WCRJ is waging a campaign to ensure that voters directly elect members of the Chicago Police Board. We are leveraging the collective power of community to gather the 85,000 signatures needed to place a referendum question on the 2022 ballot, which would let voters determine whether or not the Chicago Police Board should be elected by the people.

How  You Can Support the Fight

In order to collect the 85,000 signatures required to place the elected police board referendum on the 2022 ballot in Chicago, we need the support of engaged community members. You can join WCRJ's campaign by gathering petition signatures from family, friends, and neighbors.

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Instructions for collecting signatures are outlined below. Please follow the directions carefully in order to make sure the signatures you gather are validated by the Board of Elections.

Download and print the petition forms

Printable petition forms can be found here. If you do not have access to a printer, you can arrange to collect blank copies of the peition form at a time and place that works for you.



Sign the petition following Board of Election rules

1. Enter your signature in the first column. 2. In the second column, print your full legal name, including any middle names. For example, if your legal name is "Steven Martin Murray," writing "Steve Murray" won't count! 3. In the third column, enter the complete address where you are registered to vote, including the street number, street name, unit number, city, state, and zip code.



Collect additional signatures

Collect signatures from anyone else you have safe contact with, such as family or roommates, and coworkers or neighbors you are able to make arrangements with. Signers must be registered to vote at a Chicago home address. Up to ten people can sign each form, and there is no limit to the number of signatures you can collect. In order to make sure signatures are valid, follow the Board of Elections rules outlined in the previous section. Leave the Circulator's Affidavit section blank.



Return the petition forms to WCRJ

You can mail your completed forms to our office at: Workers Center For Racial Justice/DeAngelo Bester
2243-2245 East 71st Street, Chicago, IL, 60649 If you are not able to mail your forms, you can make arrangement with us for a socially distanced pick up or drop off.



After you have carefully reviewed the signature gathering instructions, download the petition form to get started.

Please contact us with any questions or for additional information about the petition gathering process.