Reclaim Chicago is proud to endorse Christian Mitchell for reelection as Illinois State Representative of the 26th District, which stretches along the lakefront from the Gold Coast to 91st Street, because he has consistently sponsored legislation which challenges systemic racial and economic inequality in Illinois. Christian is the primary sponsor of the Equal Justice for All Act, legislation that would abolish the use of money bonds in Illinois.

Each year, tens of thousands of Illinoisans, all poor and mostly people of color, are incarcerated before trial simply because they cannot afford to pay the money bond (bail) recommended by prosecutors and assigned by judges. Pre-trial incarceration of people who are not judged to be a danger to themselves or others disregards one of our legal system’s most cherished values: people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Pre-trial incarceration also ruins people’s lives. Christian has also been a key sponsor of legislation to close corporate tax loopholes and to require corporations to disclose how much they pay in taxes to the State of Illinois. Christian lives in the Bronzeville neighborhood and has already served three terms as an Illinois State Representative.