🚨The City ordered our distribution points taken down!

Newsracks near the DNC removed without notice [View this email in your browser]( Dear supporter of an independent press, Yesterday, as the DNC celebrated a progressive vision of freedom and democracy, the City of Chicago removed at least 83 permanent newsracks across the Loop—newsracks that support free, critical news sources like the Chicago Reader—and did so without notifying us. Thousands of copies of the Reader have nowhere to go this week—copies that include advertising purchased months in advance by some of the most important arts-and-cultural organizations in the city. [We need to raise funds immediately to counter this loss of distribution and to situate new Reader boxes in place of the removed newsracks.]( [DONATE TODAY]( The City notified only the vendor, JCDecaux USA, who confirmed the news with us four days ago, thanks to an inquisitive publisher in our community. Here's JCD's reply to that publisher (8/16/2024): "As you know, JCD has the contract with the City of Chicago and have to follow their directives. City instructed us 2 weeks ago to permanently dismount all 83 newsracks. This is not a JCD decision. We only follow City’s directives. I was under the impression you were made aware by the City, before they instructed us to start with the dismounts." Yesterday, I reached out personally to City leaders, hoping we could work together on a staged removal that wouldn't risk our circulation, our revenue, and our readership—but I was too late. [The City of Chicago removed at least 83 of these newsracks from the Loop.]( Image above: The City of Chicago removed at least 83 of these newsracks from the Loop. [CHIP IN TO HELP]( The City of Chicago has now shown us who they are: they care more about the aesthetics of the Loop’s street corners during the DNC than the strength of the local free press. You can trust that the Reader staff will be investigating. We want to know what the City paid JCDecaux to remove the newsracks, we want to see their contract with the City, and we want to know what happened to the copies of the Reader in those newsracks. Most of all, we want to know why, if the City cares so deeply about a diverse, deliberative local democracy, they’ve so carelessly hurt the people (read: small businesses with highly diverse staff!) fighting to serve the same goal of providing free and accessible information to all of the people of Chicago? [HELL YES, I’LL DONATE]( [Following in the fine Chicago tradition, let the muckracking begin!]( Sol Lieberman Publisher & CEO [Facebook icon]( [Instagram icon]( [Twitter icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( [YouTube icon]( [Website icon]( [Logo] You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from the Chicago Reader. Want fewer emails from us? [Click here to choose what you want us to send you](. Or, [unsubscribe from all Reader emails](. We’ll miss you! [Sign up for emails from the Chicago Reader]( | [Forward this e-mail to a friend]( © 2024 Chicago Reader. All rights reserved. Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616