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It’s Monday. Ease into the work week with these stories from WTTW News. |
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(WTTW News) |
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A pilot program that allows Chicago police officers to file felony gun charges without first getting approval from a prosecutor expanded to a second South Side police district on Friday, despite objections from defense attorneys and police reform advocates.
The Felony Review Bypass Pilot Program launched in the Englewood (7th) Police District in January, after Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke took office, and is now in effect in the Calumet (5th) Police District, officials said.
How does it work?
The program allows Chicago police officers to charge those arrested in either police districts with unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, which are felonies, without getting the approval of an assistant state’s attorney after a CPD lieutenant signs off.
Designed to streamline the charging process “for lower-level felony gun cases” and ease “a significant strain on police and prosecutor resources across Chicago,” the pilot program was a success during the first three months in the Englewood Police District, which includes Gage Park, Auburn Gresham, Chicago Lawn, and Greater Grand Crossing, according to a statement from the state’s attorney’s office.
More backstory:
Mayor Brandon Johnson declined last month to tell reporters whether he supported the pilot program, saying that “constitutional policing, building relationships within the community and restoring relationships and maintaining relationships with law enforcement and the community, that is my top priority.”
While both CPD Supt. Larry Snelling and O’Neill Burke declared the three-month pilot in the Englewood District a success, Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell said he was “deeply concerned” by the program’s expansion.
“There is no doubt that this change is rooted in a desire to build safer communities, but this change removes a critical layer of oversight that helps ensure charges are legally sound, factually supported, and brought in the interest of justice,” according to a statement from Mitchell’s office. |
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A view of Chicago looking west. (AndresGarciaM / iStock) |
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So-called “teen takeovers” have been a popular trend among some young people for years, and the large gatherings are already making headlines again as summer approaches.
The latest meetup happened last weekend when a crowd of hundreds of teens congregated in Streeterville. One teen was shot while another was stabbed, and multiple police officers were injured trying to break up the group.
This chaotic scene reignited a debate on the citywide curfew for unaccompanied minors with calls to change the current curfew from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has said banning teens from downtown after 8 p.m. would only shift the problem to other communities, rather than addressing the root cause of the problem.
What youth advocates say:
“I feel like the curfews aren’t working, so why are we trying to enforce it again?” said Nikya Harrell, 23, a youth leader at BUILD, a West Side nonprofit aimed at violent prevention and youth development. “When are we going to have a sit down and actually talk and ask what’s going on? Why do you guys feel the need to do this?
What curfew advocates say:
“The 10 p.m. curfew is actually an effective tool,” said Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward), who represents Streeterville. “I was out there last week and I personally witnessed police officers enforcing the 10 p.m. curfew shortly after the 10 o’clock hour passed and it had a chilling effect on some of the chaos and mayhem that was happening.” |
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A wilting corpse flower. (Ward DeWitt / Stock) |
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Titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) is a rock star in the plant world.
The infrequent and foul-smelling blooms of the so-called “corpse flower” — housed in botanic gardens and arboretums around the world — are the stuff of legend: livestreamed to a global audience while also attracting tens of thousands of admirers in person, many of them waiting in line around the clock to catch a glimpse of the towering spike but mostly a whiff of the scent described as “rotting flesh.”
The publicity surrounding these events — including the blooming of Sprout, Alice and Java in Chicago — has brought much-needed attention to the endangered status of Titan arum. But newly published research suggests that despite all the pampering these plants receive from their curators, conservation efforts have fallen short in one key area that threatens the species’ survival in captivity as much as in the wild.
When plant biologists from Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden conducted a study of data from nearly 1,200 individual Titan arum plants held in collections at 111 institutions, they found an alarming amount of inconsistency in the information provided.
In short: Poor record-keeping meant a lot of the plants lacked a proper family tree, and unhealthy inbreeding had run rampant as a result. |
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Back in the Day: April 7, 2015 - Rahm Emanuel Wins Runoff Mayoral Election Against Chuy Garcia |
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On this day 10 years ago, Rahm Emanuel secured a second term as Chicago’s mayor defeating a runoff challenge from the progressive county commissioner Jesús G. "Chuy" García. It was the first time a local mayoral race had advanced to the runoff since elections were made non-partisan in 1999. Emanuel, who fended off criticism from García about closing multiple schools and abandoning the city’s working class, ended up with 56.23% of the vote compared to Garcia’s 43.77%. “I have had the good fortune to serve two presidents. I’ve had the fortune of being elected to Congress,” Emanuel said at his victory event. “Being mayor of the city of Chicago is the greatest job I’ve ever had and the greatest job in the world. To all the voters, I want to thank you for putting me through my paces. I will be a better mayor because of that.” Emanuel left office in 2019, declining to seek a third term. |
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This Week’s Civic Events and Meetings |
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Every Monday, WTTW News highlights the best ways to get involved with local government.
City Council
At 10:30 am Monday, the City Council will consider appointing Anthony Quezado to alderperson of the 35th Ward, replacing Carlos Ramirez Rosa, who resigned to lead the Chicago Parks District. Agenda and further details here.
City Club Chicago
At noon on Wednesday, a panel called "Strategies to Alleviate Poverty in Cook County and Beyond" will feature University of Chicago social work professor Dr. Maggie Thomas, former Ald. Amaya Pawar, president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Toni Preckwinkle and former Stockton, Calif. mayor Michael Tubbs. Tickets and details here.
City Council's Joint Committee: Finance; Housing & Real Estate
At noon on Wednesday, they will consider “green social housing,” one of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s major housing initiatives.
WTTW: “It’s Basic” Documentary Film Screening and Panel Discussion
On Wednesday at 5:30 pm, WTTW, in partnership with the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice invites you to a screening of "It's Basic," an award-winning documentary film on guaranteed income pilot programs in the U.S. After the screening at Edith Hall, a panel discussion featuring Toni Preckwinkle, Michael Tubbs and Dr. Maggie Thomas will follow. Dinner will be served, too. RSVP to the free event here. |
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What's your favorite meal on the South Side? Tell us where.
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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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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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