chicagotribune--2020-06-08--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State officials report lowest daily new known case count since Marc

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State officials report lowest daily new known case count since March 30

But in a recent announcement , U. of C. said it decided to accept the $ 6.2 million it was @ @ @ @ @ ” so it can go toward students in the greatest need .
While half of @ @ @ @ @ for institutional costs related to the coronavirus , such as room and board refunds that @ @ @ @ @ down , U. of C. said it would spend the full amount on student aid @

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CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois health officials on Monday reported 658 new known cases of coronavirus, which is the lowest daily number of new known cases reported statewide since March 30. There were also 23 additional fatalities reported, bringing state totals to 128,415 known cases and 5,924 total confirmed deaths since the pandemic began.
Earlier on Monday, the Chicago Park District announced modified summer camps will run at 148 parks this summer, starting July 6 instead of the usual last week in June and lasting through mid-August.
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Chicago is beginning the process of reopening parks along the lakefront, although only west of Lake Shore Drive, as well as many libraries. Last week, the state reached a milestone of more than 1 million tests for COVID-19 conducted in Illinois since the outbreak began.
On Friday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Chicago expects to reopen the city’s Lakefront Trail “soon.” 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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[ When can Illinois move to phase 4? Here's where each region stands. ]
[ How will Illinois reopen? Three charts breaking down Pritzker’s plan ]
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
[ As the coronavirus spreads, the Tribune is tracking Illinois cases here ]
Here’s what’s happening Monday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
5:59 p.m.: The International Manufacturing Technology Show, expected to bring more than 129,000 attendees to Chicago, canceled over coronavirus uncertainty
The International Manufacturing Technology Show, one of the city’s largest trade shows drawing tens of thousands of attendees, has been canceled amid the coronavirus health crisis.
The show, which was scheduled to take place at McCormick Place Sept. 14-19, had more than 129,000 people signed up to attend, and was expected to account for more than 99,300 hotel room nights, McCormick Place spokeswoman Cynthia McCafferty said. Read more here. — Abdel Jimenez
5:33 p.m.: How Chicago will spend $1.1 billion in CARES Act funding
Chicago will receive $1.1 billion in CARES Act funding to deal with coronavirus-related expenses, though Mayor Lori Lightfoot called for Congress to pass another stimulus package aimed at the country’s cities.
“We are all hurting and we have got to get relief," Lightfoot said on a Monday conference call with reporters.
“The magnitude of the problems and the challenges that we all face is such that only the federal government has the resources and the wherewithal to act at a scale that’ll make a meaningful difference," Lightfoot said. "Without that, we are looking at a lot of really, really difficult or impossible choices.”
While laying out the city’s financial woes, Lightfoot reiterated her reluctance to lay off city workers, which she has called a last resort along with property tax hikes. Later, Lightfoot administration officials said the city doesn’t have “imminent” borrowing plans and that the shortfall for 2021 could be more than $1 billion. Read more here. — Gregory Pratt
3:51 p.m.: State Farm says Illinois drivers get nearly 14% rate cut — more than 11% national average — as part of $2.2 billion rate reduction
State Farm is cutting rates for auto policyholders in Illinois by 13.7% as drivers stay off the road during the coronavirus pandemic.
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The rate reduction is part of an earlier announcement from State Farm, which said in May it would cut rates by $2.2 billion nationwide. The Bloomington-based insurer said at the time the rate cuts would average 11%, but the reduction is steeper in Illinois, where residents remained under a stay-at-home order until May 29. Read more here. — Abdel Jimenez
2:50 p.m. (updated at 3:40 p.m.): 658 new known COVID-19 cases, 23 additional deaths
Illinois health officials on Monday reported 658 new known cases of coronavirus, which is the lowest daily number of new known cases reported statewide since March 30. There were also 23 additional fatalities reported, bringing state totals to 128,415 known cases and 5,924 total confirmed deaths since the pandemic began.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported 1,525 new known cases and 20 additional fatalities.
1:09 p.m.: University of Chicago will accept COVID-19 stimulus money, will use to help students in need
After weeks of consideration, the University of Chicago has announced it will accept stimulus money from the U.S. Department of Education that can be used to offset expenses stemming from the coronavirus pandemic and to provide additional financial aid to students.
Other private, selective schools, including Northwestern University, opted to turn down millions of dollars it was eligible to receive amid criticism of Department of Education guidelines on how the money could be used, particularly a provision that effectively barred schools from awarding aid to undocumented students.
But in a recent announcement, U. of C. said it decided to accept the $6.2 million it was allocated "after careful evaluation” so it can go toward students in the greatest need. While half of the money can be used for institutional costs related to the coronavirus, such as room and board refunds that schools offered after dorms shut down, U. of C. said it would spend the full amount on student aid.
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Students who receive financial aid through the stimulus money can only use it to cover the costs of food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, childcare, and other expenses stemming from campus disruption.
“The University has identified undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students with the greatest financial need who meet these criteria; these students will receive a separate email regarding the application process,” the announcement said.
The federal money cannot be used to lower tuition, U. of C. said. An additional relief fund established by the school is also available to students who need emergency help. —Elyssa Cherney
12:32 p.m.: Chicago Park District camp registration set for this week, camps to start late but last 6 weeks
Modified Chicago Park District summer camps will run at 148 parks this summer, starting July 6 instead of the usual last week in June and lasting through mid-August, the park district announced Monday.
The park district had considered running its summer camps only four weeks starting July 6, and there was some doubt about whether programs would be run at all. Camps originally had been slated to start June 22.
The confirmation that parks will be holding summer camp comes the same day the park district opened lakefront parks west of Lake Shore Drive and opened field houses for restroom use during daytime hours.
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At the summer camps, “Campers will engage in STEAM activities, reading, journal writing as well as modified sports and outdoor activities that observe social distancing and other public health guidance,” according to the park district news release. “For hygiene purposes, Park drinking fountains will not be turned on and campers should bring an ample supply of water to stay hydrated.”
Online, registration begins June 11 for parks west of California Avenue and begins June 12 for parks east of California, while in-person registration is scheduled for June 13, depending on public health guidance, according to the district. The list of camps and more details are available on the parks website. Those who are signing up online must first register with the Chicago Park District website, and can put camps on a wishlist before the date of registration.
Shorter camps also will be available in the two weeks after the regular summer camp ends to fill the gap until Chicago Public Schools return to session after Labor Day. —Chicago Tribune staff
12:05 p.m: Chicago cocktails-to-go rule for bars and restaurants now 1 step away
Chicago aldermen moved a step closer Monday to giving city taverns and restaurants the power to sell mixed drinks to go, an attempt to help during the coronavirus pandemic.
Many such businesses remain closed to on-premises drinkers or face greatly reduced customer capacity as the city remains partially shut down.
The City Council license committee approved the change for a year. Some aldermen said they would like the change to become permanent, arguing that many of Chicago’s bars will close for good unless the city throws them significant lifelines through the COVID-19 crisis.
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Under the law, 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 like Grubhub.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot allowed restaurants that sell liquor to open for on-site outdoor dining and drinking last week, as the city slowly reopens. Read more here. —John Byrne
12:02 p.m.: Horse racing without spectators begins at Hawthorne, but Arlington International Racecourse is stuck at the gate
The Chicago Bulls may be done for the season, but the horses are back.Harness racing — without spectators — has resumed at Hawthorne Race Course after the Illinois Racing Board granted approval Friday. Fans aren’t able to attend the suburban Stickney facility, but they can watch the races and place wagers at Chicago-area off track betting parlors.
Arlington International Racecourse, which is looking to resume thoroughbred racing this summer, also without spectators, was left at the starting gate — at least temporarily. The board continued Arlington’s proposal until Monday, with hopes the track can resolve an ongoing contract dispute with the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association.
Tony Petrillo, Arlington’s president, said he was “distraught” over the delay in a racing season already cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here. —Robert Channick
7:15 a.m.: Some city libraries, lakefront parks west of Lake Shore, main city ticket collection office reopening Monday
Parks west of Lake Shore Drive along the lakefront, many Chicago public libraries including the Harold Washington Library downtown, and the city of Chicago Payment Center at City Hall were scheduled to reopen Monday, according to city officials.
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The reopenings Monday are part of the city’s move into phase three of its reopening plan after the shutdown that began in March as COVID-19 spread in the city. As of Sunday, at least 2,269 people in Chicago have died of the coronavirus.
Parks including Lincoln Park, Jackson Park and Grant Park, closed under the city’s stay-at-home order, were reopening Monday, along with park field houses, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. only for restroom use and shelter, according to a release from the mayor’s office. The Jackson Park Golf Course and the Diversey Driving Range were set to reopen Monday, after courses away from the lakefront opened Friday.
Libraries will be reopening with restricted capacity depending on square footage and other requirements, such as mask-wearing, physical spacing of computers and furniture, and guided paths in libraries, according to the release. For a full list of which libraries are reopening when, check the Chicago Public Library’s website.
We've been hard at work putting social distancing measures in place so we can welcome you back to our branches. We're excited to say that Chicago Public Library branches will reopen tomorrow, June 8th for in-person services! pic.twitter.com/na1zRD5Pe4 — Chicago Public Library (@chipublib) June 7, 2020
Other city services reopening Monday include the city of Chicago Payment Center at City Hall, 400 W. Superior St., with neighborhood payment centers reopening later in June, according to the city. The city has suspended issuing many types of tickets during the coronavirus crisis and suspended booting cars and referring people to collection agencies.
“Motorists with unpaid tickets who had not been assessed penalties prior to March 18, 2020 will receive notices informing them of due dates and timelines around penalties, and reminder notices will be sent for ticket and utility payment plans,” according to the release. “Ticketing will continue for public safety violations and for unpaid parking meters.” — Chicago Tribune staff
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are some things that happened over the weekend in Illinois related to coronavirus:


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--As parks west of Lake Shore Drive, city libraries reopen, Chicago Park District announces summer day

As parks west of Lake Shore Drive, city libraries reopen, Chicago Park District announces summer day camp schedule

It wasn ’ t the long hoped-for reopening of Chicago ’ s 26 miles of lakefront — that is still @ @ @ @ @ Mayor Lori Lightfoot and health officials work out how to keep beachgoers , bike riders @ @ @ @ @ But many paths and public spaces from Jackson Park to the north end of Lincoln @ @ @ @ @ officially open to the public again for the first time in months Monday , as @ @ @ @ @ long closed entirely opened for restroom use .

The Fulton Market area of Chicago is no longer the ghost town it was during the depths of the COVID-19 virus pandemic shutdown. As restrictions on restaurants are eased, a worker takes a woman's temperature before she can enter Federales restaurant on Morgan Street on July 1, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Golfers, parkgoers and book-seekers returned to their haunts Monday, as Chicago libraries opened their doors and the Park District reopened lakefront parks west of Lake Shore Drive.
It wasn’t the long hoped-for reopening of Chicago’s 26 miles of lakefront — that is still some time away, as Mayor Lori Lightfoot and health officials work out how to keep beachgoers, bike riders and path strollers safe. But many paths and public spaces from Jackson Park to the north end of Lincoln Park at Foster Avenue were officially open to the public again for the first time in months Monday, as field houses that had been long closed entirely opened for restroom use.
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And even as Chicagoans hit the links and searched for books Monday morning, the Park District announced it will indeed run summer camps at 148 parks this summer, although adult programs will remain online for the season.
With the manicured greens and sunshine, it was a lively scene as Jackson Park Golf Course reopened Monday morning after closing more than two months ago.
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A steady flow of golfers came throughout the morning, with the earliest tee time at 6:30 a.m., said Ed Rasmussen, the course’s general manager.
Kelly Walker, 48, said he was excited to return to the greens at his neighborhood golf course.
“This right here is social distancing at its best,” Walker said.
Yadera Turner said he just learned that Jackson Park Golf Course was opening that morning.
“I’ve been waiting for it to open up,” he said.
Turner said he’d been golfing at a course in northwest Indiana while he waited for Jackson to reopen.
Many Chicago parents had thought they might have to look elsewhere for outdoor fun for the children this year. The Park District had considered running its summer camps for only four weeks starting July 6, and there was some doubt about whether programs would be run at all. Camps originally had been slated to start June 22.
At Dunbar Park in the South Commons neighborhood, Christy Bolden stood behind her 4-year-old granddaughter and pushed her gently on the swing. Playgrounds haven’t yet been officially reopened yet, but Bolden wanted to get her granddaughter outside.
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“Whee,” Bolden’s granddaughter screamed through her face mask as her little body drifted in the air.
For a few minutes, Bolden and her granddaughter had the playground all to themselves.
It was their first time playing outside since the coronavirus outbreak flared up in early March, Bolden said.
“I just wanted to get her some sunshine,” she said.
Bolden said she had heard a "whisper" about summer camps. But she also said she wouldn't let her granddaughter go to camps with a lot of children around because of concerns about her safety.
On Monday, anticipating concerns among parents, the Park District laid out the broad outlines of how it expects to keep safe those children who are old enough to attend camp.
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At the summer camps, “Campers will engage in STEAM activities, reading, journal writing as well as modified sports and outdoor activities that observe social distancing and other public health guidance,” according to a Park District news release. “For hygiene purposes, park drinking fountains will not be turned on and campers should bring an ample supply of water to stay hydrated.”
Online camp registration begins Thursday for parks west of California Avenue and begins Friday for parks east of California, while in-person registration is scheduled for Saturday, according to the district. The list of camps, including shorter camps in late August, and more details are available on the Park District’s website.
The reopenings Monday are part of the city’s move into phase three of its reopening plan after the shutdown that began in March as COVID-19 spread in the city. As of Monday, at least 2,283 people in Chicago had died of the coronavirus.
Parks including Lincoln Park, Jackson Park and Grant Park, closed under the city’s stay-at-home order, were reopened Monday. In addition to the Jackson Park Golf Course, the Diversey Driving Range opened Monday, after courses away from the lakefront opened Friday.
Along with the lakefront, Chicago Public Libraries were among the last public spaces to close down this spring, remaining open even as bars and restaurants were closed because of growing COVID-19 case numbers.
Librarians told the the Tribune in March they were worried for both their own safety and the safety of their patrons. But Lightfoot stood by her plan to keep a number of branches open, touting the libraries as social safety nets for the community. It was not until Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s statewide stay-at-home order took effect that the library system was forced to close all 81 branches, for the first time in 150 years.
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Libraries reopened Monday with restricted capacity depending on square footage and other requirements, such as mask-wearing, physical spacing of computers and furniture, and guided paths in libraries, according to the release.
The South Shore Branch took precautions Monday, with security guards at the doors to ensure the library did not exceed its 12-person capacity. There were signs taped on the door, asking visitors to wear a face mask and to follow social distance guidelines.
Over at the Blackstone library in the Kenwood neighborhood, hopeful visitors came early as they were unclear about when the branch opened. Thinking the library opened at noon instead of 2 p.m., some visitors sat on the library steps for more than an hour waiting for the library to reopen.
Even as branches began reopening Monday, some librarians took to Twitter to urge Chicagoans not to come in unless completely necessary.
Good morning, Chicago! The public library opens today! I don't recommend you visit unless you have to, especially because there's a building capacity, but if you do, keep an eye out to see if staff have sufficient PPE etc. If not maybe tweet at the official library twitter? — Alenka (@alenkafiga) June 8, 2020
“Please, do not come to CPL if you do not need to,” wrote one Twitter user who identified herself as a librarian. “Services and capacity are barebones. Cleaning and safety are limited. Help us be safe.”
jaanderson@chicagotribune.com
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ssherry@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--Column: Don’t be fooled by Chicago’s ‘reopening’ of the lakefront west of Lake Shore Drive. Much of

Column: Don’t be fooled by Chicago’s ‘reopening’ of the lakefront west of Lake Shore Drive. Much of it was already open.

To be sure , it was good news Friday when the mayor told reporters that she wants to reopen the @ @ @ @ @ gradual approach , which could reintroduce activities at different times of day , seems prudent @ @ @ @ @ of “ social distancing ambassadors ” who will encourage parkgoers to remain apart .
It @ @ @ @ @ Millennium Park and Maggie Daley Park , both of which are located west of the @ @ @ @ @ open in mid-June .

The Fulton Market area of Chicago is no longer the ghost town it was during the depths of the COVID-19 virus pandemic shutdown. As restrictions on restaurants are eased, a worker takes a woman's temperature before she can enter Federales restaurant on Morgan Street on July 1, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Dutifully reported as a relaxation of restrictions, the city’s announcement that lakefront parks west of Lake Shore Drive are reopening Monday is, in reality, a public relations sham.
Reopening? A lot of this parkland was never closed after Mayor Lori Lightfoot shut down the shoreline because of valid concerns that out-of-control crowds could spread the deadly coronavirus.
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On the western side of Jackson Park, people exercised on a running track. In the section of Grant Park around Buckingham Fountain, others demonstrated against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order.
Last week, when I visited a stretch of Lincoln Park south of Diversey Parkway, I saw people sunning themselves on the grass, families posing for pictures at North Pond with the skyline in the background, and assorted bikers, joggers and walkers enjoying themselves near the gilded statue of Alexander Hamilton.
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So the city’s announcement is pretty much a nonevent — one that heralds a change from a state of affairs that already exists and actually runs counter to Lightfoot’s frequently sounded theme of promoting social equity.
For while Lincoln, Grant and Jackson parks each have major stretches of green space west of the drive, the western section of Burnham Park, which stretches from Roosevelt Road to 57th Street, is little more than a sliver wedged between the drive and railroad tracks
As a result, the mayor’s shutdown of the lakefront inadvertently discriminated against residents, many of them African American, who live along Burnham Park. Unlike people who live along Lincoln Park, they had little alternative parkland west of the drive. And the “reopening” doesn’t change that.
So here, as elsewhere on the lakefront, many people are simply flouting the ban.
As one South Side resident emailed me Monday: “Yesterday afternoon, two people I know crossed over the 35th St. bridge and rode their bikes down to Promontory Point where they decided to turn around because the path was simply too crowded with bikers, walkers and runners!”
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I initially supported Lightfoot’s ban as a necessary diminution of public space that would serve the more pressing demands of public health.
But as other cities have kept their parks open and a consensus has built among experts that the coronavirus is less likely to be transmitted outdoors, especially when people wear masks and maintain social distancing, the mayor’s stance has come to seem both intransigent and inconsistent.
Intransigent because the closure forced scores of walkers and bikers into the streets and narrow sidewalks, making social distancing difficult. Even cemeteries became overcrowded, or restricted access, as people searched for open space.
As for inconsistency, how can the city justify allowing masses of people to gather as they demonstrate against the brutal killing of George Floyd while prohibiting even small groups of bikers and joggers from using the 18.5-mile Lakefront Trail that’s east of the drive?
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Yes, the Constitution gives Americans the right to peaceably assemble, but it’s also true, as Daniel Burnham once said, that the lakefront “by right belongs to the people.” Despite the threat to public health posed by the coronavirus pandemic, the ongoing shutdown of the lakefront tramples on Burnham’s legacy, especially when other major public spaces remain open.
In contrast to the shoreline, recreational trails run by the Cook County Forest Preserve District have remained open and are being heavily used by cyclists, joggers, and walkers, as I observed during a bike ride along the North Branch Trail on Saturday. There was no need to treat the well-behaved crowds like irresponsible children.
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To be sure, it was good news Friday when the mayor told reporters that she wants to reopen the lakefront “soon.” Her gradual approach, which could reintroduce activities at different times of day, seems prudent. So does the use of “social distancing ambassadors” who will encourage parkgoers to remain apart. It’s also encouraging that Millennium Park and Maggie Daley Park, both of which are located west of the drive, are expected to open in mid-June.
But no one should be fooled by the “reopening” of the lakefront west of the drive. It is, at worst, a fiction and at best, a symbolic step in the right direction: Restore the shoreline, all of it, to its rightful owners — the people of Chicago.
Blair Kamin is a Tribune critic.
bkamin@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @BlairKamin


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--Calls are renewed to ‘defund the police,’ but what does that mean?

“ One of the most common versions is centered on a belief that we give police officers too much responsibility @ @ @ @ @ things , ” said Loyola University law professor Stephen Rushin .
“ We give police @ @ @ @ @ to all different sorts of social ills , which may include criminal conduct or noncriminal @ @ @ @ @ handled by others .
”

For those not closely following efforts to reform the Chicago Police Department, a call to “defund the police” might sound surprising or even alarming.
But the concept has been widely discussed here for several years, brought forward by activists and reformers, who question the dedication of tax dollars in the wake of numerous scandals in the Chicago Police Department.
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Tax dollars would be better spent on community programming or efforts that can more adequately address some of the deep-rooted social problems, such as drug addiction or mental health concerns, that officers are often called to respond to, activists have said.
“One of the most common versions is centered on a belief that we give police officers too much responsibility to take on too many things,” said Loyola University law professor Stephen Rushin. “We give police officers the responsibility to respond to all different sorts of social ills, which may include criminal conduct or noncriminal conduct that could be equally handled by others.”
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[ Gov. J.B. Pritzker suggests ‘defund the police’ is a messaging obstacle to get police reforms ]
Calls for defunding were raised four years ago in Chicago during the protests over the fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald by an on-duty white Chicago police officer who was later convicted of second-degree murder.
But in the past week, the idea has rocketed back to the forefront of police reform conversation during national protests and unrest that broke out after a white Minneapolis police officer put his knee on George Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes during an arrest, pinning him to the ground and killing him.
“It’s gained more and more traction with broader audiences and mainstream audiences as the realities of systemic racism and abuses in policing have been lifted up,” said University of Chicago law professor Craig Futterman, who specializes in police accountability. “There is a much wider, stronger support and openness to it.”
Defunding, as a broad concept, does not address how much of a budget or where in a budget officials would make cuts.
“This is where the devil is in the details,” Rushin said.
People hold signs while listening to speakers talk about defunding the Police Department and other issues at Federal Plaza in Chicago on June 8, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
Black Lives Matter Chicago has called for the “immediate disinvestment in CPD,” according to its website. The group also opposes the proposed $95 million new police academy.
“We refuse any expansion of policing in Chicago, and demand accountability for decades of violence,” a statement on its website reads. “Instead, we demand resources for schools and youth.”
In the past week, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced funding to support jobs and health initiatives, and said he would shift as much as $150 million from the Police Department budget. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that city would divert money as well, though he did not say how much.


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--How Chicago will spend $1.1 billion in CARES Act funding

“ The magnitude of the problems and the challenges that we all face is such that only the federal government @ @ @ @ @ wherewithal to act at a scale that ’ ll make a meaningful difference , '' @ @ @ @ @ that , we are looking at a lot of really , really difficult or impossible @ @ @

A Delta flight information board is empty as a lone passenger walks outside of Terminal 2 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on April 30, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago will receive $1.1 billion in federal CARES Act funding to deal with coronavirus-related expenses, though Mayor Lori Lightfoot called for Congress to pass another stimulus package aimed at the country’s cities.
“We are all hurting and we have got to get relief," Lightfoot said on a Monday conference call with reporters.
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“The magnitude of the problems and the challenges that we all face is such that only the federal government has the resources and the wherewithal to act at a scale that’ll make a meaningful difference," Lightfoot said. "Without that, we are looking at a lot of really, really difficult or impossible choices.”
While laying out the city’s financial woes, Lightfoot reiterated her reluctance to lay off city workers, which she has called a last resort along with property tax hikes. Later, Lightfoot administration officials said the city doesn’t have “imminent” borrowing plans and that the shortfall for 2021 could be more than $1 billion.
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About 54% of the CARES Act money — $613 million — has to go toward specific expenses, while the city has more discretion to spend the other 46% as it chooses.
Here’s how some of the $1.1 billion in federal funding breaks down, according to City Hall:
$189 million to help cover the city’s public health response, including contact tracing and laboratory testing.
$376 million for airports, with O’Hare getting $294 million and Midway receiving $82 million. It was not immediately clear what that money will be spent on.
$39 million for homeless services, $35 million for small business assistance, $16.5 million for housing assistance.
$10 million each for workforce assistance, violence prevention street outreach programs, and mental health programs.
$4 million for the Auburn Gresham Community Health Hub and $7 million for the North Lawndale Surgical and Ambulatory Care Center.
$10.5 million for senior assistance, $1.5 million for housing for people living with AIDS and $207,000 for the domestic violence hotline.
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$4.5 million for emergency food assistance and $5 million on broadband internet access for students who don’t have it.
$40 million for a potential summer and fall resurgence of the disease, $30 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and $340.5 million in direct COVID-19 response costs.
City officials laid out the expected funding as Chicago continued its cautious reopening of local businesses amid widespread protests following George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Chicago eased restaurant restrictions by allowing outdoor dining and let personal services like barbershops resume work. Public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady told reporters there have been continued declines in new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and the percentage of people who take tests reporting positive, but warned about the possibility of increased cases.
“The real question, though, will be what happens with this data over the next (two weeks),” Arwady said. "Obviously, we saw a lot more interactions even before we had technically lifted the stay-at-home order here in Chicago.”
gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--Judge refuses to release man accused of torching Chicago cop car while wearing Joker mask, saying he

Judge refuses to release man accused of torching Chicago cop car while wearing Joker mask, saying he’s skipped other cases

The judge didn ’ t rule on the evidence of the case , instead focusing on O ’ Donnell ’ @ @ @ @ @ court orders .
The judge also said he wasn ’ t convinced that making O @ @ @ @ @ his custodian would ensure compliance .
Fuentes added that he would check on the status @ @ @ @ @ medical care for O ’ Donnell at a later hearing .

Federal authorities say this photo shows Timothy O'Donnell near a burning Chicago police vehicle on May 30, 2020, in the 200 block of North State Street. (Federal court document photo)
A man accused of setting fire to a Chicago police car while wearing a Joker mask will remain in federal custody, though the judge overseeing the case asked that prison officials continue physical and mental health treatment during the detention.
At a hearing Monday, U.S. District Magistrate Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes approved prosecutors’ request to keep Timothy O’Donnell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center pending trial, based on a criminal record that includes nine instances of bond forfeiture and failure to appear in five states, including Illinois.
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“I’m seeing a repeated and persistent pattern of not abiding by conditions, or at least not abiding by court orders,” Fuentes said during a hearing done by telephone with O’Donnell listening in.
Timothy O'Donnell, with a neck tattoo that reads "PRETTY." (Federal court documents)
But the judge said he intended to reach out to prison officials for assurances that O’Donnell receives adequate medical care.
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O’Donnell’s attorney said MCC officials, without professional consultation, stopped giving his client medication that controlled seizures and convulsions. This resulted in O’Donnell suffering convulsions while in custody, said attorney Michael Leonard, who added that his client was later put into solitary confinement.
“I will request that the Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Marshal take all necessary steps for defendant getting all medical care that he requires,” the judge said.
O’Donnell, 31, was charged with arson in U.S. District Court last week after he allegedly approached a police SUV parked in the 200 block of North State Street during Loop disturbances on May 31 and placed a lit object into the car’s gas tank, causing it to burst into flames.
During Monday’s hearing, prosecutors argued for detaining O’Donnell, saying the SUV was gutted by the fire and was a danger to anyone standing nearby. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Durkin contended O’Donnell was a flight risk because he has long lived a transient lifestyle, spending 13 years hopping train cars and hitchhiking across the country, and has a history of skipping out before a case is heard.
But Leonard countered that all of the cases against his client were “misdemeanor-type offenses,” describing O’Donnell’s life as “10 years of Jack Kerouac, doing odd jobs,” like working as a ranch hand. He added that his client’s alleged statement to authorities was made after nearly four fours in custody and despite his requesting a lawyer.
The judge didn’t rule on the evidence of the case, instead focusing on O’Donnell’s history of noncompliance with court orders. The judge also said he wasn’t convinced that making O’Donnell’s mother his custodian would ensure compliance. Fuentes added that he would check on the status of the MCC’s medical care for O’Donnell at a later hearing.
O’Donnell was one of about a dozen people hit with federal charges following an outbreak of chaos and looting that struck the city after the police-involved homicide of George Floyd in Minneapolis. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years behind bars.
wlee@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--Gov. J.B. Pritzker suggests ‘defund the police’ is a messaging obstacle to get police reforms

“ You have to think about , what are the methods by which people can be disciplined if they ’ @ @ @ @ @ disciplined by their own police departments , if the investigations are taking place by a @ @ @ @ @ want to hold some of their officers accountable for the kind of behavior that I @ @ @ @ @ reprehensible ?
” said Pritzker at a news conference to announce steps the Illinois Department @ @ @ @ @ assist businesses filing claims over damaged sustained amid the response to Floyd ’ s death @

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday called the rallying cry to defund the police “a poor use of words to describe what many people really want.”
President Donald Trump has seized on the phrase protesters are using in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police. The Democratic Illinois governor suggested a reframing of the concept to better connect with the public.
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“It’s change,” Pritzker said. “They want fundamental change in the way that police operate.”
The governor also said his office is “looking hard” at the possibility of state licensing for police officers, an idea that Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul suggested in an interview last week with WBEZ-FM 91.5.
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[ Calls are renewed to ‘defund the police,’ but what does that mean? ]
“You have to think about, what are the methods by which people can be disciplined if they’re not going to get disciplined by their own police departments, if the investigations are taking place by a police department that may not want to hold some of their officers accountable for the kind of behavior that I think we would all find reprehensible?” said Pritzker at a news conference to announce steps the Illinois Department of Insurance is taking to assist businesses filing claims over damaged sustained amid the response to Floyd’s death.
The governor said that while “the vast majority of police want to do the right thing,” “there is nevertheless racism that lives within the body of of these organizations, of institutions like police departments, and so it’s very important, in particular, for us to weed that out, for us to demand accountability.”
Requiring police officers to be licensed by the state, much like barbers or nurses, is one of several possible ways to increase accountability, Pritzker said.
“It’s a way to take it into an independent realm and away from a specific local police department and perhaps have a more independent body look at the problems that a police officer has brought to their job,” he said.
[ Who are the activists behind the protests? Meet the Faces of Change ]
Pritzker said his administration will work with members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and “others who are allies” on a package of police and criminal justice reform measures. Early this year, the governor laid out an agenda that included phasing out cash bail and diverting low-level drug offenders to substance abuse treatment, but those issues never took off in the General Assembly’s pandemic-shortened spring session.
A handful of members in the House Black Caucus have called for a special session to address police accountability and other issues brought into sharper focus by Floyd’s death, but legislative leaders have been noncommittal. Pritzker has been reluctant to use his authority to call lawmakers back to Springfield, preferring to leave the decision in the hands of Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago and Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park.\
As for calls to defund police departments, Pritzker said what advocates really want is to shift resources to other priorities and to avoid police interactions altogether in many situations, such as when dealing with people who are mentally ill.
“That’s one example of what people mean when they use those words,” he said. “I would not use those words to describe what they’re actually talking about.”
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One prominent member of the Black Caucus invoked the defunding phrase earlier Monday in calling for police reform in Chicago.
“This police system in Chicago and in the country is beyond repair, and so it’s absolutely within reason for people to say that we should tear this system down and start over,” Democratic state Rep. LaShawn Ford of Chicago, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor last year, said during a news conference outside police headquarters.
Protesters carry a "Defund the Police" sign on West Division Street during a march from Union Park to Cabrini-Green on Saturday, June 6, 2020, to demand police accountability. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Meanwhile, Pritzker on Monday announced that the state is urging insurance companies to expedite claims from businesses that were damaged in looting and other unrest in the days following the May 25 killing of Floyd, who was African American, by a white police officer.
The state’s insurance department issued a bulletin instructing state-regulated insurers to place a moratorium on policy cancellations and nonrenewals for affected policyholders for 60 days and to “err on the side of the policyholder when paying claims as a result of riots, civil commotion or vandalism” to customers who weren’t able to pay their full premiums following Pritzker’s stay-at-home order.
Damage from looters was a second blow for many businesses that were just beginning to reopen after being closed by Pritzker’s order, which was aimed at slowing the spread of the new coronavirus.
State public health officials on Monday announced 658 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the lowest daily total since March 30, when 460 cases were reported. Officials have said figures tend to be lower following the weekend, when labs report fewer results. There were results from 16,099 tests in the previous 24 hours, officials said, compared with 21,155 tests reported Saturday for the previous 24 hours.
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In addition to the new known cases of the coronavirus reported Monday, the state also announced 23 more fatalities, bringing the confirmed death toll to 5,924 statewide since the pandemic began. In all, there have been 128,415 confirmed cases across all but one of Illinois’ 102 counties.
Chicago Tribune’s Sophie Sherry contributed.
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--A Chicago treasure hunter was on the trail of a hidden chest worth more than $1 million — but she sa

A Chicago treasure hunter was on the trail of a hidden chest worth more than $1 million — but she says she was hacked and her ‘solve stolen’

“ It was under a canopy of stars in the lush , forested vegetation of the Rocky Mountains and had @ @ @ @ @ where I hid it more than 10 years ago , ” Fenn said in a @ @ @ @ @ that still did not reveal the exact location .
“ I do not know the @ @ @ @ @ but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot .
”

Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas, The Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. — A bronze chest filled with gold, jewels and other valuables worth more than $1 million and hidden a decade ago in the Rocky Mountain wilderness has been found, according to a famed art and antiquities collector who created the treasure hunt.
Forrest Fenn, 89, told the Santa Fe New Mexican on Sunday that a man who did not want his name released — but was from “back East” — located the chest a few days ago and the discovery was confirmed by a photograph the man sent him.
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The discovery was a shock for attorney Barbara Anderson, 47, a treasure hunter and resident of Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, who believed herself to be the “lead solver.”
Andersen alleges she was hacked and her “solve stolen” by a man she didn’t know who’d been taunting her with texts in recent months, according to a lawsuit she filed Monday in Santa Fe. The defendants in her suit are the unnamed man and Fenn, the orchestrator of the treasure hunt.
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The hunt has prompted hundreds of thousands of people to search in vain across remote corners of the U.S. West for the bronze chest. Many quit their jobs to dedicate themselves to the search and others depleted their life savings. At least four people died searching for it.
With her “paralegal-slash-border-collie, Cupcake,” Andersen, who came upon the hunt years after Fenn announced it, made some 20 trips from Chicago to Santa Fe in her quest to unearth the treasure — which she hoped to either donate or sell off and use the proceeds to start a charity. Her Lincoln MKZ was new when, years ago, she thought she’d indulge in a unique hobby, “a fun distraction,” after a contentious divorce.
“I had thought this was going to be a fun thing," Andersen said by phone from New Mexico. “In my daydreaming, I thought I would come out here and write a funny follow-up book and thank Santa Fe for the adventure. That isn’t turning out this way at this point.”
Fenn, who did not immediately respond to a Tribune request for comment, had posted clues to the treasure’s whereabouts online and in a 24-line poem that was published in his 2010 autobiography “The Thrill of the Chase.”
“It was under a canopy of stars in the lush, forested vegetation of the Rocky Mountains and had not moved from the spot where I hid it more than 10 years ago,” Fenn said in a statement on his website Sunday that still did not reveal the exact location. “I do not know the person who found it, but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot.”
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Andersen expected a thrill but now feels cheated.
“Are you wasting your time or are you not wasting your time?” she asked rhetorically. “I was hoping my life was going to change.”
Andersen said in recent years she rearranged her schedule and asked judges to move cases to allow her monthlong breaks so she could follow Fenn’s clues. Treasure hunting involved first scouring a website widely used as a forum, where Fenn himself posts updates.
In New Mexico, Andersen spent her days, metal detector in hand, scouring parts of the Rocky Mountains — where she was sure the treasure was buried because of a clue “about mildew,” contained in a picture Fenn posted with a hole in his hat in the shape of the state, she said.
She estimates she’s spent $10,000 to $30,000. She paid $4,000 just to put her furnishings in storage in Chicago as she all but moved to New Mexico on her most recent trip. She was sleeping in her SUV when she heard the news that the treasure had been found.
“All this time I’ve invested, the money, the car’s shot to heck and then some guy comes out of nowhere and just follows you and grabs it. This guy stole the treasure right from underneath me,” she said..
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Fenn, who lives in Santa Fe, said he packed and repacked his treasure chest for more than a decade, sprinkling in gold dust and adding hundreds of rare gold coins and gold nuggets. Pre-Columbian animal figures went in, along with prehistoric “mirrors” of hammered gold, ancient Chinese faces carved from jade and antique jewelry with rubies and emeralds.
He said he hid the treasure as a way to tempt people to get into the wilderness and give them a chance to launch an old-fashioned adventure and expedition for riches.
Fenn told The New Mexican in 2017 that the chest weighs 20 pounds and its contents weigh an additional 22 pounds. He said he delivered the chest to its hiding place by himself over two separate trips.
Asked how he felt now that the treasure has been found, Fenn said: “I don’t know, I feel halfway kind of glad, halfway kind of sad because the chase is over.”
“I congratulate the thousands of people who participated in the search and hope they will continue to be drawn by the promise of other discoveries,” he said on his website.
Andersen filed the lawsuit in person Monday and paid a $400 filing fee. Her next move is unclear. She said her family hasn’t been supportive of her hobby. Her two teenage children haven’t shown interest in treasure hunting.
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“You have to understand, I was into it for adventure and fun. I just happened to figure it out. And you kind of get addicted to it, to figuring out the clues and solving,” she said.
Her lawsuit aims to find out the identity of the man who found the treasure, as she believes he’s been texting and taunting her for about a year.
Andersen said she has met Fenn a few times and has exchanged emails with him. He hasn’t been responding to her since the treasure was found, she said.
“I don’t want to be filing this lawsuit. This was supposed to have a happy ending,” she said. "I can’t imagine this was the way (Fenn) ever thought this would end.”
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews
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chicagotribune--2020-06-08--150 to 200 people march from downtown Naperville to city police station, taking a knee in several in

150 to 200 people march from downtown Naperville to city police station, taking a knee in several intersections

The action follows more than a week of largely peaceful events to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis @ @ @ @ @ end to racism and police brutality .
One held June 1 in Naperville ended with @ @ @ @ @ .

A group of 150 to 200 protesters marched Monday afternoon from downtown Naperville to the police station and back, occasionally stopping to take a knee in intersections.
The action follows more than a week of largely peaceful events to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and to call for an end to racism and police brutality. One held June 1 in Naperville ended with violence, destruction and looting.
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Protesters began in downtown Naperville, walked west on Aurora Avenue to the police station before continuing to Ogden Avenue and then Jefferson Avenue, which they followed to the downtown intersection of Washington Street and Chicago Avenue.
As protesters were proceeding through the intersection of Aurora and Ogden, a woman participating in the march was struck by a vehicle as it exited a gas station on the corner.
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“There was a vehicle that knocked a female off her bicycle. She was not injured,” Naperville police Cmdr. Mike Son said.
Preliminary reports show it was an accident, and the driver did not intend to strike any protesters, he said.
Participants dispersed on their own without police intervention when the event ended, Son said.
ehegarty@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--1-year-old Homewood girl seriously injured in Dan Ryan crash

Police said that after the vehicles crash , the Audi veered up an embankment and struck a concrete wall .
@ @ @ @ @ their investigation but that no citations had been issued .

A 1-year-old Homewood girl was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries Monday following an early-morning crash in Chicago, according to Illinois State Police.
The infant was a passenger in a gray Audi that made contact with a 2008 Mazda at about 12:10 a.m. in the northbound lanes of Interstate 94 at 59th Street, police said.
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The Audi’s driver and two other passengers were taken to nearby hospitals with non-life threatening injuries, police said.
None of the Mazda’s four occupants required hospitalization, police said.
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Police said that after the vehicles crash, the Audi veered up an embankment and struck a concrete wall. Police said they were continuing their investigation but that no citations had been issued.
mnolan@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--Pilot dies after single-engine plane crash near Monee

The 84-year-old pilot of a single-engine plane that took off from Bult Field near far south suburban Monee died Monday @ @ @ @ @ in Beecher , according to Will County Sheriff ’ s Police .

The entrance sign at Bult Field near Monee in March 2019. (Ted Slowik / Daily Southtown)
The 84-year-old pilot of a single-engine plane that took off from Bult Field near far south suburban Monee died Monday after crashing into a cornfield in Beecher, according to Will County Sheriff’s Police.
The pilot took off about 10 a.m. and crashed in a cornfield 400 yards south of Offner Road in Beecher, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer.
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Bult Field, 28261 S. Kedzie Ave., is in unincorporated Will County and is owned by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
A witness who observed the crash reported to authorities that she believed the plane may have had engine trouble prior to crashing, according to Hoffmeyer.
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The Federal Aviation Administration was at the crash scene, she said.
The crash occurred at about 12:40 p.m., an FAA spokesman said. The National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating, he said.
The pilot’s body was turned over to the Will County coroner. Police were withholding the pilot’s name until family was notified.
The pilot was the only person on the plane and nobody else was injured, Hoffmeyer said.
mnolan@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--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--2020-06-08--When can Illinois move to phase 4 of reopening plan? Here’s where each region stands.

With each of the state ’ s four regions in Phase 3 of Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s Restore @ @ @ @ @ starts on moving on to Phase 4 , where more businesses and activities are allowed @ @ @ @ @ Illinois — from restaurants and salons to open space to non-COVID-19 procedures at the hospital @ @ @ @ @ depends on a host of metrics laid out by Pritzker .

Chad Yoder, Nausheen Husain, Jennifer Smith Richards, Jonathon Berlin

With each of the state’s four regions in Phase 3 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan, the clock starts on moving on to Phase 4, where more businesses and activities are allowed. The plan to reopen Illinois — from restaurants and salons to open space to non-COVID-19 procedures at the hospital to concerts and festivals — depends on a host of metrics laid out by Pritzker.
The metrics focus on a rolling average of positive coronavirus cases and hospitalizations to keep track of the direction of the outbreak as well as availability of hospital beds and ventilators that would be needed to handle a possible surge. There are also benchmarks for testing and tracing positive tests.
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
A key element of the plan is that a region can move both forward and backward, where more parts of society can open and shut depending on the seriousness of the outbreak.
Here is a breakdown of where each region stands.


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 5,924 deaths, 128,415 confirmed cases, 1.06 million tests,  9.38% pos

Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 5,924 deaths, 128,415 confirmed cases, 1.06 million tests,  9.38% 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--2020-06-08--State Farm says Illinois drivers get nearly 14% rate cut — more than 11% national average — as part

State Farm says Illinois drivers get nearly 14% rate cut — more than 11% national average — as part of $2.2 billion rate reduction

The rate reduction is part of an earlier announcement from State Farm , which said in May it would cut @ @ @ @ @ nationwide .
The Bloomington-based insurer said at the time the rate cuts would average 11 @ @ @ @ @ is steeper in Illinois , where residents remained under a stay-at-home order until May 29 @ @ @ @ @ nation ’ s largest underwriter of auto insurance .

State Farm's corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Ill., is shown in 2012. The insurer is cutting rates for Illinois drivers 13.7% as more people stay off the roads during the coronavirus pandemic. The Illinois rate cut is steeper than the 11% nationwide average State Farm announced in May. (Steve Smedley / AP)
State Farm is cutting rates for auto policyholders in Illinois by 13.7% as drivers stay off the road during the coronavirus pandemic.
The rate reduction is part of an earlier announcement from State Farm, which said in May it would cut rates by $2.2 billion nationwide. The Bloomington-based insurer said at the time the rate cuts would average 11%, but the reduction is steeper in Illinois, where residents remained under a stay-at-home order until May 29. State Farm is the nation’s largest underwriter of auto insurance.
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Rival insurers, including Allstate, Geico and Progressive Insurance, have also issued credits or reduced premiums during the pandemic.
In Illinois, State Farm estimates its rate cut will save 2.8 million customers a total of $320 million, which includes current customers renewing policies as well as new and returning customers.
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Late last month, State Farm announced it would cut rates by 9.6% in Indiana and by 12.7% in Michigan.
“Current State Farm driving data and claims experience show a considerable decline in miles driven and fewer accidents,” State Farm Senior Vice President Rob Stewart said in statement. “As a result, we’re looking for ways to continue supporting our Illinois customers while we monitor and adjust to trends.”
In April, State Farm said it would return $2 billion to policyholders, citing a reduction in driving and claims. State Farm estimates its customers could save about $4.2 billion between the rate reduction and the rebate.
The firm also increased to 10% the discount for drivers participating in its Drive Safe & Save program, which tracks motorists through the use of a device and offers discounts based on their driving habits.
abjimenez@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @abdel1019


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--Bus driver sues CTA, says he was suspended after discussing concerns about transporting cops during

Bus driver sues CTA, says he was suspended after discussing concerns about transporting cops during George Floyd protests

Last Friday , when he showed up for his regular morning shift , Slater was told he had been suspended @ @ @ @ @ lawsuit says .
When he tried to talk with other drivers again , Chicago police @ @ @ @ @ he was ordered to leave , the lawsuit says .

Erek Slater, a CTA bus driver, speaks June 8, 2020, during a news conference at Federal Plaza in Chicago. Slater, an executive board member of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241, in a lawsuit alleges that bus drivers were forced to transport “packed buses" full. of law enforcement officers during protests, thus being potentially exposed to the coronavirus. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
A CTA bus driver has sued the agency for allegedly violating his free speech rights, after he said he was suspended for talking with other drivers about their concerns over transporting police officers during last week’s protests.
The driver, Erek Slater, is an executive board member of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241, which represents the agency’s bus drivers.
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In a lawsuit filed in federal court Monday, Slater alleges that bus drivers were forced to transport “packed buses" full of law enforcement during protests, thus being potentially exposed to the coronavirus. The suit said that some drivers have religious and moral objections to being forced to serve law enforcement and military operations.
Drivers also were being asked to place themselves in the middle of conflict zones with “potentially violent” protesters, law enforcement and military personnel, the lawsuit alleges.
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Slater tried to discuss these concerns with other off-duty bus drivers at the CTA’s North Park Garage on West Foster Avenue a few times last week and was stopped by a manager, the lawsuit alleges. Slater was told that he was an “idiot" and that the meetings were illegal and violated a work rule prohibiting “wildcat strikes," the suit alleges.
Last Friday, when he showed up for his regular morning shift, Slater was told he had been suspended for alleged insubordination, the lawsuit says. When he tried to talk with other drivers again, Chicago police came to the garage and he was ordered to leave, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit alleges that the CTA’s actions violated Slater’s rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The CTA suspended service last week during protests and related civil unrest after the death of George Floyd, and buses were used to transport police. The CTA returned to mostly normal service on Monday morning, except for some buses being rerouted due to bridge closures.
CTA spokesman Brian Steele said that the agency does not comment on pending litigation, but added that the CTA “respects and upholds the rights of our employees to exercise their First Amendment rights.”
Steele noted that the CTA routinely provides its buses at the request of Chicago public safety agencies. That has included providing warming buses during dangerously cold weather conditions, or after fires, and providing cooling buses for large, warm weather events, such as during summer festivals. The CTA also provided buses for “public safety personnel” during the 2012 NATO protests.
ATU Local 241 president Keith Hill said in an email that all members have the right to engage in free speech in the workplace at appropriate, non-work times and areas and that the ATU supports that right “when properly exercised.”
Hill said that Slater was not acting in his position as a union representative at the time of the incidents discussed in the lawsuit.
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mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--Lawsuit filed against CTA

Lawsuit filed against CTA

People in Chicago gathered this week to protest the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers .

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 5
Erek Slater, a CTA bus driver, speaks June 8, 2020, during a news conference at Federal Plaza in Chicago. Slater, an executive board member of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241, in a lawsuit alleges that bus drivers were forced to transport “packed buses" full. of law enforcement officers during protests, thus being potentially exposed to the coronavirus. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--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--2020-06-08--Chicago cocktails-to-go rule for bars and restaurants now 1 step away

“ Those are high-risk circumstances , ” the mayor said .
“ People are in bars , they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ do in bars , which is you drink .
When you ’ re drinking , @ @ @ @ @ a mask on .
You ’ re gathering in small clusters , and so , @ @ @ @ @ bar and tavern industry on a regular basis to come up with specific guidelines when @ @ @ @ @ But we ’ re not ready yet for those kinds of gatherings .
”

The Fulton Market area of Chicago is no longer the ghost town it was during the depths of the COVID-19 virus pandemic shutdown. As restrictions on restaurants are eased, a worker takes a woman's temperature before she can enter Federales restaurant on Morgan Street on July 1, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago aldermen moved a step closer Monday to giving city taverns and restaurants the power to sell mixed drinks to go, an attempt to help during the coronavirus pandemic.
Many such businesses remain closed to on-premises drinkers or face greatly reduced customer capacity as the city remains partially shut down.
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The City Council license committee approved the change for a year. Some aldermen said they would like the change to become permanent, arguing that many of Chicago’s bars will close for good unless the city throws them significant lifelines through the COVID-19 crisis.
Under the law, 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 like Grubhub.
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot allowed restaurants that sell liquor to open for on-site outdoor dining and drinking last week, as the city slowly reopens.
But she did not let bars and breweries that only sell alcohol enjoy the same loosening, arguing that the lowering of inhibitions as people drink at such establishments would make it unlikely they would follow social distancing rules.
On Monday, Lincoln Park Ald. Michele Smith said the city is considering allowing bars that don’t sell food to also apply for outside cafe licenses so people could drink al fresco at such businesses.
Lightfoot, however, said Monday that her administration isn’t planning to soon allow taverns that normally would be hosting outdoor patios at this time of year to open, or considering a new class of license for bars to let patrons drink outside during the pandemic.
“Those are high-risk circumstances,” the mayor said. “People are in bars, they’re there to do what you do in bars, which is you drink. When you’re drinking, you don’t have a mask on. You’re gathering in small clusters, and so, we are engaging with the bar and tavern industry on a regular basis to come up with specific guidelines when we’re ready. But we’re not ready yet for those kinds of gatherings.”
The cocktails-to-go law is set to automatically lapse in June 2021.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the state measure into law this month, but Chicago needs to change its municipal code to allow it in the city. The full City Council will consider doing so next week.
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
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Twitter @_johnbyrne


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--West Side lawmaker picks up rallying cry to defund police, asks for meeting with Chicago mayor and t

West Side lawmaker picks up rallying cry to defund police, asks for meeting with Chicago mayor and top cop

Ford did not detail how defunding would work in Chicago , which just experienced one of its deadliest Mays on @ @ @ @ @ people shot , 85 of them fatally .
So far this year , more than @ @ @ @ @ in the city and at least 245 of them have died — the worst level @ @ @ @ @

Tyrone Muhammad, executive director of Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change, from left, Rep. La Shawn Ford and Tio Hardiman, executive director of Violence Interrupters, talk June 8, 2020, before speaking at a news conference outside Chicago police headquarters. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
A West Side lawmaker along with community groups from some of the most violent parts of Chicago say they want to meet with the mayor and the city’s top cop about changing strategies for fighting gun violence in their neighborhoods.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, and the others said city officials need to consider some of the proposals behind the “defund the police” call being raised by protesters after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
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Rep. La Shawn Ford speaks to the media June 8, 2020, outside Chicago police headquarters. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
“This police system in Chicago and in the country is beyond repair, and so it’s absolutely within reason for people to say that we should tear this system down and start over,” Ford said.
The defunding demand has been part of the agenda of activist groups for years and basically calls for cutting police budgets and diverting the money to community services like housing, employment, public health and education.
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Since the killing of Floyd, the mayor of Los Angeles is considering cutting as much as $150 million from the police. In Minneapolis, council members have discussed disbanding the embattled Police Department altogether.
Ford did not detail how defunding would work in Chicago, which just experienced one of its deadliest Mays on record with more than 400 people shot, 85 of them fatally. So far this year, more than 1,100 people have been shot in the city and at least 245 of them have died — the worst level of violence since 2017.
Ford called on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to issue an executive order creating an African American Rapid Relief Task Force to provide residents with immediate assistance. “Sign the executive order so that we can bring relief to the black people in the state of Illinois," he said at a news conference outside police headquarters.
Tyrone Muhammad, of Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change, said community members, not police, are the only people capable of ending the violence. But to do so, he said they need more resources.
“We continue to give the resources to the same people, with no results,” Muhammad said.
The groups said they have yet to hear from the mayor.


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--Watch live: Gov. J.B. Pritzker, mayors and business owners discuss rebuilding Illinois businesses

Gov .
J.B. Pritzker , mayors and local business owners discuss insurance coverage for rebuilding businesses at a briefing scheduled @ @ @ @ @

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chicagotribune--2020-06-08--Naperville man charged with reckless homicide and DUI in fatal car crash

Qualtier ’ s truck rolled several times before coming to a stop on its roof , the release said .
@ @ @ @ @ Ford had to be extricated from his vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene @ @ @ @

A Naperville man has been charged with reckless homicide and driving under the influence following a head-on crash Saturday night in which a Woodridge man was killed, Naperville police said.
Frank Qualtier Jr., 54, was traveling westbound on Royce Road about 7:30 p.m. when his 2014 Dodge Ram crossed into the road’s eastbound lanes near Lisson Road and struck a 2017 Ford Fiesta, a police department news release said.
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Qualtier’s truck rolled several times before coming to a stop on its roof, the release said. The 41-year-old man driving the Ford had to be extricated from his vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene, the release.
The victim’s identity has not been released.
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Qualtier has been charged with aggravated driving under the influence and reckless homicide, the release said.
The crash remains under investigation at this time. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has any additional information is asked to call the police department’s Traffic Unit at 630-305-5379.
ehegarty@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--Officer struck in protective vest during gunfire

A Chicago police officer was shot in the vest after responding to a domestic disturbance in the South Austin neighborhood @ @ @ @ @ of June 8 , 2020 , authorities said .
The officer was taken to Stroger @ @ @ @ @ police said .

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 4 Officers investigate where Chicago police exchanged fire with an adult male, with an officer being struck in the vest, in the 500 block of North Leamington Avenue on June 8, 2020, in the South Austin neighborhood. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
A Chicago police officer was shot in the vest after responding to a domestic disturbance in the South Austin neighborhood in the early morning hours of June 8, 2020, authorities said. The officer was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition, police said.


chicagotribune--2020-06-08--Daywatch: Wide array of criminal charges emerge amid George Floyd fallout, Latino leaders fear reope

Daywatch: Wide array of criminal charges emerge amid George Floyd fallout, Latino leaders fear reopening impact and closed lakefront still draws Chicagoans

For many in Chicago ’ s Latino community , the prospect of more people getting out and about sows more @ @ @ @ @ surges of coronavirus infections have also severely affected other communities , including African Americans , @ @ @ @ @ have a higher infection rate than any other racial or ethnic group in Illinois .

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s what you need to know about the continued George Floyd fallout and coronavirus pandemic. Sign up for our breaking news alerts to get the latest updates throughout the day.
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Federal authorities say this photo shows Timothy O'Donnell near a burning Chicago police vehicle on May 30, 2020, in the 200 block of North State Street. (Federal court documents)
Hundreds arrested amid the citywide chaos that gripped Chicago for days, along with otherwise peaceful marches against police brutality sparked by George Floyd’s death in Minnesota.
Both Mayor Lori Lightfoot and police Superintendent David Brown have commended the peaceful demonstrators, while also hinting that organized or out-of-town agitators were responsible for much of the violence and destruction.
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But the picture that has begun to emerge from court records in both Cook County and U.S. District Court is more complicated.
Why Chicago Police Department reform moves slowly despite cries for immediate change
People, many with face masks, line up to purchase tortillas outside El Milagro tortillas on 26th Street in Chicago's Little Village on May 6, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
For many in Chicago’s Latino community, the prospect of more people getting out and about sows more anxiety than optimism. Although surges of coronavirus infections have also severely affected other communities, including African Americans, state data indicates that Latinos have a higher infection rate than any other racial or ethnic group in Illinois.
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.
Pharmacist Pamela Jones, owner of M&R Prescription Center, stands outside her boarded-up business, June 5, 2020, in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago. Although the pharmacy is still open, Jones said she boarded up the windows and door after people broke in and vandalized the store earlier this week. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
The death of George Floyd has prompted fresh calls to support the black community, but some of its business owners, hit hard by looting on the South and West sides, say the enthusiasm will not be enough to help them get ahead.
People hang out at Loyola Park and Beach on Thursday, June 4, 2020. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
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.


chicagotribune--2020-06-09--Column: Biden’s response to the George Floyd protests isn’t presidential. He should be tweeting more

Column: Biden’s response to the George Floyd protests isn’t presidential. He should be tweeting more insults!

Indeed , while Biden spent time meeting privately with Floyd ’ s family before the 46-year-old man ’ s funeral @ @ @ @ @ he failed to label Americans exercising their right to protest as “ thugs ” or @ @ @ @ @ ’ t attempt to paint people appalled by systemic racism as part of a shadowy @ @ @ @ @ which isn ’ t actually an organized group but sounds scary and is probably coming @ @ @ @ @ or rage-stomp your begonias .

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden pauses as he speaks to members of the clergy and community leaders at Bethel AME Church in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 1, 2020. (Andrew Harnik / AP)
As an astute observer of present-day presidential politics, I’m baffled by the way presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is behaving.
The most immediate example, of course, is that he spent time Monday traveling to Texas to meet in person with the family of George Floyd. He was the black man killed by a white Minneapolis police officer, setting off nationwide protests over police brutality and racism.
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What kind of modern-day leader shows empathy during a time of national crisis? If Biden had an ounce of presidential timber he would have been in a secure location, surrounded by armed guards and newly erected fencing, tweeting about his own “GREATNESS” and calling his political opponents “Crazy!”
Even worse, Biden has yet to tweet the words “LAW & ORDER” accompanied by no specific context or policy proposals. Donald Trump, our current president and the model for cutting-edge presidential behavior, has tweeted those words a dozen times in the past week. That, former Vice President Biden, is a thing we Americans have come to recognize as “leadership.” Maybe try it some time.
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Indeed, while Biden spent time meeting privately Monday with Floyd’s family before the 46-year-old man’s funeral in Texas, he failed to label Americans exercising their right to protest as “thugs” or “terrorists.” He didn’t attempt to paint people appalled by systemic racism as part of a shadowy group known as antifa, which isn’t actually an organized group but sounds scary and is probably coming to destroy your family farm or rage-stomp your begonias.
Did the former vice president do anything to quell protests against the militarization of police, like suggest sending the military to police cities across the country? No.
Did Biden have peaceful protesters tear-gassed so he could walk across a street to a church he doesn’t attend and hold aloft a Bible he doesn’t read while people took pictures nobody wanted to see? No.
There’s no way Sleepy Joe would have the moral fortitude to pull off such statesmanship. In times like these, we need a leader unafraid to forcibly disperse Americans; appear uninvited outside a church whose bishop would later condemn him; and then have the White House press secretary equate his short, ignominious walk to Winston Churchill inspecting bomb-ravaged London during World War II.
Did Joe Biden voice support for the family of George Floyd and also share a video on his Twitter account featuring a conservative commentator saying “Floyd was not a good person”? No, he didn’t. Only Trump did that.
Did one of Biden’s senior campaign advisers share a tweet praising a man in Texas who yelled a racial slur while threatening protesters with a chain saw? No.
Did Biden spend last week, arguably one of the most tumultuous and explosive weeks in recent American history, sending more than 460 tweets, including 200 in one day and, at one point, 74 in an hour? No, he didn’t.
And did the tweets he sent lash out at people in his own party — in Trump’s case, Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney — or widely respected military figures like former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (“the world’s most overrated General”)?
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No, Biden’s tweets were few in number and consisted of totally nonpresidential stuff like this: “We need to stand up as a nation — with the Black community and with all minority communities — and come together as one America. Because the pain is too immense for one community to bear alone.”
And this: “I promised George Floyd’s family that he wouldn’t just become another hashtag — and I intend to keep that promise.”
And this: “American history isn’t a fairytale with a guaranteed happy ending. But we have the power to write the future we want for this nation. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”
Yeesh. That’s some low-ratings material. If President Trump has taught us anything, it’s that true presidential behavior requires unbridled rage, schoolyard insults, a laserlike focus on one’s ego and a complete inability to inspire.
Even after Biden showed promise by saying something stupid and offensive — suggesting that if a black person votes for Trump, “you ain’t black” — the former vice president demonstrated enormous weakness by apologizing for the comment within hours, saying on a campaign call with black business leaders that he was “much too cavalier.”
Again, the Trump model is clear: Never apologize, never admit to doing or saying anything wrong, claim you never said something even if there’s a recording of it, blame someone else for saying something similar and then say something worse to change the subject.
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Do you think Biden would have the guts, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, to talk about a positive jobs report and suggest Floyd is happily looking down from heaven, and then say, as Trump did: “This is a great day for him, it’s a great day for everybody.”
No way.
Heck, with Biden, Americans might go weeks without even thinking about who’s president.
Wouldn’t that be awful?
rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-09--Teen activism in Chicago spurred by police killing of George Floyd: ‘We are fed up and this is the l

Teen activism in Chicago spurred by police killing of George Floyd: ‘We are fed up and this is the last straw’

“ I ’ ve lived here in Chicago my whole life and America has given me so many opportunities , @ @ @ @ @ many away from everybody else .
I have friends who are scared to walk outside @ @ @ @ @ “ My mother is Irish and my father is Filipino .
They are two different @ @ @ @ @ me the same thing , that if you proceed with love in your heart you @ @ @ @

Young Chicagoans like Shayla Turner say they have seen too many black people killed by police or had friends shot dead in cases that go unsolved.
“It’s not just George Floyd. It’s Laquan McDonald. It’s Breonna Taylor. I feel like we are fed up and this is the last straw,” Turner said after nearly a week of local protests sparked by the Minneapolis police killing of Floyd. “I don’t loot or destruct, but I don’t judge anybody that does, because we are angry. ... We need justice for everybody."
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Students such as Turner, 18, a senior at Chicago’s Sarah Goode STEM Academy, have been on the front lines of protests and cleanup efforts in neighborhoods devastated by looting and destruction. Young activists in Chicago have long advocated for more resources and fewer police officers in their schools, and many say Floyd’s death compelled them to take to the streets and make their voices heard.
Turner saw tear gas for the first time. Her ankle was hurt when a clash with police toppled a metal gate into protesters.
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High school senior Shayla Turner marches during a rally against the Chicago Police Department's presence in Chicago Public Schools. She said she saw tear gas for the first time and was injured during a clash with police. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
By Thursday, she was back on her feet, protesting the placement of city police in public schools. She’d already filled out a survey on the topic.
“'Do you feel safe with cops in schools?' I honestly said no,” Turner said. “Even though I have a decent relationship with the cops in my school, no, it’s unnecessary. There’s no such thing as good cops to me. ... You see a cop, you get scared.”
The Chicago Public Schools survey was started while Floyd was still alive, but his death at the hands of police has underscored a campaign for schools to be free of sworn officers. Activists want Chicago to follow the lead of the Minneapolis Board of Education, which last week ended its contract with that city’s Police Department.
It’s one of many steps Turner believes is necessary to fix racial inequities hurting children in Chicago.
Despite progress achieved through programs and equity initiatives, CPS has been unable to eradicate inequities between white students and students of color. This school year, the Chicago Teachers Union organized Black Lives Matter at School week and CPS embraced The New York Times’ “1619 Project.” But students still live in neighborhoods that are effectively segregated. Controversial school closings have disproportionately affected students of color.
And the teaching staff is much less diverse than the student body. Half of the teachers are white but only 11% of students are white, while 36% are black and 47% are Latino. Yet in many of the city’s most selective public high schools, white students have a disproportionate number of seats compared with their black and brown peers.
Deep inequities have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has especially devastated black and Latino families who make up a large portion of the essential workforce. Students from these families have been less likely to log into online learning platforms than their white and Asian peers, and more likely to lose a family member to the virus. They know the health risks associated with large gatherings, but to many, the bigger threat is police.
“It’s messed up because black and brown communities are being affected by (coronavirus) the most and we are being forced to come out here and march for our lives,” Turner said. “We have to do it.”
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‘Nobody’ wants to sing the national anthem
For many high school seniors, the response to George Floyd’s death comes during an already strained graduation season.
At Whitney Young Magnet High School, senior Molly Clemente, 17, reluctantly agreed to sing the national anthem for a graduation video. Nobody else wanted to, she said.
“With everything going on, it’s not surprising no one wants to sing a song about freedom in America,” Clemente said. “If one of us isn’t free, none of us are free.”
She decided if she was going to sing it, she’d include a personal message. She put on her blue and orange cap and gown. When she got to the “land of the free” line, she held up a handmade sign: “His life mattered. Stand United!”
Thousands of people protesting against police officers in Chicago Public Schools and against acts of violence by police march through Lincoln Park to the Chicago police training academy. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
In response, Principal Joyce Kenner said Clemente had performed a beautiful rendition — but asked her to rerecord the song without the sign, saying, “I don’t think that was the most appropriate time to make your stand.”
But Clemente, buoyed by support from her peers, is steadfast in her belief that to sing the anthem without the sign would be to stay silent in the face of discrimination.
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“I’ve lived here in Chicago my whole life and America has given me so many opportunities, but it has taken so many away from everybody else. I have friends who are scared to walk outside,” Clemente said. “My mother is Irish and my father is Filipino. They are two different races and they always taught me the same thing, that if you proceed with love in your heart you always win.”
Kenner told the Tribune that for the graduation ceremony, she wanted all students to be part of a unified message. Rather than during the anthem, she said there will be a collective action with all seniors addressing the current movement.
“I try to make sure that the student voices are being heard in the most appropriate way. It wasn’t about her message at all. I believe in her message,” Kenner said.
In a video addressing students, Kenner condemned looting that has ravaged her neighborhood and asked them to be part of the solution. She also asked students to remain focused on school, so they could go on to college and one day have a seat at the table.
“I know you’re hurting. I’m the same color as you are and I’m hurting too,” said Kenner, who is black. “But I’m going to keep my eye on the prize.”
Some students took issue with that framing.
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“I shouldn’t have to be at a seat at the table to voice my opinion,” said Whitney Young senior Adelina Avalos, 18, who has also worked on the Youth Climate Strike. Though Avalos has been avoiding crowded protests because she’s immune-compromised, she’s donated to groups including the Minnesota Freedom Fund, Chicago Community Bond Fund and On the Ground Chi. Avalos, who is Mexican American, said she supports these efforts and the Black Lives Matter movement “because it’s the right thing to do.”
Fellow Whitney Young senior Briyanna Jones, 18, said that she didn’t understand why showing the sign during the anthem was controversial and that she appreciated Clemente’s stand. Many students think issues get swept under the rug at school, she said.
“I can really just hope that they start to listen,” Jones said.
“Being a black girl in America, I am really sad with all problems that are going on, the mistreatment of black Americans,” Jones said. But at the same time, she said, she feels powerful and hopeful, especially after walking from Lincoln Park High School to the police academy near Whitney Young during Thursday’s protest against police in schools.
“It was amazing seeing so many people outside protesting and caring about black issues, no matter the skin tone,” Jones said. “We have to keep fighting.”
She’s also participated in the women’s march and a climate march. Growing up on social media, it’s been easy to connect, sharing not just information and events but opinions and art.
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“I definitely think that with my generation, with my peers, there is this need to get out and have this hands-on experience and be a part of things, and see things for yourself,” Jones said. “Things are commonly sugarcoated on TV and social media. We have to actually get out and be a part of it.”
Solidarity among black and Latino students
Though racial tensions developed after reports of violence against black people in Little Village last week, Latino students such as Avalos and Diego Garcia, 18, have remained focused on how they can support each other. Students have participated in actions to show solidarity among black and Latino residents.
High school senior Diego Garcia speaks with attendees during a rally against the Chicago Police Department's presence in Chicago Public Schools. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
At protests, Garcia, a senior at Mansueto High School, has carried signs saying, “We can’t breathe," echoing Floyd’s last words, and “CPD out of CPS.”
Outrage over police violence has been especially strong “during a pandemic when most American families have been deprived of resources by the government,” Garcia said. “A lot of families are struggling to get food on the table, to pay rent. Living on the Southwest Side of Chicago, we know what those issues are as low-income families. ... When you’re facing poverty and violence at the same time, you use any opportunity to stand up for your community.”
He wants to be an example to his little brothers, along with other students “who thought they wouldn’t make it or they live in communities with little to no resources” and often feel ignored.
Over the past two years, he’s taken part in aldermanic campaigns, gun violence prevention, the Youth Climate Strike and other community improvement work. When the pandemic forced schools shut and students had to resort to mobilizing online, he helped organize Chi Student Pandemic Response, which has used Twitter and petitions to push CPS to reform its grading system and cancel the police contract.
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Chicago police stand guard outside the police training academy in Chicago as thousands of protesters arrive. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
On Friday, 19-year-old Makafui Searcy stood at 47th Street and Vincennes Avenue and helped out with a grocery drive organized by Youth for Black Lives, handing out food and water to passing cars.
Days before, Searcy’s collaborative project, FourtuneHouse, led hundreds of youth on a 6-mile journey from the Harold Washington Cultural Center to the Central District police station to City Hall. They protested police brutality and shared intersectional civil rights messages.
A Loyola student and King College Prep graduate, Searcy said he doesn’t consider himself an activist, but an advocate for freedom. He’s continuing a vision of what he’s seen his leaders and ancestors do, inspired by a trip at age 14 to his mother’s native Ghana.
“Seeing not only my village, but a lot of my cultural history, a lot of the symbolism and the power in simplicities, the power in words ... I internalized a lot of those things,” Searcy said. “I’m only just a piece.”
He takes inspiration from the sharing mentality of such villages and from his peers.
“What’s fueling youth actions out of public schools is youth are underserved in public schools," Searcy said. “There’s kids that go to school and are fearful in the hallways because they feel like they are at risk of being arrested. ... That could cause trauma, distrust in authority. That’s why kids are ready to activate when necessary, because they are rightfully angry.”
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Generation Z, born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, is America’s most diverse generation. Those entering the workforce are already on their second economic recession, and they’ve reported higher rates of pandemic job loss or pay cuts affecting them or household members than millennials, Gen Xers and baby boomers, according to a March Pew Research Center survey.
Charity Freeman, a computer science teacher at Lane Tech College Prep, said it’s time for Generation Z’s voices to be amplified. They’re a “completely different generation” in the way they approach social change and problem-solving, she said.
"How do you convince adults you’re worth listening to?” she asked. “Millennials, we tolerated those different microaggressions and the way that adultism was inflicted on us. Gen Z, they’re not going for that and I admire them for it.”
Freeman, who is African American, said if teachers’ faces don’t reflect their students, the school-to-prison pipeline is more likely to be perpetuated, with more white teachers bringing their implicit biases to the classroom. “Not that we don’t all have biases, but in certain instances those biases can turn deadly, as we’re seeing.”
“When you have a person of color who is teaching, who is instructing, who is caring, who is interacting with our students, those are extraordinarily humanizing moments for students of color who everywhere else in society are being told their voice doesn’t matter because their face isn’t white,” Freeman said.
Shayla Turner, the Goode STEM Academy senior, plans to study education. She realized she wants to be a teacher after her own teachers comforted and encouraged her, stayed late and helped her when she was nervous about giving a speech for the Youth Climate Strike.
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She also intends to keep advocating for justice. “We have to do it, because who’s going to do it?”
hleone@chicagotribune.com