Rickey Hendon's West Side Heroes

Rickey Hendon Resigns State Senate Seat

2011-03-15T23:17:00.000-05:00

Illinois State Senator Rickey Hendon resigned his seat almost two years before the end of his term, saying he’s had it with politics. He was very disillusioned at the lack of black voter turnout for Patricia Horton, who he supported in the February election for city clerk. Still, Pat got around $250,000 votes on a shoestring budget.

Of course Rickey said he was leaving politics six months ago, in the last chapter of his book Backstabbers, which he’s planning to promote anew. He doesn’t have to please any fellow politicians now, so he can say what’s on his mind.

http://www.academychicago.com/Backstabbers.html

State Rep. Annazette Collins has been chosen by the Democratic committee to fill Rickey's Fifth District Illinois senate seat. But his shoes will not be easily filled. His harsh criticisms of Republican governor candidate Brady’s votes against women and poor people, might have helped alert voters to re-elect Democratic governor Pat Quinn. Seems you can’t get in the papers for good deeds, so you have to make a lot of noise, which is what Rickey did.

That doesn’t mean he wasn’t trying to do good things for the West Side, one of the poorest, crime-ridden areas of Chicago. The Best Side is constantly trying to lift itself by its bootstraps, trying to get back some of the money that’s been siphoned out of their community by big money interests and their owned politicians. The Fighting Fifth District neighborhood folks are the ones who will miss Rickey the most.

I hope he takes a nice break and can find a positive role that he enjoys. . A brave, outspoken politician is a terrible thing to waste.

Rickey Supports Patricia Horton for City Clerk

2011-02-14T11:54:00.001-06:00

Patricia Horton currently serves as a Water Reclamation Commissioner. She wants to control car sticker prices, invest city pension funds wisely, and lease vacant city owned lots for parking in congested areas. She would also make city government more open to the people by having city council meetings broadcast and archived on line.

Pat has waged a people's campaign for the office of city clerk, vacated by Miguel del Valle who is running for Mayor. (other mayor candidates still in the race include Carol Moseley Braun, Patricia van Pelt Watkins, Gery Chico, Rahm Emmanuel and Dock Walls. Rep. Danny Davis dropped out on New Year's Eve.)

Above is Pat's Sun-Times candidate interview. Check out her own campaign site at
PatriciaHorton4CityClerk.com

Pat's opponent, Susana Mendoza, is not a friend of poor folk or civil liberties. As a state legislator she introduced two bills that would feed more people to prisons: to charge school children with a felony for threatening to hit somebody; and to allow police take DNA samples of any person upon arrest. City races are nonpartisan, but she accepted a $5000 contribution from the Republican Party.

Rickey Speaks Out for Illinois Civil Unions

2011-02-14T11:22:00.000-06:00

Illinois passed a civil unions law that extends legal benefits to domestic partnerships including gay couples. Senator Hendon said, "it's just fairness, y'all, that's all." He had some words for "hypocrites" among legislators--"the ones who cheat on their wives and the down low brothers" who had attacked the bill.

Rickey Hendon Drops Mayor Race, Praises Danny Davis

2010-11-08T11:32:00.000-06:00

On Friday Nov. 5, recognizing that he didn't have enough support among black politicians to win the Chicago mayor's race, State Sen. Rickey Hendon announced he was dropping his campaign. He also said he wants to watch his health, as he has been diagnosed with high blood pressure. He said his health condition may have contributed to the harshness of his criticisms against Republican governor candidate Bill Brady. He also said that many political leaders have no conception of the hardships faced by many African American communities right now, including his own West Side. Rickey praised Congressman Danny Davis, an early political mentor of his with extensive experience in city and national office, saying Davis would make a good mayor.

The next day, Nov. 6, in a reversal of an earlier decision, a group of black leaders endorsed Davis as the coalition African-American candidate. Carol Moseley Braun, however, is continuing her campaign and two Latino candidates are strong enough to make the race as well. Sheriff Tom Dart, citing family concerns and Alderman Fioretti cited health concerns, leaving Rahm Emanuel as the leading European American candidate. NBC Chicago's pundits have already begun speculating about a Davis vs. Rahm race:

http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Can-Danny-Davis-Stop-Rahm-Emanuel-Before-Its-Too-Late-106883344.html

Rickey will surely give us all the scoop. He continues to support Patricia Horton in the city clerk's race. Pat is currently serving on the Water Reclamation Board and has become familiar with some infrastructure problems in the city. She is campaigning on a platform of increased service and openness to citizens.

Hendon Calls Out Quinn's Foe on Race, Gender Issues

2010-10-26T14:57:00.000-05:00

Is Rickey Hendon the only Democrat willing to call out extremist right wing stands? As he put it, he doesn't need to apologize for attacking the voting record in the state senate of Gov.Quinn's opponent, Bill Brady. Instead, Brady needs to apologize for vote after vote that penalizes minority contractors, opposes rights for gays and lesbians, and rules out women from choosing abortion even in cases of rape and incest. In this WGN radio interview Rickey backs up everything he said:

www.wgnradio.com/shows/gregjarrett/wgnam-rickey-hendon-brady-accusations-greg-102510,0,678226.mp3file

Hendon Supports After School Programs to Bring Peace to Streets

2010-10-15T07:34:00.000-05:00

One thing that’s been overlooked in Sen. Hendon’s proposal for two riverboat casinos for Chicago is his plan to spend some of that gambling money on afterschool programs.

“We got Granny having to shoot a young kid in the shoulder, a 12 year old who had nothing better to do than harass her for a year, throw rocks through her windows,” he said at last week’s community meeting, referring to a case in recent news. Charges against the 70 year old woman were dismissed.

“After school programs have been cut by both the city and the state,” said Hendon, who tried without success in the legislature to restore the state funds. “Now we got these kids running the streets like they own the neighborhood. They got nothing better to do.” Art, music, phys ed and even recess have been cut from many city schools. Kids have few constructive outlets for their energy and self-expression.

This week Michelle Obama was in the news advocating arts to uplift youth.

"We want to lift young people up," she told Harper's Bazaar in an interview in the magazine's November issue. "The country needs to be mindful that we have all these diamonds out there, and it would be a shame not to invest in those talents."

Hendon Introduces Resolution to Reopen Meigs Field

2010-10-06T18:51:00.000-05:00

State Senator Rickey Hendon announced at a press conference Oct. 4 that he's introduced a resolution to reopen Meigs Field, a small downtown airport closed by outgoing Mayor Daley in a midnight bulldozer raid. The FAA said that Chicago was wrong to close it, and many state legislators felt the same way, Rickey said.

As the mainstream media continue to blather about Rahm Emanuel, Rickey continues to bring up real Chicago issues . He points out that the number of candidates for mayor will be whittled down in the petitioning process.

If you vote in Chicago and are undecided about the mayoral race, it's ok... you can sign petitions for more than one candidate for any office: Rickey Hendon, Fioretti, DelValle, Rev. Meeks, Danny Davis, Dock Walls...whoever! Petition deadline is in late November. Candidates must get the signatures of 12,500 registered voters to get on the ballot.

Don't forget, the election for mayor and other city candidates is February. On Nov. 2, Illinois voters elect a U.S. Senator , governor and lieutenant governor, along with state reps and many state senators. Rickey urges all to get out and vote Democratic! If times are bad now, they could only get worse under Republican leadership, he says.

Hendon Proposes Riverboat Casinos, Reopening Meigs air field

2010-09-29T00:16:00.001-05:00

State Sen. Rickey Hendon, in a press conference at city hall Monday, proposed riverboat casinos and the reopening of Meigs Field airport as a short-term remedy for Chicago's financial crisis. Since he's on the Gaming committee in the Senate, he knows what it would take to move such a deal forward.

Sen. Hendon acknowledges that some people do not like the idea of relying on gambling to support government, but he points out that Indiana and Michigan have, or will soon have casinos that people from Illinois will be going to, and it's better to keep these revenues in the state. He also favors riverboats, not land-based casinos which would displace residents; and he favors casinos which are limited to gaming so that others may invest in restaurants and other nearby supporting businesses. His proposal provides for local, female and minority ownership of the casinos.

He points out that raising taxes is not politically feasible right now. He says other forms of municipal revenue-grabbing, such as red-light cameras (he passed a bill in the legislature to curb some of their abuses) and outrageous parking fees and tickets, are just plain unacceptable: "Put a boot on your car after only two unpaid tickets? Come on now!"

Rickey a Hit at PUSH

2010-09-26T21:18:00.000-05:00

Sen. Rickey Hendon reportedly wowed folks at a meeting held by Jesse Jackson at PUSH with some leading black ministers and politicians who are trying to use the open mayor's race as a way to advance the community, whoever ends up on the ballot. Stay tuned to see how they work it out.

Hendon's Heroes believe in the trickle-up theory: the economic and spiritual betterment of the poorest folks is like yeast that makes the whole loaf of bread rise! Like Rickey often tells his neighbors in meetings Monday evenings: "If the government gives poor people money, y'all won't sit on it like the banks. You'll spend it, and that will stimulate the economy!" Tackle some of this street violence, unemployment and drugs, and let Chicago grow.

Rickey Announces for Mayor

2010-09-16T00:39:00.000-05:00

Illinois State Sen.Rickey Hendon has announced he'll run for Mayor of Chicago. He told his West Side weekly community meeting Monday that whoever he ends up to be the candidate, he is seeking some bargaining power on behalf of the West Side, especially within the Black caucus. Hendon carried all but one of the city's black-dominated wards in his third-place race for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, and a good deal of non-black voters as well. Lots of candidates are elbowing for position now that Mayor Daley II has announced he won't run again. The election is Feb. 22. Sign a petition and give Rickey a chance!

Rickey's Election Manual: Backstabbers

2010-09-13T13:02:00.000-05:00

Sen. Rickey Hendon has come out with a new book exposing a lot of tricks he's faced in Chicago politics. It might be useful for many people considering running for mayor and alderman positions now that Mayor Daley has announced he won't run for another term.

Not only does he outline the games politicians play, from challenging each other's petition signatures to mixing up the locations of ballot boxes. He also gives some positive grassroots campaigning tips, like standing on an overpass with a huge banner, like a mobile billboard.

The New York Times issued a rather snide review of "Backstabbers." They say Rickey should not have criticized politicians who promised to support him and then campaigned for his opponents. But shouldn't the people know the names of politicians who are trustworthy and those who aren't? I wonder if the reviewer has ever been to the West Side to see what things are really like for any politician who tries to educate citizens and get money for projects in a poor community.

Publisher Eric L. Miller has posted the New York Times article.

Ex Felons Want to Help Kids Avoid Their Fate

2010-03-25T09:56:00.000-05:00

 Senator Hendon's district has one of the highest percentages of ex-offenders not only

in Chicago but nationwide.  Some of them are trying to turn not only their lives around,

but the lives of their youth.  Reginald "Akkeem" Berry spoke to the community meeting

about a problem in Chicago Public Schools policy, as well as possibly in state law, that makes

their job harder.  Akkeem and some fellow ex-felons and allies had a demonstration

outside CPS offices on March 18, encouraging CPS to take a look at ways to involve ex offedenders

in education.  He advocates a a policy that is watchful over the ex-offenders but doesn't

ban their employment.

Contact: Reginald "Akkeem" Berry, Jr., 773-957-4214   www.savingoursonsministries.org

Interviews available from:Reginald "Akkeem" Berry, Jr.,Q.L. Anthony,
Bonni McKeown 


Ex-Felons Barred from Urging Youth to Give Up Their Guns

A diverse group of educators, community leaders and ex-gang members  
gathered in front of the headquarters of the Chicago Public Schools at  
125 South Clark Street and marched to the State of Illinois Building  
to protest a state law banning former felons from working in  
classrooms.

Ironically, the same felons are allowed to speak in the classroom in

volunteer programs. But they are not allowed to get paid as contractors,

which would allow them the opportunity to make a living--a problem

that often drives ex-offenders back to a criminal lifestyle.

The law, intended to protect children, has instead had the  
effect of denying kids access to the best gang and violence prevention  
information around:  straight-talk from reformed, former gang  
bangers.  Speakers at the demonstration on Thursday lamented the  
recent, tragic surge of youth murders in Chicago, and argued that  
children were being systematically denied information that could save  
their lives. The law or policy, they argued, must be repealed.  Former gang  
members led the crowd of 40 in a chant: "Change the law, before its  
too late, let the kids learn--from our mistakes".

The event was sponsored by Saving Our Sons Ministries founded in 2006  
by Reginald  "Akkeem" Berry, Jr.  Berry, who turned his life around  
after decades of imprisonment for a murder he committed 22 years ago,  
is committed to stopping the cycle of gun violence. "I worked hard to  
put my life back on track, and now I work just as diligently to  
prevent youth from making the mistakes I did." Mayor Daley has  
recognized him for his work, and signs at the protest displayed  
glowing letters of recommendation from police officers and  
schoolteachers for his educational programs. Kids listen to him  
because he speaks from experience. "Real recognizes Real,” Berry said.

Another educator and ex-felon Q.L Anthony echoed the same themes,  
"Kids don't listen to pubic school administrators because they can't  
relate to them, but they see me and they know I am speaking from the  
heart." Anthony has led classes that literally disarm at-risk youth.  
"I have had kids hand over their guns at the end of the program,"  
Anthony said, "so I know I am doing something right." Because of this  
law against ex-felons however, he cannot be compensated for his work  
for the public schools, so he does it on a purely volunteer basis.   
Other protesters echoed his plea to "give us the chance to atone for  
the harm we have done, by preventing future violence."

Red Light Cameras Being Curbed!

2010-03-25T09:31:00.000-05:00

State Sen. Rickey Hendon told his weekly community meeting March 22 that he'd been able to amend the red light camera reform bill enough to change the red-light cameras "from a billion dollar to a half billion dollar business." Here's my understanding of the reforms. Stay tuned for where the bill goes from here.
---Stop cameras from giving tickets for right turns on red.
---Police must review all camera-originated tickets
---A study of safety at camera intersections, followed by the removal of all cameras at places where accidents increased after cameras were installed.
---Cameras will not click unless you actually go through the red light.

Want to know the political background about How red light cameras got in Illinois ? Hint: it's very sleazy and involves lobbyists and foreign companies.

Rickey to Obama: Stimulate minority businesses!

2010-03-08T21:59:00.000-06:00

State Senator Rickey Hendon in his community meeting this week pointed out a tiny Chicago Sun-Times article: "watch out for those really small articles, they don't want you to know too much!" The article said black and Latino businesses are getting only 1.1 and 1.7 per cent of federal economic stimulus contracts--even less than they got under Bush programs. "I always say, politics is like a marriage. What if it's payday, and I take 1.1% of my paycheck home to my wife to pay the bills, and the other 98.9% I spend in all the liquor stores and floosies on my way home? I'd end up in divorce court for sure," said Rickey. "Obama needs to dance with who brung him, who put him in office. Ninety per cent of African Americans and 75% of Latinos voted with him. He needs to keep us strong so we can help keep him strong too. We need these jobs in our community!" If you agree, call the White House: 202-456-1111.

Rickey's Prayer for Peace

2010-03-02T16:45:00.000-06:00

As the Obama administration prepares the biggest defense (mostly for warmaking) budget in history, peace activists plan demonstrations March 20 in Washington DC and Thursday March 18 in downtown Chicago (5:30 p.m. at Dearborn & Adams Streets Federal Plaza). http://m20coalition.net/index.html

Friends Committee for National Legislation, the Quaker peace/justice/economy lobby in D.C., reports on the latest Congressional initiatives to cut off money for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland, Ohio is planning to introduced a "privileged House resolution" which will force debate and get Congress to look at its Constitutional responsibilities in decisions regarding war.
http://fcnl.wordpress.com/ Knowing the vested interests making money off of killing people here and everywhere, it will take a lot of demonstrating and politicking to stop this war, but it is doable. We did it 40 years ago with Vietnam.No matter what tactics we use, the war is unwinnable.

Hey! If white middle class activists can get together with African Americans, Latinos, Asians and working class and increasingly growing numbers of poor folks, we have a CLEAR MAJORITY to end this war and rebuild our cities, our schools, our environment, and our lives.

Here's my approximate quote (forgive me Senator if i didn't get this exact) of Rickey's prayer which closed our community meeting on Monday March 1:

"And God, tonight when Barack is lying in bed with Michelle, please have her whisper in his ear that he's got to get us out of all these wars, bring our troops home and spend the money on what we need to do here instead of on killing folks that have been fighting for years and don't want us around. And whatever is going on with global warming, all these earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, and snow in places that don't have snow, and tsunamis all over the place...I know that human industries have contributed to messing with Mother Earth, but You're bigger than all of it and you put us here, so please help us try to straighten it all out."

Marooned in Atlanta bus station, Theresa Makes Friends

2010-02-22T22:59:00.000-06:00

Theresa, who usually sits behind the desk each Monday at 5:30 as people troop in for Sen. Rickey Hendon’s weekly meetings, is always making sure you sign your name correctly. She’s making a list and checking it twice. She knows everybody and misses very little that goes on. She can be properly stern.

But last week Theresa was more excited than stern. She had just come back from a long bus trip. Not just any old bus trip, but a trip that left her and dozens of other people marooned by a blizzard in Atlanta, of all things. Stuck in the Atlanta bus terminal, nothing going anywhere, for three whole days.

Being one of Hendon’s Heroes, Theresa took lemons and made lemonade. She made herself a half-dozen friends—people of all ages and ethnic groups-- who stuck together like glue, told stories, ran errands for each other, minded baggage while some went outside to smoke, showed each other pictures of family and friends. By the end of the three days, they all hugged, cried, scattered to the four winds on various buses.

This week Theresa got a phone call from one of her Atlanta mates who she called Granny. It looks like they may be friends from now on.

When the chips are down, Hendon’s Heroes make friends and stick together. Even after placing only third in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, Rickey’s Monday night meetings have continued to be packed. Rickey says he led the race in 19 of 21 city wards that have a substantial black population, and with some communities of other ethnic groups as well. He would have done even better if the turnout had been more than the lousy 20-some percent that it was.

Rickey’s explanation for the low voter turnouts echoes that of some national pundits: the Democratic majority is depressed and disillusioned. “People are broke. And a lot of people are getting crazy, y’all. We need to spend money here at home, for jobs, education and mental health. Not in Afghanistan killing people!” He says the spending on the war is what’s killing our economy here, and it’s making us more enemies abroad: “The only people who want us over there are the heroin poppy growers that are making a killing off of poisoning our people. I love you Barack, but you gotta bring our troops home!”

He said people should not be afraid to criticize our president even though most of us supported him. If Obama hears from enough people now, he will have time to change course and make the changes he promised, Hendon says.

Join the group that sticks together and pushes for the change we can really believe in!
Every Monday night at 5:30 p.m. Be sure to sign in with Theresa.

STOP! those red light cameras

2010-02-16T12:35:00.000-06:00

Nobody thinks it’s good to have drivers running red lights. But motorists don’t trust the system of cameras taking pictures of drivers running red lights. The cameras click if your car is just an inch in the intersection when the light turns red. They click if you are making a legal right turn on red. And, if yellow lights are timed to turn red real fast, the cameras can be an unfair source of revenue raising for local governments.

State Sen. Rickey Hendon last year introduced SB 2477 in the legislature to rein in the abuse of red light cameras, allowing a car up to a foot instead of an inch. He also favors a statewide timing standard for yellow lights, and requiring police to monitor cameras. This year, his crusade has been joined by suburban Republican legislators who want to regulate the cameras or do away with them entirely.

State Senator Dan Duffy, R-Lake Barrington, has 16 co-sponsors his bill to ban traffic cameras except for construction zones and railroad crossings. Tickets are usually $100, most of which goes to private companies that install, maintain and regulate the cameras, Duffy says. And Sen. John Millner, R-Carol Stream, is sponsoring a bill to standardize camera regulations. Yellow light times would be standard, drivers who stop before an intersection would not be given tickets and cameras would be painted yellow, more visible to drivers. Additionally, tickets could not be issued unless a police officer monitors the cameras.

http://illinoisstatehousenews.com/2010/02/10/new-red-light-camera-legislation-introduced/
However, Hendon says that his bill has the best chance of passing, because unfortunately the red-light camera companies have too much clout to allow themselves to be banned. "Municipalities get these cameras from the companies for free. They rake in thousands of dollars--at citizens' expense."

The suburban newspaper Daily Herald last summer found many $100 suburban tickets were being issued to people turning right on red. The newspaper also found that many cameras were installed or planned at intersections with very few red light crashes. This indicated the purpose was revenue, not safety.

http://dailyherald.com/story/?id=359411

A City of Chicago report claimed collisions decreased because of the cameras. A state report, however, found that crashes often increased at intersections where red light cameras were installed. (One can imagine motorists slamming on the brakes during a yellow light, trying to avoid a ticket, being rear-ended by the cars behind them.)

http://chicagoist.com/2009/11/22/red-light_cameras_not_so_special.php

Remember—a lot of unjust government actions come to the attention of Rickey Hendon’s people before others are aware. Changes that help Hendon’s Heroes end up helping everyone.

Question those red light cameras! If you think they’re picking your pockets without making the roads safer, you’re probably right.

You heard it on the West Side first.

Only a Week til Groundhog Day and the Illinois Primary

2010-01-25T22:08:00.000-06:00

Isn't it crazy having an election in the dead of winter in Chicago! Try to rouse from hibernation, this could be an important one. EARLY VOTING ENDS Thursday Jan. 28. Election Day voting is from 6 a.m to 7 p.m. on Tuesday Feb. 2.

Rickey Hendon's philosophy is one of mutual support; he'll support candidates that support him: black, white, Latino, Asian. Chances are they won't be with the Daley machine or oppose his neighborhood getting their fair share of funds to build itself up. Each Monday the candidates have an opportunity to address Hendon's folks.

Here are some of those he's endorsed, in contested races (these are just in the Democratic party, since it's a primary)

Senator: Cheryle Jackson. Former Urban League leader.

Governor: Unofficially, Rickey has supported re-electing Pat Quinn. Rickey believes he is basically honest and tries to do the right thing, whereas Hynes always favors Haves over Have-Nots.

Congress, 3rd District: Jorge Mujica: This Mexican live wire is challenging Lipinski and calling for us not to be divided by issues like immigration. Hey, people are always moving around somewhere, he says.
   7th District: Re-elect Danny K. Davis, the savvy West Side Congressman who has pioneered children and family legislation, and laws to give ex-offenders a chance to get jobs and re-enter society.

State Treasurer:   Robin Kelly

State Comptroller: State Rep. David Miller, a dentist downtown who started a nonprofit screening program in low income communities and is familiar first hand with issues of state payments to small contractors.

Water Reclamation District:
Mariyana Spyropolous, promoter of green roofs, rain barrels, conservation education.
Barbara McGowan: fairness to women and minorities regarding water work contracts
Wallace Davis III
Kari K. Steele

State Senator:
1st Districct: Tony Munoz
4th District: Kimberly A Lightford
7th District: Heather A Steans

State Rep:
9th district, Dottie Walton: realtor, church leader, community builder.
10th district, incumbent Annazette Collins gets a pat on the back from Rickey for her legislation to jail young people separately from hardened criminals.
8th District: LaShawn Ford

Sheriff: Sylvester Baker: law enforcement veteran, he favors community policing and wants to counteract gangs and drugs by getting more jobs for youth

Cook County Assessor: Joseph Berrios

Cook County Commissioners:   1st District,Earlean Collins; 2nd District, Robert B. Steele; 4th District Elgie Sims

Judges: These judge candidates are among those on board with Rickey's policies of fairness and stopping the school-to-prison pipelines: Carl B. Boyd, Joanne F. Fehn, Linda Pauel, William B. Raines, Sandra Ramos, Steve J Fruth, Steve G. Watkins, Pamela Hill-Veal (Appellate).

Power to the People

2009-12-21T11:01:00.000-06:00

Hendon's Fighting Fifth

These days of sorry compromises in favor of war and big business, it is hard to find a politician who will actually fight alongside the people. But I may have found one: an Illinois state senator named Rickey Hendon, is now running for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor.

Born in Cleveland Ohio, growing up in Chicago and Detroit, Senator Hendon is a college educated, media trained man who once wanted to be a preacher but can get down to street talk when necessary. Hendon’s got to preach vigorously to hold his podium. He represents one of the poorest, blackest, toughest districts in America, overrun with street drug sellers and returning prisoners.

The West Side of Chicago once employed thousands in factories, but in the 1970s, manufacturers fled to the suburbs and overseas. The rich history of the "Best Side" is in buildings that remain. The former Sears corporate headquarters on Arthington Street now houses the offices of U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, the Murphy-Hill art gallery, Homan Square cafeteria, and several government and neighborhood agencies. The graceful Garfield Park's gold dome can be seen for miles around. Closer up, you find streets of solid greystone houses, converted synagogues and shuttered blues lounges. Big band clarinetist Benny Goodman came of age in the 1920s on the Jewish West Side. Later theHowlin' Wolf prowled here, and the blues guitars of Magic Sam and Otis Rush rang out. Soul singer Tyrone Davis had a club on the West Side. During the 1950s Dinah Washington lived here. So did the Black Panthers at the end of the 1960s.

The Fighting Fifth (the name he gave his senatorial district and his own softball team) teems with neighborhood organizations trying to get a handle on all the West Side’s problems. Hendon channels government money through these community groups, aiming to provide jobs and improve the lives of his constituents, many of whom slip through the cracks of Obama’s bank bailouts and middle class agenda. Redistributing wealth is Hendon’s goal. Money in the hands of everyday people gives them power to make choices. “People,” he declares, “you deserve a good life just like anyone else!”

Legislate and Appropriate!

Hendon says—and makes constituents repeat out loud—that his job as a senator is to “Legislate And Appropriate!” But with poor, less educated folks not used to handling large amounts of money, stuff sometimes goes wrong. The Chicago Tribune, a notoriously Republican newspaper, investigated Hendon’s 2008 afterschool project grants of $20,000 or more and found that some of the programs weren’t being carried out because their administrators were keeping too much of the money for themselves. Sen. Hendon argued that while other lawmakers earmark grants for large, well-established groups, he tries to spread the money to smaller, unproven neighborhood organizations. "These people deserve a chance, whether they succed or fail," he said

This year he seized on weatherization and capital grant money for the West Side—and has been scrutinizing the letters of people who are applying: “Don’t hog all the grant money for yourself. Do the projects you said you would do. I don’t want my name in the paper for wasting taxpayer money because some bozo go and act a fool.”

Politics 101

Sen. Hendon is not only getting money for people; he’s training them how to use it. That process is an amazing thing to watch. I have a front row seat every Monday, when he calls his constituents together in a small brick office building on the West Side’s busy, seedy main drag:

2929 W. Madison Street

. Week after week, people show up to hear each other’s announcements of community programs, followed by Hendon’s own political reports, grant instructions, and fiery pep talks. He’ll often drop juicy comments about other public officials. You can see how politics in Illinois is going by what he says--or doesn’t say. On Hendon’s good-guy list: his political mentor Congressman Danny Davis, and Governor Pat Quinn. One not-so-good guy: Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.

Hendon brings political reality to the grass roots and shows people how to participate. He recruits volunteers to get petitions signed and validated. He brought a group from the hood to Springfield to help him throw a fund-raising party for State Senate President John Cullerton and say nice things about other public officials from all over Illinois. Taking to the dance floor kept Hendon’s Heroes pumped up for politics, and some of the politicos couldn’t resist stepping along with them

Training Mutual Backscratchers

Sen. Hendon is building an organization. If he can grow a grassroots group of mutual backscratchers who stay loyal to him and to each other, change can happen. As the last Democratic committeeman to be appointed by Mayor Harold Washington before he died in 1987, Hendon saw what happened when Washington left no organization behind him. Soon City Hall was back in the hands of the Daleys, much to the detriment of the black community and now, to other Chicagoans who are getting very tired of parking tickets and potholes in the streets.

Rickey is making it his business to groom candidates. Among other Hendon heroes, Dottie Walton http://waltonfor9thdistrict.com/ is running with his endorsement for the 9^th Senatorial district seat held for 29 years by another black politican, Arthur Turner. Hendon and Turner have both declared candidacy for the state’s second highest office, Lieutenant Governor, and Turner’s son Arthur Jr. is running against Dottie.

In a candidate forum on the West Side in October, Sen. Hendon criticized the elder Turner for supporting a bill which would have allowed police to collect DNA samples from people’s mouths at a routine traffic stop. (People in the community know that corrupt cops have sometimes planted evidence and framed people for crimes they didn’t commit.) He also challenged Turner: “In your 29 years in office, what have you done for the people of this district? How much money have you brought home?”

For his part, Sen. Hendon managed to grab $40 million from the state’s 2009 budget to start a West Side branch of Chicago State University. The university’s interim president told the ChicagoTribune www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/college/chi-chicago-state-31-aug31,0,7740389.story that he was blindsided by Hendon’s effort, but advisory committees at State had been talking about a West Side branch for several years, and Hendon made no apologies. He wants to see a four-year college on the culturally under-recognized West Side, with needy West Siders employed to build and maintain it.

Bring the Troops and Money Home

Sen. Hendon has repeatedly urged President Obama to bring our troops home from Afghanistan and Iraq, and bring the taxpayers’ money back home too. He points out the link between the war and the cheap heroin that has flooded the West Side, regardless of whether the Taliban or other factions hold power in Afghanistan. www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/KL16Df01.html It’s not the first time Hendon and Obama have disagreed. They nearly got into a fistfight on the state senate floor when Obama voted to cut funds for a West Side child welfare office. Hendon tells the tale in his book about the 2008 presidential campaign, Black Enough/White Enough, www.amazon.com/Black-Enough-White-Obama-Dilemma/dp/0883783096

More Hendon Sayings:

ON STREET GANGS: “If I see somebody’s kid out there clowning on the street at 3 a.m. in the morning, I tell them to go home. I need my sleep! If you talk with authority with these kids, and show you’re not afraid of them, a lot of times they will hear you. Get to know these kids on the corner. They can get their buddies to register to vote. In fact they are the only ones who can talk them into it. It’s one way for these young people to get a piece of I.D. so they can get a job.”

ON POLITICS: “You have to make some compromises to get anything done in politics. Maybe this time I didn’t get you your grant or get your kid a scholarship. But remember, I’m dealing with representatives from all over the state of Illinois, when I’m down in Springfield, and a lot of them don’t want the people on the West Side to have nothing. NOTH-ING! We got to fight for everything we get. And the higher office I hold, the more I can get for you!”

ON THE FINANCIAL CRISIS: “They shouldn’t give bailout money to the banks. They just hold onto it. They should give $5000 to everyone in my district, ‘cause I know y’all will spend it!”

ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE: “If y’all help me raise the money for these yard signs, I can vote all the time the way you want me to instead what some big company wants.”

I’ll probably not like all of Rickey’s choices of political bedfellows, nor some of the high-level tradeoffs he might make to get money for his peeps. But if his organizing actually puts more power in the hands of ordinary people, he might be creating a model to get our country out of the hell that it’s in.

Rickey Hendon opens and closes his meetings with a prayer, usually by one of the local ministers. But sometimes he gives the closing prayer himself, and his confessions are revealing. “God, please forgive me for cussing out Gov. Quinn this week. He’s an honest man and he’s trying to do the right thing. Help open his eyes so he can see what’s really going on.”

Mondays at 5:30

Open your eyes too. Take a look at Senator Rickey Hendon. Be there at 5:30 p.m. on a Monday at 2928 W. Madison. You might like what you see. Might be your next Lieutenant Governor. Check his official campaign site:
http://www.hendonforltgov.com/