chicagotribune--2020-05-31--Wisconsin governor authorizes National Guard to be called in after Madison protest turns violent

Floyd , who was black and handcuffed , died Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer used his knee to @ @ @ @ @ for several minutes while Floyd pleaded for air and eventually stopped moving .
The officer @ @ @ @ @ and manslaughter on Friday .
He and the other three officers who were arresting Floyd @ @ @ @ @ None of the other officers have been charged .

Graffiti on the windows of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art in Madison, Wis. is removed on May 31, 2020, by volunteers following an overnight looting and rioting spree along State Street in the city's downtown. (John Hart / Wisconsin State Journal)
MADISON, Wis. — Hundreds of volunteers gathered early Sunday morning in downtown Madison to clean up after a night of violent protests over the death of George Floyd in which a police car was burned, businesses were broken into and a museum and other buildings were vandalized.
More than a thousand people held a peaceful protest Saturday afternoon in the Wisconsin capital, but like many of the protests around the country over the death of Floyd in Minneapolis, it later took a violent turn, with a group of about 150 demonstrators throwing rocks at police in riot gear who fired tear gas on the crowd.
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Police said Sunday that 75 stores were damaged or broken into overnight and three people were arrested. One police officer was injured, but protective equipment prevented more serious injuries, acting Police Chief Victor Wahl said in a blog post.
One Madison police cruiser was broken into, driven a short distance and then set on fire, police said. Two rifles were stolen from the car, police said, noting that an armored police rescue vehicle was also hit by a bullet and multiple small fires were set and extinguished in the area.
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Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway declared a state of emergency and imposed a 9:30 p.m. Sunday curfew in downtown Madison where the previous night's unrest occurred. Gov. Tony Evers authorized Madison authorities' request for help from the Wisconsin National Guard, and troops will be available Sunday, said his spokeswoman, Melissa Baldauff.
Most of the damage was to stores located near the state Capitol, but police said stores throughout the city, including at shopping malls several miles away, were also damaged.
Among the businesses that were targeted was the gift shop at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, where several protesters threw large chunks of concrete through the display window. A man who tried to stop them was knocked to the ground as protesters knocked items off the store shelves, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Floyd, who was black and handcuffed, died Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer used his knee to pin Floyd to the ground for several minutes while Floyd pleaded for air and eventually stopped moving. The officer was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on Friday. He and the other three officers who were arresting Floyd were fired on Tuesday. None of the other officers have been charged.


chicagotribune--2020-05-31--Animals at university research labs still get care during the pandemic — but scores have been euthan

Animals at university research labs still get care during the pandemic — but scores have been euthanized to conserve ‘critical resources’

At Loyola , spokeswoman Anna Shymanski said the school follows federal guidelines for its work with animals and only uses @ @ @ @ @ aren ’ t available .
In response to PETA ’ s May 5 letter , @ @ @ @ @ : “ Specially trained veterinarians and animal-care technicians provide for the care and well-being of @ @ @ @ @ care committees regulate and monitor laboratories regularly , ” she said in an email .
@ @ @ @ @ it is a privilege to use animals for the advancement of scientific discovery . ''

A veterinarian and a technician perform a health check of laboratory mice kept at the Biologic Resources Laboratory at University of Illinois at Chicago. The school advised reseearchers that the pandemic might be a good time to cull their mice colonies. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
As researchers wrapped up their experiments in March to comply with the state’s stay-at-home order, another problem dogged the University of Illinois at Chicago: How would it continue tending to the 40,000 lab animals housed on campus?
Veterinarians and maintenance staff were deemed essential workers to handle the cage cleaning, feeding and daily health checks required for animals used in federally sponsored research. They are given personal protective equipment and instructed to follow social distancing.
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But other aspects of UIC’s response ― including a recent memo that asked scientists to consider euthanizing older rodents ― are likely to stir more controversy, especially from organizations that have long opposed the use of animals in research.
The March 19 memo to researchers said it was a “good time to critically look at colonies and cull aged breeders or nonproductive cages,” citing the need to “preserve critical resources.” Though projects that began before the shutdown were allowed to be completed, all others that weren’t deemed critical or related to COVID-19 were put on hold, and new animal orders were temporarily suspended.
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“We feel that there’s a moral and ethical responsibility to make sure the animals are used appropriately and judiciously," said Jeffrey Fortman, director of the UIC’s Biologic Resources Laboratory, where the animal researchers work. “Because we’ve asked principal investigators not to initiate new research projects, we don’t want them unnecessarily producing animals that cannot be used.”
Rodents at other major institutions are also being put down in droves. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard and Johns Hopkins each have needed to cull hundreds of mice when laboratories abruptly shut down, according to media reports. Most commonly, rodents are euthanized with carbon dioxide or anesthetic gases.
Researchers characterize the jump in euthanization as a difficult but necessary step to prepare for a protracted pandemic. Universities have sought to limit the number of employees in the facilities, allowing them to work in staggered shifts. And lab operators want to maintain enough supplies for the animals — food, bedding, medication — in case there are long-term shortages. Administrators also fear a worst-case scenario in which workers fall ill and there aren’t enough staff for daily rounds.
A veterinary technician checks on laboratory mice kept at the Biologic Resources Laboratory at University of Illinois at Chicago. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Still, the recent moves have only heightened tensions with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a historic foe to many in the scientific community. Referring to downsizing efforts as a “killing spree,” PETA launched a new campaign to voice its fierce objection to animal research as a whole.
As PETA learned of lab shutdowns, often from notices posted on university websites, the activist group wrote to schools — Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and Loyola University Chicago among them — urging them to stop using animals once and for all.
“PETA has been questioning why any of these animals are being bought, bred, trapped or experimented on in the first place since they are now so easily being disposed of and since experiments are now being ended or delayed,” Shalin Gala, PETA’s vice president for international laboratory methods, told the Tribune.
Researchers couldn’t disagree more. They counter that animal experiments help lead to live-saving advances in medicine and will be crucial as scientists race to discover treatments and vaccines for COVID-19. Already, a study spearheaded by Oxford University showed encouraging results that a potential vaccine injected into monkeys helped them develop antibodies to attack the virus.
‘We had to eliminate so many mice’
A researcher at U. of C. said she reduced her mouse population by more than half after the school began warning of a looming shutdown. By the end of March, the school had restricted lab access, and she began working from home.
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The researcher, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation from animals rights groups, said she had more than 400 cages of mice, with two to five per cage. She only had about a week to euthanize the animals.
“Before the shutdown there was a decision, and I think this is consistent across all universities, that they wanted to lower the essential workforce that was required to go in ... and one essential workforce is the people who take care of our animals,” the researcher said.
The researcher and U. of C. officials were hesitant to share details of her work, such as how the mice are used. Others contacted by the Tribune also said they were reluctant to speak about their studies because of PETA, which has been using Twitter to single out scientists during the pandemic.
Some learned the hard way. The official PETA Twitter account started replying to researchers who lamented on social media about putting down mice with comments such as, “Sad to have killed a bunch of animals? What if you never did it again?” That’s caused some researchers to delete the original posts.
As part of its new letter-writing campaign, PETA also sent messages to more than 70 universities, demanding the schools shut down their animals labs, divulge how many animals have been euthanized — though there’s no indication that animals other than mice or rats have been affected.
Northwestern, which received a letter March 31, declined to comment. The letter also mentioned several animal care violations found by inspectors prior to the pandemic, including an incident in which more than 1,000 mice were given expired medication.
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At Loyola, spokeswoman Anna Shymanski said the school follows federal guidelines for its work with animals and only uses them in cases when alternates aren’t available. In response to PETA’s May 5 letter, she said in an email: “Specially trained veterinarians and animal-care technicians provide for the care and well-being of the animals, and animal care committees regulate and monitor laboratories regularly,” she said in an email. “Our faculty understand that it is a privilege to use animals for the advancement of scientific discovery."
A spokeswoman for U. of C., which received a letter April 15, said the school has also developed contingency plans “to ensure humane care and comfort of research animals during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Though U. of C. has launched dozens of new studies related to COVID-19, all labs working on other topics were closed.
The U. of C. researcher said she’s not sure when she’ll be able to return and worries about the impact of the delay on graduate students who work in her lab and were relying on results to finish their degrees.
She predicts further setbacks, because it will take time to breed the colonies again once everyone is allowed back. Graduate students typically spend about four years in the lab working to earn a doctorate, she said.
“It is a big issue that we had to eliminate so many mice,” she said. “If we could go back to the lab full time this summer, we would still be another six months behind.”
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Freezing mouse sperm
Even as researchers scramble to shrink their rodent colonies now, they also need to keep enough on hand in case studies resume on short notice.
Many are looking to cryopreservation ― a process that involves freezing mouse sperm or embryos and storing them in liquid nitrogen ― as a kind of insurance policy. Since lab mice are typically bred with particular genetic profiles that researchers isolate in their experiments, those unique DNA strains need to be protected.
The Jackson Laboratory, a nonprofit biomedical research institution based in Maine, has seen “a sudden spike in demand” for cryopreservation, said senior manager Robert Taft.
As shelter-in-place orders took effect, the Jackson Laboratory dispatched trucks to Chicago and elsewhere to retrieve mice for cryopreservation.
“We were getting these panicked calls from folks because they were uncertain what was going to happen,” Taft said.
'Natural social distancing’ in UIC animal labs
Unlike schools that pulled the plug on all studies, UIC made an exception for research projects started before the state’s stay-at-home order on March 21. Some other special projects, clinical trials and research related to COVID-19 were also permitted to move forward if they were considered essential, said Joanna Groden, vice chancellor for research.
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At the sprawling Biologic Resources Laboratory, staffing levels have remained close to normal, Fortman said. Researchers approved to continue their projects use rotations to avoid contact with others and were required to wear face coverings.
“We have 137,000 square feet of space for housing animals, and it’s pretty easy to have your staff in different facilities, buildings and in different services areas, so there’s a lot of natural social distancing in how we operate,” Fortman said.
A veterinarian and veterinary technician examine mice at the Biologic Resources Laboratory at University of Illinois at Chicago. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
One project allowed to continue was a 12-week study that started in January, testing a possible vaccine for a type of human papillomavirus on rabbits, Fortman said. Results from the study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, will be used in the coming years as the vaccine is considered for federal approval.
“If we had to shut down on March 19, we would have had to euthanize these animals,” Fortman said. But after the study ended recently, Fortman said, “this researcher popped by my office and said how appreciative they were that we allowed them to complete this project."
Of all the animals housed at UIC, more than 99% are rodents and fish, Fortman said. The school also has about 80 primates, 25 dogs and eight pigs, Fortman said.
But the numbers have dropped in recent weeks. From late February to late April, the animal population declined by about 11%, Fortman said. While he attributed the gap to restrictions on breeding and new animal orders, Fortman said he could not rule out that euthanization also played a role. The researchers act autonomously, making decisions about colony size on their own, Fortman said.
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“UIC did not track how many rodents were euthanized by investigators as a result of the pandemic but the number is thought to be low,” said spokeswoman Sherri McGinnis Gonzalez.
Now, with the Monday expiration date for the stay-at-home order in sight, Groden and Fortman have turned their attention to the future. They are brainstorming what procedures will be necessary when the Biologic Resources Laboratory fully reopens, and researchers are eager to resume their work. At least six projects using animals have been proposed for COVID-19 research, according to UIC.
“I hope this (time period) inspires people to continue to work in clinics and hospitals and studies that will help us understand disease and how to treat it,” Groden said. “It’s very important for us to keep the pilot light going here in research, to provide a safe path forward."
On May 18, UIC announced an array of new protocols for animal researchers when state restrictions are lifted, according to its website. Those working in the Biologic Resources Laboratory will need to continue wearing face coverings, comply with temperature checks at entrances and practice social distancing throughout the facility, including in elevators and rooms with animals. It will also start accepting requests for new animal purchases.
echerney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-31--Target temporarily closing 7 Chicago stores after George Floyd demonstrations turn violent

The protests were in response to the death of George Floyd , a black man who died May 25 after @ @ @ @ @ pressed his knee on his neck until he stopped breathing .
Overnight curfews were imposed @ @ @ @ @ major cities , including Chicago , where Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Saturday ’ s demonstration @ @ @ @ @ conduct .
”

Police officers guarding the Trump International Hotel & Tower hold back protesters in the Loop on May 30, 2020, during a rally and march to remember the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Target is temporarily closing dozens of stores, including seven in Chicago, after demonstrations in cities across the country turned chaotic overnight.
The protests were in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man who died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck until he stopped breathing. Overnight curfews were imposed in more than a dozen major cities, including Chicago, where Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Saturday’s demonstration had “evolved into criminal conduct.”
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A woman learns from a cleaning crew that Target on State Street will not open Saturday as they clean and board up broken windows, after Friday's protest turned destructive, May 30, 2020. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)
In Chicago, the demonstration began with a crowd that grew to around 3,000 marching from Federal Plaza onto Lake Shore Drive. In the evening, skirmishes broke out between protesters and police, with people hurling bottles, overturning police cars, breaking windows and looting multiple businesses on State Street and North Michigan Avenue.
The Target stores closed include the chain’s location at State and Madison streets and locations in the South Loop, Streeterville, Uptown, Near West Side, Hyde Park and McKinley Park neighborhoods.
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Target, based in Minneapolis where the protests began, said employees will be paid for up to 14 days of scheduled hours while stores are closed. Employees will also be able to work at other nearby stores.
The Associated Press contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-06-01--Daywatch: Loop locked down as unrest spreads, how a tense weekend unfolded and downtown’s iconic Cen

Daywatch: Loop locked down as unrest spreads, how a tense weekend unfolded and downtown’s iconic Central Camera vows to rebuild

The Loop ’ s iconic Central Camera went up in flames during Saturday night ’ s protests , but the @ @ @ @ @ rebuild “ and make it just as good or better.
” The camera shop , @ @ @ @ @ its current location at 230 S. Wabash Ave. since 1929 , was among numerous downtown @ @ @ @ @ as violence erupted amid protests .

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Good morning, Chicago. Protests and unrest over the death of George Floyd and other police killings of black people continued Sunday in the Chicago area and in cities across the country. Sign up for our breaking news alerts to get the latest on this story throughout the day.
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Demonstrators rally at Daley Plaza for George Floyd and other victims of police violence on May 31, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
As Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot requested the Illinois National Guard be brought in to prevent a second night of downtown violence and looting, the chaos spilled into some city neighborhoods and suburban towns, continuing to overshadow the urgent message conveyed during peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Meanwhile, Lightfoot pulled up the drawbridges — both literally and figuratively — around the shattered downtown. In addition to imposing a citywide curfew, she cut off access to the Loop by stopping CTA service until Monday morning, closing highway exits, blockading streets and raising most bridges along the Chicago River. CTA service has resumed but access to the Loop area remains temporarily reduced.
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Unrest across the U.S. overshadows peaceful protests for another night; no apparent injuries after semitruck drives into Minneapolis demonstrators
Rosie Alvarez assesses the damage after windows were smashed Sunday night at her mixed martial arts studio in downtown Aurora. (Megan Jones / The Beacon-News)
The state’s second largest city erupted into chaos Sunday night, as rioters in west suburban Aurora looted stores and set a series of fires around a downtown area already financially devastated by the coronavirus lockdowns.
Police responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd, which swelled to about 500 people at its height. Some onlookers responded by hurling chunks of concrete at officers, further shrouding an urgent message of nonviolence conveyed earlier that day during peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Hundreds gather for peaceful protests in Arlington Heights and Naperville on Sunday. “I’ve been protesting for 50 years,” said one demonstrator. “They should have fixed this by now.”
Tense protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 turned into a weekend of violent unrest downtown in the Loop and along Michigan Avenue. Using tweets from Tribune journalists, here’s a look at how some of the events unfolded.
A ransacked makeup store in River North on May 31, 2020, the morning after unrest led to widespread destruction downtown. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
This week was supposed to mark a milestone for a city looking forward to reopening after nearly three months of being sidelined by COVID-19. Instead, businesses in Chicago spent Sunday sweeping up glass, boarding up windows and taking stock of destroyed stores and stolen inventory.
Long before night had fallen on Sunday, any hope that workers, consumers and business would return to a sense of normalcy had been dashed.
Owner Don Flesch, whose grandfather started the iconic Central Camera in 1899, walks through the damage on May 31, 2020, the morning after the store burned when protests led to widespread destruction in the Loop. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
The Loop’s iconic Central Camera went up in flames during Saturday night’s protests, but the third-generation owner is vowing to rebuild “and make it just as good or better.” The camera shop, founded in 1899 and at its current location at 230 S. Wabash Ave. since 1929, was among numerous downtown businesses that sustained major damage as violence erupted amid protests.
Owner Don Flesch, whose grandfather started Central Camera, expressed no anger at the demonstrators even as he watched his shop’s neon sign shrouded in smoke. “It’s what’s going on, it’s reality, so you deal with it. It’s that simple,” Flesch said.


chicagotribune--2020-06-01--Association that helps visually impaired is struggling to reopen. ‘I can’t get things read, I don’t

Association that helps visually impaired is struggling to reopen. ‘I can’t get things read, I don’t have activities. They are really integral to our lives.’

“ For us and many other organizations , being one-on-one with our clients is pretty much how it goes and @ @ @ @ @ close contact with not a 6-foot space in between them , ” she said .
@ @ @ @ @ clients use touch to navigate and read — contact that may put them at increased @ @ @ @ @

Marcia Trawinski, a client of Blind Service Association and an advocate for those with visual impairment, is seen on the Southwest Side of Chicago on May 29, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Several times a week, 72-year-old Marcia Trawinski would visit the downtown office of the Blind Service Association where a volunteer would spend a few hours reading nearly everything she got in the mail, from bills to census forms.
"If you think about your daily life, that covers most of it,” said Trawinski, who has been visually impaired most of her life.
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Things changed more than two months ago when the nearly 100-year-old association closed its doors because of the pandemic. Those who depend on the volunteers say they have been able to get some reading assistance over the phone, but it has been a challenging time.
Trawinski said she can still get help with what is sent by email, but “I can't get things read, I can't take care of snail mail, I don't have activities. What used to take three steps now takes eight steps to get accomplished. They are really integral to our lives.”
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As Chicago and the rest of Illinois begin to reopen, it's still unclear when the association will resume office visits.
While the association was deemed an essential business and could have stayed open under the stay-at-home order, Executive Director Debbie Grossman said that was not an option because of the vulnerability of the people it serves, particularly the elderly with compromised health conditions.
Marcia Trawinski, a client of Blind Service Association and an advocate for those with visual impairment, is seen on the Southwest Side of Chicago on May 29, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
“For us and many other organizations, being one-on-one with our clients is pretty much how it goes and that means to be in close contact with not a 6-foot space in between them,” she said. Also, many of the clients use touch to navigate and read — contact that may put them at increased risk of being infected.
Grossman said current guidelines from the state Department of Public Health do not take into consideration the needs of the blind and visually impaired. She said she has asked the department for more guidance but has not heard back.
“There really hasn’t been any kind of a word," she said.
Asked about the association's concerns, the department sent the Tribune a statement referring to its guidelines for essential businesses and those opening under phase three. "The primary guidance is for face coverings, social distancing and cleaning," it said.
Grossman said the association is working on its own guidelines “for the safest way for our clients to return sometime in the future. I think there are many people out there who are fearful of contracting COVID as more people return to work.”
The association has more than 200 volunteers. In addition to reading services, the organization offers support groups, classes and group outings. Much of that has been put on hold for now, leaving clients isolated.
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For Loree Woodley, 60, the association is a point of connection. She visited the offices two to three times a week, meeting with her reader and catching up with other clients.
“It’s a lifeline,” Woodley said. “BSA reading services are a lifeline.”
Woodley has worked with the same reader for years and has developed a deep bond. “Yeah, we read my mail but we share life.”
Even when the association’s offices reopen, Woodley is not sure how she’ll get there. If instructed to wear gloves — as she expects they will be — Woodley does not know how she will feel for Braille or elevated lettering to select the proper button inside the elevator.
Trawinski echoed the same concern. “Visually impaired people touch everything,” she said. “We find our way not only with sound but tactile recognition. And if you’re not supposed to touch common areas, it’s a little hard.”
“Some gloves are easy to feel through and some not so easy,” she added.
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Inside the office, Grossman anticipates there will be shields placed between the client and reader, and the size of groups gathering in office common spaces will be limited. Navigating social distancing outside the office will be more difficult.
To shop for groceries, Trawinski and Woodley rely on a worker to guide them through the store. Typically, they would go to the store’s customer service desk and ask for assistance, but such a practice would go against social distancing restrictions.
Trawinski and Woodley often rely on group rides from Pace and paratransit services. Those organizations have placed limits on the number of riders now, making scheduling transportation more complicated, according to Trawinski.
Grossman says Pace drivers are not allowed to touch riders, making it nearly impossible for many clients to get to the vehicle without someone guiding them by the elbow.
Virtual doctor appointments have become more popular as hospitals and offices try to limit the number of people coming in and out — but teleconferencing can be difficult for clients like Trawinski. “Medical appointments for me are now a big problem,” she said. “Anything that’s visual that they want reports on, I can’t do.”
Trawinski understands the need for precautions, but argues that the specific challenges faced by the visually impaired need to be addressed before places like the association reopen.
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“Are we going to have the same guidelines as any other service or retail or whatever? And how’s that going to work?” Trawinski said. “There are a lot of questions that need to be taken care of … We are going to adjust — we’ll manage. But it’s going to be a whole new experience.”
Alexander Brown is executive director of Friedman Place, an assisted living home for visually impaired adults on Chicago’s North Side.
The home has been on strict lockdown since March 15, and residents spend many days inside their apartment with food delivered to them. Venturing out, they can’t immediately tell whether an area is crowded and can’t read signs that carry warnings or instructions.
Just accessing information has been a huge hurdle for Friedman residents, according to Brown.
“Some of our residents, particularly the younger ones, have adapted technology and are adept with the web … but many are not,” Brown said. “So, they don’t have access to the internet, they get some information from the radio, but the more formal guidance from the government (and) Department of Public Health is just not available to them.”
Every Friday, Brown listens to a department webinar related to long-term care facilities. As of last week, Brown said he was still standing by for official guidance on how to reopen facilities like his.
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“All the plans about the rollout show right now it’s pretty big-picture,” Brown said. “But, again, and is often the situation, people with disabilities, people who are blind are not at the table. So, the folks that are making the decisions, just soliciting information feedback, aren’t asking the community of the blind. And that’s a real problem.”


chicagotribune--2020-06-01--Critics decry remote learning in Chicago Public Schools as unfair, say it ‘rewards those with privil

Critics decry remote learning in Chicago Public Schools as unfair, say it ‘rewards those with privilege’

“ It ’ s no exaggeration when I say that many of our students and families are struggling to survive @ @ @ @ @ “ ...
When my students don ’ t complete work because they are themselves working @ @ @ @ @ members or feeling the weight of this collective traumatic experience , it ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ or careless .
The grading policy rewards those with privilege that shields them from these @ @ @ @ @ students without access , which we know are our immigrant , undocumented , black and @ @ @ @

Finley Williams, 17, a student and newspaper editor at Lane Tech College Prep, has spoken out against Chicago Public Schools' remote learning grading policy, calling it inequitable. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
With virtual summer school weeks away and final grades soon due for the school year interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, critics of remote learning in Chicago Public Schools continue to push for change.
District leaders have presented the policy used to grade remote schoolwork as equitable, offering students time to improve their letter grades without the risk of failing. But a growing contingent of student activists and teachers say it has torn up the playing field for already disadvantaged students, in part because those who complete work on paper but not online are ineligible for letter grades.
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Lane Tech College Prep junior Finley Williams said the “vast majority” of CPS students she’s aware of oppose the grading policy announced April 30. She cited widely circulated petitions with nearly 20,000 signatures in remarks last week to the Chicago Board of Education.
“It does not allow students without access to technology to raise their grades,” she argued, calling the incomplete a “thinly veiled fail” that penalizes students and “will doubtless result in thousands of students enrolled in virtual summer school.”
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Even a “pass” punishes high-achieving students who are unable to perform as well as they could when in class with in-person support, she said.
She suggested that incomplete grades should only be given to students who were already failing a class prior to remote learning.
Walter Payton College Prep senior Zachary Vanderslice said a pass grade under the district’s policy “communicates a student was not able to keep up a grade” and is effectively a reduction.
Yet he said students are without the support structures of school.
“Expecting graded projects and quizzes of students ignores the reality that they’re struggling with depression and anxiety, already find(ing) it difficult to simply get up in the morning,” Vanderslice said.
Avery Sims, a junior at Westinghouse College Prep representing the student activist group, Chi Student Pandemic Response, asked for a policy that takes into account more of the situations students are facing at home.
“It does not seem to account for the students that are trying to provide for their families, that are essential workers,” Sims said.
While finalizing grades, one teacher tweeted that seeing students at risk of an incomplete “is emotionally devastating.”
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“We are basically just grading for socioeconomic status,” the teacher said.
Another CPS teacher, Roxana Gonzalez, said she recently asked her students how things were going at home, and read some of their responses to the school board last week. One student works every day filling Instacart orders. Another whose parents still have to go to work babysits three young children. One student told Gonzalez: “It’s OK, but I’ve lost some family members to COVID.”
“I just feel really disconnected from everything, and I seem not to care about things anymore, but I do care, but I don’t have the motivation or drive to even show it,” one student wrote in an email Gonzalez read. “I don’t really know how to fix myself, and I don’t know if it’s just me.”
Gonzalez, who said she teaches in Belmont Cragin, finished reading the email and added: “The truth is, it’s not just them.”
“It’s no exaggeration when I say that many of our students and families are struggling to survive,” she said. “... When my students don’t complete work because they are themselves working, caring for sick family members or feeling the weight of this collective traumatic experience, it’s not because they’re unmotivated or careless. The grading policy rewards those with privilege that shields them from these hardships and will disproportionately affect students without access, which we know are our immigrant, undocumented, black and brown youth.”
African American and Latino students, along with English learners, have been much less likely to log into Google learning platforms used by the district than their white peers.
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Students shouldn’t have to worry about grades and the possibility of summer school during a pandemic, Gonzalez said.
As summer school will also be virtual this year, Chicago Teachers Union leaders and other critics have questioned how that will benefit students who need the extra classes because they still lack digital access.
Board of Education member Lucino Sotelo raised concerns at the meeting about how the district is going to work with such students, asking: “What are we going to do to first reach them, engage them to enroll?”
He asked how to pinpoint what’s hindering students from participating in remote learning and what the district can do about it.
“I cannot say that remote learning in the summer is going to all of a sudden miraculously be so much new and improved in comparison to what’s happening today, but what I will say is we have an obligation to make sure we are opening up opportunities for students," said Chief Education Officer LaTanya McDade.
Though CPS did loan out 122,000 laptops and tablets to students, others still need devices or internet access, and the district is looking at how to get those to students so they can participate in summer school, McDade said. For families who are choosing not to do online learning, the district can continue to provide packets.
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On WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight” on Thursday, CEO Janice Jackson said the district “definitely will use the summer to implement our remote learning plan for summer school while also strengthening our remote plan should we need to use it in the fall.”
“But we’re also looking at a variety of options ... for what the fall may look like. We don’t yet know.” CPS will continue to make decisions driven by public health professionals, she said.
For this year, the traditional “Summer Bridge” program is renamed “Summer Learning," and will target students in first through eighth grade who have incomplete final grades in math or reading. Other programs include virtual credit recovery, acceleration and what’s known as Extended School Year, already the norm for many students with special education plans.
“This year, more than ever, summer school represents a much-needed opportunity to provide students with additional support," McDade said.
Summer school typically starts in late June.
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The district will also offer educators more extensive professional development over the summer, she said.
The district will continue to provide food delivery for families, though the district announced late Sunday it was temporarily suspending its grab-and-go meal service because of weekend unrest around the city following the death of George Floyd while in custody of Minneapolis police.
So far, Chicago Public Schools estimates spending about $44 million to address the pandemic, Chief Operating Officer Arnie Rivera said. That includes an estimated $24.4 million on technology such as laptops, tablets and internet hot spots.
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-06-01--Fire, looting, tear gas in downtown Aurora; mayor imposes curfew after protest turns violent

“ We need to get to the root of why this is happening and that was danced around , ” @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t say how we are going to change the narrative .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ attention of the crowd because these people were here to see a solution and a @ @ @ @ @ glorify themselves .
”

Megan Jones, Stacy St. Clair, Sarah Freishtat

Hundreds of people gather during a rally Sunday outside the Aurora Police Department. (Megan Jones / The Beacon-News)
Police and protesters clashed in downtown Aurora and businesses were looted Sunday night after hundreds of people rallied in the city following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin imposed a curfew on the city Sunday. The curfew, announced shortly before 8 p.m., was set for 8:30 p.m until 6 a.m. Monday, “due to the widespread incidents of violence, vandalism and stealing occurring throughout the City of Aurora,” police said.
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Protests throughout the day turned tense Sunday evening near downtown. Protesters hurled water bottles and launched fireworks, and police appeared to use pepper spray and fire rubber bullets late in the evening.
At least three squad cars were destroyed by fire, windows were smashed in city businesses and looting ensued. People pulled up in front of a jewelry store by the carload, crawling inside through a shattered window and later emerging with trays full of necklaces.
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Police used tear gas to break up the crowd downtown both before and after the curfew. Protesters were seen crying with stinging eyes, using milk to alleviate the pain, and a reporter felt the sting of the gas in the air.
Fire engulfs a police vehicle Sunday night in Aurora. (Stacy St. Clair / The Beacon-News)
Later in the night, a large fire burned at the Family Dollar store on East New York Street. Firefighters were working to extinguish the blaze after midnight, as smoke wafted over a large swath of the city.
Police spokesman Paris Lewbel said officers were twice fired upon during the clashes, but did not say whether anyone was struck by the gunfire. At least one officer was injured by something thrown from the crowd.
At least 14 arrests were made, he said.
Rosie Alvarez, owner of a mixed martial arts studio in downtown Aurora, said her business was already struggling to survive during the pandemic. After her window was smashed out, she said it’ll take even longer now to reopen. She was not at the store when the window at Sumdong was shattered, but a customer called her and told her.
“I understand what they are going through, but they are hurting local businesses already hurt by the pandemic,” Alvarez said.
“This is devastating.”
Rosie Alvarez assesses the damage after windows were smashed Sunday night at her mixed martial arts studio in downtown Aurora. (Megan Jones / The Beacon-News)
Kim Granholm, who owns longtime downtown business Aurora Fastprint, worried about what might happen to her store. Though she hadn’t heard of damage Sunday night, she wouldn’t be sleeping well, she said.
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She’d seen videos of protests in other places but didn’t think they would erupt in her city. She feared the consequences would be devastating, coming on the heels of the COVID-19 shutdown.
“This is like a punch in the gut for everybody,” she said. “Especially after all the COVID stuff.”
Irvin issued a state of emergency, and all entrance ramps to the city from I-88 were closed, city officials said in a statement. Identification showing residence or work in Aurora was needed to enter the city from the highway, they said.
The curfew came after more than 500 people gathered, chanted and marched in Aurora Sunday afternoon following Floyd’s death.
They condemned Floyd’s death and aired grievances toward police as they gathered outside the Aurora Police Department, some yelling frustrations and others urging calm and encouraging the aggrieved to talk about their concerns. Then, some protesters turned angry toward police as they marched and drove to downtown in a chaotic swarm, where they were met with a large police presence outside City Hall.
Police use tear gas to break up crowds and looting Sunday night in downtown Aurora. (Megan Jones / The Beacon-News)
Roads were blocked by police and marchers during the afternoon, and at one point police urged downtown businesses to close.
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“There are multiple protests in the City of Aurora," police wrote on Twitter shortly after 5 p.m. “Please avoid the downtown area for your safety. Downtown businesses are asked to please close their businesses immediately.”
The protest came in response to the death of Floyd, a black man who died May 25 after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, was captured on video pinning down Floyd by his neck.
Chauvin and three other officers were fired, and on Friday authorities said Chauvin had been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Floyd’s death has sparked national outrage and led to protests, rioting and looting in cities across the country. Rallies and marches took place throughout the weekend in various suburbs, and protests in Chicago turned violent.
Protesters gather Sunday in front of a line of police outside Aurora City Hall. (Megan Jones / The Beacon-News)
In Aurora, a small crowd outside the Aurora Police Department Sunday afternoon quickly grew into several hundred protesters. They carried signs reading “police get away with murder,” “justice for George,” and “decriminalize race and poverty.” Cars on East Indian Trail in front of the department honked their horns as they drove by.
Protesters chanted frustrations against police and some shared personal stories about their experiences.
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Irvin and Police Chief Kristen Ziman spoke to protesters. As the crowd chanted, “justice now,” Ziman joined them.
Ziman was met with mixed reactions from the crowd. Some asked to let Ziman speak. Others shouted over her.
After about 30 minutes, protesters at the rally began talking and yelling over each other, as organizers called for calm. Some broke away to march along Indian Trail near the police station, blocking traffic, while Ziman spoke to others who had gathered in a smaller crowd around her.
“Any officer who thinks that’s OK needs to turn in their badge,” she said, referring to Floyd’s death. “And I stand by that.”
Aurora activist Casildo Cuevas held a large white cross, made by George Zanis, with a heart that said “love.” He said he was disappointed in the protest and city officials’ involvement because he does not believe they addressed the issues at hand.
“We need to get to the root of why this is happening and that was danced around,” Cuevas said. “They didn’t say how we are going to change the narrative. That’s why they lost the attention of the crowd because these people were here to see a solution and a change. Not people to glorify themselves.”
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As the afternoon progressed, protesters walked and drove toward downtown Aurora. They honked car horns and carried signs reading, “no justice no peace” and “black lives matter.” Cars and motorcycles blocked the intersection of Galena Boulevard and Broadway, and some protesters screamed expletives about police.
Police carrying shields lined City Hall.
In the days before the Aurora rally, Ziman and Irvin condemned Floyd’s death.
“Resisting suffocation is not resisting arrest,” Ziman wrote on Twitter Friday morning.
Saturday, Irvin said in a statement he was “hurt and outraged over the senseless and brutal killing,” and outlined the implicit bias training and de-escalation training Aurora police officers receive.
“I have sat and observed the events of this week – from the suffering of the underserved to the tragic death of another unarmed Black man to the destruction of a community,” he wrote. “I hurt for all involved, and I understand the pain from a very personal place.
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“I know we must do more, and we must do better if there is any hope for real healing now - and into the future.”
Ziman called for calm before the protest began.
“Today at APD headquarters, we welcome protestors and stand with them,” she wrote.
“This is a plea to protest peacefully so we can preserve what we’ve built in our city.”
Aurora, with more than 200,000 residents, is Illinois’ second-largest city.


chicagotribune--2020-06-01--How the weekend unfolded: Timeline of Chicago protests, looting and unrest

Mayor Lightfoot on looters from the previous night : `` What you have done is to dishonor yourself , your @ @ @ @ @ ...
I know you can do better than what I saw last night and I @ @ @ @ @ find it in your heart to find something better for yourselves and your lives .
@

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 89 Police officers guarding the Trump International Hotel & Tower hold back protesters in the Loop on May 30, 2020, during a rally and march to remember the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Tense protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 turned into a weekend of violent unrest downtown in the Loop and along Michigan Avenue.
Saturday night saw damage and looting at numerous stores along the Magnificent Mile. Police and city vehicles were damaged and burned. Mayor Lori Lightfoot imposed a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. in response.
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Here is how some of the events unfolded.
5:46 p.m., Friday
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Michigan Avenue: Protesters march down the south lanes.
I've covered a lot of protests, but this is a first. Protesters are marching AGAINST traffic heading south on Michigan Avenue. #Chicago pic.twitter.com/NxAssTtc4L — Javonte Anderson (@JavonteA) May 29, 2020
6:17 p.m., Friday
Congress Parkway: People march toward the Eisenhower Expressway.
Things have intensified. The crowd has marched on the highway. Chicago Police has created a barricade to prevent the group from marching further. pic.twitter.com/Gn6eA96u3s — Javonte Anderson (@JavonteA) May 29, 2020
Overnight, Friday and Saturday
"Windows broken in the loop including jewelry stores, a Champs Sports store and Target on State Street."
7:25 a.m., Saturday
Windy City Diamonds: Windows broken overnight Friday
Workers overnight clean up broken glass outside a Loop jewelry store after an overnight demonstration intensified. Marchers were protesting the death of #GeorgeFloyd. pic.twitter.com/LTMqM7Y0z4 — Jeremy Gorner (@JeremyGorner) May 30, 2020
9:45 a.m., Saturday
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"Washington Park: Mayor Lori Lightfoot helps distribute supplies to seniors with My Block, My Hood, My City."
HELPING OUR SENIORS: Mayor Lightfoot joins CPD Superintendent Brown at My Block, My Hood, My City's event to distribute Safety Kits to senior residents #COVID19 https://t.co/dKdKlc3PAO — Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) May 30, 2020
1:38 p.m., Saturday
Federal Plaza: Crowd gathers.
A crowd has started gathering at Federal Plaza ahead of 2 pm protest. Cars will protest signs lining Dearborn and honking horns. pic.twitter.com/Mjf9vP0XzW — Madeline Buckley is on furlough (@Mabuckley88) May 30, 2020
2:19 p.m., Saturday
Dearborn Street: People march.
Chants of “I can’t breathe” and “Black Lives Matter” as the crowd gets on the move in Dearborn, weaving through the cars that are idling. pic.twitter.com/7bNIyGzRoV — Madeline Buckley is on furlough (@Mabuckley88) May 30, 2020
2:24 p.m., Saturday
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Federal Plaza: Protest of people and cars.
Federal Plaza, Chicago
I really hope this ends okay. pic.twitter.com/3dPpeYOS3m — john j. kim (@jkimpictures) May 30, 2020
3:06 p.m., Saturday
Dearborn and Washington streets: Fire set to an American flag.
A guy just set a flag on fire. It burned out quickly. pic.twitter.com/S1RrIjrBZB — Madeline Buckley is on furlough (@Mabuckley88) May 30, 2020
3:15 p.m., Saturday
Dearborn and Madison streets: Person stands atop a CTA No. 151 bus.
Bus is a 151 that looks like it is occupied by the driver but otherwise appears without passengers. pic.twitter.com/yVaww1vprq — Madeline Buckley is on furlough (@Mabuckley88) May 30, 2020
3:46 p.m., Saturday
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Lake Shore and Balbo drives: Shut down in both directions.
NotifyChicago: Lake Shore Dr at Balbo is shut down in both directions due to protest activity. Seek alternate route. Tune to local media for more information. — Chicago OEMC (@ChicagoOEMC) May 30, 2020
4:35 p.m., Saturday
Trump Tower: Crowds gather.
Protesters pushed further from Trump hotel entrance.
Chicago pic.twitter.com/X1OIByiLG4 — john j. kim (@jkimpictures) May 30, 2020
5:16 p.m., Saturday
Trump Tower: Police push protesters back.
Police tactics, protest tactics
Trump Hotel, Chicago pic.twitter.com/fuevQnAOGd — john j. kim (@jkimpictures) May 30, 2020
5:17 p.m., Saturday
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Lake Shore Drive near Division Street: Protesters block Lake Shore Drive.
Protesters have taken over outer Lake Shore Drive. Traffic going south is at a standstill at Division Street. pic.twitter.com/l8gGFNeVGB — Jeremy Gorner (@JeremyGorner) May 30, 2020
5:28 p.m., Saturday
Lake Shore Drive and Division: Crowds gather.
Protesters now are standing at outer Lake Shore Drive facing south at Division. Five marked CPD police vehicles are a little further down in the southbound lanes on standby. pic.twitter.com/kU4gG1SmuC — Jeremy Gorner (@JeremyGorner) May 30, 2020
6:27 p.m., Saturday
Wabash Avenue Bridge: Chicago police superintendent David Brown walks with officers.
Happening now: Superintendent David Brown is out with his officers at the downtown protest. #CPDMediaCar pic.twitter.com/fMv9aHej02 — Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) May 30, 2020
7:01 p.m., Saturday
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Kinzie and Rush streets: Police vehicle on fire.
Chicago police vehicle was on fire here — Kinzie and Rush streets. Firefighters came and put it out. pic.twitter.com/4VxjVu49wc — Jeremy Gorner (@JeremyGorner) May 31, 2020
7:29 p.m., Saturday
Hubbard and State streets: People throw things at officers.
Protesters just threw bottles and rocks at the police at Hubbard and State. pic.twitter.com/CSSKFfVf7X — Jeremy Gorner (@JeremyGorner) May 31, 2020
7:40 p.m., Saturday
Hubbard and Dearbon streets: Police car turned over.
Squad car just got tipped over at Hubbard and Dearborn. pic.twitter.com/738bIgqYPF — Jeremy Gorner (@JeremyGorner) May 31, 2020
7:42 p.m., Saturday
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Ohio and Rush streets: Police car burned.
7:54 p.m., Saturday
Hubbard and Dearborn streets: Protester on horseback.
Now there’s a guy on horseback at Dearborn and Hubbard. pic.twitter.com/IHy9BfXrQJ — Jeremy Gorner (@JeremyGorner) May 31, 2020
7:57 p.m., Saturday
Nieman Marcus department store on Michigan Avenue: Apparent looting.
People been going in and out for at least 15 mins, some people standing around told me. pic.twitter.com/hRUp8XG3Ix — Paige Fry (@paigexfry) May 31, 2020
8:04 p.m., Saturday
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Nike store on Michigan Avenu: Apparent looting.
One guy jumped off this Divvy bike and ran inside. He just came out with a ton of clothes in hand. #Chicago pic.twitter.com/HHoYUE5IyU — Paige Fry (@paigexfry) May 31, 2020
8:09 p.m., Saturday
Rolex store on Michigan Avenue: Broken windows.
People broke into the Rolex store now. #Chicago pic.twitter.com/T2jzByZ7LJ — Paige Fry (@paigexfry) May 31, 2020
8:16 p.m., Saturday
"Chicago Office of Emergency Management headquarters: Mayor Lightfoot says the day's demonstration had ""evolved into criminal conduct"" as she imposed a curfew on the city from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. until further notice."
UPDATE: Mayor Lightfoot joins CPD and OEMC to provide an update on today’s protests. https://t.co/YUXerlDUZZ — Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) May 31, 2020
8:39 p.m., Saturday
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Wacker Drive at State Street: Protesters chant, ”No justice, no peace.”
8:40 p.m., Saturday
Timberland store on Michigan Avenue: Apparent looting.
The Timberland store has also been stripped clean for the most part, except for this lone mannequin outside. One guy ran in there right after I took a picture and ran out with a big box. #Chicago pic.twitter.com/AeZN6iN12P — Paige Fry (@paigexfry) May 31, 2020
8:42 p.m., Saturday
Burberry store on Michigan Avenue: Broken windows.
“George Floyd” written outside of the Burberry store, which was also broken into. #Chicago pic.twitter.com/nMP2EI7kUI — Paige Fry (@paigexfry) May 31, 2020
9:03 p.m., Saturday
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T-Mobile store on Michigan Avenue: Apparent looting.
Just watched someone take a 2 by 4 and destroy the glass of the T-Mobile store. A handful of cops are just standing and watching at the corner of Michigan and Superior. There’s only six of them so I imagine they feel a little helpless. #Chicago — Paige Fry (@paigexfry) May 31, 2020
9:14 p.m., Saturday
Walgreens at State and Randolph streets: Windows broken.
The Walgreens at state/Randolph pic.twitter.com/vFOXxhMIbT — Madeline Buckley is on furlough (@Mabuckley88) May 31, 2020
9:28 p.m., Saturday
Zara clothing store on Michigan Avenue: Apparent looting.
Close up of the Zara damage. A guy standing outside with a bulldog on a leash told a girl to take a silver suitcase “it’s worth at least $500,” he said. #Chicago pic.twitter.com/aZmBZzvfb6 — Paige Fry (@paigexfry) May 31, 2020
9:29 p.m., Saturday
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Michigan Avenue and Superior Street: Report of shots fired.
I heard these shots. Six of them — three and three. #Chicago https://t.co/fjzPAAlhHT — Paige Fry (@paigexfry) May 31, 2020
9:37 p.m., Saturday
Michigan Avenue and Ontario Street: Police block the intersection.
9:42 p.m., Saturday
Ohio and State streets: Call of two people shot Saturday.
I’m over here at Ohio/State where there was a call of two people shot. #ChicagoScanner pic.twitter.com/dtozX14wKz — Paige Fry (@paigexfry) May 31, 2020
10:04 p.m., Saturday
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CVS store on South Wabash Avenue: Cameras taken from Chicago Tribune photographer.
12:31 a.m., Sunday
Two male victims shot on 50 block of West Jackson Boulevard.
1:29 a.m., Sunday
A 19-year-old man was shot multiple times on the 200 block of North Michigan Avenue.
3 a.m., Sunday
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A 26-year-old man was killed at the 100 block of West Hubbard Street.
6:30 a.m., Sunday
Protesters gather outside Mayor Lightfoot's house
“Wake up, Lori, wake up” Demonstrators rally outside Mayor Lightfoot’s house as Chicago’s overnight curfew ends at 6 am pic.twitter.com/RNOyk4lfLc — Brian Cassella (@briancassella) May 31, 2020
8:30 a.m., Sunday
Volunteers clean up in Loop.
8:30am Sunday: Volunteers along Michigan Avenue are out clearing broken glass pic.twitter.com/ppVCVRkulP — Brian Cassella (@briancassella) May 31, 2020
9:19 a.m., Sunday
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Two men were shot at 100 block of East Oak Street, 35-year-old and a 34-year-old.
9:51 a.m., Sunday
Outside The Langham hotel: Cleanup begins.
Crews cleaning graffiti outside the Langham hotel, bridges still up from last night. pic.twitter.com/5N0rwV4tdN — Jessica Villagomez (@JessicaVillag) May 31, 2020
10:42 a.m., Sunday
Macy's on State Street: Windows boarded up.
Crews boarding up Macy’s on State St. pic.twitter.com/RLA2XGgpiB — Jessica Villagomez (@JessicaVillag) May 31, 2020
10:55 a.m., Sunday
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Palmer House: City workers clean exterior.
We need to look out for one another and stand united. Thank you to our City employees and the many others working around the clock to help our city heal during this time. pic.twitter.com/hCBDlrWidy — Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) May 31, 2020
11:15 a.m., Sunday
Mayor Lightfoot on looters from the previous night: "What you have done is to dishonor yourself, your family and your city. ... I know you can do better than what I saw last night and I pray to God that you find it in your heart to find something better for yourselves and your lives."
BREAKING: Mayor Lightfoot joins Supt. Brown, city officials, and community leaders to provide an update regarding last night's protests. https://t.co/Fiqe2x2vDf — Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) May 31, 2020
11:50 a.m., Sunday
Gov. Pritzker: On activation of the Illinois National Guard in Chicago.
At the request of @chicagosmayor Lori Lightfoot, I am activating the Illinois National Guard to support the City of Chicago in protecting our communities and keeping people safe.
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/kmQMIz3uQM — Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) May 31, 2020
1:50 p.m., Sunday
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State and Lake streets: Chicago police report four people were arrested for assaulting an officer.
Our #ChicagoPolice officers are working tirelessly to keep our city safe. Four offenders were placed in custody earlier today after assaulting a Chicago Police officer at State and Lake. The officers also recovered stolen goods from the offenders' vehicle. pic.twitter.com/HNwSVYB88X — Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) May 31, 2020
2:39 p.m., Sunday
King Drive and 35th Street: Peaceful march.
Peaceful march down 35th and King Drive in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/fIt9jl2HuA — DeAntae Prince (@DeAntae) May 31, 2020
4:15 p.m., Sunday
Michigan Avenue and 35th Street: People hold up signs and chant outside Chicago police headquarters.
Over 40 protesters outside police headquarters pic.twitter.com/PsHv8xrNXG — armando l sanchez (@mandophotos) May 31, 2020
4:23 p.m., Sunday
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Daley Plaza: People chant, "Say his name -- George Floyd," while kneeling.
4:48 p.m., Sunday
Guaranteed Rate Field: Illinois National Guard vehicles parked outside the White Sox's ballpark.
The scene at Sox park pic.twitter.com/8s6bqkaX4s — armando l sanchez (@mandophotos) May 31, 2020
4:59 p.m., Sunday
Marshfield Avenue and 47th Street: People guard businesses and street vendors.
Young community activists are guarding small businesses in Back of The Yards, others are checking on street vendors in LV pic.twitter.com/jH7o76TAdP — Laura N. Rodríguez Presa (@LAURA_N_ROD) May 31, 2020
5:12 p.m., Sunday
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47th and Halsted streets: City Sports Outlet looted.
On 47th and Halsted, mad dash into City Sports Outlet. People running into the store and emerging with handfuls of clothing. pic.twitter.com/Vcu2AtG04u — Jessica Villagomez (@JessicaVillag) May 31, 2020
5:48 p.m., Sunday
87th Street Center: Looted.
The Chatham mall on 87th is badly looted with shopping carts strewn all over the Jewel and Home Depot. Dozens of officers searching the area. And theyre using carts to block entrance to the lots. pic.twitter.com/IS0XNTKNrx — Gregory Pratt (@royalpratt) May 31, 2020
6:36 p.m., Sunday
Daley Plaza: Fist bumps exchanged.
Jamel Franklin fist bumps after speaking with a Chicago police lieutenant during a protest Sunday. Franklin: "There is something inherently wrong with the whole system. Because they have a target on their back and so do I,” said Franklin. "Nobody wants to see Chicago burn down." pic.twitter.com/35jdZJlAQi — Brian Cassella (@briancassella) May 31, 2020
6:38 p.m., Sunday
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Commercial Avenue and 89th Street: Stores looted.
Looting scenes in South Chicago, a working class neighborhood I still have family in. Sad. pic.twitter.com/Cl5xYWCYs6 — Gregory Pratt (@royalpratt) May 31, 2020
6:46 p.m., Sunday
Karlov Avenue and Madison Street: Chicago police and fire respond to a fire.
Police engage residents while providing security for firefighters near Karlov and Maddison. pic.twitter.com/p6ASeKo6LK — armando l sanchez (@mandophotos) May 31, 2020
6:56 p.m., Sunday
Stoney Island Avenue and 95th Street: Hair supply store looted.
Looters outside a beauty salon at 95th and Stony Island in Chicago filled a U-Haul with weave and hair supplies. With @JessicaVillag pic.twitter.com/I827hQKhAP — Gregory Pratt (@royalpratt) May 31, 2020
7:52 p.m., Sunday
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Kedzie Avenue and Cermak Road: Car on fire.
A scene on the corner of Cermak Rd and Kenzie Av. pic.twitter.com/3dvmFsbDsP — Laura N. Rodríguez Presa (@LAURA_N_ROD) June 1, 2020
9:26 p.m., Sunday
Wells Street and North Avenue: Chicago police tell people to go home.
“This is the Chicago Police Department. You are in violation of the curfew law.” #Chicago North/Wells pic.twitter.com/QeiLxdPZbG — Paige Fry (@paigexfry) June 1, 2020
1:13 a.m., Monday
Ashland and Milwaukee avenues: Looting with police on the scene.
1:45 a.m., Monday
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Ashland Ashalnd and 18th Street: People and police stand watch.
It’s almost 2 am and Pilsen residents are out here guarding 18th st. pic.twitter.com/cssqjSutCx — Laura N. Rodríguez Presa (@LAURA_N_ROD) June 1, 2020
6:05 a.m., Monday
Summary of the night's events.
Violence last night was different than that of the day before. Previously, everything and everyone was focused on downtown and the high-end stores. Now that downtown was cutoff, people went to neighborhood stores all throughout the city: North, South and West. #Chicago — Paige Fry (@paigexfry) June 1, 2020
6:36 a.m., Monday
Jeffery Blvd. and 95th Street: Dollar Tree on fire.
10 a.m., Monday
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Halsted Street and North Avenue: Jewelry store looted overnight.
Looters hit a jewelry store in Lincoln Park at Halsted and North pic.twitter.com/fYLIVah1R6 — Gregory Pratt (@royalpratt) June 1, 2020
12:08 p.m., Monday
Around the city: Cleanup efforts begin.
Gage Park youth helping to clean the streets from the looting damages. pic.twitter.com/LBol5nJlpL — Laura N. Rodríguez Presa (@LAURA_N_ROD) June 1, 2020
1 p.m., Monday
California Avenue and 55th Street: People walk through Gage Park cleaning up stores despite the rain.
Gage Park youth helping to clean the streets from the looting damages. pic.twitter.com/LBol5nJlpL — Laura N. Rodríguez Presa (@LAURA_N_ROD) June 1, 2020
3:15 p.m., Monday
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Cottage Grove Avenue and 47th Street: Volunteers clean sidewalks.
You can’t tell people how to process pain, how to react when they’re hurting. We got outside this morning on 47th and Cottage Grove in Chicago and tried to be part of the solution. pic.twitter.com/98JjHVKxtT — DeAntae Prince (@DeAntae) June 1, 2020
3:38 p.m., Monday
Jewel-Osco at Stony Island Avenue and 75th Street: Visited by Mayor Lightfoot.
Grocery stores like the Jewel in South Shore are vital to our neighborhoods, and when these businesses—big or small—are hurt, our communities hurt, too. As long as we work together, I know we’ll come out of this stronger. That’s a promise. pic.twitter.com/qebd93sSgi — Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) June 1, 2020
3:42 p.m., Monday
Peaceful march ends with message to CPD on protest arrests: “Where are our loved ones?”
Walked with group of youth from Harold Washington Cultural Center to CPD precinct at 18th/State. “This is not a riot,” they chanted on the peaceful way here - nearly 3.5 miles. Now they want information on people they believe were arrested at protests. “Where are our loved ones?” pic.twitter.com/kPokQb9KI3 — Hannah Leone (@HannahMLeone) June 1, 2020
4:05 p.m., Monday
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Chappel Avenue and 71st Street: People dance together.
Protesters dance and rally on 71st Street in South Shore as demonstrations continue across the city. More coverage: https://t.co/4JmBiwtTeZ pic.twitter.com/lXjEtvJNMp — Brian Cassella (@briancassella) June 1, 2020
5:41 p.m., Monday
Broadway near Belle Plaine Avenue: People walk with signs.
Marchers in Uptown. Peaceful protesting. pic.twitter.com/dozWxe4B5z — Paul Sullivan (@PWSullivan) June 1, 2020
6:38 p.m., Monday
Broadway and Sunnyside Avenue: Blocks of people sit or kneel outside Target.


chicagotribune--2020-06-01--Prosecutors: Mentally ill man shoved stranger in front of oncoming Red Line train

After the incident , authorities said Lambert left the station and headed to a gas station on State Street , @ @ @ @ @ bottle of Sprite .
He then returned to the train station , approached an officer @ @ @ @ @ , pointed to the train and confessed to being involved in the death .
He @ @ @ @ @ schizophrenic who was off of his medication , prosecutors said .

An Englewood man shoved a stranger into the path of an oncoming CTA Red Line train — the second such incident to occur this year — but later confessed to police, admitting to being a schizophrenic who was off his medication, prosecutors told a judge Sunday.
Terrance Lambert had only exchanged a few words with the victim before he is accused of attacking the man just after midnight Friday morning at the 87th Street Red Line station in the first block of West 87th Street.
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A judge denied bail for Lambert, 19, of the 6700 block of South Perry Avenue, who faces first-degree murder charges in the death of Joseph R. Smith, 26.
Terrance Lambert, 19, is charged with first-degree murder. (Chicago Police Department)
During Sunday’s hearing broadcast on YouTube, prosecutors offered no clues on what may have triggered the incident.
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Lambert and Smith arrived separately and waited on the platform for the inbound train without interacting, authorities said. Then seconds before the train arrived, both men appeared to talk to one another from a distance of 6 feet until the victim walked away on the platform as the train pulled into the station, prosecutors said.
As Smith approached the platform’s edge, video captured Lambert sprinting toward the victim from behind, shoving the victim toward the tracks with his left hand while punching him with his right, prosecutors said. The train’s engineer also saw the suspect punch and push the victim, authorities said.
Smith, of the 8400 block of South Escanaba Avenue, was later pronounced dead. The Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled his death a homicide.
After the incident, authorities said Lambert left the station and headed to a gas station on State Street, where he bought a 2-liter bottle of Sprite. He then returned to the train station, approached an officer who was investigating the incident, pointed to the train and confessed to being involved in the death. He also admitted to being a schizophrenic who was off of his medication, prosecutors said.
But authorities said Lambert gave false details about the incident, claiming he admitted punching the victim but saying Smith fell by accident, something contradicted by surveillance video.
Mental health advocates have cautioned that only a small percentage of people suffering what’s known as schizoaffective disorder commit violent acts.
Smith’s death represents the second incident in the past two months in which a passenger was shoved in the path of a coming train. Two young men have been charged with murder after former Marine Mamadou Balde was shoved between two train cars and dragged into a tunnel where he was fatally struck.
Lambert is expected to return to court Friday, where his bail denial will be reconsidered.
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wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-06-01--George Floyd fallout in Chicago: Downtown locked down, unrest spreads to South, West sides and some

George Floyd fallout in Chicago: Downtown locked down, unrest spreads to South, West sides and some suburbs

“ Seeing the murder of George Floyd sickened me , and it still does , ” said the typically stoic @ @ @ @ @ her composure .
“ But rather than respond to his death as we should and @ @ @ @ @ the hard work to create the change that we need , we have instead been @ @ @ @ @ and energy toward preventing wanton violence and destruction .
”

Gregory Pratt, Jessica Villagomez, Jeremy Gorner, Annie Sweeney, Todd Lighty, Stacy St. Clair, William Lee, Morgan Greene, Megan Jones

Police officers guarding the Trump International Hotel & Tower hold back protesters in the Loop on May 30, 2020, during a rally and march to remember the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
As Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot requested the Illinois National Guard be brought in to prevent a second night of downtown violence and looting, the chaos spilled into some city neighborhoods and continued to overshadow the urgent message conveyed during peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Store owners reported plundering in parts of the South and West sides throughout Sunday afternoon, as well as in suburban towns such as Calumet City and North Riverside, where one person was shot. Chicago had not released any Sunday arrests total by early evening, as the Police Department struggled to keep pace.
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[ George Floyd fallout: Get the latest updates here ]
In Little Village, hammer-wielding looters smashed their way into Fresh Kickz shoe store an hour after it opened and stole merchandise as terrified employees hid. The police arrived about 10 minutes later, but it was unclear if they took anyone into custody, store manager Lack Chong said.
“It was horrible. I live on the South Side. They just try to crush everything,” Chong said of the looters. “It made me feel so nervous. I think we could find a more peaceful way. This just creates another bad situation.”
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Demonstrators rally at Daley Plaza for George Floyd and other victims of police violence on May 31, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
As some neighborhoods grappled with the unrest, Lightfoot pulled up the drawbridges — both literally and figuratively — around the shattered downtown following a violent night in which there were 240 arrests, six shootings and 20 police officers injured. In addition to canceling all police days off and imposing a citywide curfew, she cut off access to the downtown by stopping CTA service, closing highway exits, blockading streets and raising most bridges along the Chicago River.
And with a 9 p.m. curfew still imposed and the downtown barricaded, Lightfoot would not commit to reopening parts of the city on Wednesday after a coronavirus lockdown of more than two months.
Lightfoot also asked Gov. J.B. Pritzker to send the Illinois National Guard to help quell the violence, the first time Chicago has made such a request since Mayor Richard J. Daley brought troops in to police the Democratic National Convention in 1968. Lightfoot said she called the governor around 12:30 a.m. Sunday after police Superintendent David Brown told her that his department needed the extra support.
[ Fire, looting, tear gas in downtown Aurora; mayor imposes curfew after protest turns violent ]
Pritzker activated 375 service members, all of whom have training as military police officers. Aware that the Guard could inflame an already heated situation, Pritzker and Lightfoot stressed the troops would have a “limited" role in enforcing street closures.
About 125 Guard members had already reported for duty as of Sunday afternoon and an additional 250 were expected shortly. The soldiers and airmen have been given explicit orders not to interfere with protesters who are exercising their First Amendment rights, the governor said.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks along with Gov. J.B. Pritzker at the Thompson Center on May 31, 2020, the day after unrest led to widespread damage downtown. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
“Their job is to provide a perimeter,” Pritzker said. “They’re not going to be on the front lines. There has been a lot of discussion about that and what their role will be. They’re purely there to provide a perimeter so the center of the city doesn’t get overtaken in the way it seemed to at certain times last night.”
Each soldier has been given strict guidelines in regards to use of force, said Air Force Brig. Gen. Richard Neely, the Illinois adjutant general. He declined to discuss those rules of engagement.
“They are every bit as well trained as our officers are. They are trained to come into these circumstances,” Lightfoot said. “I have every confidence they will show exactly the same restraint that our officers do. We’re not going to let them get into a difficult circumstance that they cannot handle.”
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Lightfoot repeatedly praised the Police Department on Sunday for its handling of the violence over the weekend, even as the situation seemed uncharacteristically out-of-control in comparison with the demonstrations at the 2012 NATO summit and the weeks of marches following the 2015 release of video that showed Laquan McDonald’s shooting death at the hands of police.
“The threat of further rioting remains viable, and police command staff are adjusting to rapidly changing intel,” 2nd Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins said. “While we are still actively in this crisis, it is not the time to reflect on the planning deficiencies and tactical errors that contributed to the chaos and violence spiraling out of control.”
[ Businesses reeling from pandemic face rebuilding after George Floyd protests give way to looting. ‘It’s going to take a slow climb to build back from this.’ ]
The mayor said the department began planning for protests “days ago,” after a video showed a white Minneapolis police officer pushing his knee into the neck of Floyd, a black man who begged officers to let him breathe before dying. Floyd’s death became yet another example of police brutality in minority communities, sparking protests across the country.
“Seeing the murder of George Floyd sickened me, and it still does,” said the typically stoic Lightfoot, trying to maintain her composure. “But rather than respond to his death as we should and focus our energy toward doing the hard work to create the change that we need, we have instead been forced to turn our focus and energy toward preventing wanton violence and destruction.”
As other officials did throughout the day, Lightfoot took great care not to conflate protesters and looters. The demonstrations on Friday night and Saturday were largely peaceful, with the tone and the participants changing rapidly, she said.
At one point during the looting, someone pulled up in a U-Haul truck and began loading it with stolen merchandise. That brazen act alone proves that some never cared about the real reason for the demonstration, Lightfoot said.
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“We moved from peaceful protests to an element that was in the crowd that was clearly there for a fight,” she said. “You don’t bring a claw hammer or shovel or bottles of urine or accelerants, Molotov cocktails, unless you’re up to something other than peaceful protests.”
[ Central Camera, iconic Loop business for 121 years, vows to rebuild as building burns during unrest over George Floyd death ]
Lightfoot said the city is working with federal agencies to determine who drove what she called organized looting and conflicts with police, but declined to provide details.
As police regained control of downtown Chicago, violence erupted in other parts of the city and suburbs.
In surreal scenes that played out over and over across the city, looters plundered and vandalized businesses already dealing with the financial devastation caused by the pandemic. They stole shoes, clothing, jewelry, beauty supplies and food, among other things.
In Canaryville, people made a mad dash into City Sports Outlet and emerged carrying bundles of clothes. One man was nearly hit by a car pulling into the store’s parking lot while another filled the trunk to the brim.
In South Chicago, ransacked clothing and shoe stores stood on the once-vibrant Commercial Avenue strip. Wooden hangers littered the sidewalk and empty boxes laid on the street. About half a dozen mismatched individual shoes were left behind in a planter.
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As police officers stood in the street, one of them told a woman passing by with her two children, “You better get those babies home.” The woman then asked them about a baby who had been left behind in a car while the mother looted, and one of the officers replied that the baby was OK.
On several occasions Sunday, Tribune reporters observed police officers looking on as businesses were looted.
[ John Cusack tweets video of Chicago protests and police coming ‘at me with batons’ ]
Luis Agostini, a Chicago police spokesman, said officers have to weigh their safety situation and decide whether they’d have sufficient backup if they chose to intervene.
“Officer safety must be taken into consideration when taking law enforcement action, but our strategy continues to focus on arresting those who engage in criminal activity,” Agostini said.
In the West Garfield Park neighborhood, there was an eerie calm even as multiple storefronts had been looted Sunday afternoon on Madison Street.
The smell of smoke from a business that was burning east of Karlov Avenue and constant horn-honking from the backed-up traffic added a level of frustration for motorists.
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Chicago police wearing helmets with face shields were lined along Karlov blocking traffic along Madison. But the looting continued west of where they stood.
Dozens of people crowded one corner store for several minutes, if not longer, until a cheer went up when they apparently breached the business.
In the suburbs, authorities said groups of people smashed windows and looted North Riverside Park Mall and nearby businesses, and during the chaos, one person was shot.
“Over the course of several hours North Riverside police in a coordinated effort with … surrounding police departments were able to disperse the looters and establish a perimeter around the mall preventing any further property damage and looting,” North Riverside police Chief Carlos Garcia said in a statement.
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Garcia provided no further information about the victim, saying the shooting was under investigation.
The mayor of Calumet City shut down the city Sunday and imposed a strict curfew after scores of looters smashed businesses’ windows and ransacked the River Oaks mall.
Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush told the Tribune that looting started out with a handful of people and quickly grew to as many as 200 to 300. She ordered a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice, adding she was closing highway exit ramps.
“Obviously, Calumet City is in a state of emergency,” she said. “We are shutting down the city to get a handle on this.”
The mayor said her curfew restricts vehicular and pedestrian movement unless it involves emergency personnel, law enforcement or essential workers who are commuting.
Markiewicz Qualkinbush said that “organized bands within the protest groups” drove to Calumet City and neighboring towns to commit crimes.
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“Today, Calumet City has experienced the boilover of years of unjust application of the law that has victimized African American communities across our nation,” the mayor said in a statement. “Amid peaceful demonstration spotlighting horrible injustice that led to the senseless death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, frustration has taken a violent destructive tone.”
Fearing similar eruptions, dozens of suburban towns increased security around shopping centers and ordered businesses to close. In Aurora, patrol cars blocked off the entrance to the outlet mall and closed the Interstate 88 exit ramps closest to the stores.
In Aurora, the state’s second-largest city, authorities deployed tear gas as several businesses along the main street were looted. People pulled up in front of a jewelry store by the carload, crawling inside through a shattered window and later emerging with trays full of necklaces.
Earlier Sunday, Aurora police Chief Kristen Ziman invited protesters to department headquarters and met with them outside to answer questions.
“Any officer who thinks that (what happened to George Floyd) is OK needs to turn in their badge," she said. “And I stand by that.”
Hours later, onlookers cheered as a police squad car went up in flames. Aurora imposed an 8:30 p.m. curfew, but people were still out, honking horns and lighting off fireworks.
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As downtown Chicago merchants cleaned up broken glass and assessed their empty stores, peaceful protests continued Sunday in several neighborhoods. One group marched from the Daley Center to police headquarters at 35th Street and South Michigan Avenue.
Meanwhile, a Cook County judge presiding over Sunday’s felony hearing call at the Leighton Criminal Court Building saw 12 protest-related suspects, with charges ranging from looting to aggravated battery to a police officer.
In one instance, a Portage Park man was accused of intentionally ramming a bicycle into a police sergeant and resisting arrest, injuring the officer’s leg and thumb.
In another, a Texas woman in town for the demonstrations allegedly punched a police officer in the eye after throwing a glass bottle at two officers downtown. That same officer then used their body to shield the young woman from a surging crowd, according to prosecutors. She later apologized to officers, authorities said.


chicagotribune--2020-06-01--Protests in Chicago in response to the killing of George Floyd

Jamel Franklin has a fist bump and a dialogue with a Chicago police lieutenant during a protest for George Floyd @ @ @ @ @ 31 , 2020 .
Franklin said , `` There is something inherently wrong with the @ @ @ @ @ have a target on their back and so do I .
Nobody wants to see @ @ @ @ @ ( Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune )

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chicagotribune--2020-06-01--Column: White America, if you want to know who’s responsible for racism, look in the mirror

Too many white people are satisfied doing nothing to bring about substantive change .
Admit it .
You enjoy the @ @ @ @ @ supremacy affords you .
Yet you want to distance yourself from the racist individuals and @ @ @ @ @ the top of the hierarchy .

A woman stands atop a car near Daley Plaza on May 30, 2020, in Chicago to protest the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
White people don’t like watching hardcore racism. Even some law-and-order conservatives are uncomfortable seeing a white cop hold his knee on a black man’s neck and squeeze the life out of him.
But somehow, white people always find a way to get over it. You post your angst on social media to show which side you’re on. And while the stories make their way through the news cycle, you and your friends lament how awful racism is.
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Then before you know it, your drive-by rage is over.
You conclude that the terrible incident doesn’t affect you directly. So you drift back into oblivion, convinced there’s nothing you can do about racist cops or the racist society that breeds them.
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But you are wrong. White people, you are the problem.
Regardless of how much you say you detest racism, you are the sole reason it has flourished for centuries. And you are the only ones who can stop it.
White people who fought alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. knew this. The young white women who formed a barrier between black activists and the police during a protest in Louisville last week understood it too.
Racism is no different from any other chronic problem. It recurs as long as it goes unchecked. Black people, for the most part, are powerless to stop racism. If we could, we would have done it a long time ago.
American racism is a uniquely white trait. Black people cannot be racist toward you. Racism, by definition, is “prejudice, discrimination or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.”
Black people cannot exude a sense of superiority that we have never experienced.
America cannot rid itself of this curse unless white people accept responsibility for it. And, frankly, most of you aren’t willing to take that leap.
There is no need to rehash the sordid history of America in order to understand how racism took root here. You already know that the legacy of slavery feeds into the systemic racism that deems African Americans second-class citizens, unworthy of the same rights as white people. Only staunch racists deny that fact.
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We’re not talking about those people right now. We’re talking about those of you who see yourselves as intolerant of racism — those who were sickened by that video of George Floyd pleading for mercy.
Too many white people are satisfied doing nothing to bring about substantive change. Admit it. You enjoy the opportunities and privileges that white supremacy affords you. Yet you want to distance yourself from the racist individuals and systems that keep you at the top of the hierarchy.
You are well aware of the racial injustices that occur every day. Certainly, you were not surprised that a black man like Floyd could meet his death just weeks after Ahmaud Arbery died at the hands of a father and son who apparently decided it was their duty to put a black man in his place.
If someone were to ask why you did nothing for Breonna Taylor, Laquan McDonald, Eric Garner, Rekia Boyd, Botham Jean, Walter Scott or Atatiana Jefferson, you might say it is because you did not know what to do.
Now, you’re probably looking to a black person to tell you how to fix it. I’m not going to lie. I don’t have all the answers.
You should talk among yourselves and figure it out. In the midst of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, you managed to put a man on the moon. You could make the same commitment to stomping out racism.
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It would be wonderful if white people took to the streets like you did during the 2017 Women’s March, only this time holding signs and chanting, “We’re mad as hell, and we’re not going tolerate racism anymore.”
You would never do that. But the transformation can start within you.
First, just listen. When black people talk about racism, don’t automatically accuse them of “playing the race card.” That’s merely an attempt to stifle meaningful discussions about race and maintain the status quo.
Admit that you are uncomfortable around black people. Stop pretending that you don’t have any black friends because you don’t come into contact with them. The truth is that you have never made expanding your circle a priority. By the way, that one black friend you met through work doesn’t count.
Take an honest assessment of your attitudes. Admit that you would be less likely to believe Floyd did nothing wrong without the video to prove it. Acknowledge that your initial inclination is to trust that the police always tell the truth.
Ask why doubt creeps into your head when you find out that the victim didn’t live a perfect life. Think about how easily you buy into the notion that the officer must have feared for his life rather than accept that some cops flat-out hate black people.
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Question why you allowed the Amy Cooper story to distract you from the issue of police brutality. Her lie about a black man attacking her in Central Park was repulsive and she deserved to be rebuked, but it was only a blip in the larger arena of racism.
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White women have been telling lies on black men since they were first brought to America in chains in 1619, and white women have been complicit. The most famous liar was Carolyn Bryant, who claimed Emmett Till whistled at her.
One of the main reasons racism thrives is because white people too often miss the most important point. The biggest issue isn’t that a white woman lied. It’s the racist system that allowed Bryant’s husband and his friends to drag Till out of bed, beat him to death and toss his body in the river — without repercussions.
That racist system still exists. That’s why Derek Chauvin refused to take his knee off Floyd’s neck even though he knew he was being filmed. Racists, especially those in uniform, know that the system almost always is on their side. And 400 years of history proves that most white people aren’t in a hurry to reverse it.
Racists are counting on you to continue doing nothing. They are certain that before long, you will return to your blissful state of denial, where racism is somebody else’s problem. And you will not disappoint them.
Racists know some of you better than you know yourselves.
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dglanton@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @dahleeng