Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
READ THIS FIRST. THEN WATCH CLOSELY.
What happened at the April 27th Evanston City Council meeting…
was not random.
It was a sequence.
And once you see it…you can’t unsee it.
Councilmember Clare Kelly introduced expanding the Guaranteed Income Program to include seniors and make it citywide...not restricted by census tract.
Because need does not live in one ward.
It exists across the city.
There was pushback.
Legislative Advisor Alison Leipsiger stated that expanding eligibility...and requiring applicants to verify they have lived in Evanston for a meaningful period...would be too burdensome for City staff.
So, residents are left with a simple question:
👉 If basic verification is too difficult…how is access being measured at all?
Clare Kelly’s proposal did not move.
Then something changed.
Councilmember Krissie Harris stepped in behind expanding access to seniors...and the resistance did not look the same.
Same issue.
Different response.
Residents noticed.
At the same meeting, Councilmembers Shawn Iles and Jonathan Nieuwsma did not support expanding the program to seniors or making it citywide.
This is on record.
So, residents are asking:
👉 If seniors across Evanston are struggling…why wouldn’t expansion be a priority?
At the same time, Councilmember Krissie Harris stated that recipients of Guaranteed Income should be required to complete financial literacy to receive assistance.
Residents heard that...and raised serious concerns.
She also extended that thinking to Wesley tenants.
Let’s be clear.
The Wesley tenants were displaced after their building was declared a hazard.
Some were forced out in the middle of the night.
Their lives were disrupted through a process not of their making.
So, residents are asking:
👉 Why are additional conditions being discussed for people who were already displaced?
There is another part of this that cannot be ignored.
City staff are not observers.
They shape how options are presented, how decisions are framed, and what moves forward.
So, when residents see different responses to similar proposals…
or hear that certain requests are “too burdensome”…
another question follows:
👉 Are these standards being applied consistently?
Now step back.
Look at the full sequence.
The Evanston Property Tax Circuit Breaker...a program designed to provide direct relief to longtime residents...was:
delayed for over a year
not advanced as a standalone
deprioritized and restructured into a loan-based model
At the same time…
The Guaranteed Income Program is being expanded and advanced with urgency.
Same city.
Same meeting.
Different urgency.
There are also questions that deserve clear answers:
How are recipients being selected?
What verification is required?
How many longtime residents...especially seniors...applied and were not selected or even informed?
And:
👉 Why did approximately $300,000 in ARPA funds remain unspent for an extended period...reportedly due to difficulty identifying participants...and what does that say about outreach and access?
This is not about one group versus another.
This is about whether all residents in need are being served fairly.
Everything referenced here is on the public record.
📅 April 27
🎥 Watch the full meeting
And if you want to understand how patterns like this don’t just appear overnight...
Unsafe Black Voice documents it.
Not after the fact.
👉 While it was happening.
📖 Now available on:
Amazon • Apple Books • Barnes & Noble • Google Play Books • Kobo • Walmart • international retailers
Read it.
Then decide for yourself.
#Evanston #UnsafeBlackVoice #CircuitBreaker #GuaranteedIncome #PropertyTaxRelief #LocalGovernment #PublicRecord #Accountability #CommunityVoices #truthmatters #danielbiss #meleikagardner #authorlife
READ THIS FIRST. THEN WATCH CLOSELY.
What happened at the April 27th Evanston City Council meeting…
was not random.
It was a sequence.
And once you see it…you can’t unsee it.
Councilmember Clare Kelly introduced expanding the Guaranteed Income Program to include seniors and make it citywide...not restricted by census tract.
Because need does not live in one ward.
It exists across the city.
There was pushback.
Legislative Advisor Alison Leipsiger stated that expanding eligibility...and requiring applicants to verify they have lived in Evanston for a meaningful period...would be too burdensome for City staff.
So, residents are left with a simple question:
👉 If basic verification is too difficult…how is access being measured at all?
Clare Kelly’s proposal did not move.
Then something changed.
Councilmember Krissie Harris stepped in behind expanding access to seniors...and the resistance did not look the same.
Same issue.
Different response.
Residents noticed.
At the same meeting, Councilmembers Shawn Iles and Jonathan Nieuwsma did not support expanding the program to seniors or making it citywide.
This is on record.
So, residents are asking:
👉 If seniors across Evanston are struggling…why wouldn’t expansion be a priority?
At the same time, Councilmember Krissie Harris stated that recipients of Guaranteed Income should be required to complete financial literacy to receive assistance.
Residents heard that...and raised serious concerns.
She also extended that thinking to Wesley tenants.
Let’s be clear.
The Wesley tenants were displaced after their building was declared a hazard.
Some were forced out in the middle of the night.
Their lives were disrupted through a process not of their making.
So, residents are asking:
👉 Why are additional conditions being discussed for people who were already displaced?
There is another part of this that cannot be ignored.
City staff are not observers.
They shape how options are presented, how decisions are framed, and what moves forward.
So, when residents see different responses to similar proposals…
or hear that certain requests are “too burdensome”…
another question follows:
👉 Are these standards being applied consistently?
Now step back.
Look at the full sequence.
The Evanston Property Tax Circuit Breaker...a program designed to provide direct relief to longtime residents...was:
delayed for over a year
not advanced as a standalone
deprioritized and restructured into a loan-based model
At the same time…
The Guaranteed Income Program is being expanded and advanced with urgency.
Same city.
Same meeting.
Different urgency.
There are also questions that deserve clear answers:
How are recipients being selected?
What verification is required?
How many longtime residents...especially seniors...applied and were not selected or even informed?
And:
👉 Why did approximately $300,000 in ARPA funds remain unspent for an extended period...reportedly due to difficulty identifying participants...and what does that say about outreach and access?
This is not about one group versus another.
This is about whether all residents in need are being served fairly.
Everything referenced here is on the public record.
📅 April 27
🎥 Watch the full meeting
And if you want to understand how patterns like this don’t just appear overnight...
Unsafe Black Voice documents it.
Not after the fact.
👉 While it was happening.
📖 Now available on:
Amazon • Apple Books • Barnes & Noble • Google Play Books • Kobo • Walmart • international retailers
Read it.
Then decide for yourself.
#Evanston #UnsafeBlackVoice #CircuitBreaker #GuaranteedIncome #PropertyTaxRelief #LocalGovernment #PublicRecord #Accountability #CommunityVoices #truthmatters #danielbiss #meleikagardner #authorlife
