On September 11, over 100 community members in the Chicago suburbs gathered to call for the resignation of an outspokenly Islamophobic local politician. A multi-national crowd of anti-racist Palos Township residents filled up the meeting space and spilled out into the parking lot, and for an hour voiced their discontent over the continued presence of Sharon Brannigan on the Palos Township Board of Trustees. The meeting was abruptly ended by the board when the crowd began chanting to shutdown supporters of Brannigan’s racist comments.
Palos Township consists of several of suburbs southwest of Chicago. Overall the area is whiter and wealthier than the city itself, but it is home to a large Arab and Muslim community. Trustee Sharon Brannigan, who was the Republican candidate for a U.S. House seat in 2014, gained notoriety when she wrote multiple racist Facebook posts about undocumented Muslim students supposedly overrunning local schools and praising Donald Trump. The most inflammatory rant praised the film “American Sniper” and used it as an example of how Muslims are the enemy.
Screencaps of the now deleted post show her stating:
“In the 3rd district here in Illinois, our demographics include 25% Muslims of which very few integrate within the communities keeping themselves and their activities hidden from the general population. Everywhere you turn, from Orland Park to Bridgeview, those numbers are increasing in leaps and bounds. We are allowing these people whether they have peaceful intentions or not into our country without question.”
Since July, residents and local activists have showed up in large numbers to demand Brannigan’s resignation or removal from the board. For three straight meetings, all business has been virtually brought to a standstill as the board had to contend with the indignation of the community. The most recent meeting only approved minutes before moving on to public comments. Comments were strictly timed and the board chastised the crowd for being disrespectful for cheering on comments opposing racism.
The board meeting itself ended as the crowd began chanting “Racists Go Home” at the few supporters of Brannigan. One of these men admitted he wasn’t a resident, and another left the meeting with police protection. Brannigan herself had to walk through the crowd after the meetings abrupt end, and she refused to speak any residents.
Community members and local organizations pledged to continue their work to remove Brannigan and any officials that stand with her. In a township that voted for Trump in 2016 and had all township trustees run unopposed, these actions should inspire others who think militant progressive politics is impossible in their area.
