Report on Chicago Budget Cuts and Their Fundamental Blow to Healthcare by Mildred Williamson

On the evening of Tuesday, January 23, 2007, I came early to the public hearing on the proposed Cook County Budget that was held at the Cook County Markham Courthouse. I was encouraged by the strong attendance and enthusiastic and determined crowd of participants. There were people in wheel chairs, and many walking with canes, in addition to the many ordinary workers just seeking to be heard and to participate in the meeting. The majority of the 1000+ people there could not participate in the democratic process because the room was much too small to accommodate all of those in attendance. There was no remote audio-visual transmittal of the proceedings, which prevented many people who had signed up in advance to speak, from even hearing their names to come forward. Needless to say, there was no way for the forthcoming speakers to hear what the other speakers were saying, in order to revise or further tailor their remarks to prevent redundancy. Most important, however, is that a potential "E2" situation was unfolding in that, the crowd became so large and so tightly packed together around a single staircase, in increasingly uncomfortable heat conditions, that were it not for the alertness of several Cook County officers and the fact that many in attendance were knowledgeable healthcare workers on public safety and injury prevention, serious problems could have occurred. As it was, I saw several people become overheated, faint, and many left just because they became frustrated about being packed in such close quarters, unable to hear or see the proceedings or, being unable to sit down anywhere for respite. Some people left in frustration, without providing their testimony. Even members of the press were disallowed into the meeting room until more than an hour had passed of deliberations. You and all of the other Commissioners had to know that attendance would be higher than usual due to the circumstances surrounding this budget proposal. A larger, disabled accessible, well-ventilated space should have been secured to accommodate all who wanted to participate, even for those whose sole desire was to just be there and listen. A small meeting space at this time, or at any time sends a message to the people that their participation is not welcome, and that their democratic rights mean nothing. For the record, I am deeply opposed to the proposed Cook County budget as presented, and I will say more about that at the next proposed hearing, to be sure. However, right now, I have the added burden of being ashamed at veteran elected officials for being so insensitive to the democratic process and the right of ordinary people to be respected and heard. From this point on - I plead with you to choose venues that respect the rights and needs of people to be heard and without user-unfriendly barriers of spaces too small, inadequate audio-visual assistance, no language translation, no sign language and too little consideration for those with mild to serious physical impairments. What happened last night was unacceptable and potentially dangerous from a public safety standpoint. It should never happen again.