chicagotribune--2020-06-05--Illinois surpasses 1 million COVID-19 tests, as 1,156 new known cases and 59 additional deaths repor

Illinois surpasses 1 million COVID-19 tests, as 1,156 new known cases and 59 additional deaths reported

“ I wouldn ’ t say I anticipate delays or setbacks , but I ’ m concerned , worried , @ @ @ @ @ packed so close together , at the marches that I ’ ve seen , ” @ @ @ @ @ And again , I support the expression of their First Amendment rights .
But so @ @ @ @ @ together — I ’ m glad to say so many were wearing masks , that @ @ @ @ @ , for sure .
But I worry .
”

Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton and Gov. J.B. Pritzker hand out beverages and speak with community members on Thursday, June 4, 2020, in Chicago's Austin neighborhood. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
There have now been more than 1 million tests for COVID-19 conducted in Illinois since the outbreak began, a milestone reached as the state on Friday announced 1,156 new known cases of coronavirus.
The statewide known case count is now 125,915.
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State officials also announced 59 additional deaths Friday, raising the statewide death toll to 5,795 total deaths.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the latest numbers Friday afternoon in Peoria, where he was touring a testing site.
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As of midnight Friday, 2,911 people in the state were hospitalized with COVID-19, 817 of them were in intensive care units, and 500 were on ventilators.
Earlier in the spring, hospitalization numbers topped 5,000.
Illinois, like many states struggled, struggled to ramp up its testing capacity as COVID-19 spread earlier this year amid a national shortage of testing kits and supplies, but the state on Thursday announced that anyone, regardless of symptoms, could seek testing at state-run sites.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 1,000,919 tests had been conducted as of Friday, which includes what is being reported by state, commercial and hospital labs.
Pritzker also urged anyone who has taken part in “mass gatherings,” including protest marches and other demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police, to get tested.
“I wouldn’t say I anticipate delays or setbacks, but I’m concerned, worried, that seeing so many people packed so close together, at the marches that I’ve seen,” Pritzker said Friday. “And again, I support the expression of their First Amendment rights. But so many people were so close together — I’m glad to say so many were wearing masks, that’s half the battle, for sure. But I worry.”
The protests that Illinois has seen since last weekend in the wake of Floyd’s May 25 death come as the state has advanced to another phase of Pritzker’s reopening plan after more than two months under a statewide stay-at-home order.
Starting May 29 for much of the state, restrictions were loosened to allow for people in Illinois to get a haircut, eat outdoors at a restaurant and gather in groups of up to 10 people. Chicago followed the rest of the state in advancing to phase three of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s reopening plan earlier this week.
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State officials will be closely eyeing COVID-19 data over the next few weeks, particularly hospitalization numbers, to determine whether the combination of loosening restrictions and mass gatherings led to an increase in cases across the state.
At that point, “we can either develop some confidence about the outcome of phase three, or some concern,” Pritzker said.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--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--2020-06-05--Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 5,795 deaths, 125,915 confirmed cases, 1,000,919 tests,  10.7% positi

Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 5,795 deaths, 125,915 confirmed cases, 1,000,919 tests,  10.7% positivity rate for Northeast region

As the coronavirus spreads and local , state and national governments work to contain and mitigate the outbreak , the @ @ @ @ @ .

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--2020-06-05--19-year-old woman charged with lighting police squad car on fire during Aurora unrest

“ They are drowning out the message that needs to be heard , not just by the public , but @ @ @ @ @ a position to do something about it , ” McMahon said .

Fire engulfs an Elgin police squad car during the unrest in Aurora on May 31, 2020. (Stacy St. Clair / Chicago Tribune)
A suburban teen with a small history of petty theft set fire to a police vehicle during unrest in Aurora this week in an act of “revenge” against law enforcement, prosecutors say.
Authorities say she has no ties to antifa or the white supremacy groups that some have blamed for the violence and vandalism across the country.
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She has no job and lives with her mom in Kendall County, according to court records.
Vianney Huerta, 19, offers a small portrait of the 21 people arrested following the unrest in Aurora last Sunday. It’s a disparate, racially diverse group that includes a former reality TV personality, a married couple and several 20-somethings with no connections to extremist groups on either end of the political spectrum, investigators say.
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Indeed, authorities say those arrested have seemingly few ties to one another except for their alleged roles in overshadowing the nonviolent protests meant to convey the urgent need for racial equality and police accountability across the country.
“They are drowning out the message that needs to be heard, not just by the public, but by those who are in a position to do something about it,” Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said.
McMahon’s office has charged 11 people with felonies in connection to Aurora’s unrest, including, police say, a husband and wife who attempted to loot a far north side Walmart early Monday morning while local authorities were focused on the devastated downtown. A deputy on his way home from work saw the couple, along with three others, putting electronics and liquor into a car and helped make the arrest, Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said.
Erica and Frankie Higgins, of Montgomery, were released on their own personal recognizance. The couple, who could not be reached comment, are expected back in court in August.
Prosecutors also charged Bolingbrook resident Michael Salter, 19, with burglary after the Walgreens across from the Aurora police station was broken into Sunday. Salter appeared on the short-lived Lifetime reality series “Bringing Up Ballers,” which followed the lives of Chicago-area basketball stars and their mothers.
Salter’s attorney declined comment Friday.
The chaos began Sunday following a nonviolent protest in which Aurora police Chief Kristen Ziman met with demonstrators and joined them in chants of “justice now!”
As Ziman answered questions about everything from body cameras to her department’s hiring practices, a clear divide emerged among those gathered. Some wanted to engage with the officers and continue a nonviolent protest, while others demanded more aggressive tactics.
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The two sides shouted at each other until the more hostile group eventually moved downtown and people began plundering businesses.
Using cinder blocks from a nearby construction site, people shattered storefront windows and climbed inside the businesses as police in riot gear watched. After breaking into one jewelry store, masked looters emerged carrying trays of necklaces and watch boxes.
Some hurled large chunks of concrete at police, while others lit fireworks within feet of officers. A bullet was fired into the window of the armored police vehicle purchased last year following the mass shooting just a few miles away at the Henry Pratt Co.
Authorities responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets repeatedly into the crowds.
While the sheriff’s office requested mutual aid from other departments, the response was low as many towns held officers back to protect their own communities. The Kane County sheriff’s office only had 25 deputies trained to handle riots, making their task even more arduous.
“Those numbers were just not large enough,” Hain said.
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More than two dozen buildings were vandalized and several stores were looted the following night in Naperville. Four people also were arrested on allegations they attempted to burglarize a local gun shop during the mayhem.
Law-enforcement officers and Tribune reporters independently recognized people who had attended both events. Authorities also spotted some of those same people at a nonviolent protest in Batavia on Wednesday and spoke with them before the demonstration began.
“Local law enforcement proactively reached out to them and had a discussion with them,” McMahon said. “I think that might have dissuaded them from trying to incite other people to hijack a civil protest and turn it into something criminal."
In 2018, McMahon successfully prosecuted Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke for the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. Van Dyke’s second-degree murder conviction marked the first murder conviction of a Chicago police officer in half a century.
Given his experience with that case, McMahon said he feels a heightened obligation to ensure the demonstrators’ message isn’t eclipsed by violence and vandalism. He has given his staff permission to participate in protests, as long as they agree to help defuse situations when possible and leave if the peaceful gatherings are overtaken by violent groups.
Artists and volunteers paint on a boarded-up section of downtown Aurora on June 2, 2020, after the unrest. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
“I respect the fact that people across this nation are angry and frustrated about the ongoing lack of attention to issues of inequality, racism and the maltreatment of African Americans. I agree that we should be much farther down the road toward a more equal and just society,” McMahon said. “The individuals (facing charges) were more interested in mayhem. ... All are opportunistic criminals who sought to steal the spotlight away from those who were demonstrating, whether by looting, engaging in violent conduct or putting someone’s life and safety at risk.”
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State, local and federal investigators continue to investigate the Aurora unrest, combing through hours of video from surveillance cameras, drones and dashboard camera, authorities said. They also are using facial recognition software to identify suspects.
McMahon said Huerta was identified after police officers and an assistant state’s attorney spent hours poring over images from the scene. Authorities said the teen lit a fire inside a squad car parked on East New York Street.
The fire quickly spread throughout the vehicle owned by the Elgin Police Department, which was on site to help. Onlookers erupted in loud cheers once the squad car became engulfed by flames. She was charged with arson.
“It puts every person’s life in danger,” Kane County assistant state’s attorney Mark Stajdohar said.
Huerta was previously arrested in 2018 by Lombard police for stealing makeup from a J.C. Penney. She pleaded guilty and received court supervision, records show.
She also was arrested for retail theft in 2019 by Chicago police, but the case was not prosecuted, Stajdohar said.
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“If this is something (revenge) from the Chicago Police Department or Lombard, it’s clearly taken out on the wrong police department,” he said.
Huerta remained in Kane County Jail on Friday evening on $10,000 bond.


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--Cook County state’s attorney’s office says it will review allegations that Chicago cops pulled woman

Cook County state’s attorney’s office says it will review allegations that Chicago cops pulled woman from car by her hair and placed knee on her neck

“ I was trying to get out with my hands up .
They continue to break the window , and @ @ @ @ @ was being pulled out of the vehicle , pulled by my hair , ” Wright @ @ @ @ @ The officer grabbed me .
I had my hair tied in a bun .
He @ @ @ @ @ of my bun and pulled me out of the vehicle .
And that is when @ @ @ @ @ ground , and he proceeded to put his knee in my neck .
”

Mia Wright, 25, who said she was pulled from a car by Chicago police at Brickyard Mall, speaks to the media June 4, 2020, during a news conference in the mall's parking lot. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The Cook County state’s attorney’s office said Thursday it is reviewing allegations that Chicago police pulled a woman from a car by her hair and placed a knee on her neck.
“We are aware of the incident that occurred at Brickyard Mall and are currently conducting a thorough, independent review of the matter, including the conduct of the police officers involved,” the office said. “We take law enforcement accountability seriously and have reached out to the family involved through their attorney.”
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The investigation into the officers’ conduct is being done in collaboration with the FBI, according to Cook County state’s attorney’s office spokeswoman Aviva Bowen.
Also Thursday, the city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability said that the officers involved hadn’t been identified, but the office recommended the department “either modify their duty status or relieve them temporarily of police power until COPA can further assess the events and circumstances surrounding the use of force,” according to a news release.
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The state’s attorney’s statement came hours after the attorney for the woman, Mia Wright, demanded a criminal investigation into the incident last Sunday.
“I didn’t do anything,” Wright, 25, insisted at a news conference in the parking lot of the mall, where she said the officers surrounded her car, broke the windows with clubs and pulled her to the ground on Sunday.
“I was trying to get out with my hands up. They continue to break the window, and before you know it I was being pulled out of the vehicle, pulled by my hair,” Wright said, crying. “The officer grabbed me. I had my hair tied in a bun. He grabbed me by the top of my bun and pulled me out of the vehicle. And that is when they threw me on the ground, and he proceeded to put his knee in my neck.”
[ Family alleges brutal police restraint with knee on neck in Chicago arrest caught on video ]
Mia Wright, center, who says she was pulled from a car by Chicago police, is comforted by family June 4, 2020, after a news conference in the parking lot of the Brickyard Mall in Chicago. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The use of kneeling to restrain someone in police custody has been under scrutiny nationwide since George Floyd died after being restrained in that fashion by an officer in Minneapolis.
“All I thought about was George Floyd, and it could have been another situation like that,” Wright said. “I have anxiety now. I can’t sleep. I had to go to a doctor. I had to go to the emergency room.”
Wright was charged with disorderly conduct and released on Monday, according to police and the family. Her attorney, Nenye Uche, asked that those charges be dropped.
Wright said she and four others in the car had gone to the mall not realizing it had been closed because of looting. A video of part of the incident was taken by family friend James Smith, 40, who was driving in a second car. It shows the car being suddenly surrounded by police. Officers broke at least three of the car’s windows with batons, according to the video, before pulling Wright and others out.
Warning: graphic content/language. Chicago police surrounded a vehicle, broke its windows and arrested a women near Brickyard Mall in Chicago. (Chicago Tribune Handout)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted that she has seen the video. “While one video does not always show the entirety of an incident, COPA is investigating to ensure a complete picture of what happened,” she said, referring to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
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“If any wrongdoing is discovered, officers will be held accountable,” she added in another tweet.
At a Thursday news conference, Lightfoot said COPA “is doing everything it can to identify the officers, and then make an appropriate recommendation.”
Lightfoot said it isn’t easy to identify officers in the “grainy video,” but once they’re identified, they’ll be reported to the superintendent.
Asked if the officers should remain on the street during the investigation, she replied, "I don’t want to get ahead and I’m not the head of COPA. I’m the mayor and I want COPA to be doing its job, but doing it independently.
"They have to call balls and strikes," she said. “I mean, of course I have my own personal opinion about it, but I’m not going to share it because I don’t want to influence what COPA’s work is, they’ve got to, they have the jurisdiction and the mandate, and more importantly they have my full support to do their job, independently.”


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--Illinois schools can reopen for summer classes with restrictions, governor announces; CPS ‘evaluatin

Illinois schools can reopen for summer classes with restrictions, governor announces; CPS ‘evaluating’ its options

Schools should do symptom and temperature checks before someone enters the school , and anyone who shows signs of any @ @ @ @ @ An area should be designated to quarantine anyone who starts experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms and may @ @ @ @ @ up or evaluated , but students are not supposed to be left alone .

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks with community members June 4 during an event in the Austin neighborhood. He issued an order Thursday allowing schools to resume in-person classes this summer, with limitations. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois schools, which have been shut down since March because of the coronavirus pandemic, will now be allowed to hold in-person summer school, thanks to an executive order issued Thursday afternoon by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
But many area school systems — including Chicago Public Schools — have already announced that summer school will be held through remote learning, so it’s not immediately clear if such districts will change course.
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Friday she was surprised by the development and that CPS is evaluating its options.
The order states that all Illinois public and nonpublic elementary and high schools can open for “limited in-person educational purposes" once the regular school year ends. They can also continue providing food and other services, but must follow guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health as the state moves through the third phase of its reopening plan.
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Any school that reopens must take safety measures that include anyone older than 2 years old wearing face masks and other appropriate personal protective equipment. Also, the number of people in a space will be limited to 10, maintaining a 6-foot distance between them. Physical contact and sharing of personal items is discouraged, and students and staff must adhere to regular hand-washing and other cleaning and hygiene practices.
Schools are required to provide masks for employees who are unable to ensure the 6-foot distance at all times, and should make an effort to provide students with disposable masks, according to the order.
In response to the order, Lightfoot said Friday that CPS “is evaluating” what to do with summer school.
“I don’t have an answer for you now, but we will adapt as we are able to,” she said. She also noted that, “unfortunately, I heard about this on the news.”
In the next largest school district in Illinois, Elgin-based U-46, some summer programming starts Monday. Despite the governor’s order, summer school will be done through distance learning with no in-person instruction, spokeswoman Mary Fergus confirmed.
Also on Thursday, the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Department of Public Health released further recommendations for the transition back to in-person instruction, with a focus on activities allowed in phase three of the “Restore Illinois” reopening plan, including summer school.
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"While Phase 3 allows for the resumption of limited face-to-face instruction, schools cannot yet return to pre-pandemic operation," states the guidance, which was developed by an advisory group of educators and others similar to the process for the state's remote learning guidance.
It includes nearly 30 pages specific to various areas of the schools and activities such as physical education, driver’s education and music courses.
Schools should do symptom and temperature checks before someone enters the school, and anyone who shows signs of any illness should stay home. An area should be designated to quarantine anyone who starts experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms and may be waiting to be picked up or evaluated, but students are not supposed to be left alone.
Local school districts can still decide whether to facilitate the activities allowed in this phase, which include behind-the-wheel driver’s education, so long as cars are sanitized between each use and no more than two students and one instructor are inside at any time.
“We must continue to be diligent in following the required safety protocols to keep Illinois on the path to recovery,” said State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala in a news release.
ISBE has stated it will make recommendations in the coming weeks for the 2020-21 school year.
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Schools may serve as student testing sites and can allow summer programs sponsored by third parties to use their buildings, but not playgrounds.
Districts also may "conduct activities pertaining to the legal requirement that schools find all children who have disabilities and who may be entitled to special education services" and offer extended school year services if required by a student's special education plan.
Students with individualized education plans and students who got incomplete grades during remote learning are among those ISBE said should be prioritized for summer services.
Chicago Tribune’s Gregory Pratt contributed.
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--Community steps in to help South and West side families left without food, baby supplies after store

Community steps in to help South and West side families left without food, baby supplies after stores close because of unrest

Butler had also already been collecting items for care packages and food boxes to help Englewood cope with coronavirus stress @ @ @ @ @ in her living room — she has collected 700 of them — will now be @ @ @ @ @ the looting , she said .

Monica Moore carries a box of food as volunteers with Social Change help to pack up arriving vehicles with goods during a pop-up food drive at 54th Street and Wentworth Avenue in Chicago on June 4, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Wednesday morning, Cook County Circuit Judge Erika Orr had to drive 20 minutes from her neighborhood just to find a gallon of milk.
“Basically, on the South Side, what wasn’t burned has been boarded,” Orr said Thursday.
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Now, community members like Orr are stepping up to fill the gap and provide resources to their neighborhood.
Nearly a week after businesses were looted on the South and West sides, many of those neighborhood grocery stores and pharmacies remain closed.
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Orr considers herself lucky that she has a car to travel safely to open stores. But many without transportation are stuck. It’s especially challenging for families and mothers in constant need of baby products and other essential items.
Thursday afternoon at a strip mall north of Garfield Boulevard on Wentworth Avenue, full of boarded-up businesses, nonprofit Social Change and “Empire” actress Ta’Rhonda Jones teamed up with Orr and other leaders to host a food giveaway.
Within two hours after they opened, the group fed 500 families.
Most who showed up for help received a large box with bags of fresh fruit, vegetables, a loaf of bread, a box of cereal, and whatever personal hygiene supplies they needed.
“It’s a stopgap, it’s not going to solve the problem,” Orr said. “Fortunately the community stepped up.”
Chicago joined cities across the country this weekend to protest the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and to call for the end to an unjust system.
Saturday evening, violence followed large protests in downtown Chicago and some began looting. In response, the city locked down the central business district, shutting down CTA service, lifting bridges and, some said, in effect pushing the unrest into the neighborhoods.
Stores across the South and West sides were damaged, and neighborhood groups are now working to lead the recovery.
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Elzie Higginbottom, the property owner of the mall, allowed organizers to use his parking lot for the free food drive. Thursday afternoon, he watched hundreds of people pour into the mall, forming a line in front of a shuttered Family Dollar store, where they usually shop for food.
“Now those opportunities are no longer available to them,” Higginbottom said
In addition to produce, volunteers passed out diapers, wipes and personal protective equipment.
Dr. Sabha Abour, one of the food drive organizers, had already been collecting diapers for donations to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
But, after the weekend of unrest, Abour says the need jumped considerably as mothers in South Side neighborhoods found themselves without local stores. To secure more diapers, Abour asked for help on Facebook, and connected with longtime Englewood community organizer Asiaha Butler.
Butler had also already been collecting items for care packages and food boxes to help Englewood cope with coronavirus stress. But the diapers stacked in her living room — she has collected 700 of them — will now be given to those affected by the looting, she said.
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“After the looting, we have no stores for basic essentials,” she said, standing in front of her home.
Days after Butler watched the looting from her front porch, she was still processing what she witnessed.
“We’re feeling it,” she said. “We’re internalizing it.”
Butler went to the bank Tuesday to deposit checks, only to find her local branch closed. She doesn’t condone the looting, but she understands why it happens.
“I don’t feel angry," she said. “No, I didn’t feel anger. I felt what it looked like was; an outcome of a system that starved the community for so long.”
At Thursday’s giveaway, long lines formed down Garfield and Wentworth. Organizers were not surprised by the number of people.
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It’s "because it’s needed,” Jones said. “I’m just glad I’m able to be a vessel and I’m able to help.”
When Shaquan Dupart saw looting in her neighborhood Saturday, her first thought was: “What store am I going to go to?”
Dupart is a member of the Chicago Black Doula Alliance, a group dedicated to uniting doulas — women who give nonmedical help to other women during labor — and supporting black mothers across the city.
She has an 8-year-old child of her own and another on the way, but this weekend she was most worried about mothers with babies and toddlers.
“I can imagine if I had a small child who was on their last few diapers, who was on their last group of formula,” Dupart said.
She quickly came together with six other doulas and organized a donation drive for black mothers on the West Side.
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The doulas asked for financial donations as well as the donation of items such as diapers, formula, baby food and breast pads. They and Social Change expect to continue their supply drives in weeks to come.
Dupart says the community response was overwhelming and within a week they raised $2,500. The alliance is now preparing to make its first donation drop off next week.
“I feel like the community overall has really stepped up and stepped in.”


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--Three charged in attempted ATM heist — latest federal case stemming from unrest in Chicago

Two days after his arrest , Foster was recorded on a phone call from Cook County Jail telling an acquaintance @ @ @ @ @ carrying the gun for protection during the ongoing unrest in the city and had to @ @ @ @ @ it during the chase , according to the complaint .

Three men accused of using a crowbar to try to break into a Bank of America ATM on the South Side this week mark the latest federal charges brought in the days of protests and unrest that have gripped Chicago.
Chyenne Simpson, Rickie Foy and Pierre Harvey were each charged with attempted bank theft in the incident Monday night at the Bank of America branch in the 600 block of West 63rd Street, court records show.
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The three men were among a group of people captured on bank surveillance footage using a crowbar, tie rod and other tools to try to crack open the ATM in an outdoor vestibule, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court on Thursday.
The ATM contained nearly $300,000 in cash, but none of the money was stolen, according to the charges.
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The group scattered when officers arrived at the scene, but Simpson, Foy and Harvey were arrested nearby, the complaint alleged. All three said in interviews with police that they were at the bank but denied taking part in the attempted theft.
Harvey allegedly said he was “in the wrong place at the wrong time, man," according to the complaint.
A total of 13 people are now facing charges in U.S. District Court stemming from the chaos and looting that struck the city after the police-involved homicide of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
In addition to the charges in the ATM heist, prosecutors Thursday filed new gun cases against two men who were allegedly caught with illegal weapons after running from looting scenes.
According to a criminal complaint, Evander Foster of Chicago was arrested shortly before 4 a.m. Monday after officers responded to a call of a group trying to break into a bank in the 7800 block of South State Street.
Foster ran from police and appeared to throw a dark “L-shaped” object onto the ramp of the Dan Ryan Expressway, according to the complaint. The gun — a Taurus 9 mm pistol with an extended magazine — was later recovered by officers.
Two days after his arrest, Foster was recorded on a phone call from Cook County Jail telling an acquaintance that he’d been carrying the gun for protection during the ongoing unrest in the city and had to “get rid of” it during the chase, according to the complaint.
“I understand I f----- up and made a mistake,” Foster allegedly said on the call. “But at the same time … you know what was going on out there, baby. I’m not gonna let nobody get up with me.”
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Foster, 23, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for a 2014 armed robbery conviction in Cook County, according to the complaint. He was released last year and was on parole when he was arrested Monday.
In the other gun case, Gustavo Luna-Barrios was arrested early Sunday after officers responded to a call of looting at an O’Reilly Auto Parts store at 31st Street and South Ashland Avenue, according to a criminal complaint.
Police found a handgun in Luna-Barrios’ pocket, which he claimed belonged to “an unidentified friend,” according to the charges.
The complaint stated Luna-Barrios has been in the country illegally since 2015, when he was supposed to self-deport to Mexico.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--11 sites where anyone can get a coronavirus test: Search our map for one near you

The state ’ s information on testing sites changes frequently .
This map will be updated every few days .
@ @ @ @ @ are not on the state ’ s list .
Some have asked not to be @ @ @ @ @ added at a later date .

Testing for COVID-19 has greatly expanded in Illinois.
The state’s information on testing sites changes frequently. This map will be updated periodically. More from the Illinois Department of Public Health here.
There are many sites that are not on the state’s list. Some have asked not to be named. Others may be added at a later date.
Sites as of Dec. 1


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--Gov. J.B. Pritzker raises his national profile with rebuke  of President Donald Trump over George Fl

Gov. J.B. Pritzker raises his national profile with rebuke  of President Donald Trump over George Floyd fallout

“ We have to have police reform called for .
We ’ ve called out our National Guard and our @ @ @ @ @ rhetoric that ’ s coming out of the White House is making it worse , @ @ @ @ @ And I need to say that people are feeling real pain out here and that @ @ @ @ @ have national leadership that is calling for calm and making sure that we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ legitimate peaceful protesters .
That will help us bring order .
”

Then-Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker talks with President Donald Trump and others during a meeting with newly elected governors in the White House Cabinet Room in December 2018. (Evan Vucci/AP)
When Gov. J.B. Pritzker sharply denounced President Donald Trump’s rhetoric in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death during a call of the nation’s governors, it not only laid bare the animosity between the two men, it also quickly elevated Pritzker’s stature among national Democrats.
Pritzker’s criticism of the president drew widespread attention and led to appearances by the governor on cable news shows. Since his comments came in an ostensibly closed setting, a White House conference call, questions were raised about Pritzker’s political motivation for speaking up.
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What the governor clearly showed is that unlike most of his counterparts, he isn’t afraid to challenge a president known for not letting any slight go unavenged, said David Yepsen, a former director at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
“When I heard him take on Trump like that, I thought first of all that some of these governors are intimidated by Trump,” said Yepsen, former longtime political columnist at the Des Moines Register. “Trump holds purse strings for money that they need. They don’t want to alienate him. But Pritzker came off to me as a guy who gets inside Trump’s head.”
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Pritzker’s criticism of Trump during Monday’s phone call followed nearly an hour of remarks by Trump and 10 other governors, both Democrat and Republican, that largely dealt with the president’s push to use the National Guard to “dominate” the streets. He said governors who weren’t standing up to violent protests looked “weak" and “like jerks.”
But Pritzker was the only governor who focused directly on the White House response to Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police. Trump had taken to social media to say “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” and warning that the federal government “will step in and do what has to be done and that includes using the unlimited power of our military.”
“I wanted to take this moment, I can’t let it pass, to speak up and say that I’ve been extraordinarily concerned with the rhetoric that’s been used by you. It’s been inflammatory and it’s not OK for that officer to choke George Floyd to death. But we have to call for calm,” Pritzker told Trump, referring to former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with second-degree murder.
“We have to have police reform called for. We’ve called out our National Guard and our state police, but the rhetoric that’s coming out of the White House is making it worse,” Pritzker said. “And I need to say that people are feeling real pain out here and that we’ve got to have national leadership that is calling for calm and making sure that we’re addressing the concerns of the legitimate peaceful protesters. That will help us bring order.”
“OK, well thank you very much, J.B.,” Trump responded in a dismissive tone. “I don’t like your rhetoric much either because I watched it with respect to the coronavirus, and I don’t like your rhetoric much either. I think you could’ve done a much better job, frankly. But that’s OK. And you know, we don’t agree with each other.”
Trump went on to contend he used “great compassion” in discussing the death — at one point referring to the victim as “Officer Floyd” — before emphasizing “we need law and order in our country and if we don’t have law and order we don’t have a country.”
The governor has long been critical of the president, and lambasted the White House’s response to the coronavirus pandemic at every opportunity.
His latest salvo drew even more attention, and could make Pritzker an effective surrogate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the fall campaign, particularly in nearby battleground states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.
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“He can say things that Joe Biden can’t say or shouldn’t say,” Yepsen said of Pritzker. “If you’re Gov. Pritzker and he wants to help his party beat Trump, there are things you can do. Not just money that you can spend, but psychological operations rattling Trump.”
Pritzker can get Trump’s attention because the president knows the Illinois governor, with a net worth estimated at $3.4 billion by Forbes, is worth more than he is, said Yepsen.
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One longtime Democratic strategist in Illinois agreed that the governor could find a national role to assist Biden and his as-yet unknown running mate.
“The vice- presidential nominee traditionally plays the role of the attack dog, saying things the presidential nominee wouldn’t necessarily say,” said the strategist, who asked not to be identified so he could speak candidly about Pritzker. “But with Biden announcing the choice would be a woman, (the vice presidential nominee) could face unfair sexist criticism and Biden could dole out that (attack) role to a few more folks like J.B.”
Pritzker knows that his attacks on Trump energize the governor’s supporters as much as Trump’s criticisms of Pritzker rev up the president’s backers, the strategist said.
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“I think he goes into some of these things knowing that he will benefit,” the strategist said of Pritzker.
Pritzker aides said there was no premeditated political motivation or endgame to the governor’s direct criticism of Trump.
Instead, they pointed to uncritical if not outright deferential comments toward the president made by other governors on the call including Republican Jim Justice of West Virginia, who told Trump he was “a looming hero here and we’ll protect you in every way and there won’t be any disturbance whatsoever.”
Such comments prompted Pritzker to offer his criticism to Trump recognizing that in a historic moment there was a need for the president to do better, his office said.
“As we come together in this moment to listen to and learn from the pain, fear and rage black Americans feel every single day, the governor believes it’s his job as a leader to call out rhetoric rooted in racism,” Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said in a statement.
“Gov. Pritzker has never shied away from tough conversations and will confront racism when he sees it. The governor used his time with the president to make a genuine plea for the president to rise to the occasion and finally live up to the duty the highest office in the nation requires,” she said.
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Former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar, who speaks frequently with Pritzker, said he has been “amazed” that so many of the nation’s governors have been so reserved with Trump, particularly given the administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Regardless of whether people agree or disagree with Pritzker’s comments to Trump, “it was probably appropriate he said that to the president,” Edgar said.
“In any position of power, you have people around you who want to tell you what you want to hear. That’s not a good atmosphere,” said Edgar, Illinois’ chief executive from 1991 to 1999. “Whether you agree with what Pritzker said, it was good that he said it and that not everybody thinks (Trump) is wonderful or great.”
From his early days on the campaign trail for governor, Pritzker has not been shy to criticize Trump. Pritzker backed both of Hillary Clinton’s runs for the White House, including her failed 2008 effort to win the Democratic nomination against then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.
In a digital ad that ran in October 2017, before winning the Democratic nomination the following March, Pritzker declared that the president was a “racist and a xenophobe” and pledged to make Illinois “a firewall against Trump’s destructive and bigoted agenda.”
While the 2020 matchup between Biden and Trump is all but official, could a run for president be something down the road for Pritzker, who faces reelection as governor in 2022?
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“Any governor of a major American state thinks about it. For one thing, they all look at Jimmy Carter and think, ‘If he can do it,’” Yepsen said. “So, if you’re a leader of a big state or a big city, you’re automatically an influential American political leader and sure you’re going to think about it.”
The Democratic strategist said that while he has not heard anything about an elevated political future for Pritzker from the governor or his senior staff, it’s a good guess.
“I’ve always assumed he’s running for something else,” the strategist said. “I mean, especially after spending $171 million just to become Illinois governor.”
rap30@aol.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--Lakefront is drawing Chicagoans — though it’s still closed

They also acknowledged that people had been getting onto the Lakefront Trail in areas like Fullerton , where beachfront access @ @ @ @ @ restrict .
Currently , officers ’ enforcement responsibility is only to monitor entrances , they @ @ @ @ @ be extending that enforcement to stopping or citing bikers or others along the water .

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot expects the lakefront to open “soon,” but many locals are jumping the gun and acting as if it’s open already. Beachcombers, sunbathers, cyclists and even swimmers — despite the 54 degree water — have been observed along Lake Michigan the past few days.
Lightfoot made her comment at an unrelated news conference when asked when she will reopen the Chicago lakefront. The mayor said she’s hoping to announce reopening the lakefront “relatively soon” with a plan meant to minimize crowding and having designated times for activities on the lakefront.
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Shutting down the city’s lakefront was perhaps the signature anti-coronavirus move taken by Lightfoot after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker implemented a stay-at-home order.
An employee from Diversey Tennis, located just west of Lake Shore Drive, said in a phone call Thursday that workers had heard June 8 as a potential reopening date, but had not yet received any official communication or confirmation.
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On Thursday, small pockets of people were observed at beaches including Loyola, North Avenue and Oak Street, both on the shore and in the water. In some instances, Chicago Police Department officers were seen asking people to leave. By midday Friday, however, lakefront areas from south of Montrose Beach to 31st Street Beach were virtually vacant.
People hang out at Loyola Park and Beach on Thursday, June 4, 2020. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
On a walk between Fullerton and Oak Street beaches Friday morning, a reporter encountered just one biker and observed only a few people exercising around the Montrose Avenue and Irving Park Road entrances to the lakefront parks.
After reports of missing barricades and a lack of police presence earlier in the week, two police officers were stationed Friday at street entrances to the lakefront at Montrose, Irving Park and 31st Street. Barricades were also up. Officers verified that they are diverting all pedestrian and vehicle traffic away from the lakefront and repeatedly cited that, officially, the lakefront remains closed.
They also acknowledged that people had been getting onto the Lakefront Trail in areas like Fullerton, where beachfront access is wider and harder to restrict. Currently, officers’ enforcement responsibility is only to monitor entrances, they said, and would not be extending that enforcement to stopping or citing bikers or others along the water.
Access at Oak Street Beach was additionally restricted due to maintenance work in the area.
On Friday, at the far north end of the city in Rogers Park, residents were out enjoying lakefront areas like Tobey Prinz Beach Park, Loyola Beach and other areas farther north as temperatures climbed to the mid-80s under mostly sunny skies. One family was preparing for a picnic; another mother watched a pair of toddlers wading in the water, bobbing in their lifejackets. Two of the three tennis courts were occupied.
That kind of scene has been typical during the past few weeks in the Rogers Park area, said Delaney Wannemacher and Grace Mavros, a pair of students attending Loyola University.
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“This is pretty normal, actually. We’ve been out here a couple times in the last few weeks, and it’s been a lot more crowded than this,” Wannemacher said.
The two said that outside of Memorial Day weekend, police presence along the beach has been nonexistent. While police barricades still sit on-site, they’ve been pushed to the side.
Chicago Tribune reporter Gregory Pratt contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--9-year-old boy dies in Park Forest house fire

Firefighters responded to the call just before 6:30 a.m. at a home on the 300 block of Sangamon Street , @ @ @ @ @ in flames on three sides , the department said in a news release .

A 9-year-old boy died Friday from injuries suffered in a house fire in Park Forest, according to the fire department.
Firefighters responded to the call just before 6:30 a.m. at a home on the 300 block of Sangamon Street, with the one-story home engulfed in flames on three sides, the department said in a news release.
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Firefighters were met by a 36-year-old woman and 3-year-old girl who had fled into the front yard, and the adult telling firefighters a 9-year-old boy was still in the home, according to the department.
Searchers found the boy, Antione Jackson, who was taken to Franciscan Health Olympia Fields where he was pronounced dead, according to the release.
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A village spokesman said the 9-year-old, the woman and the young girl were related but did not know whether the boy was the woman’s son.
Investigators determined the cause of the fire, which was brought under control in about 15 minutes, to have been accidental.
mnolan@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--Country Club Hills woman dies in dog attack

The attack happened at about the same location as where Amos lived but it was not immediately clear if it @ @ @ @ @ her .

A 70-year-old Country Club Hills woman died Wednesday of injuries after being attacked by a dog, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Kati Amos, of the 3900 block of west 167th Place, was pronounced dead at 11 a.m. at Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, according to the office.
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The attack happened at about the same location as where Amos lived but it was not immediately clear if it was her dog who attacked her.
She suffered multiple injuries as a result of the attack and her death was ruled accidental, according to the office.
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Country Club Hills did not respond to messages seeking more details.
mnolan@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--Navy Pier to reopen outdoor areas Wednesday, including restaurants and requiring face masks

A representative of one of the pier boat operators , Shoreline Sightseeing , said the company plans to start offering @ @ @ @ @ tours and 40-minute Lake Michigan tours on Friday , June 12th from its Navy Pier @ @ @ @ @ the Seadog boat tours said it too will resume that day , and both will @ @ @ @ @ wearing and smaller capacities .

People watch the fireworks display at Navy Pier in Chicago on June 12, 2021 following Illinois and Chicago reopening completely under Phase Five. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago’s Navy Pier, one of the city’s biggest tourist draws, will begin to reopen next week after 12 weeks of COVID-19-related closure.
Parks surrounding and on the pier, the main pier walkways, outdoor restaurant spaces, and some free programs will reopen starting Wednesday, the pier announced in a press release Thursday.
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Rides in the central Pier Park and the Chicago Children’s Museum and Chicago Shakespeare Theater will remain closed. Parking in the pier garages, typically costly, will be free during the first phase of the destination’s reopening.
But visitors must cover their faces. “All guests over the age of two visiting Navy Pier are required to wear face masks covering the nose and mouth throughout their visit,” the pier explains on its website.
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The pier originally said that tour boats departing from the pier would begin operating next Wednesday, as well, but on Thursday afternoon a representative said it was no longer clear the boat operators would be ready to begin offering rides right away.
A representative of one of the pier boat operators, Shoreline Sightseeing, said the company plans to start offering its 75-minute Chicago River architecture tours and 40-minute Lake Michigan tours on Friday, June 12th from its Navy Pier dock. The company running the Seadog boat tours said it too will resume that day, and both will have new policies including mask wearing and smaller capacities.
Navy Pier President and CEO Marilynn Gardner said in a statement that her not-for-profit destination, which draws almost 9 million guests annually to its six-city-block structure jutting into Lake Michigan, is "anxious to reopen our spaces and safely welcome guests back to the Pier over the next few months as we work collectively to restore our local economy.”
The phased re-opening plan follows a closure that began March 16 as the coronavirus pandemic hit Chicago and Illinois.
Fourth of July fireworks at Navy Pier in Chicago on Monday, July 4, 2016. Fireworks displays will not return to the pier until later in its phased reopening. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, the pier will employ new measures aimed at providing safety. These include “multiple layers of stringent cleaning and disinfecting”; signage encouraging social distancing and the employment of “Social Distancing Ambassadors”: and the requirement of face masks and pre-shift temperature screening for employees.
The number of people on the pier at any one time will be controlled, and groups of 10 or more will not be allowed, the organization said. More details are on the pier’s website.
Subsequent phases will see the reopening of some indoor spaces and the return of such cancelled features as fireworks displays and the rides. Not until the final phase will group events be allowed to return to the pier and the new hotel, The Sable at Navy Pier, be allowed to open.
The major cultural institutions, Chicago Shakespeare Theater and the children’s museum, are devising their own plans for when they might be able to reopen.
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sajohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @StevenKJohnson


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--CTA begins round of service changes tonight for Red/Purple Line construction project

To rebuild tracks while continuing to run regular service , the agency needs to take two tracks out of service @ @ @ @ @ the other two tracks .
The agency does not have a way to switch trains @ @ @ @ @ the north and south ends of the project , so it will build interlockings at @ @ @ @ @ the Red and Purple lines to allow the switches .

The CTA plans service interruptions starting tonight through early August to prepare for track and station work on its massive Red/Purple Line reconstruction project.
As part of the $2.1 billion project, the largest in the agency’s history, the CTA will replace four stations between Lawrence and Bryn Mawr, as well as build new tracks. That work will start in 2021 and continue through 2024.
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To rebuild tracks while continuing to run regular service, the agency needs to take two tracks out of service, and run trains on the other two tracks. The agency does not have a way to switch trains from track to track on the north and south ends of the project, so it will build interlockings at Montrose and Thorndale stations on the Red and Purple lines to allow the switches.
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“It’s going to be an intense construction period,” said CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase.
Starting tonight through Saturday evening, there will be no southbound service from Jarvis through Lawrence, the CTA said. On Sunday through Friday and again between June 22 and June 26, southbound trains will not stop at Lawrence and Argyle, Chase said. There also will be some additional skipped stations on weekends.
Between July 17 and August 9, there will be no 95th Street-bound service at Granville, Thorndale and Bryn Mawr stations for one week, and no Howard-bound service at those stations for two weeks, the CTA said. On some weekends, Granville, Thorndale and Bryn Mawr will be temporarily closed and bus shuttles will run instead.
The service interruptions come as the CTA starts to see passengers return, , following massive ridership drops due to the coronavirus pandemic. The city began a partial reopening of some businesses this week.
The CTA warned area residents to expect some temporary street and alley closures, as well as construction noise and equipment in those areas. CTA service changes are available on its website, and there will be signs posted and announcements made at stations, Chase said.
The four stations to be rebuilt as part of the project — Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn, and Bryn Mawr — will close for construction in late 2020 or early 2021. When they close, the temporary stations will open, CTA officials say.
The CTA also is building a bypass that will run northbound Brown Line trains up and over Red and Purple Line tracks north of Belmont station. The bypass will relieve a notorious bottleneck, and provide better service up and down the line, the agency said.
mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--Social Change volunteers help fill immediate needs of South Side residents

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 @

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 10 Monica Moore carries a box of food as volunteers with Social Change help to pack up arriving vehicles with goods during a pop-up food drive at 54th Street and Wentworth Avenue in Chicago on June 4, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Volunteers with Social Change help residents with their immediate needs for food and baby products after stores in their area were damaged or boarded up as a result of looting and unrest during the fallout from George Floyd's death in Minneapolis.


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces Jewel-Osco $1 million donation to city’s emergency fund for l

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announces Jewel-Osco $1 million donation to city’s emergency fund for looted, damaged businesses

But , she said , “ the commitment of retailers here in Chicago to rebuild has been phenomenal and , @ @ @ @ @ them is Jewel-Osco .
”

Volunteers Marlen Rosas and Jesus Hidalgo carry a broken television they found at bus stop to a dumpster while picking up trash June 1, 2020, in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Jewel-Osco will donate $1 million to the city of Chicago’s emergency fund to help businesses that were looted and damaged amid fallout from the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd.
The grocery store’s officials joined Mayor Lori Lightfoot to make the announcement at a Jewel-Osco on the South Side near 60th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue.
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Lightfoot first announced a $10 million recovery grant fund in a televised speech Tuesday aimed at calming a city rocked by widespread looting. Jewel is the first major donor to be disclosed, and its $1 million is in addition to the city’s $10 million.
While the looting unfolded over last weekend and earlier in the week, Lightfoot said she wondered what would happen to the stores.
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But, she said, “the commitment of retailers here in Chicago to rebuild has been phenomenal and, of course, first among them is Jewel-Osco.”
Mike Withers, president of Jewel-Osco, released a statement touting the company's long history in Chicago.
“Jewel-Osco has deep roots in Chicago’s South and Southwest Sides," Withers said. “We proudly stand with our neighbors as we work together to rebuild these communities.”
gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--Mayor Lori Lightfoot calls for firing of Chicago cop who flipped off protesters, those who hide badg

Mayor Lori Lightfoot calls for firing of Chicago cop who flipped off protesters, those who hide badge numbers

If COPA or Internal Affairs decide the officers violated Police Department policies , they will forward their investigative findings to @ @ @ @ @ the Superintendent has 90 days to review the findings .
If he agrees with them @ @ @ @ @ the city ’ s Law Department to prepare disciplinary charges against the officers , and @ @ @ @ @ to the Police Board along with a recommended punishment .
The Police Board only hears @ @ @ @ @ ranges from a 31-day suspension to firing .

In this file photo, Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks to the media at a press conference in Chicago on April 30, 2020. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot wants a Chicago police officer who was photographed giving protesters the middle finger to be fired, she said at a Friday news conference.
Lightfoot also said she wants police officers who are hiding their badge numbers to be fired.
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“It won’t be tolerated,” Lightfoot said. “We’re actively at work identifying the officers responsible for that.”
While acknowledging it’ll ultimately be up to Chicago police Superintendent David Brown, Lightfoot said, “In my view, they forfeited their right to be Chicago police officers.”
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Lightfoot made the comment in response to questions about a photo published by Block Club Chicago of an officer raising both of his middle fingers to protesters in Lincoln Park and reports that some officers are hiding their badges.
“I’ve seen the photograph of the officer in uniform giving people the finger. We’ll find that person and, in my view, that person needs to be immediately stripped of their police powers, and start the process for firing him,” Lightfoot said. "We will not tolerate that kind of abusive, offensive conduct on the part of police officers. Period.”
Lightfoot’s call by no means guarantees the officers will be fired.
Such decisions ultimately will be reserved for the nine-member Chicago Police Board — the city panel, once headed by Lightfoot, that decides punishment on the most serious allegations of officer misconduct. But before the board is allowed to hear these cases, an investigation must be completed by the Police Department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs or the city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
It could often take a few years for the Police Board to hear cases from the time an initial complaint is filed. Once that happens, Internal Affairs or COPA will review the allegations and, in some cases, the accused officers could be stripped of their police powers — forced to forfeit their badge and service weapon — and assigned to paid desk duty until the investigation is completed.
If COPA or Internal Affairs decide the officers violated Police Department policies, they will forward their investigative findings to Brown. From there, the Superintendent has 90 days to review the findings. If he agrees with them, he will work with the city’s Law Department to prepare disciplinary charges against the officers, and those charges will be forwarded to the Police Board along with a recommended punishment. The Police Board only hears cases when the proposed penalty ranges from a 31-day suspension to firing.
If Brown does not agree with the findings by COPA or Internal Affairs, one of the Police Board members will review Brown’s arguments against those findings. If the board member sides with Brown, then the cops won’t be disciplined or Brown could potentially decide on a minor penalty for them. If the board member doesn’t side with the Superintendent, the case will move to the eight other Police Board members for their consideration.
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Lightfoot said it’s unfair to paint all police officers with a broad brush.
“The Chicago Police Department has 13,400 sworn officers. Unfortunately we’ve seen some, and I think a few, who have dishonored their badge and they will be dealt with accordingly,” she said. “But the vast majority of officers that are out there are doing their job the right way.”
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
jgorner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Chicago’s Lakefront Trail expected to reopen ‘soon’

Though Lightfoot has made it clear the lakefront remains closed , residents have been able to access Lake Michigan this @ @ @ @ @ has loosened .

A woman runs on a trail near West Wilson Drive on Chicago's lakefront near Montrose Harbor on Feb. 23, 2021. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
In a boost for restive Chicagoans, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city expects to reopen the Lakefront Trail “soon.”
Lightfoot made the comments at an unrelated news conference when asked how when she will reopen the Chicago lakefront.
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The mayor said she’s hoping to announce reopening the lakefront “relatively soon” with a plan meant to minimize crowding and having designated times for activities on the lakefront.
Shutting down the city’s lakefront was perhaps the signature anti-coronavirus move taken by Lightfoot after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker implemented a stay-at-home order.
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Though Lightfoot has made it clear the lakefront remains closed, residents have been able to access Lake Michigan this week as security around trails has loosened.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--23-year-old Illinois man identified as body found at the scene of Iowa police shootout

The Scott County Sheriff 's Office on Thursday identified the dead man as 23-year-old Marquis M. Tousant , of Rock @ @ @ @ @ is just across the Mississippi River from Davenport .
The sheriff 's office did n't @ @ @ @ @ by shots fired by an officer or someone else , and the release of his @ @ @ @ @ of official silence about the case .

Heavy police presence surrounds the Walmart on West Kimberly Road after reports of gunfire Monday, June 1, 2020, in a round of rioting and violence that occurred Sunday night into Monday morning in Davenport. (Meg McLaughlin/Quad City Times /AP)
DAVENPORT, Iowa — Authorities have released the name of a man who was found dead at the scene of what they say was an ambush on police officers during a night of unrest in the eastern Iowa city of Davenport earlier this week.
The Scott County Sheriff's Office on Thursday identified the dead man as 23-year-old Marquis M. Tousant, of Rock Island, Illinois, which is just across the Mississippi River from Davenport. The sheriff's office didn't say whether Tousant was killed by shots fired by an officer or someone else, and the release of his name came after three days of official silence about the case.
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The incident marked the end of hours of chaos in Davenport that began late Sunday and included unrelated shootings in which a 22-year-old woman was killed while leaving a protest and a man was wounded during a gunfight outside of a jewelry store.
The sheriff's office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are leading the investigation into Tousant's death because Davenport police officers were involved in the incident.
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Tousant was found dead from a gunshot wound near where police say one or more suspects fired 13 shots at an unmarked police truck investigating a suspicious car in an alley around 3 a.m. Monday.
An officer driving the truck was shot in the leg during the shootout and was treated at a hospital and released. Another officer who was in the truck returned fire, authorities said.
The police truck drove the wounded officer to the hospital for treatment. Six men fled in a car and were arrested after a high-speed chase through Davenport. Police found numerous guns in their vehicle.
Police later found Tousant lying dead next to a vehicle at the shooting scene. Investigators said a semi-automatic handgun was under his body and multiple bullet casings were around him.
Hours earlier, 22-year-old Italia Kelly was shot in the torso and killed while leaving a protest against police brutality outside a Walmart after someone fired into the area.
An official timeline from the county attorney said that bullet came from an “unknown source” and investigators had not made any arrests. The timeline says officers did not fire any shots at Walmart, and the victim's sister and aunt said they believe a participant in the protest was responsible.
Davenport's police chief has asked anyone with information that could help identify those responsible for the violence to come forward.
The spate of crime prompted the county to impose a 9 p.m. curfew that began Monday night and remains in effect. The protests since then, including one on Thursday night at a park, have been largely peaceful.


chicagotribune--2020-06-05--Daywatch: Illinois schools can resume in-person summer classes, Lightfoot denounces Bridgeport vigil

Daywatch: Illinois schools can resume in-person summer classes, Lightfoot denounces Bridgeport vigilantes and how to support Chicago’s black-owned restaurants

“ I didn ’ t do anything , ” Mia Wright , 25 , insisted at a news conference in @ @ @ @ @ Mall , where she said the officers surrounded her car , broke the windows with @ @ @ @ @ the ground on Sunday .
A video of part of the incident was taken by @ @ @

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks with community members, June 4 during an event in the Austin neighborhood. He issued an order Thursday allowing schools to resume in-person classes this summer, with limitations. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois schools, which have been shut down since March because of the coronavirus pandemic, will now be allowed to hold in-person summer school, thanks to an executive order issued by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
But many area school systems — including Chicago Public Schools — have already announced that summer school will be held through remote learning, so it’s not immediately clear if such districts will change course.
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Illinois expands COVID-19 testing to all and urges those who participated in protests to get tested
Mia Wright, 25, who said she was pulled from a car by Chicago police at Brickyard Mall, speaks to the media June 4, 2020, during a news conference in the mall's parking lot. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The family of a woman who says Chicago police pulled her from a car by her hair and placed a knee on her neck demanded a criminal investigation into the officers Thursday.
“I didn’t do anything,” Mia Wright, 25, insisted at a news conference in the parking lot of Brickyard Mall, where she said the officers surrounded her car, broke the windows with clubs and pulled her to the ground on Sunday. A video of part of the incident was taken by family friend.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx released a statement Thursday afternoon saying that her office was conducting its own review of the incident.
Lightfoot says Brickyard Mall incident is under investigation, rejects calls to defund police: “It would be irresponsible”
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot appears with Gov. J.B. Pritzker at the Thompson Center May 31, a day after protests led to widespread damage downtown. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city will not tolerate vigilantism after groups of mostly white men — some armed with bats — patrolled the streets of Bridgeport on Wednesday night in response to a nearby city protest.
Asked about the situation in Bridgeport, a diversifying neighborhood that served as an Irish American power base for the Daley political family, Lightfoot said, “It is absolutely not appropriate for people to take up arms, bats, pipes, whatever in patrolling neighborhoods.”
The situation in Bridgeport frightened and angered many residents and activists who expressed concerns about racism and violence.
An officer walks by three vehicles, including a Chicago police squad car, that were damaged June 3, 2020, while police pursued a homicide suspect near Ashland Avenue and Irving Park Road. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
The Chicago Police Department offered few details Thursday about a high-speed pursuit that killed a motorist when a police SUV sped through a red light the night before and caused a three-vehicle wreck on the Northwest Side.
Asked the reason for the lengthy chase, whether it was justified and why it wasn’t terminated, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she did not know the facts yet, but she’s been “very concerned about police pursuits” since becoming mayor.
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The Soul Shack, one of Rico Nance's restaurants that hires felons, sits on the corner of South Kenwood Avenue and East 53rd Street in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. (Camille Fine / Chicago Tribune)
After days of protests following George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police, people are looking for ways to directly support black-owned restaurants in Chicago. Here are some resources to do just that.