Public defenders representing the protesters objected to the judges’ orders that demonstrators stay away from the DNC perimeter, arguing that they have a First Amendment right to protest there. Judge Mary Marubio, though, said barring defendants from the place of arrest is a common pretrial condition, and that the ban doesn’t limit them from their “ability to protest or speak.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson appears to be convinced that ShotSpotter is not worth the roughly $10 million a year it receives for its services. Unless he changes his mind, and he has repeatedly indicated that his decision has been made, ShotSpotter is scheduled to be deactivated here Sep 22.

Bomb threats were reported at six hotels downtown and on the Near West Side. One threat mentioned the Democratic National Convention that is taking place this week on the city’s Near West Side and included anti-semitic statements.

At Gibsons in the Gold Coast, they’re staying open two hours later than normal to try to capture the post-convention crowd. “We’re experimenting. Our staff would like to work as much as possible,” said Managing Partner Johnny Colletti. “Get a little overtime money, and we’re seeing what happens.

The policy is not new, though. The prosecutor, who was given a $408,000 donation from a George Soros super PAC in 2016, has maintained this policy at least since the riots in 2020 and has released hundreds of protesters over the years — even those who perpetrated property damage.

And don’t expect justice if there’s a Chicago homicide: the arrest rate is at a 20-year low.

Johnson’s action to clear Chicago’s homeless camps has led some to accuse the mayor of holding a double standard, including one of his closest progressive allies. “I didn’t think we would go from ‘Bring Chicago Home’ to ‘Hide Chicago’s Homeless,’ but here we are,” Ald. Andre Vasquez wrote on X.

“There’s nothing like a classic Chicago hot dog for those poor starving political journalists from the corrupt corporate media who are doing all that heavy lifting at the Chicago Democrat Convention. Making stuff up is hungry work.”

“Everybody forgets about the people. You know that comes from the kiss-the-ring mentality. You’re not royalty. Listen, we are taxpayers. We have to go to work to be able to pay those taxes,” 28th Ward Republican Committeewoman Tamiko Holt said.

“(Gov. JB) Pritzker’s term runs through 2026, and he’s able to seek reelection for a job that he says he loves. But he’s widely assumed to have broader political ambitions — such as a White House run in 2028 or 2032 — that would be a high-profile step up among a family that has already reached rarefied air in academia, finance, Hollywood and beyond. “

“Johnson didn’t defund the police, homicides and violence have been on the decline, and no one in the Loop is overthrowing capitalism. The truth is more mundane: The Johnson administration is like an incompetent non-profit organization that knows how to spend a Fort Knox vault worth of money but has no idea how to manage it or the city’s infrastructure and institutions.”

Ralph Martire, of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability at Roosevelt University, said, “Going to the taxpayers for revenue just to service your debt is somewhat problematic, but we’re going to have to, because [city administrators] created such a big problem over the years. So why not minimize that cost to taxpayers by going now and saving $11 billion over time?”

“Democrats begin their four-day national convention Monday in the city that perhaps best exemplifies the chasm between their party’s dreamy policy rhetoric and grim real-world results. As a direct result of one-party misrule (there are zero Republicans on the 50-seat City Council), Chicago’s tax base is decreasing, not increasing.”

“Police officers and agents find it hard to talk about what they are going through, but you’d be amazed at how they lean down into a dog’s fur and talk to them,” said retired police Sgt. Cindy Gross, now with the Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy group. “It’s stunning. For instance, the police are exhausted from 12-hour shifts, no days off and little family time to de-stress…”

As the exodus of Chicagoans and Illinoisans continues, many are heading to low-tax states. Florida gained the most Illinois residents in 2022, per IRS data, with 19,099 flocking to the Sunshine State, followed by Texas, which gained 12,259 residents from Illinois. Neighboring Indiana ranked third with a gain of 9,196 former Illinois residents.

While loud and enthusiastic, it became clear as the afternoon wore on that attendance was far below organizers’ hopes for up to 20,000 demonstrators, with piles of unused signs stacked in the park and plenty of empty space among the softball fields.