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News & Politics, Feature Apr 23, 2014
Trapping El Chapo: Chicago's public enemy number one

What the case against Vicente Zambada, son of Sinaloa cartel leader El Mayo, reveals about the federal government's efforts to take down overseas drug suppliers—including the biggest of them all.
- By Jason McGahan
- Tags: Feature, Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, extradition, El Chapo Guzman, Mexico, Jack Riley, Mike Braun, prison, U.S. attorney's office, convictions, Vicente Zambada, El Mayo Zambada, Metropolitan Correctional Center, Sinaloa cartel, drug trade, drug trafficking, drug dealing, drug dealers, Pedro Flores, Margarito Flores, Little Village, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, federal trials, U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, Humberto Loya Castro, informants, federal prison, crime, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Chicago Reader, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S.-Mexico relations, witnesses, defendants, Ruben Castillo, judges, Edgar Manuel Valencia Ortega, Matthew Kennelly, Alfredo Vasquez Hernandez, WLS-TV, Chuck Goudie, Tomas Arevalo, Damon Cheronis, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Oak Park, Proceso, protective orders

News & Politics, Feature Apr 7, 2014
Chicago decriminalized marijuana possession—but not for everyone

African-Americans account for almost eight of every ten low-level pot busts.
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Feature, 1st Ward, 27th Ward, Adam Collins, administrative notices of violation, ANOVs, arrests, Ben Joravsky, cannabis, Chicago Police Department, Chicago Reader, City Council, Cook County Jail, CPD, crime, drug dealers, drug dealing, East Garfield Park, FOIA, Freedom of Information Act, Fuller Park, gang members, Gary McCarthy, Humboldt Park, Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy, marijuana, marijuana decriminalization, marijuana possession, Mick Dumke, neighborhoods, North Lawndale, Proco Joe Moreno, prosecutions, race, Rahm Emanuel, Roosevelt University, south side, stop-and-frisk, Toni Preckwinkle, violence, Walter Burnett Jr., war on drugs, Washington Heights, West Garfield Park, west side, Willie Cochran

News & Politics, Feature Dec 4, 2013
Audio
Heroin, LLC

The open-air drug market on the west side thrives in the same way that legal businesses do—by meeting demand, capitalizing on a cheap and plentiful workforce, and offering excellent customer service.
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Feature, Four Corner Hustlers, gangs, West Humboldt Park, New Breeds, heroin, cocaine, drugs, federal prisons, Antonio Johnson, Ray Longstreet, CPD, Chicago Police Department, federal investigations, drug arrests, drug dealing, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Roosevelt University, heroin overdoses, Derek Thomas, business, Cornel Dawson, Black Souls, management, marketing, drug trade, Mike Jones, Michael Jones, unemployment, K-Town, Lawndale, CTA Blue Line, I-290, heroin buyers, heroin users, violence, undercover officers, prison, neighborhoods, Aaron Clayton, West Side, Audio

News & Politics, Feature May 8, 2013
Audio
Addicted to guns

Is there a cure for Chicago's crippling dependence on firearms?
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Feature, 24th Ward, 911, addiction, Anita Alvarez, Antonio Villaraigosa, ATF, Barack Obama's house, basketball, cannabis, CeaseFire, Charlie Beck, Chicago Police Department, Chicago Tribune, Christopher Koper, City Colleges, City Council, conflict resolution, conflicts, Connie Rice, Cook County state's attorney, CPD, crime, drinking, drug dealing, drug territory, Englewood, Evans Mob, ex-offenders, Frederick Seaton, gang members, gang territory, gangs, Gangster Disciples, Gary McCarthy, George Mason University, Greater Grand Crossing, gun laws, gun violence, guns, Hadiya Pendleton, Hales Franciscan High School, high school basketball, interruption, Jack Tweedle, Kennedy-King College, liquor stores, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Develop, marijuana, Marilyn Pitchford, Michael Chandler, Michael Davis, murder, Napoleon English, neighborhoods, Phil Cline, police overtime, policing, poverty, prison, Project Safe Neighborhoods, punishment, race, Rahm Emanuel, restaurants, Richard M. Daley, roots of violence, Safer Foundation, Sheldon Smith, shootings, social services, South Side, The Crime Report, Tony Wade, Turkey Chop, U.S. attorney, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, U.S. Department of Justice, Vice Lords, violence, violence interrupters, Violence Reduction Strategy, West Humboldt Park, Audio

News & Politics, Feature Mar 20, 2013
Can a restaurant transform a neighborhood?

West Humboldt’s new war on drugs: Open a business
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Feature, restaurants, West Humboldt Park, community investment, businesses, Chet Jackson, TIFs, drugs, drug dealing, tax increment financing, Salvation Army, West Humboldt Park Community Development Council, Chicago Avenue, Jimmy Simmons, Walter Burnett Jr., community development, community policing, neighborhoods, Quentin Love, Chicago Community Loan Fund, Goldie Fleming, Turkey Chop

Blogs, Bleader Feb 22, 2013
Drug arrests drop in Chicago but still snare thousands in black neighborhoods

While Mexican cartel leader "Chapo" Guzman is public enemy number one, most drug busts still snag street-level players.
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Crime, Politics, News, Chapo Guzman, Joaquín Guzmán Loera, El Chapo, Sinaloa cartel, Rahm Emanuel, Garry McCarthy, Drug Enforcement Agency, Jack Riley, Chicago Police Department, drugs, narcotics, drug busts, war on drugs, West Humboldt Park, gang violence, drug dealing, drug dealers, Chicago violence, shootings, murder, heroin, crack, crime data, arrest data, President Obama, Barack Obama

Blogs, Bleader Feb 15, 2013
How about a war on the roots of violence?

The people responsible for drug and gang violence follow a pattern: despair.
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Crime, Politics, News, Barack Obama, President Obama, violence, Chicago, Hadiya Pendleton, Dantrell Davis, Ben Wilson, gangs, drugs, drug dealing, murder, homicide, shootings, gun violence, gun control, New Breeds, heroin, Enrique Peña Nieto, unemployment, prison

News & Politics, Feature Feb 14, 2013
Anatomy of a heroin ring

Dana Bostic's gang-affiliated west-side drug organization employed dozens of residents, served thousands of customers, established ties with Mexican drug cartels, and relied on violence to stay in business.
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Feature, 11th police district, antihistamines, Aurora, Austin, Berwyn, Black Gangsters, Brandon Richards, Bucktown, cannabis, Charles Cowart, Chicago Police Department, Chicago Sun-Times, Cicero, Cornelius Thomas, CPD, crack, crime, Curtis Ellis, cutting heroin, Dana Bostic, Davon Taylor, DEA, Dirty Unknown Vice Lords, Dormin, druck trafficking, drug cartels, drug dealers, drug dealing, Drug Enforcement Agency, drug runners, drug use, East Garfield Park, ecstasy, Eddie Valentino, Eleazar Alves, Erik Guevara, Excalibur, gang violence, gangs, guns, heroin, homicides, Jerry Bischoff, jobs, Joe Gorman, K-Town, Ladonta Gill, Lee Floyd, Mahogany Barbee, marijuana, Matthew F. Kennelly, Maurice Davis, Mexican drug cartels, murders, New Breeds, Operation Bird Cage, poverty, River North, Rock 'n' Roll McDonalds, schools, Sinaloa cartel, Stroger Hospital, Takers, Taste of Chicago, Tony Allen, U.S. Attorney, Undertaker Vice Lords, unemployment, Vice Lords, West Garfield Park, West Humboldt Park, west side, White Palace Grill, Woodridge

News & Politics, Feature Jul 25, 2012
Audio
Shorty's comeback

Kelvin Wallace has been given one more chance to prevail over the heroin addiction he's struggled with for decades. "A whole lot is riding on me getting this right."
- By Steve Bogira
- Tags: Feature, Kelvin Wallace, heroin, drug abuse, drug addiction, drug arrests, It's About Change, veteran's court, Larry Axelrood, poverty, substance abuse, drug dealing, recovery home, recovering addicts, Deer Rehabilitation Services, 12-step meetings, U.S. military, Lemmon 714, crack, cocaine, Westside Health Authority, Audio

Blogs, Bleader Jul 12, 2012
Rahm announces another "new initiative" that's decades old

The mayor's plan to raze troubled buildings sounds a lot like the one Mayor Daley "introduced" in 1992
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Crime, Politics, Clout City, News, Rahm Emanuel, Garry McCarthy, Chicago Police Department, drugs, drug busts, war on drugs, Humboldt Park, gang violence, homicides, murders, drug dealing, Chicago violence, community activism, buildings, abandoned buildings, Mayor Daley, Richard Daley, affordable housing, Auburn-Gresham, Englewood, Greater Grand Crossing

Blogs, Bleader Jun 13, 2012
Chicago's crime problem: A matter of "perception"

If Chicago's crime problem is only a matter of "perception," then why are police being asked to work extra patrols on their days off?
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Crime, The Reefer, Politics, Clout City, News, Al Wysinger, cannabis, Chicago Police Department, Chicago violence, community activism, drug busts, drug dealers, drug dealing, drugs, gang violence, Garry McCarthy, homicides, Humboldt Park, marijuana, murder, narcotics, pot, Rahm Emanuel, shootings, war on drugs

Blogs, Bleader May 4, 2012
Drug arrests on top of drug arrests

Chicago police officials keep announcing more drug busts, but it's not clear what's actually changed on the street
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Crime, Drugs Week, Politics, Clout City, News, Rahm Emanuel, Garry McCarthy, Al Wysinger, Chicago Police Department, drugs, narcotics, drug busts, war on drugs, Humboldt Park, gang violence, drug dealing, drug dealers, Chicago violence, community activism, shootings, murder, heroin, crack, Variations on a Theme, crime data, arrest data

Blogs, Bleader May 1, 2012
The politics of drug busts

The Emanuel administration gets aggressive about displaying dope on the table
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Crime, The Reefer, Drugs Week, Politics, News, Rahm Emanuel, Garry McCarthy, Al Wysinger, Chicago Police Department, drugs, narcotics, drug busts, war on drugs, Humboldt Park, gang violence, drug dealing, drug dealers, Chicago violence, community activism, shootings, murder, heroin, crack, Variations on a Theme

News & Politics, Feature Apr 25, 2012
Audio
Besieged

West Humboldt is one of America's biggest open-air drug markets. What does that mean for its residents?
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Feature, Humboldt Park, gang violence, drug dealing, drug dealers, Chicago violence, community activism, shootings, murder, heroin, crack, Chicago Police Department, Jane Byrne, Harold Washington, overdose, abandoned homes, Audio

Blogs, Bleader Dec 9, 2011
Today's marijuana lesson comes from New York City

How Chicago can take a cue from New York City on pot possession.
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: Crime, The Reefer, Weed Week, Politics, Clout City, African-Americans, arrests, cannabis, Chicago City Council, Chicago police, decriminalization, drug dealing, drug possession, Father Pfleger, illegal searches, Illinois house, legalization, marijuana, Michael Pfleger, New York, New York City, New York City police, police, pot, probable cause, racial disparities, Raymond Kelly, reefer, street dealing, Variations on a Theme, weed

Blogs, Bleader Dec 9, 2011
Why are blacks busted more often for pot?

Illegal searches play a leading role in the racial imbalance.
- By Steve Bogira
- Tags: Crime, The Reefer, Weed Week, Politics, Clout City, African-Americans, arrests, Ben Joravsky, cannabis, Chicago police, cocaine, crack, criminal records, decriminalization, defense lawyers, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, drug crews, drug dealing, drug possession, ghettos, heroin, illegal searches, judges, legalization, marijuana, Mick Dumke, PCP, police, pot, probable cause, prosecutors, racial disparities, reefer, rocks and blows, segregation, street dealing, Variations on a Theme, weed

Blogs, Bleader Mar 4, 2008
Buttonholed

A City Council committee agrees: drug dealers sell drugs, not extra suit buttons.
- By Mick Dumke
- Tags: News, Clout City, Ed Smith, Chicago City Council, Bob Fioretti, Walter Burnett, drug dealing

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What the case against Vicente Zambada, son of Sinaloa cartel leader El Mayo, reveals about the federal government's efforts to take down overseas drug suppliers—including the biggest of them all.

African-Americans account for almost eight of every ten low-level pot busts.

The open-air drug market on the west side thrives in the same way that legal businesses do—by meeting demand, capitalizing on a cheap and plentiful workforce, and offering excellent customer service.

Is there a cure for Chicago's crippling dependence on firearms?

West Humboldt’s new war on drugs: Open a business

While Mexican cartel leader "Chapo" Guzman is public enemy number one, most drug busts still snag street-level players.

The people responsible for drug and gang violence follow a pattern: despair.

Dana Bostic's gang-affiliated west-side drug organization employed dozens of residents, served thousands of customers, established ties with Mexican drug cartels, and relied on violence to stay in business.

Kelvin Wallace has been given one more chance to prevail over the heroin addiction he's struggled with for decades. "A whole lot is riding on me getting this right."

The mayor's plan to raze troubled buildings sounds a lot like the one Mayor Daley "introduced" in 1992

If Chicago's crime problem is only a matter of "perception," then why are police being asked to work extra patrols on their days off?

Chicago police officials keep announcing more drug busts, but it's not clear what's actually changed on the street

The Emanuel administration gets aggressive about displaying dope on the table

West Humboldt is one of America's biggest open-air drug markets. What does that mean for its residents?

How Chicago can take a cue from New York City on pot possession.

Illegal searches play a leading role in the racial imbalance.

A City Council committee agrees: drug dealers sell drugs, not extra suit buttons.

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