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This Wednesday, read the latest from WTTW News on the Mayor’s recent dust-up with a city watchdog, an expected ruling on Broadview conditions today and more. |
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(WTTW News) |
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A federal judge could rule today on a request for a temporary restraining order to address what advocates claim are “inhumane and unlawful conditions” at a suburban immigration facility in Broadview.
U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman heard evidence Tuesday morning, days after the MacArthur Justice Center and the ACLU of Illinois filed a lawsuit alleging Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are denying detainees access to their attorneys and subjecting them to mistreatment and overcrowding. Gettleman did not rule on the TRO request Tuesday — he is expected to do so Wednesday — but he did say he felt the plaintiffs “made a case” that justifies the entry of some type of temporary restraining order.
He said the testimony presented was “pretty strong” in showing the Broadview facility is no longer simply operating as a temporary holding center.
“It has really become a prison … it is no longer just a processing center,” Gettleman said.
Federal officials have denied those accusations.
Alexa Van Brunt, director of the MacArthur Justice Center’s Illinois office and lead counsel on the suit, told the court Tuesday morning that Broadview detainees face a “set of dire conditions” posed by ICE officials, who are denying them their “basic human needs.”
Reading through claims from dozens of declarations filed with the court, Gettleman laid out the laundry list of allegations made by those who have been detained in Broadview — overcrowding, a lack of beds, no hygiene or medical supplies, no working showers, a lack of toilets and insufficient food and water access.
Some testimony:
When Pablo Moreno Gonzalez was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Chicago’s Northwest Side last week, he said he was placed into a jam-packed cell with what he estimated was around 150 others. It lacked beds. He was forced to sleep in a chair and had to hop over others sleeping on the floor in front of him to get around.
Moreno Gonzalez told the he remained in Broadview from Wednesday through Friday, during which time he said he was never given a hot meal or able to shower. He said detainees were given three bottles of water per day, while requests for any additional food or water were met with refusals or even anger from ICE agents. |
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A shelf in the mayor's gift room that includes a pair of Hugo Boss cuff links accepted by Mayor Brandon Johnson's office on behalf of the city of Chicago. (Heather Cherone/WTTW News) |
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Mayor Brandon Johnson twice blocked the city’s watchdog from searching for gifts he accepted on behalf of the city without reporting them, as mandated by the city’s ethics ordinance, Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said Tuesday.
In addition, Johnson’s staff did not turn a small City Hall room into a storage room for the gifts he accepted on behalf of the city until February, after Witzburg first revealed he had quietly accepted “cufflinks, designer handbags, and men’s shoes” and failed to document those gifts, according to Witzburg’s report.
“The mayor’s office has taken the position here that it must open those doors to oversight only when it suits them to do so, and that position does little to chip away at mistrust or to pay down the deficit of legitimacy,” Witzburg said in a statement.
Read Witzburg’s full report.
More context:
A spokesperson for Johnson said he acted “promptly to modernize long-standing practices by establishing a larger, dedicated space for public access” after the inspector general’s initial report and began publishing an online log of all of the gifts accepted by the mayor.
In addition, members of the public can sign up for a 15-minute slot to inspect the gift room once every three months. Just two Chicagoans have done so, said spokesperson Cassio Mendoza.
The city’s Ethics Ordinance requires “[e]ach department’s premises, equipment, personnel, books, records, and papers shall be made available as soon as practicable to the inspector general.”
The mayor’s office has disputed that city law entitles the inspector general to make unannounced inspections of the mayor’s offices.
When an undercover investigator working for Witzburg asked in June 2024 to see the list of the gifts to Johnson on a required official document, they were turned away, in violation of city law, according to Witzburg’s first report on the gifts accepted by the mayor.
In November 2024, staff in the mayor’s office refused to allow representatives of the inspector general’s office to inspect the room at City Hall where gifts accepted by the mayor on behalf of the city are required to be stored, according to Witzburg’s first report that triggered a political firestorm. |
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Sponsor Message |
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The emperor’s composer, Antonio Salieri, holds court until the entrance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: prodigy and wild child. The two artists begin a vicious rivalry that will define their lives and their legacies for years to come. Directed by Chicago theatre legend, Robert Falls, in his Steppenwolf debut, Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus is the ultimate ode to ambition and musical genius, a brilliant requiem for a villain in history—but a hero in his own story. Featuring Steppenwolf's largest cast in years, Amadeus begins performances November 6th. |
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(ricardoreitmeyer / iStock) |
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This week’s supermoon will be the year’s biggest and brightest, or at least appear that way.
Here’s how to take full advantage.
When to look?
Technically, the moon was at 100% illumination shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday, but it will have set at that point.
Catch it Wednesday or Thursday night for 98-99% illumination — it will still look plenty full to the eye.
The moon appears largest at moonrise and moonset, when it’s closest to the horizon, thanks to a phenomenon called the “moon illusion.” Basically, the moon looks bigger and brighter when it’s lower in the sky.
According to the folks at Time and Date, this position actually makes more of a difference, optically speaking, than how close the moon is to Earth.
But the timing of moonrise and moonset is not as consistent as sunrise and sunset. Here’s a cheat sheet:
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Wednesday, Nov. 5: moonset, 6:40 a.m.; moonrise, 4:28 p.m.
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Thursday, Nov. 6: moonset, 8:05 a.m.; moonrise, 5:11 p.m.
What’s a supermoon?
A supermoon is a full moon that coincides with the moon reaching the point in its orbit when it’s closest to Earth — a point called perigee.
Because of this relative closeness — if you can consider this month’s perigee of 221,816 miles “close” — the moon appears 16% brighter than the average full moon.
But the term itself is completely made up.
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Back in the Day: Nov. 5, 1946 - Loleatta Holloway, Influential Disco Singer, Born in Chicago
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Loleatta Holloway was a pioneering disco singer whose powerhouse, gospel-charged voice was undeniable. On this day in 1946, 79 years ago, the artist was born in Chicago. She grew up singing gospel in church with her mother, who ran the Holloway Community Singers choir. She later joined the Caravans, an influential gospel group. By 1971, Holloway had moved to secular music, imbuing the tone and texture of religious music with soul, R&B and disco. Her biggest hits include 1980s “Love Sensation,” 1975’s Solomon Burke cover “Cry to Me: and her vocal work on Dan Hartman’s 1979 “Relight My Fire.” In 1991, she achieved her first No. 1 single for her work on Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch’s “Good Vibrations.” She died in 2011 at 64.
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Chicago-Area Live Music Recommendations for Nov. 5-11
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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, Nov. 5:
Little Simz, La Reezy at Salt Shed. Tickets.
This U.K. rapper boasts a critically acclaimed, adventurous and danceable catalog.
Kaytranada, Justice, Sam Gellaitry at United Center. Tickets.
Want to dance? You’ll find few better options than this stacked arena show.
Friday, Nov. 7:
S.G. Goodman, Fust at Lincoln Hall. Tickets.
Enjoy music at the intersection of country and rock? This is the bill for you.
TOLEDO, fanclubwallet at Schubas. Tickets.
This New York City folk duo is as likable as they are talented.
The Hoyle Brothers at the Empty Bottle. Free.
One of the city’s longest-running musical residencies finds the local band performing their “Hard Country Honky Tonk” every week early at 5:30 p.m.
Friday Nov. 7 and Saturday, Nov. 8:
Kurt Vile and Terry Allen at Old Town School of Folk. Tickets for Friday and Saturday.
A cross-generational collaboration between two acclaimed songwriters.
Saturday, Nov. 8 and Sunday, Nov. 9:
Grizzly Bear at Salt Shed. Tickets for Saturday and Sunday.
A New York band that embodied the aughts indie rock explosion’s most avant-garde fringe makes a triumphant return to Chicago.
Sunday, Nov. 9:
Jens Lekman, Yeemz at Lincoln Hall. Tickets.
This charming Swedish songwriter is a hilarious and compelling storyteller.
Monday, Nov. 10:
Deeper, Stuck, The Knees at the Empty Bottle. Free.
This month, the Empty Bottle is celebrating its 33rd and 1/3rd birthday with a packed slate of massive shows, including a bill headlined by one of the city’s best post-punk bands.
Tuesday, Nov. 11:
Tortoise with the Chicago Philharmonic at Auditorium Theatre. Tickets.
Chicago’s most influential post-rock outfit teams up with an orchestra. |
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What’s your favorite cocktail bar in the Chicago area? Tell us where and why. |
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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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