It all started with a fire. On January 11, 2023, smoke and fumes from the Carus Chemical plant blanketed LaSalle, unsettling nearby residents, including myself, Jamie Hicks. Living just down the road from the facility, I knew that what started as a single fire could have lasting implications. Determined to protect the community, I began asking questions about what had burned, what risks remained, and what Carus and the city were doing to ensure safety. But those initial inquiries sparked a year-long battle—a fight not just for transparency, but against a city administration intent on silencing a voice it viewed as disruptive.

The city’s first response was dismissive, offering vague reassurances that the plant stored only “scrap metal and old machine parts.” But I pressed on, submitting over 50 FOIA requests to uncover the truth. These requests revealed internal city frustrations with Carus’s lack of transparency. Private emails between officials showed that Carus had provided incomplete information about the facility’s contents, yet the city made no effort to inform the public. Then came the Apollo Tier Two chemical storage facility, where I discovered 55-gallon drums and totes of hazardous materials. Officer Zebron witnessed the conditions inside the facility, further confirming the presence of improperly stored chemicals. I fought relentlessly to get people’s properties fixed from the chemical damage caused by Carus’s negligence. As I continued to advocate for safety, it became clear that the city preferred to preserve its narrative rather than ensure transparency.

Recognizing the complexity and urgency of the situation, I reached out to the Sierra Club, a respected environmental organization, to bolster the community’s efforts. The Sierra Club’s expertise lent legitimacy to my concerns, giving weight to requests for environmental accountability. Yet, rather than embracing this expertise, the city downplayed the Sierra Club’s involvement, sidestepping the need for their input. When the Sierra Club ultimately withdrew its efforts in LaSalle, I was left to carry the torch alone. But rather than retreat, my resolve only strengthened, knowing that if an organization as seasoned as the Sierra Club couldn’t make headway with the city, then the resistance to accountability ran deeper than anyone could have imagined.

As my advocacy continued, the city’s responses grew increasingly hostile. Police reports began to document my movements around the Apollo facility, labeling them as “suspicious.” I wasn’t breaking any laws, only gathering information on an issue affecting the community. But this surveillance cast me as an instigator rather than a concerned resident, signaling a shift in how the city perceived—and responded to—my advocacy.

Then, on April 24, 2024, more than a year after the fire, the city took an even more aggressive step, issuing an emergency order of protection against me. This order barred me from attending city meetings and even accessing city properties. The justification was vague, citing “disruptions,” but it was clear the city wanted to silence me, one of the community’s most vocal critics of Carus’s environmental practices. The message was clear: push for accountability, and you’ll face retaliation.

Undeterred, I continued advocating, showing up at public meetings to raise safety concerns. But the city intensified its efforts to limit my voice. Between October 2023 and February 2024, I was physically removed from city meetings on several occasions for speaking out about Carus’s safety practices. City officials adjusted public comment periods, shortened speaking times, and even brought out stopwatches to enforce strict limits. These changes, implemented under the guise of “efficiency,” were clearly aimed at controlling my input.

The situation took a deeply personal turn when an alderman publicly attacked me at a city meeting. In front of attendees, he criticized my parenting, suggesting it was reckless to raise children near the Carus facility if it was truly a concern. This comment was not only dismissive but deeply hurtful, crossing a line from policy disagreements to personal attacks. I had consistently raised these issues out of concern for family and community health, yet I was now being publicly derided for these same concerns. The alderman’s comments were not isolated—other officials had made flippant remarks, implying that my persistence was disruptive, even suggesting it was attention-seeking. This ridicule, captured in meeting minutes, added to the growing sense that the city was less interested in public safety and more focused on discrediting me.

As the city sought to suppress my voice, I refused to back down. I continued my fight, exposing how Carus Chemical and the city manipulated public records, altered police reports, and suppressed public information. The mayor changed the public comment ordinance multiple times to limit my ability to speak at city meetings. I filed multiple FOIA and OMA complaints with the Illinois Public Access Counselor, each one shining a light on the systemic corruption within LaSalle’s government.

I documented how city funds were misused, how officials bent the law to protect Carus Chemical, and how environmental hazards were ignored. The more I uncovered, the harder they fought to silence me. Carus Chemical, in collaboration with city officials, compiled a 111-page report detailing my Facebook Live videos and advocacy efforts. This was not just a report; it was an attempt to criminalize me for speaking out.

Then came the February 8, 2023, incident at the Apollo building, a Carus-owned structure near my home. In addition, law enforcement sought 13 search warrants for my personal data, including cell phone records, under the guise of an investigation. These excessive and invasive measures were not about solving a crime—they were about uncovering my sources and suppressing my advocacy. As part of their continued efforts to retaliate against me, the city even went after my disability payments, attempting to strip me of the financial support I relied on. This was not just an attack on my advocacy but on my ability to live and fight back against their corruption.

On July 12, 2023, law enforcement seized my phone, an essential tool in my fight for transparency. I fought tirelessly for over a year to get it back, finally succeeding in August 2024. This blatant abuse of power was yet another attempt to silence me and hinder my ability to expose the truth. I had documented illegal chemical storage there, but when an alarm was triggered and I reported it, law enforcement did nothing for four hours after Carus employees arrived. That’s when the narrative shifted. Suddenly, I was labeled a suspect. No witnesses, no evidence—just an effort to suppress my activism. They went as far as charging me with burglary and setting off a fire alarm—both felonies. In a separate matter, I was also accused of threatening an elected official, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and trespassing. Yet, none of those charges ever came to fruition—they were merely tools of intimidation.

Deciding to Run for Mayor

After all the harassment, the defamation, and the attempts to strip me of my rights, I realized something: the only way to change this broken system was to take it head-on. I could continue fighting from the outside, or I could step into the role where I could make real change. I chose the latter.

Running for mayor isn’t about power for me—it’s about justice. It’s about giving a voice to the people of LaSalle who have been ignored for too long. It’s about holding those in power accountable and ensuring that our city prioritizes the health and well-being of its residents over corporate interests.

I know this won’t be an easy fight. The same forces that have tried to silence me will do everything in their power to keep me from winning. But I refuse to back down. I am running for every resident who has been ignored, for every family suffering from pollution, and for every activist who has been silenced.

This campaign isn’t just mine—it’s ours. If you believe in transparency, accountability, and a city government that works for its people, I ask for your support. Together, we can take back LaSalle from those who have put profits before people for too long.

This fight has never been easy, but I have never backed down. And I won’t start now.