The announcement comes after a joint investigation by Chalkbeat Chicago and Block Club Chicago spotlighted transparency issues with the public bodies.
News
The Chicago police union is trying to put its members on the state’s torture inquiry commission
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Two bills introduced by Republicans in the state legislature are “a smack in the face,” says one torture survivor.
News
Chicago Is Spending $1.6 Billion on 13,000 Police. Is It Worth It?
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With shootings and murders on the rise and President Trump sending federal agents to the city, community organizers and criminologists point to a police hiring spree from just four years ago to show that more cops on Chicago’s streets aren’t the answer.
Anti-racism
Listen: Chicago youth leaders Miracle Boyd and China Smith reflect on activism, trauma, and growth
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Two youth organizers with GoodKids MadCity share what activism has taught them, how it has affected them, and how they want to transform Chicago.
Essential Work
Essential Work: Young Black activists ‘in the middle of history’ confront Covid-19 and racism
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GoodKids MadCity youth organizers China Smith and Miracle Boyd reflect on their experiences amid the pandemic and the growing movement against racial injustice. This is the first entry in a series about resilience and resistance by young Black Chicago activists.
Commentary
Abolition: ‘They said what they said’
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To educate ourselves, and our readers, Injustice Watch hosted a conversation with six Chicago-area abolitionists. Here’s a snapshot of what we heard.
Police and Prosecutors
Wrongful conviction organization sues prosecutors for potentially exculpatory DNA evidence
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The Exoneration Project lawsuit asks the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to disclose DNA samples that have been matched to old crimes, which could lead to exonerations.
Commentary
Why I’m terminating my membership with the Chicago police union
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An open letter to John Catanzara, the newly elected president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7.
Commentary
Analysis: The thing about police unions
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Most unions don’t aggressively shield their members from accountability for murder. Police unions are another story.
Commentary
Amara Enyia: Chicago must defund—not just reform—the police
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“Reform is a perfectly warm, comforting blanket. It is comfortable and sedating. But it also smothers.”
Police and Prosecutors
Champaign County judge gave high bonds after weekend of unrest
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“I guess they wanted to make an example out of us,” said Shantee Mason-Tanzie, one of 26 people arrested after alleged looting in Champaign County on May 31.