Join our team! The Invisible Institute is hiring an investigative reporter to join our team and work alongside our staff to report on police abuse, state violence, and official secrecy in Chicago and beyond. Apply by Feb. 15th!

One officer was accused of spreading a nude photo of a woman he knew. Another was found responsible for acts of domestic violence and sexual assault. In spite of their disciplinary records, the Chicago Police Department promoted both of them. With @invisible.institute

New in partnership with @invisible.institute and @phoenixnewtimes.com: Scotty Bach left the Seattle Police Department after an investigation found that he had attended Trump's rally at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Phoenix hired him anyway: theappeal.org/phoenix-poli...

In the first of three stories, @yanak.bsky.social and I report on how self-imposed pressures on the Phoenix PD pushed officials to hire increasing amounts of "lateral transfer" officers from other departments — or other states. @invisible.institute + @theappeal.org + @phoenixnewtimes.com

Bach is one of six Seattle police officers whom the Seattle Police Department investigated for their presence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. bit.ly/phoenixpolice

For five years—from January, 1994 to December, 1998—a group of citizens gathered on the corner of 35th and State at twilight on the first Sunday of each month to read the names of those lost to violence on the South Side. Read more here: viewfromtheground.com/featured-pos...

NEW: Two Chicago police officers were investigated for sexual misconduct — then promoted. It wasn’t an oversight. Despite a decades-long reform effort, the Chicago Police Department’s promotions system allows for disciplinary records to be ignored. www.propublica.org/article/chic...

My latest investigation for @invisible.institute @propublica.org @chicago.suntimes.com

Ten years ago this month, dashcam footage was released showing Laquan McDonald being shot to death by a police officer. A decade after their historic victory, the key players recount how they helped bring the transformative video to light.

This investigation was co-produced by @blockclubchi.bsky.social , Cicero Independiente, the Investigative Project on Race and Equity, @invisible.institute, @southsideweekly.bsky.social, and @thetriibe.com. thetriibe.com/2025/11/feds...

We just published a cross-newsroom investigation into the use of tear gas and pepper spray during Operation Midway Blitz. Reporters, photographers, and editors from across Chicago reviewed dozens of videos to build a verified record of how these weapons were used in our neighborhoods.

An investigation by a group of Chicago-area newsrooms and independent journalists found that federal agents used tear gas and pepper spray at least 15 times in Brighton Park on Oct. 4 — more than the Chicago Police Department has used all year. Read the full story here: tinyurl.com/9avc2xdf

An investigation by a group of Chicago-area newsrooms and found that federal agents used chemical weapons on protesters at least 49 times across 18 incidents across Chicago and the suburbs since Oct. 1. Read: bit.ly/fedsteargas

Join us on Thursday, November 20th from 6:30 - 8:30pm for our Annual Supporters Convening at the Chicago Athletic Association. The event is free and all are welcome! Register here: invisible.institute/events

Join us on Thursday, November 20th from 6:30 - 8:30pm for our Annual Supporters Convening at the Chicago Athletic Association. The event is free and all are welcome! Register here: invisible.institute/events

Our longtime collaborator Sarah Conway covered Chicago’s ongoing resistance to ICE for @nymag.com. Read the story here: nymag.com/intelligencer/article/chicago-resistance-against-trump-and-ice.html

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

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

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

Join the Invisible Institute and South Side Weekly on October 26th for a day of art making and community building in honor of the life and legacy of Dr. Margaret T.G. Burroughs. Register here: invisible.institute/events

Last week, residents of a South Shore apartment building were jolted awake late at night last week when nearly 300 federal agents, backed by helicopters and flashbang grenades, stormed their homes in a massive immigration raid.

“Kicking the Pigeon” is a series of articles by Jamie Kalven published between July 6, 2005 and February 16, 2006 in the View From The Ground.

NEW — Video posted to social media shows Unraveled Press co-founder Steve Held being detained by federal agents outside the Broadview immigration facility earlier this evening. A collection of Chicago newsrooms is calling for his immediate release. thetriibe.com/2025/09/chic...

This reporter helped expose the falsity of ICE's narrative on the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas Gonzalez. His work is a perfect example of why we don't have secret police. Journalists have a constitutional right to cover protests and their aftermath. Release @peoplesfabric.com immediately.

Last week, an agent snatched Steve Held’s reporter credentials and shot chemical weapons at him while he reported on the protests at Broadview. Tonight, federal agents detained him while he was reporting. We urge for his immediate release. @peoplesfabric.com @unraveledpress.com

The Invisible Institute reported on officers in Minnesota a police association says were undercover, but have high-profile uses of force or have been accused of misconduct. Read the story here: bit.ly/mppoalawsuit

In 2000, the CHA launched its “Plan for Transformation” to demolish high-rise public housing buildings and replace them with mixed-income housing. Twenty-five years later, many former residents remain displaced and affordable housing is still scarce.

Have a car? Our reporting team focused on sexual assault by the Chicago Police plans to distribute copies of our investigation and findings about assault within the department. If you’d like to volunteer at the end of September, sign up here: bit.ly/btsprintdistro

The View from the Ground archive is a searchable collection of Jamie Kalven’s original reporting and a robust collection of black and white film photographs by Patricia Evans from the final chapter of high-rise public housing in Chicago.

We're excited to introduce the View from the Ground archive: a searchable collection of Jamie Kalven’s original reporting and Patricia Evans’ photography from the final chapter of high-rise public housing in Chicago.

Less than a week into Trump’s surge of deportation arrests in Chicago, an ICE agent shot and killed 38-year-old Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez during a Franklin Park traffic stop. The DHS says he drove his car at agents, but bystander videos and witnesses report a different story.

Reporters from across newsrooms in Chicago are collaborating to collect visual evidence of federal agents detaining people & using force in Chicago. Send videos to tinyurl.com/chicagojournalists, or get in touch via email [email protected].

Our latest investigation with MindSite News and South Side Weekly shows Chicago police are increasingly turning to forced hospitalization, detaining people against their wishes at a hospital emergency room for a psychiatric evaluation. bit.ly/forcedhospitalization

In June 2025, former Chicago police officer Eric Tabb pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated battery in a public place, and was sentenced to 30 months of probation.

Our reporting with Illinois Public Media revealed that the officer who killed Sonya Massey had an employment history with a pattern of misconduct at six different police departments, and was discharged from the Army for serious misconduct.

We are excited to announce the future publication with @haymarketbooks.org of a book about the Youth/Police Project, documenting 10 years of young people growing up & navigating policing on the South Side of Chicago. Read more at invisible.institute/ypp & sign up for updates at bio.site/stayingsafe

In 2011, a Chicago officer pulled a woman over just to get her phone number, then called or texted her nearly 30 times. Between 2017 and 2019, he was reported for sexual misconduct three more times before he was finally arrested. (Published May w/ @invisible.institute)

Good news! Today, the Illinois Appellate Court ruled in favor of transparency, against closed hearings for police misconduct cases. We previously covered this issue for the Chicago Reader in November 2023.

Last month, a sheriff's office in Southeast Ohio settled a lawsuit over allegations that two deputies had used excessive force while wrongfully arresting a father and son. Both deputies resigned from the sheriff's office shortly after but quickly found work at another department. bit.ly/meigscounty

Newly elected Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has quietly scrapped two key lists used to flag police officers with a history of misconduct. bit.ly/bradylists

A huge congrats to our audio team! You Didn't See Nothin has been named one of Time Magazine's 100 Best Podcasts of All Time. You can listen to all episodes of You Didn't See Nothin on any podcast platform!

In October 2024, the Burroughs Legacy team's first reporting project—The unsung legacy of Margaret Burroughs: “We called her Mama”—was featured on WBEZ’s Curious City program. And this past May, this episode received two Peter Lisagor Awards for Journalism.

The Invisible Institute’s investigation into former deputy Sean Grayson, who shot and killed Sonya Massey after she called police for help, has been awarded the Driehaus Prize for Investigative Journalism.

The CPD committed to releasing “merit” promotion lists in 2017. Now, the city claims doing so would be an invasion of privacy. | ✍️ Rachel Heimann Mercader and Sam Stecklow at @invisible.institute

NEW: In 2017, Chicago PD committed to releasing CPD's lists of officers promoted through the controversial "merit" promotion process going forward. Now, the city claims that doing so would be an invasion of the officers' privacy. So @invisible.institute is suing. Read more w/ @chicagoreader.com:

New: Chicago police officers face little oversight when applying for promotions under the department’s “merit”-based nomination process, @invisible.institute found. buff.ly/8mIYoZX

In 2017, CPD pledged to make public lists of officers promoted through the secretive “merit” promotion process. Instead, under Mayor Brandon Johnson, the city is fighting in court to stop release of the lists. Happy to partner with @invisible.institute & @chicagoreader.com to publish this piece.

Our latest investigation explores how the Chicago Police Department’s “merit” promotion system has advanced officers with a history of misconduct—including fatal shootings and excessive force. bit.ly/4lHFmCa

Congratulations to @citybureau.bsky.social, whose journalists are organizing for a union! Our team is excited about the possibility of our longtime partners recognizing their newly announced union, and what it means for Chicago's local journalism landscape to mature in this way.

We, the staff of @citybureau.bsky.social, are forming a union! A strong media system needs strong workers. We’re asking our leadership to formally recognize the City Bureau Workers Guild so we can shape the future of local media together. You can join our movement by: