How Kim Foxx Won

The Jussie Smollett controversy, Bill Conway’s family fortune, and the law enforcement’s mistrust were threatening factors to Foxx’s chance at re-election for the 2020 Illinois Primary. Despite these disadvantages, she prevailed over three other candidates, Donna More, Bob Fioretti, and Bill Conway.

The attack ads, polls, campaign forums, and other hopeful strategies behind each candidate have subsided for the Cook County State’s Attorney election. For Foxx, this year’s election would be an uphill battle, and far more challenging than in 2016.

It’s important to address the problem that caused the lack of trust that many Cook County voters had for Kim Foxx in the first place: the Jussie Smollett case. Many criticize Foxx’s subdued sentence for the Empire actor after staging a hate crime to stir racial tensions in January 2019. Donna More refers to the handling of it as ‘a sweetheart deal,’ and Conway has released an attack ad saying, ‘Kim Foxx rigged the rules for celebrities,’ tearing down the image of honesty in office.

Kim doesn’t shy away from the controversy when asked about it. “It’s in Bill Conway’s interest to focus on one case because it did garner a lot of attention; there were a lot of questions. As I’ve said before, and I will say again, we didn’t handle it well,” she calmly acknowledged. “It told the public about how we do our work. I should be held to account for that. But that is one case out of literally thousands of cases every year in our office. I will answer for that one case, but also talk about the fact that while everyone was focused on that case, we put the killers of 9-year-old, Tyshawn Lee, behind bars.”

How did she secure trust with her voters after this controversy? It took a victorious combination of wide-scale political endorsements, legislative work for the legalization of marijuana in the state of Illinois, allowing felony data to be transparent to the public, and most importantly, her push to dismantle mass incarceration and racism behind bars.

Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Lori Lightfoot were some of the politicians that threw their weight behind Foxx for this election, which was a nod to their supporters all over Cook County. When well-known leaders that many Democrats trust, like Warren and Sanders, gave Foxx their seal of approval, it countervailed the negative ads and articles circulating distrust and dishonesty.

The Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice is an advocacy program that archives data and looks to pinpoint barriers in courts all over Cook County. A member of the Chicago Council of Lawyers from the organization shared insight over the change in office before and during Foxx, as well as the shifting statistics that resulted from it.

“1,063 black and latino people were sentenced to prison every month in 2012. After prosecutions voted out the administration, in 2019, the average was down by 706,” he stated. “The bottom line is that the report says, and I’ll quote, ‘the decline has partially resulted from the current State’s Attorney’s office moving away from a culture that rewards mass incarceration to one that values rehabilitation and justice.’”

Beyond the statistics, endorsements, and other adjustments, there were still echoes of Jussie Smollett and the question of Foxx’s integrity, not just from politicians, but from voters. At a public forum held by candidate Donna More, many attendees voiced their fear of rising crime rates in areas such as Clark and Division. Some attendees expressed concern and even frustration over the current office, and their lack of trust due to the Jussie Smollett case.

“She is, in my opinion, making decisions not by law, but as a social service agency. That is not acceptable,” said More. “I don’t have a billionaire dad. I don’t have the machine supporting me because they don’t like that I’m qualified. So, I need your support; I need grassroots support. I need the ability of voters to say, ‘you know what? We’re not going to be stuck in this Stockholm Syndrome.”

Members of the CADC (Clark and Division Collaborative) attended the forum, concerned over shoplifting and crime rates in their area.

Many police officers and members of law enforcement have an unstable relationship with Kim Foxx after the Jussie Smollet case as well. A Sun Times article from July cites a letter written by FOP President Kevin Graham, VPs Pat Murray and Martin Preib, “A deep mistrust now exists between your office and ours. We no longer believe that your office will treat our members fairly either in the arrests they make or when they are victims of crimes.”

Despite these obstacles resulting from the Jussie Smollett case, Foxx’s work on dismantling mass incarceration in Cook County, marijuana legalization to rid the county of criminalizing citizens for non-violent drug use, and endorsements that overturned the public’s perspective of her, Kim Foxx was able to claim victory for the 2020 Illinois Primary once again.

March 21, 2020 0

We Are All Foreigners

We are all foreigners. In some way, to some person, we are unbeknownst. The term ‘foreign’ can be described as something strange and unknown to one. People different than us have a strange way of striking confusion and fear within ourselves. But that’s only one dimensional. And as we all know, a single story is dangerous, as we can’t infer any deeper understanding.

So what does this poetic garbage mean?

It’s important that we sometimes see ourselves as foreigners; we’re the ones with unknown traits. This topic has been lingering on my mind for some time now. I’m in a college production of The Foreigner by Larry Shue–a farce comedy set in 1980’s rural Georgia (so probably not the best place to be one.) We meet an Englishman staying with this Southern family for some time, Charlie Baker, a gentleman so paralyzed with anxiety and fear, and as a result of this fear of talking, he is introduced to them as a foreign man who speaks no English.

Through this setup, he overhears the complexities and secrets within this Georgian family, but also helps them grow, and defeat the evil of ignorance.

It gave me a deeper understanding of the mystery, hatred and ignorance so wrongly placed on the word ‘foreigner’ and how we are all foreign in some way, making us not so different from one another after all.

An example of this: When an American visits some European country, and gleefully proclaims their love of the accents. The local then slyly asserts that it’s the visiting tourist with the accent, not them. Two perspectives, two stories, two foreigners.

We are all foreigners, and it’s a very good thing.

March 11, 2019 2

A Wave of Empowerment: Let’s Talk About Strong Women

It’s March: Women’s history month. And as I’ve been busy with school and work, I’ve still been trying my best to dedicate time towards fueling empowerment for girls around the world, as well trying to motivate myself to stay inspired.

Something I’ve learned about strong, empowered women is understanding the utter importance of helping fellow women–and especially not putting others down. We have to do away with the cat fights, the name-calling, and any form of the hideous girl hate that seems so many people just give into. We have to help, we have to love, and we have to be strong. Hating on other girls does neither party a favor. And the wise words of Tina Fey’s character in Mean Girls, Ms. Norbury, once said–

Which conveniently leads me to bringing up the recent #metoo movement. This is such a huge step. While it’s painful to hear such horrific, sad stories brave women everywhere share, there is also a comfort that comes with it, a sigh of relief. We’re no longer kicking these stories under the rug–we’re bringing them to the light and beginning the conversation that should’ve been started a long time ago. Because when we show love and support, we empower other women. And that brings us a little bit closer to gender equality in the world.

In honor of this revelation, and realizing the importance of empowerment, my friend and I began working on starting a new club at my college, ‘Girl Up.’ This is an organization that promotes the empowerment of young girls all over the world. Our goal is to full of fundraisers, events, projects, and learning activities that will benefit girls in need, by empowering them in both our own communities and adolescents in developing countries.

So, no satire piece today, folks. Just some good old food for thought. Hopefully some of you reading find creative ways to empower those around you, and make a positive impact.

March 4, 2019 7

Trump’s Morning Routine

The exhausted Washington sun shines on a dreary Washington morning. After awakening in a bed right by the love of his life, Donald professes his gratitude.

“Oh, beautiful mirror,” he says dreamily, “Look at us. You and I? We’re going to do great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great–”

Twenty minutes pass.

“Great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, GREAT things today. Also, has anyone brought me my three egg mcmuffins and eight hashed browns yet? No? I don’t see it. This is an atrocity! Money is time, people.”

After tweeting angrily about his late breakfast, Donald rocks back and forth six times before being able to sit up properly. Without a single speck of shame, he trudges to his bathroom.

“Now, it’s time to brush the pearly whites! And as everyone knows, white is the most superior color.”

He pushes out the toothpaste onto his brush, a liquified version of Paul Ryan, people clapping when the airplane lands, and Tommy Bahama cologne. The toothpaste is glaringly, painfully white. He looks proudly in the mirror.

“Now we’ll do my special routine for my skin. There’s a reason I look so glowingly handsome. To combat wrinkles, I use youthful, innocent serum for my skin.”

What’s in this container of serum you might ask? It’s a simply mixture of tears from all the pageant women Donald made uncomfortable, soft tufts of fur from faultless animals that Donald Junior shot on hunting trips, and beads of sweat from the underpaid, exploited, working class of America. Find it at a local Sephora near you!

He looks at himself in the mirror at his very bald head, shiny and saddening. “Daily wig maker? Where are you? I’m in no mood to be patient,” he whines.

A man in a theme park uniform quickly enters, pushing a large cotton candy machine through the door.

“So sorry, Mr. President,” he shakily begs, “I had to pick up more blonde powder at the store.”

Donald leans his head into the machine; while the man cranks, blonde cotton candy whisps out onto his head.

“It was sweeter last week.”

“I think they changed the formula, sir.”

The final step of Donald’s morning routine is simple yet vital. In order to achieve his stained orange pigmentation, he has to work his way up to the level of anger that turns him that color. This requires one crucial step–getting angry.

Donald pulls up the Tumblr app on his phone.

“Well screw you, Jerika from Long Island! Your purple hair won’t ever earn you respect anyways. I bet nobody even sits with you during your fifth period lunch. What a LOSER!”

The anger saga is fulfilled by a five minute slideshow of people wearing beanies, SNL writers, and urban outfitters employees ordering iced coffee before their shifts. He shouts, screeches, spits, and squalls until his anger turns him into the infamous, Donald-orange. After that, he begins his day full of hard work. On the golf course.

February 21, 2019 3