The Carbondale Library and the Carbondale Branch of the NAACP will host a virtual discussion on the Illinois Criminal Justice Reform Bill Monday evening.
House Bill 3653 was signed last month and brings numerous changes to the justice system including eliminating cash bail, requiring body cameras and a ban on choke holds.
The virtual meeting will be led by Illinois State Senator Elgie Sims Jr. from the 17th Senate district located south of Chicago.
Carbondale NAACP President Linda Flowers says the meeting is to educate people on how this bill addresses justice inequality.
“I want people to know exactly what the bill entails, I want the people to know why it’s necessary, sometimes we don’t look at things from the perspective of someone different than ourselves.”
Flowers says they choose Senator Sims to lead the meeting because he is the chief senate sponsor of the bill when it was presented to the state senate in April of 2019.
The meeting will be streamed on Facebook live or you can register on the Carbondale Library’s website for a zoom link.