■ Warming centers are open PAGE 3
FREE Vol. 39 No. 3
January 22, 2025 ■ Also serving Garfield Park ■ austinweeklynews.com
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George Manning, Manning Austin’s Renaissance man, page 6
New bill would permit Chicagoans to recall mayor Ford’s bill gives city voters a way to hold their mayor accountable between elections By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
Have you ever wished there was a way to take back your vote for the mayor of Chicago? Earlier this year, Rep. La Shawn Ford filed his latest bill to create a procedure to permit Chicago residents to recall the mayor. “There’s no mechanism in place for when people lose confidence in the mayor,” Ford said. “The mayor has the power, like the governor, to impact millions of peoples’ lives.” Ford helped pass a bill, which became a law in 2010, that made it possible to recall the Illinois governor. While most elected officials can be impeached, “there’s no impeachable offense for the mayor,” Ford said. “Politicians don’t have the power of a governor and the mayor of a big city that controls a budget of billions of dollars.” Ford introduced his first bill that suggested a path for unseating the mayor in 2015. That year, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel faced backlash for how he handled the See RECALL MAYOR on page 3
TODD BANNOR
State Representative La Shawn Ford speaks with students at BUILD’s Martin Luther King Day program on Jan. 17. See more photos on page 5.
Nonviolence group celebrates MLK Day with inaugural award Institute for Nonviolence Chicago hosts the event, which includes a panel discussion, art project and award
By JESSICA MORDACQ | Staff Reporter The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago hosted an MLK Day Celebration
to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of nonviolence and equity. At the organization’s Austin office, thought leaders, advocates and com-
munity members gathered Jan. 11 to spotlight efforts in community violence intervention through public See MLK DAY on page 6
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