chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Details on Joliet mayor’s suspensions when he was a cop not found in Police Department files. Such r

Details on Joliet mayor’s suspensions when he was a cop not found in Police Department files. Such records are typically kept ‘forever.’

Joliet police Chief Al Roechner and Deputy Chief Darrell Gavin said they did not know why the records were not @ @ @ @ @ s personnel file .
Gavin added that such records are typically kept by the Police @ @ @ @ @ but neither the chief nor the deputy chief was aware what happened to O ’ @ @ @ @ @

As fallout continues over a video of an altercation between the mayor of Joliet and two protesters, critics have pointed to disciplinary action taken against the mayor when he was a city police officer.
Personnel records obtained by the Tribune earlier this month showed that Mayor Robert O’Dekirk was suspended seven times for a total of 49 days in his former role as a Joliet police officer.
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Those documents, though, do not include reasons for the suspensions, complaints, any supporting documentation or information about possible appeals.
When the Tribune requested O’Dekirk’s full disciplinary records, the Joliet Police Department responded by saying that “no records exist.”
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Joliet police Chief Al Roechner and Deputy Chief Darrell Gavin said they did not know why the records were not in O’Dekirk’s personnel file. Gavin added that such records are typically kept by the Police Department “forever,” but neither the chief nor the deputy chief was aware what happened to O’Dekirk’s records.
The mayor on Wednesday did not return requests for comment regarding the absent records.
In previous statements, O’Dekirk has said he acted in self-defense in the recorded skirmish with two protesters that flared during heated demonstrations on May 31 following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
O’Dekirk has called his decade of police service “outstanding” and said the media has been given “bad information” about his suspensions. O’Dekirk resigned from the Police Department in 2003 when he became a lawyer.
While the mayor has said he could not recall exactly how many days of suspension he had served, he believed he was suspended once for missing a court date, once for improperly parking a police vehicle and once for writing on a desk.
O’Dekirk has also said none of his suspensions involved excessive use of force.
Two former Joliet police chiefs contacted by the Tribune on Wednesday also could not recall details of any disciplinary action taken against O’Dekirk.
Yet one of the former chiefs said missing personnel records would be highly unusual.
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“I don’t know why they wouldn’t exist,” said David Gerdes, who retired as chief in 2006 and had signed the personnel orders for several of O’Dekirk’s suspensions, according to police records.
Gerdes said it was the Police Department’s policy to keep such records. The former chief added that he was not aware of any suspensions during his tenure being completely overturned.
Former Joliet police Chief Fred Hayes, who served as operations division commander during O’Dekirk’s tenure as a police officer, also couldn’t recall any specifics about the suspensions.
Hayes described O’Dekirk as a dedicated officer.
“He was a very knowledgeable police officer,” said Hayes, who retired as Joliet’s police chief in 2011.
The Tribune has also requested O’Dekirk’s personnel records with the city’s Human Resources Department, but the city has not responded yet. Roechner said the Police Department and the Human Resources Department both keep a personnel file for each of the department’s officers.
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Attorneys representing the two protesters involved in the altercation with the mayor said in a written statement that O’Dekirk’s “record of indiscretions as a police officer for the city of Joliet fit a pattern that is relevant to what transpired” the night of the demonstrations.
A video of the scene shows O’Dekirk dressed in plainclothes wearing a baseball cap, later identified as a Joliet police cap by the police chief.
O’Dekirk, who is white, appears to grab 23-year-old Victor Williams Jr. of Lockport, who is African American, by the collar and forcibly walk him backward to a police vehicle. Williams’ brother, Jamal Smith, 28, of Crest Hill, then appears to jump on O’Dekirk from behind, and all three fall to the ground and are quickly surrounded by police.
The brothers were hospitalized and have since been released; both were arrested for aggravated assault and mob action, according to Joliet police.
At a news conference earlier this week, the mayor said he “only acted to defend myself because I felt my personhood was threatened.”
Attorneys representing the protesters said their clients were protesting peacefully that night and their “rights were trampled” on by the mayor and police. The attorneys added that they have not filed legal action yet, “but we fully intend to do so.”
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Several pastors and an online petition have called for the mayor to resign; a competing online petition, however, expresses support for the mayor and his actions.
At the request of some city and Will County officials, the Illinois State Police is investigating the matter.
A Will County Board member earlier this month reported filing a complaint against O’Dekirk with the FBI regarding the incident. Joliet officials said the city has also retained an outside firm to conduct an internal investigation.
Alicia Fabbre is a freelancer.
eleventis@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Column: Chicago’s new ‘shared street’ tilts the balance in favor of pedestrians, bikers and social d

Column: Chicago’s new ‘shared street’ tilts the balance in favor of pedestrians, bikers and social distancing. But it’s  tinkering, not structural change.

It ’ s always interesting to see how simple changes like this encourage people to change their behavior .
Emboldened @ @ @ @ @ traffic , people walk and jog in the street .
One of them , Esley @ @ @ @ @ almost two-year-old son Felix , who was pedaling a small blue toy car .

A bicyclist and a runner use the "shared street" along Leland Avenue on June 9, 2020, in Lincoln Square. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Before the brutal killing of George Floyd, this column would have been a routine assessment of the first “shared street” Chicago has created in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
It would be foolish to write such a column now.
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Foolish because Floyd died in public space and the protests against the police brutality that took his life have erupted in public space.
Foolish because many white Americans have begun to realize that the public space they experience is less dangerous than the public space navigated by black Americans.
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Foolish, in short, because urban design can’t be stuffed into a neat little box, separate from the tumult that is shaking American society.
The racism that killed Floyd is deep-seated, systemic and structural. In contrast, the new shared street on Leland Avenue, which closes the road to through traffic and lets pedestrians and cyclists share the pavement with slow-moving vehicles, is urban design tinkering.
A nice relief from pandemic-crowded sidewalks, it’s the latest manifestation of an urban design movement that seeks to turn streets into something other than drag strips for vehicles.
But let’s keep it in perspective.
Located in the North Side’s Ravenwood neighborhood, the shared street was put in place late last month by Chicago’s Department of Transportation — well after other U.S. cities had responded to the pandemic with their own traffic-calming measures. City officials call it a temporary response to the pandemic rather than a permanent change.
The shared section of Leland extends a little more than a mile from the charming Lincoln Square shopping district on the west to Clark Street on the east. Most of the stretch is leafy, flanked by well-kept wood-frame and brick homes. The design elements of the shared street are pretty rudimentary.
On its flanks, fence-like barriers indicate that the road is open to local traffic only. Signs attached to orange drums in the middle of the street urge drivers to slow down and yield to pedestrians.
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Still more signs, on light poles, tell people on foot or on bikes to stay six feet apart and keep moving. And a notice posted by 47th Ward Ald. Matt Martin, who backed the plan, adds that people shouldn’t congregate and that they should wear masks.
"It’s not a block party — It’s a public health benefit.” the alderman’s sign says.
It’s always interesting to see how simple changes like this encourage people to change their behavior. Emboldened by the absence of through traffic, people walk and jog in the street. One of them, Esley Stahl, strolled with her almost two-year-old son Felix, who was pedaling a small blue toy car.
“It’s easier to social distance,” Stahl said, adding that she wasn’t worried about collisions with fast-moving runners, cyclists and cars.
The vast majority of Leland’s residents and those in the 47th Ward like the arrangement, Josh Mark, Martin’s director of infrastructure and development, told me.
Parents are less fearful that kids playing in the front yard will run into trouble on sidewalks that became crowded with people getting in their workouts, especially after Mayor Lori Lightfot shut down the Lakefront Trail. Neighbors are sitting on their front porches to watch the passing parade.
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“There’s a sense of freedom and happiness that comes from being able to walk in the street,” Mark said.
Delivery trucks and emergency vehicles are still allowed on the shared street, and people who live on Leland can still park there. The arrangement doesn’t need to be monitored by police, freeing them to go where they’re needed.
Even so, a small number of residents have complained that some cars aren’t following the directive to slow down. But there have been no injuries or accidents, Mark said.
Others have complained that some parents don’t closely monitor children who have turned the revamped street into a playground.
“People have to remember that this remains a road,” Mark said.
People also should remember the smart planning goal set by Transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi : The shared street should be part of a broader network of bike paths and car-free getting around, not an isolated amenity.
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Fortunately, that’s still possible. The city plans to convert the shared street stretch into a bike-friendly “greenway" that would link to an existing greenway east of Clark Street. Typically, the greenways have speed bumps and pavement markings that encourage drivers to slow down and share the road with bikes.
So it’s good news that the transportation department plans to expand the innovative program.
On Thursday, another North Side alderman, Brian Hopkins of the Second Ward, announced that Wabansia Avenue will be turned into a shared street between Rockwell Street and Ashland Avenue.
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But any enthusiasm about the shared street initiative must be tempered by the reality, underscored by Floyd’s death, that Chicago and other American cities face much deeper questions about the chasms of race and class that divide them.
If the program only benefits gentrified neighborhoods on the North Side or fuels more gentrification citywide, it won’t meet Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s noble goal of promoting social equity.
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It will only prove itself worthy if it benefits struggling areas as well as those that are already thriving. Shared streets, in other words, should remind us of our shared destiny.
Blair Kamin is a Tribune critic.
bkamin@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @BlairKamin
Update: On Saturday, June 13, the Chicago Department of Transportation added a new shared street on the city’s South Side: Drexel Boulevard, from Oakwood Boulevard to Hyde Park Boulevard.


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--DJ Khaled, Common, Cubs’ Kris Bryant join roster of stars celebrating Chicago graduates during virtu

DJ Khaled, Common, Cubs’ Kris Bryant join roster of stars celebrating Chicago graduates during virtual commencement Sunday

“ This is an incredible opportunity to give the graduates of 2020 the celebration they deserve , ” Lightfoot said @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Completing high school is a momentous occasion , and while this year ’ @ @ @ @ @ be what they expected , this is an opportunity to send our students off in @ @ @

DJ Khaled will be among the celebrities participating in the citywide virtual graduation ceremony Sunday. (Jordan Strauss / Invision)
As Chicago prepares to honor its high school graduates with a virtual ceremony, DJ Khaled, Common and a host of other celebrities and sports figures have joined the lineup.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the additional participants Thursday, ahead of the hourlong citywide commencement airing at 1 p.m. Sunday.
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Among the new additions is an array of top Chicago athletes, including Cubs players Kris Bryant, Jason Heyward, and Kyle Schwarber; White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson; Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane; Bulls power forward Daniel Gafford; Bears offensive tackle Charles Leno, Jr.; and Chicago Sky players Diamond DeShields and Cheyenne Parker.
An aftershow will feature performances by hip-hop artist DJ Khaled, singer Ellie King, country artist Thomas Rhett, pop-rock singer Andy Grammer, DJ Louis the Child, rock band X Ambassadors, The Second City and performers from the musical “Jagged Little Pill.”
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Jahmal Cole, founder of My Block, My Hood, My City, will also participate, along with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson.
Oprah Winfrey was previously announced as the keynote speaker, while Chicago “Hamilton” star Miguel Cervantes will emcee. Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Common will deliver an opening dedication, while Chicago-born finalist of “The Voice” Katie Kadan will perform the national anthem.
“This is an incredible opportunity to give the graduates of 2020 the celebration they deserve,” Lightfoot said in a statement released Thursday. “Completing high school is a momentous occasion, and while this year’s graduation ceremony might not be what they expected, this is an opportunity to send our students off in style.”
The ceremony, which will be broadcast on major local television and radio stations and the city’s livestream feeds, will also include student performances by the Dunbar Vocational Career Academy High School drum line; The Chicago High School for the Arts, also known as ChiArts; and Kenwood Academy High School.
The ceremony, co-created and hosted by the city of Chicago and the investment firm Citadel, is open to all Chicago high school seniors, whether they attend Chicago Public Schools, or charter or private schools.
The event will be aired live on ABC-Ch. 7, WGN-Ch. 9, WTTW-Ch. 11, WFLD-Ch.32, WMAQ-Ch-5, WBBM-Ch. 2, WCIU-Ch. 26 and Univision, and will stream live on the ABC Localish network and on WBEZ.org, as well as the mayor’s social media channels. CBS 2 plans to air the ceremony later that evening. Live closed captioning will be provided.
archeung@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Man and woman die after they’re struck by a pickup truck in a Naperville crosswalk

It was the second fatal crash in Naperville in less than a week .
On Saturday night , a 41-year-old @ @ @ @ @ vehicle was struck head-on by a pickup truck driven by Frank Qualtier Jr. , 54 @ @ @ @ @ traffic while on Royce Road near Lisson Road .

A 77-year-old Naperville man and 71-year-old Naperville woman have died after being struck by a vehicle Wednesday night while crossing the street at Hobson and Wehrli roads, Naperville police said.
An initial investigation shows a 64-year-old Naperville woman driving a 2017 Toyota Tundra was turning left from northbound Wehrli Road onto westbound Hobson about 6:05 p.m. when she struck the two pedestrians in the crosswalk, a news release said.
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Both people were taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, the release said. The man was pronounced dead shortly after arrival and the woman died Thursday.
Their identities have not been released.
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The intersection was closed and traffic rerouted for more than two hours for the police investigation, the release said.
It was the second fatal crash in Naperville in less than a week. On Saturday night, a 41-year-old Woodridge man died after his vehicle was struck head-on by a pickup truck driven by Frank Qualtier Jr., 54, who crossed into oncoming traffic while on Royce Road near Lisson Road.
Qualtier was charged with aggravated driving under the influence and reckless homicide.
Police are asking anyone with information on the Wednesday night crash to call the police department’s Traffic Unit at 630-420-8833.
ehegarty@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Daywatch: Lightfoot blasts alderman for leaked audio, GOP state senators push for sooner reopening a

Daywatch: Lightfoot blasts alderman for leaked audio, GOP state senators push for sooner reopening and Grubhub to be acquired by a European company

As protests throughout the nation seek justice in response to the killing of George Floyd , some Chicago restaurants are @ @ @ @ @ with accusations of racism and abuse .
Instagram exploded last week with stories and criticism @ @ @ @ @ and current , at some of the city ’ s most well-known restaurants , calling @ @ @ @ @ , abuse , sexism , cultural appropriation and for not supporting the Black Lives Matter @ @

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s what you need to know about the continued George Floyd response and coronavirus pandemic. Sign up for our breaking news alerts to get the latest updates throughout the day.
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In this file photo, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a news conference at Chicago City Hall on Friday, May 22, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot blasted an unnamed alderman for leaking audio of a heated conversation between her and the City Council, saying Chicago leaders need to be able to speak candidly among themselves.
During the height of civil unrest in Chicago neighborhoods following the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, Lightfoot hosted a call with all 50 aldermen that devolved after Southwest Side Ald. Raymond Lopez complained about what he said was an inadequate response by the city to looting.
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Illinois Senate Republican leader Bill Brady stands with Senate Republicans at a May 22, 2020, news conference outside the state Capitol in Springfield. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register)
Illinois’ 19 Republican state senators urged Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker to move the state to the next phase of his pandemic reopening plan on Friday, two weeks earlier than would be possible under his guidelines. The senators cited frustrations of some business owners watching the large gatherings of peaceful protesters in the response to the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.
A sign saying "Hate has no home in West Town" is pictured outside Nini's Deli in Chicago on June 7, 2020. (Raquel Zaldivar/Chicago Tribune)
As protests throughout the nation seek justice in response to the killing of George Floyd, some Chicago restaurants are being blasted on social media with accusations of racism and abuse. Instagram exploded last week with stories and criticism from employees, both past and current, at some of the city’s most well-known restaurants, calling them out variously for racism, abuse, sexism, cultural appropriation and for not supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
A couple holds hands while waiting for a train at the CTA subway station at State and Jackson in the Loop on June 9, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Riders slowly are trickling back onto the Chicago area’s public transit systems, and so far at least, they’re pleased with what they’re finding. Passengers on sparsely populated CTA and Metra trains say they find the interiors mostly clean and the riders mostly masked. It’s usually possible to keep at least 6 feet from other passengers, although buses tend to be more crowded, passengers and agency officials report.
Grubhub could be nearing a deal to merge with Just Eat Takeaway.com, an Amsterdam, Netherlands-based food delivery firm. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Grubhub has agreed to be acquired by Just Eat Takeaway.com, an Amsterdam-based food delivery company, in a $7.3 billion deal, making it the largest player in the online food delivery space outside China, the companies announced late Wednesday.


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Coronavirus survivor in Chicago receives double lung transplant

She was otherwise pretty healthy but her condition rapidly deteriorated after she was hospitalized in late April .
Doctors waited @ @ @ @ @ to clear the virus before considering a transplant .

This X-ray image provided by Northwestern Medicine in June 2020 shows the chest of a COVID-19 patient before she received a new set of lungs because of severe lung damage from the coronavirus, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. (AP)
Surgeons in Chicago have given a new set of lungs to a young woman with severe lung damage from the coronavirus.
Only a few other COVID-19 survivors, in China and Europe, have received lung transplants.
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The patient, who is her 20s, was on a ventilator and heart-lung machine for almost two months before her operation last Friday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
The 10-hour procedure was challenging because the virus had left her lungs full of holes and almost fused to the chest wall, Dr. Ankit Bharat, who performed the operation, said Wednesday.
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Doctors have kept her on both machines while her body heals but say her chances for a normal life are good.
"We are anticipating that she will have a full recovery," said Dr. Rade Tomic, medical director of the hospital's lung transplant program.
The patient was not identified but Bharat said she had recently moved to Chicago from North Carolina to be with her boyfriend.
She was otherwise pretty healthy but her condition rapidly deteriorated after she was hospitalized in late April. Doctors waited six weeks for her body to clear the virus before considering a transplant.
Lungs accounted for just 7% of the nearly 40,000 U.S. organ transplants last year. They are typically hard to find and patients often wait weeks on the transplant list.
The Chicago patient was in bad shape, with signs that her heart, kidneys and liver were beginning to fail, so she quickly moved up in line, Bharat said.
___
Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner on Twitter: @LindseyTanner


chicagotribune--2020-06-11--Tests confirm that death of 9-month-old boy from Chicago in March was linked to COVID-19

In the days after his death , the heads of both the state and city health departments said it was @ @ @ @ @ and called it an exceptional case .
But shortly afterwards , there appeared to be @ @ @ @ @ was determined that additional testing needed to be done .

Tests have confirmed that the death of a 9-month-old boy in March was caused, in part, by COVID-19, making him the youngest victim of the coronavirus in Cook County, according to the medical examiner.
Joseph Myles was pronounced dead on March 23 at Mercy Hospital in Chicago. The infant died of viral pneumonia due to coronavirus NL-63 and COVID-19 infection, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.
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In the days after his death, the heads of both the state and city health departments said it was apparently linked to the coronavirus and called it an exceptional case. But shortly afterwards, there appeared to be conflicting test results and it was determined that additional testing needed to be done.
A family member found Myles unresponsive on March 23 and notified authorities. The family reported that the baby had a history of a cold and cough, according to medical examiner’s office spokeswoman Natalia Derevyanny.
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During an autopsy, it was found that the infant’s lungs were congested and firm, indicating a possible infection.
Initially two postmortem nasopharyngeal swabs, dated March 23 and March 24, were tested by the Illinois Department of Public Health, revealing conflicting results.
The first swab administered at the hospital detected the presence of COVID-19, while the second swab administered at the medical examiner’s office did not, according to Derevyanny.
IDPH sent the two nasopharyngeal swabs to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the medical examiner’s office also submitted “formalin fixed lung tissue” to the CDC on March 31.
On April 14, the CDC determined there were two coronaviruses present in the tissues submitted — human coronavirus NL-63 and COVID-19 — and that only coronavirus NL-63 was present on the nasopharyngeal swabs.
On April 16, the CDC requested additional laryngeal tissue samples. The medical examiner’s office sent both lung and laryngeal specimens to the CDC on April 20, and on June 5 the CDC informed the medical examiner’s office that there was molecular evidence of COVID-19 in the lungs but not the larynx, according to Derevyanny.
Based on test results and examination, the medical examiner’s office determined that both coronavirus NL-63 and COVID-19-induced viral pneumonia caused Myles’ death.
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rsobol@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-12--Daywatch: Cops lounge as US Rep. Rush’s office is looted, COVID-19 patient receives double lung tran

Daywatch: Cops lounge as US Rep. Rush’s office is looted, COVID-19 patient receives double lung transplant and Lakeview closing streets for outdoor dining

Seven black and Latino artists joined forces Saturday to paint a mural to represent unity between the two communities and @ @ @ @ @ Matter movement .
It took them nearly two days to finish .
The next day @ @ @ @ @

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U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush announces during a news conference at City Hall on June 11, 2020, that video shows Chicago police officers making popcorn and "lounging" in his office while nearby businesses were being looted. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police officers made popcorn and coffee in U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush’s office while nearby businesses were being looted, he announced at a stunning news conference alongside Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Rush’s South Side campaign office was looted about two weeks ago during widespread civil unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police. Looters also went into a nearby plaza of businesses, he said.
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Better cops, fewer cops or no cops? A look at the debate over the future of policing in Chicago.
Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery, announces on June 11, 2020, that a successful double lung transplant was done on a patient recovering from COVID-19 last week at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Friday performed the first known double lung transplant in the United States for a COVID-19 patient whose lungs were severely damaged by the disease, saving the woman in her 20s from almost certain death.
Seven Black and Brown artists from Chicago gathered on June 6 to paint a mural to promote unity amongst the two communities and to strengthen the Black Lives Matter Movement. The massive mural was covered in white paint overnight. (Danny Cantu)
Seven black and Latino artists joined forces Saturday to paint a mural to represent unity between the two communities and to nourish the Black Lives Matter movement. It took them nearly two days to finish. The next day, it was gone.
Social media can be a scary, dangerous place under regular circumstances, but lately social platforms have become uncharted territory. (LinkedIn Sales Navigator/Unsplash)
Social media can be a scary, dangerous place under regular circumstances, but in a time of civil unrest due to the deaths of unarmed black men and women at the hands of police officers, social platforms become uncharted territory — particularly for many nonblack people hoping to show that they are allies.
Lakeview brewpub DryHop will be among participating restaurants during Dine Out on Broadway. (DryHop Brewers)
As outdoor dining in Chicago continues into its second weekend, the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce is taking it a step further through Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s pilot program, with plans to be the first area in the city to shut down a main street for outdoor dining.


chicagotribune--2020-06-12--Two boys, 11 and 13, shot in attacks in South Austin and Gresham neighborhoods

The 11-year-old was in an alley in the 5300 block of West Race Avenue in South Austin around 9:20 p.m. @ @ @ @ @ in the face , police said .
He was taken in good condition to Stroger @ @

Two boys, 11 and 13, were shot in attacks on the West and South sides overnight, according to Chicago police.
The 11-year-old was in an alley in the 5300 block of West Race Avenue in South Austin about 9:20 p.m. Thursday when he was shot in the face, police said. He was taken in good condition to Stroger Hospital.
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The 13-year-old was walking home in the 7800 block of South Carpenter Street in Gresham abound 1:50 a.m. Friday when he was shot in the left leg. He was taken in good condition to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park.
No one was in custody for the shootings.


chicagotribune--2020-06-12--Better cops, fewer cops or no cops? A look at the debate over the future of policing in Chicago.

Lightfoot ’ s position against defunding has support from several City Council members .
Ald .
Anthony Napolitano , who @ @ @ @ @ 41st Ward and has been a cop and firefighter , described himself on Facebook as @ @ @ @ @ defunding movement and said he planned to introduce a resolution calling on aldermen to voluntarily @ @ @ @ @ to the neighborhoods of council members who want them .
The resolution — different from @ @ @ @ @ be passed into law — suggested that be followed by a report on crime across @ @ @

The main avenue for fixing the Chicago Police Department has been a laborious, yearslong court process forcing hundreds of reforms in the hopes that better training, discipline and supervision would mold a force that consistently treats people humanely.
But in a span of weeks following the death of George Floyd beneath the knee of a Minneapolis cop, the public conversation in Chicago and the nation shifted from improving the police to having fewer of them — or none at all.
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The idea of “defunding the police” quickly got at least limited traction in other big cities as mayors in New York and Los Angeles vowed to reroute policing money to social programs. That leaves Chicago as the biggest U.S. city that hasn’t made such a move.
Local activists and a few aldermen have argued that Chicago should also cut the law enforcement budget to fight police abuse and bolster programs that could help black and brown neighborhoods. But the idea of reducing police funding, and calls for even more drastic change, may face a greater challenge in Chicago than in other cities.
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First, those who advocate cutting police funding will need to contend with reluctance from officials who believe thinning the force could exacerbate the city’s intractable violent crime, which particularly plagues the South and West sides.
Department of Justice Deputy Chief Christy Lopez, left, listens in as citizens voice their opinions about negative Chicago police practices during a community forum at Kennedy-King College in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood on June 22, 2016. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Beyond that, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has responded to the defunding movement by pointing to the court order that already mandates changes to policing. Numerous local politicians have advocated for that consent decree, and it could give political cover to those who don’t want more radical change.
Still, at least one person prominently involved in bringing court-overseen reform to Chicago now believes a more fundamental shift is also needed. Georgetown University law professor Christy Lopez, who helped lead the federal investigation into the Chicago police that gave rise to the court order, said that inquiry was "one of the key reasons my thinking has evolved on this.”
She authored a Washington Post essay saying resources should be shifted to social programs even as cities continue to pursue court-mandated reforms. She told the Tribune that distrust among Chicagoans toward police is so high that more drastic changes are needed, adding that the police struggle to solve crimes because their aggressive tactics have damaged their credibility.
“(I) have come to believe we can’t just fix policing by asking officers to obey the law and by changing the law,” she said.
Ald. Chris Taliaferro, an African American former cop who heads the City Council’s public safety committee, countered that it would be “careless and irresponsible” to cut the police budget, saying it would worsen crime and lead civilian workers into dangerous situations. Taliaferro, of the 29th Ward on the West Side, said the department should be improved through better training and other reforms.
Ald. Chris Taliaferro, 29th, speaks at a news conference at City Hall in Chicago in 2019. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
“It’s our responsibility to submit to this city a police department that they can be proud of and that’s our goal,” he said.
Cutting police funding is part of a suite of big ideas raised after Floyd’s death drove protesters into streets across the country.
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Those concepts include making cops carry their own liability insurance, rather than being indemnified by employers, to enforce personal financial consequences for bad cops. Enacting that here would be an uphill fight, as state law and the Fraternal Order of Police contract call on the city to cover cops.
Activists and lawmakers have also sought an end to the legal doctrine of qualified immunity, which makes it harder to successfully sue cops by requiring plaintiffs to show that officers violated their rights in a way “clearly established” in a prior, similar case. Legislators in Washington have introduced a bill to scrap the doctrine, but the White House has said limiting immunity is a “non-starter.”
And on Thursday, Lightfoot reacted to the revelation that officers were videotaped resting in U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush’s office during looting in the neighborhood by saying that her administration would push for state licensing of police.
Cutting police dollars
In Chicago, the conversation has centered largely on “defunding.” That term has come to mean many things to many people, ranging from the outright abolition of policing to a more modest drawdown of resources. The defunding movement has coincided with outrage over the controversial plan for a $95 million police and fire academy and demands to pull cops from Chicago Public Schools.
Black Lives Matter Chicago demands “immediate disinvestment” in policing. The idea is rooted in part in the Police Department’s decadeslong history of violence against African Americans, including the killing of Black Panther Party leaders Mark Clark and Fred Hampton and the torture of black men under the late Cmdr. Jon Burge, said Aislinn Pulley, a co-founder of the group. Police misconduct has raised "a fundamental question of their legitimacy,” Pulley said.
Pulley said the group wants the entire police budget reallocated. She allowed for the possibility of less sweeping changes but said the situation calls for “a fundamental shift.”
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“The priorities are upside down. The fact that teachers have to fight for education. We need massive health care. That 70% of the people who are dying (from the COVID-19 pandemic) are black is because our health care is segregated,” she said.
Defunding has caught on with six democratic socialist aldermen who penned a Sun-Times op-ed that made no specific proposal but said that, “The best way to keep our communities safe and address police brutality is not by spending more on policing, but instead by investing in jobs, education and health care.”
One of those council members, Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, of the Northwest Side 33rd Ward, told the Tribune that defunding the police sounds radical but the movement aims to use housing, mental health care and job programs to prevent crime and ease long-standing racial inequalities.
“It’s about having good government,” she said.
Faced with consistent questions on defunding, Lightfoot at first flatly rejected the idea, calling it “irresponsible." But her response softened during a question-and-answer session Tuesday as she said struggling parts of the city need aid and vowed “critical investments in neighborhoods.”
Lightfoot’s position against defunding has support from several City Council members. Ald. Anthony Napolitano, who represents the Far Northwest Side 41st Ward and has been a cop and firefighter, described himself on Facebook as “disheartened” by the defunding movement and said he planned to introduce a resolution calling on aldermen to voluntarily shift cops from their wards to the neighborhoods of council members who want them. The resolution — different from a proposed ordinance that could be passed into law — suggested that be followed by a report on crime across the city.
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It’s hard to definitively say how crime would respond to the drastic cuts to policing some activists want, as no major city has enacted them, and scholars disagree on how aggressive policing impacts crime. One study found that reports of major crimes dropped in New York as police pulled back enforcement of low-level crimes.
Meanwhile, Princeton University sociology professor Patrick Sharkey wrote in a Washington Post essay that research shows that “putting more officers on the street leads to less violent crime.” But he added that local organizations can also make streets safer and could help more if their funding was increased.
The current reality
In Chicago, defunding the police would almost necessarily mean employing fewer cops, and that would cut against the recent trend.
The Chicago Police Department budget has grown by roughly 20% since 2015, when it was about $1.5 billion, including grant funds. This year’s outlay was nearly $1.8 billion, some 15% of the city’s whole budget. More than 85% of the 2020 Police Department budget goes to personnel costs.
The budget expanded over those years as then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel responded to surging gun violence by vowing to add 1,000 cops. The department stood at just under 13,000 sworn officers this month, department spokesman Luis Agostini said.
Those officers make relatively ample salaries. Chicago cops, who generally need the equivalent of two years of college, typically make $72,510 per year after 18 months on the job, meaning young cops make about $17,000 more than the city’s recent median household income. Those who ascend up the ranks can make well over $100,000. Overtime, meanwhile, has substantially boosted the income of some police.
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The police also cost the city in other ways. For example, the department’s failings have led to piles of lawsuits, and since 2004 the city has spent more than $757 million on settlements, losses at trial and other payouts in police cases. In civil rights cases alone, the city has paid more than $213 million for private lawyers for cops since 2004.
Some reforms already underway
Lightfoot and others have acknowledged that changes to policing are needed, and they note that the city is already undergoing court-overseen reforms to policy and practice mandated by the consent decree.
The court order was one of the most substantive results of the November 2015 release of video of white Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times. The shooting led to furious protests and spurred the wide-ranging Justice Department investigation that found Chicago’s police to be badly trained, loosely supervised and prone to excessive force, especially against minorities.
Emanuel took a halting approach toward acting on that report, but he agreed to a consent decree after then-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan sued him to force it in 2017. The book-length court order calls for changes ranging from the philosophical to the technical, including those aimed at further restricting the uses of force that have often driven scandal.
The city, however, has moved slowly, missing 37 of its 50 deadlines during the first six months the order was in force, and Attorney General Kwame Raoul has blasted the city for failing to meet its obligations.
The elemental debate over whether to stick to that court order, defund the department or both kicked off just after new police Superintendent David Brown took the helm.
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Supporters of cutting police budgets have noted a speech Brown gave in 2016, when he led the Dallas Police Department, asking for other programs to relieve the burden on police who are asked to “do too much in this country.” In an echo of what activists are now saying, the future superintendent cited a lack of funding for efforts ranging from treating mental illness to catching loose dogs.
“Every societal failure, we put it off on the cops to solve,” he said. “That’s too much to ask. Policing was never meant to solve all those problems.”
[ A long look at the complicated life of George Floyd ]


chicagotribune--2020-06-12--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what’s happening Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

Those using the space must wear face coverings and maintain social distance .
In order to control crowd sizes , @ @ @ @ @ hours for recreation and concessions .
Between the hours of 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. @ @ @ @ @ to run , jog , walk and bike along the path between Lake Shore Drive @ @ @ @ @ 10 a.m. the Riverwalk will be closed for cleaning .
Starting at 11 a.m. through @ @ @ @ @ ’ s concessions will be open by reservation only .
In addition to requiring reservations @ @ @ @ @ tables 6 feet part .

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A person rides the Metra Electric District line, May 11, 2021, in Chicago. With some coronavirus pandemic restrictions lifted, some people may be returning to public transit. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
The city of Chicago is on pace to further reopen its economy on July 1, with restrictions potentially being loosened on indoor dining at restaurants, museums and gyms, public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said.
Arwady made the comments at a Friday afternoon news conference where she unveiled a new coronavirus data portal.
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State officials also announced Friday there had been 75 additional fatalities related to COVID-19 confirmed, for a statewide death toll of 6,260.
Officials also reported 595 new known cases, pushing the statewide total to 131,198.
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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 Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:49 p.m.: Another week, another grim toll in Illinois nursing homes
Another 349 people living and working in Illinois long-term care facilities died of the novel coronavirus since the last weekly update and another 1,700 were confirmed to be infected, the state reported Friday.
That brings the total number of reported infections inside the state’s nursing homes and other larger congregate settings to 20,550. Cases from long-term care facilities account for about 16 percent of the more than 130,000 confirmed infections statewide and nearly 55 percent of all deaths.
Updated Illinois Department of Public Health data on Friday showed that 3,433 residents and workers connected to long-term care centers have died of COVID-19.
Although the numbers still are growing, the pace at which infections were reported did slow a bit. Since the last data report on June 5, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among workers and residents of nursing homes and other institutional settings rose by about 9 percent. The number of cases had grown by about 10 percent the previous week and by 15 percent between May 23 and May 30.
Across Illinois, 580 long-term care facilities — nursing homes, assisted living settings and centers for adults with developmental disabilities — have had confirmed COVID-19 cases. Residents or workers have died as a result of the virus in more than 400 of those facilities; 152 facilities have had 10 or more deaths.
Most of the hardest-hit homes are in Cook County and surrounding counties. No facility has had more confirmed cases than the Elisabeth Ludeman Developmental Center in Park Forest, where 325 people have tested positive. Ludeman serves adults with developmental disabilities. And no facility has had more COVID-19 related deaths than the Villa at Windsor Park on Chicago’s South Side, where 43 people now have died of the virus. —Jennifer Smith Richards
6:37 p.m.: Business is picking up in Chicago, but for some minority-owned shops and restaurants, ‘it’s still not enough.’
It’s been a rough three months for Roberto Gomez, who owns Don Pepe, a Mexican restaurant in the city’s Little Village neighborhood.
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Gomez was getting ready to open for outdoor dining after months of relying on sales from carryout orders when widespread unrest hit the city over the death of George Floyd, a black man killed last month at the hands of Minneapolis police. Several businesses on the South and West Side were hit by looting. The response scared a lot of diners, and Gomez closed early three days, causing sales to drop to 10% of normal pandemic levels.
As protests remain peaceful and Chicago begins a phased reopening, Gomez said “it’s still not enough” for his business to recover to the way it was before the coronavirus pandemic. Businesses like his have been hit with a double whammy the past few months, struggling to make it through a statewide shutdown and civil unrest. Now some are struggling to open with capacity limits and other coronavirus restrictions.
Some business owners of color say they are getting left behind. Read more here. —Abdel Jimenez
6:23 p.m.: Lawsuit claims Symphony of Joliet nursing home failed to protect residents from coronavirus
A lawsuit has been filed against Symphony of Joliet on behalf of an 84-year-old man who died of COVID-19, alleging the nursing home failed to protect him against the coronavirus.
David Mitchell began suffering a fever, loss of appetite and difficulty breathing in late March, according to the suit filed Thursday in Will County. Even though the nursing home said it was keeping residents isolated in their rooms, Mitchell was served breakfast in the communal dining room on March 28.
That afternoon, Mitchell underwent a chest X-ray and an EKG to check his suit, the suit states. On March 30, he was transferred to Amita Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, where he tested positive for the coronavirus. He died on April 7.
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The suit alleges that several members of the staff, including a maintenance worker, began showing symptoms of COVID-19 in early March, but were told to continue to work without protective equipment.
Even after federal authorities issued guidelines on March 13 to screen all nursing home workers for fever or respiratory problems, the suit claims Symphony of Joliet failed to do so and staff members continued working with residents without masks or other protective gear.
Nursing home officials have said the maintenance worker went from room to room, assembling tables for residents, after the main dining room was closed. He showed no symptoms at the time, but later became sick with COVID-19 and died. He is believed to have been a “super spreader” of the virus, the home has said. Read more here. —Robert McCoppin
3:41 p.m.: Lightfoot to introduce coronavirus tenant protection ordinance
Mayor Lori Lightfoot plans to introduce a package next week designed to give renters who’ve lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic a measure of protection against evictions, even as some housing advocates hope to strengthen it in the coming days to do more for tenants.
The mayor’s latest proposal comes a month after progressive aldermen ripped another Lightfoot tenant protection ordinance as inadequate and blocked it, at least temporarily, from getting approved.
The new measure sets rules to follow for people who can’t make their rent payments because of the economic upheaval and rash of layoffs due to the coronavirus.
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Under the guidelines the Lightfoot administration plans to submit to the City Council Housing Committee on Monday, tenants who inform landlords they’ve been financially impacted by the pandemic would get seven days to try to engage in some kind of “good faith negotiations” to come to a “mutually satisfactory agreement for repayment of the unpaid rent.”
According to the ordinance, the landlord would have the option to offer to spread out repayment of each month’s unpaid rent over 60 days, to submit the matter for mediation, to apply the tenant’s security deposit toward the unpaid amount, to offer to waive all or part of the unpaid rent if the tenant moves out, or to enter into some other agreement with the renter.
In a letter to Housing Committee Chairman Ald. Harry Osterman, 48th, the Chicago Housing Justice League said the mayor’s plan has “some promising language that will benefit renters, but its effectiveness is undermined by a few loopholes and otherwise unenforceable provisions.”
In particular, the letter predicted unscrupulous landlords would circumvent the rules by simply terminating month-to-month leases with 30 days notice.
And it raised concerns that the good faith negotiations would be “mere recommendations and the bill places no meaningful obligation on the landlord."
David Zoltan of the Housing Justice League said Osterman has been open to discussions about making the ordinance better. “We need this bill to be strong to protect as many Chicagoans as possible,” Zoltan said.
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In May, Lightfoot introduced to the City Council a separate ordinance to require more notice and in some cases payments to renters from landlords who are not renewing their leases.
Opponents said it didn’t go nearly far enough to protect tenants’ rights, and used a parliamentary procedure to shunt it to the Rules Committee, a sort of legislative purgatory. Rules is set to meet Tuesday, however, and Lightfoot could seek to get it voted out of that committee and back on the council docket.
The mayor in May said she was confident she had the votes to pass that legislation without making changes. “I have no expectations that the proposal will be revised,” the mayor said then. —John Byrne
2:56 p.m.: Chicago could further reopen on July 1, allow indoor dining at restaurants, reopen gyms and museums, public health commissioner says
The city of Chicago is on pace to further reopen its economy on July 1, with restrictions potentially being loosened on indoor dining at restaurants, museums and gyms, public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said.
Arwady made the comments at a Friday afternoon news conference where she unveiled a new coronavirus data portal.
Despite the potentially good news for restless Chicagoans, Arwady said city officials remain concerned about COVID-19 spikes around the country in other cities and 20 states that reopened before Illinois.
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With Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order lifted and more people getting out, Arwady said, “We are concerned and watching closely.”
“COVID-19 has not gone away," Arwady said. "We’re not out of this yet.” Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
2:41 p.m.: Chicago-area chain Classic Cinemas reopening June 26 at half capacity and showing ‘old-favorite’ movies
Classic Cinemas, which runs 10 cinemas in the Chicago area, has announced it will reopen its movie theaters June 26 with limited capacity.
It will be a gradual reopening, said chain CEO Chris Johnson Friday, a toe in the water to test Illinoisians’ appetite to sit and watch a movie in a theater. “I think our message is, come back when you’re ready," he said. He doesn’t expect to sell out any theaters, even at half capacity. “We don’t expect to be turning people away.”
The point is more to build trust and get the movie-going public used to the idea again.
New releases will wait until later in July — biggest releases in the pipeline are director Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” scheduled for July 17 and Disney’s live-action adaptation of “Mulan” on July 24. For now, the biggest pictures on most of his screens will be 2017′s “The Greatest Showman,” “Zootopia” and, coming a bit later, “The Empire Strikes Back.” A Classic Cinemas theater in Beloit, Wisc. has already reopened and currently is showing such titles as “Back to the Future,” “Footloose” and one of the early “Harry Potter” films.
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“That’s the general flavor,” Johnson said. “In Woodstock, we might do ‘Groundhog Day.’”
According to guidelines also detailed on the chain’s website, the reopening is dependent on health metrics remaining positive and the State of Illinois moving to Phase 4 reopening. There may be new protocols spelled out by the state, but the current thinking is for auditoriums to be no more than 50% filled, with most seats sold as reserved-seating. Those without recliner seating, which Classic Cinemas says are already six feet apart, will have every other row blocked off. Concessions will be open. Patrons will be required to follow social-distancing guidelines including wearing masks, but only until seated. There will be additional cleaning services and employees will undergo health screening and wear masks and gloves. Read more here. —Doug George
2:30 p.m.: 595 new known COVID-19 cases, 75 additional deaths
State officials announced Friday there had been 75 additional fatalities related to COVID-19 confirmed, for a statewide death toll of 6,260.
Officials also reported 595 new known cases, pushing the statewide total to 131,198.
2:24 p.m.: Ex-Northwestern professor charged in alleged fetish slaying turned away in request for release to fight coronavirus
The ex-Northwestern professor accused of stabbing his boyfriend to death in what prosecutors have said was an attempt to fulfill a sexual fetish was again denied release from Cook County Jail on Friday, but not before new allegations were revealed about the slaying and the professor’s time on the lam.
Wyndham Lathem sent a video to his mother after the slaying with a straightforward confession: “I killed him, I did do it, it wasn’t an accident but it was a mistake,” Assistant State’s Attorney Craig Engebretson said during a hearing on Lathem’s bond.
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“This was a thrill kill,” Engebretson continued, alleging that Lathem got “despondent” and killed his boyfriend to get a rush. “He may do this again if he gets sad or depressed and wants that thrill again; this is an extremely random, frightening murder."
Lathem’s attorneys have argued for weeks that Lathem, a microbiologist and immunologist who previously studied the plague, should be released so that he can help research COVID-19. Read more here. —Megan Crepeau
2:17 p.m.: Indiana casinos set to open Monday as Illinois gaming remains on hold
While Illinois has yet to set a date for reopening its casinos, Chicagoans can roll the dice in Indiana beginning Monday, as the Horseshoe Hammond welcomes gamblers with masks, sanitizing stations and plenty of freshly-washed chips.
The casino, which is located about 20 miles from downtown Chicago, is set to open at 6 a.m. — the earliest allowed by the state of Indiana as part of its COVID-19 reopening plan. To maintain social distancing and meet uncertain demand, about 40% to 50% of the casino’s gaming positions will be open Monday.
“We are going to ease into the full business that we had,” said Dan Nita, regional president of Caesars Entertainment, the parent of Horseshoe Hammond. “It’s going to be a moving target as we learn about customer demand.”
The Horseshoe Hammond has been closed since March 16 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. But Indiana has joined a growing list of states allowing casinos to reopen — with restrictions.
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At Horseshoe, some slot machines will be turned off to allow for social distancing. No more than three players at a time can sit at a blackjack table, with masks required for both dealers and guests. All table games will be non-smoking, with limited seating.
Hand sanitizing wipes will be available at slot machines and table games, with stepped up cleaning procedures across the casino, Nita said.
“We’ll be disinfecting the chips on a regular basis and changing out our cards more regularly,” Nita said. Read more here. —Robert Channick
1:41 p.m.: Illinois State Fairs in Springfield, Du Quoin canceled due to coronavirus
This summer’s state fairs in Springfield and Du Quoin have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Friday.
The announcement made official what had long been expected, as many large-scale gatherings, events and festivals in Illinois and nationwide have been called off this summer over concerns of the spread of COVID-19.
The annual fairs, which combined attracted more than 600,000 visitors last year, are set to return in August 2021.
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The Illinois State Fair, held annually in August in Springfield, was canceled from 1942 to 1945 during World War II, and the fairgrounds were used as a supply center for the Army Air Forces.
This year is the first time the Du Quoin State Fair has been canceled since the state took over the fairgrounds in 1986. Camping at the fairgrounds in Du Quoin will still be allowed.
The state Department of Agriculture will host a Junior Livestock Expo in Springfield in September for exhibitors aged 8 to 21 to show their animals, and the 4-H General Project Show will take place virtually.
Anyone who has purchased Illinois State Fair passes or admission booklets can contact the State Fair office at (217) 782-6661 or email agr.fairinfo@illinois.gov. —Jamie Munks
1:38 p.m.: Chicago City Council sued over conference calls where Mayor Lori Lightfoot and alderman exchanged profanities
In a newly filed lawsuit, the Better Government Association alleges that the Chicago City Council violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act by hosting conference calls with aldermen and Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Under Lightfoot, the city has hosted a number of briefings for Chicago aldermen to detail her administration’s coronavirus response and discuss other matters such as the recent wave of protests and looting.
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The BGA, a watchdog group that does investigative journalism, alleges that the City Council’s conference calls “violated nearly every meaningful OMA requirement, including the statutory obligation to provide notice of meetings, to allow public comment at meetings, and to make meetings ‘convenient’ and ‘open’ to the public.” Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
1:34 p.m.: Seeking to cut wait times, Illinois Secretary of State’s office launches online pre-registration for licenses, ID cards
The Illinois Secretary of State’s office is launching an online preregistration program for driver’s licenses and ID cards in an effort to speed up wait times at driver’s service facilities.
Residents can access a preregistration application for a driver’s license or identification card at www.cyberdriveillinois.com. The form covers some of the information that a Secretary of State’s office employee would normally have to take down during a visit to a state facility.
The preregistration process is only available to those who have an Illinois driver’s license or ID card that is not suspended, canceled, revoked or expired for more than a year. Read more here. —Jamie Munks
1:33 p.m.: After a few lawsuits and defiant services, more Chicago-area houses of worship gradually reopening after months of COVID-19 shutdown
After months of virtual services, and faith leaders scrambling to adjust during a public health crisis, religious leaders are now shifting their focus to how to safely resume in-person services and accommodate the faithful eager to gather for worship again.
During the state’s stay-at-home order, there has been conflict between some faith leaders and city and state officials over church closures, which some religious leaders believed infringed on their constitutional rights. As faith leaders complained about hardware and liquor stores remaining open during the pandemic shutdowns, a handful of Illinois churches sued Gov. J.B. Pritzker and and held services, with three Chicago churches being cited by the city.
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Now that Pritzker has moved to lift restrictions after reclassifying religious activities as essential, religious leaders across all denominations and faiths are working to find a balance between meeting people’s desire to worship together and guarding against spreading COVID-19. Read more here. —Javonte Anderson
12:49 p.m.: New coronavirus testing sites open in Fox Valley
CVS Health on Friday opened three new COVID-19 testing sites in the Fox Valley area.
The nationwide drug store chain opened a testing site at 644 N. Route 59 in Naperville, 1500 Lincoln Highway in St. Charles and at 1099 Army Trail Road in Bartlett.
According to a CVS press release, the company said it is opening the testing sites “as part of our ongoing commitment to Illinois by helping to slow the spread of the virus and to support communities as they begin to safely reopen.”
In all, CVS Health has expanded its COVID-19 testing program by opening 17 additional test sites at CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations across the state. The openings add to 40 locations previously opened by CVS Health across Illinois.
The new sites began seeing patients Friday. Read more here. —Beacon-News staff
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9:39 a.m.: Architecture tour boats return to the Chicago River today after being sidelined by the virus
It’s one of the signature images of summer in Chicago: Architectural tour boats plying the skyscraper canyons of the Chicago River, their guides spitting out facts to packed crowds as the low-slung craft slip beneath river bridges.
The coronavirus pandemic erased such vibrant scenes, turning the docks along the river’s main branch into mini-ghost towns and costing tour operators thousands of dollars in lost revenue.
Today, however, a hint of normalcy returns to the river as some tour boat operators reopen for the first time since the pandemic forced them to shut down in mid-March.
The resumption comes as the city opens the downtown Riverwalk today, with restrictions aimed at limiting activity and crowds.
“We thought it was important to get back on the water, even as a sign of hope,” said Amy Hartnett, director of sales and marketing for Shoreline Sightseeing.
Wendella river cruises, which leave from the Wrigley Building, also restart today. The Chicago Architecture Center, whose river tours depart from the downtown Riverwalk, expects to reopen those cruises June 26.
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But this is anything but a full-fledged return to normal. Tourists must wear masks on the boats. And in keeping with state requirements during the pandemic, seating arrangements have been rejiggered to enforce social distancing. That hurts the operators’ ability to cover costs. Read more here. —Blair Kamin
7:16. a.m.: Teachers retiring during the pandemic leave their schools on a bittersweet note
About 1,600 public school teachers in Illinois are retiring this spring – under circumstances not a single one likely expected when they began their careers decades ago.
While much attention has been paid to how high school seniors are missing out on typical end-of-year rituals, teachers who are capping their careers during the coronavirus pandemic this spring are also having to forgo traditional opportunities to say goodbye. Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
5:15 a.m.: Chicago’s Riverwalk reopens today with restrictions
Chicago’s Riverwalk officially reopened at 5 a.m. Friday, but with restrictions aimed at limiting activity and crowds.
Those using the space must wear face coverings and maintain social distance. In order to control crowd sizes, the city is creating designated hours for recreation and concessions. Between the hours of 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., people will be allowed to run, jog, walk and bike along the path between Lake Shore Drive and Lake Street. At 10 a.m. the Riverwalk will be closed for cleaning. Starting at 11 a.m. through 9 p.m., the Riverwalk’s concessions will be open by reservation only. In addition to requiring reservations, each establishment must space tables 6 feet part.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered the Riverwalk closed in March as part of a broader effort to curb the spread of coronavirus. Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
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5:10 a.m.: Illinois sees a full week of fewer than 100 COVID-19 deaths reported daily
The number of deaths in Illinois attributed to the coronavirus now stands at 6,185, with 91 more deaths reported Thursday.
The state has now seen a full week of fewer than 100 deaths reported daily by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The department also reported 766 people tested positive for COVID-19 from among the 22,000 people tested. The number that have tested positive since January totals 130,603. The 625 new cases announced Wednesday was the lowest daily count in Illinois since March 30.
Health officials say the recovery rate for people who contract COVID-19 stands at 92 percent.
The Department of Health is also reporting probable COVID-19 cases, with 178 probable deaths and 724 non-fatal infections. The probable victims and patients were never tested. —Associated Press
5 a.m.: Lollapalooza promoter to pay Chicago Park District $750,000 for canceled fest
Lollapalooza promoter C3 Presents will pay the Chicago Park District $750,000 for this year’s canceled fest, per the terms of their contract, the Park District said in a statement.
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Earlier this week, the city announced that Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago and other special summer events are canceled this year because of concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus.
According to the contract C3 and the Park District signed in 2012, the Texas-based promotion company owes $750,000 to the Park District if the cancellation is caused by “force majeure,” which covers fire, hurricane, flood, tornado, “act of God,” terrorist act, mechanical or structural failure, civil commotion and any law or order from a public or military authority stemming from certain occurrences that are “not reasonably foreseeable” and are beyond “reasonable control.” Read more here. —Tracy Swartz
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are five things that happened Thursday related to COVID-19 in the Chicago area:


chicagotribune--2020-06-12--A unity mural by Chicago artists was painted over the night after it was finished: ‘They can cover o

A unity mural by Chicago artists was painted over the night after it was finished: ‘They can cover our message, but they can’t stop us from spreading it’

The massive mural under a viaduct in the 300 block of North Damen Avenue near the United Center was covered @ @ @ @ @ less than 12 hours after it was finished .
When the artists returned the next @ @ @ @ @ all they found was a bucket of white paint and rollers , the ones , @ @ @ @ @ cover up their message .

A man walks past the west wall of a viaduct painted white in the 300 block of North Damen Avenue on June 10 2020, in Chicago. Last weekend, a group of artists created a mural depicting unity among black and brown communities, but overnight, someone covered the mural with paint. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Seven black and Latino artists joined forces Saturday to paint a mural to represent unity between the two communities and to nourish the Black Lives Matter movement.
The artists spent hours painting a portrait of Breonna Taylor, killed by Louisville, Kentucky, police in her home, next to an image of Benito Juarez, the 19th century Mexican president who who ousted French colonial power. They included a black man and a Latino man with their fists together. It took them nearly two days to finish.
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The next day, it was gone.
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The massive mural under a viaduct in the 300 block of North Damen Avenue near the United Center was covered in white paint overnight, less than 12 hours after it was finished. When the artists returned the next day to take photos, all they found was a bucket of white paint and rollers, the ones, they assumed, used to cover up their message.
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“They can cover our message, but they can’t stop us from spreading it,” said Dred Ske, one of the seven artists who collaborated to paint the mural following racial mayhem between African Americans and Latinos on the West Side last week.
A mural by seven black and Latino artists from Chicago to promote unity among the two communities was painted over following its completion. (Danny Cantu)
Chicago police said there had been no reports regarding the incident, and Ald. Walter Burnett, 27th, said that he did not report the mural to the city and believes that the “whitewashing” of the “powerful mural” was a direct response to the efforts of the artists.
A spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation said that the department did not remove the mural and added that the way the unity mural was removed is not consistent with the agency’s process and procedures.
The mural had its genesis in artists coming together following the unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police. When news broke about violence against black people by members of the Latino community amid Chicago protests, artist Tubs Zilla wanted to try to help “stop the spread of more divisiveness,” he said.
So he first looked for an empty space and decided to finish painting the wall of the viaduct on Damen between Lake Street and Grand Avenue. In February, one of his colleagues had painted a mural of the late NBA star Kobe Bryant on the wall.
Tubs then reached out to some of his colleagues, including Dred Ske, Sentrock, Cujo, Milton Coronado, Statik and Nikko Washington. They all agreed to volunteer their time for the mural that would strengthen and promote unity between black and Latino people, Tubs said.
Delilah Martinez, an art broker and owner of Vault Gallery in Pilsen, helped the artists with logistics to create the massive mural that she estimated had a value of $30,000 to $40,000, she said.
She managed to get some donations of materials. Local businesses also donated food and drinks for the artists, and many more stopped by to show support throughout the day.
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“It was beautiful to see them working together on such a special project to send a positive message,” Martinez said.
When stores in Pilsen began to board up after looting broke out throughout the city last week, Martinez recruited artists to paint over the boards with messages of love and in support of Black Lives Matter.
So when Tubs asked for her help, Martinez didn’t hesitate. And since the news that the unity mural had been painted over, she said she has received requests for the artists to paint other walls across the city.
Though the artists are figuring out ways to spread their message, for Sentrock the painting over of the mural was disheartening, he said.
“We poured so much energy into it, but we were more excited about the message and the motive because we wanted to make a statement,” Sentrock said.
He believes that the covering of the mural was carefully planned.
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“It’s a large wall. You need a lot of paint and it takes work,” he said, and the image of Bryant was left alone.
[ Online fundraiser for new ‘diversity artwork’ launched in response to Naperville mural criticized for excluding minorities ]
Though the artists are used to the city removing their art from time to time, it doesn’t happen in the middle of the night, they said. Burnett said it “would have been insensitive” of city officials to order the removal of any such mural at this time.
Kristen South, a spokesperson for the Union Pacific Railroad, confirmed Union Pacific and Metra jointly own the bridge over the viaduct where the mural was painted. South said the company “did not paint over the mural and are unsure who did so.”
The artists, however, think someone deliberately painted over the mural to silence them.
“This was a direct response from those that do not want our voices to be heard. They do not want us to unite together for positive change. Our wall may be gone, but our message still remains!” Tubs wrote on Instagram.
Despite the disappointment, the artists have set up a plan to paint similar murals throughout the city. Burnett has committed to working with the collective of artists to find a way to repaint the wall.
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The artists, including Martinez, set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to be able to have the same seven artists paint more unity murals in different communities.
The money raised will also be used to facilitate children and youth programs to learn about the Black Lives Matter movement and the need for black and brown unity through arts, according to the artists.
“Whoever covered the mural, ignited more fire in all of us to work harder to spread our message,” Martinez said.
larodriguez@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-12--Chicago’s Riverwalk set to reopen on Friday with restrictions

Lightfoot ordered the Riverwalk closed in March as part of a broader effort to curb the spread of coronavirus .
@ @ @ @ @ easing restrictions on the public and allowing more businesses to reopen , the mayor ’ @ @ @ @ @ allow people to visit the Riverwalk through limited access points on Lake Street .

Yana Feyganova, right, does some stretches on the first day of the reopening of the Chicago Riverwalk on June 12, 2020. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
The city of Chicago’s Riverwalk will officially reopen on Friday, with restrictions aimed at limiting activity and crowds, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office announced.
Lightfoot ordered the Riverwalk closed in March as part of a broader effort to curb the spread of coronavirus. Now, with the city easing restrictions on the public and allowing more businesses to reopen, the mayor’s office said it will allow people to visit the Riverwalk through limited access points on Lake Street.
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People who want to run, jog, walk or bike along the path between Lake Shore Drive and Lake Street can do so between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., the city said.
Starting at 10 a.m., the Riverwalk will close for an hour for cleaning and then it will reopen from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. for the concession vendors, who will be allowed to serve customers but only with reservations.
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“The full concessions program will be launched through a phased rollout over the coming weeks,” the city said. “In addition to requiring reservations each establishment will take extra precautions to properly space tables 6 feet part. During this time there will also be several passive recreation areas for outdoor use.”
Those visiting the Riverwalk must maintain social distance and wear face masks, the city said.
Riverwalk vendors that will be open by reservation include Tiny Tapp & Cafe, City Winery, Chicago Brewhouse, Beat Kitchen and Community Marketplace, Chicago’s First Lady and Mercury Sightseeing Cruises, Urban Kayaks, Island Party, and The Northman.
Sweet Home Gelato also will have walk up service, the city said.
Chicago’s iconic Lakefront Trail remains technically closed, though many residents have been able to access it in recent days.
Lightfoot has hinted that, when the lakefront opens, it will do so with restrictions similar to those the city is allowing for the Riverwalk.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-12--2 CTA bus drivers removed from service after video appears to show one of them slamming a person to

2 CTA bus drivers removed from service after video appears to show one of them slamming a person to the pavement

The driver who slammed the person to the ground then appears to say , `` You better get your ( @ @ @ @ @ , ” pointing to him as he backs away .

Two CTA bus drivers have been removed from service after a video surfaced appearing to show one of them slamming a person to the pavement during an altercation outside a parked bus.
The 10-second video was posted on Facebook early Thursday, but it’s not clear when or where it happened.
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It begins with one of the drivers facing a person alongside the bus. A voice is heard saying, “Stop that (expletive), man."
The other driver comes up and grabs the person by the leg and shoulder and throws him to the pavement.
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“Damn,” someone is heard saying.
The driver who slammed the person to the ground then appears to say, "You better get your (expletive) home, boy,” pointing to him as he backs away.
The video ends with the first driver walking around the front of the bus.
“CTA is aware of the video and is investigating the circumstances surrounding it,” agency spokesman Brian Steele said. “We find this incident deeply disturbing and have removed the involved employees from service, pending the completion of our investigation.”
Keith Hill, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241, said the video "raises a lot of questions about who, what, why and where.”
"They’re both great guys," he said. "They both have impeccable manners. They’re mild-mannered, laid-back great guys.
“Everyone’s still putting the pieces together,” he added. "We don’t condone violence unless it’s in self-defense. People have a right to defend themselves. ... We have to stand with our operators.”
Chicago police said they were not investigating.


chicagotribune--2020-06-12--Officials say Chicago police made coffee and popcorn in US Rep. Bobby Rush’s office while shopping p

Officials say Chicago police made coffee and popcorn in US Rep. Bobby Rush’s office while shopping plaza was being looted; Mayor Lori Lightfoot apologizes

“ Now is the time to act on licensing for police officers once and for all , ” Lightfoot said @ @ @ @ @ her , and the head of the Illinois Municipal League on hand as well .
@ @ @ @ @ to tell you today that I ’ ve directed my legal team to do the @ @ @ @ @ legislation .
I am ready , I am ready to work with the governor and @ @ @ @ @ Springfield to forge a change in state law to require licensing and certification of police @ @ @

Gregory Pratt, Jeremy Gorner, John Byrne, Annie Sweeney, Morgan Greene

U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush announces during a news conference at City Hall on June 11, 2020, that video shows Chicago police officers making popcorn and "lounging" in his office while nearby businesses were being looted. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush on Thursday condemned images they said depicted Chicago police officers making popcorn, drinking coffee and sleeping on a couch in the congressman’s campaign office while nearby businesses were being looted amid unrest nearly two weeks ago.
The revelation came at an unusual City Hall news conference where the former political enemies stood united, with Rush praising Lightfoot’s leadership and the mayor apologizing to the veteran congressman on behalf of the city.
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“That’s a personal embarrassment to me,” Lightfoot said of the scene that played out inside Rush’s Fuller Park political office. “I’m sorry that you and your staff even had to deal with this incredible indignity."
Police brass also ripped the officers’ conduct as “absolutely indefensible,” saying that at the same time the officers were inside Rush’s office, others were standing shoulder to shoulder with colleagues being pelted with rocks.
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While the Police Department says it is still piecing together a timeline and trying to identify the officers, Lightfoot pledged to hold them accountable for their actions.
“Not one of these officers will be allowed to hide behind the badge and go on and act like nothing ever happened,” she said.
New Chicago police union President John Catanzara called the news conference “despicable” and said the looting at the shopping center was done by the time the officers shown in the images arrived.
Lightfoot stopped short of calling for the cops to be fired, saying only that she supports the strongest possible action being taken against them. That contrasted with the mayor’s recent call to fire an officer who flipped the middle finger at protesters.
Still, the mayor said, “There will be a reckoning for the FOP,” and used the setting to call for licensing of police officers, saying she knows she’ll run into opposition in Springfield but the time is now.
“I think we’re at a moment where the things that we felt like were impossible, that, politically, just weren’t feasible, I think we’re in a moment where we have an opportunity to make this happen,” Lightfoot said. “And, look, even when it may be difficult, if it’s right and righteous, we must act.”
For Rush, the episode is another in his long history with the Chicago Police Department. In 1969, Chicago police raided the home of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, shooting and killing him and member Mark Clark. Rush, who was a Panther leader alongside Hampton, went into hiding at a church following the raid.
Rush later started a political career that saw him elected alderman and then to Congress. In 2016, police pulled over Rush in a traffic stop. The congressman said he had been racially profiled, but police cleared the officers.
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Rush told reporters he got a call that his campaign offices had been burglarized and later saw surveillance footage of officers “lounging in my office,” including three supervisors, with their feet up on desks and another asleep on the couch.
“They even had the unmitigated gall to go and make coffee for themselves and to pop popcorn, my popcorn, in my microwave while looters were tearing apart businesses within their sight and within their reach,” Rush said.
City Hall did not release the video from inside Rush’s office, providing only selected screenshots in a slideshow that played behind the mayor during the news conference. CPD did not provide a timeline and would not say when the officers were inside Rush’s campaign office.
Here’s what’s known so far: The shopping center at 54th Street and Wentworth Avenue where Rush’s campaign office is located was looted on Sunday, May 31 during widespread civil unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police.
Lightfoot had said the video picks up at about 1 a.m. Monday, June 1, and the officers were there four or five hours.
A Rush spokesman said the office learned about the building being burglarized on May 31, when the alarm system went off, but did not discover the police presence until two days later when a security service provided video footage that was reviewed on June 3.
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Rush said he was busy dealing with a death in the family and did not talk to Lightfoot until about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall.
New police Superintendent David Brown condemned the officers recorded on video at Rush’s office.
“This kind of conduct means that if you sleep during a riot, what do you do on a regular shift when there’s no riot? What are you doing when there’s no crisis?” said Brown, who was known for his clashes with the Dallas police union when he was that city’s chief. “What makes you comfortable enough that supervisors won’t hold you accountable?”
First Deputy Superintendent Anthony Riccio, a longtime Chicago cop, also called the officers’ conduct “absolutely indefensible.” At the same time the officers were popping popcorn and napping, Riccio said, he was standing shoulder to shoulder with colleagues downtown being pelted with rocks.
“They didn’t just let down the community,” Riccio said. “They let down fellow officers.”
Catanzara, the police union president, suggested police brass had bad information. He said based on the light outside the windows in the images, it was the early morning hours, and the officers were bored and exhausted from guarding the office all night.
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“It’s disgusting that they would challenge the honor of those (officers) that were in the office that night, as if they would stand there and let people die,” he said. “The rioting was done. The whole mall was looted on Sunday.”
Lightfoot used the news conference Thursday to wholeheartedly throw her support behind the idea of pursuing some kind of state licensing for local police officers.
While the mayor has spoken favorably in recent days of perhaps certifying police the way other professions are in Illinois, such as nail salons, on Thursday she was all in.
“Now is the time to act on licensing for police officers once and for all,” Lightfoot said, with Rush standing beside her, and the head of the Illinois Municipal League on hand as well. “I’m here to tell you today that I’ve directed my legal team to do the research and to draft the legislation. I am ready, I am ready to work with the governor and our other great partners in Springfield to forge a change in state law to require licensing and certification of police officers.”
But Lightfoot also acknowledged the difficulty she will face getting sufficient support for licensing in the state legislature, where police unions are powerful and many Downstate legislators represent more conservative districts where constituent support of police departments is especially strong.
Complicating matters is Lightfoot’s increasingly tense relationship with the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police. Negotiations on a new police union contract are at a standstill, and Catanzara has been roundly critical of the mayor’s leadership. Lightfoot targeting the officers seen in Rush’s office for the “strongest possible action that we can take” is likely to harden those positions.
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The FOP also is certain to vehemently oppose any efforts to force Chicago officers to maintain state certification requirements that could expose members to losing their jobs if they can’t meet the standards.
Lightfoot also said she may seek criminal charges against the officers who went into Rush’s office, but she didn’t know what kind of charges could be pursued.
“That’s a question that we’re asking, and we’ll certainly make sure that this is given scrutiny by the state’s attorney and the U.S. attorney,” the mayor said.
A spokesman for U.S. Attorney John Lausch declined comment Thursday. A spokeswoman for Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx could not be reached for comment.
Before Thursday, Lightfoot and Rush were at odds stemming from the 2019 mayoral campaign. While campaigning on behalf of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Rush said those who voted for Lightfoot would have “the blood of the next young black man or black woman who is killed by the police” on their hands.
Alluding to that history, Lightfoot said they were together against the alleged police misconduct.
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“We haven’t always agreed on every issue, but today, we are in total alignment in our righteous anger and our steadfast determination, and I want to make sure that’s very clear,” Lightfoot said. “What I know of Congressman Rush is this — he has committed his life to calling out and fighting against injustice, and this presents exactly one of those moments.”
Rush also said he didn’t give her the benefit of the doubt before but now stands “without any doubt, any doubt, any doubt in my heart, in my mind and in my spirit that she is absolutely committed to the well-being of all Chicagoans, bar none.”
The allegations of police misconduct at Rush’s office come as some Chicago police officers are being scrutinized for their conduct during the protests and civil unrest that followed Floyd’s killing. Lightfoot and police leaders have praised most Chicago cops for being respectful and restrained with the public but have pledged zero tolerance for those who don’t.
The state’s attorney’s office and the FBI are reviewing allegations that Chicago police pulled a woman from a car by her hair and placed a knee on her neck.
Chicago Police Board President Ghian Foreman, who oversees the panel in charge of serious officer discipline, said cops hit him with batons as they clashed with protesters who marched on the South Side over Floyd’s killing.
And a Chicago cop who was called out by Lightfoot after being photographed making an obscene gesture at protesters last week has been stripped of his police powers and moved to administrative tasks, according to the Police Department.
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The looting at the mall has left small business owners struggling.
A manager of the nearby JJ Fish and Chicken said he was “shocked” by the allegations of police misconduct at Rush’s office. The manager was not on-site that Sunday night, but said a few managers called 911 after they were alerted to break-ins at the restaurant to ask for police help.
The manager said the restaurant’s damages were minimal compared with other stores in the plaza.
“I don’t know if the responsibility lies on those officers and their supervisors in particular or if it’s just how the city of Chicago wanted to deal with it,” he said. But “the impact that looting had was very negative on the shopping center itself and the community in particular, which is what I think the Police Department and the city of Chicago need to really take into consideration."
Dr. Stephanie Johnson-Brown, who owns the Plano Vision Center near Rush’s office, said she is working on getting her business back up and running.
A lot of frames were stolen, she said, and although the business has insurance, “it’s a very slow process.” Patients visited the office Thursday, though, and Johnson said she hopes to be back on her feet within a month.
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But Johnson-Brown also said she hopes the looting — and the incident with police at Rush’s office — don’t cloud the underlying purpose of the protests.
“Injustice has been going on too long,” she said. “And I’m not going to let this little negative stop me — this little bump in the road — stop me from being positive. You just gotta pray. And be patient.”
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
jgorner@chicagotribune.com
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com
asweeney@chicagotribune.com
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mgreene@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-12--Column: Chicago cops ignoring looters while munching popcorn won’t help quell calls to defund the po

Column: Chicago cops ignoring looters while munching popcorn won’t help quell calls to defund the police

People are smart enough to know not every one of those SUVs is faulty .
They ’ re not going @ @ @ @ @ that aren ’ t crashing .
But they ’ re sure going to want the @ @ @ @ @ and fix the problem .
And if the company ignores it , if the company @ @ @ @ @ most of these SUVs are very fine machines , ” people will move on and @ @ @ @ @

U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush announces during a news conference at City Hall on June 11, 2020, that video shows Chicago police officers making popcorn and "lounging" in his office while nearby businesses were being looted. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
I don’t think police officers should be plunked down in the looted South Side office of a U.S. congressman, making coffee and munching microwaved popcorn, while nearby businesses are being looted.
They shouldn’t be hurling homophobic slurs, either. Or making obscene gestures. Or pulling a woman out of her car by her hair and holding her down with a knee to the neck.
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And they surely shouldn’t be killing black people, which is, of course, the very heart of the necessary national upheaval unfolding around us.
But with each of those obvious “that should never happen” scenarios, we run into a problem. Take the Chicago officers who occupied U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush’s office and lazed about while their fellow officers were nearby facing down angry protesters outraged by the killing of George Floyd.
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“One was asleep on my couch in my campaign office,” Rush said Thursday, as images of the eight or more cops were revealed. “They even had the unmitigated gall to go and make coffee for themselves and to pop popcorn, my popcorn, in my microwave while looters were tearing apart businesses within their sight and within their reach.”
It’s shameful. And ridiculous. And the problem we have expressing outrage about entitled cops or violent cops or even murderous cops is an almost reflexive need to qualify that outrage with something like, “I know most police officers are good, dedicated people, but …”
How about we lose that caveat and focus on the fact that there’s a systemic problem with policing in America? It’s OK to highlight the badness of some without acknowledging the obvious goodness in others. Doing so only dilutes the seriousness of the issue.
Let’s take it out of human terms. Say we start seeing reports from different parts of the country that the brakes on some models of a popular SUV are failing. There are a few fatalities, some injuries and a slew of videos of the SUVs crashing.
People are smart enough to know not every one of those SUVs is faulty. They’re not going to focus on the SUVs that aren’t crashing. But they’re sure going to want the company to do a recall and fix the problem. And if the company ignores it, if the company says, “Well, most of these SUVs are very fine machines,” people will move on and buy a different brand.
Our tolerance of failures in policing shouldn’t be different from our tolerance of failures in anything we count on to keep us safe.
And because we don’t have a choice in who serves and protects us, because we can’t ditch one local police force in favor of another, people are protesting. Loudly. Sometimes violently.
That’s why you’re seeing a slogan like “Defund the police” bubble up.
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People have seen too many videos of appalling behavior by law enforcement officers. People see images of police officers lying around a congressman’s looted office, they feel angry and helpless, and they don’t have the option to simply switch brands.
What people see is this: the police not effectively policing themselves.
WGN Radio’s Bob Sirott recently asked John Catanzara, president of Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police, what he thinks about officers showing support for protesters by kneeling with them.
Catanzara said: “Any member of Lodge 7 who is going to take a knee and basically side with protesters while they’re in uniform will subject themselves to discipline in the lodge up to and including expulsion from Lodge 7.”
That’s a pretty callous attitude. In that interview, Catanzara leaned hard on the “most cops are good cops” argument.
I don’t think that’s untrue, but it’s a crutch. Nobody needs to pay homage to the good cops while speaking out against the bad ones.
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The focus of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have taken to the streets in the wake of Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis is on bad cops. All the good cops in the world don’t make up for what happened on that street. But what happened there does damage the public’s opinion of all police, same as the videos of cops whacking protesters with batons, and the images of cops turning a looted congressman’s office into a clubhouse.
It doesn’t matter whether that’s fair or not. What matters is that something is done to fix the problems.
That’s where everyone’s focus needs to be. I don’t need to qualify my criticism of those Chicago officers in Congressman Rush’s office by giving a nod to the ones who weren’t there. We all need to stop offering up these knee-jerk pats on the head.
We’re adults. Wrong is wrong. Wrong needs to be fixed.
And police officers here and across the country have a lot of wrong that needs fixing — right now.
rhuppke@chicagotribune.com