chicagosun-times--2020-08-06--2 loaded guns found hours apart at O’Hare security checkpoints

Authorities recovered two handguns in separate incidents hours apart Wednesday at O ’ Hare Airport .
At 7:25 a.m. , @ @ @ @ @ a loaded 9mm gun with 14 rounds of ammunition in a passenger ’ s carry-on @ @ @ @ @ the TSA said .
About 9 a.m. , another officer found a .38 caliber gun @ @ @ @ @ ammunition at another checkpoint , the TSA said .
In both cases , the officers @ @ @ @ @ the passengers into custody , the TSA said .
Shakiya Horne , 19 , of @ @ @ @ @ one felony count of boarding an aircraft with a weapon in the earlier incident , @ @ @ @ @ , 47 , was charged with a misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed firearm in @ @ @ @ @ .
Romano , of Skokie , is a concealed-carry holder with an FOID card .
@ @ @ @ @ at the airport ’ s security checkpoints so far this year , the TSA said @ @ @ @ @ total of 50 guns were found during screenings .

Authorities recovered two handguns in separate incidents hours apart Wednesday at O’Hare Airport.
At 7:25 a.m., Transportation Security Administration officers found a loaded 9mm gun with 14 rounds of ammunition in a passenger’s carry-on at a security checkpoint, the TSA said.
About 9 a.m., another officer found a .38 caliber gun loaded with seven rounds of ammunition at another checkpoint, the TSA said.
In both cases, the officers notified Chicago police who took the passengers into custody, the TSA said.
Shakiya Horne, 19, of Austin, was charged with one felony count of boarding an aircraft with a weapon in the earlier incident, police said.
Vincent Romano, 47, was charged with a misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed firearm in an airport, police said. Romano, of Skokie, is a concealed-carry holder with an FOID card.
Officers have found 16 guns at the airport’s security checkpoints so far this year, the TSA said. Last year, a total of 50 guns were found during screenings.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-06--‘Devastated’ Chicago college students opt to stay home after last-minute shifts to all online classe

‘Devastated’ Chicago college students opt to stay home after last-minute shifts to all online classes, strict COVID-19 restrictions

Eli Stone , of Lake View , was ready for the “ normal college experience ” and set to start his freshman year this fall at Brandeis University outside Boston .
But when Brandeis released its reopening plans , Stone , 18 , said he couldn ’ t imagine finding new friends or developing new relationships when he was living in a single dorm and taking all his classes online .
So earlier this summer , he deferred his enrollment for at least a semester .
“ If I was going this year , I ’ d really only have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t think spring will be normal , ” either , Stone said .
“ Starting college during a pandemic would have been really hard for me.
” Faced with almost completely online schedules and strict COVID-19 protocol , students across Chicago who realize they won ’ t enjoy the traditional college campus experience are choosing to live at home or defer their education altogether .
Some students ’ plans have literally been upended in the past several days as many universities announced fewer and fewer — if any — in-person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dorms or even being on campus .
Up until last week , Ariel Hulfachor was planning on making a cross-country road trip to Santa Clarita to start her freshman year at the California Institute of the Arts .
Hulfachor , 17 , of Oriole Park , had already wrapped her head around potentially living in a hotel room for the fall , since the school ’ s dorms couldn ’ t accommodate social distancing guidelines .
When the school announced last week that classes would be completely online in the fall , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said she was “ devastated.
” “ I was pretty convinced I was going because of the nature of my education , ” said Hulfachor , who ’ s planning on studying fine arts .
“ I didn ’ t think it would be possible for me to do it without their facilities or in-person instruction.
” The fine arts curriculum typically involves using the school ’ s materials and machinery to complete projects , Hulfachor said .
Instead , she will take her fall courses online while in Chicago and is disappointed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lecture-style instead , she said .
Hulfachor said she ’ s hoping the school could have in-person classes in the spring , though she ’ s not getting her hopes up .
Even if the college introduces a hybrid model for spring semester , with limited in-person classes , going to campus still might not be an option for her , Hulfachor said .
“ I may just stay here because of the cost of living up there , ” Hulfachor said .
“ I don ’ t know if it would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Danielle Di Silvestro isn ’ t a traditional incoming college freshman .
Having already received a psychology degree from Roosevelt University , Di Silvestro is going back to school for music production this fall at Full Sail University in Winter Park , Florida .
“ In my head , I want to move down there yesterday because I just want to be among the students , ” said Di Silvestro , of Arcadia Terrace on the North Side .
“ But what ’ s going on now in Florida is scary.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was moving to the Orlando area for school .
But now , she ’ ll be completing fall semester online from Chicago .
Even those plans are subject to change , Di Silvestro said .
“ Right now , my plan is to start online in September and then be six months online — that ’ s the plan as of today , ” Di Silvestro said .
“ A big part of me is like , ‘ Why don ’ t I just defer until things settle down a bit ?
’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fall , Stone , who deferred his admission to Brandeis , will be working as a campaign manager for Sarah Yacoub , who ’ s running for the Wisconsin State Assembly .
Stone worked on eight other political campaigns in high school and hopes to work in Chicago politics after he graduates .
Stone already said goodbye to some of his high school friends as they leave for college , he said , making it “ kind of hard ” not starting school at the same time as his peers .
Whether he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waits a full year before starting college is a decision Stone is waiting to make until after November ’ s election , he said .
“ If they say it ’ ll be completely normal in the spring , which is unlikely , I ’ ll probably go [ to Brandeis ] , ” Stone said .
“ But socially and academically , it might be easier to start next year .
”

Eli Stone, of Lake View, was ready for the “normal college experience” and set to start his freshman year this fall at Brandeis University outside Boston.
But when Brandeis released its reopening plans, Stone, 18, said he couldn’t imagine finding new friends or developing new relationships when he was living in a single dorm and taking all his classes online. So earlier this summer, he deferred his enrollment for at least a semester.
“If I was going this year, I’d really only have three years of a college experience because I don’t think spring will be normal,” either, Stone said. “Starting college during a pandemic would have been really hard for me.”
Faced with almost completely online schedules and strict COVID-19 protocol, students across Chicago who realize they won’t enjoy the traditional college campus experience are choosing to live at home or defer their education altogether. Some students’ plans have literally been upended in the past several days as many universities announced fewer and fewer — if any — in-person classes and strict rules for living in the dorms or even being on campus.
Last-minute changes
Up until last week, Ariel Hulfachor was planning on making a cross-country road trip to Santa Clarita to start her freshman year at the California Institute of the Arts. Hulfachor, 17, of Oriole Park, had already wrapped her head around potentially living in a hotel room for the fall, since the school’s dorms couldn’t accommodate social distancing guidelines.
When the school announced last week that classes would be completely online in the fall, the Whitney Young Magnet High School grad said she was “devastated.”
“I was pretty convinced I was going because of the nature of my education,” said Hulfachor, who’s planning on studying fine arts. “I didn’t think it would be possible for me to do it without their facilities or in-person instruction.”
Ariel Hulfachor, 17, graduated from Whitney Young Magnet High School in the spring. After the California Institute of the Arts decided to move classes fully online last week, Hulfachor will be staying in Chicago to start her freshman year. Provided
The fine arts curriculum typically involves using the school’s materials and machinery to complete projects, Hulfachor said. Instead, she will take her fall courses online while in Chicago and is disappointed knowing many of her classes will be lecture-style instead, she said.
Hulfachor said she’s hoping the school could have in-person classes in the spring, though she’s not getting her hopes up. Even if the college introduces a hybrid model for spring semester, with limited in-person classes, going to campus still might not be an option for her, Hulfachor said.
“I may just stay here because of the cost of living up there,” Hulfachor said. “I don’t know if it would be worth it.”
Future plans in flux
At 27 years old, Danielle Di Silvestro isn’t a traditional incoming college freshman. Having already received a psychology degree from Roosevelt University, Di Silvestro is going back to school for music production this fall at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
“In my head, I want to move down there yesterday because I just want to be among the students,” said Di Silvestro, of Arcadia Terrace on the North Side. “But what’s going on now in Florida is scary.”
Danielle Di Silvestro, 27, was supposed to move to Winter Park, Florida, to pursue a degree in music production. She’s decided to complete the first semester virtually from her home in Arcadia Terrace. Provided
Di Silvestro had already told friends she was moving to the Orlando area for school. But now, she’ll be completing fall semester online from Chicago.
Even those plans are subject to change, Di Silvestro said.
“Right now, my plan is to start online in September and then be six months online — that’s the plan as of today,” Di Silvestro said. “A big part of me is like, ‘Why don’t I just defer until things settle down a bit?’”
Going to work
Instead of going to school this fall, Stone, who deferred his admission to Brandeis, will be working as a campaign manager for Sarah Yacoub, who’s running for the Wisconsin State Assembly. Stone worked on eight other political campaigns in high school and hopes to work in Chicago politics after he graduates.
Stone already said goodbye to some of his high school friends as they leave for college, he said, making it “kind of hard” not starting school at the same time as his peers.
Whether he goes to Brandeis in the spring or waits a full year before starting college is a decision Stone is waiting to make until after November’s election, he said.
“If they say it’ll be completely normal in the spring, which is unlikely, I’ll probably go [to Brandeis],” Stone said. “But socially and academically, it might be easier to start next year.”


chicagosun-times--2020-08-06--Michelle Obama suffering from ‘low-grade depression.’ What does that mean?

Former First Lady Michelle Obama said on her podcast Tuesday she ’ s suffering from a ” low-grade depression , ” which she attributes to coronavirus quarantine , the mental health toll of racism and the “ hypocrisy ” of the Trump administration .
“ These are not , they are not fulfilling times , spiritually , ” she told journalist Michele Norris during “ The Michelle Obama Podcast .
“ “ I know that I am dealing with some form of low-grade depression .
Not just because of the quarantine , but because of the racial strife , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hypocrisy of it , day in and day out , is dispiriting.
” One in three Americans are reporting symptoms of depression or anxiety , more than three times the rate from a survey conducted in the first half of 2019 , a Census Bureau survey found .
“ I just wanted to check in with you all because a lot of you have been checking in on me after hearing this week ’ s podcast .
First things first —I ’ m doing just fine .
There ’ s no reason to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in that conversation with Michele Norris , I ’ m thinking about the folks out there risking themselves for the rest of us — the doctors and nurses and essential workers of all kinds .
I ’ m thinking about the teachers and students and parents who are just trying to figure out school for the fall .
I ’ m thinking about the people out there protesting and organizing for a little more justice in our country .
“ The idea that what this country is going through shouldn ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all should just feel OK all the time — that just doesn ’ t feel real to me .
So I hope you all are allowing yourselves to feel whatever it is you ’ re feeling .
I hope you ’ re listening to yourselves and taking a moment to reflect on everything that ’ s coming at us , and what you might be able to do about it .
And to all of you who ’ ve reached out — thank you .
I hope you ’ re also reaching out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with , not just with a text , but maybe with a call or a videochat .
Don ’ t be afraid to offer them a shoulder to lean on , or to ask for one yourself .
Love you all.
” USA TODAY spoke with Vaile Wright , senior director of Health Care Innovation at the American Psychological Association , about what low-grade depression is , who is susceptible and how it can be managed .
“ Low-grade depression is not an official diagnosis .
It is probably closest to what we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refers to a person who is experiencing depressive symptoms but does not meet the criteria for a depressive disorder , ” she said .
What are the symptoms ?
“ The symptoms are similar to depression – sadness , loss of interest in activities , difficulty concentrating , sleep and appetite disturbances , irritability – and research has shown that subclinical depression has serious consequences for quality of life , ” she said .
Obama said she ’ s “ waking up in the middle of the night because I ’ m worrying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heaviness.
” “ We know that stress can lead to subclinical depression , especially when it is chronic and unmanaged , and it goes without saying that we are all living in a very stressful situation right now — the pandemic , systemic racism , economic downfall , upcoming election , ” Wright said .
“ There ’ s also a great sense of loss right now - whether it ’ s the loss of a loved one or the loss of what was our ‘ normal ’ lives .
Unfortunately , no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now and the studies I have seen do suggest that people are experiencing increased depression and anxiety.
” Obama said a number of factors are impacting her mental health .
She expressed frustration with Americans who refuse to wear masks .
“ There ’ s almost like there ’ s a limit to our sacrifice and it was about a month and then we just got tired of the virus , ” she said .
“ That ’ s been disheartening to see so many people who have grown tired of staying at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact them.
” She and Norris also addressed racism .
As a Black woman , Obama admits it ’ s “ exhausting ” hearing stories of racial injustice in the news .
“ We talk about white women clutching their purses at the sight of us , or feeling uncomfortable when we walk in the store , ” she said , “ but I wonder , do you know how afraid we are ?
” How can it be treated ?
“ We know that psychological treatment such as psychotherapy is effective but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things that people can do including exercise , meditation and mindfulness , seeking out social connection , and engaging in coping skills to improve their mood , ” Wright said .
Obama said staying connected with loved ones and taking a social media break helps her get out of “ a bad place.
” She says quarantining with her husband , Barack Obama , and her two daughters , Sasha , 19 , and Malia , 22 , has helped lift her spirit during tough times .
“ You kinda have to sit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know , ‘ oh oh , I ’ m feeling off , ’ ” she advised .
“ I got ta feed myself with something better .
And sometimes for me that means turning it off .
It means turning off the phone , not taking in the news , because it is negative energy .
I learned that in the days of the White House.
” “ We can follow the advice of Obama and engage in the good self-care skills she mentioned she ’ s doing , ” Wright said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ remember , humans are resilient .
We have overcome adversity in the past – even if there were times we doubted ourselves – and have often grown stronger for it .
”

Former First Lady Michelle Obama said on her podcast Tuesday she’s suffering from a ”low-grade depression,” which she attributes to coronavirus quarantine, the mental health toll of racism and the “hypocrisy” of the Trump administration.
“These are not, they are not fulfilling times, spiritually,” she told journalist Michele Norris during “The Michelle Obama Podcast. “
“I know that I am dealing with some form of low-grade depression. Not just because of the quarantine, but because of the racial strife, and just seeing this administration, watching the hypocrisy of it, day in and day out, is dispiriting.”
One in three Americans are reporting symptoms of depression or anxiety,more than three times the rate from a survey conducted in the first half of 2019, a Census Bureau survey found.
On Thursday, Obama issued a followup statement via Facebook.
“I just wanted to check in with you all because a lot of you have been checking in on me after hearing this week’s podcast. First things first —I ’m doing just fine. There’s no reason to worry about me. Like I said in that conversation with Michele Norris, I’m thinking about the folks out there risking themselves for the rest of us — the doctors and nurses and essential workers of all kinds. I’m thinking about the teachers and students and parents who are just trying to figure out school for the fall. I’m thinking about the people out there protesting and organizing for a little more justice in our country.
“The idea that what this country is going through shouldn’t have any effect on us — that we all should just feel OK all the time — that just doesn’t feel real to me. So I hope you all are allowing yourselves to feel whatever it is you’re feeling. I hope you’re listening to yourselves and taking a moment to reflect on everything that’s coming at us, and what you might be able to do about it. And to all of you who’ve reached out — thank you. I hope you’re also reaching out to all those you’re closest with, not just with a text, but maybe with a call or a videochat. Don’t be afraid to offer them a shoulder to lean on, or to ask for one yourself. Love you all.”
USA TODAY spoke with Vaile Wright, senior director of Health Care Innovation at the American Psychological Association, about what low-grade depression is, who is susceptible and how it can be managed.
What is low-grade depression?
“Low-grade depression is not an official diagnosis. It is probably closest to what we refer to as subclinical depression, which refers to a person who is experiencing depressive symptoms but does not meet the criteria for a depressive disorder,” she said.
What are the symptoms?
“The symptoms are similar to depression – sadness, loss of interest in activities, difficulty concentrating, sleep and appetite disturbances, irritability – and research has shown that subclinical depression has serious consequences for quality of life,” she said.
Obama said she’s “waking up in the middle of the night because I’m worrying about something or there’s a heaviness.”
Who is susceptible?
“We know that stress can lead to subclinical depression, especially when it is chronic and unmanaged, and it goes without saying that we are all living in a very stressful situation right now — the pandemic, systemic racism, economic downfall, upcoming election,” Wright said. “There’s also a great sense of loss right now - whether it’s the loss of a loved one or the loss of what was our ‘normal’ lives. Unfortunately, no one is immune to the stressors right now and the studies I have seen do suggest that people are experiencing increased depression and anxiety.”
Obama said a number of factors are impacting her mental health.
She expressed frustration with Americans who refuse to wear masks. “There’s almost like there’s a limit to our sacrifice and it was about a month and then we just got tired of the virus,” she said. “That’s been disheartening to see so many people who have grown tired of staying at home because the virus didn’t impact them.”
She and Norris also addressed racism. As a Black woman, Obama admits it’s “exhausting” hearing stories of racial injustice in the news.
“We talk about white women clutching their purses at the sight of us, or feeling uncomfortable when we walk in the store,” she said, “but I wonder, do you know how afraid we are?”
How can it be treated?
“We know that psychological treatment such as psychotherapy is effective but there are also many lifestyle or behavioral things that people can do including exercise, meditation and mindfulness, seeking out social connection, and engaging in coping skills to improve their mood,” Wright said.
Obama said staying connected with loved ones and taking a social media break helps her get out of “a bad place.”
She says quarantining with her husband, Barack Obama, and her two daughters, Sasha, 19, and Malia, 22, has helped lift her spirit during tough times.
“You kinda have to sit in it for a minute, to know, ‘oh oh, I’m feeling off,’” she advised. “I gotta feed myself with something better. And sometimes for me that means turning it off. It means turning off the phone, not taking in the news, because it is negative energy. I learned that in the days of the White House.”
Wright said Obama’s approach is worth replicating.
“We can follow the advice of Obama and engage in the good self-care skills she mentioned she’s doing,” Wright said. “And it’s important to remember, humans are resilient. We have overcome adversity in the past – even if there were times we doubted ourselves – and have often grown stronger for it.”
Read more at usatoday.com


chicagosun-times--2020-08-06--‘Chivalry will come back’: Pandemic could shift dating trends away from hook-up culture

Ofmar Ofrozan spent a Friday night in mid-March at Nighthawk , a bar in Albany Park , with a woman he met on Tinder .
The pair connected over a common love of sports , holding nothing but a vague awareness of the novel coronavirus that would soon shutter bars and restaurants for months .
The date concluded with an elbow bump , said Ofrozan , 30 , of Avondale , decidedly safer than a hug or kiss .
Ofrozan hasn ’ t seen her since .
“ We only went on one date , ” Ofrozan said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort to continue pen pal-ing when we only met once ?
” Many single Chicagoans took a hiatus from dating when the pandemic hit in mid-March , anticipating a return to the status quo in a matter of weeks .
Weeks turned into months , shifting what ’ s considered normal in how people meet and date .
Video calls on Bumble are up 70 % , and people are having longer messaging conversations on Tinder , according to representatives from each app .
Zoom calls , socially distanced picnics and straying from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pandemic .
Some of these shifts , experts argue , are here to stay .
Alexandra Solomon — a relationship therapist and professor at Northwestern University — said even before the pandemic , many people were critical of sex-driven relationships , where emotional connections take lower priority .
“ The pandemic has flipped the switch , ” Solomon said .
“ Long term , the pendulum may swing back , with more friendship and mutual caretaking that happens earlier , and sex gets pushed a bit later.
” Bela Gandhi describes this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ 50s.
” Instead of rushing into physical intimacy , people are more deeply getting to know each other before meeting in person , said Gandhi , owner and founder of Smart Dating Academy in Chicago .
Virtual dates can still be creative and fun , Gandhi said .
Her clients — which have doubled this year — have virtually cooked a recipe together or done a “ show and tell ” of their most meaningful objects , Gandhi said .
“ You can tell 99 % of person by doing a video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It makes dating better , more efficient , cheaper and safer for people , especially for women.
” Some existing couples experienced the pandemic as a relationship accelerant , deciding to move in together earlier than they might have planned , Solomon said .
Others , under the weight of uncertainty , financial strain and caring for loved ones due to the virus , lacked a bandwidth for dating at all , Solomon said .
That ’ s what happened with Ofrozan .
His health and rent payments took priority over an active @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It wasn ’ t ideal , ” Ofrozan said .
“ Pretty much , dating just kind of fell off the wayside when everything happened in late March.
” It was during Chicago ’ s stay-at-home order that Stefanie Groner co-launched Quarantine Bae , a Chicago virtual dating site .
Groner said the quarantine forces her and other “ baes ” to examine what they want in a relationship and be more upfront about that in dating .
“ People are much more interested in real conversations , ” Groner said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ gotten real , so why treat dating relationships any different ?
” Stef Safran , owner of Stef and the City , a Chicago date coaching and matchmaking service , has seen an uptick in clients of all ages , including many recently divorced people .
She ’ s always advised her clients to do a brief “ screening ” call before going on a date , but Safran said more clients are now heeding her recommendation since so much of dating is now virtual .
Safran said she hopes this trend lasts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criteria include whether someone social distances , wears a mask and prioritizes sanitization .
Safran said she ’ s heard stories of people ending relationships immediately because someone didn ’ t have soap or hand towels in their home .
Will , 26 , who lives on the Gold Coast , turned to dating apps in the pandemic out of necessity , unable to meet people in bars as he normally did .
Will , who did not want to use his last name , met someone on Hinge a month and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The couple spent a week getting to know each other over the app before meeting in person , walking along the 606 trail and bringing their own drinks in canteens .
Visiting a beach or having a rooftop dinner allows people to show more personality than they can in a crowded bar , he said .
“ If things stay the way they are , I think things will go a little more old school — chivalry will come back , ” Will said .
“ It works well for an older-school @ @ @ @ @

Ofmar Ofrozan spent a Friday night in mid-March at Nighthawk, a bar in Albany Park, with a woman he met on Tinder. The pair connected over a common love of sports, holding nothing but a vague awareness of the novel coronavirus that would soon shutter bars and restaurants for months.
The date concluded with an elbow bump, said Ofrozan, 30, of Avondale, decidedly safer than a hug or kiss.
Ofrozan hasn’t seen her since.
“We only went on one date,” Ofrozan said. “Is it really worth the time and effort to continue pen pal-ing when we only met once?”
Many single Chicagoans took a hiatus from dating when the pandemic hit in mid-March, anticipating a return to the status quo in a matter of weeks. Weeks turned into months, shifting what’s considered normal in how people meet and date. Video calls on Bumble are up 70%, and people are having longer messaging conversations on Tinder, according to representatives from each app.
Zoom calls, socially distanced picnics and straying from “hook-up culture” characterize dating in a pandemic. Some of these shifts, experts argue, are here to stay.
Alexandra Solomon — a relationship therapist and professor at Northwestern University — said even before the pandemic, many people were critical of sex-driven relationships, where emotional connections take lower priority.
“The pandemic has flipped the switch,” Solomon said. “Long term, the pendulum may swing back, with more friendship and mutual caretaking that happens earlier, and sex gets pushed a bit later.”
Alexandra Solomon, a relationship therapist and psychology professor at Northwestern University, said the “pandemic has flipped the switch” from physical to emotional intimacy. Marita Poll/Provided by Alexandra Solomon
Bela Gandhi describes this shift as a “throwback to the ‘50s.” Instead of rushing into physical intimacy, people are more deeply getting to know each other before meeting in person, said Gandhi, owner and founder of Smart Dating Academy in Chicago.
Virtual dates can still be creative and fun, Gandhi said. Her clients — which have doubled this year — have virtually cooked a recipe together or done a “show and tell” of their most meaningful objects, Gandhi said.
“You can tell 99% of person by doing a video chat,” Gandhi said. “It makes dating better, more efficient, cheaper and safer for people, especially for women.”
Some existing couples experienced the pandemic as a relationship accelerant, deciding to move in together earlier than they might have planned, Solomon said. Others, under the weight of uncertainty, financial strain and caring for loved ones due to the virus, lacked a bandwidth for dating at all, Solomon said.
That’s what happened with Ofrozan. His health and rent payments took priority over an active dating life when the pandemic began.
“It wasn’t ideal,” Ofrozan said. “Pretty much, dating just kind of fell off the wayside when everything happened in late March.”
Bela Gandhi is the owner and founder of Smart Dating Academy, a Chicago date coaching and matchmaking service. AJ Kane/Provided by Bela Gandhi
It was during Chicago’s stay-at-home order that Stefanie Groner co-launched Quarantine Bae, a Chicago virtual dating site. Groner said the quarantine forces her and other “baes” to examine what they want in a relationship and be more upfront about that in dating.
“People are much more interested in real conversations,” Groner said. “In 2020, s—-’s gotten real, so why treat dating relationships any different?”
Stef Safran, owner of Stef and the City, a Chicago date coaching and matchmaking service, has seen an uptick in clients of all ages, including many recently divorced people. She’s always advised her clients to do a brief “screening” call before going on a date, but Safran said more clients are now heeding her recommendation since so much of dating is now virtual. Safran said she hopes this trend lasts even beyond the pandemic.
New dating criteria include whether someone social distances, wears a mask and prioritizes sanitization. Safran said she’s heard stories of people ending relationships immediately because someone didn’t have soap or hand towels in their home.
People dine on the sidewalk at Yellowtail Sushi Bar & Asian Kitchen at 3136 N. Broadway. Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times file
Will, 26, who lives on the Gold Coast, turned to dating apps in the pandemic out of necessity, unable to meet people in bars as he normally did. Will, who did not want to use his last name, met someone on Hinge a month and a half ago and is still seeing her.
The couple spent a week getting to know each other over the app before meeting in person, walking along the 606 trail and bringing their own drinks in canteens. Visiting a beach or having a rooftop dinner allows people to show more personality than they can in a crowded bar, he said.
“If things stay the way they are, I think things will go a little more old school — chivalry will come back,” Will said. “It works well for an older-school guy like myself.”


chicagosun-times--2020-08-06--Bears must beware of false positives in early part of QB duel

John DeFilippo has the grading system drawn up .
When the Bears quarterbacks coach watches practice film , he ’ ll judge his passers on whether they threw a completion – but also precisely how accurate they were .
He ’ ll critique not only if a quarterback scramble earned a first down , but whether it was the right decision in the moment .
“ We ’ re going to take it to the next level a little bit in terms of accuracy , in terms of timing , decision-making , ” he said Thursday .
With no preseason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Nick Foles , it ’ s all the Bears can do .
“ Trying to keep perspective , ” offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said .
“ The part that ’ s closest to real football , is , the part that should be the most important.
” That part remains 10 days away .
The Bears can ’ t hold a padded practice until Aug. 17 .
Until then , Bears coaches are forced to judge the preliminary round of their quarterback derby on more subtle gestures .
First impressions matter .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ — or even met third-stringer Tyler Bray in person — until this week .
Still , there ’ s only so much DeFilippo and his fellow Bears coaches can learn from how his quarterbacks handle a walk-through at Halas Hall .
And that ’ s where the danger lies — and not just because Trubisky has been notorious in his career for playing well in practice but not on Sundays .
This early in the NFL ’ s most bizarre preseason ever , it ’ s just as likely that a strong classroom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If a coach catches Foles or Trubisky leading in a quiet moment , it could portend great things — or nothing at all .
“ It ’ s a very unique situation , ” DeFilippo said .
“ We ’ ve just got to get to know each other as well as we can and as quick as we can.
” And pick a starter as fast as they can , too .
“ In that competitive environment , you want to see which guy moves this offense better , and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something as simple as that , ” DeFilippo said .
“ Obviously , when you ’ re in the huddle , who ’ s functioning better .
But at the end of the day , which guy is raising the other 10 guys ’ level of play .
“ Hopefully one of those guys steps up in that role sooner rather than later .
That would be great for our football team .
But obviously we ’ ll take it out as long as we need to , to make the best choice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a first-time father July 31 .
He can ’ t imagine , if he were to have another child , trying to pick a favorite .
He ’ s used that analogy to his friends when they , quietly , ask him which quarterback he prefers .
DeFilippo admitted what coach Matt Nagy did last week : that Foles being out-of-state during the entire offseason was a disadvantage for him , but not necessarily an edge for Trubisky .
He said he ’ s watching how Foles and Trubisky interact with each other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they ’ re interacting comfortable .
That , he said , is a good sign of character .
“ There ’ s gon na be great competition , ” he said , “ but it ’ s not gon na be combative.
” The practice film , he said , won ’ t lie .
“ We get a grade , every week , for 16 regular season games — and you pass or you fail , ” he said .
“ There ’ s no in-between .
There ’ s no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an F or an A .
“ So we would be doing a disservice to our fans , our organization , our ownership , if we put any bias into this at all .
And so I think that , when you put it that way , it allows your mind to work in an unbiased way .
”

Bears quarterback coach John DeFilippo has the grading system drawn up. When he watches practice film, he’ll judge his passers on whether they threw a completion — but also on just how accurate they were. He’ll consider not only whether a scramble resulted in a first down, but whether it was the right decision in the moment.
“We’re going to take it to the next level a little bit in terms of accuracy, in terms of timing, decision-making,” DeFilippo said Thursday.
With no preseason games to judge Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles on, that’s all the Bears can do.
“Trying to keep perspective,” offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said. “The part that’s closest to real football is the part that should be the most important.”
That part is still 10 days away. The Bears can’t hold a padded practice until Aug. 17.
Until then, Bears coaches will be forced to judge the preliminary round of their quarterback derby on more subtle details.
First impressions matter. Until this week, DeFilippo had never seen Trubisky throw live — or even met third-stringer Tyler Bray in person.
Still, there’s only so much DeFilippo and his fellow coaches can learn from how a QB handles a walk-through at Halas Hall.
And that’s where the danger lies — and not just because Trubisky has been notorious in his career for playing well in practice but not on Sundays. This early in the NFL’s most bizarre preseason ever, a strong classroom performance can easily produce a false positive. If a coach catches Trubisky or Foles leading in a quiet moment, it could portend great things — or nothing at all.
“It’s a very unique situation,” DeFilippo said. “We’ve just got to get to know each other as well as we can and as quick as we can.”
And pick a starter as fast as they can, too.
“In that competitive environment, you want to see which guy moves this offense better, and I think it just really comes down to something as simple as that,” DeFilippo said. “Obviously, when you’re in the huddle, [you’re looking for] who’s functioning better. But at the end of the day, which guy is raising the other 10 guys’ level of play?
“Hopefully one of those guys steps up in that role sooner rather than later. That would be great for our football team. But obviously, we’ll take it out as long as we need to, to make the best choice for our football team.”
DeFilippo became a first-time father on July 31. He can’t imagine, if he were to have another child, trying to pick a favorite. He has used that analogy with his friends lately when they’ve quietly asked him which quarterback he prefers.
DeFilippo admitted what head coach Matt Nagy did last week: that Foles being out of state for the entire offseason was a disadvantage for him — but not necessarily an edge for Trubisky. DeFilippo said he’s watching how Foles and Trubisky interact with each other during team meetings and walk-throughs, and so far, it’s comfortable. That, he said, is a good sign of character.
“There’s gonna be great competition,” he said. “But it’s not gonna be combative.”
The practice film won’t lie.
“We get a grade, every week, for 16 regular-season games, and you pass or you fail,” he said. “There’s no in-between. There’s no getting a C. It’s either an F or an A.
“So we would be doing a disservice to our fans, our organization, our ownership, if we put any bias into this at all. And so I think that, when you put it that way, it allows your mind to work in an unbiased way.”


chicagosun-times--2020-08-07--Dear Abby: I didn’t help a former co-worker, and I regret it 40 years later

DEAR ABBY : About 40 years ago , I did someone an injustice , and I have felt guilty ever since .
I worked for a consulting firm in Washington , D.C. , that fired an accounting clerk who was in my small office .
I didn ’ t know why she was fired , and I never heard a cross word exchanged between her and her supervisor .
She seemed to be capable and friendly .
A prospective employer called me for a reference , and because my company told me that it did not respond to requests for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her one .
Ever since , I have wished I had shared what I knew about her .
If I was allowed a do-over , I would have told the employer about my positive experience with her and my belief that she was capable and friendly .
Her being Black and not having my reference may have increased her difficulty in finding a job .
I am sharing this with your readers so they may avoid making a similar mistake .
— GUILT-RIDDEN IN TEXAS DEAR GUILT-RIDDEN : Some companies , on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adhere to a policy of disclosing only dates of hire and discharge of employees .
This has nothing to do with race or ethnicity .
It was not a mistake to do as your employers instructed , and you should not feel guilty for having done so .
DEAR ABBY : My heart is heavy as I write this .
Since the pandemic started , my father-in-law has called us every couple of weeks to ask if we are safe and OK .
I have heard nothing from my own father .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought he would call to check on us .
His response was , “ I ’ m the adult ; you should be checking on me.
” ( I have two grown children and two grandchildren , so I was taken aback by the thought that I was not an “ adult.
” ) I mentioned that because he is not in a nursing home , in jail or has to go to work , I figured he was much safer than my husband and me , who still must go out to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with hundreds of people .
I feel like my father doesn ’ t care about us like my father-in-law does .
What do you think ?
— DISAPPOINTED IN FLORIDA DEAR DISAPPOINTED : I agree that your father doesn ’ t care about you the same way your father-in-law does .
He appears to be so centered upon himself that there ’ s little room to worry about his “ children ’ s ” welfare .
What do I think ?
I think that if you love your father , you should give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you do , expect nothing in return .
And you should thank your lucky stars you have a darling father-in-law who takes up the slack .
DEAR ABBY : I have two close , dear friends .
They ’ re my inner circle .
Both are extroverts and quite talkative .
I ’ m an introvert and quieter .
My problem is , I can ’ t get a word in edgewise when we ’ re together .
I ’ m not sure how to tactfully address this subject with them .
Any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DEAR INTROVERT : Yes .
Speak up and say exactly what you told me — “ Hey , folks , I can ’ t get a word in edgewise !
” If you say it with a smile , it shouldn ’ t be regarded as insulting because it ’ s the truth .
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren , also known as Jeanne Phillips , and was founded by her mother , Pauline Phillips .
Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O .
Box 69440 , Los Angeles , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to know about wedding planning , order “ How to Have a Lovely Wedding.
” Send your name and mailing address , plus check or money order for $ 8 ( U.S. funds ) , to : Dear Abby , Wedding Booklet , P.O .
Box 447 , Mount Morris , IL 61054-0447 .
( Shipping and handling are included in the price . )

DEAR ABBY: About 40 years ago, I did someone an injustice, and I have felt guilty ever since. I worked for a consulting firm in Washington, D.C., that fired an accounting clerk who was in my small office. I didn’t know why she was fired, and I never heard a cross word exchanged between her and her supervisor. She seemed to be capable and friendly.
A prospective employer called me for a reference, and because my company told me that it did not respond to requests for references, I didn’t give her one. Ever since, I have wished I had shared what I knew about her.
If I was allowed a do-over, I would have told the employer about my positive experience with her and my belief that she was capable and friendly. Her being Black and not having my reference may have increased her difficulty in finding a job. I am sharing this with your readers so they may avoid making a similar mistake. — GUILT-RIDDEN IN TEXAS
DEAR GUILT-RIDDEN: Some companies, on the advice of their legal counsel, strictly adhere to a policy of disclosing only dates of hire and discharge of employees. This has nothing to do with race or ethnicity. It was not a mistake to do as your employers instructed, and you should not feel guilty for having done so.
DEAR ABBY: My heart is heavy as I write this. Since the pandemic started, my father-in-law has called us every couple of weeks to ask if we are safe and OK. I have heard nothing from my own father.
I finally called him, mentioning that I thought he would call to check on us. His response was, “I’m the adult; you should be checking on me.” (I have two grown children and two grandchildren, so I was taken aback by the thought that I was not an “adult.”) I mentioned that because he is not in a nursing home, in jail or has to go to work, I figured he was much safer than my husband and me, who still must go out to work every day and be in contact with hundreds of people.
I feel like my father doesn’t care about us like my father-in-law does. What do you think? — DISAPPOINTED IN FLORIDA
DEAR DISAPPOINTED: I agree that your father doesn’t care about you the same way your father-in-law does. He appears to be so centered upon himself that there’s little room to worry about his “children’s” welfare.
What do I think? I think that if you love your father, you should give him an occasional call, but when you do, expect nothing in return. And you should thank your lucky stars you have a darling father-in-law who takes up the slack.
DEAR ABBY: I have two close, dear friends. They’re my inner circle. Both are extroverts and quite talkative. I’m an introvert and quieter. My problem is, I can’t get a word in edgewise when we’re together. I’m not sure how to tactfully address this subject with them. Any ideas? — INTROVERT IN THE SOUTHWEST
DEAR INTROVERT: Yes. Speak up and say exactly what you told me — “Hey, folks, I can’t get a word in edgewise!” If you say it with a smile, it shouldn’t be regarded as insulting because it’s the truth.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
For everything you need to know about wedding planning, order “How to Have a Lovely Wedding.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)


chicagosun-times--2020-08-07--Beth Salamensky, lawyer who found community in L.A. after leaving Chicago, dead at 43

Four strangers stood around an open grave at Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park to mourn the passing of Beth Salamensky , a lesbian Jewish woman who died of the coronavirus .
Some were queer or Jewish or both .
Even though none of them knew her , they were there to make sure the 43-year-old wouldn ’ t be buried alone that sweltering day in July .
Ms. Salamensky ’ s cousin Shelley Salamensky , the last remaining relative on her father ’ s side , was unable to make the flight from New York for health reasons .
Her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , from whom she ’ d long been estranged , didn ’ t attend .
They said they were adhering to strict social distancing .
David Jacobson , founder of Chicago Jewish Funerals , began the service with a prayer and asked whether anyone knew Ms. Salamensky .
Hearing only “ no , ” he read the weekly Torah portion , titled Balak , which , in part , explores how blessings can come in the guise of a curse .
“ She brought together all of us , ” Jacobson said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ family ... translates a blessing for us .
She gave us the opportunity to do something good.
” Her relatives in Flossmoor had vanished from her life .
But she found a new family at Beth Chayim Chadashim , a queer synagogue in Los Angeles , where she moved after graduating from the New York Law School in 2002 .
The community she built at the synagogue remained the anchor of her life even as she moved back to the south suburbs in 2015 to care for her ailing mother .
“ Something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she not only watched the Friday night services [ on a livestream ] in Chicago , where it ’ s two hours later , but she would send an email to me right after it , ” said Rabbi-emerita Lisa Edwards .
“ If I asked a rhetorical question or something during a service , she would send an email after to answer it .
And , in just different ways , she would let me know really sweetly that she had listened to the whole thing.
” Edwards remembers Ms. Salamensky throwing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She was a member of the ritual committee and an active participant in Torah study , even after moving back to the Chicago area .
“ BCC meant everything to her , ” Shelley said at a Zoom memorial with clergy and congregants Sunday .
“ It was a new life , a family she never had.
” Not only did BCC become a family with which Ms. Salamensky could be herself , it also reoriented her with her faith .
It was the first time she set foot in a synagogue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whom she was very close , died shortly after dropping her off at law school , a feat which made him incredibly proud coming from a poor family .
Ms. Salamensky practiced law in Los Angeles until she moved back to the Chicago area to care for her mother Fern Salamensky .
When her mother ’ s mental condition worsened , she was made a ward of the state and institutionalized , and the family home was liquidated to pay for her care .
The move left Ms. Salamensky essentially homeless .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moved to a nearby hotel , where she planned to wait for a friend she ’ d met in dialysis treatment to be released and take her in .
Eventually , the same type of kidney disease that killed her father sent her back into dialysis at Little Village Nursing and Rehabilitation Center .
While there , Ms. Salamensky contracted COVID-19 , and she was transferred to St. Anthony ’ s Hospital .
She died April 17 .
The car and her other belongings have since gone missing .
Shelley Salamensky didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death until Chicago Jewish Funerals recovered her body after two months in storage .
Despondent at the thought of her cousin being buried alone , she turned to Reboot , a progressive Jewish nonprofit , to spread the word she was looking for “ dedicated mourners ” — an age-old practice that spans cultures in which strangers , often paid , attend a funeral to mourn .
Four strangers answered her call .
Many more watched the service on the funeral home ’ s website .
“ I thought it was really important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moss , one of the mourners .
“ I ’ m a lesbian and wanted to represent that , and also Jewish .
I thought it was important that she have a sister here , that she was represented.
” More than a week later , members of the BCC community came together with Shelley to share memories and pay their respects over Zoom .
The group of about 20 recited prayers , and the synagogue ’ s cantor , Juval Porat , sang Hebrew hymns in a wavering , melismatic tenor that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A poignant moment came when Moore and Edwards shared emails Ms. Salamensky exchanged with them after moving back to Chicago , revealing a curious , loving person who cherished her relationships with the community she found at the synagogue .

Four strangers stood around an open grave at Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park to mourn the passing of Beth Salamensky, a lesbian Jewish woman who died of the coronavirus.
Some were queer or Jewish or both. Even though none of them knew her, they were there to make sure the 43-year-old wouldn’t be buried alone that sweltering day in July.
Ms. Salamensky’s cousin Shelley Salamensky, the last remaining relative on her father’s side, was unable to make the flight from New York for health reasons. Her mother’s side of the family, from whom she’d long been estranged, didn’t attend. They said they were adhering to strict social distancing.
David Jacobson, founder of Chicago Jewish Funerals, began the service with a prayer and asked whether anyone knew Ms. Salamensky. Hearing only “no,” he read the weekly Torah portion, titled Balak, which, in part, explores how blessings can come in the guise of a curse.
“She brought together all of us,” Jacobson said. “Out of a curse from the family... translates a blessing for us. She gave us the opportunity to do something good.”
Her relatives in Flossmoor had vanished from her life. But she found a new family at Beth Chayim Chadashim, a queer synagogue in Los Angeles, where she moved after graduating from the New York Law School in 2002. The community she built at the synagogue remained the anchor of her life even as she moved back to the south suburbs in 2015 to care for her ailing mother.
“Something that I loved about Beth is that she not only watched the Friday night services [on a livestream] in Chicago, where it’s two hours later, but she would send an email to me right after it,” said Rabbi-emerita Lisa Edwards. “If I asked a rhetorical question or something during a service, she would send an email after to answer it. And, in just different ways, she would let me know really sweetly that she had listened to the whole thing.”
Edwards remembers Ms. Salamensky throwing herself into the synagogue’s community. She was a member of the ritual committee and an active participant in Torah study, even after moving back to the Chicago area.
“BCC meant everything to her,” Shelley said at a Zoom memorial with clergy and congregants Sunday. “It was a new life, a family she never had.”
Not only did BCC become a family with which Ms. Salamensky could be herself, it also reoriented her with her faith. It was the first time she set foot in a synagogue since her father Paul Salamensky, with whom she was very close, died shortly after dropping her off at law school, a feat which made him incredibly proud coming from a poor family.
Ms. Salamensky practiced law in Los Angeles until she moved back to the Chicago area to care for her mother Fern Salamensky. When her mother’s mental condition worsened, she was made a ward of the state and institutionalized, and the family home was liquidated to pay for her care.
The move left Ms. Salamensky essentially homeless. She packed a car with her belongings and moved to a nearby hotel, where she planned to wait for a friend she’d met in dialysis treatment to be released and take her in.
Eventually, the same type of kidney disease that killed her father sent her back into dialysis at Little Village Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. While there, Ms. Salamensky contracted COVID-19, and she was transferred to St. Anthony’s Hospital.
She died April 17. The car and her other belongings have since gone missing.
Shelley Salamensky didn’t learn of her cousin’s death until Chicago Jewish Funerals recovered her body after two months in storage. Despondent at the thought of her cousin being buried alone, she turned to Reboot, a progressive Jewish nonprofit, to spread the word she was looking for “dedicated mourners” — an age-old practice that spans cultures in which strangers, often paid, attend a funeral to mourn.
Four strangers answered her call. Many more watched the service on the funeral home’s website.
“I thought it was really important that I be here” said Deborah Moss, one of the mourners. “I’m a lesbian and wanted to represent that, and also Jewish. I thought it was important that she have a sister here, that she was represented.”
More than a week later, members of the BCC community came together with Shelley to share memories and pay their respects over Zoom. The group of about 20 recited prayers, and the synagogue’s cantor, Juval Porat, sang Hebrew hymns in a wavering, melismatic tenor that brought a hush over the virtual attendees.
A poignant moment came when Moore and Edwards shared emails Ms. Salamensky exchanged with them after moving back to Chicago, revealing a curious, loving person who cherished her relationships with the community she found at the synagogue.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-07--‘We’re in really, really uncharted territory,” Kim Foxx says of gun violence in Chicago

In a wide-ranging interview on gun violence in Chicago , Cook County State ’ s Attorney Kim Foxx reflects on a friend ’ s being shot while she was growing up , says more has to be done to prevent retaliatory shootings and pushes back at criticism her office has faced that it goes too easy on gun crimes .
Question : What do you make of criticism from police Supt .
David Brown that more needs to be done to keep gun offenders behind bars ?
Kim Foxx : We have asked for any data that they have that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have .
Our data , when we ’ re able to look at someone who ’ s been arrested , say , on a gun charge because that was the narrative — that these people are arrested with gun charges , and they ’ re right back out , and they ’ re committing new crimes — didn ’ t substantiate that .
Q : Many say economic development in low-income neighborhoods and an end to institutional racism are the longterm answers to solving Chicago ’ s violence problem .
What can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foxx : I think your point is well taken about the longterm , systemic issues .
I want to point out that , inasmuch as we say that takes a long time , I also would like to see us put some real heft behind it .
In the short term , I think we have to figure out who are the drivers of violence and what ’ s driving it .
When we are talking about a lot of conflicts that are being settled with guns , we ’ re not talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re talking about a slight indignity that happened on Facebook or someone avenging a loss from a year ago .
It ’ s why the police have been beefing up security around funerals because we have enough intelligence to tell us that those are now hot spots .
And so it is using the intelligence that we have specific to the neighborhoods and going after those who we know are driving violence .
That is a police effort using intelligence that ’ s gathered on the ground .
It ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ folks , being sure that we are asking for no bail when possible , being able to use our resources to charge when the penalties are significant .
It is the violence interrupters .
We ’ ve seen it in other jurisdictions like New York , like Los Angeles where there are people on the ground , even before a police officer is called , they go where the conflicts are and talk some folks down .
Q : A little boy near the old Cabrini Green got shot to death the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , died July 31 when someone opened fire in a housing complex on the Near West Side .
Darrell Johnson was arrested two days later ] .
You saw Ald .
Walter Burnett and community activists talking to residents to get them to cough up a suspect .
Do you do you think more of that kind of thing is necessary ?
Foxx : Yeah , absolutely necessary .
It is not just lip service .
It ’ s not just the police and prosecution .
We ’ re after the fact .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ people from other areas of the city coming in , causing harm and going back .
People know who is committing these crimes , and I understand the fear and the anxiety of living in the same neighborhood with someone who has no regard for killing children .
However , we can not give shelter , a safe space , for people to do that .
We were able to make an arrest in that case .
But far too many of these cases don ’ t end in an arrest because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engage .
There ’ s got to be a point where this is so despicable and so horrifying that we come together as a community and say : You can ’ t take our children .
Q : You grew up in Cabrini Green , right ?
Foxx : Yeah , I was there in the ‘ 70s and ‘ 80s .
It was even more violent than what we ’ re seeing right now , unrelenting violence .
But there also was a sense that children were off-limits .
I knew a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with who was shot when I was 8 .
I remember seeing her when she finally was able to come back out and play , and we were looking at her scars .
I ’ m 48 .
And I still remember that like yesterday .
Q : Do you think there ’ s a disregard for human life that ’ s even worse now than it was in the ‘ 70s and ‘ 80s ?
What explains dozens of little kids getting shot this year , five killed ?
What explains a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Foxx : There was a rule .
And it ’ s a terrible thing to talk about the rule of criminality , but once upon a time there were rules and permissions and things that you had to do in order to retaliate .
Right now , it is : Somebody said something on social media , and someone ’ s in the car , and someone ’ s shooting the gun with no regard .
There ’ s a lack of concern for the others who are around — the need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at any and all costs , without any calculation or thought or fear of reprisal .
And the weaponry is different .
You don ’ t walk up on shooting scenes any more when there ’ s one or two shell casings .
Now , there ’ s 15 , 20 , 30 .
The number of guns on the streets continues to be high .
Background checks have been through the roof since this pandemic has started .
So it is no surprise that people who want to possess guns and can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there trying to find guns on the illegal market .
And so we have an issue in Chicago that has not changed , which is oversaturation of illegal guns in our communities .
I think we ’ re in really , really uncharted territory .
Right now , we ’ re in the middle of a global pandemic , in the middle of a financial collapse , civil unrest and an oversaturation of guns — and violence that just is unrelenting .

In a wide-ranging interview on gun violence in Chicago, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx reflects on a friend’s being shot while she was growing up, says more has to be done to prevent retaliatory shootings and pushes back at criticism her office has faced that it goes too easy on gun crimes.
Question: What do you make of criticism from Police Supt. David Brown that more needs to be done to keep gun offenders behind bars?
Kim Foxx: We have asked for any data that they have that’s different from the data that we have. Our data, when we’re able to look at someone who’s been arrested, say, on a gun charge because that was the narrative — that these people are arrested with gun charges, and they’re right back out, and they’re committing new crimes — didn’t substantiate that.
Q: Many say economic development in low-income neighborhoods and an end to institutional racism are the long-term answers to solving Chicago’s violence problem. What can be done in the short term?
Foxx: I think your point is well taken about the long-term, systemic issues. I want to point out that, inasmuch as we say that takes a long time, I also would like to see us put some real heft behind it.
In the short term, I think we have to figure out who are the drivers of violence and what’s driving it.
When we are talking about a lot of conflicts that are being settled with guns, we’re not talking about large organizations protecting corners. We’re talking about a slight indignity that happened on Facebook or someone avenging a loss from a year ago. It’s why the police have been beefing up security around funerals because we have enough intelligence to tell us that those are now hot spots.
And so it is using the intelligence that we have specific to the neighborhoods and going after those who we know are driving violence. That is a police effort using intelligence that’s gathered on the ground. It’s a prosecution effort of when we get those folks, being sure that we are asking for no bail when possible, being able to use our resources to charge when the penalties are significant. It is the violence interrupters. We’ve seen it in other jurisdictions like New York, like Los Angeles where there are people on the ground, even before a police officer is called, they go where the conflicts are and talk some folks down.
It’s all hands on deck.
Q: A little boy near the old Cabrini-Green got shot to death the other day. [Janari Ricks, 9, died July 31 when someone opened fire in a housing complex on the Near West Side. Darrell Johnson was arrested two days later.] You saw Ald. Walter Burnett and community activists talking to residents to get them to cough up a suspect. Do you think more of that kind of thing is necessary?
Foxx: Yeah, absolutely necessary. It is not just lip service.
It’s not just the police and prosecution. We’re after the fact.
Janari Ricks., 9, who was killed when someone fired shots, striking hims in the chest, on July 31 as he played with friends behind the former Cabrini Green public housing complex in the 900 block of North Cambridge. Provided
These crimes are hyperlocal. There are not people from other areas of the city coming in, causing harm and going back. People know who is committing these crimes, and I understand the fear and the anxiety of living in the same neighborhood with someone who has no regard for killing children. However, we cannot give shelter, a safe space, for people to do that.
We were able to make an arrest in that case. But far too many of these cases don’t end in an arrest because of people’s fear and reluctance to engage. There’s got to be a point where this is so despicable and so horrifying that we come together as a community and say: You can’t take our children.
Q: You grew up in Cabrini-Green, right?
Foxx: Yeah, I was there in the ’70s and ’80s. It was even more violent than what we’re seeing right now, unrelenting violence. But there also was a sense that children were off-limits.
I knew a girl that I used to jump rope with who was shot when I was 8. I remember seeing her when she finally was able to come back out and play, and we were looking at her scars. I’m 48. And I still remember that like yesterday.
Q: Do you think there’s a disregard for human life that’s even worse now than it was in the ’70s and ’80s? What explains dozens of little kids getting shot this year, five killed? What explains a 50% rise in murders this year?
Foxx: There was a rule. And it’s a terrible thing to talk about the rule of criminality, but once upon a time there were rules and permissions and things that you had to do in order to retaliate.
Right now, it is: Somebody said something on social media, and someone’s in the car, and someone’s shooting the gun with no regard.
There’s a lack of concern for the others who are around — the need to immediately gratify the thirst for revenge at any and all costs, without any calculation or thought or fear of reprisal.
And the weaponry is different. You don’t walk up on shooting scenes any more when there’s one or two shell casings. Now, there’s 15, 20, 30.
The number of guns on the streets continues to be high. Background checks have been through the roof since this pandemic has started. So it is no surprise that people who want to possess guns and can’t do so legally are out there trying to find guns on the illegal market.
And so we have an issue in Chicago that has not changed, which is oversaturation of illegal guns in our communities.
I think we’re in really, really uncharted territory. Right now, we’re in the middle of a global pandemic, in the middle of a financial collapse, civil unrest and an oversaturation of guns — and violence that just is unrelenting.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-07--1 dead, 6 hurt in Chicago shootings Thursday

A man was killed and six other people , including two teenage boys , were injured by gunfire Thursday across Chicago .
The day ’ s latest shooting left a man dead shortly before midnight in West Rogers Park on the North Side .
The 54-year-old was with a group of people in an alley about 11:50 p.m. in the 7300 block of North Western Avenue when a minivan pulled up and three people got out and opened fire , according to police .
He was hit in the chest and torso and was taken to Saint Francis Hospital in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A 17-year-old boy was wounded less than an hour earlier in Washington Park on the South Side .
He was walking on the sidewalk sometime between 11:15 and 11:30 p.m. in the 5800 block of South Michigan Avenue when a blue sedan approached and a male got out and fired at him , according to Chicago police .
The boy was hit in the left ankle and dropped off at Comer Children ’ s Hospital in good condition .
Hours before that , a 15-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boy was involved in a “ gambling game ” about 7:15 p.m. when someone opened fire from a passing red vehicle in the 2700 block of South State Street , police said .
He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition with a graze wound to his thigh .
A man was shot Thursday night in West Pullman on the Far South Side .
The 23-year-old was shot in the arm about 9 p.m. in the 700 block of West 123rd Street , police said .
He was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lawn in good condition .
Earlier that afternoon , a man was shot in Lawndale on the West Side .
About 5:45 p.m. , the 24-year-old was in the 1300 block of South Keeler Avenue when he was shot in the leg and buttocks , police said .
He took himself to Mount Sinai Hospital , where he was listed in fair condition .
Hours before that , another man was wounded in Marquette Park on the Southwest Side .
The 22-year-old was standing in the 2500 block of West Lithuanian Plaza about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police said .
The man went to Holy Cross Hospital with a gunshot wound to his armpit area .
He was in fair condition .
The day ’ s first shooting left a man injured in Roseland on the South Side .
The 31-year-old was walking about 3:15 a.m. in the 300 block of West 110th Street when he heard gunshots and felt pain , according to police .
He was hit in the elbow and ran to Roseland Community Hospital , where he was listed in good condition .
Seventeen people were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them fatally .
Read more on crime , and track the city ’ s homicides .

A man was killed and six other people, including two teenage boys, were injured by gunfire Thursday across Chicago.
The day’s latest shooting left a man dead shortly before midnight in West Rogers Park on the North Side.
The 54-year-old was with a group of people in an alley about 11:50 p.m. in the 7300 block of North Western Avenue when a minivan pulled up and three people got out and opened fire, according to police. He was hit in the chest and torso and was taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, where he was pronounced dead.
A 17-year-old boy was wounded less than an hour earlier in Washington Park on the South Side.
He was walking on the sidewalk sometime between 11:15 and 11:30 p.m. in the 5800 block of South Michigan Avenue when a blue sedan approached and a male got out and fired at him, according to Chicago police. The boy was hit in the left ankle and dropped off at Comer Children’s Hospital in good condition.
Hours before that, a 15-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet in Douglas on the South Side.
The boy was involved in a “gambling game” about 7:15 p.m. when someone opened fire from a passing red vehicle in the 2700 block of South State Street, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition with a graze wound to his thigh.
A man was shot Thursday night in West Pullman on the Far South Side.
The 23-year-old was shot in the arm about 9 p.m. in the 700 block of West 123rd Street, police said. He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in good condition.
Earlier that afternoon, a man was shot in Lawndale on the West Side.
About 5:45 p.m., the 24-year-old was in the 1300 block of South Keeler Avenue when he was shot in the leg and buttocks, police said. He took himself to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in fair condition.
Hours before that, another man was wounded in Marquette Park on the Southwest Side.
The 22-year-old was standing in the 2500 block of West Lithuanian Plaza about 2:40 p.m. when he heard gunfire, police said. The man went to Holy Cross Hospital with a gunshot wound to his armpit area. He was in fair condition.
The day’s first shooting left a man injured in Roseland on the South Side.
The 31-year-old was walking about 3:15 a.m. in the 300 block of West 110th Street when he heard gunshots and felt pain, according to police. He was hit in the elbow and ran to Roseland Community Hospital, where he was listed in good condition.
Seventeen people were shot across Chicago on Wednesday, one of them fatally.
Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-07--‘Waiting for the Barbarians’: Inquisitors rule with iron fists and stilted metaphors

Few actors can top Johnny Depp when it comes to making an entrance , and sometimes it ’ s great and sometimes it ’ s just weird and takes us out of the movie — and Depp ’ s initial appearance in the ambitious but uneven and sadistically off-putting “ Waiting for the Barbarians ” lands firmly in the latter category .
The setting : a far-flung , colonial outpost in an unnamed desert country .
A linen-clad , benevolent civil bureaucrat known only as the Magistrate ( Mark Rylance ) has been comfortably ensconced in his position for years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homeland , known as The Empire — but now the secret police branch of the government has sent Depp ’ s Col. Joll to investigate rumors and intelligence about a possible uprising from the Mongolian “ barbarians ” lurking in the desert and the distant mountains .
Ever amiable and welcoming , the Magistrate stands smiling beside the carriage as Depp ’ s colonel slowly exits .
First we get a glimpse of his gloved hands , then his black uniform , complete with cape and goofy hat , plus he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wonder and bewilderment of the Magistrate and the locals , the colonel is sporting Steampunk designer sunglasses .
As the colonel explains in an accent that sounds like a cross between Grindelwald and Capt .
Jack Sparrow , those are called sunglasses , so named because they , well , shade one ’ s eyes from the sun .
The colonel ( and eventually his sociopathic associate , played by Robert Pattinson , who does what he can with an underwritten monster of a character ) quickly shifts the balance of power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he needs to step aside while the Empire ’ s men interrogate and torture and intimidate the locals , all under the guise of learning the truth about those barbarians allegedly plotting to wage war .
Cue the constant and often heavy-handed metaphors about oppression and racism and warped behavior rationalized by unfounded feelings of superiority .
We know who the real barbarians are in this tale .
( One sign : Every time we visit the Magistrate ’ s offices , fewer and fewer books and scrolls are left on the shelves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want people reading and learning things . )
“ Pain is truth , ” the colonel says coldly in explaining to the Magistrate why he revels in inflicting pain on the locals .
“ [ Everything ] else is subject to doubt.
” Directed by Ciro Guerra and based on the novel by Nobel Prize-winning South African writer J.M .
Coetzee , “ Waiting for the Barbarians ” is a visually impressive film ( it was shot in Morocco and Italy ) , though the marketplace and the interiors are awfully clean and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dust storms and the harsh conditions .
The camera lingers on horrific shots of abuse , from a local Mongolian woman ( Gana Bayarsaikhan ) who has been crippled and blinded by the Empire ’ s sadistic soldiers , to a scene of kneeling men and women strung together by a long piece of razor wire pinning their hands to their faces , to the Magistrate humiliated and beaten and cast into the streets .
The overwrought score and the Orwellian themes announce “ Barbarians ” as a prestige project brimming with Big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stilted and didactic , and more than a bit nasty .

Few actors can top Johnny Depp when it comes to making an entrance, and sometimes it’s great and sometimes it’s just weird and takes us out of the movie — and Depp’s initial appearance in the ambitious but uneven and sadistically off-putting “Waiting for the Barbarians” lands firmly in the latter category.
The setting: a far-flung, colonial outpost in an unnamed desert country. A linen-clad, benevolent civil bureaucrat known only as the Magistrate (Mark Rylance) has been comfortably ensconced in his position for years and has almost no contact with his homeland, known as The Empire — but now the secret police branch of the government has sent Depp’s Col. Joll to investigate rumors and intelligence about a possible uprising from the Mongolian “barbarians” lurking in the desert and the distant mountains.
‘Waiting for the Barbarians’
Untitled Samuel Goldwyn Films presents a film directed by Ciro Guerra and written by J.J. Coetzee. No MPAA rating. Running time: 112 minutes. Opens Friday at local theaters and on demand.
Ever amiable and welcoming, the Magistrate stands smiling beside the carriage as Depp’s colonel slowly exits. First we get a glimpse of his gloved hands, then his black uniform, complete with cape and goofy hat, plus he’s carrying a walking stick — and to the wonder and bewilderment of the Magistrate and the locals, the colonel is sporting Steampunk designer sunglasses. As the colonel explains in an accent that sounds like a cross between Grindelwald and Capt. Jack Sparrow, those are called sunglasses, so named because they, well, shade one’s eyes from the sun.
The colonel (and eventually his sociopathic associate, played by Robert Pattinson, who does what he can with an underwritten monster of a character) quickly shifts the balance of power, making it clear to the Magistrate he needs to step aside while the Empire’s men interrogate and torture and intimidate the locals, all under the guise of learning the truth about those barbarians allegedly plotting to wage war.
Cue the constant and often heavy-handed metaphors about oppression and racism and warped behavior rationalized by unfounded feelings of superiority. We know who the real barbarians are in this tale. (One sign: Every time we visit the Magistrate’s offices, fewer and fewer books and scrolls are left on the shelves. The Empire clearly doesn’t want people reading and learning things.) “Pain is truth,” the colonel says coldly in explaining to the Magistrate why he revels in inflicting pain on the locals. “[Everything] else is subject to doubt.”
Directed by Ciro Guerra and based on the novel by Nobel Prize-winning South African writer J.M. Coetzee, “Waiting for the Barbarians” is a visually impressive film (it was shot in Morocco and Italy), though the marketplace and the interiors are awfully clean and shiny, as if impervious to the dust storms and the harsh conditions. The camera lingers on horrific shots of abuse, from a local Mongolian woman (Gana Bayarsaikhan) who has been crippled and blinded by the Empire’s sadistic soldiers, to a scene of kneeling men and women strung together by a long piece of razor wire pinning their hands to their faces, to the Magistrate humiliated and beaten and cast into the streets. The overwrought score and the Orwellian themes announce “Barbarians” as a prestige project brimming with Big Ideas, but it’s ultimately stilted and didactic, and more than a bit nasty.


chicagosun-times--2020-08-07--Cook County Land Bank Authority sold vacant lots to a drug dealer

Two years ago , the Cook County Land Bank Authority sold two West Side lots to a convicted drug dealer who at the time was free on bail and required to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet while awaiting trial in another drug case for intent to distribute a kilo of cocaine .
Obed Eli Ornelas paid $ 22,602 for the adjacent lots in the 600 block of North Cicero Avenue in West Garfield Park , less than the length of a football field north of his existing used-car business , Xclusive Automotive LLC .
Together , the vacant lots had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Ornelas signed a deal with the county agency in August 2017 to buy the properties , with plans of expanding the business he shared with a partner to now also sell secondhand luxury cars — BMWs , Infinitis and Mercedes-Benzes , he told state regulators .
The land bank is under scrutiny by Cook County ’ s inspector general , who opened an investigation of the agency after the Chicago Sun-Times reported in November that Chester Wilson , chief of staff to Ald .
Carrie Austin ( 34th ) , donated a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That wiped out Wilson ’ s debt for unpaid property taxes , penalties and interest totaling more than $ 200,000 .
At Wilson ’ s recommendation , the land bank then sold the building to his onetime business partner .
Following the Sun-Times report , Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle ordered an audit by an outside firm of the agency created in 2011 by Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer to redevelop abandoned buildings in distressed neighborhoods .
The auditors ’ recommendations included requiring the land bank to document its research of potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or seized .
At the time Ornelas took the first steps to buy the vacant lots from the land bank , he was on parole after being convicted of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in a case in which the police raided his Gary home after his electric bills skyrocketed in 2010 and found almost 500 marijuana plants growing inside .
Ornelas and the land bank were in the process of finalizing his purchase of the vacant lots in June 2018 when federal agents arrested him and 56 others in part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorities said he had bought a kilo of cocaine from a co-defendant in a deal that took place in his Ford Mustang a few months earlier .
When officers tried to pull him over , they said he tossed the cocaine out of the driver ’ s-side window of the car .
Released on bail , Ornelas was ordered confined to his home on an electronic monitoring device .
On Nov. 20 , 2018 , while he was on home confinement , the land bank wiped out the $ 10,084 in taxes unpaid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ N. Cicero Ave. and 647 N. Cicero Ave. and finalized the sale , turning over the properties to Ornelas free of the tax debt .
Under the terms of sale , the land bank also gave Ornelas a $ 2,000 loan , which he won ’ t be required to repay as long as he maintains the properties up to code .
At Ornelas ’ real estate lawyer ’ s request , the closing on the land was handled via email so Ornelas , unable to leave his home while on bail , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in person .
On Jan. 10 , Ornelas , 38 , pleaded guilty to the cocaine charge .
He faces a maximum possible 40-year prison term when he ’ s scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 27 .
He no longer operates the car lot , according to his criminal defense lawyer Robert Rascia , who says Xclusive Automotive is “ not an active business.
” Land bank officials say they don ’ t do background checks on buyers and didn ’ t know Ornelas was a drug dealer .
Robert Rose , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also says : “ While the land bank considers various factors in our selection process , excluding people based on a prior conviction is not one of them .
Why wouldn ’ t we award the vacant lots to an existing , adjacent licensed business in good standing ?
” After Ornelas was arrested on the cocaine charge , he was sued by his landlord Ahmad Daoud , who said he failed to pay more than $ 7,000 in rent on the property Xclusive Automotive began leasing in 2015 .
Daoud had sold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than two decades , doing business as Cairo Auto Wholesaler Inc. His son Adel Daoud is serving a 16-year prison sentence , convicted in an FBI terrorism sting of attempting to blow up a liquor store in the South Loop in 2012 .
Federal authorities won ’ t comment about Ornelas , who has agreed to cooperate with them .
His lawyer says that ’ s “ strictly limited to the drug deal.
” Asked about Cook County doing business with a convicted drug dealer who was awaiting trial in a more serious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email , says : “ To be crystal clear , you have not explained the relevance of his background to our decision to sell vacant lots to Xclusive Automotive LLC .
“ Obed Ornelas was released on bond in August 2018 , so he was not in custody at the time of the purchase .
At the time of the sale , he had not been convicted and currently still awaits sentencing .
The upshot from this information is that there is nothing revealed that would have — or should have — prevented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Xclusive Automotive LLC .
”

Two years ago, the Cook County Land Bank Authority sold two West Side lots to a convicted drug dealer who at the time was free on bail and required to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet while awaiting trial in another drug case for intent to distribute a kilo of cocaine.
Obed Eli Ornelas paid $22,602 for the adjacent lots in the 600 block of North Cicero Avenue in West Garfield Park, less than the length of a football field north of his existing used-car business, Xclusive Automotive LLC.
Together, the vacant lots had amassed nearly $10,000 in unpaid taxes when Ornelas signed a deal with the county agency in August 2017 to buy the properties, with plans of expanding the business he shared with a partner to now also sell secondhand luxury cars — BMWs, Infinitis and Mercedes-Benzes, he told state regulators.
The land bank is under scrutiny by Cook County’s inspector general, who opened an investigation of the agency after the Chicago Sun-Times reported in November that Chester Wilson, chief of staff to Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), donated a dilapidated building to the land bank. That wiped out Wilson’s debt for unpaid property taxes, penalties and interest totaling more than $200,000. At Wilson’s recommendation, the land bank then sold the building to his onetime business partner.
Following the Sun-Times report, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle ordered an audit by an outside firm of the agency created in 2011 by Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer to redevelop abandoned buildings in distressed neighborhoods. The auditors’ recommendations included requiring the land bank to document its research of potential buyers of properties it has bought or seized.
At the time Ornelas took the first steps to buy the vacant lots from the land bank, he was on parole after being convicted of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in a case in which the police raided his Gary home after his electric bills skyrocketed in 2010 and found almost 500 marijuana plants growing inside.
Ornelas and the land bank were in the process of finalizing his purchase of the vacant lots in June 2018 when federal agents arrested him and 56 others in part of a massive drug bust. Federal authorities said he had bought a kilo of cocaine from a co-defendant in a deal that took place in his Ford Mustang a few months earlier. When officers tried to pull him over, they said he tossed the cocaine out of the driver’s-side window of the car.
Obed Ornelas Arrest photos
Released on bail, Ornelas was ordered confined to his home on an electronic monitoring device.
On Nov. 20, 2018, while he was on home confinement, the land bank wiped out the $10,084 in taxes unpaid since 2011 on the lots at 645 N. Cicero Ave. and 647 N. Cicero Ave. and finalized the sale, turning over the properties to Ornelas free of the tax debt.
Under the terms of sale, the land bank also gave Ornelas a $2,000 loan, which he won’t be required to repay as long as he maintains the properties up to code.
At Ornelas’ real estate lawyer’s request, the closing on the land was handled via email so Ornelas, unable to leave his home while on bail, didn’t have to be there in person.
On Jan. 10, Ornelas, 38, pleaded guilty to the cocaine charge. He faces a maximum possible 40-year prison term when he’s scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 27.
He no longer operates the car lot, according to his criminal defense lawyer Robert Rascia, who says Xclusive Automotive is “not an active business.”
Land bank officials say they don’t do background checks on buyers and didn’t know Ornelas was a drug dealer.
Robert Rose, executive director of the Cook County Land Bank Authority on Obed Ornelas’ deals: “Nothing revealed that would have — or should have — prevented [the land bank] from working with” the convicted drug dealer, who has pleaded guilty to a charge of intent to distribute a kilo of cocaine and is cooperating with federal authorities. Rich Hein / Sun-Times file
Robert Rose, the land bank’s executive director, also says: “While the land bank considers various factors in our selection process, excluding people based on a prior conviction is not one of them. Why wouldn’t we award the vacant lots to an existing, adjacent licensed business in good standing?”
After Ornelas was arrested on the cocaine charge, he was sued by his landlord Ahmad Daoud, who said he failed to pay more than $7,000 in rent on the property Xclusive Automotive began leasing in 2015.
Daoud had sold used cars on the property for more than two decades, doing business as Cairo Auto Wholesaler Inc. His son Adel Daoud is serving a 16-year prison sentence, convicted in an FBI terrorism sting of attempting to blow up a liquor store in the South Loop in 2012.
Federal authorities won’t comment about Ornelas, who has agreed to cooperate with them. His lawyer says that’s “strictly limited to the drug deal.”
Asked about Cook County doing business with a convicted drug dealer who was awaiting trial in a more serious drug case, Rose, in an email, says:
“To be crystal clear, you have not explained the relevance of his background to our decision to sell vacant lots to Xclusive Automotive LLC.
“Obed Ornelas was released on bond in August 2018, so he was not in custody at the time of the purchase. At the time of the sale, he had not been convicted and currently still awaits sentencing. The upshot from this information is that there is nothing revealed that would have — or should have — prevented [the land bank] from working with Xclusive Automotive LLC.”


chicagosun-times--2020-08-07--Killing of Black Disciples ‘king’ could be linked to Mexico’s Gulf Cartel drugs, FBI says

The leader of one of Chicago ’ s oldest and largest gangs could have been killed in connection with a load of drugs supplied by the Gulf Cartel , a Mexican drug cartel , according to an FBI court filing .
Lawrence “ Big Law ” Loggins was shot to death on Feb. 6 , 2019 , in a parked car in front of his home near 72nd and Union in Englewood .
His righthand man Kenneth Brown suffered a graze wound .
Whoever shot them sped off .
Months later , high-ranking members of the gang picked Brown to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it with drugs and guns , while two other , unnamed members would be the “ face ” of the gang , the FBI says it learned from an informant .
Brown , whose lawyer didn ’ t respond to efforts to reach him for comment , was charged last month in Chicago in a sweeping federal drug case against the gang .
According to a July 23 FBI affidavit , Brown told the informant that , shortly before Loggins was killed , a drug shipment from the Gulf Cartel arrived in Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drugs to a secure place — but the drugs were “ now unaccounted for , ” along with 85 guns .
Brown told the informant Loggins ’ killing was “ related to these narcotics and firearms , ” according to the FBI .
Brown also said he recovered some of the missing drugs and collected $ 450,000 to pay the gang ’ s cartel connection in Mexico , according to the informant .
The affidavit doesn ’ t spell out how the drugs might have been linked to Loggins ’ killing .
Brown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ small circle ” informed of the gang ’ s cartel drug connection , according to the FBI .
Last September , federal agents seized 10 kilograms of cocaine from a South Side storage unit Brown was renting , according to the affidavit .
The informant was a Black Disciples member hoping for a break after he was arrested in 2018 on gun and drug charges , according to the FBI , which paid him more than $ 40,000 for his help .
The informant got probation on the drug charge ; the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show .
Another man charged in the investigation , Darnell “ Murder ” McMiller , is described by prosecutors as the “ current leader of the Chicago Black Disciples.
” He was released from prison in April 2019 after serving an eight-year federal drug sentence .
In documents in the case against McMiller , prosecutors say they ’ ve talked with his co-defendants , who identified him as the leader .
In a secretly recorded gang board meeting in May 2019 , a month after McMiller got out of prison , he talked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next leader , prosecutors say .
They say McMiller was caught on a wiretap boasting in September 2019 he held sway over factions of the Black Disciples in the southern United States .
Last year , law enforcement sources told the Chicago Sun-Times they were worried about retaliatory shootings in response to Loggins ’ killing .
Police officers even were assigned as security for Loggins ’ funeral procession .
Many of the gang ’ s elders were conspicuously absent from his funeral , according to community sources in Englewood .
But sources say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apparently never were realized .
At the time , one theory about the motive for the killing was that younger gang members were unhappy Loggins was centralizing his power .
The Black Disciples once boasted of at least 4,000 members in Chicago , according to the police .
In recent years , the gang has splintered into autonomous , drug-dealing factions , according to the police department , which says the gang has been responsible for scores of killings over the years .
Loggins , 46 , was freed from prison in 2009 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gregory Freeman in Lowe Park on the South Side .
Loggins hadn ’ t been arrested since then and had even worked for the anti-violence group CeaseFire .
Freeman was related to Jerome “ Shorty ” Freeman , former “ king ” of the gang , who died of natural causes at 60 in 2012 .
The Black Disciples were founded in the 1960s under David Barksdale .
Jerome Freeman was crowned the king in 1974 after Barksdale ’ s death .
Freeman went to prison in 1990 on a drug conviction , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Black Disciples on the streets until the FBI arrested him in a drug conspiracy case in 2004 .
Loggins ’ son Lawrence “ Lil ’ Law ” Lee is a leader of the gang ’ s Lamron faction , according to police .
He ’ s doing 15 years for attempted murder but is eligible for parole in two years .
The faction ’ s territory runs along Normal Avenue from 59th to 67th streets in Englewood .
Lamron is “ normal ” backwards .
Rapper Chief Keef , who ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has popularized the Lamron faction in his music .

The leader of one of Chicago’s oldest and largest gangs could have been killed in connection with a load of drugs supplied by the Gulf Cartel, a Mexican drug cartel, according to an FBI court filing.
Lawrence “Big Law” Loggins was shot to death on Feb. 6, 2019, in a parked car in front of his home near 72nd and Union in Englewood. His righthand man Kenneth Brown suffered a graze wound. Whoever shot them sped off.
Months later, high-ranking members of the gang picked Brown to run it behind the scenes and supply it with drugs and guns, while two other, unnamed members would be the “face” of the gang, the FBI says it learned from an informant.
La Voz Sidebar 2023 Lea este artículo en español en La Voz Chicago.
Brown, whose lawyer didn’t respond to efforts to reach him for comment, was charged last month in Chicago in a sweeping federal drug case against the gang.
Kenneth Brown leaving his South Shore home in April 2019. FBI
According to a July 23 FBI affidavit, Brown told the informant that, shortly before Loggins was killed, a drug shipment from the Gulf Cartel arrived in Chicago and that he planned to move the drugs to a secure place — but the drugs were “now unaccounted for,” along with 85 guns.
Brown told the informant Loggins’ killing was “related to these narcotics and firearms,” according to the FBI.
Brown also said he recovered some of the missing drugs and collected $450,000 to pay the gang’s cartel connection in Mexico, according to the informant.
The affidavit doesn’t spell out how the drugs might have been linked to Loggins’ killing.
Brown told the informant he kept only a “small circle” informed of the gang’s cartel drug connection, according to the FBI.
Last September, federal agents seized 10 kilograms of cocaine from a South Side storage unit Brown was renting, according to the affidavit.
Bricks of cocaine seized from a South Side storage unit that the FBI says Kenneth Brown rented. FBI
The informant was a Black Disciples member hoping for a break after he was arrested in 2018 on gun and drug charges, according to the FBI, which paid him more than $40,000 for his help. The informant got probation on the drug charge; the gun case was dismissed, court records show.
Another man charged in the investigation, Darnell “Murder” McMiller, is described by prosecutors as the “current leader of the Chicago Black Disciples.” He was released from prison in April 2019 after serving an eight-year federal drug sentence.
In documents in the case against McMiller, prosecutors say they’ve talked with his co-defendants, who identified him as the leader. In a secretly recorded gang board meeting in May 2019, a month after McMiller got out of prison, he talked about having the backing to become the next leader, prosecutors say.
They say McMiller was caught on a wiretap boasting in September 2019 he held sway over factions of the Black Disciples in the southern United States.
Last year, law enforcement sources told the Chicago Sun-Times they were worried about retaliatory shootings in response to Loggins’ killing. Police officers even were assigned as security for Loggins’ funeral procession. Many of the gang’s elders were conspicuously absent from his funeral, according to community sources in Englewood.
But sources say fears of retaliation for Loggins’ killing apparently never were realized.
At the time, one theory about the motive for the killing was that younger gang members were unhappy Loggins was centralizing his power.
The Black Disciples once boasted of at least 4,000 members in Chicago, according to the police. In recent years, the gang has splintered into autonomous, drug-dealing factions, according to the police department, which says the gang has been responsible for scores of killings over the years.
Loggins, 46, was freed from prison in 2009 after doing time for the murder of Gregory Freeman in Lowe Park on the South Side. Loggins hadn’t been arrested since then and had even worked for the anti-violence group CeaseFire.
Jerome “Shorty” Freeman, the former Black Disciples gang “king” who died in 2012 at 60. Illinois Department of Corrections
Freeman was related to Jerome “Shorty” Freeman, former “king” of the gang, who died of natural causes at 60 in 2012.
The Black Disciples were founded in the 1960s under David Barksdale. Jerome Freeman was crowned the king in 1974 after Barksdale’s death. Freeman went to prison in 1990 on a drug conviction, and Marvel Thompson became de facto leader of the Black Disciples on the streets until the FBI arrested him in a drug conspiracy case in 2004.
Loggins’ son Lawrence “Lil’ Law” Lee is a leader of the gang’s Lamron faction, according to police. He’s doing 15 years for attempted murder but is eligible for parole in two years. The faction’s territory runs along Normal Avenue from 59th to 67th streets in Englewood. Lamron is “normal” backwards.
Rapper Chief Keef, who’s associated with the Black Disciples, has popularized the Lamron faction in his music.