IN THIS ISSUE

csu staff and faculty push back against years of austerity savannah hugueley ................................ poet josé olivarez attempts to resist empire in promises of gold reema saleh shawnee dez emerges from her shadow gretchen sterba

After ten days of striking and ten months of bargaining, Chicago State University’s union has reached a tentative agreement.

Published in February, the collection of poems wrestles with the legacy of colonialism and capitalism.

The South Shore native and alternative R&B musician releases debut album MOODY UMBRA after years of singles and collaborations.

Shane Tolentino

Mell Montezuma

Shane Tolentino

Fact Checking: Sky Patterson

Fact Checkers: Christopher Good

Savannah Hugueley

Jessica Nalupta

Layout Editor Tony Zralka

Special Projects Coordinator

ShotSpotter tries to save itself and rebrand

Malik Jackson

Managing Director Jason Schumer

Office Manager Mary Leonard

Advertising Manager

Susan Malone

Webmaster Pat Sier

The Weekly is produced by a mostly all-volunteer editorial staff and seeks contributions from across the city. We publish online weekly and in print every other Thursday.

Send submissions, story ideas, comments, or questions to editor@southsideweekly.com or mail to:

South Side Weekly

6100 S. Blackstone Ave. Chicago, IL 60637

For advertising inquiries, please contact: Susan Malone (773) 358-3129 or email: malone@southsideweekly.com

For general inquiries, please call: (773) 643-8533

The election of Brandon Johnson could spell the end of a lucrative deal for ShotSpotter, the company that licenses its gunshot detection technology to the Chicago Police Department. Johnson has vowed to end the deal with the company, arguing that it does little to add to public safety and citing its destructive role in leading police officers to Adam Toledo two years ago. After the election, shares of ShotSpotter dropped twenty-five percent and the company announced it would be rebranding as SoundThinking (though ShotSpotter will remain the name of their product). Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration extended ShotSpotter contract in October but it is set to expire this year. Research about the technology has shown some eighty-six percent of ShotSpotter calls don’t result in a police report, while Chicago’s inspector general’s office issued a report in 2021 that the technology rarely leads to stops or evidence for gun crimes.

Chicago chosen for Democratic Convention

The Democratic National Committee chose Chicago to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, which will take place at the United Center and McCormick Place from August 19 to 22 and draw an estimated 50,000 visitors. “Chicago is a world-class city that looks like America and demonstrates the values of the Democratic Party,” said Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson in a statement. “We are unmatched when it comes to hosting events of this scale. I look forward to working closely with the DNC to facilitate a spectacular convention that showcases Chicago’s diverse culture, our beautiful lakefront, our renowned hospitality sector, and our best asset: our amazing people.” The last time the convention came to Chicago was in 1996, the year President Bill Clinton was reelected. Prior to that, Chicago hosted the infamous 1968 DNC, when thousands of people protested the Vietnam War outside the convention hall and hundreds were arrested and injured.

‘unity good friday’ brings together churches of color in chinatown Christian churches from Englewood, Tri-Taylor, and Pilsen unite in Chinatown for a day of worship.

4

6

8 wendy wei .............................................. 10 the exchange chima ikoro, sky patterson, alejandro hernandez, monica kakkar, imani joseph, diacos love..................... brother-and-sister punk band has skin in the game

The Weekly’s poetry corner offers our thoughts in exchange for yours.

12

Punk duo Pancho and Stacy García talk about their debut show “Vaqueros y Rockeros” and embracing their Chicana/o identity. jesús g. flores el poeta josé olivarez intenta desafiar el imperio en promesas de oro Publicada en febrero, la colección de poemas lucha con el legado del colonialismo y el capitalismo. por reema saleh traducido por alma campos as mayor, brandon johnson is inviting you to reimagine safety in chicago Johnson lays out his priorities once he assumes office.

14

17 tonia hill, jim daley, and tiffany walden, the triibe ............................... 20 calendar Bulletin and events. zoe pharo, south side weekly staff. 22