Chance the Rapper joined activists in opposition to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Wednesday. Emanuel plans to throw down $95 million on a new cop training academy in West Garfield Park, a move many citizens believe is a misguided use of funds. According to the Chicago Tribune, Emanuel left city council quarters prior to Chance's address.
"We don't have $95 million," Chance told the council. "They are just asking you for $10 million today to purchase the land, but we don't have the rest of the money to do it, so why let them go ahead with this right now?" As has been widely reported, exactly how Chicago expects to fully fund Emanuel's project is unknown. Even when accounting for Emanuel's planned sales of a city truck yard and police training buildings, the city is still an estimated $37 million short.
Chance's comments came in support of the No Cop Academy campaign, whose participants have used the #NoCopAcademy hashtag on social media to draw attention to Emanuel's problematic plans:
Last month, Chance—who's raised millions for Chicago Public Schools—documented a traffic stop in Chicago on Instagram Live. "Once again, lot of faith in the men and women…big faith in the men and women that put on the uniform, but policing as a system is disproportionately racist and oppressive, so, you know," Chance said during the livestream. "I'm with my baby, I got no burner in the car, no drugs in the car, nothing going on. Just came back from church." Kirsten Corley, who was driving at the time of the stop, was ultimately given a warning by an Illinois State Police officer for a moving violation.
