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NEW OLIVIA RODRIGO

It would just be so fucking funny if JD Vance really was excommunicated. Please give us this one crumb of joy

Lost an ovary in 2024 after ending up in the ED with a mango-sized cyst I didn't know I had growing inside me. For weeks I thought I had food poisoning, spent many nights on my cold bathroom floor with ovarian torsion praying for death. This woman has to be in unimaginable pain by now. My god.

Girl dinner, etc

ICYMI: last week I wrote about a new lawsuit that alleges Evan Solano—the Chicago cop who killed Anthony Alvarez—engaged in a high speed chase last year, ending in a horrific crash & killing one of the car’s passengers, Eliseo Maya, 29. CPD’s alleged role in the crash was previously unknown.

It's a beautiful day for a root canal

NEW, from @domguan.bsky.social— Chicagoland joined other cities for a "Fuck ICE" day of protest at the Broadview ICE facility on Saturday. Activists said the cheeky theme was designed to help build community outside the building where they have faced constant police violence and arrests:

The Himalayan vulture showcases its striking “false eyes,” a smart adaptation that makes it look bigger and more intimidating. Original post

Brb learning Hungarian

NEW: A cop who chased, shot, and killed a young father in 2021—and then started training new recruits after avoiding firing—is accused of violating CPD policies over an unreported vehicle chase last year. One of the car's passengers was killed, and Evan Solano is still on duty in the 16th District:

There is no McTry.

You may also remember Solano from a road rage incident in 2021 where he waved his gun around in the heart of Logan Square. Internal affairs closed their investigation with no findings. Solano was given a 35-day suspension early last year for his role in an alcohol-fueled bar fight in 2020.

The City's Dept. of Law fought the family's attorney's subpoena for CPD videos and other evidence for nearly 7 months. The videos are currently under a protective court order. CPD denied my FOIA request for videos, citing an "ongoing investigation" into the crash that occurred 14 months ago.

NEW: Last year, 29-year-old Eliseo Maya was killed in a high-speed crash in Chicago's Dunning neighborhood. A new lawsuit alleges that Evan Solano, the officer who killed Anthony Alvarez in 2021, was pursuing the vehicle at the time of the crash. Story: unraveledpress.com/chicago-cop-...

Life finds a way

You never realize how much you appreciate chewing until you can only do it with one side of your face

all these universities kept axing medieval history departments as if they thought tyrants beefing with the Pope was going to stop being relevant

And why all the old kids are starting up again, sob

If I must die, you must live to tell my story

If the Day of Resurrection were established upon one of you, and in his hand is a sapling, then he should still plant it.

girl take us with you

most people would benefit from not spending every waking hour online

@djbyrnes1.bsky.social reports from Brighton Park last night, where CPD Superintendent Snelling defended the department's handling of scenes caused by immigration agents. He also got the law wrong, and reprimanded the crowd for not being respectful enough:

Snelling wrapped up his discussion and immediately the crowd started chewing him out. A chant of "CPD, KKK, ICE they're all the same" spontaneously broke out. Snelling just stonewalled it before exiting stage left. School staff give the crowd 2 minutes to clear out on threat of trespassing

Snelling takes a moment to chide the crowd directly about respect and listening after someone shouts "shut the fuck up" at him

Snelling discusses why CPD formed barriers, facing protestors, around federal agents during flashpoints. He says the goal was to prevent fights between feds and crowds, cites fear the crowd would assault CPD or agents. "It's not your right to physically engage federal agents," he tells the crowd.

Commissioner Gottlieb asks Snelling if CPD would arrest a federal immigration agent if they were scene violating state law. After waffling a bit, Snelling falls back to the Supremacy Clause.

Good evening from Thomas Kelly High School in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood. A special meeting of the Community Commission on Public Safety and Accountability is set for 6:30. CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling is slated to attend to discuss CPD cooperation with federal immigration agents.

you’re either frolicking in a field with me or frolicking in a field against me

This work is grueling. We haven't stopped despite threats and intimidation, tear gas wrecking our bodies, or anything else they send our way. We are 100% voluntarily reader supported. No big donors. No paywall. Monthly contributions help us sustain our reporting. We hope you'll consider us today:

We were reporting on police terror in our streets well before Border Patrol arrived. And we'll continue to do so even if they never return:

Investigations like this require a tremendous amount of work and resources, especially for a tiny indie newsroom. As the bigger fish now continue to cite our work for being first, keep in mind we aren't doing this for awards or recognition. We do it because they invaded our community:

We first unmasked (or not—Donahue never actually covers his face) two CBP agents in November at great personal risk as two reporters who have been repeatedly targeted by the feds, including with assaults and arrest. Since then, more and more outlets have felt comfortable naming agents:

Southern Lights from New Zealand 🇳🇿 Meiying Lee 📸

Body cam videos of a Border Patrol chase in Chicago last fall appear to contradict the initial DHS narrative of agents executing a PIT maneuver—a nudging at high speed to disable a fleeing driver. Instead, feds blew a tire and crashed after a supervisor told them to stop the pursuit:

Ok step one is to make them look less delicious

Wish I loved anything as much as delivery robots love crashing into bus shelters

This is Luke, named by a Chicago birding friend for his leucistic beauty. 😊 Luke knows he's the coolest looking dude in town. #birds

We combined and synchronized the three CBP agents' body-worn camera videos of the chase and crash to give a more complete view of how it unfolded. You can watch in full here:

People may remember one image that went viral that day of community members with their infant fleeing from the gas attack. This specific incident was included in the first amendment suit filed against DHS in the fall. From above, this is what the scene looked like (aerial view from WGN).

NEW: Last October, Border Patrol agents gassed Chicagoans after agents caused a major car crash on the southeast side. I analyzed body cam videos that show agents Benito Nunez, Oscar Guillen, and Carlos Chavira ignored orders to end the pursuit—moments before they blew a tire and crashed.

Spent two days this week in D-HEFAT training for journalists and it was absolutely worth it. Learned a lot of tidbits and got to practice essential emergency first aid. Tourniquets are amazing. Hope to never have to use one for real, but very grateful to have learned new skills to help my community

Got in a walk at lunch and saw this handsome fellow with a beak full of nesting material. #finchfriday #birds

Vazquez and Sveum are two of the most prominent BORTAC agents seen from city to city gassing crowds and escorting Bovino. In another escalation, Vazquez was also recorded drawing his sidearm on protesters at the Whipple Building outside Minneapolis:

Donahue is the agent who threatened to shoot bystanders in Evanston. We also saw him at the scene in Minneapolis immediately after feds shot and killed Alex Pretti:

Our reporting on CBP agents Timothy Donahue, Edgar Vazquez and Michael Sveum is cited in this piece:

The mini Sun Chips in the tube go so hard

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Chicago is OUT