**Below is the resolution that the party committee will present to the convention for amendment and debate at the convention on Saturday** Guided by: The need to win the political and governing power necessary to win a city and state that provides for the many, not the few.
Recognizing: That the pathway to securing this political power lies with the people, that we must recruit new people to our vision and strategy, and that the best way to do that is through issues that are widely and deeply felt.
Recognizing: That on these issues, we must offer alternatives to a harsh and narrow status quo in order to define the sides of the debate between us and our opponents and clarify the decision.
Recognizing: That our side of the debate must raise expectations for what elected officials should be doing and offer hope that things could be different.
We adopt the following strategic priorities, based on the party’s full platform and points of unity, in order to guide political endorsements, recruit members and build organization, and raise the party’s profile in the press and digital media:
- JOBS PROGRAM TO STOP VIOLENCE: The cycle of layoffs, school closings, and violence pushes people of color out of the city and directly benefits the wealthiest. We can offer a real alternative by demanding a massive public sector jobs program to stop violence.
- NO DEVELOPER DOLLARS: With gentrification on the rise and more people being priced out and pushed out of Chicago, UWF financial support should only go to endorsed candidates who refuse to accept campaign contributions from real estate developers.
- RENT CONTROL: Rising rents are forcing poor and working people out of the city. City and state officials can and should take action to protect renters and limit the amount that rent can be increased over time.
- FREE EDUCATION FROM BIRTH TO COLLEGE: Child care, early childhood education, community colleges, and public universities should be a right provided by city and state government: universal, free, and public. This will reduce the strain on working families and create good jobs.
- MORATORIUM ON SCHOOL CLOSINGS AND PRIVATIZATION: We need fully-funded, flourishing public schools, not more charter schools and school closings.
- CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT OF THE POLICE: We demand local, democratic supervision of police through elected civilian police boards that have real power to set priorities and enforce practices.
- TAX THE RICH: We demand a tax system that redistributes wealth and funds the public provision of basic rights such as jobs, schools, housing, and health care. Our demands include: a progressive income tax, a financial transaction tax, a corporate head tax, and closing the carried interest loophole.
- SANCTUARY FOR ALL: Stop the criminalization, incarceration, and removal of Black and Latinx people by ending all coordination between local police and federal immigration agencies and eliminating the gang database.
