public testimony to the illinois senate redistricting committee 4-30-11

8/7/2019 Public Testimony to the Illinois Senate Redistricting Committee 4-30-11

1/12

Public Testimony to the

Illinois Senate Redistricting CommitteePresented by Valerie F. Leonard, Jimmy Lee Lard,

Larry McLaughlin and Rose Santiago

April 30, 2011Revised May 4, 2011 to include final versions of proposed maps.

Good afternoon. My name is Valerie Leonard. I am a resident of North Lawndale and Co-Founder of the Lawndale Alliance. I have with me Mr. Jimmy Lee Lard, , who is a community

activist and part of a local committee who arranged a 3-week redistricting bootcamp for West

Side residents. We are also joined by Mr. Larry McLaughlin, and Rose Santiago, localcommunity residents and members of the Lawndale Alliance.

The North Lawndale community is located approximately 3 miles west of the Chicago

Downtown. As of 2005, the racial composition was 93.85% African American, 5.27% Hispanic,3.19% White, .2% Asian, and 3.58% of some other race. The community continues to struggle

with issues of high rates of poverty and unemployment, blighted commercial districts, high

crime, poor performing schools, high mortgage foreclosure rates, lack of access to decent andaffordable housing, and limited access to health care.

While we have a number of challenges, we also have a number of assets, including Douglas Park

designed by the legendary landscape architect Jens Jensen and the Historic K-Town District, oneof the largest concentrations of historic Greystone houses in the City of Chicago. The community

is held together by its history and culture, which includes block clubs, community gardening,

basketball games and gospel festivals. North Lawndale nurtured the talents of such people asDinah Washington, Ramsey Lewis, Otis Clay, Koko Taylor, Cicero Blake, Mark Aguire,

Darryl Stingley, Mickey Johnson and Michael Scott, to name a few.

North Lawndale covers approximately 50% of the land mass in Representative District 9, and

25% of Senate District 5. A pproximately 80% of North Lawndales land mass is in the 24th

Ward, and the 24th

Ward accounts for approximately 50% of Representative District 9s

weighted vote, and 25% of the weighted vote for Senate District 5. North Lawndale is in the 7th

Congressional District. The voters of Representative District 9 tend to vote Democratic. Wehave attached maps of the Lawndale community within the context of the City of Chicago, state

of Illinois, the 9th

Legislative District and the 7th

Congressional District.

The Lawndale Alliance is a neighborhood association of local residents who come together on an

ad hoc basis to address issues of concern to the community through grassroots community

organizing, advocacy and community outreach. We hold annual town hall meetings series on anumber of topics, including status reports on the financial and programmatic performance of

4111 West 21st PlaceChicago, IL 60623

Phone: 773-521-3137


2/12

2 | P a g ePublic Testimony to the Illinois House of Representatives Special Committee on Redistricting

Presented by Valerie F. Leonard ,Jimmy Lee Lard, Larry McLaughlin and Rose Santiago April 30, 2011

every TIF that impacts North Lawndale; the performance of North Lawndale schools; the pros

and cons of hosting Olympic venue in North Lawndale; and a status report on the impact of the

mortgage foreclosure crisis and the level of Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding the

community received to put abandoned foreclosed properties back on the property tax rolls asaffordable housing units. We are currently working with State Representative Arthur Turner, II

and a coalition consisting of the Illinois Campaign for Accountable Redistricting (ICAR), the

Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization, Empowered Citizens of NorthLawndale and the North Lawndale Community News to conduct a 3-part voter education series

focusing on the States redistricting process.

Concerns

Reduction in Percentage of African Americans Represented in 5th

Senate District

Some elected officials have hinted that the 5th Senate District boundaries would be redrawn in a

manner that would make it more diverse. This could result in a higher percentage of Latino andwhite voters and a lower percentage of African American voters. The total population for Senate

District 5 decreased only 1%. This should not require changing the boundaries to the point of

reducing the percentage of African American voters below the reported 55%.

An examination of 2010 Census data indicated that in 2000, Senate District 5 had a total of 210,497

people, with 105,248 residing in Representative District 9 and 105,249 residing in Representative

District 10. In 2010, Representative District 9 grew to 112,861, while Representative District 10s

population decreased to 95,447. The total decrease for Senate District 5 was only 1%, which should

not require gerrymandering to the point of diluting the African American percentage beyond the

current 55%. The 2010 Census indicates that Illinois population was 12,830,632 in 2010. Thiswould suggest that each new representative district would have 108,734 people. This would mean that

Representative District 9s boundaries could be drawn to reduce its population by 4,127 people and

Representative District 10s boundaries should be drawn to increase its boundaries by 13,287 people, and

the Senate District 5 boundaries should be drawn to increase its total population by 9,160. We

respectfully request that the Senate Redistricting Committee consider redrawing the boundaries such that

the overage from Representative District 9 be applied to District 10, and the remaining 9,160 come from

other Representative Districts, with an eye towards maintaining a district that is 55% African American.

2000 2010

Change from

2000-2010

% Change

from

2000-2010

Target District

Population

Overage/

ShortageRepresentative District 9 105,248 112,861 7,613 7.2% 108,734 4,127

Representative District10 105,249 95,447 (9,802) -9.3% 108,734 (13,287)

Senate District 5 (Total) 210,497 208,308 (2,189) -1.04% 217,468 (9,160)


3/12



Treatment of Prisoners in Census Count

Under current law, incarcerated persons are not counted in the Census numbers of the

community from which they originate, but in the populations of the towns in which they areincarcerated. As a result, the Census numbers in Chicago for African Americans is significantly

undercounted, while the numbers in some Downstate communities is inflated. On top of that,

representatives from the districts in which the prisoners are incarcerated have a history of votingagainst legislation that will enhance education, job training and rehabilitation of prisoners. In

effect, prisoners have no representation, and this is a clear violation of the one man, one vote

principle, upheld by the Supreme Court in 1964.

On the other hand, legislators from the prisoners originating communi ties tend to be the ones

advocating for improved education and rehabilitation services for prisoners who are not counted

in their districts population. To add insult to injury, Downstate towns are receiving entitlementfunds for Community Development Block Grants and Social Service Block Grants that benefit

their communities, but not the prisoners. When the prisoners return home their originating

communities are the ones who must help them transition by providing housing, job training and

other social services. Unfortunately, the originating communities dont get their full share offunding because the prisoners were counted in the Downstate towns Census statistics. We

respectfully request that the Legislature support legislation to ensure that prisoners are included

in the Census counts from their originating communities.

Loss of Congressional Seat

Because the State of Illinois population grew at a slower rate than most states in the country, we

will be losing a Congressional seat. Chicagos three Congressional Districts headed by African

Americans have each lost population and must expand boundaries. There have also been

proposals to eliminate one of the districts. It should be noted that African Americans, as a

percentage of Chicagos population was reduced by less than 1 percent. It should also bereiterated that our numbers are significantly undercounted due to the numbers of African

Americans incarcerated in Downstate prisons.

We respectfully request that any new boundaries be drawn to protect the voting rights of African

Americans by maximizing the likelihood that we continue to be represented an AfricanAmerican in each of the districts currently led by African American members of the Illinois

Delegation. We also request that the lines be drawn to enhance the chances of one of the

districts being represented by an African American from the West Side of Chicago.

Desire to Keep North Lawndale Community Intact

Currently, the entire North Lawndale Community, as defined by Chicago Community Area 29, is

located in the 9th

Legislative District and the 7th

Congressional District. We respectfully requestthat the Senate Redistricting Committee keep the community intact to ensure that the special

needs of our community are addressed by a single legislator. We have heard testimony from

social service providers from other communities indicating the level of confusion caused bydelivering services to a client base with multiple legislators and other local government officials.


4/12



We have provided maps of the North Lawndale community, Illinois State Representative District9 and the 7th Congressional District for your convenience.

Proposal

We are working with United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations and a broad-

based coalition of African-American, Latino and Asian organizations to develop a Unity Mapproposing new African-American, Latino and Asian-American majority and influence districtsacross Illinois. We have attached drafts of proposed maps for 4 majority African American

districts on Chicagos West Side. Generally speaking the African American populations in theproposed districts are in the 57% range, with voting age percentages in the 50%-52% range. We

are in the process of soliciting a final round of public feedback with a goal of optimizing theAfrican American population in each of the 4 districts, while keeping community areas intact to

the fullest extent possible. The neighboring Latino communities were also taken into account

when these maps were prepared.

The coalition will host a press conference to release a statewide map that takes into account the

federal and state voting rights of minority communities on Monday, May 2. The maps will alsobe presented at the Senate Redistricting Committee hearing to be held later that day. We haveattached copies of the proposed maps with the understanding that they will be changed this

weekend, subject to further public input and the need to optimize opportunities for minorities to

elect candidates of their choice.

In closing, we thank you for your time and consideration, and hosting this public forum. If you

have any questions, feel free to contact Valerie F. Leonard at 773-521-3137 or

[email protected].
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


5/12



North Lawndale Community


6/12




7/12




8/12



Chicago-Westside Region Legislative Map

The overall situation is that although there was significant Black population loss, there is still enough Black population to

draw four majority-Black districts on the west side. These districts will have lower percentages than past districtsal

around 57 percent. In general, the areas included in these four districts are needed to keep these percentages as high as

possible

but the lines of the individual districts within this area are more flexible. So, any feedback on these lines

would be great.

Source: United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations.


9/12



Potential Majority-Black House District: West Side

BN1 (This is currently Turners District)

DISTRICT POPULATION LATINO WHITE BLACK ASIAN

LATINO

18+

WHITE

18+

BLACK

18+

ASIAN

18+

BN1 108734 8.00% 26.17% 56.62% 7.35% 7.75% 31.13% 50.69% 8.69%

Source: United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations


10/12




BN2 (This is currently Smiths (formerly Collins) District)


LATINO

18+

WHITE

18+

BLACK

18+

ASIAN

18+

BN2 108734 15.81% 23.62% 56.97% 2.07% 14.78% 28.56% 52.79% 2.50%



11/12




BN3 (This is currently Fords District)


LATINO

18+

WHITE

18+

BLACK

18+

ASIAN

18+

BN3 108736 5.77% 32.21% 57.52% 2.52% 5.16% 34.29% 56.40% 2.75%



12/12




BN4 (This is currently Yarbroughs District)


LATINO

18+

WHITE

18+

BLACK

18+

ASIAN

18+

BN4 108733 17.22% 22.99% 56.47% 1.90% 14.78% 25.96% 56.11% 2.09%


public testimony to the illinois senate redistricting committee 4-30-11

Documents