Cicero Activists Launch Survey About COVID Relief Aid Spent on Police
Town President Larry Dominick during a town board meeting on July 13th, 2021. Dominick and the Town are facing criticism after spending all of $1 million in CARES Act funding on police salaries (Photo by Jesus J. Montero).
By Jesus J. Montero
Community organizations and activists are surveying Cicero residents and stakeholders in a cross-collaborative effort to find out how residents would have spent the $1 million Cicero received in federal COVID-19 relief.
The survey, launched last week, asks from a long list of community needs what issues residents faced last year during the pandemic. Meeting basic needs like paying utility bills, accessing affordable healthcare/mental health, food & housing security and basement flooding repairs are all options. The survey is available to take in English and Spanish.
“We want to be transparent and show what the community needed, what it still needs, because we are not over this pandemic. We will continue to work until we have officials that truly put the best interest of their constituents at the forefront,” explained Vanessa Garcia, one of the organizers behind the efforts.
The survey is in response to the Cicero Independiente investigation where according to documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, Cicero spent it’s entire $1 million federal COVID-19 relief funding on police payroll. Garcia, who has worked with groups like the Cicero Community Farm, said before the investigation community members were not aware of how the COVID relief dollars were spent.
“Arming our community with the knowledge, education, and information that we need to demand accountability effectively is critical,” Garcia stated on the reasoning behind surveying Cicero residents on the CARES ACT relief spending.
Another question in the survey is about the time at which Cicero town board meetings are held. Currently, the open public meetings are held on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. at the town hall. The group says this time discourages many of Cicero’s working class residents from attending.
“It is truly amazing to hear the voices of a multi-generational community at the forefront of this effort,” explained Diana Garcia from Rizoma Collective. “We thought the best way to rally our community is to put out a survey of how the community felt this money could have been used. This past year has been devastating and traumatic for so many people in different ways.”
According to a Cicero Independiente and South Side Weekly investigation, vaccination rates in Cicero remain low but have increased in the last two months through efforts by community leaders.
On July 6, town president Larry Dominick shut down Cicero’s Emergency Operations Center which was previously tasked with monitoring the town’s pandemic response. Dominick’s executive order was in response to decreasing COVID positivity rates and increasing vaccination rates, as well as a diminished “need for enforcement and inspections for COVID 19.” County vaccination goal is 70%. As of today, 41% of Cicero residents are fully vaccinated.
“Where are your priorities? You're the president. If you're not prioritizing the people that you're supposed to represent, then what are you doing?’ said Garcia on Dominick’s decision to close the Emergency Operations Center.
To view and take the survey, click here.
Jesus J. Montero is a contributing reporter with Cicero Independiente.
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