The Twenty-First Century Foundation. "Giving for Black Community Change."

The Southside of Chicago has a reputation for being a pretty tough place, and there is some truth to that characterization. More important than toughness, however, are resilience and speaking up for oneself — traits found in abundance among local residents involved in the Target Area Development Corporation (TADC). There are issues requiring the attention of politicians and power-brokers who have been slow to pay any mind to the needs of the poor and working class people. To change this dynamic, TADC has put tremendous resources and energy into training parents, clergy, parishioners, merchants, and ex-offenders to be effective organizers.

For example, the laws governing low-level nonviolent drug offenses have torn the fabric of many urban environments because a community can be devastated when a significant percentage of the population has ex-offender status. When critical mass is reached, the economic after-effects of incarceration, along with the loss of voting rights, can create a destabilized neighborhood. The “Law of Unintended Consequences” often rears its ugly head in these situations because the structural obstacles placed in front of ex-offenders can contribute to a cycle of criminal behavior and recidivism. TADC met this challenge by calling together the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, and the State Attorney’s Office to discuss the current system and offer ideas from the community’s perspective on effective strategies for dealing with criminal behavior with fewer debilitating outcomes.

Key to this issue will be changing the mandatory sentencing guidelines for low-level nonviolent drug offenses and offering treatment, counseling, and community service as options for judge and jury alike. This is a solution often spoken about, but there is little political will to actually make changes for fear of appearing soft on crime. To help turn conversation into action, the Developing Justice Coalition was formed in 2002 at the behest of Rev. Patricia Watkins, Executive Director of TADC, who reached out to Debra Strickland, the Executive Director of Developing Communities Project. Comprising 26 community groups, they seek to promote sensible criminal justice reforms in Illinois by organizing people, building sound institutional relationships, and making the case for alternatives that serve the needs of local communities and society alike.