In a 42-8 vote, Chicago’s City Council voted to pass the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr. Fair Access to Democracy Ordinance. The ordinance will essentially ban the doxing of government workers, especially election workers, and bolster requirements for landlords to provide secure mailboxes in accordance with United States Postal Service rules.
An earlier version of the ordinance included the creation of “democracy zones,” which would have forbidden federal immigration officials from entering the areas outside of polling places. That provision, however, was removed prior to its passage.
The doxing stipulation claims the information can be used by those who wish to cause “death, bodily injury, stalking, harassment, or intimidation” to the government workers. Those whose information was disclosed would be able to bring civil action for “damages, injunctive relief, and reasonable attorney’s fees.”
Last year, local officials in Chicago were calling for federal agents tasked with tracking down dangerous foreign gang members and detaining violent criminals to remove their masks and to provide identification upon request. Two Chicago-area U.S. Representatives co-sponsored the “No Secret Police Act,” requiring ICE agents to wear identifying information on their uniforms, as reported by WTTW.
CBS News reported that the debate got contentious with some fierce language slung amongst the aldermen, with one claiming that a threat of putting “a knife to your throat” if the ordinance is not passed was made:
Debate over the ordinance grew heated, as some alders expressed fears about potential voter suppression in the upcoming November elections, while others said it’s already the role of the Chicago Board of Elections to make sure polling places are secure from voter interference.
“This federal government is going to rig the elections this November. Make no mistake about it. So, choose a side. You’re on the side of history, when Reverend Jackson was fighting to encourage voting rights and protect them, or you are on the side of the fascists taking those rights away,” said Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th).
Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd), who argued the ordinance was not yet ready for a vote by the full City Council, and said it’s already the job of the Chicago Board of Elections to secure polling places and protect voter privacy, said the threatening tone some of his colleagues used to pass the measure [was concerning.]
“It’s not about creating this situation here where dissent over a poorly drafted ordinance is something that should equate to divisive language that should be halted on the opinion of one person in this council,” he said. “One of the other comments yesterday, probably by one of the drafters, was if you don’t pass this, we will have a knife to your throat, and that kind of set me back a little bit when I was sitting in that committee meeting, because I heard that and I thought the same people who want me to vote on something recognizing the achievements of what is hopeful to be the long-lasting legacy of Jesse Jackson said, ‘If you don’t pass this we will have a knife to your throat.’”
Hellbound and Down 