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Health & Fitness

City Council, Eight Districts, and Pay-Day Loans

Comments on the need to continue the pro-quality, pro-community framework as related to the city, its residents, and business.

Today the City Council and Mayor of Joliet voted for a new version of the five-district, three at-large seat map. After months of having the map available to the public for comment, this evening’s vote came with a certain perceived urgency. While comments were made in support of having an eight-district configuration, instead of what is currently the case, very few councilpersons seemed to give the idea any credit. Those Councilpersons who made mention of the case Concerned Citizens of Joliet (a community group heavily praised for having played a vital role in opposing and, ultimately, successfully rebuking the for-profit immigrant prison operated by Corrections Corporation of America) presented in favor of the eight districts, reference to the minority voice, who made public his (and a few of his neighbors') support for the status quo, quickly followed. We must not think it is absurd for someone to support the current five-district, three at-large seat system when they are profiting heavily from the over-representation.

It is quite unfortunate, I would note, that many left the Chambers with only a mere hint of disbelief; after all, persons have grown to expect elected officials to put the community second on matters pertaining to their future as a public servant. A decision could have easily been made for the Council to vote on having such a referendum on the next ballot, not necessarily endorsing an eight-district system. Though, in denying such a possibility, at least for now, the Council accepted the “urgent” update of the five-district map, a map belonging to the system of over-representation for the wealthy and belittling of the participation of the poor, effectively doing what the under-represented, the less-powerful, need least.

What is it the “poor” need least? We can easily deduce that the poor do not need even less representation, less discouragement, less incentive, and more devaluation. These thoughts, however, were not set-aside when the offer to turn the closed ‘Shrimp House Fish and Chicken’ located at 1606 W Jefferson St. into a consumer-loan office.

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We must admire the unanimous “nay” produced by what appeared to be a set of elected officials on the side of the defenseless. “We need quality businesses,” the public heard, and the public responded joyfully. Where was this pro-quality, pro-community position during Corrections Corporation of America discussion? We didn’t have it then, and if we don’t have it now – at least not in full. The same pro-quality, pro-community position would have pushed for the eight-district referendum, and would have actually held a vote and officially rejected the dehumanizing system identical with for-profit immigrant prisons.

The City Council needs to continue moving forward in this pro-quality, pro-community praxis, bring the eight-district referendum to the voters, help local businesses develop and grow, and bring about justice for the residents of Joliet. It is foul to think we would bring in an additional consumer-loan office, a business of the savage, prowling on the poor, to this decent city; however, the sense of ‘utility’ surrounding that kind of business speaks of a certain injustice this city faces. Unemployment, underemployment, that poor-quality pay most of the residents receive (to name a few) are all illnesses inadequately addressed by the “more police,” and “Yes to the CCA For-Profit Detention Center,” mentality – a mentality which buries poor along as the symptoms of those illness, instead of heroically finding pro-quality, pro-community solutions.

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