“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...

Mayor Johnson refuses to order CPD to release calls and other data about the police response to an ICE facility on June 4. Alds. Lopez and Napolitano prevented a City Council vote on forcing the department to do so. Don't worry, your local community paper already obtained the tapes. Listen here:

High heat means it's a good day to cool off in the lake! “There is something about being by the water and seeing the water meet the sky—seeing that horizon line and just feeling like it’s endless.” southsideweekly.com/captivating-...

Last week we obtained calls an ICE contractor and HSI agent made to the city's 911 center to request help with crowd control while moving arrestees, and a call from a CPD captain who said he wanted to avoid media scrutiny of the police response. Listen here: southsideweekly.com/june-4-calls...

The City Council will consider an ordinance today that would allow construction of apartments called "granny flats" (officially, "accessory dwelling units" or ADUs) in coach houses and basements. @alexnitkin.bsky.social dug into ADUs in this @illinoisanswers.bsky.social piece

NEW: Investigations editor @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social obtained 911 calls and other documents that indicate CPD was aware immigration authorities were requesting help at an ICE facility on June 4. southsideweekly.com/june-4-calls...

Si usted o alguien que conoce ha sido estafado por una empresa que ofrece servicios de inmigración, los reporteros de Weekly quieren entrevistarlo. Escanee el código QR o visite bit.ly/NotariosSSW para completar nuestra encuesta.

If you or someone you know has been defrauded by a business offering immigration services, Weekly reporters want to hear from you. Scan this QR code or go to bit.ly/NotaryFraud to fill out our survey!

The City Council's Immigrant & Refugee Rights Committee is meeting today to look into the police response to an ICE facility on June 4. OEMC documents show two calls were made from the facility: one for a disturbance/large gathering, and another to assist an officer. It's unclear who called.

After CPD responded to ICE activity in the Loop, the Latino Caucus met with Mayor Johnson and Supt. Snelling. A letter they sent expressed “deep disappointment” about the meeting & CPD’s activity around immigration enforcement. 🖋️@jimdaleywrites.bsky.social southsideweekly.com/latino-caucu...

Breaking: City Council passed the snap curfew ordinance by a margin of 27–22. Progressive council members have urged Mayor Brandon Johnson to veto the ordinance.

City Council could vote on a proposed "snap" curfew today. Don't miss the series we co-produced with @thetriibe.com on curfews—in which we talked to both parents and teenagers, and dug into the demise of third spaces and what research says about curfews. southsideweekly.com/the-curfew-c...

“If we want policing that truly serves communities, the answer is not curfews or crackdowns,” writes @robvargas.bsky.social in this op-Ed. “It’s transparency, accountability, and a hard line between public authority and private influence.” southsideweekly.com/opinion-who-...

Tens of thousands marched in the Loop Saturday as part of nationwide #NoKings demonstrations protesting President Donald Trump's actions and those of ICE. Photos by @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social

I put together this guide to protesting for @southsideweekly.bsky.social before the DNC, but most of the legal and medical guidelines still apply if you're out in Chicago this week southsideweekly.com/how-to-prote...

Read the series we co-produced with @thetriibe.com on the proposed curfew ordinance—we talked to teenagers, parents, researchers, and folks who remember when teen spaces used to exist in Chicago. southsideweekly.com/the-curfew-c...

NEW: Immigrant rights organizations, legal aid providers, and city and state government have partnered to set up a website that has legal information and resources for immigrants in fifteen languages.

Education, jobs, health care, safe neighborhoods, and housing are all key to upward mobility but out of reach for many Chicagoans. A new @illinoisanswers.bsky.social series co-published with the Weekly explores inequality, solutions and more in our latest print edition. issuu.com/southsidewee...

Weekly investigations editor @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social will join @illinoisanswers.bsky.social journalists in discussing "Making it in Chicago: Detours and Dead Ends on the Path to Opportunity" at a live podcast taping at the City Club of Chicago tomorrow! www.cityclub-chicago.org/event/2/5697...

Here's my story, on an affordable housing tool nearly everyone seems to agree is a good idea, but that the Chicago City Council and (so far) state legislators can't manage to push forward: t.co/YDh0XBRHiP (1/6)

From the editors: Chicago will remain in Trump’s crosshairs for the duration. But the president will find that Chicago is a city — “stormy, husky, brawling” — that squares its broad shoulders to lay tyrants low. southsideweekly.com/trumps-racis...

Catch the Weekly's investigations editor @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social discussing his reporting collaboration with @illinoisanswers.bsky.social about the connections between divestment, poverty and gun violence on ABC7 abc7chicago.com/post/studies...

In Chicago’s West Side, residents are tackling gun violence not with more policing, but by investing in jobs, mental health support and community leadership. Read the story with @southsideweekly.bsky.social here: illinoisanswers.org/2025/05/27/j...

Home for Good would invest $103 million to support community violence intervention workers and help people with criminal records get stable housing, write Northwestern University researchers Soledad Adrianzén McGrath and Andrew V. Papachristos in this op-Ed. southsideweekly.com/opinion-safe...

I spoke to violence interrupters, block club captains, residents and officials to find out how West Siders are tackling violence and its root causes. Huge thanks to the great editors @cplhouse.bsky.social and @rubybailey.bsky.social! Read more of this series: makingitinchicago.illinoisanswers.org

Read more about the curfews issue we discussed this morning in these insightful stories by @tonia.thetriibe.com, @corli.thetriibe.com and Chima Ikoro, here: southsideweekly.com/the-curfew-conundrum/

Great collaborative series between @southsideweekly.bsky.social and @thetriibe.com. I've never seen an article featuring in-depth perspectives with Black parents in Chicago. They're asking the important questions regarding teen life in 2025.

Today, the City Council will consider granting CPD power to call snap curfews on gatherings of teenagers any time of day. We partnered with @thetriibe.com to produce a series that tackles the issue in a way you won’t find anywhere else: southsideweekly.com/the-curfew-c...

The snap curfew a City Council committee is considering today "is about policing presence instead of addressing absence: the absence of resources, support systems, safe spaces, and trust in our communities," writes GKMC youth organizer Reynia Jackson. southsideweekly.com/opinion-blac...

NEW — Another question we asked in our teen “trends” series with @southsideweekly.bsky.social is: do curfews actually make us safer? “A well-used city street is apt to be a safe street. A deserted city street is apt to be unsafe.” thetriibe.com/2025/05/do-c...

Great piece on the loss of teen third spaces by @thetriibe.com and @southsideweekly.bsky.social. It mentions Kirk Townsend's house-music parties at Mendel High and the all-ages punk club Medusa's, both of which the @chicagoreader.com has covered—I'll thread the stories. thetriibe.com/2025/05/teen...

As the City Council considers an ordinance this week that would allow CPD to call "snap" curfews on large groups of teens, we partnered with @thetriibe.com to dig into curfews, talk to teenagers, and examine the demise of third spaces. Here's what we found. southsideweekly.com/the-curfew-c...

I spent about a year reporting out this story on the struggles of the deeply divided 14th Police District Council, and I’m thrilled it won a Lisagor award. Congrats to all the amazing finalists and winners! southsideweekly.com/14th-police-...

About 150 demonstrators rallied and marched at a Black and Brown Unity event in Union Park that capped off a week of May Day activities aimed at protesting President Trump's actions.

Mayor Johnson joined thousands of marchers in condemning Pres. Trump's policies at a May Day protest. "We have to rise up...We cannot allow our democracy to be destroyed," Johnson told Weekly editor @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social after delivering remarks to the crowd southsideweekly.com/thousands-co...

Two lawsuits accuse Sheriff Tom Dart—who kicked off his fifth bid for reelection in March—of forcing county employees to volunteer for his campaigns. One alleges Dart retaliated against an investigator who claims she found widespread fraud at CCSO. 🖋️Max Blaisdell southsideweekly.com/lawsuit-accu...

🧵 It’s the 100th day of Trump 2.0, so here are 100 times Trump and those close to him have attacked press freedom and transparency. That doesn’t mean they’re only averaging one per day – we had to make cuts. There will probably be more attacks while we’re posting this.

Organizers are planning a national day of action on May Day, 5/1, to protest Trump's authoritarian excesses. In Chicago, a rally and march will kick off in Union Park (Lake & Ashland) at 11am maydaystrong.org

New poetry from Chima Ikoro—and a prompt for readers to submit their own writing: When have you found light in the remnants, or meaning in what others walked away from? southsideweekly.com/the-exchange...

From the editors: In 'On Tyranny,' Tim Snyder writes: “People who assure you that you can only gain security at the price of liberty usually want to deny you both.” Trump clearly wants to deny both. Call and write your reps, and get ready to march May 1. southsideweekly.com/defending-th...

Cook County Jail used restraint chairs 874 times over five years — and never reported a single incident to the state, as required. An Illinois Answers investigation uncovered the pattern. Read more here: illinoisanswers.org/2025/04/22/r...

Fresh off an Elevator Music appearance and with a Slugo collab under her belt, DJ Nanoos is embarking on a North American tour. Jocelyn Martinez Rosales caught up with her for our latest issue. southsideweekly.com/dj-nanoos-br...

southsideweekly.com/curfew-compr... Regarding curfews, GoodKids MadCity mentor Kofi Ademola said: “If the City can invest more money into policing and surveillance instead of giving these young people more resources and opportunities, we’re no better than Trump and his fascist regime.”

"I wanted someone who had an understanding of our community and of Black people—somebody Black themselves." George E. Johnson discusses his new autobiography with @evanfmoore.bsky.social southsideweekly.com/the-golden-r...

The South Side Community Art Center is expanding with a $15M rehab project. In the latest issue of the Weekly, Jasmine Barnes looks back on 85 years of art and community, and forward to what’s next. Read this and more, and sign up for our newsletter! linktr.ee/ssw

From the editors: It will take more than a symbolic single-day demonstration, even one held in hundreds of cities and towns simultaneously, to stop Trump and Musk. Another fifty-state protest is planned for April 19. southsideweekly.com/taking-down-...