As we close out another difficult week, I want to share how the Institute for Justice has mobilized to give hardworking—and hard-pressed—local entrepreneurs the tools they need to survive in these unprecedented times.

In a matter of days, IJ created www.ShopInPlaceChi.com, a free online marketplace connecting Chicago consumers who have been ordered to stay at home with neighborhood small businesses that are still providing essentials like toilet paper, groceries, and pet supplies—even virtual music lessons. Spearheaded by IJ’s Clinic on Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Law School, which offers free legal assistance to low-income entrepreneurs there, the website also provides small businesses with the information and resources they need to understand changes to local and federal business regulations resulting from the pandemic.

The response has been very encouraging: In its first seven days alone, the site generated more than 30,000 visits and more than 250 businesses added their products and services to our online directory. It’s really inspiring to see people wanting to patronize local businesses not only for needed services but also to help ensure that these enterprises are still around when this moment passes. We have already launched a similar website for the D.C. area and we’re working with community leaders to replicate this vital resource in other cities across the nation. Meanwhile, IJ continues to litigate 27 economic liberty cases to ensure that our entrepreneur clients and thousands of others like them can pursue an honest living free from government overreach.

If you would like to provide immediate, practical support to hardworking Americans at a time when they need it most, please consider making a tax-deductible gift to IJ.

Many thanks,
Scott

Scott G. Bullock
President and General Counsel
Institute for Justice

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