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Candidate Harrell joins regional Pastors to demand “freeze and rollback” of Cook County Property Taxes
Chicago, IL – John Harrell, a candidate for the 8th Illinois House District, joined a coalition of Pastors, mostly from the region’s south and West Sides and representing minority and low-income communities to demand that Cook County officials and the Illinois Legislature “freeze and rollback” the most recent property tax hikes.
The pastors said that as a result of Assessment increases just in the past year, property taxes have skyrocketed more than 150 percent, and in some cases as much as 500 percent, choking the economies of local residents and making it “difficult for them to survive and put food on their tables.”
The group stood in front of the 98-story Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago, at 401 N. Wabash, the former site of the Chicago Times Newspaper along the Chicago River, which they said received “a massive reduction in property taxes” while “homeowners are facing impossible property tax increases.”
John Harrell, Pastor of the New Hope Baptist Church on the west side, Proviso Baptist Church in Maywood, Illinois, President of Black Men United and National Baptist Convention USA, said that “action needs to be taken” by the county and Illinois Legislature to reduce the unfair property tax burden on homeowners, especially in the poorest communities of Cook County.
“We are standing here today simply because the very people that make us who we are, are in our communities, they’re in our churches. They’re the working class. They’re the poor. They’re the middle class. And it seems like there has been an all-out wage of war against them and against families of color,” Harrell said.
“We’re sick and tired of every time they mismanage and misappropriate handled budgets, they’re raising taxes not only on the West Side. They’re raising taxes not only on the South Side. They’re raising taxes in the suburbs. In the south suburbs. In any place that has communities of color. We’re here simply to say that we’re sick and tired of them being sick and tired. We want to be a voice for those who make us who we are to demand that they rollback and that they freeze these taxes until they figure out the broken tax situation. We’re not gonna stand for it anymore.”
Ira Acree, Pastor of Greater St John Bible Church in Austin and member of The Leaders Network Chicago, slammed the tax cuts approved for Trump Tower which is owned by President Donald J. Trump.
“What we’re seeing today in Cook County, it’s not a flaw in the system, it is the system. We certainly want to bring attention to this, and make sure we highlight the fact that the Black residents, the poor residents on the West side and South side have been targeted by these increases,” Acree said.
“The County is balancing the budget on the backs of the west siders and south siders. 133% tax hike for those in West Garfield and a 39% tax cut for Donald Trump.”
Reverend Jeanette Wilson, Senior Advisor for the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said that while the tax burden has been reduced from big businesses and buildings in the Chicago Loop like Trump Towers, thanks to their lawyers, homeowners forced to make up the tax difference need their voices.
“As has been said, the homeowners cannot afford a lawyer to challenge the system. And while they can’t afford a lawyer, these downtown buildings, hotels and vacant buildings downtown have not been properly assessed. So you see poor people paying more than their fair share without anyone speaking on their behalf. And so, we stand here as faith leaders saying that enough is enough,” Rev. Wilson said.
David Cherry, president of the Leaders Network, said that the issue of “freezing and rolling back” the unjust property tax increases comes at a time when Chicagoans will be commemorating the birthday soon of the Late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
“There’s going to be a lot of celebrations about Dr. King and remembrance of his I Have a Dream speech. But it’s hypocritical to celebrate King’s dream while we see families having their dreams shattered because of these exorbitant, unfair and immoral tax increases implemented by politicians in Cook County. So, we support and we demand a freeze and a rollback of these property tax increases,” Cherry said.
Rev. Marshall Hatch, pastor of New Mount Pilgrim Church in West Garfield Park and also of the Leaders Network, said it is unfair that Trump would see a 39 percent property tax reduction while property taxes have increased in communities like “West Garfield Park, 133 percent, in Lawndale 99 percent, in Englewood 80 percent.”
Hatch noted the group will host a debate on March 7th at the Leaders Network featuring the two leading candidates for Cook County Assessor incumbent Fritz Kaegi, and former Cook County Assessor Residential Senior Field Inspector and now Lyons Township Assessor Patrick Hynes.
Also speaking at the press conference in front of Trump Towers were: Pastor Gwen Appleberry, the Executive Director for Englewood Talk; Reverend Bobby Lewis, Pastor at Joy Life Center and Rainbow PUSH Coalition; Gospel Alliance with Dr Walker-Grays, Pastor of Greater Union Baptist Church and President of the National Black Evangelical Association; Pastor Lee Brownlie Jr of the Anointed Word of God in Broadview, Illinois; Pastor LaRue Franklin Kidd, True Light Church, Chicago. Greater Grand Crossing Community Moderator, St. Luke’s Baptist District Association of Chicago and vicinity; Pastor Cy Fields, New Land Missionary Baptist Church, Co-Chair of The Leaders Network; Brian Sattray, member and residing elder and deacon of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago.
A video of the press conference will be available online at Harrell’s website at www.HarrellForIllinois.com.
Click this link to view video on YouTube or use the widget below:
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Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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