The 35th Ward Community Defense Committee (35CDC) is a neighbor-led initiative launched in early 2017 as a response to President Donald Trump's threats of mass deportation. These threats cause widespread fear and panic among 35th Ward families, many of which are undocumented or mixed-status. With staff and resource support from the 35th Ward Office, neighborhood residents organized to defend each other from deportation and ICE raids. Through door-to-door outreach, Know Your Rights Workshops, house parties, garden parties, and community events, we worked to ensure that every 35th Ward resident targeted by President Donald Trump's administration was aware of their fundamental constitutional rights - rights that we all possess regardless of our immigration status, faith, or national origin. In 2020, ward residents and 35CDC members voted to expand the scope of this initiative to include supporting and defending neighbors experiencing homelessness from state violence.
To learn more about the Community Defense Committee's upcoming events or to get involved, please call the 35th Ward Office at 773-887-3772 or e-mail [email protected].
Resources
- DOWNLOAD KNOW YOUR RIGHTS WINDOW SIGN (English-Spanish)
- IS IT A RAID HANDOUT
35CDC In The News
- "This Rookie Chicago Politician Is Ready to Resist Donald Trump’s Deportation Fervor" (Mother Jones, January 2017)
- "Chicago Advocates And Elected Officials Push Back Against Promise Of Mass Deportations" (WBEZ, June 2019)
- "Fireman's Park Homeless Residents Don't Want City to Force Them Out" (NBC5, July 2021)
- "Residents Of Avondale Homeless Encampment Matched With Housing: ‘God Blessed Me With People … To Make This Happen For Me’" (Block Club Chicago, July 2022)