Palos Township Residents Poised To Make History: LETTER

PALOS HILLS, IL — The April 6 Palos Township election will be historic because it follows a four-year-long campaign in which the Arab community and its friends and allies in the Township and the southwest suburbs have been organizing to force the resignation of Trustee Sharon Brannigan, in response to racist, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim statements she posted on her Facebook page.

The Arab community has protested the Township meetings every month since July 2017, and this election arrives in the wake of a series of victories, including the mobilization of hundreds of community members over a period of almost four years, including a year of the pandemic.

To ensure the safety of community members during the pandemic, we drove in car caravan protests through the Township and around Brannigan’s home. Even her neighbors, who came out to support us during those caravans, are disgusted by her racism. The pressure we put on the Township paid off, forcing the rest of the Township Board of Trustees to dump Brannigan from its slate. It is also important to note that as the head of the Township’s public health committee, Brannigan had “nothing to report” at 11 of the 12 meetings that she attended by Zoom during the pandemic.

Most important, however, is the Get Out The Vote operation that the #ByeBrannigan campaign is running. We have already made over 12,000 calls to voters in the Township, and will be knocking on 5,000 doors leading up to election day. Our message is clear: there is no place for racism and hate in our Township! Vote Brannigan Out Now! Learn more at www.byebrannigan.com.

Nadiah Alyafai

Palos Resident