SOUL - Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation

10/02/2026

10/02/2026

The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice and more than 55 community, faith, policy, and service-providing organizations sent a letter to the Cook County Board of Commissioners calling on them to protect funding for essential services like violence prevention, behavioral health, and community investment to reduce intra-community violence. With the County facing a $550 million budget shortfall, we believe the best way for the county to protect these critical services is by freezing law enforcement spending, which is already far above the levels set when there were many more people in jail and many more criminal cases being processed by our court system.

In the last decade, county stakeholders and community advocates have worked together to reduce the number of people incarcerated in the Cook County Jail by nearly 40%. Cook County has simultaneously seen a dramatic decrease in both violent and property crime—direct results of increased investments in housing, violence prevention programs, healthcare, job programs, education, direct financial supports, and services within the community that address the root causes of crime.

Nonetheless, the Cook County Department of Corrections budget has not seen a reduction that coincides with that drop in pretrial jailing. Similarly, the budget for the State’s Attorney’s Office grew tremendously over the last decade, even as both the number of case filings and crime rates continued to decrease.

The need for freezing law enforcement spending has only increased since we made this same request in 2025. Last year, the Cook County Board of Commissioners increased funding to law enforcement and corrections by over $300 million. This happened while the federal government was simultaneously dismantling the social safety net, leaving massive service gaps that Cook County will be forced to fill.

It is more important than ever that Cook County freeze law enforcement spending to ensure that we can protect essential health and human services that result in significantly better public safety outcomes while operating with compassion and care for our communities.

Read the letter and our recommendations for where the county should invest to keep our communities safe here: https://endmoneybond.org/55-organizations-call-on-cook-county-to-freeze-law-enforcement-spending-to-protect-social-services/

09/29/2026

Thanks to all the community members, shoppers, vendors, and volunteers who came out the this months Roseland Peoples Market. We appreciate everyone sharing their time, talent, and resources to support and strengthen our people. If you missed it, we’ll be back next month Sunday October 25th from 12PM- 4PM. The Roseland People Market is a step towards a community owed future.

09/21/2026

Three years ago today, Illinois made history by implementing the Pretrial Fairness Act and becoming the first state in the country to completely eliminate money bail. Since then, there has been a decrease in both the number of people jailed pretrial and the rates of violent and property crime. Prior to the Pretrial Fairness Act, Illinoisans paid more than $120 million dollars a year to access the presumption of innocence. Now that our state has stopped making people choose between paying the rent or a ransom to bring a loved one home, that money is staying in our state’s most economically vulnerable communities. Illinois has illuminated the path for a pretrial system without money, and we eagerly await other states to join us.

Despite the success of this historic civil rights legislation, the law continues to face attacks from opportunistic politicians seeking to undermine the law’s protections for accused people. As the U.S. continues to actively dismantle the commitments to racial justice it promised in the wake of the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in 2020, it is more important than ever that we not only hold the line by defending the Pretrial Fairness Act, but also demand more.

The Pretrial Fairness Act and subsequent initiatives like the Pretrial Success Grants Program and the FAIR Act were not the end, but rather the beginning, of the process to transform our state’s pretrial system. We have more work to do in order to ensure that our communities fully benefit from these reforms. Far too many Illinoisans remain locked in cages while they await trial. Jurisdictions across the state have not fully implemented the law’s citation-in-lieu-of-arrest provisions, nor are they giving people who’ve been detained meaningful review hearings. And in our state’s largest court system, State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has put policies in place to circumvent the law’s protections for accused people while consistently spreading racist misinformation about the law.

Ending money bond was our target, but pretrial freedom has always been our goal. We are incredibly proud of what Illinois has been able to accomplish in the first three years of the law’s implementation, but we are not done. We are committed to continuing to struggle alongside community members, elected officials, and those court stakeholders who walk alongside us on the long, righteous road to freedom.

Read this post on our blog: https://endmoneybond.org/celebrating-three-years-of-the-pretrial-fairness-act/

09/15/2026

Wednesday, September 23, 2026 7:00-8:00 p.m. CT

Are you connected to a faith community, congregation, or simply care about Chicagoans and our water? Hear from advocates on the ground in Chicago about their efforts to make water bills more affordable and accessible while getting the lead out of our drinking water. You'll leave with next steps and actions to stay informed and engaged!

RSVP: bit.ly/cwjteachin

08/31/2026

Our August Saturday Leadership Meeting was rooted in the spirit of Black August. We hosted a panel discussion with some survivors of the John Burge torture era from the Chicago Torture Justice Center. We appreciate them sharing their stories of resistance and triumph. It was a perfect reminder of why we organize, and why we must continue to fight.

We want to thank everyone who came out, and give a special thanks to the survivors for sharing their courage and resilience with us.

06/30/2026

Celebrating Pride Month at the Chicago Le***an Pride March last weekend was dope! We appreciate being able to be in fellowship will all the participants who showed up to support the return of the event after it's six year hiatus. SOUL was honored to be one of the organizations participating in the resource fair. Happy Pride!!!

06/20/2026

We weren't quite done celebrating Juneteenth so we had to do it again with our folks at New Deliverance Church on 11200 S. State St. A good time with some great people. It's always a pleasure to be in community there. We really appreciate how many people were excited and ready to get involved. We want to thank all our survey participants, and congratulations to our raffle winners. We look forward to seeing you next time.

06/20/2026

Juneteenth at Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church was fantastic! Thank you for having us! We appreciate all the people who stopped by to talk Water for All with us, everyone who came out to support the event, and our fellow vendors. Happy Juneteenth!! ❤️💚💛🖤

06/15/2026

Art is political. Art is revolutionary. Artists will always find themselves seated in the intersection of creation and revolution. We at SOUL appreciate being a part of It’s On Us: A Day of Art and Action. We deeply appreciate all the artists willing to push the needle towards a reimagined future where we all live in liberated, well resourced communities.