50 signatures reached
To: Tell Rockford City Council: Equity and Restoration Should NOT be the First to Go!
Protect REGROW. Keep Cannabis Revenue for Restoration, Not Deficits.
Dear Mayor McNamara and Council Members,
I urge you not to divert cannabis tax revenue from the REGROW Fund to close the city’s $3.7 million budget deficit. By the City of Rockford's own resolution, these funds were promised for restorative justice, to repair the harm caused by the war on drugs, not to fill fiscal gaps.
As former State Representative Dr. Litesa E. Wallace wrote in her recent op-ed:
“Redirecting this funding sends the wrong message. It says that when times get tough, equity and restoration are the first to go...using cannabis revenue as a quick fix will have long-term costs to trust...”
“Redirecting this funding sends the wrong message. It says that when times get tough, equity and restoration are the first to go...using cannabis revenue as a quick fix will have long-term costs to trust...”
The REGROW Program has already made a difference by investing in community organizations that strengthen Rockford from within. Redirecting these funds would break trust and betray the purpose of legalization.
Wallace also suggested exploring fair alternatives: vacant property fees, efficiency audits, or temporary reserve use, but keep cannabis dollars where they belong: with the people and neighborhoods who were promised repair.
We the undersigned encourage exploring OTHER options. Keep Cannabis Revenue for REGROW & Restoration, Not for the Deficit.
Wallace also suggested exploring fair alternatives: vacant property fees, efficiency audits, or temporary reserve use, but keep cannabis dollars where they belong: with the people and neighborhoods who were promised repair.
We the undersigned encourage exploring OTHER options. Keep Cannabis Revenue for REGROW & Restoration, Not for the Deficit.
Why is this important?
Cannabis legalization in Illinois was never meant to be just another source of city revenue — it was meant to repair the harm caused by decades of discriminatory drug policies. Rockford’s REGROW Program was created to fulfill that promise, funding community projects at places like the Booker Washington Center and the Discovery Center to help neighborhoods heal and thrive.
Now, city officials want to use those cannabis dollars to fill a $3.7 million budget deficit. That’s not restoration, it's a broken promise. We must keep cannabis funds dedicated to equity, not deficits. Rockford can balance its books without breaking its promise to the communities legalization was meant to uplift.