chicagotribune--2020-06-17--The traffic is back. Cars and trucks back  on city, state roads as more businesses reopen.

Any motorist looking for a complete return to normal should head to the Stevenson Expressway .
Traffic on the inbound @ @ @ @ @ the same as it was on average in 2019 — 35 minutes from Interstate 294 @ @ @ @ @ .
Last month , the travel time for that stretch was just 17 minutes .

If it’s taking you longer to make a left turn than it did a few weeks ago, or you’re pumping the brakes on the tollway more often than in April, you know what’s happened.
Traffic is back.
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A decline in the number of vehicles moving along Chicago-area streets, a byproduct of the state’s stay-at-home order, was nice while it lasted, but it’s over. Congestion and higher travel times are returning as Illinois residents resume activities under phase three of the state’s reopening plan.
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After the stay-at-home order took effect in mid-March, weekly traffic volume in Chicago fell to half its normal level. Last week, it was back to 77% of the volume recorded during the same week in 2019, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
Most of Illinois entered phase three, which allows some businesses to open with restrictions, on May 29, and Chicago entered it June 3.
Illinois tollways also are seeing vehicles return.
For the first four days of June, passenger vehicle traffic was at 64%, and commercial vehicle traffic at 94%, of 2020 projections, said Tollway spokesman Dan Rozek. That compared with 45% and about 80%, respectively, in April. The Tollway measures traffic by toll collections.
Any motorist looking for a complete return to normal should head to the Stevenson Expressway. Traffic on the inbound Stevenson last week was almost the same as it was on average in 2019 — 35 minutes from Interstate 294 to the Dan Ryan Expressway. Last month, the travel time for that stretch was just 17 minutes.
Travel times on the Kennedy and Eisenhower expressways have remained well below pre-pandemic levels, according to Maria Castaneda, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
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Lower traffic volumes during the pandemic have contributed to more speeding and more “fixed post” traffic crashes, in which vehicles crash into objects like stoplights instead of into other cars, said Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi .
“A small benefit to congestion is it causes you to go slower,” Biagi said. “We don’t want people speeding. We are concerned about this.”
Speeding is a particular problem downtown, where the number of cars speeding was 21% higher during the second week of June than in the comparable year-ago period,, according to the city. The data is based on automated speed enforcement cameras.
During the first week of June, the city recorded more than 250 crashes a week, which compared with fewer than 150 a week in late March. Despite the uptick, crashes remain below year-ago levels.
Traffic volume on Chicago’s South Side is closest to pre-pandemic levels. During the week of June 7, it was at 81% of its level during the same week last year. During that same week, traffic on the North Side was at 73% of its year-ago level, and it was 77% on the West Side.
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The volume of vehicle traffic downtown is about half of what it was the same time last year, according to the city. The area also has seen the biggest drop in crashes.
The higher traffic volumes come as public transit ridership has remained low. Transportation officials have expressed concerns that some commuters may be choosing to drive, rather than take transit, as they return to work because of fears of coronavirus transmission.
mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-17--After 3 months of pent-up demand, Chicago bars reopen — ‘I’m super excited,’ says Green Lady owner

Though restaurants and bars across Chicago have been able to open for outdoor business for two weeks , Mayor Lori @ @ @ @ @ brewery taprooms that didn ’ t have outdoor seating and a license to sell food @ @ @ @ @ complained they had been left behind .

Melani Dominguez, left, owner of The Green Lady, talks to customers seated in the open windows Wednesday, June 17, 2020 as bars that do not serve food are allowed to reopen in Chicago. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
The Green Lady had its first patron one minute after reopening at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
It was the first time the Lakeview craft beer bar was allowed to open to sit-down customers since serving its last pint March 16, the final day of business before the COVID-19 pandemic closed bars and restaurants across the state.
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Melani Domingues, founder of the nine-year-old bar, seated that customer, 33-year-old Christian Trezvant, at one of the 10 seats that Domingues was able to carve out for Wednesday’s service — within 8 feet of the bar’s broad windows that open to the street.
Though restaurants and bars across Chicago have been able to open for outdoor business for two weeks, Mayor Lori Lightfoot had excluded bars and brewery taprooms that didn’t have outdoor seating and a license to sell food. Several bars and breweries complained they had been left behind.
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Bartender Wally List pours the first beer Wednesday, June 17, 2020 as The Green Lady bar reopens in Lakeview. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Among them was The Green Lady. But Wednesday, Domingues nearly burst with excitement at the prospect of finally serving a pint of beer — something only able to happen with the city announcing Monday that it would lift the restriction on selling food.
In small ways, the bar was trapped in amber Wednesday; a poster in the men’s bathroom advertised an event held March 8 (”a macaroni and cheese competition to help fight Lyme disease”). But Domingues was thrilled to be back.
“I’m just super excited to have people drinking on premise even if it’s a quarter — not even a quarter — of my normal occupancy,” she said.
It was actually one-fifth. Normal capacity is 50.
But it was the slow return to business Domingues had been craving. The Green Lady has remained open during the pandemic, offering bottles, cans and 64-ounce glass growlers to-go. It amounted to about 15% of usual business.
Bartender Wally List writes beer specials on the chalkboard Wednesday, June 17, 2020 as The Green Lady reopens in Lakeview. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Despite moments of concern during the past three months, Domingues hasn’t worried too much about her business surviving. It’s not even the most challenging thing she’s faced.
“In the grand scheme of things of where I come from (Flint, Michigan) and all the things I’ve seen in my life, it’s not the hardest thing I’ve gone through,” Domingues said. “It was difficult and I had to learn new things, but that’s what life is.”
Trezvant, a compact man wearing a matching Kansas City Royals cap and jersey, was on an off day from loading and unloading planes at O’Hare International Airport. He asked for something that “tastes like Budweiser.” The bartender suggested Pulaski Pils, locally made by Maplewood Brewery.
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“I love it,” he said. “Even though it’s not Budweiser, it’s a great beer.”
Domingues loved it, too. Though no stools were at their usual spots against the bar — that won’t be allowed until phase four of reopening — three more customers showed up during the next couple of hours. Masks, of course, were required.
“Feels great,” Domingues said. “Feels awesome.”
jbnoel@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-17--High water levels in Lake Michigan

High water levels in Lake Michigan

Treja Kelley had been hesitant to come forward after witnessing the murder of her 17-year-old cousin .
But she found @ @ @ @ @ stand last year and helped secure a guilty verdict .
Her testimony , though , @ @ @ @ @ head , prosecutors said .
Just a few months after testifying , Kelley was shot @ @ @ @ @ not far from where her cousin had been slain .
She was 18 and pregnant @

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chicagotribune--2020-06-17--Illinois man, 30, is believed to be 1st lung transplant survivor to receive COVID-19 plasma and reco

Illinois man, 30, is believed to be 1st lung transplant survivor to receive COVID-19 plasma and recover

The University of Chicago maintains its own plasma banks , garnering interest from hundreds of donors but hoping for more @ @ @ @ @ plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 .
Donors must be 18 or older @ @ @ @ @ and have tested positive for COVID-19 and recovered .
People interested in donating can apply @ @ @ @ @ convalescent plasma study website .

Edgardo Diaz, 30, runs in his Oak Forest neighborhood at 5 a.m. on June 17, 2020. He is believed to be the first lung transplant patient to get plasma for COVID-19 and recover, according to University of Chicago doctors. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Although he received a double lung transplant last year, when Edgardo Diaz became sick with COVID-19 in April, he showed no fear.
“I wasn’t scared,” said the 30-year-old Oak Forest resident. “I’ve been through worse.”
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Diaz has cystic fibrosis, a disorder that causes damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs. He has learned to stay calm when faced with medical challenges.
Now, Diaz is what University of Chicago Medicine doctors believe to be the first lung transplant patient in the world to receive plasma and recover from COVID-19.
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Called convalescent plasma, blood is taken from people who have recovered from the coronavirus with the idea that it should be rich in virus-fighting antibodies.
Diaz’s transplant meant he was ineligible for many trials, but he was a candidate for plasma.
Dr. Maria Lucia Madariaga, a thoracic surgeon leading the University of Chicago plasma trial, said they cannot draw conclusions from one case, but she is encouraged by seeing no side effects among patients receiving plasma, making it an apparently low-risk option.
After Diaz tested positive for COVID-19, doctors monitored him closely. When his kidneys began failing, he was hospitalized.
Doctors were able to give him plasma before he became sicker or needed a ventilator.
“We caught him early enough,” Madariaga said. “He’s lucky in that way.”
Diaz, an emergency medical technician, said he was sure to wear a mask and gloves everywhere when the virus hit Illinois. “I still managed to catch it,” he said.
First came a fever, then he lost his sense of taste. “I noticed that I wasn’t eating like at all,” he said. “That’s not normal.”
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Edgardo Diaz in the hospital in 2019 before he had a double lung transplant. (Edgardo Diaz)
After he received plasma on April 25, his 104-degree temperature subsided. His breathing and kidney function improved, and he tested negative for the virus nine days later. On May 1, he was released from the hospital.
“I feel great,” Diaz said Tuesday.
More research is needed to know how plasma might work best and for which patients.
“From a scientific perspective, one case really doesn’t mean much,” said Remzi Bag, medical director of the University of Chicago’s lung transplant program. “I would say we have to wait for results of the full clinical trial.” Bag performed Diaz’s transplant last year.
The University of Chicago maintains its own plasma banks, garnering interest from hundreds of donors but hoping for more. The hospital is collecting plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19. Donors must be 18 or older, eligible to donate blood and have tested positive for COVID-19 and recovered. People interested in donating can apply for screening on the COVID-19 convalescent plasma study website.
Diaz believes his hours in the gym — often three hours a day, five days a week — kept him strong.
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Edgardo Diaz, 30, runs with his dog Dallas in his Oak Forest neighborhood June 17, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Undergoing a lung transplant is a daunting procedure; patients are typically critically ill before receiving an organ and often have complications after the surgery, Bag said. It is also emotionally fraught.
“It’s a lot to take in for somebody, let alone a 29-year-old who, really, all his life he’s been sick,” Bag said.
Diaz said a lifetime of learning to keep faith taught him that staying positive is the only option. That’s why he loves his job as an EMT. He enjoys encouraging people during frightening moments.
Edgardo Diaz, 30, gets ready for a run in his Oak Forest neighborhood June 17, 2020. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
“You can impact somebody’s life by doing the smallest thing,” he said.
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Since recovering, Diaz has been at home, waiting to return to work. He wants to wait until the coronavirus cases ebb, but he is eager to get back to a profession he loves.
In the meantime, he got two puppies — Dallas, a chow chow, and Teddy, a Yorkie — and is looking ahead to becoming a paramedic.
“Things get better at the end,” he said. “There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.”
abowen@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-17--Metra says coronavirus will cost it $605 million in lost revenues — $70 million more than expected —

Metra says coronavirus will cost it $605 million in lost revenues — $70 million more than expected — through 2021

Metra Chief Financial Officer Thomas Farmer told the board at its monthly meeting on Wednesday that unless there is another @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus , Metra officials think that the decline in ridership has likely bottomed .
But @ @ @ @ @ how bad sales tax revenues , another key source of funding , can get .
@ @ @ @ @ revenue coming in or a reduction in expenses , Metra will run out of its @ @ @ @ @ act money by the middle of 2021 .

A passenger sits on the Metra Electric line in Chicago on June 10, 2020. The commuter railroad, has seen ridership drops of as much as 97% as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the state's stay-at-home order. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Metra said Wednesday that because of the coronavirus it expects to lose $70 million more through 2021 than it originally projected.
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The commuter railroad, which is heavily dependent on passengers going to and from work, has seen ridership drops of as much as 97% as a result of the pandemic and the state’s stay-at-home order. While ridership has crept up in recent weeks, officials say the railroad continues to suffer heavy shortfalls in both ticket sales and regional sales tax revenues, which help pay for transit.
Metra officials now expect losses tied to the coronavirus to reach $605 million through 2021, up from their original projection of a $535 million loss in April. The expected shortfall has increased because ridership has not come back as fast as initially expected, officials said.
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All three of the metro area’s transit agencies have lost millions of dollars as a result of ridership drops, and expect to receive about $1.4 billion in federal aid under the cororavirus relief package. But the ridership losses for CTA and Pace have been less extreme than Metra’s, with CTA down about 80% and Pace down about 70% from normal levels.
Metra Chief Financial Officer Thomas Farmer told the board at its monthly meeting on Wednesday that unless there is another wave of bad news about coronavirus, Metra officials think that the decline in ridership has likely bottomed. But it’s still unclear how bad sales tax revenues, another key source of funding, can get. Farmer said that without more revenue coming in or a reduction in expenses, Metra will run out of its $480 million coronavirus relief act money by the middle of 2021.
“We need to do everything we can to make it last,” Farmer said in his presentation to the board. That will mean focusing on increasing ridership and being more efficient, he said.
Metra is experimenting with a $10 daily pass to lure back riders. It has cut service in half to reduce expenses, while still providing enough train space to allow social distancing between passengers.
mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-17--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

Search below by street address , ZIP code or city , then click on the map to see the number @ @ @ @ @ state is not providing data for any ZIP code with five cases or fewer .

Note: With Chicago and Illinois moving into phase 5, the Tribune is no longer updating this data. If the state moves back into bridge phase, the Tribune we reassess. Daily metrics on COVID-19, like cases, deaths and hospitalizations, can be found here. And Daily metrics on the vaccination effort can be found here. More on where the coronavirus stands nationally and around the world can be found here.
Illinois releases the number of positive COVID-19 cases by ZIP code daily. The map below shows the cumulative cases for each area as well as other analysis of the data.
• Check out the Tribune’s coronavirus coverage.
• Tracking daily Illinois coronavirus deaths, cases and tests.
Search below by street address, ZIP code or city, then click on the map to see the number of confirmed and probable cases. The state is not providing data for any ZIP code with five cases or fewer.
Data as of June 10.
The map search tool above works best in Chrome or Firefox and may not perform consistently in Internet Explorer.
Note: Because of a coding error this map was displaying the incorrect rates for new cases in the last 7 days per 100,000 people — the issue should now be resolved.. The Tribune adjusted the data shown on the map below to focus on new cases, those the state tracked in the last 7 seven days. The totals for the entire pandemic are still available, but in the pop-up after tapping or clicking on a ZIP.


chicagotribune--2020-06-17--Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 6,485 deaths, 134,185 confirmed cases, 1.26 million tests, 5.93% posi

Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 6,485 deaths, 134,185 confirmed cases, 1.26 million tests, 5.93% positivity rate for Northeast region

Of note as well is the positivity rate for the Northeast region dropping to 5.93 % .
The steady decline @ @ @ @ @ Chicago and suburban counties has brought each of the four regions within 5 percentage points @ @ @ @ @ the Northeast region had a rate of 23.11 % above the 20 % threshold for @ @ @ @ @ 16 percentage points above the Central region which stood at 6.13 % .

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine tracked coronavirus cases, deaths and test totals from Jan. 22, 2020 through March 10, 2023, but is no longer providing this data. These charts will no longer be updated.
Check the Illinois Department of Public Health for the most up-to-date data for Illinois.
[ Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus ]
Can’t see these charts? Go here.


chicagotribune--2020-06-17--Former legislator, horse racing lobbyist Robert Molaro dies

“ Just an announcement , ” the Southwest Side Democrat said in his gravelly voice .
“ It looks like @ @ @ @ @ , Danica Patrick is in second place , from Roscoe , Illinois .
...
But @ @ @ @ @ have to come to my desk and tell me where Roscoe , Illinois , is @ @ @ @ @ .
But she ’ s from there .
Thank you .
”

Illinois Rep. Robert Molaro, D-Chicago, on the House floor in Springfield in 2008. (Seth Perlman / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
In the middle of a long afternoon of tedious debate in the Illinois House over Memorial Day weekend in 2005, Rep. Robert Molaro took the floor to speak.
“Just an announcement,” the Southwest Side Democrat said in his gravelly voice. “It looks like with 11 laps to go, Danica Patrick is in second place, from Roscoe, Illinois. ... But someone’s going to have to come to my desk and tell me where Roscoe, Illinois, is because I have no idea. But she’s from there. Thank you.”
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Lobbyists and staffers scrambled to flip on a nearby television to watch Patrick’s groundbreaking effort in the Indianapolis 500, where she eventually finished fourth.
Known for his enthusiasm and unusual way with words, Molaro, 69, died of pancreatic cancer Monday in his home.
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A longtime legislator turned lobbyist, Molaro was first elected to the Illinois Senate in 1992. He held his seat for a decade before moving to the House after the 2002 election.
After his retirement from the General Assembly in 2008, he started the lobbying firm Robert S. Molaro & Associates, representing clients including municipal governments and Hawthorne Race Course.
Democratic state Rep. Mike Zalewski, of Riverside, said he will miss Molaro, whom he succeeded in the House in 2008, “beyond words.”
“Nobody in this business was as good a mentor, friend, lobbyist and colleague all rolled into one,” Zalewski said.
House Speaker Michael Madigan said in a statement that Molaro “was well known for his jovial spirit, positive attitude and innate ability to bring people together and build consensus.”
“He had a way of making everyone comfortable, even in challenging times and debates,” said Madigan, who also chairs the Illinois Democratic Party.
A House retirement resolution in 2009 praised Molaro for his work promoting animal welfare, including legislation he sponsored as a senator that banned shooting preserves, and a House bill that outlawed the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
The resolution also described him as “the House’s leading advocate for Illinois horse racing.”
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Molaro, who received a bachelor’s degree from Loyola University Chicago and a law degree from John Marshall Law School, quickly became a professional advocate for horse racing when he took on Hawthorne as a client within months of leaving the legislature, a move that typified the oft-criticized revolving door between lawmaking and lobbying in Springfield.
Tim Carey, Hawthorne president and general manager, said in a statement Tuesday that horse racing in the state continues in large part due to Molaro’s work.
“He was a true steward of the horse racing industry, which frankly would no longer exist in Illinois were it not for the impassioned, persistent and selfless leadership of Bob,” Carey said. “As a legislator, he wrote laws so that Illinois horse racing would have an honest chance to survive and thrive.
“Though he was personally a fan of racing, he lobbied tirelessly on behalf of the industry because he cared so deeply about people, from the backstretch to the teller line, from the grandstand to the farm.”
Horse racing legislation Molaro sponsored figured prominently in the arrest and conviction of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Blagojevich tried to use his signature on a Molaro-sponsored bill that extended the period during which casinos were required to share revenue with tracks as leverage for a $100,000 contribution from the president of Balmoral Park. The contribution was never made, but Blagojevich signed the legislation after his arrest on corruption charges.
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Molaro came under scrutiny after retiring from the General Assembly. A 2010 Chicago Tribune investigation revealed he had handed out $94,000 in publicly funded legislative scholarships to the four children of a longtime political supporter who did not live in his district. Federal authorities investigated the matter, but no charges were filed.
Molaro also faced criticism after a 2011 Tribune/WGN-TV investigation showed he nearly doubled his public pension by working a one-month, $12,000 job for Ald. Edward Burke. A legal loophole allowed Molaro to multiply that pay by 12 for an annual salary of $144,000, boosting his pension payout to more than $120,000 a year.
In the wake of those investigations, then-Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation abolishing the legislative scholarships and closing the pension loophole.
Molaro is survived by his wife, Barbara; two sons, Samuel and Michael; three daughters, Robyn, Miranda and Alexandra; and 12 grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending due to the pandemic.
Chicago Tribune’s Ray Long contributed.
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dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-17--Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot moves to put security detail chief in charge of cops at City Hall, outs

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot moves to put security detail chief in charge of cops at City Hall, outside her home; FOP head tells officers ‘to not sign up for that detail’

“ The units were previously led by multiple commanders all at one time , including different commanders across different floor @ @ @ @ @ ” mayoral spokesman Patrick Mullane said in a statement .
“ This latest effort will @ @ @ @ @ s operations and resources that are centralized in one or two primary locations are coordinated @ @ @ @ @ multiple individuals .
”

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot confers with her head of security, former U.S. Marshal James Smith, before the City Council meeting on Feb. 19, 2020, in Chicago. (Mark Hume / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has given the head of her security detail — a retired deputy U.S. marshal who was running a private security firm when she got elected last year — leadership control over the Chicago police officers assigned to guard City Hall and her Logan Square home.
A new directive the Chicago Police Department issued Tuesday informed officers of opportunities to work “to provide physical security for City Hall, the mayor’s residence and the Mayor’s Detail Command Post.”
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“Officers will respond to all threats related to the mayor’s physical properties to ensure its protection,” the directive reads in part. “We will be seeking capable members who can meet the challenges of this mission.”
According to the mayor’s office, however, this is not a move to expand the size of her security detail, the group of officers assigned to guard her. Rather, it’s a change in the command structure that puts James Smith in charge of all three units.
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Currently, there are about 20 officers on the mayoral detail Smith oversees, but police at City Hall and in squad cars posted outside her Logan Square home are separate from it.
“The units were previously led by multiple commanders all at one time, including different commanders across different floor levels at City Hall,” mayoral spokesman Patrick Mullane said in a statement. “This latest effort will ensure that the department’s operations and resources that are centralized in one or two primary locations are coordinated under one command rather than multiple individuals.”
Though the department directive is “seeking capable members who can meet the challenges of this mission" serving in the government security detail, Mullane said there’s no plan to expand the mayoral security detail so officers in that unit are guarding City Hall and Lightfoot’s home.
It’s just meant to fill a single vacancy in the detail, putting Smith in charge of all three, Mullane said.
On Wednesday, Lightfoot said the change was made to streamline police response, and not because of any “palace intrigue.”
“In the event of an emergency in the building where we need a unified response, we would have been, I think, in a very difficult circumstance,” she said. “This is something that has been under consideration for quite some time.”
The change comes at a time when the city’s police resources have been stretched thin following protests in Chicago and across the country sparked by the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
And Lightfoot’s relationship with the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, CPD’s largest union, is a tense one.
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The directive about the mayoral detail didn’t sit well with new FOP head John Catanzara, a frequent Lightfoot critic.
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"I’m encouraging all officers to not sign up for that detail at all,” Catanzara said in reference to Tuesday’s directive that went out to officers. “Don’t even allow it to be created.”
“The mayor was the one who hired an outsider to head her protection up because she didn’t want CPD to protect her,” Catanzara said, referring to Smith. “And after all the railing she’s done against CPD, don’t even bother giving her the courtesy of signing up for that detail.”
But Luis Agostini, a CPD spokesman, said the purpose of the job posting to officers was “to provide transparency” about the changes.
Lightfoot’s administration tightened security at City Hall early this year, before the building was closed to the general public because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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While City Hall remained open to the public, the administration roped off access to the elevators in the lobby and posted police officers sitting at lecterns who people had to walk past to get on elevators.
Before that, in February, the Lightfoot administration reassigned the long-serving head of the CPD’s City Hall detail hours after a group of activists calling for stronger affordable housing set-asides to protect low income residents near the Jackson Park site of the planned Obama Presidential Center was able to make its way up to the lobby outside her 5th floor suite.
Lightfoot administration representatives declined at the time to comment on why Sgt. Joseph Kipka was taken off the detail. But a source said administration officials were not happy the protesters were able to so easily get to the 5th floor and that the mayor’s security team wasn’t promptly notified what was happening.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
jgorner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-17--Chicago cops-out-of-schools plan potentially blocked by Mayor Lori Lightfoot ally

“ We ’ re talking about once ( students ) get into school , once they pass a metal detector @ @ @ @ @ and do all the things that they have to do to get into the school @ @ @ @ @ to focus on learning , focus on being a good person , focus on the @ @ @ @ @ have to succeed in life , ” Sawyer said Tuesday at a news conference outside @ @ @

Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th, speaks to the media June 16, 2020, outside City Hall in Chicago about an ordinance he is introducing to end an agreement between the Chicago Police Department with Chicago Public Schools. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
A proposal to force Chicago police out of Chicago Public Schools faces longer odds of getting City Council approval after an alderman used a parliamentary maneuver on Wednesday to move it out of the committee its sponsor wanted.
South Side Ald. Roderick Sawyer wanted his ordinance to end the $33 million deal between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department to station officers in schools to go to the council’s Public Safety Committee.
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But that committee’s chairman, Ald. Chris Taliaferro, 29th, requested it instead be sent to the Education Committee.
Once two committees get called for an ordinance, it gets sent to the Rules Committee for a final decision on placement. Rules is where Chicago mayors traditionally have sent plans they don’t like to wither on the vine without action.
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Sawyer has insisted his ordinance isn’t anti-police.
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“We’re talking about once (students) get into school, once they pass a metal detector and a wand check, and do all the things that they have to do to get into the school, we need those kids to focus on learning, focus on being a good person, focus on the skills we want them to have to succeed in life,” Sawyer said Tuesday at a news conference outside City Hall.
But Lightfoot opposes it, saying schools need police in order to be safe.
In a conference call with reporters, Lightfoot said she didn’t have a hand in Taliaferro sending the ordinance to the Rules Committee and opposes the move.
“I think that matters of public interest should see the light of day, and there should be a vote,” Lightfoot said.
Still, Lightfoot reiterated her opposition to banning police across CPS and punted the decision to members of individual schools’ local school council.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for me or any member of City Council to usurp the authority of the duly elected local school council,” Lightfoot said.
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The ordinance that Sawyer, Ald. Jeanette Taylor, 20th, and Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rose, 35th, introduced to the council would order police Superintendent David Brown to end the deal that assigns police to schools within 75 days.
The idea has gained traction among protesters and some elected officials around the country in the weeks since Minneapolis police killed George Floyd, touching off protests.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
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chicagotribune--2020-06-17--Watch live: Mayor Lori Lightfoot provides update after $1.1 billion COVID-19 spending plan passes

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is expected to provide an update after her $ 1.1 billion COVID-19 spending plan was approved @ @ @ @ @ Get the latest coronavirus updates here .


Car caravan protest

As the coronavirus spreads globally , it has been revealed that some notable people have tested positive for the virus @ @ @ @ @ of most recently reported .


chicagotribune--2020-06-17--Chicago’s cocktails-to-go measure gets the go-ahead

Takeaways will be legal for a year .
Some aldermen said during a committee meeting last week that they would @ @ @ @ @ , arguing many of Chicago ’ s bars will close for good unless the city @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus economic crisis .

It’s not exactly quaffing hurricanes on Bourbon Street, but Chicagoans can now legally carry away cocktails from local bars as the City Council followed the state’s lead in trying to give taverns another source of revenue to weather the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the law the council approved Wednesday, bars and restaurants can offer delivery and pickup of cocktails in sealed and labeled containers with tamper-proof seals or caps. The drinks cannot be delivered via third-party delivery services such as Grubhub.
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Takeaways will be legal for a year. Some aldermen said during a committee meeting last week that they would like it to become permanent, arguing many of Chicago’s bars will close for good unless the city throws them significant lifelines through the coronavirus economic crisis.
The cocktails-to-go law is set to automatically lapse in June 2021.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the state’s measure into law early this month, but Chicago needed to change its municipal code to allow it in the city.
Julia Momose of Bar Kumiko has pushed the initiative for takeaway mixed beverages — called Cocktails for Hope — since March. Momose said in a phone call Wednesday that she was “ecstatic” the ordinance passed.
“Cocktails aren’t going to save everything, but a combination of cocktails, plus to-go food, plus patios, plus limited seating indoors, we’re gonna slowly build back, and every single part is so important. It’s like Jenga,” she said.
Preorders are already being accepted at Bar Kumiko, where sales have nearly tripled compared to previous weeks, Momose said. She has continually emphasized the urgent need to create another revenue stream for bars and restaurants.
The restaurant was able to bring back three staff members thanks to the arrival of a Paycheck Protection Program loan last week, and Momose said she anticipates being able to bring back additional staff thanks to the sales of to-go cocktails.
At Common Good Cocktail House in Glen Ellyn, takeaway cocktails were allowed as soon as Pritzker signed the state measure into law. In fact, Glen Ellyn briefly allowed bars and restaurants to offer mixed drinks to go early in the pandemic, until the Illinois Liquor Control Commission stepped in.
Still, beverage director and co-owner Mike Melazzo said the ability to offer such drinks has made a “gigantic” difference for Common Good. The cocktail bar has been able to retain all of its staff with benefits since the COVID-19 shutdown began in March.
“I’m so excited for the people and the bars and restaurants in Chicago. I think for a lot of places, this can be a total game-changer for takeout margins,” Melazzo said.
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Momose said she is now shifting her attention toward helping hospitality colleagues implement takeaway beverage programs. She and Cocktails for Hope co-founder Ian Beacraft, along with lawyer Sean O’Leary will host a virtual event on Friday aimed at helping restaurants and bars understand the requirements and ways to implement the program.
Cocktails for Hope has also partnered with CH Distillery and Apologue to create a program to sell the necessary glass bottles to establishments that need them, since the legislation requires a specific glass container and caps.
Distilleries, however, are excluded from the takeaway cocktails program due to licensing discrepancies between those facilities and bars or restaurants.
Momose said she hopes such efforts, plus safe, successful participation, will help the law live past its sunset date next summer: “It’s part of our responsibilities as organizers to continue to educate and uplift the Chicago restaurant and bar community.”
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
adlukach@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-17--Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus

As the number of deaths attributable to COVID-19 ticks upward , the Tribune is working to chronicle those who have @ @ @ @ @ Chicago area or who have connections to our region .
These are some of those @ @

They were mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. Many were proud grandparents. Two were sisters from a tight-knit South Side family. All were loved, relatives say, and will be forever missed.
As the number of deaths attributable to COVID-19 ticks upward, the Tribune is working to chronicle those who have lost their lives in the Chicago area or who have connections to our region. These are some of those victims.
If you know of someone or would like to offer a remembrance of someone please share your information here. To file a death notice, go here.
Subscribe to the Chicago Tribune: Our mission is to deliver trusted and meaningful local news. Your support allows us to continue providing the award-winning, watchdog and in-depth journalism our community deserves. Subscribe here.


chicagotribune--2020-06-17--Activists push for plan that would give community panel the power to fire Chicago cops

CPAC is a popular idea among some activists but has not found much support from city officials .
In the @ @ @ @ @ killing of George Floyd , however , activists have been pushing for tougher oversight of @ @ @ @ @ criticized by some as anti-police and those opposing the measure have questioned whether it can @ @ @ @ @ ordinance , for instance , bans anyone who has ever worked in law enforcement or @ @ @ @ @ in law enforcement from being on the board .

A group of activists with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression led a caravan from the Near South Side to the Thompson Center across from City Hall to push for greater police oversight during Wednesday’s City Council meeting.
The activists also used the Twitter hashtag, #goodmorninglori, to pressure Mayor Lori Lightfoot into supporting the Civilian Police Accountability Commission ordinance, a proposal to give an elected board power over Chicago police, including authority to investigate and fire officers.
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As activists protested outside the City Council meeting, banging pots and pans like drums and holding up “Black Lives Matters” signs, public speakers urged Lightfoot and aldermen to shift money out of the department’s budget and give it to social programs.
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“Defund the police,” one said. “Pass CPAC.”
CPAC is a popular idea among some activists but has not found much support from city officials. In the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, however, activists have been pushing for tougher oversight of cops. CPAC has been criticized by some as anti-police and those opposing the measure have questioned whether it can pass legal muster. The ordinance, for instance, bans anyone who has ever worked in law enforcement or who is related to anyone in law enforcement from being on the board.
Lightfoot has been in a dispute with community groups for months over how a civilian oversight commission of the Police Department would work and previously pledged support for a competing measure pushed by the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability.
A plan to create a civilian oversight commission over the Chicago Police Department stalled in the City Council public safety committee in March, amid negotiations between activists and Lightfoot over who gets to approve department policy, however.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-06-17--Three people killed when driver loses control on South Side

The driver , a 24-year-old woman , was pronounced dead at the scene .
An 18-year-old man was taken to @ @ @ @ @ Center and pronounced dead there .
A third person , identified only as a Jane @ @ @ @ @ dead at the medical center .

Three people were killed when their car spun out of control and hit a fire hydrant and a tree on the South Side early Wednesday.
The accident occurred about 3 a.m. in the 3300 block of West 87th Street in the Marycrest neighborhood, according to Chicago police. Four of the five people in the car were ejected.
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The driver, a 24-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene. An 18-year-old man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center and pronounced dead there. A third person, identified only as a Jane Doe, was also pronounced dead at the medical center.
A 20-year-old woman was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in fair condition, and a 19-year-old woman was also taken to Christ in fair condition.
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The names of those killed were not released.
Check back for updates.
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-06-17--Body found in ditch in NW Indiana identified as missing Chicago woman

Miller ’ s body was found June 3 in a Newton County ditch about 60 miles north of Lafayette by @ @ @ @ @ crew .
Her body had been in that ditch along a rural county road about @ @ @ @ @ it was found , McCord said .

ROSELAWN, Ind. — A body found earlier this month in a rural ditch in northwestern Indiana has been identified as a missing Chicago woman, a coroner said.
Investigators used DNA from the remains to identify the body as that of Tawanna A. Miller, 29, said Newton County Coroner Scott McCord.
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County officials met with Miller’s mother and sister, who tentatively identified her through the pictures of Miller’s tattoos. McCord said they offered DNA swabs to help confirm that the remains were of Miller.
The cause and manner of her death are pending toxicology reports. There was no trauma found on Miller's body, but McCord has said police suspect foul play, the Journal & Courier reported.
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Miller’s body was found June 3 in a Newton County ditch about 60 miles north of Lafayette by a member of a mowing crew. Her body had been in that ditch along a rural county road about four to seven days before it was found, McCord said.


chicagotribune--2020-06-16--A white Aurora police officer was suspended for 10 days after an African American man’s eye socket w

A white Aurora police officer was suspended for 10 days after an African American man’s eye socket was broken during 2019 arrest

Police video shows the driver stopped on Monroe Street and Oak Street in North Aurora .
The officer walked to @ @ @ @ @ driver he saw the vehicle make several lane violations and drive into oncoming traffic , @ @ @ @ @ asked the men for their IDs and the men asked repeatedly asked why .
He @ @ @ @ @ driver and Randle , a passenger , and returned to his squad car .

Marcus Randle, pictured in October, said small facial bones around his eye socket were broken during an arrest last year. An Aurora Police Department officer was suspended for 10 days as a result of the incident, police records show. (Marcus Randle / HANDOUT)
A white Aurora police officer was suspended for 10 days after an African American man suffered lacerations and injuries to his face during a traffic stop in September, police documents obtained by the Beacon-News show.
Marcus Randle, 36, who lives in Bolingbrook, said small bones around his eye socket were broken during the arrest, and he is still receiving treatment. For a few weeks after, he was unable to look into the sunlight and had blurry vision, he said.
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The officer, Kyriako Vogiatzis, was suspended without pay after it was determined he violated the department’s use-of-force policies during the Sept. 28, 2019, traffic stop. The department closed its investigation into the incident March 10.
The Beacon-News learned of the incident last year and requested documents at that time through an open records request. The details on the suspension were obtained by the Beacon-News last week.
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Randle said he and three other men were driving home from a gathering after a friend’s funeral around 11 p.m. when a North Aurora police officer pulled them over. The traffic stop was captured on multiple squad car dashboard cameras.
Police video shows the driver stopped on Monroe Street and Oak Street in North Aurora. The officer walked to the car and told the driver he saw the vehicle make several lane violations and drive into oncoming traffic, the video shows. He asked the men for their IDs and the men asked repeatedly asked why. He received the names of the driver and Randle, a passenger, and returned to his squad car.
The officer gave Randle’s name to the dispatch and learned that police had an interaction with Randle a few hours earlier when Randle allegedly pointed a gun at someone, according to police reports. Randle was not charged in that incident and told the Beacon-News he never had a gun on him at any point during that day.
Aurora officers then came to assist the North Aurora police officer and after several warnings that the passengers would be arrested if they did not exit the car, six officers are seen trying to remove the men out of the vehicle.
Vogiatzis said in police reports he was helping officers handcuff the driver when he saw two officers attempting to gain control of Randle’s hands. Vogiatzis said he feared Randle might be armed and kicked Randle twice in the torso.
In a statement released last week, police officials said Vogiatzis used force inconsistent with the department’s policies, and Randle sustained a facial injury as a result. Police reports said Randle had lacerations on his nose and eyes.
The case was reviewed by the Kane County state’s attorney’s office, and it was determined there was no criminal negligence on behalf of the officer, police officials said.
Randle was charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest, and his case is still pending.
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Vogiatzis, an officer with the Aurora police force since 2008, also received a two-day suspension after he took a North Aurora woman’s cell phone who was standing outside recording the incident and impeded her right to record, police documents show.
Randle said that while the department put out a short statement, they did not take responsibility. He has attended a few protests over the last two weeks in Aurora and spoken about how he was treated during his arrest.
“If they hold the police accountable as they do to the rest of the citizens, it would help a lot. It wouldn’t come to this point," Randle said.
Randle admits he and the men he was with have checkered backgrounds, but he does not believe they deserved the treatment received.
Randle, who grew up in Aurora, is the founder of Operation Our Kids in Aurora, which helps youths with school supplies, backpacks, and haircuts.
“I want to help clean up the community I tore up before," Randle said.
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mejones@chicagotribue.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-18--Daywatch: Chicago ‘Dreamers’ on edge as DACA decision looms, traffic is back as Illinois businesses

Daywatch: Chicago ‘Dreamers’ on edge as DACA decision looms, traffic is back as Illinois businesses reopen and a look at the power of solo protests

In spite of the uncertainty looming over their lives , the couple ultimately bought a small home in Aurora .
@ @ @ @ @ degrees and jobs that they are grateful for , Blancas said .
All thanks to @ @ @ @ @ , their future , and the future of their two children , both U.S. citizens @ @ @ @ @

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Michelle Zepeda and her husband, David Blancas, push their children Tanok, 3, and Adenine, 6, on a swing set in their Aurora backyard on June 11, 2020. Zepeda and Blancas are Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
David Blancas and Michelle Zepeda put dreams of buying a home on pause after President Donald Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that granted them — and thousands of others living in the country illegally — protection from deportation and the right to work in the United States.
In spite of the uncertainty looming over their lives, the couple ultimately bought a small home in Aurora. Both have master’s degrees and jobs that they are grateful for, Blancas said. All thanks to DACA. But once again, their future, and the future of their two children, both U.S. citizens, is at stake.
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot presides over a virtual City Council meeting from her office at City Hall on June 17, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot got her road map to spend $1.1 billion in federal coronavirus relief money through the City Council with ease Wednesday, in spite of protests from some aldermen who pressed in vain for promises that none of the funds will be spent to pay police.
The package succeeded with just nine votes against it on the same day aldermen trying to get Chicago police removed from public schools also suffered a setback on their long-shot proposal when it got sent to legislative purgatory.
Meanwhile, Lightfoot put her security detail chief in charge of the Chicago cops assigned to guard City Hall and her home. In response, the new police union head told officers “to not sign up for that detail at all.”
A car speeds down the 100 block of West Randolph Street in Chicago's Loop on June 17, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
A decline in the number of vehicles moving along Chicago-area streets was nice while it lasted, but it’s over. Congestion and higher travel times are returning as Illinois residents resume activities under phase three of the state’s reopening plan.
After the stay-at-home order took effect in mid-March, weekly traffic volume in Chicago fell to half its normal level. Last week, it was back to 77% of the volume recorded during the same week in 2019, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
Rejoining the world, Chicago? We have a four-star guide for your day as you stumble back into the light.
A runner and bicyclist pass a pile of damaged pavement on the Lakefront Trail south of Fullerton Avenue on Jan. 14, 2020, after weekend storms passed through Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago billionaire Ken Griffin, who gave $12 million in 2016 to create separate paths for pedestrian and bicycle traffic on the busy Lakefront Trail, is giving another almost $5 million to help repair storm and water damage along the route, the city is expected to announce Thursday.
The trail is set to reopen to the public Monday after it was closed in late March to guard against crowding during the coronavirus pandemic. The city also plans to announce the Monday reopening of The 606 Bloomingdale Trail, another popular public bike and pedestrian path on the Northwest Side closed due to the pandemic.
Aiden Kelley, 9, takes a break from chalking the sidewalk on June 11, 2020. He held a solo Black Lives Matter protest earlier this month in front of his Chicago home. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Nine-year-old Aiden Kelley knows that George Floyd died in police custody, that an injustice was committed, and that other black people have died under similar circumstances. What he doesn’t understand is why, so he picked up a Black Lives Matter sign fashioned from a piece of paper and a ruler and marched down the street in a parade of one.
A neighbor’s photo of Aiden, with his flame-red hair and back-to-basics sign, went viral on Twitter, with over 680,000 likes so far, one of many signs of the power — both symbolic and practical — of the solo protests popping up across America in recent weeks.


chicagotribune--2020-06-18--Girl, 9, three adults hurt in shootout outside Gresham neighborhood apartment complex

The child was struck in the right leg and two 19-year-old men each suffered wounds to their right thighs , @ @ @ @ @ victim , a 31-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the upper lip , police @ @ @ @ @ were listed in good condition late Wednesday and were expected to survive .

Police officers guard the entrance to a housing complex where at least four people were shot in the 1300 block of West 76th Street on June 17, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Four people, including a 9-year-old girl, were injured Wednesday night when gunfire erupted from a gathering in a Gresham neighborhood parking lot, according to Chicago police.
The girl was among a group of residents at a multi-unit apartment building in the 1300 block of West 76th Street hanging out in an adjacent parking lot when shots rang out, police said.
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Just after 8:30 p.m., police said a lone gunman began firing shots, police said. It’s unclear whether the gunman was targeting a particular person or the group. Police said a man within the group pulled his own handgun and fired on the gunman.
The child was struck in the right leg and two 19-year-old men each suffered wounds to their right thighs, police said. The fourth victim, a 31-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the upper lip, police said. All four victims were listed in good condition late Wednesday and were expected to survive.
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No arrests had been made in the shooting, police said.


chicagotribune--2020-06-18--Chicago-area immigrants fear Supreme Court decision on child arrivals program, but ready to persever

Chicago-area immigrants fear Supreme Court decision on child arrivals program, but ready to persevere on immigration law changes

Trump ’ s action has since been ruled against by lower courts , and the Supreme Court this month could @ @ @ @ @ legality of the administration ’ s changes .
Blancas , Zepeda , and others in @ @ @ @ @ the program say they will keep working to find a way toward what they see @ @ @ @ @ , regardless of the court ’ s decision .

Michelle Zepeda and her husband, David Blancas, push their children Tanok, 3, and Adenine, 6, on a swing set in their Aurora backyard on June 11, 2020. Zepeda and Blancas are Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Thursday’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court — rejecting a bid President Donald Trump’s administration to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — is being lauded as a stunning victory for DACA recipients and immigration advocates.
Prior to the high court’s action, Chicago-area DACA recipients talked to the Tribune about the fears, anxiety and uncertainty that has loomed over their lives as they awaited Thursday’s ruling.
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David Blancas, 32,and his wife put dreams of buying a home on pause after President Donald Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that granted them — and thousands of others living in the country illegally — protection from deportation and the right to work in the United States.
His wife, Michelle Zepeda, 30,wept as she recalled recently that they learned the program would be eliminated on the day their now-6-year-old daughter started kindergarten.
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In spite of the uncertainty looming over their lives, the couple ultimately bought a small ranch-style home in Aurora. Both have master’s degrees and jobs that they are grateful for, Blancas said. All thanks to DACA.
But once again, their future, and the future of their two children, both U.S. citizens, is at stake.
David Blancas and his son, Tanok, 3, on a hammock in their backyard in Aurora. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule in the coming weeks on the fate of the DACA program that protected them because they came to this country as children, without knowingly breaking the law. Roughly 700,000 other immigrants are protected under the program created in 2012 under President Barack Obama that Trump rescinded in 2017.
Trump’s action has since been ruled against by lower courts, and the Supreme Court this month could settle the disputes over the legality of the administration’s changes. Blancas, Zepeda, and others in the Chicago area covered by the program say they will keep working to find a way toward what they see as a just immigration system, regardless of the court’s decision.
More than 42,000 people in Illinois were covered by the program when it was created. Regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision, Blancas said he believes that other fellow DACA s, the immigrant community and their allies, are ready to stand up to demand protection for all, not just those who benefited from DACA.
Though he fears the worst, Blancas said he still has faith. “Perhaps not in the government but in the community.”
David Blancas and his wife, Michelle Zepeda, with children Adenine, 6, and Tanok, 3, in Aurora. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
With a rise in activism and awareness because of the coronavirus and the killing of George Floyd, he is confident that regardless of the fate of DACA, “people will rally for what is right.”
Though his wife shares the same sentiment, she said that she is worried. And she is tired of living with an expiration date, as program recipients must re-register every two years and can be denied.
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Zepeda, a project manager at a cancer research center, said she tries to live a “normal life” by putting her immigration status in the back of her mind. However, every time she files with immigration authorities to renew her status under DACA, she has to face reality.
“We have spent so many years worrying about what is next, it is exhausting,” she said.
The two met in college and told each other about their immigration status when they decided to spend the rest of their lives together.
“It’s been a roller coaster, but at least we have each other,” Zepeda said.
Many others, including Elizeth Arguelles, 25, face the uncertainty alone. She is the only one in her immediate family who has a permit to work in the United States.
Elizeth Arguelles, 25, a DACA recipient, graduated from Dominican University in May and still sells tamales during the weekend to help her mother. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
When DACA was first announced, Arguelles knew that it was going to open doors to fulfilling her mother’s dream of having a daughter with a college degree.
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Arguelles graduated from Dominican University in May with the help of many people who helped her pay for college, because students here under the DACA program do not qualify for federal financial aid.
She worked part time as a career coach and sold tamales in Chicago’s Little Village on weekends to make her payments.
“It feels surreal to have a college degree because I did it against so many odds,” Arguelles said, sitting in her backyard while she got ready to attend a unity march to strengthen the bond between black and Latino people in her neighborhood.
Through her teens, Arguelles also became involved in community organizing and activism. She said she and other activists have begun to mobilize to respond to the Supreme Court’s decision.
As she grew up and faced more responsibilities, Arguelles said she had to seek therapy to deal with the pressure from her family and from society to maintain the image to fit the narrative of the “good immigrant versus the bad immigrant.”
“Not all undocumented people brought to the country as children were able to graduate high school or go to college, and they also deserve to be here,” Arguelles added.
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Elizeth Arguelles sells tamales and hot drinks in Little Village on Jan. 6, 2019, to help her mother and pay for her college education. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Since the start of the program, those who are not “exemplary individuals” have been singled out and left behind, said Katherine Greenslade, managing attorney of the Immigrant Advocacy and Defense Project at the Resurrection Project.
Greenslade has worked with the children of immigrants living in the country without permission for more than a decade, helping them to find ways to apply for any immigration relief they may qualify for, or resources to pay for school and navigate the system as “undocumented,” she said.
Those who have even minor criminal records “would most likely” get denied, the lawyer said. But "others who have gotten their GED or attended college mostly get approved regardless.”
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, those who have a felony offense, significant misdemeanor offense, or three or more other misdemeanor offenses aren’t eligible for DACA.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic may have delayed a decision from the Supreme Court, Greenslade said that she has been advising DACA recipients to renew their permits even if they don’t expire for more than a year.
“That would give them time to prepare in case the program is eliminated and their permits are revoked,” she said.
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Most DACA recipients are no longer young high school or college students. The oldest ones are now nearing 40 and the youngest ones are around 18 to 19, Greenslade said.
"The youth who fought for the program are now college graduates, lawyers, doctors, engineers, business owners, mothers, and fathers,” she said.
Chirayu Patel is 37, and despite having a job that allows him to live comfortably and help his parents, who brought him to Chicago from India when he was 11, he hasn’t been able to buy a home or form a family.
“I just never know what might happen, they can take the permit away at any moment," he said.
DACA recipient Chirayu Patel, of India, on June 15, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
The accountant graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Although he knows he has a few more years until he pays off his student loans, he isn’t certain if he will be in this country to do that.
Patel said he doesn’t expect a favorable decision from the Supreme Court and has explored the possibility of moving to another country. However, he doesn’t want to leave behind his parents, who haven’t been able to legalize their immigration status.
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“Feeling frustration would be an understatement, but that is the reality many of us are going through,” he said.
Unlike Patel, Yearim Choi, 23, is more optimistic.
Yearim Choi, 23, graduated from UIC in December and is set on becoming a physician assistant. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
She graduated from UIC in December of 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is focused on becoming a physician assistant to help those who are unable to get medical help because of fear or language limitations. She needs a work permit such as the one she has under DACA to fulfill the number of work hours needed to be admitted to the program, she said.
Choi was brought to the Chicago area from South Korea by her parents when she was 5. Although she’s anxious, she chooses to focus on her work.
“At the end of the end, we are dreamers and we have fought and will continue to fight for our goals and dreams, those for which our parents sacrificed for,” Choi said.
Arguelles and other DACA recipients said they don’t want the granting of deferred action to a small minority of undocumented immigrants to be used as cover to allow the country to target many of the other estimated 11 million people here without legal status, including their parents.
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“We need immigration reform and a path to citizenship for all, because I’m tired of the politicians using us to bargain as if we were objects. We are human beings,” Arguelles said.
larodriguez@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-18--Billionaire Ken Griffin giving $5 million to help repair damaged Lakefront Trail; 606 to reopen

The trail is set to reopen to the public Monday after it was closed in late March to guard against @ @ @ @ @ .
The city also plans to announce the Monday reopening of The 606 Bloomingdale Trail @ @ @ @ @ and pedestrian path on the Northwest Side closed due to the pandemic .

Work continues along the lakefront near 51st Street and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago on Thursday, June 18, 2020. Chicago billionaire Ken Griffin, who gave $12 million in 2016 to create separate paths for pedestrian and bicycle traffic on the busy Lakefront Trail, is giving another almost $5 million to help repair storm and water damage along the route. coronavirus, COVID-19 (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago billionaire Ken Griffin, who gave $12 million in 2016 to create separate paths for pedestrian and bicycle traffic on the busy Lakefront Trail, is giving another almost $5 million to help repair storm and water damage along the route, the city announced Thursday.
The trail is set to reopen to the public Monday after it was closed in late March to guard against crowding during the coronavirus pandemic. The city also plans to announce the Monday reopening of The 606 Bloomingdale Trail, another popular public bike and pedestrian path on the Northwest Side closed due to the pandemic.
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Griffin, founder and CEO of the hedge fund Citadel, is giving $4.75 million, according to Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office. The contribution will go toward repairs and building protection measures from future storms, and will strengthen key sections of the shoreline, particularly on the South Side, according to the mayor’s office.
The mayor announced the gift at a news conference Thursday.
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“I look forward to witnessing the true and lasting effort this donation will allow us to make and restoring a pivotal piece of our great city,” Lightfoot said in a statement.
Damage along the lakefront near 51st Street and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago on June 18, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
The 18-mile pathway runs from Edgewater to the South Shore neighborhood, and some locals have already been using the trail regularly.
The plan for both the Lakefront Trail and 606, which will both be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, requires users to stay in constant motion. The city said compliance is “critical” to prevent congregating and make sure users are practicing social distancing.
Officials will minimize access to the trail by restricting entrance points. Users must wear face masks, and the Chicago Park District plans to use both signs and “social distancing ambassadors” to educate the public on safe use of the trail and manage traffic flow, the city said.
At a news conference, Lightfoot said that ultimately, it’s up to residents to ensure the city maintains its progress in curbing the coronavirus, she said.
“We will not allow that to be the narrative of Chicago,” Lightfoot said. “But that really depends upon each of you being smart, being careful, wearing masks when you’re out in public, making sure that you’re adhering to social distancing and continuing to do the hand hygiene requirements that we know make a huge difference.”
Chicago Harbors also will open Monday for the 2020 boating season, along with South Shore and Sydney R. Marovitz golf courses.
Lightfoot declined to say when Chicago beaches would reopen. She said city officials are concerned about the beaches due to the risk of people congregating and they won’t reopen until they know they can do it safely.
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The city, working with the Chicago Park District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is also paying $6 million for protective efforts along the Lakefront Trail to prevent further damage, according to the mayor’s office.
Additional reporting by Greg Pratt.
mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-18--Column: So long, Aunt Jemima. Now it’s time for some real change, not just window dressing.

In the era of George Floyd , blatant racist images and behaviors suddenly have become taboo .
Many companies and @ @ @ @ @ some individuals , are scrambling to figure out what steps they can take to make @ @ @ @ @ social justice rather than the racism enablers they ’ ve been .

Bottles of Aunt Jemima pancake syrup are displayed on a shelf at Scotty's Market on June 17, 2020, in San Rafael, California. Quaker Oats announced that it will discontinue the 130-year-old Aunt Jemima brand and logo over concerns of the brand being based on a racial stereotype. Mars, the maker of Uncle Ben's rice is also considering a change in the rice brand. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Much has happened since America set out three weeks ago to become a more racially tolerant nation.
Confederate monuments have been removed. NASCAR banned the Confederate flag. Companies in Illinois are declaring Juneteenth a holiday. And Aunt Jemima has been fired from the high-profile position she has held for 130 years.
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Some corporations are patting themselves on the back for finally doing what they should have done decades ago. They refused to change because they didn’t have to.
In the era of George Floyd, blatant racist images and behaviors suddenly have become taboo. Many companies and institutions, as well as some individuals, are scrambling to figure out what steps they can take to make themselves look like torchbearers for social justice rather than the racism enablers they’ve been.
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Some aren’t looking for real solutions, though. They are seeking quick fixes that make them seem progressive but do nothing to address systemic racism, the greatest barrier to social justice.
Removing Aunt Jemima’s name and picture from bottles of syrup, giving employees a day off to celebrate Juneteenth or tossing money into the pot to help the black cause isn’t good enough. Corporations should be leading the charge to revamp economically deprived neighborhoods that have long suffered from disinvestment.
Most African Americans will shed no tears for Aunt Jemima. But we aren’t ready to embrace the Quaker Oats Co. and say job well done either.
The company always knew that Aunt Jemima was a racist stereotype. That’s why it changed her image in 1968 and again in 1989 to make her appear more socially acceptable. Yet it kept using her to make money until the social climate in America shifted and blatant racist acts fell out of fashion.
The Chicago-based company announced that it is donating $5 million over the next five years to support projects in the black community. That’s a drop in the bucket for a corporation that has made billions exploiting black people with the use of a racist image.
If the company wants to have a real impact, it should open a production facility on the West Side and commit to hiring and training chronically unemployed residents.
Much of the soul-searching occurring in the aftermath of Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police is necessary. Some of the decisions are an honest attempt to address past wrongs and promote a better understanding of how complacency enables racism.
City officials in Jacksonville, Florida, rightfully removed a 122-year-old monument to fallen Confederate soldiers that stood in a public park in the heart of downtown. The same is true of those in Louisville, Kentucky, Alexandria and Norfolk, Virginia, Mobile, Alabama, Asheville, North Carolina, and other cities where statues were taken down.
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These fixtures had no place in public squares, forcing taxpaying African Americans to pay tribute to figures who fought to keep black people enslaved.
The Confederate flag, however, is more complex. All Americans have the right to fly the rebel flag on their front porch or pin one to the tail of their pickup truck. This is America, after all — the land of free expression.
For years, NASCAR provided Confederate flag lovers the biggest forum to gather and celebrate their heritage. Being a private company, NASCAR was under no obligation to change the way it has accommodated its most loyal fans. But officials decided that removing the flag was in the best interest of America.
By banning the Confederate flag from all events and properties, NASCAR gave its biggest supporters a direct slap in the face. It chose instead to provide a “welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone,” including its lone African American racer.
The move sent a clear message to the rebel establishment that it was no longer willing to be part of the Confederate culture that promotes division and superiority. But that’s not enough.
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NASCAR remains one of the whitest sports in America. Its black driver, Bubba Wallace, can’t change that. If NASCAR wants to help move America forward, it has to actively recruit and train a diverse roster of competitors.
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It’s almost embarrassing that companies in Illinois seem to have just learned that June 19 is an important date for some African Americans.
Juneteenth is a big day in Texas because it’s when blacks in that state found out that slavery had been abolished, 2½ years late. It isn’t that much of a deal anywhere else.
Instead of closing banks on Friday, banking executives should put their heads together and figure out how to remove barriers that historically have kept blacks from obtaining loans to buy homes and start businesses.
It’s time for real change in America, not just window dressing. As a friend told me recently, “Brushing rotten teeth isn’t enough when you need a root canal.”
dglanton@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @dahleeng


chicagotribune--2020-06-18--Charges dropped against man accused of killing 4 in South Shore in 2017

“ After a thorough review , which included an additional investigation that was conducted after the charges were filed , @ @ @ @ @ of the evidence , including eyewitness accounts , was insufficient to meet our burden of @ @ @ @ @ to move forward with the prosecution of this case , ” Tandra Simonton , a @ @ @ @ @ s attorney ’ s office , said in a statement .
“ Today , in @ @ @ @ @ the court granted our motion and all charges related to Harris were dismissed .
”

Charges against a man accused of killing four people at a South Side restaurant in March 2017 were dropped Wednesday, according to Cook County prosecutors.
Maurice Harris, now 22, was charged with the quadruple homicide after he allegedly was spotted firing shots outside Nadia Fish and Chicken restaurant at 75th Street and Coles Avenue.
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A day before the shooting, Harris’ father, 37-year-old Jerry Jacobs, was shot and killed at 79th Street and South Phillips Avenue, police said in 2017.
“After a thorough review, which included an additional investigation that was conducted after the charges were filed, we concluded that the totality of the evidence, including eyewitness accounts, was insufficient to meet our burden of proof and we are unable to move forward with the prosecution of this case,” Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman for the state’s attorney’s office, said in a statement. “Today, in the interest of justice, the court granted our motion and all charges related to Harris were dismissed.”
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Three eyewitnesses had previously identified Harris as the alleged shooter of the four victims: Dillon Jackson, 20; his brother, Raheem Jackson, 19; Emmanuel Stokes, 28; and Edwin Davis, 32.


chicagotribune--2020-06-19--Chicago DACA recipients, mayor praise Supreme Court win, but they say fight for immigrant rights wil

Chicago DACA recipients, mayor praise Supreme Court win, but they say fight for immigrant rights will go on: ‘This is just the beginning’

“ There are so many young people who contribute incredible things to the vibrancy of our country , ” Lightfoot @ @ @ @ @ as she fought back tears .
“ They deserve and have the right to be @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ ll have to get read in on the full decision , but @ @ @ @ @ day .
”

Madeline Buckley, Gregory Pratt, John Keilman, Peter Nickeas

Elizeth Arguelles, 25, a DACA recipient, graduated from Dominican University in May and still sells tamales during the weekend to help her mother. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Elizeth Arguelles couldn’t just sit at home Thursday morning waiting for the Supreme Court decision that would shape her future, so she went on a run.
While she was out, she received text messages from community organizers and a call from her mother, alerting her that in a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that President Donald Trump could not immediately end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, a policy that protects Arguelles and hundreds of thousands of other young immigrants from deportation.
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Arguelles, 25, screamed and threw her hands in the air.
“We’ve been under this uncertainty for so long,” she said. “Honestly, a lot of us expected the worst.”
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[ Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to end DACA; president calls it a ‘politically charged’ ruling ]
DACA offers protection to about 650,000 immigrants whose families brought them to the country unlawfully when they were children. The measure, which President Barack Obama implemented as an executive order, allows them to work and prevents their deportation.
Illinois Democrats cheered the Supreme Court decision, with Mayor Lori Lightfoot hailing it as potentially “one of the most historic rulings in the history of the Supreme Court.”
“There are so many young people who contribute incredible things to the vibrancy of our country,” Lightfoot said at a news conference as she fought back tears. “They deserve and have the right to be here. I am grateful. I’ll have to get read in on the full decision, but it’s a great day.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot gets emotional as she's asked about the Supreme Court rejecting the Trump administration's bid to end legal protections for DACA recipients. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker tweeted his support for the court’s decision.
“I’m pleased the Supreme Court has stopped @realDonaldTrump’s lawless attempt at ending the DACA program,” he wrote. “This is a victory for the nearly 700,000 young Americans who are invaluable to our nation and our future. Let this reaffirm that the American dream is possible for everyone.”
I’m pleased the Supreme Court has stopped @realDonaldTrump’s lawless attempt at ending the DACA program. This is a victory for the nearly 700,000 young Americans who are invaluable to our nation and our future. Let this reaffirm that the American dream is possible for everyone. — Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) June 18, 2020
Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Senate Democrat, said affirming DACA is especially important at this moment because 40,000 recipients “are on the frontlines of battling COVID-19 as healthcare workers,” while an additional 200,000 are essential workers.
But he and other members of the state’s congressional delegation noted that the decision is not necessarily the final word: The ruling left open the possibility for the Department of Homeland Security to try again.
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“We celebrate today, but we keep fighting tomorrow,” U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, who lives in Little Village, which has one of Chicago’s larger immigrant communities, said in a statement. “The Supreme Court decision is not a permanent solution and does not provide a pathway to citizenship.”
Jacqueline Stevens, a political-science professor at Northwestern University, said the Trump administration could quickly redraft an order that would likely withstand judicial scrutiny, but it would have to run another legal gantlet that wouldn’t be resolved before the November election.
“The best protection against this is to get a majority of people in Congress and a president who supports the program as it was put in place by Obama,” she said. “Then they can just implement it as a statute rather than rely on an administrative order.”
Trump said the decision showed the need for additional conservative justices to join the two he has appointed, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, and pledged to release a new list from which he would choose a nominee if another opening occurs on his watch. Both of his appointees dissented on Thursday.
Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden pledged to send Congress proposed legislation on his first day in office to make DACA protections permanent.
DACA recipient Chirayu Patel, 37, said he felt relieved by the court’s decision, though uncertain about the future.
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DACA recipient Chirayu Patel on June 15, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
“A lot of people were expecting the Supreme Court would agree with the Trump administration and end the program,” he said. “The next thing is, how does this administration respond to this, particularly in terms of our renewals.”
Patel’s work permit expires in March. He’s applied for a renewal but isn’t sure if it will be approved or if the administration will again seek to undo DACA.
“I was relieved that for now (DACA) is in place,” he said. “I’m not sure what happens tomorrow or tonight. Or what if they decide, we’re going to follow and still going to end it. I don’t know how that happens.”
Before the passage of DACA, Andrea Chavarria didn’t know if she’d be able to go to college without the ability to work to help pay for it, or whether there would be any point to a college education if she couldn’t launch a career after graduation.
“DACA has changed my life completely,” said Chavarria, who arrived in the United States from Mexico when she was 5. “When I was in high school, I was almost 100% sure college was not an option for me.”
Now, the 24-year-old is a graduate of University of Illinois Chicago and a health coach for people with chronic diseases at several area clinics, but she has been living under a cloud of uncertainty since Trump threatened the program.
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Andrea Chavarria, a DACA recipient from Mexico, and now a health coach, poses for a portrait at home following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the DACA program, which allows her to remain in the country. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
Chavarria has agonized over whether she should tell her boss that the clinics she serves may need to find someone else for her role if DACA were to be terminated.
“It was very scary,” she said. “We were in the middle of a pandemic, and to have this was a lot of stress.”
Thursday’s decision caught her off-guard but made for an “exciting, very emotional moment,” she said.
“I feel lucky, but I still think about these people who are undocumented who can’t apply for DACA,” she said.
Arguelles, a recent Dominican University graduate who works for a culinary training provider and serves as a community organizer, said DACA protection means she can continue building her career with the goal of archiving stories of people in marginalized communities.
“I feel like sometimes we ... start questioning what is the point of pursuing a career if we are not going be able to work legally,” she said.
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Still, Arguelles said she and her fellow community organizers are determined to continue to fight for deeper protections.
“This is just the beginning,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-06-18--5-year-old boy among 3 wounded, 1 dead in separate shootings on South Side, police say

In the fatal shooting , the victim was inside an apartment in the 6500 block of South King Drive , @ @ @ @ @ a known offender fired a gun , striking him in the chest .

Deanese Williams-Harris, Jessica Villagomez

A 34-year-old man was fatally shot Thursday afternoon in Parkway Gardens apartments, and a 5-year-old boy was among three others wounded in separate shootings on the South Side, Chicago police said.
The most recent shooting happened about 5 p.m. after an unknown male unleashed gunfire from a gangway in the 700 block of West 50th Place, according to police.
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Two people, 5 and 19, were shot while they were on the porch of a residence, police spokeswoman Michelle Tannehill said.
The boy suffered a wound to the buttocks, and the man was shot in the abdomen area. Both were stabilized at an area hospital, police said.
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No offenders have been taken into custody, and dectectives are investigating.
In the fatal shooting, the victim was inside an apartment in the 6500 block of South King Drive, when an argument ensued and a known offender fired a gun, striking him in the chest.
The victim was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, but was pronounced dead a short time after, police said.
The person who fired the weapon was taken into custody, and charges were pending, police said.
About 3:40 p.m., a 37-year-old man was in the 1500 block of West 100th Place when he suffered a graze wound to the thigh. He refused medical treatment, police said.
Police were investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-06-18--State regulators strike deal with ComEd, other utilities to extend help for customers struggling dur

State regulators strike deal with ComEd, other utilities to extend help for customers struggling during pandemic

“ We talk to utility customers every day at CUB , so we know people are hurting and worried about @ @ @ @ @ ” Citizens Utility Board Executive Director David Kolata said in a statement .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ a victory for consumers all over the state .
We hope some of the measures @ @ @ @ @ of security and stability as Illinois begins to recover from the pandemic and economic crisis @ @

Illinois residents struggling to pay their electric, gas and water bills amid job losses and other economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic received additional relief Thursday from the state’s top utility regulator.
The Illinois Commerce Commission unanimously approved an agreement with Commonwealth Edison, Peoples Gas, Nicor and the state’s other large utility companies that extends a moratorium on service disconnections and a suspension of late payments first put in place in March in response to the pandemic.
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Under the agreement approved Thursday, those policies will be extended through Aug. 1 or when all four regions of the state have entered phase four of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” reopening plan, whichever comes first. Residential and small business customers will get an additional 30-day reprieve.
All four regions are on track to enter phase four June 26.
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Once those policies are lifted, utilities will offer continued assistance for customers who are struggling to pay their bills.
Among other programs, customers experiencing financial hardship will be eligible for service reconnection without fees, and utilities will offer bill assistance programs, including debt forgiveness, to lower-income customers.
Utilities will give customers a longer period to repay debt, and those experiencing financial hardship will not be required to make down payments to enter repayment plans. Customers will be able to report financial hardship to the utilities without being required to provide any written documentation.
“The terms of this agreement acknowledge that families and small businesses across Illinois are hurting and may need additional help managing their utility bills to stay connected once the moratorium on shut-offs is lifted,” ICC Chairman Carrie Zalewski said in a statement.
One of the state’s top consumer advocates, the Citizens Utility Board, applauded the agreement as “one of the most comprehensive COVID-19 utility customer relief measures in the country.”
“We talk to utility customers every day at CUB, so we know people are hurting and worried about paying their utility bills,” Citizens Utility Board Executive Director David Kolata said in a statement. “The approval of these protections is a victory for consumers all over the state. We hope some of the measures begin to provide a sense of security and stability as Illinois begins to recover from the pandemic and economic crisis.”
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-18--Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to end DACA; president calls it a ‘politically charged’ ruling

The justices rejected administration arguments that the 8-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program is illegal and that courts have @ @ @ @ @ reviewing the decision to end DACA .
The program covers people who have been in @ @ @ @ @ were children and are in the country illegally .
In some cases , they have @ @ @ @ @ other than the U.S .

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 18: DACA recipients and their supporters rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 18, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Thursday morning, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, denied the Trump administration's attempt to end DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD ** (Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to end legal protections for 650,000 young immigrants, the second stunning election-season rebuke from the court in a week after its ruling that it’s illegal to fire people because they’re gay or transgender.
For now, the young immigrants retain their protection from deportation and their authorization to work in the United States.
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The 5-4 outcome, in which Chief Justice John Roberts and the four liberal justices were in the majority, seems certain to elevate the issue in Trump's campaign, given the anti-immigrant rhetoric of his first presidential run in 2016 and immigration restrictions his administration has imposed since then.
The justices rejected administration arguments that the 8-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program is illegal and that courts have no role to play in reviewing the decision to end DACA. The program covers people who have been in the United States since they were children and are in the country illegally. In some cases, they have no memory of any home other than the U.S.
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Trump didn't hold back in his assessment of the court's work, hitting hard at a political angle.
“These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives. We need more Justices or we will lose our 2nd Amendment & everything else. Vote Trump 2020!” he wrote on Twitter, apparently including the LGBT ruling as well.
In a second tweet, he wrote, “Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn’t like me?”
Later, he said the decision showed the need for additional conservative justices to join the two he has appointed, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, and pledged to release a new list from which he would choose a nominee if another opening occurs on his watch. Both of his appointees dissented on Thursday, though Gorsuch wrote the LGBT rights ruling.
Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden pledged to send Congress proposed legislation on his first day in office to make DACA protections permanent.
Roberts, with whom Trump has sparred, wrote for the court that the administration did not pursue the end of the program properly.
“We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies,” Roberts wrote. “We address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action. Here the agency failed to consider the conspicuous issues of whether to retain forbearance and what if anything to do about the hardship to DACA recipients.”
The Department of Homeland Security can try again, he wrote. But any new order to end the program, and the legal challenge it would provoke, would likely take months, if not longer.
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“No way that’s going to happen before November,” said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a professor of immigration law practice at Cornell University Law School.
Supporters of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program react to the Supreme Court's ruling outside the court in Washington, June 18, 2020. The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Trump administration may not immediately proceed with its plan to end the program protecting about 700,000 young immigrants known as Dreamers from deportation. (Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times)
The court’s four conservative justices dissented. Justice Clarence Thomas, in a dissent joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, wrote that DACA was illegal from the moment it was created under the Obama administration in 2012. Thomas called the ruling “an effort to avoid a politically controversial but legally correct decision.”
Alito wrote that federal judges had prevented DACA from being ended “during an entire Presidential term. Our constitutional system is not supposed to work that way.”
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in a separate dissent that he was satisfied that the administration acted appropriately in trying to end the program.
DACA recipents were elated by the ruling.
“We’ll keep living our lives in the meantime,” said Cesar Espinosa, who leads the Houston immigration advocacy group FIEL. “We’re going to continue to work, continue to advocate.”
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Espinosa said he got little sleep overnight in anticipation of a possible decision Thursday. In the minutes since the decision was posted, he said his group was “flooded with calls with Dreamers, happy, with that hope that they’re going to at least be in this country for a while longer.”
From the Senate floor, the Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said of the DACA decision, “I cried tears of joy.”
“Wow,” he went on, choking up. “These kids, these families, I feel for them, and I think all of America does.
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas had a different take, labeling DACA illegal and focusing his wrath on Roberts.
“Yet John Roberts again postures as a Solomon who will save our institutions from political controversy and accountability. If the Chief Justice believes his political judgment is so exquisite, I invite him to resign, travel to Iowa, and get elected,” Cotton said in a statement.
The program grew out of an impasse over a comprehensive immigration bill between Congress and the Obama administration in 2012. President Barack Obama decided to formally protect people from deportation while also allowing them to work legally in the U.S.
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But Trump made tough talk on immigration a central part of his campaign and less than eight months after taking office, he announced in September 2017 that he would end DACA.
Immigrants, civil rights groups, universities and Democratic-led states quickly sued, and courts put the administration’s plan on hold.
The Department of Homeland Security has continued to process two-year DACA renewals so that hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients have protections stretching beyond the election and even into 2022. No new applications have been accepted since 2017, and it probably would take a court order to change that, Yale-Loehr said. “The short answer is no new applications will be accepted tomorrow. That will take time.”
The Supreme Court fight over DACA played out in a kind of legal slow motion. The administration first wanted the justices to hear and decide the case by June 2018. The justices said no. The Justice Department returned to the court later in 2018, but the justices did nothing for more than seven months before agreeing a year ago to hear arguments. Those took place in November and more than seven months elapsed before the court’s decision.
Thursday’s ruling was the second time in two years that Roberts and the liberal justices faulted the administration for the way it went about a policy change. Last year, the court forced the administration to back off a citizenship question on the 2020 census.
In 2018, Roberts joined his conservative colleagues to preserve Trump’s travel ban affecting several countries with largely Muslim populations. In that instance, Roberts wrote the administration put the policy — or at least its third version — in place properly.
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Associated Press writers Jessica Gresko, Lisa Mascaro, Astrid Galvan in Phoenix, Nomaan Merchant in Houston and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.