Category Archives: Activism

Great Coverage of TIF Work!

Thanks to the great people at Shelterforce for this thorough and thoughtful piece covering TIFs and the organizing and engagement work of the TIF Illumination Project.

Join Me For 187th Public Meeting

Join us in Pilsen on April 27th at 6pm for our 187th public meeting on civic finance and TIFs. Our host is El Publeo Manda (The People Rule). We will cover “TIF 101” and there will be Spanish translation! The meeting will be streamed on Facebook. RSVP here.

First Ever All Illinois TIF Illumination Released!

*Thanks to the support of the Muck Rock Foundation!*

The CivicLab is proud to release the first ever all-Illinois TIF Illumination! Funded by a grant from the MuckRock Foundation, this project reviewed 1,454 TIF districts across 535 municipalities! Get the headlines and the data at https://tifreports.com/illinois-illumination. Read the news about the grant award.

Get CivicLab 2021 TIF Report!

No one else can tell you ALL the details of Chicago’s 132 active TIF districts for 2021! Just fill out the form…

Get Your Copy of Chicago 2021 TIF Analysis
Please click the link to complete this form.

Help Publish the Book That Tells the Untold Story!

Help publish “Nobody Sent Us” How We Derailed Chicago’s Bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics – the story of the No Games Chicago campaign from 2009. Donate to help market the book.

Sign Petition – No Public $ For Stadium Dome!

Say NO To Taxpayer Funded Dome for Soldier Field!

In another clout ridden, top-down, tourism-centric, lakefront, White centered development scam, Mayor Lightfoot has announced her enthusiastic support for building a dome over Solider Field.

The estimated cost is reported to be $2.2 BILLION!!!

CLICK TO SIGN OUR ONLINE PETITION!

Watch the Video – “Grassroots Campaigning 101”

***We need to win and govern for peace, justice, and equity!***

Hey, want to help stop a Right Wing White Supremacist Plutocracy from taking over America and completely pulverizing safety nets, public education, civil liberties, and other good stuff? The only solution is that people who stand for justice, peace, opportunity, and equity MUST run for local office and then GOVERN. Learn how to start down this path (or help others to do so) at our “Grassroots Campaigning 101” workshop. We had two amazing guests visit and drop knowledge – master campaigner Rebecca Reynolds Williams and Founder/CEO of My Block My Hood My City, Jahmal Cole. Click the image below to watch the video (1 hr. 43 min)>>>

“Civics 101” @ i c stars

I teach “Civics 101” for the awesome training and leadership development organization i c stars. The most current class, Cycle 47, sent me a wonderful set of images expressing how the class (four sessions) impacted them. I was deeply touched. Thank you. If you would like a civics workshop, please contact me at tom@civiclab.us. You can see the workshops I offer via the POWER Institute.

Tom Launches “Great Public Report” – First Episode on the Hoover Dam

I’ve been thinking about “public” and working to define, defend, and expand it for the past 12 years. Here is the first of a new series of webisodes I’m calling the “Great Public Report” as a way to talk about and stimulate dialog around the concept of “public.” Please watch it at our YouTube Channel and subscribe. Follow me at @tomstee and post using #MorePublic. If we don’t protect the Public, it will be taken from us.