Soros-funded group urges Chicago mayor to cut funding for ‘racist’ police.

Left-Wing Group Urges Chicago Mayor to Defund Police and Raise Taxes on Businesses

Introduction

Chicago is facing a surge in crime rates and a mass exodus of major corporations. In response, a left-wing group funded by Democratic megadonors George Soros and Pierre Omidyar is calling on the city’s far-left mayor to take drastic measures.

The Action Center’s Proposal

The Action Center on Race and the Economy has released a report entitled “First We Get the Money,” which urges Mayor Brandon Johnson to cut the police budget by 9% and eliminate 1,000 vacant police positions. The group claims that this will defund what they call a “racist policing system.” Additionally, the Action Center is calling for the city to reimpose a “head tax” of $33 per employee on companies with more than 50 workers. The group believes that these measures will raise $12 billion to fund a “just Chicago” and “true community safety.”

Democratic Megadonors Backing the Action Center

This is not the first time that a group backed by the Democratic Party’s biggest donors has pushed to defund police departments. Soros, who funds the pro-defund group Color of Change, contributed $495,000 to the Action Center from 2019 to 2021. Omidyar, the founder of eBay, gave $750,000 to the organization in 2020 and 2021. The Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank with extensive ties to the Biden administration, also gave $75,000 to the Action Center. Other donors include the Ford Foundation and the New Venture Fund.

Impact on Mayor Brandon Johnson

The Action Center is likely to have some influence on Johnson, who took office on Monday. Johnson has previously called for defunding police departments. A coauthor of the Action Center report, Saqib Bhatti, reportedly served on Johnson’s mayoral transition team. During his campaign, Johnson proposed $800 million in new taxes, including a 3.5% tax on people earning more than $100,000 and a 66% increase on hotel taxes.

Potential Consequences

The Action Center’s proposal could exacerbate the problems it aims to address. Chicago had 697 homicides last year, earning it the title of “Murder Capital of the United States.” Companies such as Caterpillar, Boeing, Tyson Foods, and Citadel Securities moved their headquarters from Chicago last year, citing high taxes and high cost of living as reasons for their exodus.

Action Center’s Response

Bhatti has suggested that the Action Center will continue to push for a radical overhaul. “We’re not gonna win these things without a fight,” Bhatti told the Chicago Sun-Times. “Entrenched interests and the business community are aligned against us in a major way. So the idea that we shouldn’t be ambitious, to me, is just political malpractice.”

Mayor’s Response

Johnson’s office has distanced itself from the Action Center plan, stating that the mayor’s tax proposals are far less drastic than the Action Center’s request.