chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Chicago police boss David Brown’s time in Dallas included defusing a tense city after a police shoot

Chicago police boss David Brown’s time in Dallas included defusing a tense city after a police shooting, something he did not repeat Sunday

“ I would say a lot of things are different .
There wasn ’ t a pandemic in 2012 .
@ @ @ @ @ George Floyd videotape in 2012 .
There wasn ’ t this divisiveness that we see @ @ @ @ @ , nor ( was ) there unprecedented violence … in 2012 , ” Brown said @ @ @ @ @ several layers of differences that I think we all know , but I just want @ @ @ @ @ know , pandemic is a big deal , global economic recession is a big deal @ @ @ @ @ Floyd ’ s a big deal , and so it ’ s , no small @ @ @ @ @ today than there was in 2012 .
”

Chicago police Superintendent David Brown greets officers as they take part in a new Community Policing Initiative with Summer Mobile Patrol in the 6600 block of South Evans in Chicago July 10, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown has explained how alleged misinformation about an officer-involved shooting in the South Side’s Englewood neighborhood on Sunday may have sparked a chain of events that led to widespread looting, vandalism and violence in the downtown area.
But as the former leader of another big-city police department, it was not a scenario Brown was completely unfamiliar with.
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In his 2017 autobiography, he described a similar situation that unfolded when he was the Dallas police chief in 2012, when one of his officers shot and killed 31-year-old James Harper, a reputed drug dealer in that city’s Dixon Circle community.
The shooting occurred when officers responding to a 911 call about a possible kidnapping found a group of people in the living room of a house, along with narcotics and a gun. Among those in the group was Harper, who went by the street name “G-Code.”
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Police Superintendent David Brown announces the formation of citywide teams of police officers to help stem violence during a news conference at the 10th District Station in Chicago on July 27, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The group tried to flee, and someone from the group grabbed the gun. Unsure who took the weapon, officers chased the group. And after a confrontation with an officer, Harper, who was Black, was shot and killed by a white cop in a nearby barn.
As the day went on, a crowd formed in the neighborhood. Tensions flared. A rumor circulated through social media that the officer had shot an unarmed Harper in the back during a foot chase.
As he recounted in his book, “Called to Rise: A Life in Faithful Service to the Community That Made Me” (co-written by journalist Michelle Burford), Brown said he knew he’d have to make a public statement to set the record straight with the facts police had, albeit preliminary information, to try and defuse the situation.
Among the details he released: the identities of the officer, Brian Rowden, and Harper; the revelation that the 911 call was a false kidnapping report; that Harper was unarmed; and that he appeared to have been shot in the stomach, not in the back.
“This was Dixon Circle we were talking about — a neighborhood with a history of heated reactions in the face of racially charged incidents,” Brown wrote.
After Brown talked to reporters, the crowd broke up, he recalled. There was no one hurt, and no property damage.
“If I waited two weeks to speak up, the city might be burned down by then,” Brown said in his book.
On Sunday, Chicago’s officials have said, rumors on social media about a shooting in Englewood may have touched off a series of events that led to looting in the downtown area that night. Its possible link to the looting was still being investigated this week.
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 6 Officers stand near crime scene tape after an argument erupted between police and residents after Latrell Allen was shot three times by CPD officers after he allegedly fired several rounds at two officers near the 5700 block of South Racine Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood on Aug. 9, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
"There is a false rumor on social media that police officers killed a 15-year-old on Sunday," Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted on Monday.
"Here are the facts: - Officers responded to 911 calls about an armed man in Englewood - A 20-year-old suspect fired at officers, gunfire was exchanged - The suspect is in stable condition."
Brown took it a step further at a morning news conference, appearing to tie erroneous details about the shooting with the looting.
"Tempers flared, fueled by misinformation as the afternoon turned into evening," said Brown. "CPD became aware of several social media posts encouraging looting downtown."
Police have said the person shot was actually 20-year-old Latrell Allen from the neighborhood, and that he fired at police first. The officers involved were from the new Community Safety Team and were not wearing body cameras, leaving police unable to fully corroborate that account.
Allen has been charged with attempted murder.
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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 44 Damaged windows at the Zara store following early morning looting in downtown Chicago on Aug. 10, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Unlike 2012 in Dixon Circle, it wasn’t Brown who had sought to set the record straight immediately after the shooting. He left that to one of his deputy chiefs, Yolanda Talley, who used a news conference to address what police said were false rumors, including that a much younger person had been shot.
“And then after some tense moments the crowd did disperse and wane,” Brown said during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, responding to a question about how events unfolded, and the differences between what happened to him in 2012.
While Brown has indicated that some circulating misinformation may have helped spark the problems, he also noted today’s America is much different from the one he experienced earlier in Dallas.
“I would say a lot of things are different. There wasn’t a pandemic in 2012. There wasn’t a George Floyd videotape in 2012. There wasn’t this divisiveness that we see in this country in 2012, nor (was) there unprecedented violence … in 2012,” Brown said. “So there is several layers of differences that I think we all know, but I just want to remind you, you know, pandemic is a big deal, global economic recession is a big deal, civil unrest, George Floyd’s a big deal, and so it’s, no small thing that’s different today than there was in 2012.”
Many of those who eventually ransacked stores arrived in caravans, according to officials. About 100 people were arrested in connection with the unrest and 13 police officers were hurt. It was not clear how many of those charged might have been from Englewood, or whether others from different neighborhoods and the suburbs took advantage of the tension.
And regardless of what misinformation might have circulated, some activists still faulted authorities.
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Black Lives Matter Chicago decried Allen’s wounding as the latest example of Chicago police wrongfully shooting a Black man in the city, and criticized Lightfoot’s reaction to it during a Monday morning news conference.
The organization said Lightfoot ought to know better following bouts of looting and other unrest in Chicago in late May as part of the aftermath of Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minnesota.
“In a predictable and unfortunate move, she did not take this time to criticize her officers for shooting yet another Black man,” Black Lives Matter Chicago said Monday in a statement.
For their part, Brown and Lightfoot suggested lax treatment by prosecutors and the courts of those who damaged stores in the first round of unrest may have contributed to Sunday night’s violence. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx countered that her office has fully prosecuted cases connected to looting.


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Police: Chicago man facing attempted murder charges after accusations he shot father, son during May

Police: Chicago man facing attempted murder charges after accusations he shot father, son during May home invasion in Oak Park

When one of them called out that he was calling 911 , authorities said someone fired several shots through the @ @ @ @ @ of the residents was shot in the shoulder and the other in the buttocks , @ @ @ @ @ were treated at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood .

A Chicago man is facing attempted murder charges three months after authorities say he shot a father and son during an attempted home invasion in Oak Park, police have announced.
Police said Tarik Page, 44, of the 2100 block of West Warren Avenue, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder in connection with the shooting of a 58-year-old father and his 20-year-old son earlier this year.
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Page was taken into custody Aug. 9 in Berwyn after police used DNA evidence to link him to the crime scene, police said.
The shooting took place shortly before 2 a.m. on May 11 in the 200 block of Clinton Avenue. During the incident, police said, the father and son were awakened by the sound of someone smashing a window on the door of their home.
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When one of them called out that he was calling 911, authorities said someone fired several shots through the broken door window. One of the residents was shot in the shoulder and the other in the buttocks, police said, and both were treated at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood.
Police said a DNA sample was recovered from blood on the broken door glass at the scene, and authorities said the evidence was later used to connect Page to the crime.
An off-duty Oak Park police detective saw Page in the 7100 block of West Cermak Road in Berwyn on Aug. 9, according to police, and then officers from the Berwyn Police Department detained Page without incident and turned him over to Oak Park police.
The following day, Page had a hearing at the 4th District Circuit Court in Maywood, where his bond was set at $2 million, according to police.
sschering@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter: @steveschering


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Funeral services announced for Elias Valdez, 15, as investigation into his Glenview stabbing death c

Funeral services announced for Elias Valdez, 15, as investigation into his Glenview stabbing death continues

“ Please keep the Valdez family in your thoughts during this most difficult time , ” she wrote .
“ @ @ @ @ @ support , please reach out to your counselor .
We are here for our students @ @ @ @ @ every step of the way .
”

Family and friends of Elias Valdez will say their final goodbyes this week as the teenager is laid to rest.
Valdez, 15, died during surgery Aug. 5. after he was found with a stab wound to his chest, according to Glenview police. He was a rising sophomore at Glenbrook South High School.
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Glenbrook South principal Lauren Fagel sent an email to families Monday with information about the funeral arrangements.
“Please keep the Valdez family in your thoughts during this most difficult time,” she wrote. “If you would like emotional support, please reach out to your counselor. We are here for our students, staff, and parents every step of the way.”
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The visitation will take place 3-8 p.m. Thursday at Ahlgrim Funeral Home, 201 North Northwest Highway, Palatine. Only 50 people will be allowed inside at once, according to Fagel.
A funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. Friday at the same funeral home, followed by a processional to St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum in Palatine.
As of Tuesday, police said the investigation is ongoing and declined to comment further.
An autopsy of Valdez determined that he died of a stab wound to the chest, and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
A piece of yellow police crime tape is strewn across the front yard of a home along the 1200 block of Greenwood Road on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020 in Glenview. Elias Valdez, 15, was found stabbed nearby two days prior and later died in a local hospital, and his death was ruled a homicide. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Valdez, of the 10400 block of Dearlove Road, was found lying in a grassy area in the 1200 block of Greenwood Road shortly after 7 p.m. on Aug. 5, police said in a news release. The area is a patch of tall grass between a subdivision, a few homes and a water pumping station.
A passerby called 911, police spokesman Sgt. Jim Foley said. A bike was found near the spot Valdez was found, but Foley declined to comment on its relation to the incident.
Valdez was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, but died in surgery at 8:52 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office and police.
Glenbrook South offered support services to students and staff in person and through Zoom on Friday. About a dozen students showed up at the school to utilize in-person services, according to Superintendent Charles Johns.
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In an earlier message Fagel wrote to families announcing the loss of Valdez, she described the student as “a kind, charismatic young man who exhibited great leadership qualities.” She said he loved his mom and family and that he had an “endearing spirit.”
“The many adults who worked with Elias appreciated his devotion to his family, his kindness to others and his ability to quickly make friends and make others feel welcome,” she wrote.
She also said Valdez had joined the wrestling team in the previous school year. His coaches, in a statement provided by the school, said they recognized natural ability, drive and work ethic in him.
Valdez’s death marks the first time since 2004 the village has had a homicide, Foley said. Steven L. Zirko was charged with murdering his companion, Mary Lacy, 38, and her mother, Margaret Ballog, 60, in Lacy’s Glenview home on Dec. 13, 2004.
The North Regional Major Crimes Task Force is actively investigating the crime.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the police tip line, 847-901-6055, or via email, gpdtipline@glenview.il.us.
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kedquist@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @kaitlinedquist


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Watch live: President Trump holds news conference

President Trump is holding a news conference at the White House .
Trump ’ s comments come after Democratic presidential @ @ @ @ @ Kamala Harris as his vice presidential pick .

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Corrections and clarifications

· A story on Page 1 Sunday about how the coronavirus-caused economic downturn is threatening old-school Chicago bars suggested that @ @ @ @ @ formal approval power regarding a request by Inner Town Pub to open a patio .
@ @ @ @ @ was offered input by the alderman and previously opposed a patio at the bar , @ @ @ @ @ approval power over the Inner Town Pub ’ s ability to open an outdoor space @ @ @ @

· A story on Page 1 Sunday about how the coronavirus-caused economic downturn is threatening old-school Chicago bars suggested that the East Village Association had formal approval power regarding a request by Inner Town Pub to open a patio. Though the East Village Association was offered input by the alderman and previously opposed a patio at the bar, it did not have formal approval power over the Inner Town Pub’s ability to open an outdoor space during the pandemic.
The Tribune regrets the error.
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chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Aldermen criticize slow pace of Chicago police reform, want cops to answer for future moves

The committee ’ s action came amid heightened tensions between police and many Chicagoans that have been on display during @ @ @ @ @ protests sparked by the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police @ @ @ @ @ On Sunday , police shot a man in the Englewood neighborhood who allegedly had fired @ @ @ @ @ clashes with officers .
Some downtown businesses were looted early Monday .

Aldermen on Tuesday criticized the Chicago Police Department’s slow movement toward reform and gave preliminary approval of a measure that would require police brass and other officials to answer for their future performance before City Council members.
Members of the council’s Committee on Public Safety voiced dissatisfaction during an online meeting that the city missed more than 70% of its deadlines in the first year under the consent decree, a broad court order calling for changes to the way the troubled police force treats people.
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The ordinance would compel police Superintendent David Brown or his staff, as well as other city officials, to go before the committee following future progress reports from the independent monitor overseeing reforms.
So far, those reports have painted a picture of a department struggling to meet its court-enforceable obligations to overhaul training, supervision and discipline. An attorney for Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul last month threatened court intervention if the city failed to promptly show a plan to catch up.
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The ordinance could go before the full City Council as soon as next month.
Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, 11th, noted that city officials had signed off on the 2019 court order.
“We agreed to this,” he said. “We can’t keep talking about how burdensome it is. We just have to do it.”
Police and city officials at the hearing pointed to a newly released 12-page plan to gain ground on reforms. The document lists dozens of priorities for the rest of the year, including training cops on impartial policing, improving use of force reporting and continuing work on a plan to tighten supervision.
Deputy Superintendent Barbara West told aldermen the department was adding personnel in areas of the force most responsible for enacting the court order.
“We want reform as well,” she said.
The committee’s action came amid heightened tensions between police and many Chicagoans that have been on display during more than two months of protests sparked by the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer in late May. On Sunday, police shot a man in the Englewood neighborhood who allegedly had fired on them, touching off clashes with officers. Some downtown businesses were looted early Monday.
Grievances against the police will continue to be aired publicly, as Maggie Hickey, the former federal prosecutor tasked with overseeing the city’s progress toward reform, is scheduled to hold virtual listening sessions next week to hear allegations of police brutality and misconduct during the recent protests and unrest. Information on those sessions is available at Hickey’s team’s website.
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The cops, meanwhile, have complained of violent agitators hijacking peaceful protests by throwing projectiles and injuring officers.
The consent decree is one of the most substantive consequences of the 2015 release of video of white Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting Black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times. That spurred a U.S. Department of Justice investigation, which resulted in a January 2017 report that castigated the police as poorly trained, badly supervised and prone to excessive force. The report helped make way for the consent decree.
dhinkel@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--New Trier High alumni ask school to move to remote learning, say in-person classes are ‘too great a

New Trier High alumni ask school to move to remote learning, say in-person classes are ‘too great a gamble’ given COVID-19 risk

Yet the group of New Trier graduates , in a Monday letter to school officials , wrote : “ As @ @ @ @ @ foundation of our intellect , our service , and our integrity as American citizens to @ @ @ @ @ in us as youth .
While we agree that in-person instruction should be the eventual @ @ @ @ @ demanding our teachers put themselves , their families , and their own communities at risk @ @ @ @ @ that flies in the face of New Trier ’ s own motto .
To do @ @ @ @ @ stature and dignity of our storied alma mater .
”

With just weeks before the first day of classes at New Trier High School, a group of alumni say teachers’ COVID-19 safety concerns demand that the school board “immediately reverse course” from plans to start the new school year with in-person instruction.
In a letter addressed to New Trier High School Superintendent Paul Sally and the school board, members of a grassroots organization Trevs for Teachers said they stand in “solidarity” with the high school’s teachers union “and in total opposition to the administration’s suggested hybrid opening format for the 2020-2021 school year.”
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The school board is expected to report on the fall reopening plans at a special meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
School officials have said their campuses in Winnetka and Northfield will have a “smart start” that combines in-person and remote learning, a gradual approach so students and staff can become accustomed to the various safety protocols that will be in place.
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Yet the group of New Trier graduates, in a Monday letter to school officials, wrote: “As alumni, we attribute the foundation of our intellect, our service, and our integrity as American citizens to the lessons these educators instilled in us as youth. While we agree that in-person instruction should be the eventual goal for the township, demanding our teachers put themselves, their families, and their own communities at risk cries out as an injustice that flies in the face of New Trier’s own motto. To do so is entirely beneath the stature and dignity of our storied alma mater.”
Officials at the high school did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday.
But in a letter to the community written by two New Trier teachers, despite the high school’s tradition of offering a supportive and respectful workplace, rising concerns about returning to in-person learning this fall — including the impact on teachers with children — have allegedly been discounted.
“In mid-July, we watched with mounting anxiety as public high schools around the state dominoed, each making successive headlines by scrapping in-person instructional models and committing to remote instruction for at least the first quarter of the year,” the teachers wrote. “Panic struck when the elementary schools our children respectively attended followed suit, while New Trier stood resolute in its plan to offer in-person instruction.”
After the high school’s human resources department allegedly asked faculty members to complete an application explaining why they were reluctant to teach in person, the teachers said they “dutifully filled out the forms and encouraged staff to answer questions that revealed information about personal health, marital status, children’s learning disabilities, and family finances. Although this did not feel good and implicitly forced us to compete in the ‘Tragedy Olympics’ with our colleagues — whose home life is the hardest? — we trusted our institution.”
The teachers said they were hopeful New Trier officials would see the value in granting their request to teach remotely, “while also allowing us to supervise our children, none of whom are legally allowed to be left home alone.”
“You can imagine our disappointment when, one by one, we received calls with a dismal outlook: no teacher would receive full remote accommodations for childcare or the health and well-being of a dependent,” the teachers wrote. “At best, we would be given some days to work remotely, and we’d be expected to ‘make it work’ for the remaining days. ... Who will take care of the almost 200 children of faculty and staff members, each of whom was similarly denied a childcare accommodation?”
Last month, officials with the high school’s teachers union said in a statement that a recent poll of its staff found “an overwhelming majority of New Trier faculty voiced opposition to a hybrid re-opening of the 2020-2021 school year.”
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“Due to significant concerns over the continued growth of COVID-19 infections locally and around the country, the NTHSEA believes that the use of the planned hybrid format poses a significant risk to student, staff and faculty health and safety,” union officials said in a July 24 statement.
“No matter how many precautions are taken, in-person learning at this time will inevitably lead to the spread of avoidable illness and, potentially, death among our students, staff and community,” union officials said, calling for remote learning to begin the new school year.
Members of the group supporting the union’s opposition to reopening the high school’s two campuses in the fall said they “reject the notion that remote learning will be a greater detriment to students than the stress and hazards posed by returning to campus.”
“We call upon the Board of Education to immediately reverse course, in the interest of saving lives, and suspend in-person instruction for the beginning of this school year,” the group said in their Monday statement. “There is no just cause to place any member of the New Trier family at undue risk. The threat of even one person’s death, be it faculty, staff, student, or neighbor is too great a gamble.”
New Trier is among a small group of North Shore school districts, including those in Winnetka, Wilmette and Lake Forest, where officials are still considering preliminary plans to welcome students back into classrooms later this month.
Citing safety concerns, teachers with Riverside Brookfield Township District 208 are expected to gather at a rally before the school board’s Tuesday night meeting, asking officials to start the school year with full remote learning, rather than a hybrid plan under consideration.
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Despite surveys showing a majority of parents in many suburban districts favor reopening schools, officials in Arlington Heights, Barrington and Evanston recently abandoned earlier plans to reopen schools and announced they will begin the school year with remote instruction.
kcullotta@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @kcullotta


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--In the wake of controversial Englewood shooting, Mayor Lightfoot says all Chicago police officers de

In the wake of controversial Englewood shooting, Mayor Lightfoot says all Chicago police officers dealing with public need to have body cameras

Police have said that the officer was part of a new unit designed to swarm into crime hot spots and @ @ @ @ @ by police Superintendent David Brown has not yet been assigned cameras .
Police have said @ @ @ @ @ , but the lack of a camera on the officer so far has left them @ @ @ @ @ claim with video .

Officers stand near crime scene tape after an argument erupted between police and residents after Latrell Allen was shot three times by CPD officers after he allegedly fired several rounds at two officers near the 5700 block of South Racine Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood on Aug. 9, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city shouldn’t be sending police officers out on the street without body-worn cameras but defended the department’s account of a shooting in Englewood that allegedly touched off looting and civil unrest over the weekend.
On a conference call with reporters Tuesday afternoon, Lightfoot acknowledged the Chicago police officer who shot 20-year-old Latrell Allen in Englewood did not have a body camera and blamed it on an issue with the city’s contract for camera purchases as well as the Police Department’s recent reorganization.
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Police have said that the officer was part of a new unit designed to swarm into crime hot spots and that the unit recently established by police Superintendent David Brown has not yet been assigned cameras. Police have said Allen shot at them first, but the lack of a camera on the officer so far has left them unable to back up the claim with video.
Lightfoot said the Police Department has made a concerted effort to redeploy officers to districts, including sending people who were formerly in plainclothes. The mayor said she was recently told by police that the movement has left issues with the number of body cameras available but that the city is “aggressively” working to renegotiate its camera contract.
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“We can’t have people out on the street who are interfacing with the public on a regular basis that don’t have body cameras,” Lightfoot said.
Officers stand near crime scene tape after an argument erupted between police and residents at the scene of a police-involved shooting near the 5700 block of South Racine Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood Aug. 9, 2020 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Still, she defended the police account of Allen’s shooting. Authorities said the newly created community safety team responded to a call about a man with a gun in the Englewood neighborhood. Officers found a man walking east on 57th Street and Racine Avenue matching the physical description and attempted to stop him, police said.
The man later identified as Allen fled, police have said, leading to a foot chase by officers. Authorities said that Allen shot at the officers during the chase and that two officers returned fire. Allen was later charged with attempted murder and ordered held Tuesday on $1 million bond.
Lightfoot said “obviously it would’ve been better if there were bodycams there,” but there’s other corroborative evidence the Civilian Office of Police Accountability is reviewing, including the 911 call for service and pod cameras in the area.
Brown, on the same media phone call, said the city is “scrubbing” the inventory of body cameras to redistribute some to teams that were at one point plainclothes but are now patrolling.
Though Lightfoot has been critical of the camera contract negotiated under Rahm Emanuel, the previous administration defended its deal. Walter Katz, who was deputy chief of staff for public safety under Emanuel, took to Twitter to say the city didn’t want cameras to be shared so they could be easier to audit.
“As (body-worn cameras) were rolled out across country several years ago, one of big discussions was to assign or share BWC,” Katz tweeted. “Assign meant an officer was responsible for their BWC, and auditing was easier.”
That plan was a matter of public record, he went on. “It wasn’t a secret.”
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Authorities have said the shooting of Allen led to misinformation being spread on social media, including that police had killed a 15-year-old boy. Tensions in the neighborhood eventually cooled, police said, but not before social media also had been used to circulate calls to loot stores in downtown Chicago.
A police deployment of 400 officers was unable to head off the ensuing chaos that left scores of stores damaged. Some 100 arrests were made, authorities have said.


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Former Country Club Hills school administrator claims district rescinded employment offer as she bat

Former Country Club Hills school administrator claims district rescinded employment offer as she battled COVID-19: lawsuit

“ We think their conduct is capricious , ” he said .
“ Our position is she had the job @ @ @ @ @ to expect to be employed from March 24 when the board voted to approve her @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have to do anything else .
Her due process rights attached at that @ @ @

A former administrator at Country Club Hills Elementary District 160 claims the district illegally rescinded her contract extension earlier this year because she failed to sign and return her employment agreement while stricken with COVID-19 and fighting for her life.
Quintella Bounds, who had worked as the district’s director of student services since July 2019, alleges in a federal lawsuit that she was quarantining at home in early April while “severely ill” with the coronavirus and “in constant fear for her life and the lives of her family” when she learned the superintendent had posted an opening for her position.
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Bounds claims interim superintendent Earline Scott informed her the board had moved forward with advertising her job just eight days after it extended her a contract offer and that her employment would terminate at the end of June.
The sole reason for the reversal, according to Bounds’ suit, was her failure to return the signed contract within a week of the board approving it.
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The suit claims she received an excellent performance evaluation during her first year on the job and a public records request submitted by the Daily Southtown returned no disciplinary documents in her personnel file.
District 160 officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the claims made in Bounds’ lawsuit.
A letter Scott sent Bounds in mid-April formally notifying her of the district’s decision to post her job and terminate her employment says it was due to her failure to return her employment agreement by the requested date.
Bounds’ attorney, Jerome Davis, said the board’s decision to rescind his client’s contract while she was home sick with COVID-19 “showed total callous disregard for her wellbeing and treated her a way that nobody should be treated.”
‘She’s very devastated,” Davis said. “She had an excellent record at this district and was very dedicated to the students and staff and can’t believe they did this to her, that she was treated this way.”
Bounds, who made $96,000 in her lone year working for District 160, is in therapy after experiencing weight loss, insomnia, severe depression, anxiety and mood swings as a result of the district’s actions, her lawsuit states.
Her suit claims the school board voted March 24 to extend her employment until June 30, 2021. She was notified the next day and advised to inform Scott if she had any questions about the contract, which was to be signed and returned by March 31, according to her suit.
Bounds immediately contacted the superintendent to inquire why her paid vacation had been reduced by 5 days, but did not receive a response, the suit alleges.
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Later that day, she began experiencing severe respiratory problems and was rushed to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with COVID-19, according to the suit.
Bounds was discharged from the hospital the next day and instructed to get bed rest and quarantine for two weeks, the suit states.
She claims she immediately notified the district she was taking a 14-day medical leave on orders from her physician, but that Scott demanded she continue working from home while she quarantined.
Despite being “deathly ill,” Bounds complied because she feared losing her job, according to her suit.
On April 2, eight days after she took ill, Bounds received a call from the superintendent notifying her that the board had ordered her position be posted because she’d failed to return the signed contract by the March 31 deadline, the suit alleges.
“Shocked and upset,” Bounds told Scott there must be some sort of misunderstanding, according to the suit.
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The superintendent told Bounds to take her concerns to the board.
Bounds said she emailed the board April 15 to ask that she be allowed to address them at an upcoming meeting and reiterated her desire to speak to the board in an April 17 phone call with the board president, according to her suit.
She claims board members did not respond to her email and alleges she was not permitted to appear before them.
Davis described the situation as “bizarre” and said the district had never previously enforced a one-week deadline by which employees were required to sign and return contract offers.
“We think their conduct is capricious,” he said. “Our position is she had the job, she had the right to expect to be employed from March 24 when the board voted to approve her employment, so she didn’t have to do anything else. Her due process rights attached at that point.”
District 160 filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit Monday in which its attorneys argued the contract offer alone did not give Bounds any legitimate expectation of continued employment and that the board’s decision to rescind the offer was not objectively extreme and outrageous.
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“Although Dr. Bounds may have been unhappy about the decision of the Board and it may have cause(d) her some distress, such is a normal occasion in the employer-employee relationship,” the district argued in its motion.
District 160′s lawyers also asserted that Bounds had five days after being released from the hospital during which she could have requested an extension from the board to address her concerns about the contract, but did not do so.
Davis acknowledged that Bounds had not requested an extension, but countered that she had asked to discuss the discrepancy over her vacation days and did not receive a response.
The superintendent’s call she later received informing her that her job had been posted and her contract would not be renewed came “totally out of the blue,” he said.
“There’s no reason they had to do what they did,” Davis said.
zkoeske@tribpub.com
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Twitter @ZakKoeske


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Traveling outside Illinois? Chicago takes three states off quarantine list, but 19 states and Puerto

Traveling outside Illinois? Chicago takes three states off quarantine list, but 19 states and Puerto Rico are still on. Here’s what you need to know to avoid a large fine.

Those traveling through Wisconsin on their way to Chicago from a state not on the list do not need to @ @ @ @ @ Wisconsin for less than 24 hours .
But those who travel to Wisconsin , even @ @ @ @ @ hours , still need to quarantine upon returning unless deemed an essential worker and follow @ @ @ @

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Dick DeGray, of Brattleboro, Vt., puts on his mask before going into the Municipal Building, in Brattleboro, as the town started to require visitors and staff to put their masks back on Aug. 11, 2021, due to COVID-19 virus numbers increasing in Windham County. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer)
Chicago has revamped its travel quarantine order to reflect rising rates of the coronavirus in Chicago and the rest of Illinois, moving from a blanket list of states to a color-coded list comparing the rate of infection here with that in other states.
On Tuesday, the city added New York, California and Washington, D.C., to its orange list, requiring all travelers from those states to either quarantine or prove they have had a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours before arriving in Chicago. Idaho was moved from the stricter red list to the orange list.
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Under the original version of the emergency travel order, states had been added to the list when they reached an infection rate greater than 15 cases per 100,000 residents and removed once the daily case average remains below that rate for two consecutive weeks.
Now, the city is using a color-coded list, which will be updated every two weeks.
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“First and foremost, I would like people to avoid travel at this time if at all possible. But by creating a tiered system and using Chicago’s case rate as a category threshold, it allows us to be responsive to the changing dynamics of the pandemic,” said city health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady.
States that weren’t on the quarantine list that were added to the orange list the first week were Michigan, Connecticut, Arizona, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Oregon, Washington and Louisiana.
Yellow-coded states are those with a rolling seven-day average below 15 cases per day per 100,000 residents. Anyone returning from these states doesn’t have to quarantine. Three states qualified as of Tuesday.
Orange-coded states are those with a rolling seven-day average between 15 cases per day per 100,000 residents and Chicago’s rolling seven-day average, which was 60 as of Tuesday. People traveling from these states must either quarantine for 14 days or show they had a negative COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours before arrival in Chicago. There were 35 orange states, plus Washington, D.C., as of Tuesday.
Red-coded states are those with a rolling seven-day average above Chicago’s. Anyone traveling from these states has to quarantine. There were 11 red-coded states as of Tuesday.
People who commute across the Indiana or Wisconsin state lines to or from Chicago to work or go to school will be exempt from the quarantine rule, a nod to the symbiotic relationship between the neighboring states. But workers in Chicago from Indiana will be expected to avoid restaurants, bars and other public spaces in the city.
Here’s what you need to know about the city’s quarantine policies:
City says people will be fined
Anyone who visits red-listed states should stay inside for two weeks upon their return or risk a fine of $100 to $500 per day, according to the city. Those who visit orange-listed states are subject to the same fines if they don’t have a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine.
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Despite the list’s fluctuating size, enforcement of the order so far has been nonexistent, save for some billboards and signs that Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said are intended to “educate” people into compliance.
Lightfoot’s initial self-quarantine requirement was implemented during the Fourth of July weekend.
If city contact tracers get information that people who’ve caught the virus were in proximity to someone from a quarantine state and flouted the rules, they’ll issue a citation, Arwady has said.
They’ll also be on the lookout for people who are on social media “flagrantly posting their social activities, clearly out and about in Chicago after being in settings that are subject to our quarantine order, within the time frame,” she said. Investigators will look into any reports about city workers not following the guidelines, the health commissioner said.
Arwady has since clarified that the city “is not Big Brother,” nor does it have the resources to dedicate anyone to aimlessly scroll feeds from Chicagoans.
But if the agency receives a tip or is already looking into someone to determine whether to fine them, that’s when the city may scour social media.
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“One of the easiest ways to sort of get enough proof … without me having to send out an inspector … is to look at social media,” Arwady said.
Details for travelers
The order has plenty of exceptions for different types of workers and depending on how long travelers spend in the listed states.
If someone drives through a state on the list but does not stay more than 24 hours, that person does not need to quarantine. But a city employee clarified that Chicagoans who choose to drive into Wisconsin and go out in public, regardless of whether they return later in the same day, do need to quarantine after such voluntary activities.
For example, Chicagoans who drive through Indiana (a red-listed state), Ohio and New York (orange-listed states) to spend a week in Vermont (a yellow-listed state) but who did not stay in Indiana and Ohio more than 24 hours do not need to quarantine. There are similar restrictions for air travelers. .
Travelers visiting Chicago from red- or orange-listed states also are subject to the order if they are staying longer than a day. Everyone older than age 2 who lands at a Chicago airport is required to wear a mask, then quarantine if they’ve come from a listed state.
If someone is staying with a Chicago resident after traveling to an affected state, the traveler must quarantine, but other people in the home who did not travel to a listed state are not required to quarantine. The resident should follow guidance for being around someone who has potentially been exposed.
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Travelers or area residents who leave a Chicago airport and immediately travel to a suburb or outside Chicago limits are not required to quarantine — unless their municipality also has a travel restriction in place. The order also states that face coverings should be worn and that public transportation should not be used by those headed outside city limits.
Testing and exceptions to quarantine requirements in the revised rules
Under the guidance revised in November, Chicago residents returning from travel in red states or residents of red states who travel to the city are required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival here, according to the city travel order website.
People in similar circumstances entering Chicago from orange states must either quarantine for 14 days or, with a “pre-arrival negative test result” from no more than three days before traveling to Chicago, may choose instead to employ “strict masking, social distancing and avoidance of in-person gatherings.”
There also is an option for those who can’t get a test while visiting an orange state, such as a visit not much longer than 24 hours. Someone can quarantine upon arrival in Illinois until a test can be arranged locally, according to the city’s travel order website. The test needs to be issued by a private provider because of concerns about limited capacity at public health testing sites.
“If you cannot be tested for COVID-19 prior to arriving in Chicago and do not take a post-arrival test, you must quarantine for 14 days (or the duration of your stay, whichever is shorter),” according to the website.
Essential workers and other exceptions
For those who live outside Chicago but work in the city, it’s important to determine whether you’re an essential or nonessential worker according to the executive order.
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There are limited exceptions to the quarantine order for essential workers who have to travel for work. Travelers who don’t live in Chicago but who have to be in Chicago to work and who traveled to an orange- or red-listed state for work do not need to quarantine. Travelers who live in Chicago and who travel to a listed state for work do not have to quarantine, according to the order.
But if workers go to a listed state when they didn’t have to, or for medical care, or because of parental shared custody, they would be subject to quarantine.
People who work in Chicago and live elsewhere can do so if they haven’t traveled to a high-incidence state. If they have traveled to a high-incidence state, they are subject to requirements regarding essential workers who are Chicago residents.
For the purposes of the order, an “essential worker” is a person who works in any one of the 16 critical employment sectors. The term also includes any government workers traveling in their official capacities. Essential workers must:
Avoid any nonessential interactions until the quarantine period has ended. They must limit themselves to work-related activities and related functions, and avoid public spaces as much as possible.
Monitor temperature and signs of symptoms, wear a face covering when in public, maintain social distance, and clean and disinfect workspaces.
Avoid as much as possible extended periods in public, contact with strangers and large congregate settings.
What does quarantine mean?
According to the emergency travel order, quarantine means staying at one place for 14 days before doing any activities outside of the home. Included in the restrictions:
Not go out in public or otherwise leave home, unless seeking medical care or COVID-19 testing.
Wear a face covering and do not use public transit if seeking medical care or testing, or when traveling to or from an airport, train station or bus station.
Don’t go to the grocery store; instead have food and other supplies delivered.
Stay in separate quarters with a separate bedroom and, if possible, use a separate bathroom than non-traveling household members.
Travelers still must quarantine even if they had a negative COVID-19 test because people “can develop symptoms and become contagious up to 14 days from their last exposure.”
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Are the rules different for each state or territory?
Generally, the emergency order is applied uniformly to any state or territory on the list. However, with neighboring states, travelers should pay close attention to what constitutes a visit and distinctions between essential and nonessential workers.
What are the state lists?
The following is a rolling list of states on Chicago’s red, orange and yellow lists. The lists will be updated every two weeks:
Red-listed states (11): Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Orange-listed states and Puerto Rico (36): Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.
Yellow-listed states (3): Hawaii, Maine and Vermont.
Chicago Tribune’s Alice Yin, John Byrne and Gregory Pratt contributed.
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kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Column: Mies van der Rohe’s workhorse tower gets a vibrant remake as a dorm at Chicago’s Illinois In

Column: Mies van der Rohe’s workhorse tower gets a vibrant remake as a dorm at Chicago’s Illinois Institute of Technology

Upstairs , on the dormitory floors , Denison forgoes rigid , four-square geometry for an arrangement that has student rooms @ @ @ @ @ triples ) pinwheel around a social lounge and shared bathroom area on each side of @ @ @ @ @ , in particular , are quite small , but that is intentional , the idea @ @ @ @ @ of their rooms and into the brightly colored lounges .
Their ribbon windows offer striking @ @ @ @ @ nearby Guaranteed Rate Field and the distant downtown skyline .

Kacek Hall, a dorm at the Illinois Institute of Technology, is seen Aug. 10, 2020, in Chicago. Chicago architect Dirk Denison has renovated and updated the building which was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the great modernist architect who designed the IIT campus. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
The pandemic. The unrest that followed the killing of George Floyd. Rampant looting in downtown Chicago. Against that chaotic backdrop, it was moving Monday to experience the profound calm that characterizes the architecture of master modernist Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
On the first floor of a newly renovated building at the Illinois Institute of Technology, the South Side campus that bears Mies’ unmistakable imprint, floor-to-ceiling glass framed a serene view of honey locust and hawthorn trees. The looting that had ransacked downtown stores earlier that morning seemed far away.
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The building I was touring was not S.R. Crown Hall, the clear-span, steel-and-glass masterwork that’s home to IIT’s architecture school. It was, instead, George J. Kacek Hall, a workhorse nine-story building that Mies designed in the mid-1950s as faculty, staff and married student housing and that Chicago architect Dirk Denison has creatively converted into an undergraduate dorm.
Kacek Hall’s concrete and brick exterior is squat, lacking the perfect proportions and elegant refinements of Mies’ iconic, steel-and-glass high-rises at 860 and 880 North Lake Shore Drive. But it speaks with an honest, sometimes stirring, voice.
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Concrete columns step back as they rise, reflecting the lighter load they carry. As at 860-880, a masonry plinth lifts the building above quotidian clutter. Instead of being interrupted by massive walls, space flows through the building’s base, courtesy of stiltlike columns and a recessed lobby sheathed in glass. Corner columns feature a signature Mies detail, the re-entrant corner.
Chicago architect Dirk Denison renovated and updated a dormitory designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe at the Illinois Institute of Technology. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
After Denison’s $22.5 million remake, this solid work of mid-20th century modernism has emerged with a respectfully refreshed exterior and an interior that messes ever so slightly with Mies to respond to how students live today. Even the sometimes-overzealous defenders of Mies’ legacy, the so-called Mies police, are unlikely to object to the result.
Among other things, the project reveals how architects who do high-end work — Denison’s portfolio is filled with custom-designed, single-family homes for the superrich — can apply wisdom from such jobs to those with considerably lower budgets.
Originally called Bailey Hall and now renamed for an IIT-trained engineer who bequeathed a major gift to the university upon his death in 2018, Kacek Hall rises at 3101 S. Wabash Ave., just east of the Green Line elevated tracks. Students were moving in Monday, two weeks before classes start.
COVID-19 still cast a shadow. To minimize crowding and the risk of spreading the coronavirus, the 328-bed dorm at first will house about 170 students. The elevators are supposed to be used by only one person at a time. Some furniture has been removed from the building’s expansive student lounges to promote social distancing.
Nonetheless, the exterior has a new sheen after a gut rehab directed by Denison and his project architect, Justin DeGroff, , both graduates of IIT’s architecture school. (Denison teaches at IIT.) The architects had contractors strip the building down to its concrete skeleton and elevator cores, then went about bringing it into the 21st century.
The renovated exterior of Kacek Hall, which was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Is seen at the Illinois Institute of Technology. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
New beige paint protects the columns from the ravages of Chicago’s freeze-and-thaw cycles. Aluminum frames for the building’s horizontal “ribbon” windows maintain the profile of the originals but add fresh sparkle. The windows themselves are double-paned, which will join with new insulation behind the building’s brick panels to cut energy costs by at least 60%, Denison predicts.
On the glass walls of the recessed lobby, the donor’s name is emblazoned in the san serif Futura typeface that was de rigueur, like white shirts and black ties, at IIT in the middle years of the 20th century. Yet it all feels fresh, not nostalgic, as does the interior.
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There, Denison has departed from Mies’ notion of the flexible “universal space” in favor of something tailored to the building’s first- and second-year students. Recognizing that they may be eager to establish social bonds, the architect provides ample opportunities for chance meetings and group activity.
The lobby at Kacek Hall is outfitted by four geometric chairs designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
The welcoming, transparent lobby is outfitted with four geometric, but surprisingly comfortable, chairs designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, with whom Denison studied at Harvard. A new steel staircase, which nods to Mies’ revered steel staircase at the Arts Club of Chicago, leads from the lobby to a basement lounge outfitted with bright blue and green furniture inspired by the building’s natural surroundings.
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Upstairs, on the dormitory floors, Denison forgoes rigid, four-square geometry for an arrangement that has student rooms (singles, doubles and triples) pinwheel around a social lounge and shared bathroom area on each side of the floor. The doubles, in particular, are quite small, but that is intentional, the idea being to get students out of their rooms and into the brightly colored lounges. Their ribbon windows offer striking views, both of the nearby Guaranteed Rate Field and the distant downtown skyline.
The eighth-floor lounge at Kacek Hall has a view of the Chicago skyline. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
In one of many thoughtful touches drawn from Denison’s single-family homes, the floor plan emphasizes a sense of discovery. You “find the view,” Denison says. It’s not just there when you open the door. Playful wall graphics by David Salkin further enliven the student floors. One pattern suggests the letter “D,” perhaps a tribute to the architect.
How will students react to the dorm? Will IIT’s anti-COVID measures work? Those questions are still to be answered. In the meantime, IIT and Denison deserve credit for the university’s latest burnishing of Mies’ legacy. Kacek Hall isn’t Crown Hall, which IIT restored in 2005, but not every building has to be a masterpiece to merit preservation.
The workhorses, this fine renovation reminds us, are worth saving too.
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Blair Kamin is a Tribune critic.
bkamin@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @BlairKamin


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Lake County cleans up Tuesday after storm the day before topples trees, knocks out power

Officials reported no deaths or serious injuries , though at least one person was transported to a hospital with an @ @ @ @ @ .
There was some structural damage to buildings , but no one was forced from @ @ @ @ @ storms .

Downed trees are scattered around a home in Antioch Township after a storm Monday afternoon. (Eric Ring / HANDOUT)
Public works crews continued to remove uprooted trees and other debris Tuesday blown down the day before during thunderstorms with winds as intense as 90 mph in the northern and western portions of Lake County.
Officials reported no deaths or serious injuries, though at least one person was transported to a hospital with an injury that was not life-threatening. There was some structural damage to buildings, but no one was forced from their home because of the storms.
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It could take up to two weeks before public works crews fully remove all the storm debris, including dozens of fallen trees.
Fox Lake Police Chief Jimmy Lee said there were wind gusts between 80 and 90 mph when the storm came through the village.
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“It was a very intense storm, and there was some rotation when it was in Wisconsin,” Lee said. “It was all straight line winds here. We sounded the sirens and everyone had plenty of warning.”
Trees were uprooted in Antioch Township during a Monday afternoon storm. - Original Credit: News-Sun (Eric Ring / HANDOUT)
Joe Dushane, a deputy battalion chief with the Antioch Fire Department, said wind speeds were between 70 and 75 mph when the storm passed through that village.
“Utility poles snapped, and big trees were uprooted,” Dushane said. “There was some substantial damage to homes.”
Eric Ring, the highway commissioner of Antioch Township, said the heaviest damage was in the Grass Lake Road area. His area received assistance from Grant Township and private companies to unblock roads. He estimates it will take at least two weeks to recover.
Lindenhurst Police Chief Tom Jones said he was in contact with other police and fire officials as tornado sirens sounded. Jones said they estimated the straight line winds were blowing at 65 mph, but suspects there was not a tornado.
Dozens of trees were uprooted primarily in the northern and western portions of the county. Sgt Chris Covelli, the public information officer for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in an email. The department answered about 100 weather-related calls Monday, he said.
One tree fell and hit a house near unincorporated Lake Villa causing severe structural damage. Another downed tree destroyed a vehicle near Lake Villa. Along with the trees, the storm took out power lines, causing power outages.
John Schoen, a spokesperson for Commonwealth Edison said approximately 15,000 customers were without power at 6 p.m. Monday. As of noon Tuesday, Cristina Meesenburg, another ComEd spokesperson, said 7,236 homes remained without power.
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A tree that fell in unincorporated Lake Villa left the homeowner with a minor injury, Covelli said.
Doug Slazes, the chief of the Lake Villa Fire Protection District, which serves Lake Villa, Lindenhurst and parts of unincorporated Lake County, said one person slipped while trying to get inside to escape the storm. The individual was reportedly transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Jones said approximately a third of Lindenhurst was without initially left without power as almost a dozen calls were received about wires down. He said the trees and wires that fell were primarily on private property, and roads were not blocked Monday. There was minor flooding reported on some residential streets.
Slazes said his department answered 20 storm-related calls. Most were for fallen trees, including others that struck homes and caused damage to the buildings.
“Some really big ones were uprooted,” Slazes said.
Grayslake Police Commander Brian Ernst said there were reports of flooding and tree limbs resting on power lines, but none were on the ground.
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Waukegan and Gurnee appeared to escape serious damage. Detective Shawn Gaylor of the Gurnee Police Department said harm was limited to some downed trees. Waukegan Police Commander Joe Florip said in a text there were no major difficulties reported.


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Man held on $1M bond in Englewood shooting that allegedly sparked looting in downtown Chicago

Latrell Allen spotted the car and ran , east on 57th Street and north on May Street , with officers @ @ @ @ @ .
The closest cop saw him pull a gun as he ran into the alley @ @ @ @ @ he was running south in the alley when he fired multiple shots at two officers @ @ @ @ @ .

Officers stand near crime scene tape after an argument erupted between police and residents after Latrell Allen was shot three times by CPD officers after he allegedly fired several rounds at two officers near the 5700 block of South Racine Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood on Aug. 9, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
The chain of events that ended in citywide chaos early Monday allegedly began with a 911 call: There’s a man with a gun in a park full of kids, the caller reported, and he’s trying to start a fight.
Days later, Chicago still is grappling with the aftermath: inflamed police-community tensions, the cleanup from extensive looting and yet another round of political finger-pointing.
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And Latrell Allen — accused of being in the park with the gun — faces attempted murder charges from his hospital bed, recovering from multiple gunshot wounds after he allegedly shot at cops who returned fire. Allen was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail Tuesday at a videoconferenced court hearing held in his absence.
Outside the courthouse, Allen’s grandmother Joyce Brown expressed frustration and wonder that the shooting and the ensuing rumors supposedly sparked such widespread havoc.
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“The truth will win,” she said. “If my grandson shot at them and they shot at him, OK. If it’s true that his hands went up and they shot him in his back, they’re wrong.”
Police on Sunday afternoon drove to Moran Park in the Englewood neighborhood in response to that first 911 call: A man in a red shirt and hat had a gun, he was trying to fight, and he wouldn’t leave, prosecutors said, describing the call Tuesday.
Officers saw Allen in a red shirt and hat, walking out of the park with two other men, Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy told a judge.
The officers were part of a new community policing unit and had not been assigned body-worn cameras, Murphy said in court. At that, Allen’s mother, Latricsa Allen, sighed loudly in the public viewing room and threw her hands up in exasperation.
Latrell Allen spotted the car and ran, east on 57th Street and north on May Street, with officers in pursuit, Murphy said. The closest cop saw him pull a gun as he ran into the alley east of Aberdeen Street; he was running south in the alley when he fired multiple shots at two officers chasing him, Murphy said.
The officers could see the bullets ricochet up off the ground between them, Murphy said. Both pursuing officers returned fire, firing 13 shots between them, Murphy said.
Allen fell to the ground for a moment, then got up and ran through a vacant lot; officers soon lost sight of him and did not know whether he was still armed, according to prosecutors.
Police did not know he had been wounded until dispatchers alerted them over police radio about a call of a person shot at that address, prosecutors said.
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He had “crawled” into his home on Aberdeen, Latricsa Allen said Tuesday outside court.
Police responded and found a blood trail leading to the front door and down the basement stairway, where they called out for Allen to surrender, Murphy said. He was taken into custody and sent to University of Chicago Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his “side area” and a gunshot wound to the cheek, Murphy said.
Police subsequently searched the vacant lot and alley, and found a gun on the ground not far from eight spent cartridge casings where Allen fired the gun at police, Murphy said.
Allen was on probation for a burglary conviction when he was picked up. He also faces a pending misdemeanor reckless conduct and child endangerment case from March in which he allegedly ran from police with a baby in tow, at one point leaving the crying child behind on the ground, according to court records.
Allen’s defense attorney objected to prosecutors raising those allegations in court Tuesday, since Allen has not been convicted of that case. And he immediately cast doubt on their version of the shooting story, noting in court that officers involved did not have body-worn cameras and that Allen’s hands evidently were never swabbed for evidence of gunshot residue.
“Did he have a gun? Yes, I believe he had a gun,” said Brown, Allen’s grandmother, after court. “But did he shoot at police? No, I don’t believe that. ... I do believe he had a gun, but it may not have been the gun they found.”
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Brown remembered how she had gone straight to Englewood after she heard about the shooting, she said, and was confronted with something “messy” — intense anger and rumors about what had happened. An angry crowd had gathered to confront police.
“I went on down there where the crowd was, I said, ‘you stop this,‘” Brown said after court Tuesday . “‘This is about my grandson.‘”
Commanders at the scene and a few neighborhood residents eventually calmed things down. But false claims about the shooting had taken root, police have said, including one that police killed a 15-year-old and confiscated a cellphone from a witness who took video of the shooting.
The rumors allegedly fueled social-media messages urging people to head downtown. Widespread looting and chaos followed that night, according to authorities.
And on Tuesday afternoon, Allen’s mother was left outside the courthouse, smoking a cigarette and fidgeting with the bottle of Diet Pepsi in her hands. The hearing had left her with more questions than answers.
“Why they ain’t do the gun residue?” she asked outside court, tears in her eyes. “Why they don’t have the body cams?”
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mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital da

COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here’s a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital data in your area

Among the metrics ( see below ) tracked under guidelines set by Gov .
J.B. Pritzker are the percentage of @ @ @ @ @ , the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses , and the capacity of hospitals @ @ @ @ @ state will decide how much or how little to restrict activities based on these metrics @

Note: With Chicago and Illinois moving into phase 5, the Tribune is no longer updating this data. If the state moves back into bridge phase, the Tribune we reassess. Daily metrics on COVID-19, like cases, deaths and hospitalizations, can be found here. And Daily metrics on the vaccination effort can be found here. More on where the coronavirus stands nationally and around the world can be found here.
To assess how different parts of Illinois are handling the COVID-19 pandemic, officials look at the state through the 11 regions of Emergency Medical Services. The city of Chicago is one region, for example, and the rest of Cook County is another.
Among the metrics (see below) tracked under guidelines set by Gov. J.B. Pritzker are the percentage of coronavirus tests that return positive, the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19-like illnesses, and the capacity of hospitals to take in new patients.The state will decide how much or how little to restrict activities based on these metrics. (Cases, deaths and tests data is as of Dec. 31).
• Check out the Tribune’s coronavirus coverage.
• Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus.
• Other Chicago, suburbs and Illinois COVID-19 metrics.
• See how the governor’s plan to manage the regions works.
Source: Illinois Department of Public Health
Created by the Chicago Tribune dataviz team. On Twitter @chitribgraphics


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

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

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


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,657 deaths, 196,948 confirmed cases and 3.15 million tests

• How are Illinois regions doing ?
Check our daily charts on where each region stands on positivity rate and @ @ @ @ @ .

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


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Running list: Chicago-area restaurants closed permanently due to coronavirus pandemic economic woes

Bottled Blonde , the River North bar better known for its legal drama than pizza , closed permanently July 27 @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus , but not COVID-19 violations .
The business “ surrendered their business licenses @ @ @ @ @ North bar after a series of serious nuisance conditions dating back to 2017 , ” @ @ @ @ @ Chicago ’ s department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection .
The bar had not @ @ @ @ @ , wrote the department spokesperson .
The district manager of Bottled Blonde said “ It @ @ @ @ @ battle since we came into this neighborhood .
We had fights with the city , @ @ @ @ @ With the COVID thing , you need revenue to keep up those fights .
We @ @ @ @ @ and operate at limited capacities.
” See the full story here .
— Louisa Chu


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Family of 7 displaced by fire that moved from outdoor grill to house, Naperville fire official says

Moran said firefighters arrived to find smoke and fire coming from the exterior deck of the home .
Crews worked @ @ @ @ @ that extended into the home ’ s attic .

A grill that accidentally set fire to a home on Naperville’s near east side Tuesday left a family of seven displaced and a firefighter injured, Naperville Fire Bureau Chief Thomas Moran said.
The Naperville Fire Department responded to a 911 call at 5:30 a.m. from a resident of a single-family home in the fire 300 Block of South Julian Street, according a news release.
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Moran said firefighters arrived to find smoke and fire coming from the exterior deck of the home. Crews worked to extinguish the exterior fire that extended into the home’s attic.
One firefighter on the scene reported minor injuries and was treated at Edward Hospital in Naperville and later released.
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The seven occupants of the home evacuated before the fire department arrived.
Naperville fire investigators determined an outside grill was the source of the blaze.
The Naperville Fire Department was assisted by the Naperville Police Department and the city’s Transportation, Engineering and Development department, Nicor, Naperville Electric Department and the American Red Cross.
subaker@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Wisconsin hoping for a smoother election today after chaotic April presidential primary

Republicans are looking to flip six seats in November — three in the Assembly and three in the Senate — @ @ @ @ @ each house .
That would enable the GOP to override Democratic Gov .
Tony Evers @ @ @ @ @ the governor for the next session .
The primary will winnow the field of candidates @ @ @ @ @ The ballot features 28 legislative primaries .
Notable races include :

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald took a giant step Tuesday toward seizing an open seat in Congress, easily defeating a surveying company owner in a Republican primary as the state navigated its second statewide election since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in March.
That primary was one of about three dozen legislative and congressional primaries on Tuesday’s ballot. The election went off much more smoothly than April’s chaotic presidential primary, with municipalities forced to shut down polling sites after workers refused to show up out of fear of contracting the virus and voters overwhelmed the postal system with absentee ballots.
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With far more time to prepare, state elections officials reported no major problems as polls closed.
Absentee voting was again intense, with nearly 906,000 such ballots requested by people looking to avoid in-person voting, and about 61 percent of those returned by Tuesday morning. Only about 123,000 absentee ballots were requested two years ago.
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Gov. Tony Evers activated the National Guard to help staff polling sites. In Milwaukee, where the city managed to open just five sites in April, the city had about 170 on Tuesday thanks to an additional $100 to poll workers and a concentrated recruiting effort. In-person turnout was light, too.
Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesman Reid Magney said there were no problems with absentee voting, although counting was going slowly in Milwaukee and Kenosha. At Milwaukee's central counting facility, the machine that opens envelopes broke down, forcing counters to open the envelopes manually, he said. Some voters have complained about poll workers not wearing masks, leading the commission to contact clerks in those jurisdictions to remind them that workers must wear masks per a statewide mandate.
Legislature
Republicans hope to flip six seats in November — three in the Assembly and three in the Senate — to win two-thirds majorities in each house. That would enable the GOP to override Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ vetoes and largely sideline the governor next session. Some notable races:
— Kelda Roys emerged from a seven-way Democratic primary in Madison to replace state Sen. Fred Risser, who has held the seat since 1962. No Republicans are running, so Roys' primary victory essentially earns her the seat. She ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018.
— Former state Agriculture Secretary Brad Pfaff won a three-way Democratic primary for an open Senate seat in western Wisconsin. Pfaff decided to run after the Republican-controlled Senate fired him from his secretary post last year. He'll face Republican Dan Kapanke in November in what the GOP sees as a prime pickup chance.
— Jonathon Hansen of De Pere defeated Sandra Ewald of Green Bay in a Democratic primary for an open Senate seat in northeastern Wisconsin. Hansen's uncle, Democrat Dave Hansen, held the seat for 19 years before retiring this year. Jonathon Hansen will face Republican attorney Eric Wimberger in November. The district leans conservative, and Republicans are banking that they can flip it.
— Green Bay Area School Board Vice President Kristina Shelton easily defeated disgraced state Rep. Staush Gruszynski in a Democratic primary in northeastern Wisconsin. Democratic leaders demanded Gruszynski's resignation in December after a legislative staffer accused him of verbal sexual harassment, but Gruszynski refused to quit. Shelton will take on Republican Drew Kirstetter in November.
Congress
—Fitzgerald is looking to succeed the retiring Jim Sensenbrenner in southeastern Wisconsin’s 5th District. Sensenbrenner has represented the district in Washington since 1979. Fitzgerald faced a mostly nominal challenge from Cliff DeTemple, a U.S. Coast Guard Reserve commander who owns a surveying and engineering firm in Milwaukee, and won easily. He’ll face Democrat Tom Palzewicz, a business coach, in a conservative-leaning district.
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—In western Wisconsin’s 3rd District, former Navy Seal Derrick Van Orden defeated public relations professional Jessi Ebben in a GOP contest. The winner will take on Democratic Rep. Ron Kind, who easily defeated Mark Neumann, a former pediatrician from La Crosse, in a Democratic primary.


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Chicago firefighters, Lightfoot agree on tentative short-term contract with $95 million in back pay

“ The men and women of the Chicago Fire Department have been on the front lines of a crisis that @ @ @ @ @ our city , ” Lightfoot ’ s office said in a statement .
“ And @ @ @ @ @ financial impact due to the unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak , we are proud to announce that @ @ @ @ @ agreement with the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 to ensure that our first responders receive @ @ @ @ @ they deserve while still being judicious with taxpayer resources .
”

Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire in the 4100 block of West Madison Avenue after fires and looting erupted on the West side following the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, May 31, 2020, in Chicago. (Armando L Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has reached a tentative agreement with Chicago firefighters on a union contract that includes $95 million in back pay, her administration said.
The deal, which still needs to be ratified by union members and approved by the City Council, includes raises covering the period from July 2017 through June 2021.
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Lightfoot officials said the contract will save the city about $7 million per year through a number of measures, including requiring active firefighters to pay 1.5% more of their salaries toward health care. The city also is requiring retirees to pay more of their retirement annuity toward their health care benefits.
City officials wanted to get the deal done this fiscal year to take the $95 million hit now instead of stretching it out into next year’s budget, Lightfoot sources said.
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The short-term agreement expires next summer, however, and the city will again need to negotiate with the firefighters for a longer deal.
Lightfoot’s contract with the firefighters is roughly the same as what police supervisors received: 2.25% raises in 2018 and 2019 and a 2% raise in 2020. For 2021, however, police supervisors agreed to a deal with a 2% raise while firefighters got 2.5%, which means the city will kick an extra .5% to the supervisors because they have a clause that matches what the firefighters get.
But for now, the agreement would mean Chicago only has one major labor contract outstanding — its deal with the Fraternal Order of Police, which is sure to be thornier due to the troubled relationship between Lightfoot and its leader and tougher problems around officer accountability.
City officials said they hope the financial terms are a framework for the FOP deal.
“The men and women of the Chicago Fire Department have been on the front lines of a crisis that is entirely without precedent in our city,” Lightfoot’s office said in a statement. “And while Chicago is experiencing significant financial impact due to the unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak, we are proud to announce that we have reached a short-term agreement with the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 to ensure that our first responders receive the fair wages and benefits they deserve while still being judicious with taxpayer resources.”
Lightfoot received a big boost from the firefighters union in the 2019 campaign when they endorsed her candidacy early in the runoff.
A call to the union was not immediately returned.
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gpratt@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Tornado in Rogers Park

Tornado in Rogers Park

A video of a tornado taken on Aug. 10 , 2020 , on Birchwood Avenue in Chicago 's Rogers Park @ @ @ @ @


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Woman killed in Near North hit-and-run, police say

The crash occurred about 10:30 p.m. in the first block of East Hubbard Street , police said .
The 55-year-old @ @ @ @ @ the street when she was hit by the SUV and dragged about half a block @ @

Police work the scene where a woman was killed after being struck by a vehicle on Hubbard Street late Aug. 10, 2020, in Chicago. The driver fled the scene. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Zoraleigh Ryan was just steps away from safety.
She didn’t like walking down Hubbard Street with her daughter late Monday night, so she decided to duck into a hotel and call for a ride. They were crossing Hubbard, about to enter the Courtyard Marriott, when they heard the screech of tires and saw a silver Ford Explorer racing straight for them.
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Ryan was hit first, then her 20-year-old daughter. The SUV stopped and the driver got out, standing about 10 feet away as a bystander rushed to tend to the women. Then he got back into the SUV, circled the block and came at them again, according to police and prosecutors.
The bystander was able to pull the daughter clear, but the mother was struck again and dragged down the block. She died at the scene. The SUV driver sped off, crashing into barricades as he eluded police, but he was arrested later in the night when he went to police and claimed the Explorer had been carjacked.
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Edgar Roman, 25, appeared in court Wednesday charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. While Roman finally admitted to police that he hit the women, prosecutors gave no motive for the brutal attack as he was ordered held on $2 million bond.
Edgar Roman (Chicago Police Department)
Ryan, 55, and her daughter had just finished their dinner at Chicago Cut Steakhouse about 10:15 p.m. Monday and began walking back to their hotel, prosecutors said. They wanted to stop at a 7-Eleven on the way, but it was closed because of looting damage. They decided to head for the Marriott and call for an Uber ride.
Roman was on State Street nearby, prosecutors said. As the women crossed Hubbard, he took off, made a U-turn and hit Ryan and her daughter, prosecutors said. Ryan was tossed against the curb, but was talking and able to tell her daughter and a bystander where she was injured.
Roman drove a few car lengths away and stopped. The daughter told the bystander to get a picture of Roman’s license plate number, but as he walked toward the SUV, Roman jumped into his car, sped down Hubbard and came back, engine revving as he headed for the women again, prosecutors said.
Roman ran over Ryan, dragging her body as the car accelerated over pylons on State Street, prosecutors said. The SUV dragged Ryan for about half a block, then ran over her again, prosecutors said. The daughter and bystander ran up to Ryan and held her head, but she “was no longer breathing.”
Roman apparently went around the block and drove north on State Street yet again — close enough for a witness to make eye contact with him, prosecutors said. He drove off and returned yet another time, at which point police were arriving and the witness pointed out Roman’s SUV.
Police saw the Explorer “driving erratically” on Grand Avenue not long afterward. They tried to pull it over, but Roman drove through a construction barricade, then got stuck trying to drive through a second barricade, prosecutors said.
The SUV hit the barricades so hard, the front hood fell off, according to police.
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Officers got out of their car with weapons drawn, but Roman made a three-point turn and escaped, prosecutors said. About 11:20 p.m., Roman entered the Albany Park District Station and told police he had been carjacked, prosecutors said. The SUV was found, “heavily damaged,” not far away.
Roman was arrested and told police he was carjacked by two armed men who forced him to drive around at gunpoint, prosecutors said. He ultimately admitted that he hit the two women. The entire incident was caught on police cameras and surveillance video from buildings on Hubbard Street, prosecutors said.
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Ryan was pronounced dead on the scene. Her daughter was treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and released. Both are from Chandler, Arizona, though Ryan apparently has ties to the Chicago area, according to her Facebook page.
Ryan’s granddaughter told a television station in Phoenix that her grandmother was “just so sweet, doesn’t hurt anyone. She always makes sure everyone’s good before herself.”
“A decent enough human who felt bad when he hit her would have gone back and got out the car. ‘Oh my gosh, are you OK?’ No, but he hit her again to make sure that she was dead,” Angelina Adams told KPNX. “She didn’t deserve it. ... Now my only grandma is gone.”
Preliminary info: Officers trying to find a silver Ford Explorer that hit a woman at State/Hubbard #ChicagoScanner pic.twitter.com/GXDobxiHg8 — Paige Fry (@paigexfry) August 11, 2020
pfry@chicagotribune.com
rsobol@chicagotribune.com
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mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-10--Downtown businesses on edge after looting, vandalism. ‘I feel like we are under attack.’

Businesses that have business interruption insurance should also be able to recover lost income resulting from the inability to operate @ @ @ @ @ % of businesses have that coverage , according to the association .
Unlike the big @ @ @ @ @ of income losses due to COVID-19 , insurers are unlikely to reject claims related to @ @ @ @ @ results from physical damage to property .

Lauren Zumbach, Ally Marotti, Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz, Ryan Ori

Damaged windows at the Zara store following early morning looting in downtown Chicago on Aug. 10, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Downtown business owners still struggling during the coronavirus pandemic were scrambling to board up broken windows and take stock of damage after a wave of vandalism and looting early Monday morning.
For some, it was the second time this summer, following an earlier wave of looting that took place during the unrest that followed George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police in May.
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Jewelry and gift shop Crosell & Co. had reopened less than a week ago, then looters struck the store two blocks west of Michigan Avenue again Monday morning.
City officials “have to get ahold of the city again,” said owner Dianne Crosell, standing in front of her shop’s smashed double-paned glass door Monday morning. “I feel like we are under attack and under siege.”
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Shards of glass littered the sidewalk, and the sound of hammering as nearby businesses were boarded up echoed off the buildings. The damage wasn’t as extensive as it was in late May, when looters broke in through a window and took most of her inventory.
Still, it’s hard to rebuild again, Crosell said.
Dianne Crosell, owner of Crosell & Co., speaks about the damage to her shop following early morning looting and violence in Chicago, on Aug. 10, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
After the pandemic shutdown, her store was open for only about a week before the looting in May forced her to close again. Even if she was open, her customers, many of whom are tourists, aren’t downtown shopping as much because of the pandemic, she said.
“If this keeps happening, why is anyone going to stay?” she said. “They’re ruining the city of Chicago.”
All down the Magnificent Mile, broken glass littered the sidewalk and people stopped to take pictures of the damage.
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A crew of workers were cleaning up Water Tower Place just before 11 a.m. Macy’s windows were smashed, and a MAC makeup counter had been pilfered. A broken bottle of foundation was smeared on the floor, and lip glosses and makeup brushes lay scattered.
Hardly any merchandise remained on the shelves at Pandora. Empty shoe boxes were scattered on the floor. Men in masks worked to board up the windows outside, as workers inside cleaned items and broken glass off the ground.
The damage extended to other neighborhoods. In the Gold Coast, high-end retailers that line Rush Street were being boarded up Monday. At Dior, Versace and Giorgio Armani, windows that weren’t boarded up were shattered. Northwestern Memorial Hospital rescheduled some patient appointments as a precaution, according to a hospital statement.
‘The sad thing is, we’re getting used to this’
Bars and restaurants in the River North and Near North neighborhoods saw break-ins too. At both Portillo’s and Jojo’s Shake Bar, cleaning crews fled shortly before crowds broke in.
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“They just shattered everything,” said Robbie Schloss, owner of Jojo’s Shake Bar, standing in the sidewalk in front of his store. “They started by hopping the bar and stealing booze.”
The restaurant was set to reopen just after noon, only an hour later than normal. Jojo’s had plywood ready to go from the unrest in late May. It was not broken into then, but had to shut down for safety.
“The sad thing is, we’re getting used to this, so we have protocol,” he said.
Portillo’s planned to remain closed Monday, though employees scheduled to work would still be paid, said spokeswoman Sara Wirth.
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Binny’s Beverage Depot employees spent Monday morning cleaning up heavily damaged stores, a little more than two months after the stores were damaged during the unrest that followed Floyd’s death.
“We’re getting a little too comfortable with the rapid response to incidents like this,” Binny’s Vice President Bradley Stein said from the store near Clybourn Avenue that was strewn with broken glass, cigars and other debris. “This is not something we want to become proficient in.”
Bradley Stein, a vice president with Binny's, vacuums up shards of glass and spilled wine after looters broke in and took expensive bottles of champagne and wine from the River North location on Aug. 10, 2020. Three stores were looted. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The previous break-in created close to $1 million in property damage and theft, Stein estimated. He said it was too early to know the extent of Monday’s looting, but extensive damage included shattered glass inside and outside the store, and included the rare and collectible room, where bottles valued as high as $15,000 are stored.
“It kind of took us by surprise,” Stein said. “It was very targeted. They definitely knew what they wanted. We’re making the assumption these guys had been here before. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the same crew from the first time.”
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The 50,000-square-foot store near Clybourn is one of the largest and highest-grossing among the family-owned company’s 42 stores, all in Illinois. Binny’s stores in the South Loop and River North also were damaged, Stein said.
Apple, Best Buy and Ulta Beauty stores were among several other businesses on and around Clybourn that were damaged. Ulta stores on Michigan Avenue and in the South Loop and Wicker Park were also hit, and all Chicago-area locations closed Monday as the company assessed the damage, spokeswoman Eileen Ziesemer said.
Insurance likely to cover claims
Insurance should cover the damage caused by the looting as well as stolen merchandise. Virtually all business owners and commercial property policies cover riots, civil commotion and vandalism, according to the Insurance Information Institute, an industry association.
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Businesses that have business interruption insurance should also be able to recover lost income resulting from the inability to operate, though only about 40% of businesses have that coverage, according to the association. Unlike the big court battles brewing over coverage of income losses due to COVID-19, insurers are unlikely to reject claims related to looting as long as it results from physical damage to property.
The civil unrest that erupted earlier this summer is estimated to have caused $500 million to $900 million in insured losses, according to the association, and is on track to be one of the costliest events of civil disorder in years. By comparison, the 1992 Rodney King riots in Los Angeles caused $775 million in insured losses, or $1.4 billion in today’s dollars.
Still, insurance is not a panacea for affected businesses. Many small businesses don’t have insurance, or high deductibles or inadequate coverage may prevent relief.
Even if insurance covers damage from looting, many businesses are already reeling from the impact of the pandemic, especially in the Loop, where shuttered offices deprived stores of their usual daytime customers.
‘It’s definitely a setback’
Damage on State Street and Wabash Avenue Monday morning didn’t appear to be as extensive as what the area sustained in late May, when about 50 businesses had storefront windows smashed, said Michael Edwards, president and CEO of the Chicago Loop Alliance.
CBD Kratom and the neighboring Mrs. Fields cookies had broken windows, and across the street at Macy’s Chicago flagship, which was also looted earlier this summer, boards covered the doors.
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Block 37, Foot Locker, Nando’s Peri-Peri, Staples, Target and Wedding Bands also sustained damage, according to Chicago Loop Alliance.
The two waves of property damage have been an extra blow, Edwards said. The first came as restaurants and nonessential retail shops were preparing to reopen to customers. Now, the vandalism and restrictions on evening access to the downtown could further delay officegoers’ return to the downtown.
“It’s definitely a setback. It just puts businesses, property owners, and shoppers on edge,” Edwards said.
Pedestrian activity in the Loop is still down about 70% compared with the same period last year as many people continue working from home, Edwards said.
“We really thought we had turned the corner, and we were seeing people coming back to offices again,” said Kevin Purcell, president of leasing and management services at MB Real Estate. His firm manages 20 million square feet of commercial buildings in downtown Chicago.
If workers continue to stay away, “more of these retailers will suffer,” he said.
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Many of the hardest-hit stores have been large national chains, but property owners and managers worry that repeated break-ins will cause retailers of all types to rethink their presence downtown, Purcell said.
Farzin Parang, executive director of BOMA/Chicago, an association of 240 downtown buildings, on the other hand, said it’s too soon to say whether Monday morning’s incidents will have a significant impact on efforts to revive the downtown economy from the coronavirus pandemic.
“These have been unpredictable, sporadic events,” Parang said. “It’s hard to say whether that impacts people’s behaviors long term.”
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Chicago Tribune’s Javonte Anderson and Lisa Schencker contributed.