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Police published a community alert Sunday evening warning that the children are committing the carjackings at a greater frequency, with six carjackings reported just last Saturday. “I teach this age group and I can’t believe they would do this,” one victim said.
“Chicago has now rung up double-digit gun killings in seven of the last nine weekends…Rambo isn’t going to help us. Instead, the federal government should be pursuing sensible short-term and long-term strategies to quell violence at the same time the Chicago Police Department should be aiming to rebuild morale within its ranks and build bridges back to residents who simply don’t trust the cops.”
“Destruction of public property is an affront to democracy. The public, acting through democratic means, has the right to decide who will be honored and who will not. Chicagoans are ready to rethink these monuments. But force is no substitute for persuasion.”
One attorney said Illinois FOIA law, like many other public records laws across the country, balance public employee privacy interest and the public’s interest in knowing how the government is functioning.
After about 100 people gathered at Federal Plaza, the protesters were on the move, heading north near Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street. There was a skirmish between some Chicago Police officers and protesters, apparently as police tried to keep the protesters on the sidewalk.
“In the end, we very much want to partner with an executive branch that respects our city, inclusive of all of our residents, regardless of race, ethnicity, country of origin, religion, sexual orientation or ability,” Lightfoot wrote. “Partnership includes respect that you have not shown to our residents as of late in mocking the level of violence that challenges Chicagoans.”
For years, people have called on the city to remove two Columbus statues and the Balbo monument outside of Soldier Field, as well as rename Douglas Park on the West Side, among other honorariums for historical figures.
Asked about federal help for the city’s problem with violence, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said they have asked for help in investigating certain organized gang activity. “We’ll take any and all help,” Brown said, though he didn’t elaborate on what additional help was needed.
“I am hoping that in November that we will be able to take up again the work by the ethics commission that was put together in the general assembly, a bi-partisan commission that was doing quite good work before they were cut short by COVID-19,” the governor said.
Illinois’ highest court also decided last week that law school graduates still must take the bar exam in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic before becoming licensed attorneys.
Dan Montgomery, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, said during a video news conference, “But most districts right now are not able, we believe to hit the marks, the benchmarks in terms of social distancing, in terms of all the PPE and cleaning,” he said.
The subpoena includes 12 requests for documents regarding Madigan’s communications with politicians, friends and large corporations. The list of requests makes it clear investigators are interested in more than just his relationship with Commonwealth Edison and are looking for other instances in which the speaker used his power to help and influence others.
As violent clashes between police and protesters convulsed the city, a former Marine, now a freelance journalist, headed downtown to witness history in the making. Here is his front-line chronicle.
While coronavirus metrics are stable for the majority of Illinois’ 102 counties, as of Friday night, four counties were seeing increased risks of the virus: Clark, Monroe, St. Clair and Union counties weren’t meeting required metrics.
At an unrelated news conference Monday morning, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she has great concerns, based on what has happened in Portland. If Trump wants to help, she said, he could boost federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives resources and fully fund prosecutors. “We don’t need federal agents without any insignia taking people off the streets and holding them, I think, unlawfully,” Lightfoot said.
The city is also cracking down on personal services and gyms. Among other restrictions, residential property managers will be asked to limit guest entry to five per unit to avoid indoor gatherings and parties and pservices requiring the removal of face coverings will no longer be permitted (shaves, facials, etc.).
“Most Illinoisans have never cast a vote for Madigan. A small district near Midway Airport sends him to Springfield every two years. Then House members make him speaker. He’s kept power through the rules, the maps, the party, his law firm and patronage fueled by debt.”
State officials are working to set up a $150 million program through the Illinois Housing Development Authority that will allow tenants, who have been unable to pay rent, to enter a lottery for a $5,000 grant. Another $150 million is earmarked to help homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages. However, it is not clear when the program will launch.
Senate Democrats say instead of allowing hundreds of billions of dollars in government assistance to sit at the Treasury, this act would seek to re-program this money during negotiations for a fourth COVID-19 bill, along with the provisions of the House’s Heroes Act.
One reason why British institutions have been captured by the forces of illiberalism is contagion from the US, where the movement has been most extreme.
Even the citadels of capitalism have fallen. Giant corporations instruct their employees in diversity training but fail to provide them with medical insurance, childcare facilities or decent incomes.
Ditch the BLM yard signs. Find a better slogan than Black Lives Matter. Defund its network.
Lynn Sweet: “If Trump sends a Portland-style action to Chicago, it would represent a dramatic escalation between Trump and Mayor Lori Lightfoot regarding how to deal with the city’s ongoing battles against gun violence and demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality.”
Early Monday morning, Lopez sent out a tweet accusing Mayor Lori Lightfoot of not protecting communities: “Glass can be replaced, peace of mind and security cannot. Your silence is destroying this city!”
Video from an anonymous source showed show of what police previously described as rocks, frozen bottles, fireworks, and other objects hurled at them. The images showed a more coordinated effort than previously thought.
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