My freedom dream for Chicago is one that includes a robust public health infrastructure. This dream
embraces the notion that mental health care should be a fundamental HUMAN right and an integral
part of a JUST and compassionate society.
As a mother, student, and current organizer at Brighton Park Neighborhood Council - this dream is
what I dream for us and our future generations and one we are pushing through across the city of
Chicago. This dream is giving Chicagoans Treatment Not Trauma.
Treatment Not Trauma recognizes the hundreds of people who organized as part of the Mental Health
Movement in 2013, our community members who have been vulnerable and shared their stories with us,
and before that movement leaders who tried to stop the closures of the public mental health centers by
Mayors Emanuel and Daley. The political class thought they could ignore us but here we are, still here.
Our current infrastructure is failing us - we are not receiving the care we need. We’ve been deprived
over and over again from the disinvestments the political class chose to make us suffer through.
Chicago has continuously failed to acknowledge these, and it is time to come together and make
actionable change with this opportunity we have in city council.
Let us not forget that when people come together, we win and when we win, it’s our responsibility to
stay grounded to ensure our movements are heard, implemented, and successful.
And again, we may call this a dream, but it is the future of OUR city. Treatment not Trauma is a dream
I wish to become a reality, to reopen our shuttered public mental health centers, and to establish a
citywide non-police crisis response.
Reopening and revitalizing OUR public mental health centers across Chicago would offer a
comprehensive range of services, from prevention and early intervention to crisis response and
long-term care for our marginalized communities suffering from the disinvestments that have resulted
from political decisions. An infrastructure that is transparent, keeps our city accountable, and ensures
we are receiving these services while being effectively managed and adequately funded.
These centers are about accessibility and affordability to make mental health care, no matter your zip
code, your immigration status, your housing situation or socioeconomic status. We all deserve to be
treated with dignity, respect and ultimately be cared for.
This freedom dream includes a citywide non-police crisis response system implemented throughout
the whole city to respond to mental health emergencies. Trained professionals, such as mental health
clinicians and social workers, being dispatched to crisis situations instead of law enforcement. It
recognizes that mental health crises require compassionate support rather than punitive measures
because having a mental health illness is not a crime.
This freedom dream is bringing justice to the people who are no longer with us because the system
failed them. Laquan McDonald, Irene Chavez, Walter Wallace Jr., Ricardo Munoz, Angelo Quinto,
Jada Johnson, Helen Morley, Jordan Neely, and the many names who we don’t hear on the news.
Ultimately, this dream seeks to transform the mental health care landscape in Chicago. It envisions a
society that values mental health as a crucial component of overall well-being, where no one is left
behind or deprived of essential care due to systemic disparities. By uplifting accessibility, expanding
services, and adopting a compassionate and non-punitive crisis response, we can create a city where
the freedom to seek and receive mental health care is a reality for all.