Thanks to everyone supporting the campaign to give Oak Park voters a voice on whether Illinois should repeal its anti-boycott law — our volunteers, donors and the residents who have signed our petitions.
The momentum is growing. Our packed fundraiser [Stories, poetry and calls for boycott law repeal, News, July 8] and expanding volunteer team reflect a strong community commitment to placing this advisory referendum before Oak Park voters.
For the past two years, residents supporting repeal have met with state legislators, raised the issue at town halls, and joined advocates across Illinois by submitting more than 15,000 witness slips before an Illinois House hearing. (1) Since our elected representatives have not yet committed to repealing the law, we are turning to another democratic tool: a local referendum to communicate Oak Park residents’ views to our state legislators, along with those of at least seven other Illinois communities.
It is no surprise that free speech advocates, including the ACLU, are part of the Illinois Coalition for Human Rights calling for repeal. Even more encouraging is the growing support from people like Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who voted for the law as a state senator when it passed in 2015. This past May, he explained why he now supports repealing it:
“The last few years have laid bare the consequences of government using its economic power to bully private entities. All of us have watched as the Trump administration has attacked free speech, often under the guise of combatting antisemitism. … It’s wrong when the Trump administration does it, and I’ve come to believe that laws like Illinois’ ban on investments feed into the framework that makes actions like this possible.” (2)
Whether this referendum reaches the ballot depends on collecting enough signatures. If you see volunteers wearing yellow Oak Park Supports Free Speech T-shirts, stop by to ask questions, sign the petition if you’re eligible, or volunteer. Together, we can give Oak Park voters a voice in support of free speech and human rights.
(1) Witness Slips for HB2723 https://ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus/WitnessSlips?GAID=18&DocNum=2723&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=160719&SessionID=114
(2) Daniel Biss/ Substack https://danielbiss.substack.com/p/a-note-on-illinois-anti-bds-law-repeal
Jesse Bauer & Caren Van Slyke
Oak Parkers for Free Speech
opfreespeech.org