Mayor Rahm Emmanuel has left many Chicago residents — especially those in the black community — very jaded. The mayor's mass public school closings and his "strategic gentrification" plan have received much criticism. 

Cue 22-year-old Ja'Mal Green, who has decided to throw his hat into the mayoral ring. 

“Millennials all over the world are stepping up and taking charge,” Green told the Chicago Sun-Times. “In the environment we’re in today, Chicago needs change, corruption needs to end, we need a modern approach to politics in Chicago.”

Green's platform includes investing more in neighborhood schools and mental health centers, more effective police oversight, decriminalizing marijuana and giving Chicago Public Schools an elected board. Green is known for being a long time critic of Mayor Emmanuel. 

Green's team officially filed paperwork with the Illinois State Board of Elections on April 6 to launch his political committee, Green For Chicago. Green formerly served as CEO of Majostee Allstars youth center, but has stepped down from that role to focus on his mayoral campaign.
A supporter of Bernie Sanders' 2016 Democratic presidential primary campaign, Green has already taken a nod from Sanders' grassroots campaign style by passing out flyers at public transportation stops.
In order to get on the official mayoral ballot, Green will have to collect 12,500 signatures; he can start doing so on August 28. 

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