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The Chicago Reader

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Music, Music Feature Mar 31, 2021
On house arrest with Mohawk Johnson

CPD has tried to turn the rapper and comedian into a cautionary example to social justice protesters. He has other plans.
- By Leor Galil
- Tags: Music Feature, Mohawk Johnson, Jeremey “Mohawk” Johnson, Jeremey Charles Johnson, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Cook County Jail, house arrest, arrest, electronic monitoring, GPS monitor, Chicago Police Department, CPD, David Brown, protest, demonstration, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Matthew Walberg, Second City, Brad Thomson, People’s Law Office, National Lawyers Guild, South Side Weekly, Kim Whitfield, Free Mohawk, #FreeMohawk, J.B. Pritzker, Kim Foxx, Reset Presents, skateboard, Pokémon, Fire-Type, 4Closure, TYGKO, Cam Stacey, Jake "Ell!psis" Doan, Ell!psis, Balance, Charles Seavers, Karen Ford, National Writers Union, Auburn Gresham, Luther South, Englewood High School, Team Englewood, Louder Than a Bomb, Spirit of the Slam Award, What Black People Say to Racist Republicans, World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Judge John F. Lyke, Judge Edward M. Maloney, Columbia College, Naughta, Hush, The Relapse EP, SoundAsleep, Maria Koliopoulos, William Crooks, We’re Here, Alderman Bryan Sigcho-Lopez, Injustice Watch, Chicago Community Bond Fund, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, A Fire Type Telethon

News & Politics, Feature Mar 2, 2021
The murder Chicago didn’t want to solve

In 1963, a Black politician named Ben Lewis was shot to death in Chicago. Clues suggest the murder was a professional hit. Decades later, it remains no accident authorities never solved the crime.
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Feature, 1963, 24th Ward, Ben Lewis, Benjamin F. Lewis, murders, murder investigations, Chicago Police Department, CPD, West Side, Arthur X. Elrod, City Council, Richard J. Daley, Danny Davis, Fred L. Mitchell, Eugene Belton, Ella Lewis, Thomas “Shaky Tom” Anderson, Jimmy “Kid Riviera” William, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, James Gilbert, Dean Angelo Sr., J. Edgar Hoover, organized crime, Lenny Patrick, Lawndale, Herman Glick, Chicago Outfit, Allen Dorfman, Lenny Yaras, Dave Yaras, Mark Vogel, Gus Alex, Daniel Longoria Sr., Wayne A. Johnson, Joe Kolman, Sharon Patrick, 29th Ward, Luis Agostini, cold cases

News & Politics, News Dec 17, 2020
The COVID-canceled sports league that still made the streets unsafe

Members of the Chicago Police Enforcers football team have been involved in more than 200 incidents where they’ve injured civilians through use of force.
- By Adam Mahoney
- Tags: News, Chicago Police Enforcers, CPD, Robert Slechter, Laquan McDonald, Roshad McIntosh, National Public Safety Football League, Cynthia Lane, Lori Lightfoot, Anthony Napolitano, Nick Sposato, kihana miraya ross, COVID-19, coronavirus

News & Politics, News Oct 2, 2020
Video
‘We just want to go home’

CPD’s violent response to a student-led protest downtown and what it says about this moment in our history
- By Raven Geary
- Tags: News, CPD, Chicago Police Department, protest, COVID-19, pepper spray, tear gas, police brutality, police, cops, coronavirus, Video

News & Politics, Feature Sep 17, 2020
Video
That lockout you witnessed? It didn’t happen.

Ex-cops attempted to throw out a Rogers Park tenant at gunpoint. The police report tells a different story.
- By Maya Dukmasova
- Tags: Feature, Eviction, police misconduct, lockout, lockouts, COVID-19, COVID, pandemic, housing, Chicago Police Department, CPD, Greenspire Realty, Greenspire, John Dragic, Steve Cain, Luis Lopez, Ronald Rufo, Lucas Cunningham, Officer Lucas Cunningham, Joshua Surgal, Officer Joshua Surgal, Rogers Park, 24th District, CPD 24th District, 24th District Commander Joseph Brennan, Joseph Brennan, 49th Ward, Maria Hadden, Alderwoman Maria Hadden, Farwell Avenue, broken windows policing, Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance, Robert Kahn, eviction court, witnesses, Cook County Sheriff, Sanford Kahn, Housing Issue, Video

City Life, Community Sep 2, 2020
Ode to a Chicago Public School

The lessons learned in CPS go beyond what’s taught in the classroom.
- By Nina Li Coomes
- Tags: Community, Chicago Public Schools, Daddy Yankee, Gasolina, crossing guard, Mary Gage Peterson Elementary School, iPod, CPD, cafeteria, biryani, spaghetti pie, education, Education Issue

News & Politics, Feature Aug 24, 2020
A rosy CPS survey on cops in schools falls short

Despite bad data and board discord, CPS renews contract with CPD.
- By Maya Dukmasova
- Tags: Feature, Chicago Public Schools, CPS, CPS board, cops in schools, police violence, School Resource Officers, SROs, Local School Councils, LSCs, student opinions, Chicago Police Department, CPD, Jadine Chou, James Gherardi, Lake View High School, Lane Tech, demographics, survey methodology, FOIA, Freedom of Information Act, FOIA lawsuit, student safety, school safety, #CopsOutCPS, school-to-prison pipeline, Education Issue

News & Politics, Feature Jun 10, 2020
From soldier to worker

Police unions were born of resistance to discipline for brutality. Do they belong in the labor movement?
- By Maya Dukmasova
- Tags: Feature, Police unions, police unionization, Chicago police union, Chicago Police Department, CPD, Fraternal Order of Police, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, unions, labor history, labor movement, labor unions, Haymarket Affair, AFL-CIO, Chicago Federation of Labor, Chicago Teachers Union, SEIU Local 1, Dennis Gannon, Mark Donahue, strikes, labor strikes, Memorial Day Massacre, Chicago Patrolmen's Association, Afro-American Patrolmen's League, Renault Robinson, Summerdale Scandal, Richard J. Daley, Democratic National Convention, civil rights movement. Black Panther Party, Fred Hampton, Megan Marie Adams, Jane Byrne, Laquan McDonald, Jason Van Dyke, Orlando W. Wilson, Eddie Johnson, Kevin Graham, John Catanzara, collective bargaining, collective bargaining agreements, union contracts, arbitration, indemnification, Benjamin Sachs, Ana Avendaño, Bob Reiter, Jerry Morrison, National Nurses United, Carlos Ginard, Workers United, Stacy Davis Gates, Teamsters, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, George Floyd, police violence, white supremacy, public sector unions

News & Politics, Feature Jun 5, 2020
The front lines of police brutality

Photos from a protest where cops shot pepper spray into a kettled crowd.
- By Brooke Hummer
- Tags: Feature, Police, cops, brutality, protest, abolition, george floyd, black lives matter, tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, CPD, Chicago police department, coronavirus

News & Politics, News Jun 1, 2020
Police abolitionists find fuel in the protests

As more people lose faith in the state, organizers offer alternatives.
- By Maya Dukmasova
- Tags: News, Chicago Police Department, CPD, police violence, protests, George Floyd protests, police abolition, abolition, prison and police abolition, abolitionist organizing, Chicago police abolitionists, mutual aid, George Floyd, Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Mariame Kaba, Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter Chicago, Ariel Atkins, Good Kids Mad City, Kofi Ademola, Equity and Transformation, Richard Wallace, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Lori Lightfoot, police riot, Chicago Freedom School, Chicago Community Bond Fund, Chicago Public Schools, Assata’s Daughters, Page May

News & Politics, News May 29, 2020
The Reader guide to police abolition

Our reporting on envisioning and organizing a city less reliant on cops to keep us safe
- By Maya Dukmasova
- Tags: News, Chicago Police Department, CPD, police abolition, abolition, prison and police abolition, abolitionist organizing, Chicago police abolitionists, mutual aid, Laquan McDonald, George Floyd, Minneapolis

News & Politics, Media May 12, 2020
One murder, four years, no answers

A mother takes to podcasting wondering if CPD did “a cover-up or are they just this damn incompetent?”
- By Maya Dukmasova
- Tags: Media, Somebody podcast, Courtney Copeland, Shapearl Wells, Alison Flowers, Bill Healy, Chicago Police Department, Invisible Institute, murder, murder clearance rate, CPD, shooting, Belmont Cragin, Laquan McDonald, police accountability

News & Politics, News Dec 12, 2019
Getting ‘Eddie Johnson drunk’ at Ceres Cafe

Chicagoans seek psychic relief by making a mockery of the fired police superintendent.
- By Maya Dukmasova
- Tags: News, Eddie Johnson, superintendent Eddie Johnson, Eddie Johnson firing, Chicago Police Department, CPD, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Lori Lightfoot, police misconduct, Eddiegate, police violence, code of silence, Ceres Cafe, Chicago Board of Trade

News & Politics, Feature Sep 12, 2019
Video
‘I’m the bad guy now’: A retired cop on outing police misconduct

Bill Dorsch loved being a Chicago cop, then he witnessed misconduct by disgraced detective Reynaldo Guevara.
- By Maya Dukmasova
- Tags: Feature, criminal justice, the marshall project, chicago police department, justice, police, cops, prison, victims, Bill Dorsch, police misconduct, Reynaldo Guevara, wrongful convictions, Chicago Police Department, CPD, We Are Witness, clearance rates, Eddie Johnson, Video

City Life, Sightseeing Jun 12, 2019
Think you know your Chicago underworld slang?

A quiz on some of the less obvious entries in a 1967 police-training dictionary
- By Jeff Nichols
- Tags: Sightseeing, police, language, dictionary, crime, quiz, CPD

News & Politics, News Mar 1, 2019
SCOTUS civil asset forfeiture decision won’t end profit-driven policing

Illinois law still incentivizes cops to take people’s stuff
- By Maya Dukmasova
- Tags: News, Supreme Court, civil asset forfeiture, SCOTUS, policing for profit, Timbs v. Indiana, Tyson Timbs, Chicago Police Department, CPD, ACLU, ACLU of Illinois, Ben Ruddell, Eighth Amendment, excessive fines

News & Politics, Politics Dec 13, 2018
Overlooked mayoral hopefuls share bold visions for Chicago

They may have little name recognition and no campaign funds, but the regular people running for mayor are committed to making the city thrive.
- By Maya Dukmasova
- Tags: Politics, Mayoral elections, elections, politics, Democratic machine, machine politics, Catherine Brown D’Tycoon, Conrien Hykes Clark, Roger L. Washington, Richard Mayers, Sandra L. Mallory, John Kozlar, Action Now, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, CPAC, Ja’mal Green, La Shawn Ford, Willie Wilson, Toni Preckwinkle, Garry McCarthy, Amara Enyia, police brutality, police violence, police accountability, Chicago Police Department, CPD, homelessness, affordable housing, predatory lending, contract sales, contract-for-deed sales, Garrett Morgan Elementary School, Auburn Gresham, West Englewood, North Lawndale, Roseland, Bridgeport, Rahm Emanuel, Michelle Morsi Murphy, school closures, Haines Elementary School, Chinatown, transportation, bankruptcy, city tickets

News & Politics, Feature Nov 2, 2018
Slideshow
A Visual Voter’s Guide

These images from Chicago protests over the last two years will spur you toward the ballot box.
- By Sarah-Ji
- Tags: Feature, photography, protests, voting, reasons to vote, Chicago Public Schools, schools, CPS, high school students, Assata's Daughters, police abolition, prison abolition, CTU, Chicago Teachers Union, May Day, Jamila Woods, A Long Walk Home, arts, Rekia Boyd, Resist Reimagine Rebuild Coalition, protesters, protest signs, #TransUpFront, Trans Liberation Collective, police, Chicago Police Department, CPD, South Shore, Harith "Snoop" Augustus, Black Lives Matter Chicago, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Civilian Police Accountability Council, Chicago Pride, pride parade, #EndMoneyBail, racial justice, economic justice, activism, #NoCopAcademy, causes, Slideshow

News & Politics, Feature Aug 21, 2018
Protests and blaming the media—sound familiar? That was during the ’68 Democratic National Convention

Archived letters to former Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley bring up familiar concerns about unrest, policing, political divisions, and “propaganda.”
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Feature, Richard J. Daley, 1968, 1968 Democratic National Convention, Richard J. Daley Collection, UIC, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago Library, University of Illinois at Chicago Library Special Collections and University Archives, letters, Stan Skoko, Walker Report, Chicago Police Department, CPD, James Boyle, journalists, Henry Hyde, Col. C.G. Dietrich, E. L. Culbreth, police violence, hostility to journalists, belief that protesters were paid

Blogs, Bleader Aug 16, 2018
Invisible Institute launches expanded police misconduct database

Police union spokesman says "motives" behind database are "perfectly transparent."
- By Maya Dukmasova
- Tags: News, Criminal Justice, criminal justice, police misconduct, Invisible Institute, Citizens Police Data Project, Jame Kalven, Chicago Police Department, CPD, FOP, Fraternal Order of Police, police union, Martin Preib, domestic violence, Andrew Fan, big data

News & Politics, Feature Aug 7, 2018
Slideshow
‘This is a march of civil disobedience’ [PHOTOS]

Scenes from last week's protest that shut down Lake Shore Drive
- By Olivia Obineme
- Tags: Feature, News, Photography, gun violence, lake shore drive, shutdown, protest, march, chicago, olivia obineme, civil disobedience, chicago cubs, wrigley field, wrigleyville, greg livingston, tio hardiman, ameena matthews, joe olszewski, mayor rahm emanuel, eddie johnson, cpd, chicago police department, LSD, Slideshow

Blogs, Bleader Aug 6, 2018
Workshop explores alternatives to calling cops during mental health crises

Police abolitionists continue to articulate their vision for a "a world without police."
- By Maya Dukmasova
- Tags: News, Criminal Justice, mental health, mental health crisis, police abolition, Alternatives to Calling the Police, Make Yourself Useful, Timmy Rose, Miguel Rodriguez, Shannon Benaitis, crisis intervention, crisis intervention training, CIT, Crisis Intervention Team, CPD, Chicago Police Department, police violence, disability rights, Euree Kim, Nothing About Us Without Us, Equip for Equality, Sista Afya, National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network

Blogs, Bleader Jun 29, 2018
Should Chicago cops have to pay for their own misconduct insurance?

Misconduct settlements have cost the city $800 million since 2004, a new report found. Should taxpayers be on the hook?
- By Maya Dukmasova
- Tags: News, Criminal Justice, Chicago Police Department, CPD, police misconduct, liability insurance, police insurance, indemnification, Robert Rialmo, Bettie Jones, Quintonio LeGrier, Michael LaPorta, Patrick Kelly, ACRE, Action Center on Race & the Economy, Fraternal Order of Police, FOP, police union, Cato Institute

Blogs, Bleader Jun 25, 2018
South-side poet Kwynology wants you to fall back in love with Chicago at her open mike

In the Yard will let south- and west-siders share their work in their own community.
- By Matt Harvey
- Tags: Chicagoans, Poetry, Race, #LetUsBreathe, Kwyn, Kwynology, Kristiana Rae Colon, The Breathing Room, CPD, Back Of The Yards, South Shore, south side, poetry, open mike, Resita Cox, ThaPope, footwork, comedy, music, activism, Freedom Square, #ThoughtPoet, DJ Such and Such, protest, Ferguson, Windy, Homan Square

Blogs, Bleader Jun 19, 2018
Distinguished CPS principal resigns after threats, controversy over anti-police speaker

The tension at Wildwood Elementary comes as the Jon Burge police torture curriculum is rolled out across the district.
- By Maya Dukmasova
- Tags: News, Education, Crime, Wildwood school, Wildwood Elementary, Wildwood, Mary Beth Cunat, Chicago Police Department, CPD, Ethan Ethos, Ethan Viets-VanLear, Jennifer Viets, FOP, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, Martin Preib, CPS, Chicago Public Schools, Jon Burge, Burge torture, Reparations Won, Burge torture reparations, Kevin Graham, Sandra Laase, Linda Ricciardi, Kristin Kenefik, local school council, LSC, police abolition, We Charge Genocide, Damo, Dominique Franklin, police violence, police brutality

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