What’s it like to be able to point out different buildings on Chicago’s skyline and say, “I did that one”? Window washers talk about learning on the job, the importance of reliable equipment, and “high-rise season” https://southsideweekly.com/the-workers-behind-chicagos-sparkling-skyline/

“Finding something to do about it, even a small thing, is so much better than doing nothing.” The focused labor of rapid response teams: Minneapolis and Chicago activists balance logistics work, organizing, and how to remain intact on the frontlines. https://southsideweekly.com/neighbors-at-work/

The Worker Issue is an ode to the hidden labors—and laborers—that make our world go round. Learn about the daily work of rapid responders, caregivers, and grant writers; hear from an incarcerated worker, a neon sign maker, and many more. Read here: https://southsideweekly.com/the-worker-issue/

You can still register and vote in person today until 7PM! Find out how/where to vote, do some last minute reading about the democratic primary races, and more ⬇️ https://tr.ee/sswprimarycoverage

You can still register to vote in person today until 7PM! Find out how/where to vote, do some last minute reading about the democratic primary races, and more ⬇️ https://tr.ee/D77BaJ0Hpx

Democratic primary races, Chicago Fire stadium, Lunar New Year and more in our latest print issue! Pick up a copy: https://bit.ly/ssw-distro Read it online: https://issuu.com/southsideweekly/docs/ssw_03.12.26

Are pickleball courts a marker of gentrification? Youth and parents share thoughts, concerns, and dreams for sports and recreation on the South and West sides in Jewél Jackson's latest story: https://southsideweekly.com/south-west-siders-want-more-indoor-sports-facilities-for-youth/

As jails across the country move towards banning in-person physical visits, Cook County’s visitation policies can be a lifeline. Twenty Minutes and a Hug With Your Loved One: https://southsideweekly.com/twenty-minutes-and-a-hug-with-your-loved-one/

Help us better understand our readers and serve the South Side, take our survey and share it with a friend! https://medill.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_56mmWo3Om9X6WEu

“I didn’t know what might happen if I reported it. Besides, I came to live there because I had nowhere else to live.” Despite Chicago’s heat ordinance, thousands of tenants go without adequate warmth each winter. ✍️ Jinny Kim https://southsideweekly.com/baby-its-cold-inside/

Do you think Chicago has enough sports and recreational spaces? In survey responses, youth and parents told the Weekly the South Side needs more—and better maintenance of existing ones. ✍️ Jewél Jackson https://southsideweekly.com/south-west-siders-want-more-indoor-sports-facilities-for-youth/

Playwright Kristen Adele Calhoun and director Ericka Ratcliff unpack generational trauma and a whodunit conspiracy that leaves audiences reeling. Sarah Luyengi's review of Black Cypress Bayou: https://southsideweekly.com/darkly-comic-black-cypress-bayou-leans-into-haunting-ancestral-pain/

Have you taken our reader survey yet? Share your feedback and enter our raffle for a chance to win a $100 gift card, a free annual South Side Weekly subscription, or a portrait illustration ⬇️ https://medill.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_56mmWo3Om9X6WEu

Confused about voting? This breakdown covers who can vote, how to register, where to cast a ballot, key dates, ID requirements and more ahead of the March 17 primary election. ✍️ Chelsea Zhao https://southsideweekly.com/march-17-primary-election-how-to-register-and-vote/

Confused about voting? This breakdown covers who can vote, how to register, where to cast a ballot, key dates, ID requirements and more ahead of the March 17 primary election. ✍️ Chelsea Zhao https://southsideweekly.com/march-17-primary-election-how-to-register-and-vote/

“Our father was a servant leader—not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world." In our latest print issue, Max Blaisdell takes us through the life and legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. https://issuu.com/southsideweekly/docs/ssw_02.26.26

Angela Dugan sat down with the Weekly to invite us into her moving oral history project on wheels. South Side Tours uses narration, local insight, and landmarks to highlight the people and places that define the South Side. https://southsideweekly.com/south-side-tours-delivers-history-on-the-move/

We’ve partnered with Medill’s local News Accelerator to better understand who our readers are and how we can better serve the South Side. Take our survey today! https://medill.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_56mmWo3Om9X6WEu

With more than twenty years of musical history behind them, Enjambre returns with its unmistakable sense of nostalgia in the band’s upcoming studio album set to release next month. ✍️ Jocelyn Martinez Rosales https://southsideweekly.com/mexican-band-enjambre-brings-romantic-rock-back-to-chicago/

“I see more community, love, support, and that’s what I was hoping to see,” Supporters rally outside A Cup of Joe after the café was targeted for speaking out against ICE. Reporting by José Abonce https://southsideweekly.com/neighbors-rally-for-a-cup-of-joe/

South Side bus tours, Archer ave. bike lanes tension, sports roundup and more in our latest print issue! Read it online: https://issuu.com/southsideweekly/docs/ssw_02.12.26 Pick up a print copy near you: https://bit.ly/ssw-distro

South Side Weekly and Build Coffee & Books presents Third Thursdays, a free monthly open mic and writing workshop! Join us this Thursday, February 19th at 6:30PM 📝 RSVP here: https://bit.ly/4tsOy1V?r=qr

A redesign of Archer Avenue in Brighton Park, intended to improve safety and accessibility along one of the Southwest Side’s busiest corridors, has become a flashpoint for community debate and political tension. https://southsideweekly.com/archer-ave-bike-lanes-tension-fuels-political-ambitions/

"Even on the worst day of my life I am still alive—a fact that some despise so much they hope to change it. Just before the night consumes me, I survive out of spite." Our poetry corner is back! Read the latest poem and prompt in The Exchange ⬇️ https://southsideweekly.com/the-exchange-roach/

CityKey ID is meant to provide access but some Chicagoans say they face barriers and discrimination. For immigrants, the uncertainty around whether an ID will be accepted can compound an already heightened sense of anxiety. ✍️ Alma Campos https://southsideweekly.com/when-keys-to-the-city-dont-work/

Mama African Marketplace Forced to Move : The beloved South Side community anchor will relocate to Greater Grand Crossing. Story by Jewél Jackson https://southsideweekly.com/mama-african-marketplace-forced-to-move/

Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle reflects on her journey from the South Side to Broadway and beyond. Explore her conversation with E'mon Lauren, Chicago’s first Youth Poet Laureate. https://southsideweekly.com/the-roots-of-poetry/

Jury Acquits Chicago Resident of Murder-for-Hire Plot on Border Patrol Commander: Juan Espinoza Martinez was detained and faces deportation after being found not guilty. ✍️ Dave Byrnes https://southsideweekly.com/jury-acquits-chicago-resident-of-murder-for-hire-plot-on-border-patrol-commander/

“When they walked off the field, everybody stood up and gave them a standing ovation.” On the cover of our latest print issue, Malachi Hayes dives into the start of something special for Bears fans. Illustration by David Alvarado 🎨 https://issuu.com/southsideweekly/docs/ssw_01.29.26

End your week on a high note by reading about Sentidos, a roving pop-up event that hosts local musicians and DJs in Latino-owned businesses as an act of joyful, community-building defiance.

Until December 31, you can double your impact with #Newsmatch, which will match any donation up to $15,000. Every donation, big or tiny (and especially recurring donations) help us do this work.

Several Chicago newsrooms spent two months collecting and analyzing evidence of ICE & Border Patrol's use of tear gas and pepper spray in Chicago. They found that agents deployed chemical agents nearly 50 times. Most uses occurred after a judge ordered federal agents to restrict their use.

South Side Weekly’s reporting on the South Shore raid was featured on @maddow.bsky.social yesterday! (Story link in thread)

I’m grateful to share I received two awards from the Chicago Journalists Association this year: First Place in Immigration Coverage, & Second Place for the Dorothy Stork Award. Thank you to the Chicago Journalists Association and an amazing team @southsideweekly.bsky.social

Mayor Johnson's proposed budget failed to advance from the Finance Committee on Monday by a vote of 25–10.

We're looking forward to tonight's CJA awards dinner, and we're thrilled that several South Side Weekly writers and editors are finalists in Chicago Journalism Association's Sarah Boyden Awards! Check out our finalists' stories below. 1/🧵

#OtD 11 Nov 1887 4 of the Haymarket martyrs were executed in Chicago. They were anarchist labour organisers framed for a bombing because of their role in the fight for the 8-hour day. Learn more in this history of May Day, which commemorates them: shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/the...

Between 2010–2013, Chicago's job growth rate was 66% above the national rate—despite having had a head tax. “This employment data does not support the claim that the head tax was a ‘job killer,’” wrote Julie Dworkin, a member of the mayor's budget working group. 🖋️@leighgiangreco.bsky.social

"You have no rights in here." Read the harrowing testimony given by people held at ICE's Broadview detention center. ✍️ @djbyrnes1.bsky.social

I’ve been tracking this contract since 2023, and last week, Cook County quietly renewed it. As ICE raids continue across Chicago, the board approved another $1M deal with a data broker tied to ICE. My latest for @southsideweekly.bsky.social

Last week, the Cook County Board re-upped a controversial contract with a crime-data broker that could expose immigrants' personal data to ICE. Advocates say the County could protect crime victims and immigrants alike by finding a new vendor. ✍️ @almacampos.bsky.social

Join the Invisible Institute and South Side Weekly on November 2 for an arts showcase honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Margaret T.G. Burroughs, featuring a special performance of “Tuesday” by Mud Theatre. Register here: invisible.institute/events

Congratulations to our immigration project editor @almacampos.bsky.social on being named a finalist for the CJA's prestigious Dorothy Storck award! Here's a thread of some of Alma's recent work. 🧵1/5

Ten minutes later, that person called back, frantic for an update. “I was calling because my significant other had called me and dropped the phone,” they said. “He just said, ‘What am I being detained for?’ Then the call dropped.”

Thanks to our friends at Cicero Independiente for republishing @almacampos.bsky.social's moving reporting on the last journey home for Silverio Villegas González, who ICE agents killed near Chicago in September.

Residents of Chicago's now-closed migrant shelters were arrested more often when police were called for domestic violence, despite having fewer incidents per capita than the citywide average. Overcrowding and other conditions in the shelters may have contributed to such altercations. 🖋️ Wendy Wei

An estimated 250,000 people gathered in the Loop on Saturday to protest President Trump's dictatorial aspirations and ICE agents' ongoing campaign of brutality.

Thank you to @blockclubchi.bsky.social for republishing @almacampos.bsky.social's moving reporting on the final journey of Silverio Villegas González, who was killed by federal agents last month in Franklin Park. blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/20/a...

“On the floor, a broken fidget spinner, a ball, and a red matchbox car gave testament that a child had lived here. The child played here, slept here, and was startled awake with their parents when agents began battering the front door.” My latest for @southsideweekly.bsky.social