In the state of Illinois, it is illegal to institute rent control but recently Chicago voters have repeatedly expressed their support for lifting that ban.

On this week’s episode of the podcast we spoke to Simone, a landlord and lifelong Chicagoan, who supports lifting the ban. We also talked to Heather McClaren about Chicago DSA’s work as a member of the Lift the Ban Coalition.

We touch on the history of powerful real estate interests in Chicago, recent trends in gentrification, how the coalition hopes to move forward and the arguments that are often made against rent control.

The “Lift the Ban” coalition is led by the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, Lugenia Burns Hope Center, Northside Action for Justice, and Pilsen Alliance. Current membership includes: Action Now Institute, American Indian Center, Autonomous Tenants Union, Chicago Democratic Socialists of America, Coalition for Equitable Community Development, The Community Law Project, Lawyers Committee for Better Housing, Little Village Community Development Corporation, Metropolitan Tenants Organization, Northwest Side Housing Center, ONE Northside, People for Community Recovery, SEIU HCII, Somos Logan Square, 33rdWard IPO, 25th Ward IPO, United Working Families, and Westside Health Authority.

Abortion can feel like a taboo topic, but it's one we can't avoid discussing. On this episode we spoke to Chicago activists Laura and Lena about the history of reproductive rights in America and challenged them to respond to some of the most common anti- abortion talking points.

We also talk about the January 13th March for Life and the counter-protest put on by the following groups:

Chicago DSA

ISO Chicago

Refuse Fascism

Illinois Single Payer Coalition

Chicago Campaign to Expose Crisis Pregnancy Centers

DePaul Socialists

Illinois Choice Action Team

Unite Women IL

Chicago Therapy Collective

Sarah sits down with candidate for Municipal Water Reclamation District board seat candidate, and her celebrity crush, Geoffrey Cubbage. He tells her all about why you should care about our sewers and why you should stop being so mean to the Green party.

They also discuss hot topics like:

The great river reversal of 1900

How a sewage treatment plant works

The sketchy dealings that almost kept this seat from getting to a vote

Why Geoff is taking back the term “sewer socialist”

For more information on the Greens for MWRD campaign visit: https://www.mwrd-ilgp.org/

And make sure to vote on November 6th!

Sarah spoke to Lynn Meissner, a PhD student at Northwestern's school of Education and Social Policy. Their research focuses on high schooler's transition to college and how to apply sociological data to school systems. She discusses issues facing the Chicago school system and the individual students and teachers within it. She also shares what she has found to be the best solutions for improving the experiences of those teachers and students (hint hint its SOCIALISM).

Sarah Hurd talks to Marianela D'Aprile about a translation she did of a speech by Chile's first Marxist President, Salvadore Allende. They discuss the historic election of Allende in 1970, his violent overthrow by CIA backed forces in 1973 and the lessons we can take from Chile's three-year experiment with socialism.

Marianela's translation can be viewed here:

https://socialistcall.com/2018/09/11/allende-and-democratic-socialism/

Sarah spoke to Jose Requena and Loreen Targos of Pilsen Alliance about what gentrification is and what their organization is doing to push it back. We discuss the Illinois ban on rent control, affordable housing and what needs to shift in politics to make Chicago a city where people can thrive.

Sarah sits down with three leaders of Chicago's blossoming cooperative economy: Renee Hatcher - Director of the Business Enterprise Law Clinic at John Marshall Law School, Mike Strode of the Kola Nut Collaborative and Termaine Davis of Together Systems. What steps are people in Chicago are taking toward creating a solidarity economy? What is a solidarity economy? Also, neoliberalism, de-growth, the problem with TIF (Tax Incremement Financing) funds and Sarah debuts her plan to convince Jeff Bezos to turn Amazon into the world's largest co-op.

This week marked the 50th anniversary of the protests at the 1968 Democratic National convention in Chicago. Jacobin editor Micah Uetricht interviewed longtime leftist activist Joanna Misnik about her experience organizing in 1968 and in the years the followed. Misnik describes working alongside Allen Ginsberg, Abbie Hoffman and others, and tells us what she learned from their victories and defeats.

Sarah and André talk to Chicago DSA Political Education coordinator Ramsin Canon and co-host of the "Season of the Bitch" podcast Ambria Taylor about what Marxism means in our modern time. We define/talk about what terms like "alienation" and "materialism" really mean and walk through a timeline of how capitalism developed. We also talk about how Marxist theory can inform real world organizing.

On this episode of the Midwest Socialist Podcast Akele and Sarah talk to Black Lives Matter activist Maria Hernandez and Dorothy Holmes, whose son Ronald "Ronnieman" Johnson was killed by a Chicago police officer. We discuss the Justice for Ronnieman campaign, the NoCopAcademy campaign and other Black Lives Matter efforts across the city.

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To support the First Annual RonnieMan Back to School Supply Drive, donate school supplies to the following drop off locations:

1. Southside Together Organizing for Power - STOP.

602 E 61st St, Chicago, IL 60637

Monday through Friday, 10 AM - 5 PM

2. American Friends Service Committee--Chicago

637 S. Dearborn 3rd Floor

Monday through Friday, 10 AM - 5 PM

3. Women & Children First Bookstore

5233 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

Saturday 10AM–7PM; Sunday 11AM–6PM;

Mon-Tues 11AM–7PM; Wed-Fri 11AM–9PM

4. Healing Village: Healing as a Radical Act of Resistance

63rd & Woodlawn

You can also contribute by purchasing items from the Amazon wish-list:http://bit.ly/RonnieMan

The drive will culminate in a Back-to-School party in Washington Park, AKA RonnieMan Park, on 53rd & King Drive on August 26th.