Chance the Rapper gives speech at City Council meeting against proposed Garfield Park Police Training Academy

Chance the Rapper made an appearance at a Chicago City Council meeting today meant to vote on the proposal to purchase 30.4 acres of land in West Garfield Park to build a public safety academy. Chance, along with 40 community organizers called the No Cop Academy Coalition, made a speech speaking out against the planned academy and in favor of other methods to “transform the city without policing”. The endeavor is projected to cost $95 million.

Chance argues that the money could be spent on schools, job training, and social services, in the same area the academy is being proposed in. Chance’s full speech hasn’t reached net availability yet, but went on record saying “I’ve been asking for money for over a year now to fund these classrooms and on Fourth of July weekend they announce, in a cool finessing way, that they have $95 million, or that they are proposing to build a $95 million cop academy. … What else can I say? What is ya’ll doing?”

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Savemoney member and longtime Chance associate Reese was also on hand at the meeting, pointing out the city’s neglect of mental health services in the community. “I know a lot of the way money gets used is not with the community in mind. You want to put $95 million in my community? Start with mental health. With schools.” Reese is a member of the West Garfield Park community as well as the father of a child with special needs.

Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, who Chance criticized directly in his speech, left the meeting just before Chance began speaking. Emmanuel is to blame for much of Chance, and the community’s issues with the entire project, as he spearheading the closings of various schools over the last several years. “I guess the mayor had to step out when I walked in…but it’s fine,” Chance said, noticing Emmanuel’s absence. “I’ll just speak to you: what are you doing?”