21ST WARD CANDIDATE IS IN THE COMMUNITY MAKING A DIFFERENCE
BY TIA CAROL JONES
Daliah Goree is running for 21st Ward Alderman. It wasn’t something she wanted to do initially. But, because of her work in the community, people thought she would make a good Alderman. Goree also has been a Chicago Police Officer for 24 years.
The 21st Ward includes the 200 Block of 83rd Street, west to the 1600 Block of 85th Street, south to 123rd and Ashland. During the 2022 Redistricting, the 21st Ward gained parts of the 34th Ward. Goree wants to see more businesses come into the community, while sustaining the businesses that are already there. “When we bring businesses into our community, we’re spending money back into our community ,” she said.
Goree also wants to clean up the community. When she visits residents, one of the things they bring up is the trash and have asked for the City to come and clean up those areas. As Alderman, she wants to sit down with city departments to ensure the community is clean and receives services. She
believes the community also can get involved in cleaning up and showing the pride they have where they live.
Goree believes dealing with the community during her time as a Chicago Police Officer has prepared her to become an elected of ficial. She believes every home in the Ward has needs, she wants to be able to assess those needs and provide resources. “I love what I do, I love working for the community , I love doing programs for the youth, I love creating
programs,” she said.
Goree also has a non-profit called I Am Love, which she founded about four years ago. The organization hosts toy giveaways during Christmas and during the pandemic distributed food to community residents. She was able to see how much of a need there was for resources in the community because the food was gone within hours. She wants to bring businesses into the community so the people there will
have jobs, in the community where they live.
Goree has been bridging the gap between the community and the Police Department. She wants people to know there are great officers in the Police Department. She has relationships with Police Department Commanders. She believes she can use those relationships to bridge the gap. She also highlighted the Peer Jury Program, where young people hold their peers accountable for their actions.
She also has been working in schools with children and talking to their parents. She believes getting to know the community will benefit her and make her a great candidate for Alderman of the 21st Ward.
Goree conducted a listening tour of the 21st Ward. She heard how the constituents loved their community. They told her about the activities and the Block Club parties. She could relate because she remembered those times. She believes that those
activities can come back to the community .
Goree is a people person and she loves to hear from people. If she hears someone has a need, she knows how to direct people to those necessary resources. She also isn’t afraid to go out into the community and walk in the community , she wants people to see her and know she is available.
“I walk the beat, I talk to the people, I play basketball with the kids, in uniform,” she said. “I’ve been there, I’ve done that and I love it.” She believes what separates her from the rest of the candidates is that she is out in the community , working and making a difference.
She intends to fight for resources for the constituents in the 21st Ward. She wants to establish relationships with departments within the community, to ensure the Ward has resources. “I am a public servant, I am not a politician, I love what I do in the community. I am the only one out of the candidates that can truly say, that I have been doing community work for decades, and I have been doing this outside of being a Police Officer,” she said.
For more information about Daliah Goree and her campaign, visit daliahgoree21.com.
