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Another day, another needed dose of sunshine this week. Read on for stories from WTTW News on COPA, funding threats to Illinois universities and more. |
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Andrea Kersten, chief administrator of Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability, appears on “Chicago Tonight” on June 28, 2023. (WTTW News) |
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The head of the agency charged with investigating Chicago Police Department misconduct resigned two weeks before the city’s police oversight board planned to take a vote of no confidence in her leadership, according to a letter obtained by WTTW News through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Andrea Kersten resigned Feb. 13 as chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, known as COPA, 16 days after Driver and Terry informed her the commission planned to recommend her termination for a number of failures they said had compromised Chicago’s police accountability system, eroding public confidence in policing and police oversight.
What the letter said:
“The commission believes that strengthening trust in COPA now requires new leadership,” Commission for Public Safety and Accountability President Anthony Driver, Jr. and Vice President Remel Terry wrote, saying the commission had identified “critical failures of leadership (that) seriously undermine the quality and integrity of COPA’s work.”
The letter gave Kersten until Feb. 27 to submit a letter to the commission addressing their concerns before a vote of no confidence could take place. Kersten’s last day on the job was Feb. 28.
How she responded:
On the same day Kersten announced she would step down, Kersten told Driver and Terry in a letter she had done nothing that merited a vote of no confidence.
“I emphatically reject the allegations against myself and my agency’s work as patently unfounded,” Kersten wrote, calling the probe into her leadership “unfair” and unfounded. |
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The Dirksen Courthouse is pictured in Chicago. (Capitol News Illinois) |
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A federal jury ordered the city of Chicago to pay $120 million to two men who were wrongfully convicted of a 2003 murder and spent a combined 32 years in prison, setting a new city record for a wrongful conviction case. John Fulton was 18 and Anthony Mitchell was 17 when they were arrested in connection with the March 10, 2003, murder of 18-year-old Christopher Collazo, whose body was discovered bound with duct tape and partially burned in a Back of the Yards alley. Fulton and Mitchell were awarded $60 million each, officials said. Each spent 16 years in prison before being released in 2019.
Both Fulton and Mitchell were convicted of first-degree murder and kidnapping in 2006 and sentenced to 31 years in prison. They were released in 2019 after a Cook County judge overturned their convictions and ordered a new trial, prompting prosecutors to drop the charges against them. A spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Law vowed to appeal the verdict.
If the Fulton and Mitchell verdict is upheld, it would be equivalent to nearly 150% of the city’s annual $82 million budget to cover the cost of police misconduct lawsuits. |
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(WTTW News) |
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A pair of Illinois universities were among 60 institutions of higher education who received a letter this week from the U.S. Department of Education threatening “potential enforcement actions” if they fail to protect Jewish students on their campuses. Northwestern and Illinois Wesleyan universities were among those that received notice from the department of potential Title VI violations stemming from what it called “antisemitic harassment and discrimination.” The letters come months after pro-Palestinian protests were held on campuses across the country amid the Israel-Hamas war.
More context:
Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and lawful U.S. resident who was a graduate student at Columbia University in New York, was detained Saturday by federal immigration agents in New York and flown to an immigration jail in Louisiana.
President Donald Trump said that arrest will be the first “of many to come” as his administration cracks down on campus demonstrations against Israel and the war in Gaza. Last week, the administration announced that it’s pulling $400 million from Columbia University, canceling grants and contracts because of what the government describes as the Ivy League school’s failure to squelch antisemitism on campus. |
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More From WTTW News |
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Eligible homeowners can now register to apply for a city program designed to provide roof and porch repairs at no cost to homeowners.
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Metra has launched a survey to gather feedback on potentially renaming lines to make the system “easier to understand for new and occasional riders."
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Back in the Day: March 12, 2024 - Rookie Connor Bedard Tallies Career High 5 Points for Blackhawks |
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Connor Bedard is a generational hockey talent and the Chicago Blackhawks chose him as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. On this day one year ago, the rookie put on a stellar performance in a game versus the Anaheim Ducks. The then-18-year-old phenom racked up a career-best five points, scoring one goal and tallying four assists. After the game, Bedard's season total led the Blackhawks and all NHL rookies with 51 points (20 goals, 31 assists) in 52 games. He also became the second Blackhawks 18-year-old to score 20 goals in a season behind franchise legend Eddie Olczyk, who did it in 1984-85. During this season so far, Bedard has racked up 52 points in 65 games, earning 17 goals and 35 assists. |
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Local Live Music Recommendations for March 12-March 18 |
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Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.
Wednesday, March 12:
Al Scorch, Sima Cunningham, Urban Rivers at Hideout. Tickets.
The lovable bluegrass and folk musician enlists a local songwriter that’s one half of the art-rock duo Finom and the conservation org Urban Rivers for his Hideout residency.
Thursday, March 13:
Darkside at Salt Shed. Tickets.
The electronic group explores lush and hypnotizing musical territory on their new album.
Monday, March 17:
Julian Lage at Old Town School of Folk Music (two shows, early and late). Tickets.
The virtuosic jazz guitarist plays two shows on Monday at Old Town School of Folk’s Gary and Laura Maurer Concert Hall.
Tuesday, March 18:
Trey Anastasio at Symphony Center. Tickets.
Where Anastasio normally plays two-set, three-hour shows with his jam band Phish, here he’ll play a stripped down acoustic show. |
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What is the first thing you want to do in Chicago when the weather gets warm again? |
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. |
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5:30 PM | 10:00 PM |
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Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more. |
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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