Oak Park Coalition of Truth & Justice

Our Mission

OPCTJ is a group of concerned citizens from Oak Park and the surrounding communities who gathered in response to the attacks of September 11th and our nation’s mobilization for war. We meet in an effort to:

• explore humanitarian alternatives to war
• protect our civil liberties
• encourage citizen action
• promote awareness of local and global events

We are local people who care deeply about our country and urge our fellow citizens to be true to American ideals of freedom, justice, and democracy. OPCTJ wishes to build bridges to other local groups and individuals, and invites you to participate in our work.

Featured Projects

Our  projects (New New Deal Project, film series, meeting with elected officials, educational and action workshops) focus on achieving racial and economic justice and redirecting resources away from militarism and towards human needs.

We meet 7:00 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the Oak Park Public Library, second floor discussion room.  Check our website (www.opctj.org) for other activities.

Our Structure

• Starting new projects: Each activity is usually initiated and planned by one or two members who form a committee.Anyone with an idea for a new project or event should present a proposal, preferably in writing, and present it to our planning/business meetings on the 2nd Thursday of each month.
• Decision making: All decisions are made by consensus whenever possible, but by vote when necessary.
• Communications: We use several email lists to communicate between meetings:
  • Announcement email list – click the “Contact Us” menu link on our website, or email a request to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
  • Organizer’s email list – come to one of our meetings or gatherings and ask to be added.
  • Discussion email list – click the “Contact Us” menu link on our site, or email a request to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Legal and financial status: We have a board of directors and we are registered as a non-profit corporation with the State of Illinois. However, we are NOT a 501(c)3 nonprofit, which means a check written to us is NOT tax deductible. But, large donations that need to be tax deductible can be written to the “Illinois Justice Foundation”, who is our fiscal agent, with “OPCTJ” in the memo line. We have a bank account, a treasurer and a careful system of bookkeeping.
• Partnerships: We co-sponsor events and projects with other groups in the Chicagoland area including a Free Film Series with the Oak Park Library.
• Coalition building: OPCTJ initiated a series of “New New Deal” movement-building workshops involving numerous other groups. Through the Oak Park/Austin Health Alliance, we work with the South Austin Coalition of Community Councils and AFSCME Council 31 on health care issues.
• Philosophy of organization building: We strive to be an efficient, effective organization while still maintaining an egalitarian approach to our meetings and our projects. Our goal is to use the strength of our numbers and experience to help individuals and small groups carry out their visions of a peaceful world.