From Illinois Policy Institute web site (before cartoon was taken down).
SPRINGFIELD — An emotional state Rep. Jaime Andrade brought lawmakers to their feet on Wednesday in denouncing an Illinois Policy Institute cartoon that depicted a young African-American boy from Chicago begging for money for school from a wealthy white man with half-empty pockets.
The North Side Democrat denounced the cartoon as “s—,” prompting Democrats to rise to give him a standing ovation, with Republicans quickly joining in.
The cartoon was intended to depict how Chicago doesn’t use TIF funds for education — amid the conservative think tank’s push to have Chicago deal with its pension mess outside of the school funding debate. Both the governor and the institute believe Chicago is using its TIF districts to hide property tax money, thus needing more money from the state. But the image sparked anger and emotion on the floor, from both sides of the aisle.
“Are you saying that wealthy white businessmen are not using TIF to take money from black and brown kids?” the Illinois Policy Institute tweeted in an exchange with Mitchell.
Mitchell, in turn, argued that the group could have “drawn another kid. “You could have drawn an african american child without exaggerated features (ie lips),” he wrote.
“But you made a different choice, one that links to a dark and troubled history,” Mitchell tweeted.
“There’s no reason the Illinois Policy Institute should describe colors and races of people when they’re having a fight,” Andrade said.
By lateWednesday, Illinois Policy Institute CEO John Tillman, a close friend and adviser to Rauner, said in a statement that “the cartoon told the truth,” but was being removed.
Gov. Bruce Rauner has hired several of the think tank’s members to senior posts. Rauner’s office declined to comment Wednesday night.
