Labor Beat: Rahm's Psych Ward

On Nov. 15, 2011 Chicago activists opposing the proposed closing of 6 of the city's 12 mental health clinics went to Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office and occupied it for 10 hours into the night. This was on the eve of the City Council's vote on Rahm's new budget, which not only threatened cutting in half the number of clinics, but also included cuts in school libraries, number of fire dispatchers, and other cuts. The next day the City Council (all Democrats, including the Mayor) approved the cuts in a 50-0 vote. Alderman Edward Burk boasted that the vote sent a powerful message to the labor movement. During the vote Mayor Emanuel warned that it was "only the beginning". Meanwhile, Mayor Emanuel had advocated 50% tax breaks for the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Length - 6:41 Produced by Labor Beat. Labor Beat is a CAN TV Community Partner. Labor Beat is a non-profit 501(c)(3) member of IBEW 1220. Views are those of the producer Labor Beat. For info: mail@laborbeat.org, www.laborbeat.org. 312-226-3330. For other Labor Beat videos, visit Google Video, YouTube, or blip.tv and search "Labor Beat". Labor Beat has regular cable slots in Chicago, Evanston, Rockford, Urbana, IL; St. Louis, MO; Philadelphia, PA; Princeton, NJ; and Rochester, NY. For more detailed information, send us a request at mail@laborbeat.org

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• mental health clinics
• Mayor Emanuel
• Chicago city budget
• clinics cuts protest
• AFSCME 31
• Mental Health Movement
• Fearless Leading by the Youth

[ButterInChicago]

What on earth are they (the mayor and city council) thinking?? This is heartbreaking. I've lost respect for leadership in a new way. You'd have to be completely disconnected from humanity to not see that people are in need of mental health facilities just as much as--if not more than--we need facilities for physical health. Thank you for this update. Spreading the word.