CHICAGO (WBBMNEWSRADIO) -- Community groups and others are blasting Mayor Lori Lightfoot for, in their view, misspending coronavirus relief money on the Chicago Police Department.
Alderman Daniel La Spata, 1st Ward, was among elected officials and community activists criticizing the Lightfoot Administration for spending more than $281-million in federal CARES Act funds on police salaries.
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"It was not until last week, after passing legislation around this in July, that we got any kind of accounting on these funds. And just as egregious, we learned that $68 million of that funding was never spent at all," he said.
The City’s Budget Department confirms of the $470 million in CARES’ Act funds the city received last June, most was used—as allowed—for direct response personnel costs, including $281-million to the police department. But the department asserts the money was properly used.
Activists like Jalen Kobayashi of Good Kids, Mad City said it could have been better used.
"Policing could've used only $36 million of that $285 million to combat gun violence with a transversal community-lead methodology of peace, resourcing, and construction in our communities," he said.
Amika Tendaji of Black Lives Matter Chicago feels it was a misuse of the funds.
"The CARES Act money that should've gone to our cousins, our family members, who did not have enough PPE while we were all out doing aid drives," she said.
Emma Tai, with United Working Families, said the city also failed to spend $68-million of the money.
"In the middle of a very pitched fight around the city budget, around how much to raise people's rent through property taxes, around how to change people more for traffic fines and fees, the city was literally sitting on $68 million," she said.
The Budget Department said the money was used for direct response costs regarding COVID-19.
Some Aldermen want more oversight of federal relief funds.