As the challenge period closed on Monday, we learned that a last-minute, technical challenge was filed against our petitions for District Council in Chicago’s 19th Police District.

We have been told the challenge has ties to the Fraternal Order of Police—the chief obstructionists to police reform and accountability in Chicago. Whatever its origin, this challenge is more of the same old-school, regressive politics that runs counter to the purpose of District Councils: to empower and elevate community voices to make a safer city for all residents.

While it is disappointing that some are trying to limit legitimate access to the ballot, we are confident we will defeat this challenge. With the help of more than 100 volunteers, the Garcia, Schaffer, and Schoenburg campaign collected nearly 3,500 petition signatures across all six wards in the 19th Police District—more than four times the required amount. The thousands of people who have already stepped up for community-centered public safety deserve to be heard, and all 19th District voters deserve an honest choice.

This challenge arrived alongside identical challenges to two other progressive campaigns in the 20th and 24th Police Districts. It is disheartening to see this type of machine tactic used to reduce the number of candidates for this brand-new office while other Districts struggle to find people to serve. And it is just one more reason why running for elected office is too difficult for too many Chicagoans.

In our campaign, we have sought to form strong relationships across the 19th District—with community organizations, elected officials, and 19th District police officers themselves—and we look forward to continuing this work in the coming months.

— Maurilio Garcia, Jenny Schaffer, and Sam Schoenburg
Candidates for District Council, 19th Police District