Open Letter: It's time for a Black man to serve as Cook County State's Attorney

Clayton Harris III | https://www.claytonharrisforcook.com/

By Chicago City Wire

Jan 10, 2024

Nearly two dozen prominent politicians have publicly endorsed Clayton Harris III for the position of Cook County State's Attorney, asserting that it is time a Black man held this role. The endorsement came in the form of an open letter to voters, which was first published by Politico.

Among the signatories were former U.S. Senators Carol Mosley Braun and Roland Burris, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, along with county commissioners, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District commissions, suburban mayors, Chicago aldermen, state representatives, a state senator and a board of review commissioner.

"In the more than 100-year history of the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, there has never been a Black man elected to the post,” the politicians wrote. “In the March 2024 Democratic Primary election, we have the opportunity to change that by electing Clayton Harris III."

The open letter took aim at Harris' primary challenger, former judge Eileen O'Neill Burke, accusing her of having a record of making "questionable rulings and ties to the Republican Party."

Harris is a Democratic Party insider who worked as a prosecutor under former Cook County State’s Attorney Dick Devine. According to a previous Chicago City Wire report, he was an assistant in Mayor Richard M. Daley's intergovernmental affairs operation and worked stints as a lawyer for the Chicago and state transportation departments. Harris was also former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's last chief of staff before the governor was sent to prison on federal corruption charges.

The letter emphasizes that "Nationally, Black men make up less than 3 percent of elected prosecutors," yet they constitute "an overwhelming majority of those impacted by the criminal legal system" in Cook County.

The politicians urged voters to support Harris' campaign through volunteering and financial contributions to ensure "for the first time, we elect an African American man as state's attorney in Cook County."

The entire letter can be read below:

Monday, January 8, 2023

Cook County Residents:

In the more than 100-year history of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, there has never been a Black man elected to the post. In the March 2024 Democratic primary election, we have the opportunity to change that, by electing Clayton Harris III.

There is much at stake. We can elect Clayton, an experienced prosecutor and expert on public safety and criminal justice reform policy–or we can elect his opponent, Eileen Burke–a judge with a deeply concerning record of questionable rulings and ties to the Republican Party. Recent reporting brought to light a case in which Burke was the lead prosecutor in the wrongful conviction of an 11 year-old Black boy of murder. The child was arrested illegally, and, according to the reporting, “his confession should have been thrown out because it resulted from coercion.” Burke even “blasted a state law that limited the judge’s ability to lock up young offenders” during sentencing. Meanwhile, the true killer was never caught. The family of the victim never received justice, and that young man’s life was destroyed by the wrongful conviction. Even today, with the benefit of hindsight, Burke has expressed no regret over her handling of that case. Voters of every background, especially voters of color, should find this irresponsible and reckless lack of judgment gravely concerning.

The choice is clear. Nationally, Black men make up less than 3 percent of elected prosecutors. Yet, here in Cook County Black men make up an overwhelming majority of those impacted by the criminal legal system.

Clayton is a committed member of his community, raising his family on the South Side of Chicago. As the father of two sons, Clayton is intimately aware of the need for both safety and justice in our community. This is a historic opportunity to ensure we have leadership that understands and considers the ways our community interacts with law enforcement as victims of crime, and citizens seeking justice.

As we reckon with persistent gun violence and the urgent need to address historical inequities in our criminal justice system, Clayton is the man for the moment. We trust him to keep pushing forward on the road to criminal justice reform, while also taking the bold steps needed to hold violent offenders to account and keep our communities safe.

We urge leaders and voters across Cook County to join us in supporting Clayton Harris III for Cook County State’s Attorney in this historic election. Make sure you’re registered to vote, and sign up to volunteer and donate whatever you can to make sure that for the first time, we elect an African American man as State’s Attorney in Cook County.

Sincerely,

Former U.S. Senator and Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, first African American woman U.S. Senator

Former Illinois Comptroller, Attorney General of Illinois, and U.S. Senator Roland Burris, first African American elected to Illinois statewide office

Congresswoman Robin L. Kelly

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle

Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon

Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry

Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore President Commissioner Kari Steele

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Yumeka Brown

Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Larry Rogers, Jr.

State Senator Robert Peters

State Representative Kam Buckner

State Representative Will Davis

State Representative Marcus Evans