Dion Terrell McGill
Chicago Police District Council District 7
Tenure
2023 - Present
Term ends
2027
Years in position
2
Elections and appointments
Education
Military
Personal
Contact
Dion Terrell McGill is a member of the Chicago Police District Council in Illinois, representing District 7. He assumed office on May 2, 2023. His current term ends on May 4, 2027.
McGill ran for election to the Chicago Police District Council to represent District 7 in Illinois. He won in the general election on February 28, 2023.
McGill completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Dion Terrell McGill was born in Chicago, Illinois. He served in the U.S. Army National Guard from 2000 to 2009. He earned an associate degree from Moraine Valley Community College in 2006 and a bachelor's degree from Saint Xavier University in 2010. His career experience includes working in nonprofit management. McGill previously worked as a school teacher and taught grades six through 12 in schools in Illinois and Alaska. He has been affiliated with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Strengthening Chicago's Youth, the UChicago Civic Leadership Academy, and R.A.G.E.[1]
Elections
2023
See also: City elections in Chicago, Illinois (2023)
General election
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Dion Terrell McGill completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McGill's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I’m Dion McGill. I am the Manager of Communications and Community Outreach for Strengthening Chicago's Youth (SCY), Chicago’s largest violence prevention collaborative, convened by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.* Prior to joining SCY, I worked with the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (ICHV) where I managed and facilitated the ICHV's education initiatives and programs. In that role, I worked with young people ranging in age from 10 well into their 20s, focusing on topics of advocacy, activism, and what community safety meant to them. I worked alongside students in schools across the city in taking action, creating events ranging from town halls to peace marches. While our under-18 youth can’t officially be a part of the District Council, I have a track record of making sure that youth voice is heard. I’m a licensed Illinois educator, former CPS teacher, and former CTU delegate. I’m also a US Army veteran and have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences from Saint Xavier University.
- Locking people up and throwing away the key does not work. We need to move beyond classic policing and employ practices that restore community rather than decimating it.
- The key to real public safety is attacking the root causes of violence through investment; investment in community and most importantly the people who live in it.
- The police need to be held accountable, not only for what they do, but also what they don't do. Dismal crime and murder solve rates are unacceptable, particularly with a ballooning budget. If their budget is going to be just short of $2BN, we need something to justify it.
Featured local question
The inclusion of residents, including young people, is crucial to making decisions as to how their communities are policed, as well as to have true community accountability of policing. I plan to include residents in every step of the District Council process, through consistent recruiting of community members to meetings and events, as well as a variety of other ways to gather community opinion including surveys, group circles and social media.
Featured local question
Currently, the city's approach to public safety is focused on over-policing communities of color. Additionally, they put more value in power and order, rather than investing in trust and relationship building between the police and residents, or investing in already underserved communities.
Featured local question
One of the biggest issues within the community is the lack of a positive relationship between large portions of the community and the police department. After the installment of the District Councils, I would love to start the work with a series of peace circles, healing circles, and love circles to engage all members of the 7th Police District, particularly youth to allow for relationship and community building. It will be a long road to reconciliation between police and community members and CPD needs to fall within full compliance of the consent decree.
I'm very passionate about reforming the ways that communities, such as Englewood are policed, and ensuring that youth voice and community engagement are always present. I am also passionate about violence prevention here in Chicago and in Illinois as a whole. I've spent the last 7 years specifically working in the field of gun violence prevention specifically, including 3 of those years as program manager of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence.
There is a multitude of people who come to mind, but at this moment, I would have to say, Mr. Frank Chapman. Frank has been a tireless leader in this struggle for community control of the police and real police accountability, and I am proud to have joined him and countless allies in this struggle to finally see a multiple decade-long struggle bear fruit. Beyond that, as I've heard Mr. Chapman mention him before, Fred Hampton also comes to mind. He was a tireless fearless leader. I have a shirt that simply says on the back, "I am a revolutionary." Those are words that I try so very hard to live up to, to emulate, and of course, pass on their spirit to youth that I have the pleasure to work with. Be revolutionary.
"Run for Something" written by Amanda Litman is a great example of the kind of campaign I am running and the philosophies I have around running for elected office. We need to move away from career politicians, and instill in "regular people" that they have the power and potential to change things.
After four years on the District Council, I would like to be able to point to things we have concretely done, relationships we have built, and changes forming on the horizon as a result of our work.
I am still totally geeking out over "Unholy" by Sam Smith. I love covers and mashups, so in addition to the original song, I have like 14 other versions, including metal covers. I have a massively eclectic taste for music, but love me some metal covers.
One of the often overlooked "powers" of this office will be helping to choose the new commissioners of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability moving forward. The Community Commission will have a wide range of powers in relation to both the Chicago Police Department and COPA. We will need to ensure that we have as good a commission moving forward as the interim Community Commission.
I do not believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics. I think one of the most exciting parts of the District Councils right now is the wide variety of people running, including the variety of youth, activists, and community organizers. Unfortunately, Chicago politics have garnered a reputation for negligence, dishonesty, and nefarious shenanigans. We need new blood in Chicago politics, particularly people who care more about community and city than themselves, money, or power.
I would like to see candidates who actually believe that there needs to be increased accountability for CPD and believe that the fundamental culture and practices need to change. I would like to see someone who can engage and interact with the public and will be able to “weather the storm” of scrutiny that will come. I want someone who will stand by their principles and do what's right. It would also be beneficial for a candidate to understand the relationships between the city and CPD, the politics and history of Chicago, and the complex dynamics that exist.
15th Ward Aldermanic Candidate Victoria "Vicko" Alvarez, IVI-IPO
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See also
External links
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 10, 2023
