A Message to the Community and City Council

Dear Members of the City Council,

Our city has a problem with housing policy. This problem – the concentration of poverty, segregation by race and huge divisions in the quality of neighborhood services – is not new, nor is it unique to Rockford. But our efforts to change these patterns have been halting at best. We, the undersigned, write to encourage you, the City Council and the Mayor, to take strong and strategic action to transform our housing policy so that all people, regardless of income, can live in neighborhoods of quality, safety and opportunity.

We need a strong regional approach. This approach must be guided by the principals of anti-racism and inclusion.  Centuries of oppression are not erased overnight. You must be proactive. Using best practices, find ways to de-concentrate poverty without diminishing the capacity for resiliency and community. Do not delay or let personal or a political agendas get in the way.

We understand that the City Council is already under investigation from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It is not one failure or issue that has caused this, but a pattern of inaction. We urge the city to be in full compliance with not just this investigation but with the rules and the spirit of equal housing laws. Full compliance with the law is the best way to both avoid unnecessary interventions, legal costs and – more importantly – to do right for all the people.

We urge the council to approve the plat for the New Towne development without further delay. Knowing we need a better regional and strategic approach does not excuse these embarrassing postponements. Vote yes, sot the community can move on, continued denials and delays do not serve our city as a whole, the current residents of Fairgrounds, or, at this point, the people who live in the neighborhood now. Approve it, and build the community supports so it can succeed.

The time for finger-pointing, blame and politics is over. The time for distractions is over. The time for barely-veiled (or unveiled) racism and classism must be over. You are leaders, not just amplifiers of your most vocal constituents. Lead.

For those who will vote yes on the plat, and all those who will commit to collaborative, anti-oppressive, inclusive work for a better housing approach, we offer our thanks. Some of you have tried your best to listen and find a way forward, and we appreciate that. We hope that you will all rise to your duty tonight, and in the months and years to come, so that we can have a city of justice, opportunity, and inclusion for all people.

Signed:

• The Rev. Dr. Matthew Johnson, Senior Minister, the Unitarian Universalist Church
• The Rev. Jane McChesney, Senior Pastor, First Lutheran Church and Tabor Lutheran Church
• The Rev. Kenneth R. Storck, Lutheran Pastor ELCA
• The Rev. Dr. Eric Lemonholm, pastor, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
• The Rev. Dr. Denver Bitner, Ass’t to the Bishop of the Northern Illinois Synod, ELCA
• The Rev. Stephen Bowie, Third Presbyterian Church of Rockford
• Rabbi Binah B. Wing

Add’l members of the Rockford Anti-Racism Network: Amy Simmons, Caryl Barnes, and Luci Jennings

#RHA #IamRockford