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

In "The Aftermath," @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social looked at what was left behind after ICE agents rampaged through three neighborhoods in Chicago in recent weeks.

The New York Times is embedding with the fascists who are kidnapping our neighbors follow and support @thetriibe.com, @unraveledpress.com, @blockclubchi.bsky.social, @southsideweekly.bsky.social, and other local, independent media who love this city

In her first interview since he was killed by federal agents, Silverio Villegas González's partner Blanca Mora talked about the impact his death has had on their family. Be sure to read this moving piece by Alma Campos about Silverio's final journey back to Loma de Chupio, Michoacán.

If you see ICE agents, Illinois State Police, or Chicago or suburban police engaging in immigration enforcement or misconduct this weekend, file a complaint with COPA, Cook County, or the IL Inspector General and let us know. If you have video, here's how you can share it with us:

Attending a "No Kings" protest this weekend? @leighgiangreco.bsky.social's explainer on how to prepare and how to protest safely can help.

We're told at least one person was arrested—and later released with a citation for disorderly—by Broadview police for simply being on the Maywood side of 25th at Harvard St outside the ICE facility this morning. They were documenting agents coming and going as electeds have told people to do.

"Ms. Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work. Ms. Brockman feared for her life multiple times throughout this terrifying experience."

Chicago: Report sightings of federal agents to rapid responders and the press. Connect with your neighbors, find a community defense workshop, and post know-your-rights signs. Attend a No Kings rally on October 18. Resist. Our democracy is at stake.

Lengthy and thorough, including many previously unreported facts, from agents separating people arrested by race to the real estate fight that led up to the raid. Heartbreaking, infuriating, fascist as all get-out. People want to live in peace, free of danger. Instead we get this.

If you see ICE agents, Illinois State Police, or Chicago or suburban police engaging in immigration enforcement or misconduct, file a complaint with COPA, Cook County, or the IL Inspector General and let us know. If you have video, here's how you can share it with us:

That's two Chicago journalists feds have arrested (that I know of) in the last few weeks. We're less than 24 hours out from federal judge Sara Ellis entering a restraining order that was supposed to protect journalists, among others, from abuse by federal agents.

Let us be clear: The President of the United States is levying war against American cities and American citizens—and we cannot rely on the other branches of government to save us. It’s up to us.

NEW: In the weeks leading up to a massive ICE raid at a South Shore apartment building, neighbors saw drones surveilling the area, and teachers at a nearby school regularly saw agents in the neighborhood. ✍️ Jose Abonce for the Weekly and Maira Khwaja for @invisible.institute

Have you witnessed ICE activity in Chicagoland, or seen CPD or other local law enforcement assisting federal agents or engaging in misconduct? LET US KNOW. Upload video directly at tinyurl.com/chicagojourn... or email us at [email protected]

Founded by thirteen World War II GI’s from Chicago’s South Side, the model railroad has been in continuous operation.

📰 Meet the English-language cohort of the 2025 Altavoz Lab Community Fellowship! ✨ Leslie Hurtado – Cicero Independiente ✨ Jewél Jackson – @southsideweekly.bsky.social ✨ Nadia Tamez-Robledo – @edsurge.com / Puente News Collaborative 🔗 altavozlab.com #AltavozLab #LocalNews #CommunityMedia

Weclome to BoSS 2025! We want to remind you—and ourselves, to be honest—that the grief and urgency we feel is a result of the love we have for one another. That is not something that anyone can separate us from. These moments exemplify our passion for our people and communities, and our resilience.

“The mayor only appointed [Burnett III] and the City Council only approved him because of his father,” said UIC professor emeritus and former alderman Dick Simpson. “So that’s, unfortunately, a frequent practice in Chicago, for instance.”

ICE's Operation Midway Blitz spread through suburbs and South Side neighborhoods, escalating into detentions, family separation, and the fatal traffic-stop shooting of, Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez. 🖊️@almacampos.bsky.social and Jose Abonce

A notification system used by Cook County to alert crime victims about offenders’ statuses may be allowing ICE to obtain personal data on thousands of immigrants. Alma Campos, our Immigration Project Editor, reported this story. southsideweekly.com/cook-county-...

"As with every outrage from the cabal currently occupying the White House, you can do something about it. Support local media. Read, listen, watch, share—and subscribe or become a member. In the meantime, we will keep doing our job: conveying the truth." southsideweekly.com/trump-kills-...

NEW: CPD spent about $27 million to police the four-day DNC last August—about $10 million more than the federal funding allocated to personnel and operations the event, according to data newly published by the city's Inspector General. By Max Blaisdell southsideweekly.com/chicago-poli...