chicagotribune--2020-08-11--State’s Attorney Kim Foxx bristles at insinuation her office’s handling of earlier cases emboldened

State’s Attorney Kim Foxx bristles at insinuation her office’s handling of earlier cases emboldened looters

A spokeswoman for the office could not provide an estimate of how many such misdemeanor cases have been dropped under @ @ @ @ @ office does not generally keep track of misdemeanor data , and people are just now @ @ @ @ @ court dates as the system emerges from a COVID-related shutdown .

After looters caused mayhem on the Magnificent Mile early Monday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and police Superintendent David Brown pointed fingers at a now-familiar target: Cook County prosecutors and judges.
Without naming State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, Lightfoot called on prosecutors not to let suspects cycle through the system without consequences. And Brown went so far as to imply that looters reoffended this weekend after getting away with the same crimes during the widespread unrest earlier this year, eliminating any deterrent.
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“(Suspects) get released, many charges get dropped, and so they feel emboldened to do it more,” he said. “Once prosecution and sentencing comes up, there’s no consequences.”
But Foxx, who is no stranger to accusations that she is soft on crime, flatly rejected that narrative at a news conference Monday. Her office has not dropped any looting cases related to recent unrest, she said, calling for a response “beyond a sound bite and a finger point.”
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From late May to mid-June, about 325 people were arrested on felony charges “related to the demonstrations and civil unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd,” her office said in a statement Monday. Floyd’s death in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes sparked protests and fallout around the country, including Chicago.
Of those Cook County felony arrests, 90% were approved for charges by Foxx’s office, she said. Three-quarters of the approved felony cases were for looting-related charges — and none of those has been dropped, Foxx said. The office did not immediately release a detailed list of those cases.
Experts and academics have long said Chicago’s crime problem has roots in the city’s ingrained poverty and racial segregation, among other failings. Foxx on Monday repeatedly called 2020 “unprecedented,” and noted the widespread gun violence, ongoing economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as protests focusing on police brutality that have occurred at the same time as separate acts of property destruction.
“It does not serve us to have dishonest blame games when all of our hearts are breaking by what we are seeing,” she said.
Brown later declined to clarify his remarks. A police spokeswoman did not specifically elaborate either, beyond repeating Brown’s earlier statement that individuals are emboldened “when there are simply no consequences or accountability for criminal activity.”
Lightfoot also declined to comment further on the point, with her office referring questions to the Police Department.
The unrest that began early Monday was evidently sparked after a Sunday afternoon shooting in the Englewood neighborhood.
Police there shot and wounded a 20-year-old man who allegedly opened fire on them while trying to evade arrest, authorities said. That man was charged with attempted murder late Monday.
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Someone began to spread false information about the shooting, including that police had shot a child, according to Brown. After a heated scuffle between police and neighbors in the afternoon, groups began to plan downtown looting on social media, authorities said. More than 100 people ultimately were arrested in the chaos that followed.
Foxx warned against conflating her office’s treatment of felony charges with its recently announced policy encouraging prosecutors to drop cases related to peaceful protesters.
About 500 people arrested on misdemeanors during unrest earlier this summer would fall within that category, she said Monday: protesters accused of offenses such as violating curfew or disorderly conduct for declining to disperse in a timely manner.
“Looters have been charged and are awaiting trial. Peaceful protesters have not had their cases pursued,” she said.
A spokeswoman for the office could not provide an estimate of how many such misdemeanor cases have been dropped under the policy, since the office does not generally keep track of misdemeanor data, and people are just now beginning to go to their court dates as the system emerges from a COVID-related shutdown.
Critics said looters were additionally emboldened by a Foxx policy that raised the bar for prosecuting shoplifting as a felony — a theory Foxx also rejected Monday.
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Retail theft charges are intended for people who walk out of an open store without paying for merchandise, not those who break into a store or loot, she said.
Foxx’s challenger in the November election, former Judge Pat O’Brien, said that retail theft may as well just be looting by another name, and that Foxx “has in fact made this town a free-for-all for people that want to steal.”
O’Brien also placed blame on Foxx for suspects getting more lenient bonds, even though judges are responsible for setting bail. Prosecutors can effectively sway judges to set bail in higher amounts, he said.
Brown and other critics, including downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, have recently placed the blame for violence on a “revolving-door” court system that sees more suspects released on low bail.
Foxx, Chief Judge Timothy Evans and other high-ranking county officials have supported reforms aimed at ensuring people get affordable bonds and do not stay locked up pending trial simply because they cannot pay to get out.
“Bond court is now known as i-bond court, because people are just getting released on personal recognizance, whatever the charge,” Reilly said.
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In a statement Monday, Evans emphasized that defendants are innocent until proven guilty, and indicated that bonds should not be imposed as a form of punishment for a crime.
“The administration of justice requires that each case be adjudicated impartially and independently,” he said.
Foxx’s remarks to reporters came the day of a Tribune story finding that her office dropped all charges against felony defendants —including those accused of violent crimes like murder and sexual assault — more often than her predecessor, Anita Alvarez.
During her first three years as state’s attorney, her office dropped all charges against 29.9% of felony defendants. In the last three years of Alvarez’s tenure, the rate was 19.4%. In all, a total of 25,183 people had their felony cases dismissed under Foxx through November 2019, up from 18,694 for a similar period under Alvarez.
For the three-year period analyzed, Foxx’s office dropped 8.1% of homicide cases, compared with 5.3% under Alvarez, the Tribune found.
And under Foxx, the percentage of cases dropped for defendants accused of aggravated battery of a police officer more than doubled, from 3.9% to 8.1%.
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Foxx’s office did not dispute the figures, but she told the Tribune they give an incomplete picture of her approach to public safety. She said she has tried to allow her prosecutors to openly drop felony charges if a case has legal problems, and she pointed to the office’s many past wrongful convictions and the history of Chicago police detectives torturing people of color to get false confessions.
On Monday, Foxx noted that violent crime declined during the three-year period the story analyzed, and she disputed any implication that her office’s policies led to this year’s spike in violence.
Chicago Tribune’s John Byrne, Jeremy Gorner and Gregory Pratt contributed.
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com
dhinkel@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Storms sweep through Chicago area

Storms sweep through Chicago area

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A damaged car is surrounded by downed tree branches on North Hamilton Avenue, Aug. 11, 2020, after a powerful storm tore through the area Monday evening in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. A tornado was also confirmed to have touched down in Rogers Park Monday according to the National Weather Service. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)


chicagotribune--2020-08-12--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 3 states removed from Chicago’s travel quarantine list; 1,549 new c

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 3 states removed from Chicago’s travel quarantine list; 1,549 new confirmed cases, 20 deaths reported

” What is going to make people more likely to wear a mask is if the governor says ‘ you @ @ @ @ @ is an emergency .
This is something that is appropriate for a special session , @ @ @ @ @ “ And then if you have a mask mandate that is put in place , @ @ @ @ @ that has the full support of the rule of law , then I believe people @ @ @ @ @ seriously .
”

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Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Tuesday removed Iowa, Kansas and Utah from the city’s travel quarantine list. Currently visitors or residents returning from 20 states and territories are ordered to self-quarantine for 14 days when they arrive in the city to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
The announcement came as Illinois public health officials on Tuesday announced 1,549 new confirmed case of COVID-19 and 20 additional deaths. The state has now reported 196,948 cases overall and 7,657 confirmed deaths.
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Meanwhile, the Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday granted the state’s request for a stay in a downstate legal challenge to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s coronavirus-related executive orders. The state’s highest court also indicated it would consider the state’s request that it determine whether Pritzker has the power to issue continued emergency orders due to the pandemic.
Also on Tuesday, the Big Ten became the first Power Five conference to postpone its fall season because of concerns about competing during the pandemic. The move likely will reverberate throughout sports as conferences and universities grapple with the financial fallout of a canceled sports season and the risk of coronavirus breakouts on campuses.
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[ COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: A daily update on key metrics in your area ]
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
[ Illinois’ new COVID-19 plan: How the state will manage any outbreaks in 3 charts ]
[ Illinois coronavirus graphs: The latest on deaths, confirmed cases, tests and more ]
Here’s what’s happening Tuesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:20 p.m.: Pritzker’s rule to penalize businesses that don’t enforce face mask rule withstands GOP challenge in legislative panel vote
A panel of state lawmakers on Tuesday let stand Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s emergency rule that would fine businesses up to $2,500 for not enforcing mandatory face mask rules.
Pritzker’s emergency rule first survived by a 6-5 vote by the bipartisan rule-making panel to block it, which would have required eight votes. The legislative panel then adopted a certification of no objection to the rule Pritzker’s administration filed on Friday.
“We think as we’re seeing (coronavirus case) numbers tick up now, it’s a very critical moment and it’s important to have this in place,” Pritzker’s top attorney, Ann Spillane, told lawmakers before their vote.
After the vote by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, Pritzker issued a statement saying the rule “will help ensure that the minority of people who refuse to act responsibly won’t take our state backward.”
Read more here. —Jamie Munks
7 p.m.: What’s keeping Washington from a coronavirus relief deal, explained
Hopes that talks on a huge COVID-19 relief deal would generate an agreement soon are fizzling, with both the Trump administration negotiating team and top congressional Democrats adopting hard lines and testy attitudes.
Now that President Donald Trump has issued a series of executive edicts and the national political conventions are set to begin, consuming the attention of both Trump and top Democrats, the talks seem to be on an indefinite pause. The urgency has evaporated now that rank-and-file lawmakers have been set free for the August recess, and while both sides still want an agreement — and pressure is likely to remain high — it’s looking more like a September legislating effort than an August one.
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The impasse leaves millions of jobless people without a $600-per-week pandemic bonus jobless benefit that has helped families stay afloat, leaves state and local governments seeking fiscal relief high and dry, and holds back a more than $100 billion school aid package. Money for other priorities, including the election, may come too late, if at all.
Still, it’s not like Washington politicians to leave so much money on the table. No one is giving up on an accord, though near-term prospects aren’t promising.
Based on weeks of reporting on the talks, here’s a look at the key obstacles to an agreement. —The Associated Press
6:13 p.m.: ‘A smoking gun’: Scientists have confirmation of infectious coronavirus retrieved from hospital air
Skeptics of the notion that the coronavirus spreads through the air — including many expert advisers to the World Health Organization — have held out for one missing piece of evidence: proof that floating respiratory droplets called aerosols contain live virus and not just fragments of genetic material.
Now a team of virologists and aerosol scientists has produced exactly that: confirmation of infectious virus in the air.
“This is what people have been clamoring for,” said Linsey Marr, an expert in airborne spread of viruses who was not involved in the work. “It’s unambiguous evidence that there is infectious virus in aerosols.”
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Read more here. —The New York Times
5:47 p.m.: Cook County clerk’s Loop office to reopen Wednesday after employee tests positive for COVID-19
A Cook County clerk’s office employee tested positive for coronavirus, shutting down the Loop office on Tuesday.
The employee last worked on the 5th floor of 69 W. Washington St. on Aug. 6, according to clerk’s office spokesman John Mirkovic. As the employee quarantined after the test result, cleaning crews swept through the floor to prepare it for reopening on Wednesday, Mirkovic said.
The office, which was closed starting early morning Tuesday, will open its lobby back up to visitors Wednesday morning.
—Alice Yin
5:15 p.m.: Gary to reopen beaches Friday at reduced capacity
Gary will partly reopen beaches starting Friday, Mayor Jerome Prince said.
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Marquette Park’s shelters and parking lots are limited to 75% capacity, he said. Gary Police and Lake County Sheriff’s deputies will turn away crowds over the limit, he said.
“I’m confident we have developed a plan to provide access to our beautiful beaches and parks while still controlling the number of people visiting the sites, which is important in our fight against the spread of the virus,” Prince said in a statement.
This phase goes through at least Labor Day, he said. The city announced a temporary two-week closure July 28, citing some crowding and public health concerns.
However, the move faced some criticism on social media as Marquette Park remained a popular spot to get outdoor exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other posts appeared to show some Miller residents using the beach.
Read more here. —Meredith Colias-Pete
4:23 p.m.: Growth of new COVID-19 cases trending downward in some suburbs, increasing in others, new data shows
Some north and west suburban suburbs are seeing the growth of COVID-19 cases trending downward, though new cases are still being reported, according to new data from the Cook County Department of Public Health.
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In addition to reporting cumulative cases of COVID-19 within suburban Cook County on its website, the health department has added a “recent percent change” in new cases by municipality. According to the health department, the percentage change is calculated “by comparing counts from the past 14 days to the 14 days preceding that …. Negative numbers mean a town is likely trending down in new cases reported. Positive numbers mean a town is likely trending up.”
The communities of Park Ridge, Niles, Des Plaines, Glenview and River Forest saw percentage decreases under this calculation, while the communities of Morton Grove, Lincolnwood, Franklin Park, Harwood Heights, Norridge, River Grove and Northlake saw increases, according to the health department.
Not included in the county’s percent change calculation are Evanston, Oak Park and Skokie, which are monitoring COVID-19 cases through their own health departments.
Read more here. —Jennifer Johnson
4:09 p.m.: New Trier High alumni ask school to move to remote learning, say in-person classes are ‘too great a gamble’ given COVID-19 risk
With just weeks before the first day of classes at New Trier High School, a group of alumni say teachers’ COVID-19 safety concerns demand that the school board “immediately reverse course” from plans to start the new school year with in-person instruction.
In a letter addressed to New Trier High School Superintendent Paul Sally and the school board, members of a grassroots organization “Trevs for Teachers” said they stand in “solidarity” with the high school’s teachers union “and in total opposition to the administration’s suggested hybrid opening format for the 2020-2021 school year.”
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The school board is expected to report on the fall reopening plans at a special meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
3:55 p.m.: Despite the coronavirus, the Blackwell family reunion continues — 112 years and counting
BBQ and family reunions are to summer as fruitcake and carols are to Christmas.
The Blackwell family reunion celebrated its 112th event last weekend. Determined not to let the tradition go by the wayside due to COVID-19, Chatham resident and Chicago host Theresa Wearring held the first virtual reunion, where relatives reveled in seeing one another, catching up, breaking bread and playing games. Family members from five states made an appearance.
For 111 years, they’d celebrated with the smell of various dishes wafting over banquet halls or parks (desserts like banana strawberry pudding and blackberry dumplings), the cacophony of voices of family members being heard over music playing in the background. Young cousins running around tables playing with cousins they only get to see once a year. Nieces and nephews going around getting reacquainted with their aunts and uncles from around the country.
The Blackwell family rotates locations where different chapters exist: Georgia, Maryland, California, Ohio and Chicago/Detroit. Then coronavirus came on the scene, and the gathering that started in 1908 was threatened. Some Blackwells were thinking “uh-oh.” But Wearring, president of the Chicago/Detroit chapter, was not having it.
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Read more here. —Darcel Rockett
3:22 p.m.: Pritzker’s rule to penalize businesses that don’t enforce face mask rule withstands GOP challenge in legislative panel vote
A bipartisan panel of state lawmakers on Tuesday let stand Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s emergency rule that would penalize businesses with fines of up to $2,500 for not enforcing mandatory face mask rules.
A move to suspend the rule was voted down 6-5 by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules after Republican lawmakers detailed their concerns and contended the issue should be handled legislatively, rather than through the rule-making process.
That motion would have needed eight yes votes to pass. The divided legislative panel ultimately adopted a certification of no objection to the emergency rule Pritzker’s administration filed on Friday.
Pritzker issued a mask mandate May 1 for people over the age of 2 in most public settings, but enforcing it has proved to be a challenge. The rule sets out a three-step process, with the third step ultimately being the fine.
”We think as we’re seeing numbers tick up now, it’s a very critical moment and it’s important to have this in place,” Pritzker’s top attorney Ann Spillane told lawmakers before their vote on Tuesday.
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Businesses that don’t enforce a mask mandate in their establishment will first be given a written notice. If they don’t then voluntarily comply, they will be ordered to have patrons leave their property in order to come into compliance with public health guidance.
If businesses still do not comply, they can be given a Class A misdemeanor, subject to a fine of $75 to $2,500.
State Sen. Paul Schimpf, a Republican from Waterloo, questioned whether the rule would have the intended effect for people who continue to refuse to wear masks in public.
”Honestly, having talked with some of the Illinoisans who refuse to wear masks, passing this administrative rule is not going to make people more likely to wear a mask,” Schimpf said.
”What is going to make people more likely to wear a mask is if the governor says ‘you know what, this really is an emergency. This is something that is appropriate for a special session,’ " Schimpf said. “And then if you have a mask mandate that is put in place, subject to the legislative process that has the full support of the rule of law, then I believe people will take this much more seriously.”
—Jamie Munks
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2:12 p.m.: Big Ten postpones the 2020 football season — becoming the first Power Five conference to suspend fall sports
The Big Ten became the first Power Five conference to postpone its fall season because of concerns about competing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The move likely will reverberate throughout sports as conferences and universities grapple with the financial fallout of a canceled sports season and the risk of coronavirus breakouts on campuses.
The Big Ten reportedly plans to move its season to the spring.
Read more here. —Shannon Ryan
1:05 p.m.: State Supreme Court grants Pritzker a stay in downstate legal challenge to COVID-19 orders
The Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday granted the state’s request for a stay in a downstate legal challenge to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s coronavirus-related executive orders.
The state’s highest court also indicated it would consider the state’s request that it determine whether Pritzker has the power to issue continued emergency orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Pritzker’s emergency orders have been subject to legal challenges by religious groups, businesses and state lawmakers. In the Clay County case, Republican Rep. Darren Bailey, of Xenia, sued Pritzker over his statewide mandates related to COVID-19, alleging they are an overreach of his powers under state law.Courts have largely upheld Pritzker’s executive actions, with the exception of Clay County Circuit Judge Michael McHaney, who ruled last month that the governor’s powers to issue emergency orders ended on July 2.
Read more here. —Jamie Munks
12:35 p.m.: How Chicago chefs, even Michelin-starred ones, are embracing the walk-up window during pandemic
Even in a year when the word unprecedented has been used so much it’s starting to lose meaning, who could have predicted that a Michelin-starred chef would open a pizza joint with no indoor seating?
Yet, the recently opened Pizza Friendly Pizza (1039 N. Western Ave.) features the talents of Noah Sandoval, who landed two Michelin stars at Oriole and picked up accolades as the executive chef at Kumiko.
Sandoval certainly isn’t alone in making the transition to this kind of restaurant. After the coronavirus pandemic upended Chicago’s restaurant scene earlier this year, chefs have been trying to figure out how best to pivot. And street food, where dishes are served through a walk-up window to patrons standing outside, suddenly seems like a good bet. From bagels to Korean food to fried chicken, chefs and restaurant owners are offering foods Chicagoans crave, all from pass-through windows.
Read more here. —Nick Kindelsperger
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12 p.m.: Summer jobs for teens, college students vanishing during the pandemic
The iconic summer job for high school and college students has been on the wane for nearly 20 years. But the pandemic is squeezing even more young people out of the workforce.
Some are borrowing more money. Others have turned to pick-up jobs like Instacart, only to compete with older people who are similarly sidelined.
“They’re at the very bottom of the labor queue. And when things get tough, they get pushed out very quickly,” said Paul Harrington, a Drexel University education professor and director of the Center for Labor Markets and Policy. “And that’s why we expect a historically low unemployment summer jobs rate.”
The unemployment rate for people ages 16 to 24 was 18.5% in July compared with 9.1% the same month last year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers released Friday.
A fuller picture will emerge on Aug. 18 when the bureau releases figures on 2020 summer youth employment. But it’s already clear that many jobs have vanished.
Read more here. —The Associated Press
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10:50 a.m.: Iowa, Kansas, Utah removed from Chicago’s travel quarantine list
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Tuesday removed Iowa, Kansas and Utah from the city’s travel quarantine list. Currently visitors or residents returning from 20 states and territories are ordered to self-quarantine for 14 days when they arrive in the city to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
The states and territories currently affected by the order are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Officials said Wisconsin and Nebraska could be removed from the order next week if their case numbers remain low.
—Chicago Tribune staff
[ Traveling outside Illinois? Chicago takes three states off quarantine list, but 19 states & Puerto Rico are still on. Here’s what you need to know to avoid a large fine. ]
10 a.m.: The ‘summer slide’ was tough before COVID-19, but getting kids in back-to-school mode is extra tough this year. Here are some tips to get you started.
Even before the pandemic prompted school closures in the spring, education researchers were concerned about the so-called “summer slide,” a term used to describe skills and knowledge lost in the break between school years.
A study published last month in the American Educational Research Journal found 52% of U.S. students experience learning losses in the five summers between the first and sixth grades. The typical student loses 17% to 28% of school-year gains in English language arts and 25% to 34% of school-year gains in math during the following summer, according to the study, which analyzed more than 200 million test scores recorded between 2008 and 2016.
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It’s too early to tell what this year’s summer slide numbers will look like, especially as Chicago-area schools, libraries, museums and other places kids may have gone to continue learning have been closed for at least part of the summer. Education specialists suggest a number of ways to prepare children for the new school year, including frequently reading with them, incorporating math into their everyday activities and practicing skills they should already know.
Read more here. —Tracy Swartz
8:50 a.m.: After weighing the COVID-19 risks, these college students are heading to campus. ‘I hope it doesn’t get worse.’
Elmwood Park resident Natalie Maite said she’s “not nervous” about living on campus at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisc., despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maite, who graduated from Trinity High School, said she will live in the campus dorms, which require her to wear a mask when walking through the hallways.
She’s one of several local college students who weighed the risks of COVID-19, which lurk in cramped college dorm rooms, communal bathrooms, enormous lecture halls and big dining hall buffets, and decided that learning on campus was worth the gamble.
Read more here. —Steve Schering, Pioneer Press
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8:40 a.m.: Wisconsin holding another primary election today, with about 900,000 voters requesting absentee ballots
Wisconsin's second statewide election since the coronavirus began came with far more time to prepare than the first, with election officials hoping for a correspondingly smoother result in Tuesday's primary.
The state's presidential primary in April was a messy affair, with municipalities forced to shut down polling sites after workers refused to show up out of fear of contracting the virus. The postal system was overwhelmed with absentee ballots.
Absentee voting has again been intense, with some 900,000 such ballots requested by people looking to avoid in-person voting. That compares with around 123,000 in the primary two years ago.
Gov. Tony Evers has activated the National Guard to help staff polling sites. Officials in Milwaukee expected to be able to run about 170 polling sites after offering just five in April. They offered poll workers an additional $100 and launched a recruiting effort, said Julietta Henry, director of the Milwaukee County Election Commission.
Read more here. —The Associated Press
8 a.m.: Goose Island’s 2020 Bourbon County lineup announced — but amid coronavirus, crowds for release may be less than stout
The Bourbon County show must go on.
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Exactly how it will go on during the coronavirus pandemic is unclear. But as it has for the past 10 years, Goose Island Beer Co. will release its flock of barrel-aged Bourbon County beers the day after Thanksgiving across Chicago and beyond.
The release can attract long lines and thick crowds, both at stores and at Goose Island’s Clybourn Avenue taproom, where the beers are typically tapped throughout the day and the brewery hosts pricey guided tastings.
But if the COVID-19 pandemic persists into November — which seems likelier than not — those crowds may become a public health hazard. With more than three months until the Nov. 27 release, Goose Island president Todd Ahsmann said it was too soon to predict what tweaks may be made to the release.
Read more here. —Josh Noel
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are four things that happened related to COVID-19 on Monday.


chicagotribune--2020-08-12--The Spin: Biden bypasses Tammy Duckworth, picks Kamala Harris as his veep | Gov. Pritzker wins legis

The Spin: Biden bypasses Tammy Duckworth, picks Kamala Harris as his veep | Gov. Pritzker wins legislative, court battles over COVID-19 orders | Cook County GOP sues over mail-in ballot expansion

The suit alleges that while “ voting is a fundamental , constitutional right that is central to our democracy , @ @ @ @ @ right by signing into law a partisan voting scheme that is designed to harvest Democratic @ @ @ @ @ , and , if the election still doesn ’ t turn out the way he @ @ @ @ @ enough Democratic ballots after election day to sway the result.
” Read the full story @ @ @ @ @ )

After several blown deadlines — I’m not judging — presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has chosen his running mate and it’s not the hometown finalist, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Hoffman Estates. Instead, he picked California U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris — a former candidate who famously sparred with the onetime vice president on the debate stage last year.
Biden is making history by picking the first woman of color to run for V.P.
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Hours earlier, the speaker list for the Democratic National Convention where Biden will be formally nominated was released — with a big blank spot for Biden’s running mate on Wednesday night, prompting speculation that a number of the finalists, slated to speak on different nights, were out of the running. That included Duckworth, who’s set to address the virtual convention Thursday night.
On a conference call with reporters today, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she was “quite shocked” that President Donald Trump, who likes to hold Chicago up as an example of everything wrong with Democratic-led cities, didn’t weigh in loudly about the city’s looting early yesterday. But then he sort of did during his news conference this afternoon.
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U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth participates in a reenacted swearing-in with Vice President Joe Biden in the Old Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 3, 2017. (Aaron P. Bernstein / Getty Images)
After months of speculation, former Vice President Joe Biden settled on a running mate Tuesday and it was not Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
Biden instead picked one of Duckworth’s colleagues in Washington, California Sen. Kamala Harris, as his pick for vice president.
The freshman senator from Hoffman Estates was not viewed as well-versed on issues of systemic racism and policing that emerged during the selection process after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Still, her stature as a top contender to become Biden’s running mate elevated her profile nationally. Duckworth was a near-daily fixture on cable TV networks, although she had not made any recent appearances as Biden neared the end of his search. Read the full Tribune story here. — (Bill Ruthhart and Rick Pearson)
Biden, who vowed to pick a woman to be on the ticket, had been expected to pick an African American finalist amid a national reckoning over racial equality, including the executive branch of government. .
The choice went beyond traditional considerations such as tapping a running mate from a battleground state, which California is not, to shore up support. Given his age — he’s 77 — political observers say he needed to find a running mate who is comfortable taking the reins and has enough political muscle of her own to make a run for the White House in 2024.
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Remember: Harris courted Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s support while she was running for president, and the two met in Chicago while Harris was still on the campaign trail for president.
Obama weighs in: Former President Barack Obama, the nation’s first African American president, who cut his political teeth in Chicago, lauded his one-time veep Biden for picking Harris. “I’ve known Senator Harris for a long time. She is more than prepared for the job. She’s spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake,” a nod to her work as a district attorney and California Attorney General. In fact, Obama headlined a fundraiser for Harris in her winning 2010 bid for state AG. Read Obama’s full statement here.
Chicago — represent: Duckworth, along with Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, will be among the prime-time speakers at next week’s Democratic National Convention where Biden will be officially nominated as the party’s presidential candidate. Read the full schedule and where you can tune in here.
Conventional wisdom: It was Obama’s keynote speech during the 2004 convention that put the then-U.S. Senate candidate from Illinois into the national spotlight and on a quick trajectory toward the White House.
Closer to home: The Democratic Party of Illinois, run by embattled Chairman Michael Madigan, who also serves as the powerful Illinois House speaker, is putting together its own virtual programming that will precede the nightly speeches at the national convention.
Women, racial justice: Two of the state events reflect some of the hurdles in society and politics: “Illinois Women Leaders. Women’s Rights” and “Fighting for Economic and Racial Justice.”
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The fallout from the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed and handcuffed African American man, has prompted a national reckoning over race, with calls for more diversity in corporate America and politics.
The #MeToo movement nationally and here in Illinois has shone a light on the miles to go for women’s equality. Last year, a former campaign worker reached a $275,000 settlement with four of Speaker Madigan’s political committees over allegations of sexual harassment by one of his top lieutenants and allegations that the speaker’s Democratic team had blackballed her.
That case had some ties to current and former lobbyists for ComEd, the utility recently ensnared in an alleged federal bribery and influence scheme that implicated Madigan.
Data point: There are 184 delegates at stake in Illinois for the Democratic National Convention.
“Illinois Democrats are excited to elect Vice President Joe Biden and his vice presidential candidate to the White House on November 3 and restore integrity to the office,” Madigan said in a statement.
Biden leads Trump by 5 points among likely voters in Wisconsin: Marquette poll: Read the AP story here.
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ICYMI: Kanye West unlikely to appear on Illinois presidential ballot after paperwork review: Read the Tribune story here.
Wisconsin hoping for a smoother election today after chaotic April presidential primary: Read The Associated Press story here.
Entrance to the council chamber at City Hall on Sept. 28, 2015. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune 2015)
Aldermen today criticized the Chicago Police Department’s slow movement toward reform and gave preliminary approval of a measure that would require police brass and other officials to answer for their future performance before City Council members.
Members of the council’s Committee on Public Safety voiced dissatisfaction during an online meeting that the city missed more than 70% of its deadlines in the first year under the consent decree, a broad court order calling for changes to the way the troubled police force treats people.
The ordinance would compel police Superintendent David Brown or his staff, as well as other city officials, to go before the committee following future progress reports from the independent monitor overseeing reforms.
So far, those reports have painted a picture of a department struggling to meet its court-enforceable obligations to overhaul training, supervision and discipline. Read the full Tribune story here.
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks to the media Aug. 5, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune via AP)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city shouldn’t be sending Chicago police officers on the street without body-worn cameras but defended the department’s account of a shooting in Englewood that reportedly generated looting and civil unrest.
Lightfoot acknowledged the officer who shot 20-year-old Latrell Allen in Englewood did not have a body camera and blamed it on an issue with the city’s contract for camera purchases as well as the Police Department’s recent reorganization.
She said the Police Department has made a concerted effort to redeploy officers to districts, including sending people who were formerly in plainclothes.
Lightfoot said she was recently told by police there were issues with the number of body cameras. She said the city is “aggressively” working to renegotiate its deal. Read the full Tribune story here. (Gregory Pratt)
After Biden picks one-time prosecutor as running mate, Trump trots out law-and-order refrain during White House news conference: “Shortly after presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, President Donald Trump again invoked the law and order theme he’s campaigning on to rip Chicago and other big cities.
He repeated Tuesday his previous offer to send in federal troops to help quell local violence in Chicago and elsewhere, and noted that it’s up to mayors and governors to make the request for assistance.
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“‘I’m offering all available federal support requested to stop the violence and arrest the criminals,’ Trump said. ‘We have to be asked by the governors or the mayors and we’ll be there very rapidly. It’s ready willing and able. We’re all ready, willing and able to go these jurisdictions and take care of them. We’ll do them very quickly.‘”
Earlier, the mayor said she was “quite shocked” that Trump hadn’t weighed in loudly about the city’s looting. Read more from Pratt here.
Related: Chicago firefighters, Lightfoot agree on tentative short-term contract with $95 million in back pay: The Tribune’s Gregory Pratt also has that story.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker steps up to speak during a news conferenece July 23, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
A bipartisan panel of state lawmakers on Tuesday let stand Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s emergency rule that would penalize businesses with fines of up to $2,500 for not enforcing mandatory face mask rules.
A move to suspend the rule was voted down 6-5 by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules after Republican lawmakers detailed their concerns and contended the issue should be handled legislatively, rather than through the rule-making process.
That motion would have needed eight “yes” votes to pass. The divided legislative panel ultimately adopted a certification of no objection to the emergency rule Pritzker’s administration filed on Friday. Read the full Tribune story here.
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Illinois Supreme Court consolidates lawsuits challenging Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s coronavirus orders: The Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday moved to transfer a downstate legal challenge to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s coronavirus-related orders by Republican state Rep. Darren Bailey to Sangamon County and consolidate it with other cases challenging Pritzker’s authority.
In moving to transfer and consolidate the lawsuit with other cases, the state’s highest court also declined the governor’s request that it weigh in on whether he has the power to issue continued emergency orders due to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving that to the lower court to decide. Read the rest of the Tribune’s Jamie Munks’ story here.
3 states removed from Chicago’s travel quarantine list: The Chicago Department of Public Health today removed Iowa, Kansas and Utah from the city’s travel quarantine list. Currently, visitors or residents returning from 20 states and territories are ordered to self-quarantine for 14 days when they arrive in the city to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Data points: The announcement came as Illinois public health officials on Tuesday announced 1,549 new confirmed case of COVID-19 and 20 additional deaths. The state now has reported 196,948 cases overall and 7,657 confirmed deaths. Read the full story here.
Former Country Club Hills school administrator claims district rescinded employment offer as she battled COVID-19: lawsuit — Read the Daily Southtown story here.
New Trier High alumni ask school to move to remote learning, say in-person classes are ‘too great a gamble’ given COVID-19 risk: Read the Winnetka Talk story here.
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Workers from the Cook County clerk's office sort suburban Cook County mail ballots in a processing room Nov. 5, 2014. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
The Cook County Republican Party filed a federal lawsuit Monday to block the state’s new enhanced vote-by-mail law, contending the measure was a scheme by Democrats under Gov. J.B. Pritzker to amplify their vote totals and dilute GOP ballots in the Nov. 3 general election.
The sponsor of the new law, state Sen. Julie Morrison of Deerfield, called the lawsuit’s allegations “totally unfounded” and said it was aimed at providing voters with a greater opportunity to avoid casting in-person ballots in response to the pandemic.
The suit alleges that while “voting is a fundamental, constitutional right that is central to our democracy,” Pritzker “violated this right by signing into law a partisan voting scheme that is designed to harvest Democratic ballots, dilute Republican ballots, and, if the election still doesn’t turn out the way he wants it, to generate enough Democratic ballots after election day to sway the result.” Read the full story here. (Rick Pearson)
Thanks for reading The Spin, the Tribune’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. Have a tip? Email host Lisa Donovan at ldonovan@chicagotribune.com.
Twitter @byldonovan


chicagotribune--2020-08-12--Pritzker’s rule to penalize businesses that don’t enforce face mask rule withstands GOP challenge in

Pritzker’s rule to penalize businesses that don’t enforce face mask rule withstands GOP challenge in legislative panel vote

“ What is going to make people more likely to wear a mask is if the governor says ‘ you @ @ @ @ @ is an emergency .
This is something that is appropriate for a special session , @ @ @ @ @ “ And then if you have a mask mandate that is put in place , @ @ @ @ @ that has the full support of the rule of law , then I believe people @ @ @ @ @ seriously .
”

A sign stating that face masks are required at the Chinatown Square outdoor mall is seen as people wait for bubble tea orders at Joy Yee in July. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Springfield — A panel of state lawmakers on Tuesday let stand Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s emergency rule that would fine businesses up to $2,500 for not enforcing mandatory face mask rules.
Pritzker’s emergency rule first survived by a 6-5 vote by the bipartisan rule-making panel to block it, which would have required eight votes. The legislative panel then adopted a certification of no objection to the rule Pritzker’s administration filed on Friday.
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“We think as we’re seeing (coronavirus case) numbers tick up now, it’s a very critical moment and it’s important to have this in place,” Pritzker’s top attorney, Ann Spillane, told lawmakers before their vote.
After the vote by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, Pritzker issued a statement saying the rule “will help ensure that the minority of people who refuse to act responsibly won’t take our state backward.”
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The Illinois Department of Public Health on Tuesday reported 1,549 newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus statewide, and 20 additional deaths of people with COVID-19. The state has reported 196,948 known cases and 7,657 deaths during the course of the pandemic. The seven-day average statewide positivity rate was 4.1% as of Monday. It was 2.9% a month earlier.
People over age 2 who are medically able to wear a face covering over their nose and mouth have been required to do so in public settings where they are unable to stay 6 feet away from others since May 1. But some people have continued to flout the mandate.
Under the rule Pritzker put in place on Friday, businesses that don’t enforce a mask mandate will first be given a written notice. If they don’t then voluntarily comply, they will be ordered to have patrons leave their property in order to come into compliance with public health guidance.
If businesses still do not comply, they can be given a Class A misdemeanor, subject to a fine of $75 to $2,500.
The rule also requires schools and child care facilities to enforce mask rules.
Republican lawmakers on the rules-making committee contended mask enforcement should be handled by legislation. Lawmakers aren’t scheduled to reconvene in Springfield until November.
State Sen. Paul Schimpf, a Republican from Waterloo, questioned whether the rule would have the intended effect for people who continue to refuse to wear masks in public.
“What is going to make people more likely to wear a mask is if the governor says ‘you know what, this really is an emergency. This is something that is appropriate for a special session,‘ “ Schimpf said. “And then if you have a mask mandate that is put in place, subject to the legislative process that has the full support of the rule of law, then I believe people will take this much more seriously.”
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Businesses are “not expected to achieve 100% compliance here,” but rather “are asked to take reasonable efforts” to enforce the mask mandate by posting signs, asking customers to wear a mask and, if possible, providing masks to patrons, Spillane said.
The push for the rule came, in part, from the Illinois State Police, which wanted to give law enforcement agencies statewide a rule they could point to and enforce, Spillane said.
Pritzker’s administration in May sought a stronger enforcement mechanism for his pandemic orders. The administration quietly filed an emergency rule that would have made businesses that flouted his reopening plans subject to a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $2,500 or 364 days in jail.
Pritzker withdrew that rule amid pushback from lawmakers that largely centered on a provision that would have made jail time an option for violators. Pritzker has emphasized he wants the latest rule to be enforceable through fines and not jail time.
Individuals do not face any penalties for violating the mask order. The Illinois Retail Merchants Association issued a statement blasting the administration for relying on businesses to enforce government mandates.
“While the administration preaches the importance of individuals wearing face coverings, they are clearly not interested in taking responsibility for their own orders,” said Rob Karr, Illinois Retail Merchants Association president and CEO in a statement issued after Tuesday’s vote.
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State Sen. Bill Cunningham, a Chicago Democrat who co-chairs the bipartisan committee, said the element of local control and enforcement remains in the rule.
“I think it’s really important to understand what that points to is this rule is going to be enforced against rogue operators,” Cunningham said. “This is not something that is going to be easily applied, even by the most zealous law enforcement agency or public health department, against a business that slips up once or twice.”
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Tens of thousands in northern Illinois still without power Tuesday following storms that spawned Rog

Tens of thousands in northern Illinois still without power Tuesday following storms that spawned Rogers Park tornado: ‘It was like a dinosaur was running at us’

Judy Wood Edstrom ’ s van was hit by a tree that split nearly in half in North Park following @ @ @ @ @ she was surveying the damage to her parked van , she noticed a small white @ @ @ @ @ avenues , also trapped under the branches .
Police and firefighters responded and cut the @ @ @ @ @ from the car , seemingly unscathed , she said .

Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas, Javonte Anderson, Madeline Buckley

Corbett Wilkinson climbs on a downed tree in Rogers Park after a powerful storm tore through the area Monday evening in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
About 60,000 ComEd customers in Chicago were without power Tuesday evening as the city neared 24 hours since powerful storms, which spawned a tornado that cut through Lincolnwood and the Far North Side, the first time one touched down in city limits in two years.
The National Weather Service also confirmed six other tornadoes in Illinois. They occurred in Spring Grove, Marengo, Wheaton and Lombard, plus two in Rockford.
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More than 340,000 customers in northern Illinois were without power earlier Tuesday afternoon, said John Schoen, a spokesman for the utility. And although the company already had called in 1,500 workers from out of state to help, there are customers who won’t have power restored until Saturday afternoon, he said.
“Right now we expect to have the vast majority of customers up by Friday,” Schoen said.
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Corbett Wilkinson climbs on a downed tree in Rogers Park after a powerful derecho storm tore through the area on Aug. 11, 2020, in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
In areas “with really significant damage” “a limited number of people” will be without power until Saturday, he said. There had been nearly 900,000 customers out at the peak of outages, with about 180,000 of those in Chicago, according to ComEd.
Northern Indiana Public Service Co., which provides electricity to most of the northern third of the state, at the peak of outages had more than 95,300 customers without power, said spokeswoman Wendy Lussier.
The weather service had put out among its highest threats of severe weather, which ended up displaying its forecasting ability when a tornado hit in Rogers Park, said Brian Leatherwood, a meteorologist.
A broken tree fell onto a van along West Jarlath Street after a powerful derecho storm tore through the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Aug. 11, 2020. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
The storm was different for ComEd because it was a derecho, “an organized and long-lived system of storms producing a family of particularly damaging downbursts,” according to the weather service.
“This storm, we haven’t seen anything like it in years,” Schoen said. “There was a tornado in Rogers Park, who’s ever heard of that?”
The Rogers Park tornado was confirmed using radar, photos and two submitted videos, Leatherwood said — including one taken by Sabina Tuladhar on Birchwood Avenue in East Rogers Park, Leatherwood said.
A tornado briefly hit the West Side, crossing the Eisenhower Expressway and only doing minor tree damage, on Labor Day in 2018, according to the weather service. Before that, a weak tornado known as a landspout hit near Midway Airport in 2016. A decade before, in September 2006, a tornado touched down in Rogers Park, on the Loyola University campus.
Reached Tuesday morning, Tuladhar said via text message that she has always been fascinated by clouds and lightning.
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“Just saw it moving so fast, I thought, let me capture that moment. In a matter of a couple seconds debris started flying. ... I haven’t seen anything like that before in my life,” she said.
A video of a tornado taken on Aug. 10, 2020, on Birchwood Avenue in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood by Sabina Tuladhar. (Chicago Tribune Handout)
The Rogers Park tornado first touched down in Lincolnwood and headed east, jumping the North Shore Channel and cutting its way through the Far North Side, eventually petering out over the lake, according to the weather service. At its widest, the F-1 tornado was about 300 yards across, and reached maximum wind speeds of 110 mph.
The tornado cut right through Phillip Rogers Park, 7345 N. Washtenaw Ave. Large trees around the perimeter of the park were flattened. Trees were toppled over wires, house windows were broken and roofs were damaged.
Tuesday afternoon, Brian and Alissa Hacker were in their front yard in the 7300 block of North Campbell Avenue, east of the park, with their two children, who were trying to cut through a branch with small handsaws. Tree limbs damaged their fence, their neighbors to the rear had a damaged roof, and everyone around them lost power.
Damaged trees litter Rogers Park after a powerful derecho tore through the area. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
The storm hit abruptly around 4 p.m. Monday, Alissa Hacker said. She was looking out a window facing the park and trees started falling.
“All the trees started snapping in half,” she said. “It was like a dinosaur was running at us.”
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After seeing that, Hacker said she “freaked out and ran to the basement.”
The derecho that produced the tornado swept east from Nebraska, through Iowa and across Illinois into Indiana, with some gusts as high as 92 mph, the weather service reported.
At least one semi-truck blew over in the Peru area as a result of the 60 mph-plus winds, Leatherwood said. One person was reported injured as a result.
Judy Wood Edstrom’s van was hit by a tree that split nearly in half in North Park following a lightning strike. While she was surveying the damage to her parked van, she noticed a small white car near Catalpa and Spaulding avenues, also trapped under the branches. Police and firefighters responded and cut the branches away and people emerged from the car, seemingly unscathed, she said.
Firefighters also responded to numerous fires started by energized power lines, the Fire Department said in a tweet.
Numerous fires from power lines that have come down and remain energized. — Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) August 10, 2020
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In the Logan Square neighborhood, tree branches plummeted onto power lines, cutting power on several blocks south of Diversey Avenue and east of Kedzie Avenue.
In Lombard, more than 200 homes were in some way damaged by winds that exceeded 50 mph at Glenbard East High School, according to a post on Facebook from the village of Lombard.
One such structure was the Sheldon Peck Homestead, the oldest house in Lombard, built in 1839, according to Alison Costanzo, executive director of the Lombard Historical Society. The home, which was restored to its 1839 configuration by the historical society, sustained roof damage and has a tree against the east side of the building, Costanzo said. Officials planned to call for volunteers to help with the cleanup through their social media pages.
“It’s just incredibly mind-boggling, just the amount of damage that the storm did in a short amount of time,” she said.
There also was damage across a wide swath of Joliet after the storm, according to Mike Eulitz, public assets supervisor.
“This damage seems to have covered the entire city,” Eulitz said.
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About a third of ComEd customers in La Grange had no power Monday night, but Palmer Place Restaurant in the village’s downtown did. The restaurant posted on Facebook: “If your power is out, come to Palmer’s and bring your phone chargers. Enjoy a drink and some food. We got ya covered.”
For an updated forecast, check the Tribune’s weather page.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the name of the high school where winds were reported in excess of 50 mph. The school is Glenbard East High School.
Pioneer Press reporter Kimberly Fornek contributed.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
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chicagotribune--2020-08-11--After Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she’s ‘quite shocked’ President Trump hadn’t weighed in on Chicago l

After Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she’s ‘quite shocked’ President Trump hadn’t weighed in on Chicago looting, he repeats offer to send federal help

“ Together the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois have 25,000 police officers , sheriffs and guardsmen available @ @ @ @ @ they can do it very quickly , very easily , if allowed to do their @ @ @ @ @ at a news conference .
“ Again , if allowed to do their jobs .
@ @ @ @ @ enforcement is incredible , but they have to be allowed to do their jobs .
@

President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Aug. 11, 2020, in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/AP)
Shortly after presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, President Donald Trump again invoked the law and order theme he’s campaigning on to rip Chicago and other big cities.
He repeated Tuesday his previous offer to send in federal troops to help quell local violence in Chicago and elsewhere, and noted that it’s up to mayors and governors to make the request for assistance.
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“Together the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois have 25,000 police officers, sheriffs and guardsmen available to quell any violence, they can do it very quickly, very easily, if allowed to do their jobs,” Trump said at a news conference. “Again, if allowed to do their jobs. Our police, our law enforcement is incredible, but they have to be allowed to do their jobs.”
In his remarks at an unrelated White House news conference, Trump also criticized New York Mayor Bill de Blasio as well as leaders in Oregon and Washington state.
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Trump, who frequently rips Democratic mayors of big cities after high-profile crimes or protests, had been conspicuously silent about Chicago following the Monday morning downtown looting that rocked the city and embarrassed local leadership.
“I’m offering all available federal support requested to stop the violence and arrest the criminals,” Trump said. “We have to be asked by the governors or the mayors, and we’ll be there very rapidly. It’s ready, willing and able. We’re all ready, willing and able to go these jurisdictions and take care of them. We’ll do them very quickly.”
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Earlier Tuesday, Lightfoot said she was “quite shocked” that Trump hadn’t weighed in loudly about the city’s looting.
“It’s a full-time job trying to understand, predict and respond to what the president may be doing in his (way). I don’t have time for that. I need to lead this city,” Lightfoot said. “I need to make sure that our residents are safe. That is my focus, not what the latest tweet is for President Trump.”
She also had preemptively criticized the president on Monday, saying the city doesn’t need “federal troops in Chicago, period, full stop.”
“I’m sure the president will have his way with this incident, but I’m calling upon him to do the things that we do need (such as gun control),” she said.
The mayor frequently criticizes Trump, who is unpopular in Chicago, while the president has made the Democrat-run big cities a frequent political target.
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Last month, Trump began sending federal agents with a variety of departments to Chicago as part of Operation Legend — an anti-violence program the mayor said she supports, so long as it’s being supervised locally by U.S. Attorney John Lausch.
But, Lightfoot said she eyes the assistance skeptically and has cast doubt on the sincerity of Trump’s desire to help.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @royalpratt


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Illinois Supreme Court consolidates lawsuits challenging Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s coronavirus orders

McHaney last week ordered Pritzker to appear before him on Friday to show why he should not be held in @ @ @ @ @ for his “ willful disregard ” of the court , noting that the “ failure @ @ @ @ @ a warrant for arrest .
”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker prepares to speak at a news conference July 23, 2020, at the University of Chicago's Harper Center. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday moved to transfer a downstate legal challenge to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s coronavirus-related orders by Republican state Rep. Darren Bailey to Sangamon County and consolidate it with other cases challenging Pritzker’s authority.
In moving to transfer and consolidate the lawsuit with other cases, the state’s highest court also declined the governor’s request that it weigh in on whether he has the power to issue continued emergency orders due to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving that to the lower court to decide.
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Pritzker’s emergency orders have been subject to legal challenges by religious groups, businesses and state lawmakers, but courts have largely upheld his actions. The exception has been in Bailey’s case, filed in Clay County, in which the Xenia Republican alleges Pritzker’s statewide mandates related to COVID-19 are an overreach of his powers under state law.
Bailey, whose attorney, Thomas DeVore has represented several challenges to Pritzker’s pandemic orders, was ejected from the House during a special pandemic-driven session in May for refusing to wear a mask but later returned wearing a mask.
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Clay County Circuit Judge Michael McHaney, ruled last month that the governor’s powers to issue emergency orders ended July 2.
McHaney last week ordered Pritzker to appear before him on Friday to show why he should not be held in indirect civil contempt and sanctioned for his “willful disregard” of the court, noting that the “failure to appear may result in a warrant for arrest.”
Last week, Pritzker called McHaney’s rulings against him “ridiculous.”
The Illinois attorney general’s office on Monday filed a motion asking the Illinois Supreme Court to exercise supervisory authority to stay the contempt hearing, which the court did on Tuesday before moving to transfer and consolidate lawsuits challenging the governor’s authority.
That motion also requested the Illinois Supreme Court “answer the underlying legal question raised by this case,” namely whether the governor acted within the scope of his powers under the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act and the Illinois Constitution in issuing disaster proclamations and executive orders throughout the course of the pandemic.
“We appreciate the court’s decision to transfer and consolidate this case with nearly identical cases currently pending in Sangamon County, where we will continue to defend the governor’s authority to protect Illinois residents,” Illinois attorney general’s office spokeswoman Annie Thompson said in a statement.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--‘It almost sounded like a hurricane’: Derecho weather events in the Chicago area since 1965

“ It started out innocuously enough .
At 7:39 p.m. , the grounds crew rolled out the tarp and play @ @ @ @ @ p.m. , the Cubs were on the stadium loudspeakers , advising fans to seek shelter @ @ @ @ @ the grandstands .
Six minutes later those ominous tornado sirens sounded , and the deluge @ @ @ @ @ all logic to the contrary , Act Two ensued .
”

The weather event known as a derecho is a widespread summer storm capable of traveling thousands of miles with hurricane-force winds of up to 100 mph. A Spanish word, derecho (deh-ray’-cho) is the term used for “straight ahead,” which refers to the straight-line wind direction (as opposed to rotary, tornadic winds) of these storms. Derecho winds can appear as a concave or bowed shape on weather radar.
Derecho was first used as a weather term in 1878 by Iowa meteorologist Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs, and appeared for the first time in the Chicago Tribune in a March 30, 1890 story on tornado prediction.
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Originally published in the July 17, 2003, edition of the Chicago Tribune. Sources: NOAA-National Severe Storms Lab; National Weather Service offices; Storm Prediction Center; National Weather Service Chicago archives (Thomas Valle/WGN-TV)
Here are the details of nine derecho events since 1965:
Aug. 26-27, 1965
Thousands of downed trees and power lines littered the Chicago area following the powerful derecho, which formed late in the afternoon on Aug. 26, 1965, according to WGN-TV chief meteorologist Tom Skilling.
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The storm produced torrential rainfall, hail, funnel clouds and damaging winds as it swept from northwest to southeast across the area, causing approximately $7 million in damages. No fatalities were reported in Chicago, but the storm killed five people and injured 146 in its path from Iowa to Ohio.
“Olympia Fields, one of the hardest hit communities, put up road blocks to seal the town off from sightseers anxious for a glimpse of the damage.” — Chicago Tribune, Aug. 28, 1965
Officials inspecting damaged General Electric plant at 14th Street and Arnold Avenue in Chicago Heights. Ferocious winds dislodged roof and hurled it onto auto in foreground. (Chicago Tribune historical photo 1965)
Youngsters view a large tree that was uprooted during the storm and periled the building at 4357 S. Wells St. (Chicago Tribune historical photo 1965)
WGN-TV put together this look back at the Aug. 26-27, 1965 derecho, which published in the Aug. 23, 2004, edition of the Chicago Tribune. (WGN-TV)
July 4-5, 1980
The temperature reached a high of 94 degrees — surpassing the previous high for July 5 — at 4 p.m., but dropped to a chilly 64 degrees when a cold front swept in around 11 p.m., according to the July 6, 1980, edition of the Chicago Tribune.
Winds reached 82 miles per hour and left 100,000 homes in the area without power. The most violent wind report came from Northbrook, where half of a roof on a 20-car garage was lifted then dropped, damaging at least seven cars in a parking shelter for a condominium. No injuries were reported in the Chicago area due to the storm.
“I had a beautiful yard, and now it’s all ruined.” — Ann Schranz, Chicago resident
Cars are covered with a roof and other rubble after violent winds tore the top off a Northbrook garage on July 5, 1980. (Walter Kale/Chicago Tribune)
Originally published in the July 5, 2009 edition of the Chicago Tribune. Sources: Frank Wachowski; Robert Johns and Jeffry Evans, Storm Prediction Center; National Weather Service archives. (Steve Kahn/WGN-TV)
July 2, 1992
A 36-year-old woman was pronounced dead in west suburban Woodridge after being hit by a current from a downed power line. A neighbor said she might have been trying to rescue her family’s dog when she was electrocuted after touching a metal fence. Dozens more were injured by the violent storm, which brought torrential rains, reports of funnel clouds and the loss of power for more than 210,000 Commonwealth Edison customers.
Windows were reportedly broken in the Sears Tower (known now as Willis Tower) by winds in excess of 80 miles per hour and 33 people were injured when food booths and stages were overturned at Taste of Chicago in Grant Park. About 30 teenagers aboard small sailboats participating in the Chicago Fireworks Junior Regatta ended up in Lake Michigan, but all were pulled from the water without injury.
With only half the field completing the first round, the Western Open golf tournament at Cog Hill in Lemont, was canceled for the day and 20,000 people were safely evacuated from the grounds.
“I saw people with terror on their faces, and thank goodness I didn’t have a mirror because I was one of them.” — Peter DeYoung, Western Open tournament director
People attending the Taste of Chicago on July 2, 1992, run for cover as the storm hits. (Rob Lamkey)
People at Taste of Chicago duck behind booths during a storm on July 2, 1992. Thirty-three people at the Grant Park event were injured. (Jose M. Osorio/Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
General Electric employee Sharon Tazelaar begins to clean up outside a downed hospitality tent at Cog Hill golf course in Lemont on July 2, 1992.
Aug. 23, 2007
Up to five inches of rain fell in the Chicago area, overwhelming the region’s Deep Tunnel System. Locks were opened to release storm water and untreated sewage into Lake Michigan. The pooling water caused a late afternoon commuting nightmare for drivers and at least 7,000 Metra riders, who were stranded as power lines and heavy tree branches blocked rail lines.
Wind gusts estimated up to 90 miles per hour caused air-traffic controllers at O’Hare International Airport to evacuate the tower — the first time since Sept. 11, 2001, that it had been shut down for an emergency.
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“It started like you had just turned on a faucet in your sink. It went from nothing to heavy rain and winds in just a minute.” — Sgt. John Nebl, Schaumburg police
Virginia Nardi from Chicago and her 2-year-old son Vincent seek shelter from a brutal storm that hit suddenly at 12th Street Beach on Aug. 23, 2007, in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Originally ran in the July 13, 2008, edition of the Chicago Tribune. Source: Robert Johns, "About Derechos." (WGN-TV)
Aug. 4, 2008
A violent squall line with hurricane-strength winds — as high as 94 miles per hour recorded at the Harrison-Dever Crib just off the lakefront in downtown Chicago — swept the area, according to WGN-TV’s Skilling. Ten thousand strokes of lightning were recorded in just one house as the storm, fueled by hot and humid air, left a trail of downed trees. Two confirmed tornadoes — each identified as EF1 twisters with winds between 86-110 mph — hit Bloomingdale and Bolingbrook.
The storm interrupted several times the Cubs game against the Astros — ’70s Night — at Wrigley Field. Tornado sirens blared and the stands were cleared as the crowd of more than 40,000 people was evacuated to the lower concourse. After one particularly jarring explosion of thunder and lightning, Houston’s Lance Berkman threw off his metal chain and then sprinted off the field.
The game finally concluded at 11:51 p.m. in a 2-0 Astros victory.
“It started out innocuously enough. At 7:39 p.m., the grounds crew rolled out the tarp and play was suspended. By 8 p.m., the Cubs were on the stadium loudspeakers, advising fans to seek shelter in the concourse or under the grandstands. Six minutes later those ominous tornado sirens sounded, and the deluge followed. Then, despite all logic to the contrary, Act Two ensued.” — Chicago Tribune story by Brian Hamilton, Aug. 5, 2008
A Cubs fan dressed as Elvis Presley is hauled off the field by security after he rushed the field to slide on the tarp during a rain delay on Aug. 4, 2008. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)
July 11, 2011
Up to 75 mph winds ripped down power lines, tossed trees onto roads and railroad tracks and forced businesses to close for the day. During the storm’s peak, it was estimated 868,000 ComEd customers were without power — more than in any storm in at least the previous decade. Despite the winds, the storm brought little rain.
One Union Pacific North line train was stuck for hours on the tracks after tree limbs and fallen power lines blocked it. It was scheduled to arrive at Ogilvie Transportation Center at 9:05 a.m., but didn’t arrived until about 2 p.m.
Several Cook County jail inmates and a Cook County sheriff’s deputy were injured while dismantling a festival tent as part of a community service project in Palos Hills, but not seriously.
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“To me, it almost sounded like a hurricane. The wind and water were blowing straight across.” — Bob Calderon, Naperville resident
In Waukegan, residents gather outside Pine Grove Apartments, where gusts tore off parts of the roof on two buildings. “I was crying and trying to go downstairs,” one resident said. “Everything was flying. A tree right in front burst. I ran out with my shoes off, barefoot.” Despite the damage throughout the Chicago area, the storm caused only a few injuries. (Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune)
Originally published in the July 12, 2011, edition of the Chicago Tribune. Sources: Frank Wachowski; National Weather Service archives. (WGN-TV)
July 1, 2012
During the hot, drought-plagued summer, this late-morning storm destroyed power lines, damaged roofs and caused delays in the air and on the rails.
High winds, first noted in the DeKalb area, sped across western and southern portions of the Chicago metro area with reported wind speeds of 70-90 mph, according to Skilling.
Though no serious injuries were reported, about 60 novice kayakers — all wearing life jackets — had to be rescued from the Chicago River near Chicago Avenue due to choppy waters and high winds.
Chad Pechman surveys his yard after a neighbor's tree fell through the roof of his home during a storm in West Chicago on July 1, 2012. The family moved into the house the previous day. (Scott Strazzante/Chicago Tribune)
June 30, 2014
A rare double derecho swept across the Midwest from central Iowa to Ohio.
The first derecho formed around 2 p.m. in Iowa then sped across northwest Illinois into Wisconsin over the next five hours, packing winds of more than 55 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
The second derecho was stronger than the first, producing at least five tornadoes that touched down in northern Illinois, including one between Plainfield and Romeoville. No injuries were reported, but hundreds of trees were downed and nearly 200,000 customers lost power.
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“Usually, the first one stabilizes the atmosphere and makes it less likely for thunderstorms to occur. The first derecho was less intense and the second one was violent and spawned tornadoes (in this case).” — Ricky Castro, National Weather Service meteorologist
The first of two bands of severe thunderstorms descends June 30, 2014, on Chicago. The National Weather Service reported heavy rains and wind gusts over 70 mph. The storms snarled traffic and led to hundreds of airline cancellations and delays. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Originally published in the July 13, 2014, edition of the Chicago Tribune. Sources: Frank Wachowski; National Weather Service archives. (WGN-TV)
Aug. 10, 2020
Blowing in from Iowa — where the storm produced winds in excess of 100 mph — the derecho quickly swept across Illinois and into Indiana. A tornado touched down in Rogers Park with peak winds of 110 mph. Approximately 462,000 ComEd customers were without power.
Trees weren’t the only thing toppled by the storm. The steeple on Church Street, across the street from Wheaton College, collapsed. The south side wall of Pilgrim Baptist Church, 3301 S. Indiana Ave. in Bronzeville, also was destroyed. The church was gutted by a fire in 2006 and was in talks to be renovated.
The storm system was paired with humid conditions and a heat index of more than 100 degrees in the Chicago area.
“You can almost wear the air. This kind of air is like rocket fuel to storms.” — Brett Borchardt, National Weather Service meteorologist
Composite radar (highest intensity within the column) of derecho across northern Illinois on Aug. 10, 2020. (National Weather Service Milwaukee)
We have confirmed that an EF-1 tornado with estimated peak winds of 110 mph and path length of 3 miles touched down in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago during the 8/10/2020 derecho event. #ilwx #inwx pic.twitter.com/oZ4Z2EEYe0 — NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) August 11, 2020
Check out the Tribune’s archives at your fingertips at Newspapers.com.
Sources: Chicago Tribune archives and reporting; National Weather Service Chicago; WGN-TV chief meteorologist Tom Skilling; Baseball-Reference.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--State police investigating wrong-way fatal crash on Interstate 80/94

The driver and passenger of the Nissan were ejected from the vehicle and died of their injuries at the scene @ @ @ @ @ of the two other vehicles were taken to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries .

State police are investigating a double fatal crash involving a wrong-way driver that occurred early Monday on Interstate 80/94 in Lansing.
The driver, identified as a 47-year-old Lynwood woman, and a passenger died, police said Tuesday.
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The incident resulted in all eastbound lanes of the interstate being closed for several hours.
Police said the Lynwood woman, driving a 2015 Nissan Rogue, was headed west at 4:15 a.m. in one of the eastbound lanes when it veered into the center concrete barrier dividing the eastbound and westbound lanes.
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The vehicle then came back into the lanes of traffic where it hit a Chevy Equinox then was struck by a semi truck, police said.
The driver and passenger of the Nissan were ejected from the vehicle and died of their injuries at the scene, police said. Drivers of the two other vehicles were taken to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.
All eastbound lanes were closed at about 5:15 a.m., with traffic rerouted to Torrence Avenue until lanes reopened at 12:15 p.m.
mnolan@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--Body found in Lake Michigan near Belmont Harbor identified as 15-year-old from DePaul College Prep

Authorities pulled Patrick ’ s body from the lake near Belmont Harbor in the 3100 block of North Lake Shore @ @ @ @ @ Cook County medical examiner ’ s office .
Police had searched the area for the @ @ @ @ @ the lake ’ s current took him under water earlier that week .
He was @ @ @ @ @ the water for a swim with friends .

A Chicago police marine unit searches Lake Michigan at Diversey Harbor for a missing swimmer Aug. 6, 2020. The body of Patrick Louis Tedeski, 15, was found the following day. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
A body found Friday in Lake Michigan was identified as 15-year-old Patrick Louis Tedeski, a boy who had disappeared last week near Diversey Harbor.
Authorities pulled Patrick’s body from the lake near Belmont Harbor in the 3100 block of North Lake Shore Drive, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Police had searched the area for the missing teen for days after the lake’s current took him under water earlier that week. He was believed to have gone in the water for a swim with friends.
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Patrick was from the Albany Park neighborhood, according to the medical examiner’s office. His autopsy results remain pending.
The teen was a student at DePaul College Prep, and the Catholic high school in the Irving Park neighborhood held a prayer vigil for him Aug. 5. He was a football and baseball player in his sophomore year, according to Megan Stanton-Anderson, the school’s principal.
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“The DePaul Prep community has been holding (Patrick’s) family in prayer while the search continued for his body,” Stanton-Anderson said in an email. “We are relieved that Patrick has been recovered so that his family can now have closure to the search process.”
The school plans to honor Patrick at its student orientations the week of Aug. 24, Stanton-Anderson added.
An online fundraiser was organized for the Tedeski family and raised more than $20,000 in a day, which the fund’s creator wrote “will go directly to Patrick’s funeral costs and the family’s current needs.”
The visitation for Patrick was scheduled for 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Smith-Corcoran Chicago Funeral Home, 6150 North Cicero Ave., according to a funeral home staff member. A private Mass was also planned for Friday at Queen of All Saints Basilica, a Catholic church in the Sauganash neighborhood.
kelsmith@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @KelliSmithNews


chicagotribune--2020-08-11--CPS will reduce funding for school resource officers by half and won’t pay for police while schools

CPS will reduce funding for school resource officers by half and won’t pay for police while schools are closed for remote learning

Jackson said the change in funding “ is just one of the many reforms that we are implementing for this @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t talk about why it didn ’ t happen last year versus this @ @ @ @ @ have made it clear that we are committed to improving this program going forward and @ @ @ @ @ is much more precise and there is more transparency .
”

With the campaign to end school police only gaining traction since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Chicago Public Schools introduced a budget Monday that would cut in half funding for school-based officers.
CPS had a $33 million contract with the Chicago Police Department for the previous school year. But in the coming year, the school district will no longer pay $7.5 million for 48 officers on mobile school units and will receive at least $10.5 million in credit for remote learning days, when officers aren’t assigned to schools, according to CPS budget documents.
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CPS CEO Janice Jackson said the cost will be prorated based on the number of days of in-school instruction. Remote learning will continue in CPS for at least the first quarter of the school year.
Last school year, the CPD program included mobile patrol officers who could respond to criminal activity around schools that didn’t have assigned officers but otherwise were on neighborhood patrol. “Given these broader public safety responsibilities, CPS will no longer pay for these officers,” according to the district.
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Jackson said the change in funding “is just one of the many reforms that we are implementing for this upcoming school year. I can’t talk about why it didn’t happen last year versus this year. I think we have made it clear that we are committed to improving this program going forward and making sure that the spending is much more precise and there is more transparency.”
The cost of last school year’s CPD contract has also been reduced by $15 million to account for remote days in which officers were not assigned to schools, according to CPS.
The total cost of the new agreement will also depend on how many schools vote to keep officers. CPS asked Local School Councils to vote on whether to retain officers at individual schools before the Aug. 26 Chicago Board of Education meeting, when the board is expected to vote on a new contract with the Police Department.
Meanwhile, CPS is still working on wrangling accurate information on LSC votes.
Of 72 district-run schools that had police officers last year, Northside College Prep was the first to remove them. Others that followed suit include Roberto Clemente Community Academy, Benito Juarez Community Academy, John Hancock College Prep, Back of the Yards College Prep, Roosevelt High School and Lane Tech, the district’s biggest high school with more than 4,000 students.
In a 9-3 vote, Lane Tech’s principal sided with four parents, two community members, a student and a teacher, while two parent representatives and a staff member voted to keep them.
Back of the Yards’ student newspaper, The Maroon, on Monday reported the 6-5 LSC vote to remove officers.
Sharing the news of Roosevelt’s 6-3 vote Tuesday, Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, 33rd, tweeted, “I couldn’t be prouder of my amazing HS and my community.”
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Roosevelt HS has voted 6-3 to remove SRO’s from the school.
I couldn’t be prouder of my amazing HS and my community. — Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez 🌹 (@RossanaFor33) August 11, 2020
Kelvyn Park High School in Belmont Gardens also voted to remove officers, but at 5-1, it lacked the seven-member quorum needed to make a vote binding.
More than 30 schools have voted to keep having officers, including several others that lacked quorum, according to CPS. Votes without quorums are considered advisory, and principals and network chiefs will have the final say, according to CPS.
Several LSC votes were scheduled for Tuesday, including Mather High School, where 17-year-old Caleb Reed pushed for the removal of police as a student until weeks ago, when he was fatally shot. At a June 9 news conference, Reed had shared his experience of being arrested for not having an ID at a school basketball game.
In defending the use of school-based officers, CPS and city officials have focused heavily on the fact that Local School Councils get final say. Those opposed to school policing, including the Chicago Teachers Union, have argued that it’s a false choice when LSCs aren’t presented with alternatives for spending the money that pays for the officers. The Board of Education voted 4-3 in June to keep the current, $33 million agreement with CPD, which expires this month.
Even for schools voting to stay in the program, the officers won’t report to schools during remote learning, the district said last week.
As for the months when schools were closed because of COVID-19 in the spring, a spokesman said the district is “working with the city to conduct a reconciliation of costs for the 2019-20 school year.”
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After the police killing of George Floyd, several protests in Chicago focused on the defunding of police in Chicago schools, including this one in June in the Loop. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
CPS’ decision to continue remote learning for the start of the new school year came up Thursday night at Hancock College Prep, where Local School Council members met on Zoom and voted 6-4 not to retain their officers.
“We need to consider, especially now during the remote learning world where we don’t have students in the building, getting an opportunity to train our security staff to be ready for when students return,” said Principal Vanessa Puentes. That could include providing crisis and first-aid training, she said.
“This vote is not necessarily going to change the Board of Ed vote,” she said. “I do think that this vote is standing in solidarity with a lot of what our students in our community are saying right now and it is something we can control at the Local School Council level.”
Puentes, all three teacher and staff representatives, and both community members on the council voted to remove officers, while all four parent representatives voted to keep them. No student council member was present.
Though more than an hour of public comment and discussion preceded the vote, members acknowledged no town hall meeting had taken place. In light of that, teacher representative Froylan Jimenez asked for flexibility with the usual two-minute limit for each public comment.
Hancock Dean Mildred Garcia, who graduated from Clemente in 2007, said she remembers days when police would wait outside her high school, like they were ready to arrest students. She formed her belief that officers did not belong in schools, but never thought she’d see that change. Then last month, Clemente’s LSC voted 9-1 to remove police.
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Garcia’s approach to restorative justice does not involve police, she said. She wants students to feel safe and empowered.
“Change is scary and it takes time,“ Garcia said. “... We talk about making schools more equitable for Black and brown students and today we have the opportunity to do that.”
Mayra Gutierrez, a rising senior at Hancock, said it’s important to consider the unknown histories each student has with police in addition to the known histories of the school’s two officers, who have accumulated many misconduct allegations.
Some students have been traumatized and emotionally scarred, fearful for their lives, Gutierrez said.
Teacher Cristen Chapman said it was notable that many of the supporters for school-based officers have cited concerns about external factors such as school shootings. For those cases, staff can call 911, and even if the school’s officers aren’t doing harm, they’re also not adding value, she said.
But Sandra Diaz, the parent of an incoming sophomore, asked the council to consider keeping officers.
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“Having a police officer in our school grounds gives us as parents peace of mind,” Diaz said.
During a lockdown in 2018, she liked knowing that an officer was inside the school, and reasoned they had a faster response time than officers stationed off campus. While agreeing that other programs need resources, Diaz said removing officers won’t guarantee that happens.
A parent on the LSC, Janine Brzezicki, had similar concerns about safety in life-threatening situations that go beyond the traditional scope of security guards. “There are accusations of unprofessionalism and evil people in all professions,” Brzezicki said. “I believe the Chicago Police Department has been an asset.”
Puentes said while it was a difficult decision, she cast her “no” vote as someone who manages millions of dollars, has listened to students and teachers, and who wants to be true to the people who trust her with their children as well as to the work of the school’s race and equity team.
hleone@chicagotribune.com