For Chicago teens on the South and West sides, summer brings time with friends and a break from schoolwork. Sadly, it also brings the annual message from the Chicago City Council that we are not welcome in public spaces. We need a firm commitment to supporting young people, not repeated calls to lock us out and lock us up for gathering.
I am a youth organizer with GoodKids MadCity, where I work with young people from communities where gun violence is prevalent. We teach restorative justice and peacekeeping skills that allow young people to heal and resolve conflicts before they escalate into violence.
Programs like these are working. This Memorial Day weekend was the least violent since 2010. Despite this progress, many Chicago politicians continue to blame teens for any degree of disorder. They support “solutions” that criminalize young people and do nothing to address the underlying issues of minimal recreational opportunities, unemployment and underfunded community services.
Last summer, Ald. Brian Hopkins’ (2nd) “snap curfew” proposal, allowing for a curfew on young people at any time with only 30 minutes notice, thankfully failed. This year, Hopkins has a new effort that would allow for “declarations of disruptive youth gatherings.” The intent is clear: more power and discretion for police to stop young people from gathering.
The city’s leaders should instead focus on promoting engagement for young people. In 2019, GoodKids MadCity hosted a free summer beach party at the 31st Street Beach that drew over 1,000 teenagers. No fights, shootings or other violence occurred, though recent stories would have our community believe teens are incapable of these kinds of peaceful gatherings.
Gun violence is an urgent issue demanding an immediate response. But the necessary response is youth-led peacekeeping, not curfews and parental “accountability” laws that fail to address the circumstances Chicago’s young people live in. City leaders need to abandon their penchant for punishment and turn toward caring for our community. They need to talk to the young people who will be affected by the city’s choices and listen closely to what they have to say.
Reynia Jackson, youth organizer, GoodKids MadCity
Protect 340B as a lifeline for patients, communities
The Illinois General Assembly recently passed House Bill 2371, the Patient Access to Pharmacy Protection Act, to protect patient access to affordable medications and strengthen care for communities across Illinois.
For more than 30 years, the federal 340B drug pricing program has helped safety-net hospitals, health centers and clinics for patients most in need. Because Medicare and Medicaid often do not fully cover the cost of care, 340B allows organizations like Loyola Medicine to stretch limited resources further.
In exchange for providing discounts to safety-net providers for outpatient prescription drugs, pharmaceutical companies gain access to the Medicare and Medicaid markets, which cover about half of all Americans.
Loyola Medicine is one of those safety-net providers. We serve a disproportionate share of Medicaid and Medicare patients with complex needs, including burn, trauma and transplant care.
Nearly 3 in 4 of our patients rely on Medicare or Medicaid, and 2% have no insurance at all. The savings generated through 340B are not profits — they are reinvested into programs that improve access, enhance outcomes and strengthen the communities we serve.
For example, Loyola’s Meds to Beds program ensures patients leave the hospital with prescriptions in hand and clear instructions from a pharmacist. This program has reduced readmissions by 44%, helping patients stay healthier while lowering overall health care costs.
Today, that lifeline is at risk. Pharmaceutical companies have increasingly restricted access to 340B discounts, particularly through contract pharmacies that help patients obtain medications close to home. These actions threaten access for seniors, patients with low incomes and those in underserved communities.
House Bill 2371 offers an important solution by protecting these pharmacy relationships and ensuring Illinois residents can access medications where they live.
Hospitals qualify for 340B because they serve a higher proportion of low-income and medically complex patients — individuals more likely to be uninsured or managing chronic conditions. Without these resources, we would face difficult choices — scaling back services, limiting access or eliminating programs — forcing patients to travel farther or forgo care.
We urge Gov. JB Pritzker to act now and sign HB 2371 to protect patients, preserve access to care and ensure hospitals can continue serving those who need it most.
Protect 340B. Protect patients.
DeRondal Bevly, board chair, Loyola Medicine
Visit to Chicago essential with Obama Presidential Center
With the long anticipated opening of the Obama Presidential Center, I can’t personally think of a better time than to be in the third most populous city in the United States this summer. Yes, Chicago is my kind of town.
The nostalgia from last week’s opening is too overwhelming to ignore. The selected works of art, particularly the unveiling of Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s commissioned portrait, makes planning a trip to Chicago more exciting. From what I’ve seen from afar, visiting Chicago is surely on my bucket list. Welcome Obama Presidential Center!
Wayne E. Williams, Camden, New Jersey
Boomerang Bears?
I’m not from Chicago but have lived both in Illinois and Indiana (one-time employee of the Chicago Tribune, in full disclosure), so I thought I’d offer an outsider’s, “non-sports guy” point on the prospective Bears relocation to northwest Indiana.
During my time growing up in and around Washington, D.C., the Redskins played at RFK Stadium, maybe a mile or two due east of the U.S. Capitol. The team, now known as the Commanders, play at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. However, the plan as I understand it, is that the team will return to a new stadium at the RFK campus, circa 2030.
So could this be a harbinger of what’s to come? Homesick Bears at some point? Maybe holding at the 50-yard line, in a manner of speaking, is the best option.
Steve Wilson, Madison