Jeffrey “J.D.” Dixon, write-in candidate for mayor in Belleville, IL

Name: Jeffrey “J.D.” Dixon

Political party (if applicable): Independent

Age as of April 6, 2021: 33

Campaign website or social media page: https://www.facebook.com/JDixon4Mayor/

Office seeking: Mayor

Are you an incumbent? No

Previous offices sought: S-7 International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Union presidency

Occupation: Machine operator

Education: Associate’s degree

Please list highlights of your civic involvement: I am the founder of Empire 13 grassroots activist organization. We champion the fights for racial, social, economic and environmental justice reform. I started Empire 13’s Boots to the Streets Campaign to enact legislation reform and amend the Illinois State Constitution for systemic change and end environmental racism in the Black communities in Illinois. I use community cleanup actions and petitions that will go to the General Assembly of Illinois. I have collaborated with several environmental activist groups and have started a coalition that has gained media attention and is starting to bring environmental reform to Belleville, East St. Louis and soon all cities in Illinois. I organized a community cleanup campaign raising awareness to the environmental injustice that the metro-east area has been suffering from for decades and enact legislation reform to end the environmental injustice Black communities in Illinois have had to endure. The biohazardous toxins have caused cognitive developmental issues, high rate of asthma in the children of East St. Louis, and lifelong health complications from the biohazardous waste that has polluted our cities. I have been active in the Belleville community protesting and using our Illinois State Constitutional law to start and file petitions for racial, social, economical and environmental justice and reform in Belleville. I started a committee helping the working class citizens in Belleville as well as the surrounding metro-east cities and towns that have experienced racial discrimination, sexual harassment, or is working in a hostile work environment. My committee helps them file the proper paperwork in Illinois to get justice, we inform them of their work rights, and connect them with an attorney that will assist them in their case. These are just a few of the actions I am taking in the fight for systemic change.

Why are you running? I’m running to fight and advocate for the people. The local government is out of tune with the current issues facing the citizens and has failed to advocate for the working-class citizens and the Black community in our area, ignoring the issues the people face. It is time for change not just in Belleville but the metro-east as a whole. I plan on forming committees that will assist the citizens of Belleville and the metro-east that are facing workplace harassment of any form, not receiving fair wages, and have endured overt policing of any kind, or police brutality. I am running to serve the people and fight for what the citizens tell me they need and not what the government thinks the people need.

Why should people vote for you? I am bringing my activism into our local government to bring a systemic change to the people. I am fighting for racial, social, economical and environmental reform. I will give the power back to the people by implementing a participatory budget so the people will have a say so in how the local government allocates their tax dollars and where it should be spent. It’s time the people had a mayor that will advocate for them and the working class of Belleville and really listen to the people! I will hold monthly town halls and form community committees of everyday citizens to help address the issues that may fall through the cracks but are just as important to the community.

What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? The top issue in my race is racial and social reform. Address the disparities the Black community faces in Belleville and advocating to end a systemically racist ordinance that is being enforced by Belleville PD and has been proven in the court of law to attack Black families as well as domestic violence victims. Ending the environmental biohazardous chemicals that are polluting the grounds of East. St. Louis with toxins including arsenic and putting chemicals in the air that reaches Belleville and all the surrounding cities that causes lifelong cognitive impairments, asthma and lifelong health complications. I will bring reform to the private working sector of Belleville, address how workers are being treated from not receiving fair wages, workplace harassment, and retaliation on the job for taking a stand against an injustice. Reallocating city funds and resources to the citizens to improve their everyday lives in Belleville. Addressing all forms of overt policing no matter how small it may be because when overt policing is left unchecked, that further perpetuates the ideology of police officers being able to treat people however they want eventually resorting in police violence and another innocent person being murdered due to police brutality. I will address all of these issues through the action committees I will form that will investigate all reported police incidents, all forms of workplace harassment including implicit and explicit racial discrimination. Through these investigations, we will file all the necessary paperwork to get justice for those who suffer from these evil acts. I will reallocate city funds by allowing the citizens to decide where the funds are spent through participatory budgeting.

Who are your top three campaign contributors? N/A

Belleville Tax Increment Finance District 3, or TIF 3, is expiring this year. Do you agree with the proposal to extend the expiration date for another 12 years? Why/why not? TIFs create short- and long-term benefits for communities. TIF benefits include no tax increases, increased property values, private investment and development, new jobs, job retention and job training programs stronger. I plan on running a government empowered by the people where they will be involved in every aspect of our local government. The people need to weigh in on this matter and we need to see what they want. This is a perfect example of what I was saying. Our local government is making decisions without consulting the people and getting their opinions to make a sound decision for the people.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on parts of Belleville’s economy. How would you grade the city’s response and, if you are elected, what would you do to help businesses and residents? Local businesses have had problems with how the city has approached the pandemic. While keeping in mind the safety of all is first and foremost, I believe with the knowledge we have of COVID-19 now we can develop new progressive ways to keep businesses open and thriving during the pandemic as well as maintain the safety of the public.

What is your opinion of how the Belleville Police Department handles public safety in the city? Do you think the city needs more or fewer police officers? If you want additional officers, how would you fund that cost? Belleville PD needs fewer police officers and more public servants that are equipped and trained to handle calls that are for a mental health crisis. The Belleville PD has a grossly large force that is not needed for Belleville and a funds that can be re allocated into city services that will help the people of Belleville instead of over funding the police department.Before Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by Kenosha PD no one was talking about Kenosha. No one was talking about Rochester PD before they killed Danial Prude a black man who was naked in the cold forced on the asphalt with a spit bag over his head suffering from a mental health crisis. we have to get progressively proactive.June 20th, 2020 during a peaceful protest, a Belleville PD officer drew his gun escalating the situation and putting everyone in danger, his actions could have led to a gunfight and peaceful protesters being killed. His first reaction during a Black Lives Matter protest to end police brutality was to draw his gun looking to use it. No incident happened during the protest and there was no reason that the Belleville PD officer should have drawn his gun in the middle of a large crowd with no danger in sight.During the same summer, I drove up on six-plus squad cars and almost a dozen Belleville PD officers that pulled over a truck on East B Street. The driver and only person in the car was a Black female no taller then 5’5 and looked to weigh no more than 125 lbs. That is exactly the type of overt policing that leads to police brutality and killing. Simple answer. It depends on which part of the community you ask, which shows there is a problem that needs addressing.

Belleville has offered various tax incentives to support businesses in recent years. What are your plans to increase economic development in the city and how would you use tax incentives? This is something I would like to sit down with local business owners and discuss and get their feedback on development. That can be done to help improve local businesses in the area and ideas to increase local traffic to help improve the community.

This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 10:10 PM.