Dear Candidate, 

What are your true intentions for the 1st District? In an effort to gain recognition, you are using your voice, once known for rally call and responses, to bully, target specific neighborhoods and spread deceptions. Your mailers, Facebook, and Twitter account aggressively call the incumbent out and includes information that is grossly inaccurate. In other words, lies. It is shameful that your sudden, yet predictable onslaught of negative campaigning takes the place of you failing to outline your plan for the 1st District of Cook County. 

I have been to every single meeting and debate since your candidacy, and you have yet to mention anything of substance- besides education, and your experience as a former teacher. You want to focus on education, even though it is not in the county government jurisdiction. In fact, Cook County doesn’t have any jurisdiction over funding for CPS. For the record, Commissioner Boykin is also a former educator. He unsuccessfully fought to keep Emmett school with Action Now, located in the 1st District, open for the families, teachers, staff, and students. I don’t recall seeing you front and center when schools were closing in the Austin community- leading to many of our children disbanding to other communities to receive an education. Sadly, an abandoned elementary school you failed to fight to keep open is featured as a backdrop in your You Tube campaign video.

You reference your leadership role in education and other causes during debates as your wear your charcoal colored blazer, but where are you when it really matters? Rallying downtown doesn’t count. 

You lied then, and you lie now.

There are serious rodent issues in many school buildings because of uncleanliness due to cuts in janitorial services. Where are you? Charter Schools are taking away money from the Chicago Public School system, resulting in the under funding and closing of neighborhood schools. In some schools, our children are being exposed to lead based paint in the classroom and are drinking lead contaminated water in school and park water fountains. Commissioner Boykin asked Mayor Emmanuel to repeal the water bottle tax, so students could drink filtered bottled water and stop drinking from lead contaminated water fountains. Where were you?

African American teachers are being terminated at alarming rates. Where are you, Brandon?

You falsely claimed Commissioner Boykin wants to bring in the National Guard to occupy communities with high crime and homicide rates. The truth is he visited the United Nations last year to discuss creative ways to restore peace to high need neighborhoods. Did you know he passed a seven-point plan back in 2015 to address Chicago violence? He identified and continues to highlight endangered communities throughout the city. 

Commissioner Boykin passed legislation to tax bullets. Where were you when he held meetings with Union Pacific representatives regarding guns being stolen from freight trains during lay overs? Commissioner Boykin called for the Department of Justice to investigate the human and civil rights violations of detainees at Homan Square. Where were you? 

The truth is, Commissioner Boykin has a strong and impressive record. His work in the 1ST District is incomparable. He is responsible for millions of dollars being allocated to the district, in addition to allocating funding to not-for-profit organizations, providing jobs opportunities via career fairs, speaking out about mental health and drug abuse epidemics, hiring young adults and students, building better infrastructure, and engaging residents throughout the first district at various town hall and community meetings. What have you done for the 1st District? Crickets. You have never attended a county board hearing to testify on behalf of anyone or any issue. You have yet to appear at a town hall meeting to offer any ideas or solutions. What are your true intentions for the 1st District?

As a former organizer, your record is mediocre, and playing games with people’s lives to get a vote is disgraceful. Remember this Brandon, you are challenging a God-fearing man. In biblical terms, Matthew 12:37 states, “For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned.” 

As a former educator, you should feel ashamed of exploiting and degrading students whenever you use their photos in your mailings to spread lies about Commissioner Boykin. As a former social studies teacher, you may not have had the opportunity to teach students about bullying or take an anti-bullying stance. It’s unfortunate, because you may have learned a valuable lesson for yourself. Bullying us into seeing things your way is a poor choice for a plan. It does not, and will not work as an alternative path in becoming the official representative of  the 1st District. 

Let’s face the truth, you sir, are not Cook County Commissioner material.

 Roman JJ Morrow