#ByeAnita Campaign | February & March 2016
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The #ByeAnita campaign was a rapid-response effort to make Anita Alvarez lose her seat as Cook County State's Attorney. Alvarez protected law enforcement officers by refusing to prosecute officers that killed, abused and sexually assaulted Black people. She also did not support shutting down Homan Square, where many Black and brown men have been illegally detained and tortured, and did not support the creation of a elected civilian police accountability council.
Led primarily by young, Black queer women organizers, the campaign utilized a variety of strategies and tactics to achieve their goal, including phone banking, registering voters in Black neighborhoods, disrupting Alvarez's speaking events, hosting teach-ins, disseminating zines on train takeovers, spreading posters and memes, and dropping banners across the city. The campaign did not endorse voting for her opponent, Kim Foxx, but simply encourages the general public to vote Anita out. Lead organizations included Fearless Leading by the Youth (FLY), Assata's Daughters, and BYP100. Supporting organizations included Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD), Black Lives Matter: Chicago, Chicago League of Abolitionist Whites (CLAW), and Black & Pink Chicago. For the People Artists Collective supported the campaign with banner painting, art builds, propaganda creation and distribution, participating in disruptions and train takeovers. |
Art & Propaganda
Photos
03/10/2016 - #ByeAnita Light Action & Noise Demo
02/22/2016 - #ByeAnita Photo Project Because #AlvarezMustGo
02/22/2016 - #ByeAnita Photo Project Because #AlvarezMustGo
Independent Media Coverage of #ByeAnita Campaign
- Old Website: Anita Alvarez Must Go
- Video: #ByeAnita: A Campaign to Defeat Anita Alvarez by Sensitive Visuals feat. Tweak the RGB
- Timeline of #ByeAnita actions via Assata's Daughters
11/29/2016 - Mariame Kaba On The #ByeAnita Campaign and Grassroots Organizing | Black Youth Project
03/28/2016 - The Wisdom of #ByeAnita: On Political Perfection & Radical Strategy | Rad Fag
03/17/2016 - Chicagoans Say #ByeAnita, Oust Pro-Cop State's Attorney | Uprising Radio
03/16/2016 - #ByeAnita: State's Attorney Ouster is Victory for Chicago Grassroots | Common Dreams
03/16/2016 - How Black Youth Helped Unseat Anita Alvarez | In These Times
03/15/2016 - #ByeAnita and #Justice4Laquan | Prison Culture
03/07/2016 - Don't Pretend to Care About Black People if you Vote for Anita | Transformative Spaces
- Video: #ByeAnita: A Campaign to Defeat Anita Alvarez by Sensitive Visuals feat. Tweak the RGB
- Timeline of #ByeAnita actions via Assata's Daughters
11/29/2016 - Mariame Kaba On The #ByeAnita Campaign and Grassroots Organizing | Black Youth Project
03/28/2016 - The Wisdom of #ByeAnita: On Political Perfection & Radical Strategy | Rad Fag
03/17/2016 - Chicagoans Say #ByeAnita, Oust Pro-Cop State's Attorney | Uprising Radio
03/16/2016 - #ByeAnita: State's Attorney Ouster is Victory for Chicago Grassroots | Common Dreams
03/16/2016 - How Black Youth Helped Unseat Anita Alvarez | In These Times
03/15/2016 - #ByeAnita and #Justice4Laquan | Prison Culture
03/07/2016 - Don't Pretend to Care About Black People if you Vote for Anita | Transformative Spaces
Mainstream Media Coverage of #ByeAnita campaign
03/25/2016 - After Saying #ByeAnita, a Leading Activist Says Bye to Chicago | Chicago Mag
03/19/2016 - After saying #ByeAnita, Chicago's young black organizers continue calls for justice | Chicago Reader
03/18/2016 - This is how Chicago voters said #ByeAnita | Chicago Tribune
03/18/2016 - #ByeAnita: Change the Prosecutor, Change How the Police Are Policed | The Root
03/17/2016 - Video: How Chicago's young activists voted prosector Anita Alvarez out of office | the Grio
03/16/2016 - #ByeAnita | WGC Radio 720
03/16/2016 - Chicago protest groups claim victory after Anita Alvarez loses in primary | Fox 32
03/16/2016 - 'Bye Anita': How Chicago's Young Black Activists Fought for Alvarez's Loss | DNA Info
03/16/2016 - #ByeAnita: Chicago Voters Oust State's Attorney Anita Alvarez | Colorlines
03/19/2016 - After saying #ByeAnita, Chicago's young black organizers continue calls for justice | Chicago Reader
03/18/2016 - This is how Chicago voters said #ByeAnita | Chicago Tribune
03/18/2016 - #ByeAnita: Change the Prosecutor, Change How the Police Are Policed | The Root
03/17/2016 - Video: How Chicago's young activists voted prosector Anita Alvarez out of office | the Grio
03/16/2016 - #ByeAnita | WGC Radio 720
03/16/2016 - Chicago protest groups claim victory after Anita Alvarez loses in primary | Fox 32
03/16/2016 - 'Bye Anita': How Chicago's Young Black Activists Fought for Alvarez's Loss | DNA Info
03/16/2016 - #ByeAnita: Chicago Voters Oust State's Attorney Anita Alvarez | Colorlines