04.25.24

IN THIS ISSUE SOUTH

Nine-year old girl killed in Back of the Yards shooting

A shooting in Back of the Yards killed a nine-year-old girl and injured ten other family members, including three children and the girl’s mother Saturday night, April 13. Ariana Molina, was shot in the head and rushed to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later, according to police. Police say SpotShotter detected eighteen gunshots fired on the 2000 block of West 52nd Street shortly after 9:00pm where victims gathered in a confirmation celebration. At a press conference, police reported that it was most likely a gangrelated incident, although the family told the Sun-Times that they do not understand why gang members would shoot directly at a family.

Chicago Police and community organizations, UCAN and Chicago Survivors will open on Wednesday an emergency center at Richard M. Daley College (5024 S. Wolcott Ave.) from 3–7pm to provide people with resources such as counseling, assistance for victims of violent crimes and other support.

Neighborhood travel series

Choose Chicago, a nonprofit organization that works with the city to promote Chicago and make it a “destination” spot, recently released a travel series show called, “The 77: A City of Neighborhoods.” Despite what its name suggests, the show focuses on just five neighborhoods and tells their story through interviews with residents and small business owners: Pullman/ Roseland, Little Village, Bronzeville, Uptown, and Humboldt Park. Running about half an hour each, the episodes feature a range of South Side restaurants, such as Old Fashioned Donuts in Roseland, La Catedral in Little Village, and Carver 47 in Bronzeville, as well as bits about the histories of each neighborhood. The Little Village episode is also available in Spanish under La Villita, and all can be accessed for free at www.choosechicago.com/the77.

Though one gets the sense that the intended audience may in part be out-of-towners, there’s plenty to learn and savor for longtime Chicagoans too, and it’s refreshing to see a tourism agency set its sights on places other than the Loop. All that’s left is to ask: when should we expect the next seventy-two episodes?

Housing Issue survey

The Weekly is gearing up to do a Housing Issue this summer, our first in many years. We want to gather the perspectives and information needs of our readers and community members, to help drive and focus our coverage. Are you looking for resources on how to apply for a firsttime homeowner loan? Are you interested in learning about tenant unions and how to form one yourself? Are you curious about what the future—or past—of housing will or did look like?

Let us know by scanning the QR code below and filling out our survey, or heading to bit. ly/ssw-housing-issue-24

city approves $70 million in migrant funds amid county and federal funding Alderpersons, like much of the city, were divided on how to effectively respond to migrant needs while also prioritizing ongoing issues in other marginalized communities.

michael liptrot ..................................... 4

five park district migrant shelters close, city to increase transparency City Council voted last week to track migrant evictions and approve $70 million to address the crisis.

michael liptrot ..................................... 5

reubican a migrantes de los parques de chicago; concejales logran más transparencia

El Concejo Municipal votó la semana pasada para realizar un rastreo de los desalojos de migrantes y aprobar $70 millones para abordar la crisis humanitaria.

por michael liptrot

traducido por alma campos 6

the city on screen

How news and Chicago TV shows have shaped perceptions of the Windy City.

cordell longstreath

online political disinfo undermines informed decisions in chinatown

Chinatown leaders organize fact-checking workshops to fight growing disinformation in their community.

xuandi wang

harold green iii on his south side upbringing and new children’s book

The author, who grew up in Englewood, centers community in his book, and its elders are a constant presence.

evan f. moore

shotspotter keeps listening after contracts expire

Confidential emails show the company continued to provide gunshot data to police in cities where its contracts were canceled.

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max blaisdell and jim daley 12 referenda wins behind them, cba organizers fight on

Two precincts in the 7th ward voted to pass an ordinance that would address ongoing displacement, in part due to construction of the Obama Presidential Center.

citlali pérez ..........................................

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the exchange

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

chima ikoro, justin i dismuke.............. 15 review: ‘purpose’ sparks conversations on identity, belonging, and change

Rashad’s directorial vision explores our will to live and find purpose, particularly through the lens of family. kristian

Cover visual by Julia O’Brien

City Approves $70 Million in Migrant Funds Amid County and Federal Funding

Alderpersons, like much of the city, were divided on how to effectively respond to migrant needs while also prioritizing ongoing issues in other marginalized communities.

BY MICHAEL LIPTROT

Chicago’s growing migrant community is receiving new rounds of financial support. The City Council approved $70 million on Friday by a 30-18 vote geared toward caring for asylum seekers through the end of the year. The day before, the Cook County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved granting another $70 million to the City of Chicago, alongside the city receiving half of $19 million federal dollars provided to the state for this purpose.

Council members, like much of the city, were divided on how to effectively respond to migrant needs while also prioritizing ongoing issues faced by other marginalized communities. Some are critical of how the city is spending money on the humanitarian crisis and if there are more effective means of care.

“Do you want to see 11,000 people inside of shelters or outside of buildings?”

Alderman Andre Vasquez (40th) asked his fellow alderpersons on Friday during a heated debate. “People do not disappear because the money doesn’t show up.”

For Chicago’s Black community, the financial investment in migrants has faced pushback over historic disinvestment in Black communities. “I feel like, once again, Black people in this city are being put in a position to vote against our own interests,” said Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th), who voted “yes.” Crain’s Chicago Business

reported he felt he could not vote “no” because of the number of migrants in his ward.

The Lakeshore Hotel shelter is in the 5th Ward and the Wadsworth shelter is in the 20th Ward. As of April 12, these shelters housed 577 and 459 people, respectively, according to the Immigrant Committee dashboard.

“While the city was able to tap into the rainy-day fund to come up with $70 million to bring the migrants inside, Black folks are left standing outside in the rain again. Mr. President [Johnson], this is your chance to be bold and courageous and preserve the soul in Chicago by committing the same amount of money to Black neighborhoods.”

Nearby in Woodlawn, Ald. Jeanette Taylor, who has been an outspoken critic of the city’s migrant response, voted “no” to the funding allocation. She was unable to be reached for comment by the Weekly

The additional $70 million from Cook County’s $100 million disaster response and recovery fund is planned to be used for food, WBEZ reported. There was no debate when the funds passed on Thursday within the Board of Commissioners. However, on Wednesday, some commissioners voiced concern on how the funds would be utilized.

West Side Democratic Commissioner Tara Stamps wondered how the Black community in her district

would perceive the funds being allocated toward migrants and not historical issues that have existed way longer in her district.

“The amount of money that’s being dedicated to this humanitarian effort… is impacting other communities in a way that is so visceral and is blowing back on the people that represent them,” Stamps said in the April 17 Board of Commissioners Meeting. “You have communities like mine, Black communities, saying, why can’t this money be found for the things that we need, whether it’s grocery stores or other situations that arise.”

Republican Commissioner Sean Morrison emphasized the need for transparency on how the funds given to Chicago are being spent on new arrivals. “Once this $70 million is let (out), we have no oversight whatsoever,” Morrison said in the meeting. “If it’s misspent or not allocated right or allocated with a special interest involved or whatever the case might be in the future, we’re the ones that made that occur.”

Cook County’s Chief Financial Officer, Tanya Anthony, affirmed to the board that the funds would require documentation from the city for reimbursement, instead of a one-time award, and that the city would be required to provide monthly reports on how the funds are being used.

Another $9.5 million has been given

to the city in the form of federal funding. Senator Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced on April 12 that the state of Illinois and City of Chicago were to split $19 million.

These funds are part of a Department of Homeland Security $300 million grant program for communities aiding migrants, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“It’s important to remember the gravity of this situation. Asylum seekers have been subjected to cruel—and even unknowing—relocation at the whim of Governor Greg Abbott and Republicans’ inhumane agenda,” said Durbin in a statement.

“We need to uphold our country’s commitment as a welcoming nation for migrants, and that requires federal assistance. While I welcome this funding, it’s not enough to properly provide our city with the resources we need—and I’ll keep pushing for more funding to help our city and state.”

According to the city’s new arrival dashboard, nearly 40,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Chicago to date.¬

Michael Liptrot is a staff reporter at South Side Weekly and Hyde Park Herald

Five Park District Migrant Shelters Close, City to Increase Transparency

City Council voted last week to track migrant evictions and approve $70 million to address the crisis.

BY MICHAEL LIPTROT

The City Council voted on Wednesday, April 17, to pass an ordinance introduced by the Immigration and Refugee Rights Committee that would increase transparency and tracking of migrants exiting city shelters. On Friday, the Johnson administration received a $70 million increase in funding to address the crisis and has been actively relocating hundreds of asylum seekers from five shelters at Park District facilities, including two on the Southwest Side (Gage Park and Piotrowski Park), to allow the resumption of normal operations, summer programs and community events.

Park District facilities were among the first buildings to be used by the city as temporary migrant shelters, with the Leone Beach Field House being converted into a shelter in October 2022. Later, North Park Village, Gage Park, Broadway Armory Park, Brands Park and Piotrowski Park became shelter sites. The North Park Village shelter closed in February. The other five are set to be closed by this summer.

“I am proud of the efforts of my administration, our partners, and the many Chicagoans who stepped up to welcome new arrivals by providing shelter in our Park District field houses at a time when this was clearly needed,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson in a March 25 statement. “We are grateful to the alderpersons and communities who have embraced new neighbors with open arms, and we are pleased that these park facilities will be transitioned back to their intended purpose in time for summer programming.”

The five sites set to be closed for the summer held 1,181 people at the beginning

of January. During this same period, the total shelter population of the city peaked at 14,824 on January 12, according to the New Arrivals Data Dashboard, provided by 40th Ward alderman and Committee on Immigration and Refugee Rights chair Andre Vasquez.

As of April 5, the five sites held 356 people, a nearly 70 percent drop in population over the last three months. The Johnson administration’s March 25 press release stated that the people in Park District sites will be relocated to other cityrun shelters, and that it would prioritize relocating people to shelters close by.

will have doubled the number of shelters closed since the beginning of February, as the Johnson administration has not opened any new shelters since December.

As the news of shelters closing and pending evictions developed, city leaders called upon the Johnson administration for transparency and tracking efforts for people exiting shelters. On March 27, the City Council Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights unanimously voted to advance an ordinance that would require weekly anonymized reporting of information including age, gender, country of origin, complaints and feedback about

“I think you can do both. You can expand the shelter system, so that you can decompress the parks, knowing that we’re going to have more buses coming between now and Democratic Convention.”

To date, more than 38,000 migrants have arrived in the city since Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began busing people here in August 2022. Almost immediately, community reception of asylum seekers was controversial, including outcry from residents and community leaders against shelters being established in their neighborhoods.

As pressure mounted, the Johnson administration announced various measures to limit or “decompress” migrant shelters in communities by enacting a sixty-day eviction policy and reducing the number of shelters. WTTW reported that, once the five Park District shelters are closed, the city

shelter conditions, and date exiting the shelter.

“I think it makes sense to decompress [shelters] and get the parks back, but it also necessitates opening up more shelters to take on the capacity,” Vasquez told the Weekly. “I think you can do both. You can expand the shelter system, so that you can decompress the parks, knowing that we’re going to have more buses coming between now and the Democratic Convention.

“I think people need to understand that the buses are going to keep coming. There’s going to be more and more people being bused in and so I believe we shouldn’t be doing evictions from shelters at all,”

Vasquez continued. “We need to have a shelter system that works for all who need it. To evict people from shelters isn’t within our values and, more importantly, is going to lead to a larger homelessness issue that’s going to end up costing people even more.”

Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22nd), a member of the Committee on Immigration and Refugee Rights, helped move the ordinance forward within the committee and spoke to the Weekly about his view of the Piotrowski Park shelter closing. Another shelter opened in his ward in January, at the site of the former CVS in Little Village, 2634 S. Pulaski Rd..

“When it was imminent that we were having a new facility in Little Village open in the 22nd Ward, the Pulaski site, I wrote a letter to the mayor’s office saying that it’s time to return Piotrowski Park back to full community use,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a gem of our community. I grew up in Piotrowski Park, playing baseball and basketball there. I coached gymnastics and all sorts of sports there when I was in college. It’s an extremely vital resource for the community and we need to return it to its great use of keeping kids active and safe.”

Rodriguez said that all 140 residents of the Piotrowski Park shelter were moved out of the park by the weekend of March 29. “We’re very proud to continue to support our migrant brothers and sisters and also get this important community resource back to servicing both longtime residents and our newest arrivals.” ¬

Michael Liptrot is a staff writer for South Side Weekly and Hyde Park Herald.

Reubican a migrantes de los parques de Chicago; concejales logran más transparencia

El Concejo Municipal votó la semana pasada para realizar un rastreo de los desalojos de migrantes y aprobar $70 millones para abordar la crisis humanitaria.

POR MICHAEL LIPTROT TRADUCIDO POR ALMA CAMPOS

El Concejo Municipal votó el miércoles, 17 de abril a favor de aprobar una ordenanza presentada por el Comité de Derechos de Inmigrantes y Refugiados que aumentaría la transparencia y el rastreo de los migrantes que salen de los refugios de la ciudad. El viernes, la administración de Brandon Johnson recibió $70 millones para hacer frente a la crisis y ha estado reubicando a cientos de solicitantes de asilo de cinco refugios en las instalaciones del Distrito de Parques, incluyendo en dos parques del lado suroeste (Gage Park y Piotrowski Park), para que resuman las operaciones normales, programas de verano y eventos comunitarios.

Las instalaciones del Distrito de Parques fueron de los primeros edificios utilizados por la Municipalidad como refugios temporales para migrantes, así como la casa de campo de Leone Beach la convirtieron en refugio en octubre de 2022. Más adelante, North Park Village, Gage Park, Broadway Armory Park, Brands Park y Piotrowski Park se convirtieron en lugares de refugio. El refugio de North Park Village cerró en febrero. Los otros cinco se cerrarán este verano.

“Estoy orgulloso de los esfuerzos de mi administración, de nuestros socios y de los muchos habitantes de Chicago que les dieron la bienvenida a los recién llegados ofreciéndoles refugio en nuestras casas de campo del Distrito de Parques en un momento en que esto era claramente necesario”, dijo el alcalde Johnson en una declaración el 25 de marzo. "Estamos agradecidos con los concejales y las comunidades que han recibido a los nuevos vecinos con los brazos abiertos, y

nos complace que las instalaciones de los parques vuelvan a su función original a tiempo para la programación de verano”.

Los cinco lugares que se cerrarán durante el verano albergaban a 1,181 personas a principios de enero. Durante este mismo periodo, la población total de los refugios de la ciudad alcanzó un máximo de 14,824 personas el 12 de enero, según datos de los recién llegados facilitados por el concejal del distrito 40 y presidente del Comité de Derechos de Inmigrantes y Refugiados, Andre Vasquez.

Desde el 5 de abril, los cinco centros han albergado a 356 personas, un descenso de casi el 70% en los pasados tres meses. El comunicado de prensa de Johnson del 25 de marzo afirmaba que las personas que se encontraban en los sitios del Distrito de Parques serían reubicadas a otros refugios administrados por la Municipalidad, y que se daría prioridad a reubicar a las personas en refugios cercanos.

Hasta la fecha, más de 38,000 migrantes han llegado a la ciudad desde que el gobernador de Texas, Greg Abbott, comenzó a transportar personas en autobús en agosto de 2022. Casi de inmediato, la llegada de solicitantes de asilo a la comunidad suscitó controversias, incluyendo las protestas de residentes y líderes comunitarios contra el establecimiento de refugio en sus vecindarios.

A medida que la presión aumentaba, la administración de Johnson anunció varias medidas para limitar o desocupar los refugios de migrantes en las comunidades, adoptando una política de desalojo de sesenta días y reduciendo el número de refugios. Según WTTW, una

vez que se cierren los cinco albergues del distrito de parques, la Municipalidad habrá duplicado el número de refugios cerrados desde principios de febrero, ya que la administración de Johnson no ha abierto ningún refugio nuevo desde diciembre.

Conforme se desarrollan las noticias sobre el cierre de refugios y los desalojos pendientes, los líderes pidieron a la administración de Johnson que actúe con transparencia y haga un rastreo de las personas que salen de los refugios. El 27 de marzo, el Comité de Derechos de los Inmigrantes y Refugiados del Concejo Municipal votó por unanimidad a favor de una ordenanza que exigiría informes semanales anónimos de datos como la edad, el sexo, el país de origen, las quejas y comentarios sobre las condiciones de los refugios y la fecha de salida de los mismos.

“Creo que tiene sentido descomprimir los refugios y recuperar los parques, pero también es necesario abrir más refugios para asumir la necesidad”, dijo Vásquez al Weekly. “Creo que se pueden hacer ambas cosas. Se puede ampliar el sistema de refugios, para poder descomprimir los parques, sabiendo que vamos a tener más autobuses [llegando] de aquí a la Convención Demócrata [Nacional]”.

“Creo que la gente tiene que entender que los autobuses van a seguir llegando. Cada vez va a venir más gente en autobús y por eso creo que no deberíamos hacer desalojos de los refugios en absoluto”, continuó Vásquez. “Necesitamos un sistema de refugios que funcione para todos los que lo necesiten. Desalojar a la gente de los refugios no está dentro

de nuestros valores y, lo que es más importante, va a conducir a un mayor problema de desamparo que va a terminar costándole a la gente aún más.”

El concejal Michael Rodríguez (distrito 22), miembro del Comité de Derechos de los Inmigrantes y Refugiados, ayudó a sacar adelante la ordenanza dentro del comité y habló con el Weekly sobre su opinión acerca del cierre del refugio de Piotrowski Park. En enero se abrió otro refugio en su distrito, en el sitio del antiguo CVS en La Villita, en 2634 S. Pulaski Rd.

“Cuando era poco probable que se abriera una nueva instalación en La Villita, en el distrito 22, en el sitio de la Pulaski, le escribí una carta a la oficina del alcalde diciéndole que es hora de que el Parque Piotrowski vuelva a ser de uso comunitario”, dijo Rodríguez. “Es una joya de nuestra comunidad. Crecí en el Parque Piotrowski, donde jugué al béisbol y al baloncesto. Fui entrenador de gimnasia y de todo tipo de deportes cuando estaba en la universidad. Es un recurso extremadamente vital para la comunidad y tenemos que devolverle su gran uso para mantener a los niños activos y seguros”.

Rodríguez dijo que los 140 residentes del refugio del Parque Piotrowski fueron trasladados fuera del parque el fin de semana del 29 de marzo. “Estamos muy orgullosos de seguir apoyando a nuestros hermanos y hermanas migrantes y también de conseguir que este importante recurso comunitario vuelva a dar servicio tanto a los residentes de toda la vida como a nuestros recién llegados.” ¬

Michael Liptrot es reportero del South Side Weekly y el Hyde Park Herald

The City On Screen

TV shows set in Chicago have shaped perceptions of the Windy City—and at times have complemented or run counter to cable-news depictions of the South Side.

BY CORDELL LONGSTREATH

Carl Sandburg’s poem, “Chicago,” introduces the City of the Big Shoulders while subverting the growing industrial powerhouse’s uglier sides by highlighting the city’s boldness, cunning, and ferocity. Sandburg published the poem in 1914, when literature was a titan of media. Art and entertainment have long competed with the news media in characterizing Chicago, and that has been the case in radio, television, the silver screen, and the internet.

To get a sense of South Siders’ thoughts about how the media has portrayed Chicago, I spoke with three other millennials from the South Side. We discussed growing up in the ‘90s, later dealing with the Chiraqification of the South Side and overall media representation of life in Chicago. Our conversations ranged from news and music to dealing with the city’s reality and perception of violence. These interviews were conducted in 2023, which saw the cancellation of the streaming series, South Side, and the rise of the critically acclaimed show, The Bear.

Though I grew up in poverty in Englewood, surrounded by gangs, my interviewees had Black middle-class upbringings on the South Side. Jeremy Jones is a DJ, producer, and eclectic creative from Englewood who only briefly lived outside of Chicago in the early 2010s. Brittany Norment is a social media marketing and communications consultant from Englewood; she grew up in England and lived outside the City as a military brat for ten years. Melanie Shaw is a professional cosmetologist and makeup artist who has worked on the sets of One Chicago Franchise, South Side, and The Bear, and has lived in Chicago her whole life.

“You had a guy who was known as the GOAT of basketball history, so why would they want to portray [Chicago]

as a bad city?” Jeremy asked. In the ’90s, the Bulls had a legendary run under the leadership of Micheal Jordan and Phil Jackson. Remembering the days when people celebrated championships for nearly a decade, Melanie talked about how people would drive by honking their horns and setting off fireworks. “Some people would let off gunshots,” she admitted, “but yeah, those years had such a static in the air.”

While the media was covering the Bulls’ legendary run, it was also busy portraying Chicago as a city of violence. The news media focused on the street celebrations after the Bulls victories and compared them to rioting, setting the tone on how, even in the jubilee, Chicago had a reputation to live up to. In ’91, ’92, and ’93, there was a focus on the spillover of the celebrations that was politicized by out-oftown reporters.

Social demographer Michael Rosenfield conducted a study about this media coverage and its focus on select neighborhoods, analyzing the concentrated poverty, political grievances, and the national versus local narrative. One major point of the study was that a supermajority of “rioters” were Black, and the way the police handled the South and West Sides was much different than how they handled the unrest downtown and on the North Side.

The term superpredators was introduced in 1995 by political scientist John DiIulio Jr., who used it in conservative political magazine The Weekly Standard to describe the rise in violence for those who were coming of age in the ’90s. Both political parties used this term, and the catalyst event was the killing of Robert Sandifer, an eleven-year-old from

Roseland who was allegedly part of the Black Disciples gang. The national media focused on violence in cities like Chicago, and continued to paint the “inner city” as a war zone. This dehumanization and sensationalism continued the trend of painting predominantly Black communities as primarily dangerous.

When Brittany’s family lived on 65th and Green, she said, “My block was a very hot block, like, we had drive-bys constantly,” which is why many parents taught their kids to avoid certain areas. This block-centric perspective for surviving the violence is how many parents coped with the reality of the era, which was constantly echoed in the evening news. Even South Siders who weren’t directly impacted by the violence existed in a world where hypervigilance was reinforced on multiple fronts.

Reminiscing over Chicago history

Visual by Julia O’Brien

STAGE & SCREEN

reminded us of classic shows set in the Windy City. Melanie brought up Good Times, which was set in the infamous Cabrini Green projects, to challenge the depiction of lower-class trappings and presumptions about Black fatherhood. “I watched a lot of Good Times because my mom and brothers watched the show all the time,” she said Good Times depicted a resilient family that sought to overcome their plight in America—that is, before the show became too invested in the comedic tropes of Jimmie Walker.

With so many shows depicting South Side life, Family Matters and The Steve Harvey Show were the centerpiece sitcoms of our millennial lives. Jeremy felt this was proven in Family Matters, saying Steve Urkel “was kind of a quirky hipster who will probably invent some type of technology.”

We all brought up Family Matters, a show that aired on ABC and CBS from 1989 to ’98 about a middle class family in Chicago, where Steve Urkel famously graced the screen with his whimsical antics and mad-scientist-level genius. “I enjoyed that they showed a Black family that wasn’t just the Cosby Show, in a light where they were middle class, they lived in a beautiful house, they had a nice family, and it was funny,” Melanie said.

“I grew up with Family Matters where you go to watch Urkel grow up as a young man in Chicago, but Carl Winslow is a cop,” Jeremy said. “Urkel’s not into basketball, he’s not into sports, that’s kind of more Eddie Winslow’s thing.”

Millennials came of age in the 2000s, and two major events for Chicagoans were the election of President Barack Obama and the rise of drill music. Obama’s election put a national focus on Chicago, which Melanie described as creating “electricity” throughout the City. But drill music created a depiction of gang violence that reanimated the narrative of Chicago as a dangerous city.

The news media and entertainment media complemented each other in reinforcing the narrative of Chicago violence. Drill music is the evolution of gangsta rap pioneered by Bump J in the early 2000s and brought to the mainstream with the explosion of Chief Keef and the release of his debut album in 2012. It paired with Chicago’s reputation in the news media, which “gave Chicago a modern gangster persona, to everyone else, but we all knew what was happening,” Melanie said. “I don't think that it’s for everybody,

[given] all the violence, but some of those kids are just telling a story about their lives that they wouldn’t be able to tell in any other way.”

The fact that drill was instantly exported around the world showcased Chicago, no matter how you viewed its impact, and could connect with a wide range of people. Brittany confirmed this with an experience she had working at Lollapalooza in 2022. “They started to play Faneto by Chief Keef, and Lollapalooza is just a ton of white people and some people of color, but mostly young white kids from the suburbs and the North Side, and they went crazy,” she laughed, while adding “Faneto was their anthem and I thought that was our anthem.”

Jeremy, who had moved to Texas and California near the end of the 2010s, recalled often being asked, after telling people he was from Chicago, “‘Oh my god! Is that city as bad as I’ve heard?’ and I always had the follow-up questions of, ‘How bad did you hear? What do you think it is?’” He added, “they would always say ‘I heard it’s dangerous there, you could get killed just standing at the bus stop.’”

Though he wasn’t fully aware of who was creating this narrative, Jeremy said he often questioned these folks further with “‘What type of image are you hearing? Who told you that? Because that’s not what a person from Chicago would tell you.’”

As our conversations approached more modern media, certain shows had to be mentioned, specifically the One Chicago franchise shows about emergency responders that air on NBC. Melanie worked on Chicago PD for two years, as well as Chicago Fire, and said she felt that the One Chicago Franchise shows have become a staple in the city.

“I feel like those shows can be more of a soap opera and I do feel like some of those shows can also not necessarily be about the city, but those shows have provided a ton of jobs for people and all three of those shows film ten months out of the year,” she said.

In regards to whether The Chi, a Showtime drama that depicts life in a fictional neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, represents Chicago authentically or not, Brittany said, “I feel like it depicted Chicago well, then on top that the fact I knew so many people involved in it with guest spots and stuff, so it was Chicago because it was being filmed here… and the way it visually depicted stuff

felt very Chicago.”

She had this to say about why she didn’t stick with the show. “Seeing familiar streets and whatnot is always cool, but the drama of it all, and the story they were telling, I am very much at a place in my life where I am very tired of watching Black trauma.”

Shameless, another Showtime adaptation of a British television series that depicted life on the South Side of Chicago, had a different take on the city. “Even though it was about a white family, it was still very relatable because they were a mess, as we are typically given a middleclass blue collar family,” Brittany said. “So to have this family that was lower class, or in poverty, that is an absolute mess, was really interesting to me because it felt more reflective of real life.”

Shameless, The One Chicago franchise, and The Chi present Chicago as a melodrama playing into the news media narrative of what life in Chicago is while having flaws that locals can’t ignore. Shameless is one of the most popular shows about Chicago and fostered empathy for its predominantly white cast, but it’s hard to accept that this family is actually living in a South Side neighborhood.

One Chicago’s shows are an engine for those working in the entertainment industry, but do little to counter the narrative due to their framework being an institutional point of view of the city that reinforces the idea that, outside of the professional environment, there is not much more than death and violence waiting.

The Chi, actually created by a Chicago native, started off weaving plots that sensationalize the violence of living in the Black community, yet its dependence on melodrama kept the story lines in the same vein as soap operas that need the city to be a dangerous place.

In 2023, South Side, a sitcom that premiered on Comedy Central before moving to HBO Max, was canceled after three seasons. All the interviewees praised the show, pointing to the authenticity of its Englewood and South Side Chicago representation, the fun and zaniness of its sketch comedy influence, and the relatable characters. The show demonstrated how South Siders hustle, how archetypes are given lines that not only humanize their positions in life but subvert expectation, and that it used comedy to showcase what is a favorite depiction of the community where I was born.

“What South Side shows are two brothers from the South Side of Chicago trying to make it,” said Jeremy. “And it’s not shy about it, which I find different from shows like Steve Harvey and Good Times.”

Jeremy then talked about the sketch comedy history of Chicago and how even Kel Mitchell’s character from Good Burger could fit in the show’s environment, pointing to “the fact that they bring that same Key and Peele comedy style back” as a quality of the show to be admired.

Brittany talked about the subversion of character archetypes and the fact that something positive was found in every character. Officer Turner, a character on the show, “was so great to me because I love that she was a cop and she was also just a regular Black woman that you would probably meet somewhere,” Brittany said. “And the fact they kept giving her different wigs on the regular warmed my heart with joy,” and made her seem more real.

“She was a reflection of so many different types of women from Chicago, but her attitude was quintessential South Side; she went to Morgan Park, you know she grew up in the hood somewhere, probably on 79th street, and she probably became a cop because she was in the program as a teenager and stuck with it because she makes good money and uses it to go to a Beyonce concert.”

For Melanie, South Side was unique because it was a union job and her first time getting mentioned in the credits. She talked about how grueling it was working fourteen-hour days, especially on the first season when the budget was smaller, but this allowed her to get to know and appreciate the cast of actors and writers.

This closeness of the team was also seen on the writing side, as she talked about how it was around thirteen writers who just happened to also be mostly on the screen and were adept at making the ridiculous scenes.

“Chicago is a city of improv and comedy,” Melanie said. “So many people from SNL, especially from the ’80s and ’90s, came from here [and] went to Second City… the people from Chicago are funny as hell and I think South Side did a good job showing that.” ¬

Cordell Longstreath is a veteran, writer, community advocate and activist, and teacher. He last contributed to the Weekly’s Englewood section of Best of the South Side 2022.

Online Political Disinfo Undermines

Informed Decisions in Chinatown

Chinatown leaders organize fact-checking workshops to fight growing disinformation in their community.

BY XUANDI WANG

During the lead-up to last year’s aldermanic election, a Chinatown civic leader observed a proliferation of political disinformation within his community.

Yonggang Xiao, civic engagement manager at Coalition For A Better Chinese American Community, said neighbors approached him in early 2023 with dubious posters that had been delivered to their mailboxes. According to Xiao, the posters maligned political candidates in the aldermanic election with concocted biographical details and false policy platforms accompanied by distorted, blackand-white images of candidates.

Xiao said that the spread of disinformation was even worse by last October after Mayor Brandon Johnson proposed building a tent camp in Brighton Park, slated to accommodate asylum seekers transported from Texas. According to Xiao, someone left anonymous letters on residents’ doors, in English, that accused Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th) of colluding with Johnson by endorsing the shelter’s creation without community input. In Brighton Park, eighty-three percent of residents speak a non-English language at home and forty-two percent speak English less than “very well,” according to CMAP’s 2023 Community Data Snapshot.

At the same time, fabricated narratives regarding the decision-making process behind the camp began surfacing on the Chinese messaging and social media platform WeChat, on which Chicago’s Chinese residents started group chats dedicated to following the camp’s progress and national immigration politics. Xiao saw multiple group chats circulating false claims that State Rep. Theresa Mah (D-IL) and Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) will raise real estate taxes to accommodate more refugees. Other messages spread disinformation that Venezuelan migrants immediately receive green cards upon

arrival in the United States, in contrast to the protracted naturalization process faced by many Chinese immigrants. In reality, there was no tax code amendment, and as of late January, according to CBS News, only about five percent of migrants had had a work permit approved.

Xiao said that these articles lacked credible sources. A New York-based WeChat account attempts to counter misinformation with fact-checking but has limited capacity to parse through false narratives originating in Chicago, according to Xiao.

Many of the articles perpetuate xenophobic and anti-immigrant rhetoric, exploiting Chinese residents’ sense of marginalization and political disenfranchisement in the United States, according to Xiao. Several articles depicted the recent migrant population in New York and other cities, including Chicago, as gang members from Venezuela involved in organized crimes such as robbery and violence against women. The rise of conservative-leaning anti-immigration group chats on WeChat has been documented as early as 2015.

On October 19, a physical confrontation took place near the proposed campsite at 38th & California, when Ramirez was arriving to address the community grievances. A crowd of protesters, many of whom were Chinese, converged around Ramirez and assaulted her and her top aide.

Although the construction of the camp was eventually canceled due to environmental concerns at the proposed site, Xiao emphasized that the incident underscored the “pernicious impact of disinformation” within the immigrant community.

“It is harmful for a community to make their decisions based on bad information,” Xiao said. "It can lead to poor decisionmaking with choices that deviate from their initial will."

Since last November, the CBCAC and Project VISION, a Chinatownbased education nonprofit, have conducted four anti-disinformation workshops aimed at empowering community members to discern fake news. Their most recent workshop on March 29, held at CBCAC’s office at 311 W. 23rd Street, concentrated on electoral disinformation and attracted approximately thirty attendees.

“When we talk about news, we're also looking for where it comes from,” said Ben Xing, parent engagement coordinator at Project VISION and co-facilitator of the workshops. “It seems like a lot of our [participants], and also even people in general, they don't tend to look for where the source comes from.” Xing then based the workshop on these observations.

During the workshops, attendees engaged in activities like the telephone game––with participants whispering an initial message from person to person and then comparing the original with the final message—and reviewed past instances of disinformation in their community. The workshop also discussed the difference between a fact and an opinion and introduced the SIFT Method, an evaluation strategy used to determine if online content is reliable and trustworthy.

Xiao said that as nonprofit entities, their organizations maintain nonpartisan stances and refrain from endorsing any political party. Their objective is to enable informed decision-making among citizens, according to Xiao.

Deng Xijian, sixty-five, a retired community member who attended the workshops, recounted conflicts with friends during the election season due to fake news. She had observed biased portrayals of candidates, including false narratives about their backgrounds and policy positions. However, her attempts to debunk these falsehoods among her friends were met

with skepticism, as they had already internalized the misinformation.

“Many participants were outraged upon learning that they had been exposed to fake news,” she said. “Several admitted to refraining from voting for certain candidates based on false information they had received and believed.”

Xiao noted that fake news proliferates more easily within immigrant communities due to the insularity of their information networks. For example, WeChat chat groups are invitation-only. He estimates that for news consumption, the majority of Chinese residents in Chinatown rely on or prefer WeChat to access content translated and edited in Chinese, even if they can read content in English.

Xing also identified language barriers as a primary contributor to misinformation in the Chinese community. When news is misinterpreted in Chinese, false information is passed on to others who might not have the English proficiency to verify the information with primary sources, triggering a cascading effect.

Xing expressed concern that if misinformation is accepted as truth, or if the community consistently consumes incomplete information, it could lead to division within the community or trigger future conflicts with other communities, such as the incident in Brighton Park.

However, Xing remains active, expressing optimism that the workshops will empower community members to make informed decisions based on reliable information.

“We [want to help] our families grow awareness of how not to be misled,” Xing said. ¬

Xuandi Wang is a journalist and policy researcher whose writing has appeared in Block Club, the Chicago Reader, In These Times, and elsewhere.

Harold Green III on His South Side Upbringing and New Children’s Book

The author, who grew up in Englewood, centers community in his book, and its elders are a constant presence.

BY EVAN F. MOORE

Protection within Black communities takes on multiple meanings. In many cases, community members unilaterally decide that a child has a bright future and should steer clear of the pitfalls the streets often provide.

“Harry,” the main character of the children’s book Love Bubble, is surrounded by love from his community, starting with his grandmother, affectionately known as “Big Girl,” and other community members, many of whom are business owners—a nugget that spoken word artist and author Harold Green III establishes throughout the book.

Green, who grew up in Englewood, centers community in his book, and its elders are a constant presence. According to Green, “love bubbles” are metaphors that protect people from the troubles (career struggles, interpersonal and private disagreements, conflict, etc.) that pop up every now and again.

The book appears to be a microcosm of what Green believes “community” ought to represent. Everyone in a community or in any shared living space should be mindful when it comes to helping each other out. In the book, Harry starts to notice a literal dark cloud following him as he approaches his grandmother’s home, and he shares his plight with her. As time goes on, it’s abundantly clear that Big Girl appears to have established lasting relationships with her neighbors which include local entrepreneurs.

When the time comes for her to help Harry gather the information needed to make his own love bubble to keep the dark

cloud away, she knows where to go.

Every community member represents a moral value in the book; the bakery owner represents heart. The auto repair shop owner discusses strength, while the local law officer preaches patience.

Many of us can think back to a time when someone showed how they believed in what we’d like to achieve. Those instances of kindness could be a car ride to a job interview, a loan to invest in a startup, an offer to watch the kids so we could work on a project, a donation for a haircut or hairdo, an email introduction, or simply kind words of encouragement.

Green has a short but poignant line in Love Bubble that’s a microcosm for many folks who have roots in marginalized communities and who, sometimes invoking survivors’ remorse, have gone on to achieve success in their chosen field of human endeavor: Don’t forget all the people that helped you along the way.

Harold Green III sat down with the Weekly to discuss the Englewood he knew growing up, being a father of two boys, the place that elders hold in Black communities, how he describes dark clouds, Black entrepreneurship, and the constant struggles creatives like him deal with.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What was Englewood like when you were growing up?

I lived in Englewood over on 74th and Princeton from birth to the eighth grade;

we moved out to Richton Park … For me, it was a beautiful experience… my grandmother would pick us up and take us to school. And we would come home and there’d be fights in front of our twoflat. Different chaotic things that would happen. But once we walked in those doors, we were immersed in love, and my grandmother would cook us meals. We came from a two-parent household. It was me, my sister, my mother, and my father on the first floor and then my grandmother and a rotation of our cousins upstairs. So no matter what chaos was going on outside, I was always surrounded by love.

As I noticed throughout the book, “Harry,” who was probably you, right? His grandmother took him around to all the different folks in the neighborhood. Were there specific instances you can point to growing up where you felt like your immediate community assisted you or helped you in some way?

Yeah, more so by my grandfather's house; not where we lived. Me and my homies would ride our bikes and things like that, but my grandmother would take us places but we never walked anywhere in the community. And she was actually sending me to the corner store to grab her different little essentials and things like that… It wasn’t like I was on a first-name basis with people and things of that nature. In my grandfather’s neighborhood (West Pullman), that was the feel because he’s kind of a community man type of guy. So

it was a mixture, when I was creating this story, of the thoughts and feelings that I had between those two neighborhoods.

In the book you had a line that said: “Don’t forget all the people who helped you along the way.” Can you explain the impetus of why you felt like you had to put that in the book? What does it mean to you?

Yeah, I think that's such an important “bow” on the story because, I think especially nowadays, technology and social media almost takes the place of community and babysitters for our children. I think that it’s important that we don’t forget to show gratitude and to show that sense of village and community… I know there’s this saying that goes around now about “losing the recipe.” That’s the “recipe” I don’t want us to lose. There’s so many people that helped us get to this point, and there’s so many people in your individual life that helped you get to where you’re at. It’s so important at a young age to keep that microscope on community.

What does community mean to you?

In the book, you mention all the people Harry and Big Girl went to see to help with the love bubble.

To me, [community] is a group of people that helped you along your journey. So in the book, it may have been a bunch of business owners and things like that. In all honesty, community can look as simple

as aunts and uncles or maybe mentors, or even something as beautiful as the Safe Passage workers or crossing guards that are out giving time and energy every day to make sure that these kids are safe. You know, community is stretched far and wide. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the people on your block or the people in your specific neighborhood. But those who help you along your journey can be considered your community.

About your grandmother’s nickname, “Big Girl.” Ironically, our family called my paternal grandfather, “Big Daddy.” Please explain why those nicknames are important in Black communities? Especially for our families’ matriarchs and patriarchs.

I think it’s such a term of endearment. I think those nicknames, even when you think back to the Black community, may not be your grandmother, but if that’s a figure known in the community. My grandmother was one of those people… These people are known by those names, and it becomes these terms of endearment, and it’s something that you never forget. It’s always funny to me because my grandmother was actually a very slender woman… The pookies and lil mans and all of these different endearing names that kind of stick with us through generations. And I think that for [Black folks], that’s ownership. When we weren’t allowed to name ourselves, we weren’t allowed to call each other by our names. And now when we have these chances to have autonomy to name ourselves, I think that is something that we take pride in no matter how silly or whatever other people may think it may be. It’s something that we own.

What is a lesson from your grandmother that has stuck with you over the years?

She wasn’t really a big advice person, she was one of those pay-attention-toher-actions types… She was big on not saying “goodbye.” Her thing was, “just for now,” and she was very adamant about it. If you said, “Good bye, Big Girl”, she’d

say: “Just for now.” And as I got older, I realized what she was doing. She didn’t believe in anything being finite. So even though you’re out of her presence for the moment, she always believed that she would see you again. I thought about that even in her passing. That was just for now; I’ll see you again. I think about that when I’m talking to people… I sign off on a lot of emails in that way because that’s something that I took from her.

Is there a situation that kind of came up when you were young, and now being a father, you were like: “Oh, I’ve seen this before. I know how to adjust and I know what to tell my sons?”

I think back to my grandmother always

cooking for her family… My parents worked long hours. They were trying to build up money to get us a home. That kept them out of the house a lot… I’m in a position where I’m grateful enough that my particular career allows me to be home a little bit more. I cook our meals about five days out of the week and as a labor of love to me for our family… You’re breaking down gender roles, showing how to love through action. Showing how to be of service.

In the book, it feels like you’re teaching kids to be persistent. Harry couldn’t make a love bubble at first. As time went on, he was able to make his own. Can you explain why it’s important for children to be persistent?

I wanted to make sure that I conveyed that to children because I believe that it’s easy to give up. It’s easy to move on and do away with things. Especially when you’re young and you learn what dedication is and consistency is… I wanted another one of those golden-nugget moments to show what can happen when you stick with things. I think that’s an important lesson in life… There’s such a reward in seeing things through. Even if the results don’t actually end up the way you expected or wanted… When I’m reading a book, I’m asking the kids: “How does Harry look right now, whenever he’s defeated by a gray cloud?” so that they recognize that even when you’re sad, when things don’t go your way, when you see things through at the end of that, that can be a change in your social emotional presence. He’s sad and then when he finishes and he actually completes the mission, he’s happy. And that’s something that can happen in real life.

Thinking back on your own trials and tribulations, what does the “gray cloud” represent for you?

That gray cloud changes his name every day. When I think about the gray cloud, I think about hurdles I may have had in my career. I left college early to pursue being an artist full-time and any successful journey, as you know, was not a straight line… I think about those types of things a lot because that can bring its own thunderstorm and lightning bolts… I think the certain trials and tribulations that I’ve had in my artistic career can be represented in that gray cloud.

Love Bubble by Harold Green III. 40 pages. Running Press Kids, 2023. $17.99. Hardcover. ¬

Evan F. Moore is an award-winning writer, author, and DePaul University journalism adjunct instructor. Evan is a third-generation South Shore homeowner.

ShotSpotter Keeps Listening After Contracts Expire

Confidential emails show the company continued to provide gunshot data to police in cities where its contracts were canceled.

BY MAX BLAISDELL AND JIM DALEY

This story was co-published with WIRED

When mayor Brandon Johnson announced in February that Chicago would stop using the gunshot-detection system known as ShotSpotter by year’s end, local activists were elated.

Ever since 2021, when the police fatally shot 13-year-old Adam Toledo while responding to a ShotSpotter alert, the Stop ShotSpotter Campaign has been pressuring the city to ditch the technology. Johnson’s decision not to renew the Windy City’s contract with ShotSpotter was seen as the culmination of the campaign’s efforts.

But ending the contract may not be enough to remove the company’s more than 2,500 sensors from neighborhoods on the city’s South and West Sides, where they’re disproportionately located. Internal emails reviewed by South Side Weekly and WIRED suggest ShotSpotter keeps its sensors online and, in some instances, provides gunshot detection alerts to police departments in cities where its contracts have expired or been canceled. The emails raise new questions about whether the more than 2,500 sensors in Chicago will be turned off and removed, regardless of Johnson’s decision.

“We continue to focus on serving the City of Chicago with our critical gunshot detection technology service during our contractual term,” a ShotSpotter spokesperson wrote in a statement. “Nothing has changed regarding our singular purpose to close the public safety gap by enabling law enforcement agencies globally to more efficiently and effectively respond to incidents of criminal gunfire… where gunshot wound victim’s lives are in the balance.”

An organizer who’s been active in the push to cancel ShotSpotter’s contract in Chicago wasn’t surprised the company has continued to work with police behind the scenes in cities where contracts have ended.

“I think it’s exactly what cops and corporations do,” says Nathan Palmer,

an organizer with the Stop ShotSpotter Campaign and Black Youth Project 100. “Especially when we’re thinking about Chicago, it would benefit ShotSpotter to keep the mics up and working so that they can also throw lobbying money at whoever’s gonna oppose mayor Brandon Johnson in the next election.”

ShotSpotter, which rebranded as SoundThinking in 2023, has a customer base of roughly 170 cities, according to its most recent filing with the US Securities and Exchanges Commission. Chicago is not the first to deem the ShotSpotter technology not worth the cost. (By the time the city’s contract extension ends in November, ShotSpotter will have cost Chicago more than $57 million since then-mayor Rahm Emanuel inked a comprehensive deal with the company in 2018.)

San Antonio, San Diego, and Dayton have all joined a growing list of cities that have publicly cut ties with ShotSpotter. Confidential company emails reviewed by the Weekly and WIRED, however, indicate that the company never completely pulled its technology out of some cities.

An October 2023 email sent to John Fountain, a director of field and network operations at SoundThinking who left the company in December, described how the company continued to secretly offer its help to police in cities where contracts

had lapsed. The email, which addressed a shortage of sensors in a city with an active contract, apparently referred to Clark Dunson, SoundThinking’s director of systems engineering.

“I would like to imagine we can pull some [sensors] from an old coverage area … Maybe San Diego and Indianapolis,” wrote the sender, whose name was redacted. “Last time we looked to remove sensors from an old coverage area I know Clark flipped out since we still work with police using those sensors (which I did not know).”

A spokesperson for SoundThinking declined to answer detailed questions about what services the company has provided to police departments after contracts are up and emailed a statement instead. “SoundThinking believes this confidential information was illegally disclosed by ex-employees and is currently pursuing civil and criminal remedies against the private parties responsible,” the statement read. “Due to this ongoing litigation, we cannot comment specifically on the leaked materials; however, we will continue to object to the use of our stolen data and reinforce the safety and privacy risks of disclosing individual sensor locations.”

ShotSpotter is suing two former employees who the company alleges posted confidential company information on Twitter after one was fired last November.

In February, WIRED reported ShotSpotter sensor locations based on leaked company data showing more than 25,000 microphones arrayed across the globe. Those maps revealed active sensors remained in both San Diego and Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police (IMP) recently told the IndyStar that they do not have a contract with the company after piloting technology from three different gunshot detection companies in 2022.

“The evaluation of whether or not gunshot detection technology system is right for Indianapolis is still ongoing,” a police spokesperson told the IndyStar. The statement added that the department

believed it was ShotSpotter’s responsibility to remove its sensors.

ShotSpotter doesn’t sell its sensors to cities. Instead, the company uses a “software-as-service” model, billing cities for the software and applications that allow police to access ShotSpotter alerts. When a contract expires, the company apparently doesn’t always retrieve its sensors.

Another email from Fountain, dated from December 2022, estimated that there were a “few hundred sensors still installed” in San Diego and that they are “active even if the market isn’t.”

Fountain noted that removing any sensors from San Diego would require Clark Dunson’s approval. “Clark is really pushy and he likes to tinker around with those coverage area[s] but I imagine we can pull a few here and there,” he wrote.

In August 2023, Dunson sent an internal email that said ShotSpotter had been providing “test alerts” to police in San Diego and San Antonio. “As a last resort we can pull sensors away from San Diego or San Antonio if needed but Lee [Lim, a SoundThinking tech-support engineer] has been working with the PD in those areas giving test alerts and tracking down detections for them.”

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) denied that sensors in that city are active or collecting any data. SDPD also claimed to never have asked the company for help with gunshot detections in any incidents involving homicides or shootings.

“At this time, there is no contract and there is no plan to move forward with the company,” a spokesperson for the department wrote in an email. San Diego and ShotSpotter entered into an agreement that allows the company to leave its sensors on city property. “However, as of September 2021, the equipment is deactivated, cannot collect any data, and is inoperable.”

But emails the Weekly and WIRED obtained via a California Public Records Act request show that ShotSpotter stayed in touch with SDPD for more than 15 months after the city’s contract expired

District fieldhouse in 2024. Photo by Jim Daley

in September 2021. In those emails, ShotSpotter support staff routinely address SDPD as a “ShotSpotter Customer.”

These weren’t just mass marketing emails that all customers past and present are frequently subjected to. The emails we obtained show that in October 2021, after the contract had lapsed, ShotSpotter also provided an SDPD officer with an “investigative lead summary” about a shooting in San Diego, including the precise location and the number of rounds detected, upon SDPD’s request.

ShotSpotter also sent SDPD emails updating the department about routine scheduled maintenance in October 2022 and how the company planned to address the “extremely high volume of fireworks activities” around New Year’s Day in 2023.

“Despite our efforts, we may occasionally miss a gunshot in error,” wrote Dinh Nguyen, a technical support engineer at ShotSpotter, in a December 2022 email to SDPD. “You may also experience some delays in the publication of incidents.”

ShotSpotter is not on a list of surveillance technologies the SDPD are required to frequently publish as a part of a sweeping surveillance ordinance passed by the San Diego City Council in August 2022 and amended in January of this year.

A San Diego city council member whose district includes several of the neighborhoods where ShotSpotter sensors were installed in 2016, said that their “office is aware of the ShotSpotter situation” via a spokesperson. In July 2021, the thenDistrict Four councilmember requested the city remove sensors from his district, which helped scuttle the contract renewal.

“A request to remove such [sensors] has been forwarded to the San Diego Police Department and the Mayor’s office,” a spokesperson for current District Four councilmember Henry L. Foster III (who was sworn in in April) wrote in an email to the Weekly and WIRED. “Devices that have not been approved in accordance with the Surveillance Ordinance should not be installed and or operational by the City of San Diego or third party.”

San Diego mayor Todd Gloria’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

In 2021, San Diego’s city council pulled a scheduled vote on a four-year extension to ShotSpotter from its agenda, effectively sunsetting the city’s agreement with the company. Although Gloria’s office

said in statements at the time that they would bring the extension back up in the city council, there is no indication that they did.

Based on a map of the secret locations of every ShotSpotter sensor in the country published by WIRED, there are still about 30 active sensors in San Diego, most of which are clustered near the University of California, San Diego’s La Jolla campus and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

When asked to comment on whether SDPD receives and responds to ShotSpotter alerts from these active sensors, a spokesperson for the department directed questions to the UC San Diego police. UCSD did not respond to requests for comment.

The Weekly and WIRED requested emails sent between San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) and ShotSpotter dated after the city’s contract with ShotSpotter expired in the fall of 2017. In March, the SAPD filed an appeal with the Texas Attorney General, seeking to have the responsive records withheld under a laundry list of exemptions provided for by the state’s public records act. The police provided sealed records to the Texas AG to review. The AG is expected to decide whether to release the records by May.

SAPD said that after the contract lapsed, they never asked ShotSpotter for assistance and no arrests were made based on detections provided by the company.

Records produced in response to a separate public records request show that ShotSpotter sent four-term San Antonio mayor Ron Nirenbergt at least two marketing emails months after the city council voted not to include ShotSpotter in its budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The company does not appear to have communicated with his office after November 2018, however. Nirenberg’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

“To me it sounds like, on their part, another strategic business decision, and that’s what they’re doing in every city,” says Palmer, the Stop ShotSpotter organizer. “It sounds like a business decision, because they don’t actually care about public safety. ¬

Jim Daley is the Weekly’s investigations editor. Max Blaisdell is a fellow with the Invisible Institute and a staff writer for the Hyde Park Herald

Referenda Wins Behind Them, CBA Organizers Fight On

Two precincts in the 7th ward voted to pass an ordinance that would address ongoing displacement, in part due to construction of the Obama Presidential Center.

BY CITLALI PÉREZ

Since the announcement of the Obama Presidential Center, residents of the surrounding area have voiced concerns over the impact the development will have on housing affordability and the ongoing displacement of long-time residents. In the March primaries, nearly 80 percent of voters in the 6th and 10th precincts of the 7th ward voted in favor of a referendum calling on Mayor Brandon Johnson and Alderman Greg Mitchell (7th) to pass the South Shore Housing Opportunity ordinance to address the ongoing displacement of South Shore residents.

“We are living in a crisis. We are currently in a housing crisis. And so it's not even about being on OPC’s (Obama Presidential Center) timeline, it's about addressing the need that is currently here,” said Infiniti Gant, a housing organizer with Not Me We, regarding the primary election results of the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) referendum.

The South Shore CBA ordinance, introduced in October 2023 by Alderman Desmond Yancy (5th), aims to ensure equitable development, expand tenant protections, preserve affordable housing and protect homeowners through sixteen provisions and the allocation of $60 million total.

The ordinance also includes a measure for Woodlawn which calls for affordable

housing development on 63rd and Blackstone where 75 percent of units are geared for working families so that they don't pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent.

Last year, South Shore residents in eleven 5th ward precincts voted predominantly in favor of supporting a South Shore CBA and an affordable housing referendum for Woodlawn.

“The referendum results that we saw…people want this and we can keep doing referendums in different precincts or different parts of South Shore but every time we’ve done it, we see that this is a community ask,” said Gant.

In September 2020, City Council adopted the Woodlawn Housing Preservation Ordinance after persistent organizing by the Obama CBA Coalition.

The ordinance includes protections for longtime homeowners through home improvement grants, as well as funding for the Preservation of Existing Affordable Rental program for property owners.

“The CBA came from the needs of the community spoken by the community,” said Kiara Hardin, campaign chair for the South Shore CBA. She said the South Shore and 63rd & Blackstone ordinance was modeled after the original Woodlawn CBA ordinance and tailored by community input and guidance from their policy committee.

Not Me We, a South Shore based

housing and mutual aid organization, has spearheaded a series of engagement efforts in South Shore including phone banking, canvassing, and gentrification teach-ins, in an ongoing effort to expand protections for long-time South Shore residents.

Four days leading up to the elections, the CBA coalition held a People’s forum at St. Thomas Lutheran Church. Homeowners, property owners, and renters gathered in the packed church to learn about the CBA ordinance and the Bring Chicago Home ballot question.

“We’ve been doing this campaign, got the ordinance introduced but there’s been a slow movement in City Hall so far. So we want to continue to engage the community, have a people’s hearing much like a legislative hearing… [where] we’re gonna thoroughly walk through the work,” said Dixon Romeo, Executive Director of Not Me We.

During the forum organizers talked about the sixteen provisions one by one, and residents demonstrated their approval or apprehension on each of the provisions with the show of a green or red paper. Organizers took concerns and questions at the end.

An organizer with Not Me We opened up the forum with his personal experience as a long time South Shore Resident. The organizer lives with his grandfather who he helps take care of. “We live in a condominium paid off years ago,” he said. “But at the same time, the price has gone up and the cost of upkeep of the building has made a lot of the units deteriorate. Some of you all might know what I’m talking about,” he added.

The population of South Shore is around 93 percent Black and around 38 percent of residents live under the poverty level, making less than $25,000. According to a DePaul study, 50 percent of households are cost burdened, which means they are spending over 30 percent of their income on rent, mortgage fees, or other housing needs.

“That’s why we’re here today fighting for CBA. My grandfather fought too hard and worked too hard to lose a condo just for an investor to buy from them for pennies on the dollar,” said the organizer.

Among the provisions included in the $34.3 million for home and condo

owners, the South Shore CBA Ordinance would allocate $20 million for a Long term Homeowner Improvement grant.

This would help residents like Vanessa Clay, a seventy-eight-year-old constituent of the 7th ward and condo owner of over twenty years who was in attendance that morning.

Clay struggled to find support to fix her roof which was leaking for ten years; she said this is what brought her out to the forum. “I have so many, you know, concerns that happened in my building, and I couldn’t get management right and to cooperate,” Clay told South Side Weekly Romeo described South Shore as the eviction capital of Chicago, leading the city in eviction rates.

Over 75 percent of South Shore residents are tenants. “So yeah, I think we are really clear that in order to win like the CBA, we need a mobilized base of tenants in South Shore and I think we’re also really clear that like tenants are a very large part of the population in South Shore,” Sahar Punjwani told South Side Weekly Punjwani is a University of Chicago (UofC) student and organizer with UChicago Against Displacement who works with tenant unions in South Shore and Woodlawn on addressing harassment and mismanagement from their landlords.

Punjwani said that tenants would benefit from the provision for $15 million set aside for rental relief as well as creating an Office of the Tenant Advocate and a

demands and protections that we are pushing for are there for a reason and we need to make sure that they get fully funded so they can truly get the impact that we anticipate,” said Brown. “The South Shore ordinance is a pilot; once this is presented in South Shore this will be able to spread into Woodlawn, into other neighborhoods who are facing the same issues across Chicago,”

The forum drew in members of Palenque LSNA who made it out to learn about the Coalition's efforts and show solidarity with South Shore CBA.

rental registry program.

To address the needs for more affordable housing, South Shore residents are asking for 100 percent of cityowned vacant lots for affordable housing development with 75 percent reserved for households earning 15-30 percent area median income (AMI), and the other 25 percent for 60 percent AMI.

AMI is used by the Department of Housing (DOH) to determine the maximum income level for DOH programs based on household size. The income limit is based on data from Chicago, Naperville and Joliet households.

A similar provision was passed through the Woodlawn ordinance which set aside 25 percent of city owned vacant land for developments designating 30 percent of units for low income tenants.

“The fifty-two-lots piece of the ordinance was super important because we saw that as the most aggressive and enforceable ways to make sure there’s a safety net so people who do get pushed out are able to come back,” said Savannah Brown, a housing organizer with Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP).

Brown said organizers have been working to ensure that the city uphold this aspect of the Woodlawn ordinance along with pushing for the 63rd and Blackstone Affordable housing provision through the South Shore ordinance.

“We’ve learned with the Woodlawn ordinance that we can’t just settle. The

“We have been at the forefront of a movement resisting displacement and gentrification on the northwest side of Chicago,” said Christian Diaz, Director of Housing at Palenque. “And I think we have learned, especially with the results of the March 19 elections, that solidarity is the answer. And we really can’t solve gentrification and displacement by ourselves,” he added, referencing the results of the Bring Chicago Home referendum.

“At the same time, we see these glimmers of hope, when we zoom into local work, and I think Not Me We and the CBA coalition really showcase that, that there are many paths to victory. And there are many strategies,” said Diaz.

Following the elections, South Shore CBA held their monthly gentrification teach-in at the South Shore Library. The small group was made up of some people who attended the forum and others who talked to canvassers.

After further discussion of the ordinance, the majority of attendees agreed to show up and give public comment in support of the CBA at the next City Council meeting, which took place on April 17.

The ordinance has been largely supported by Ald. Yancy who introduced it. Ald. Mitchell, who also represents South Shore, has not expressed support.

“I think aldermanic support is important but if we have referendums that say people want and need it, I think that’s more valuable,” Hardin said. “I think that a community is more valuable than one person.” ¬

Citlali Pérez is a freelance writer at South Side Weekly.

Photo by Jason Schumer

Our thoughts in exchange for yours.

What is a rotation if not an exchange? This special installment of the Weekly’s poetry corner features poems inspired by the Cannabis special issue.

The Exchange is the Weekly’s poetry corner, where a poem or piece of writing is presented with a prompt. Readers are welcome to respond to the prompt with original poems, and pieces may be featured in the next issue of the Weekly

Definitely late, but here.

by chima “naira” ikoro after notebook kid by eve l. ewing

I missed my exit on Lakeshore Drive and I’m rushing cause now I’m late and I look over and see you, can’t even see your face you carry your mood in your walk that’s the same energy radiating from the back left corner of the room not a word spoken unless I speak directly to you I can’t even be mad at you, I read what you wrote and it said enough turns out without the pressure of participation you have time to think and decide and even if you’ve decided you don’t care about any of this you might just be here so you don’t fail and I can’t even be mad at you, your playlist must be great your ears came in the same box as your headphones I can’t even be mad at you, until now. I’m watching you walk the opposite direction of the school and I know you’re going to the gas station and first period starts in a few minutes and you are in my class except you’re not you are crossing the street I am out of breath running up the stairs when I get there and see the back left desk empty I realize it really was you and I can’t even be mad, you walk in hood on mask on jacket on ears on your headphones and you go to your desk and you never open your laptop you use your laptop as a plate for some chips and I can’t even be mad at you, I ask you if you got them from the gas station that I watched you walk to and you ask how did you see me? and I say I have always seen you.

Chima Ikoro is the Weekly’s Community Builder.

THIS WEEK'S PROMPT: “WRITE ABOUT A PERSON OR EXPERIENCE THAT YOU UNEXPECTEDLY GAINED WISDOM FROM.”

This could be a poem, journal entry, or a stream-of-consciousness piece. Submissions could be new or formerly written pieces. Submissions can be sent to bit.ly/ssw-exchange or via email to chima.ikoro@southsideweekly.com

Our thoughts in exchange for yours.

What is a rotation if not an exchange? This special installment of the Weekly’s poetry corner features poems inspired by the Cannabis special issue.

The Exchange is the Weekly’s poetry corner, where a poem or piece of writing is presented with a prompt. Readers are welcome to respond to the prompt with original poems, and pieces may be featured in the next issue of the Weekly

FEATURED BELOW IS A RESPONSE TO A PREVIOUS PROMPT FROM A READER WHO IS CURRENTLY INCARCERATED. THE LAST POEM AND PROMPT CAN BE FOUND ONLINE.

Doubt

by justin i dismuke

Review: ‘Purpose’ Sparks Conversations on Identity, Belonging, and Change

Rashad’s directorial vision explores our will to live and find purpose, particularly through the lens of family.

BY KRISTIAN PARKER

In the heart of the Steppenwolf Theater, a packed house filled with soulful laughter at a recent showing of “Purpose,” which is as much a play as it is a journey that challenges our sense of being in a fast-evolving world.

Penned by esteemed playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden JacobsJenkins and brought to life under the direction of renowned actress and Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad, “Purpose” delves into the lives of the influential Jasper family. The play is somewhat of a roman à clef about civil rights activist and politician Jesse Jackson. Descendants of pillars in Black American politics within the civil rights movement, the Jaspers embody Black excellence, esteem, and class. But when the eldest son returns home to Chicago from prison and the youngest arrives with an uninvited guest, the family’s façade of perfection crumbles, revealing a web of lies that clashes with their deeply held beliefs of faith and political influence.

At its core, the play isn’t just about the Jaspers, but about the universal struggle with secrets, identity, and stifled potential. Rashad’s directorial vision explores our will to live and find purpose, particularly through the lens of family. In a world teeming with intercultural complexities, the story resonates as a timely reflection of contemporary family dynamics amid rapid societal changes.

As the play unfolds, the audience is often swept into timely laughter, similar to a live sitcom, as they find familiarity in the universal beats of cross-generational interactions. Through poignant moments and everyday experiences, the Jaspers navigate reflections, revelations, and critiques about society, offering generational perspectives on decades-long economic and social issues plaguing U.S. families.

discussions, the different generations grapple with how societal belief systems have evolved from those under which they were individually raised. Mental health and disabilities, the prison industrial complex, the spectrum of sexuality, political corruption and polarization, social isolation, and the digital divide all emerge as central themes woven into the fabric of the play.

As the Jaspers navigate these conversations and confrontations, viewers are challenged to reconsider their own beliefs and attitudes toward these complex issues. The intergenerational dynamics within the family provide a platform for exploring how societal norms and values evolve over time, highlighting the importance of dialogue, understanding, and empathy in addressing the challenges facing contemporary society. The intricate details of the set further deepen the thematic richness of the narrative.

Simple yet telling stage design merges modern minimalism with quaint, traditional warmth, subtly hinting at the quiet symbols of wealth woven into each character’s wardrobe. Designer luggage, Polo Ralph

Lauren pajamas, collectible African art, and sparkling diamond wedding rings remind the audience that the Jaspers have means. The brown and coral hues within the interior design embody a sense of sophistication and elegance. This is also a celebration of cultural richness, as there was a shift in the late 90s and early 2000s of affluent Black households utilizing such colors to express class and unity. But as the saying goes, the bigger the house, the larger the problems—a truth echoed in the Jaspers’ struggles with the trappings of Black excellence and ambition.

The strength of the cast lies in their ability to breathe life into each character, showcasing a spectrum of personality and emotional traits that resonate with audiences. Solomon “Sonny” Jasper, portrayed by Harry Lennix and Cedric Young, embodies wisdom and boldness, commanding attention with his assertive demeanor and thought-provoking delivery. As the patriarch of the Jasper family, Sonny’s pride in his lineage and contributions to social justice is evident yet he questions the inherited values and morality he passed down to his own family.

Tamara Tunie’s portrayal of Claudine, the family matriarch, brings depth to a character who exudes confidence and grace as an accomplished lawyerturned-Renaissance-woman. Claudine’s unconditional love for her children is palpable, even in the face of their flaws and missteps. Yet, when confronted with harsh truths about the family’s foundation, Claudine’s resilience is tested, challenging her unwavering defense of the Jasper legacy.

In the role of Nazareth “Naz” Jasper, Jon Michael Hill captures the essence of the silent anchor within the family. Naz’s divergence from the religious and political roots of his upbringing sets him apart, yet his self-assuredness and quiet demeanor hold a profound significance. As tensions rise within the household and in the presence of his uninvited guest, Aziza (played by Ayanna Bria Bakari), Naz’s journey of selfdiscovery and purpose unfolds, offering new insights and breakthroughs for himself and the Jasper family. Through nuanced performances and compelling character dynamics, the cast seamlessly intertwines individual journeys with the collective narrative, underscoring the depth of each character's presence and impact on stage.

Ultimately, “Purpose” transcends mere storytelling. Themes delve into everything from spirituality and politics to social movements, and the intricacies of family dynamics in a post-pandemic world. It’s a testament to the enduring power of familial bonds and the human spirit’s resilience in the face of adversity—a message that reverberates long after the curtains fall. ¬

Kristian is a writer and independent filmmaker who’s passionate about creating authentic stories and analyzing various art forms. She previously wrote about local rapper J Wade for the Weekly

(clockwise from left) Harry Lennix, ensemble members Alana Arenas and Glenn Davis, Tamara Tunie, Ayanna Bria Bakari and ensemble member Jon Michael Hill in Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s world premiere of Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, directed by Phylicia Rashad, playing now through April 28, 2024.

Photo by Michael Brosilow

Ave. with treasures. Antiques including: French Harvest table 32” x 92” x 33”, Hutch/Cupboard 17” x 72” x 85”, armoire/cupboard 20” x 49” x 89”, loveseat,

Illinois Tech/Galvin Tower, 10 West 35th St. Thursday, April 25, 6pm–8:30pm. Free. bit.ly/IITSouthSideTalk

Professor Michaelangelo Sabatino and contributing authors of “Building, Breaking, Rebuilding. The IIT Campus and Chicago’s South Side” will present their chapters and answer questions about the new book. A light reception will precede the speakers and discussion, and a walking tour of campus and a live jazz performance will follow the talk. RSVP at community@iit.edu. (Zoe Pharo)

Free Blues Friday Presents: Freddie Dixon Blues Band

Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave. Friday, April 26, 6pm–10pm. Free. bit.ly/FreddieDixonBluesBand

Freddie Dixon, the second son of the world-famous Willie Dixon, who played in his band, has continued to play following his father’s death. The Chicago Blues Hall of Famer will play this Friday in Epiphany Center for the Arts’ Free Blues Friday series. The art galleries will be open, and there is free entertainment

Volunteer Day

Washington Park, 5531 S. Martin Luther King Dr. Saturday, April 27, 10am–12pm. Free. bit.ly/WashingtonParkVolunteerDay

Latino Outdoors is hosting a beautification day in Washington Park. Volunteers will pick up trash together as they discuss the history of the park, birdwatch and learn about plants. Volunteers should gather at the waterfall near 57th and Payne streets. (Zoe Pharo)

Earth Day 2024: Poetry, Ecology, Restoration

Gwendolyn Brooks Park, 4542 S. Greenwood Ave. Saturday, April 27, 12pm–3pm. Free. bit.ly/GwendolynBrooksEarthDay

In celebration of Earth Day, people are invited to gather at Gwendolyn Brooks Park for poetry readings, ecology workshops and restoration projects, to help preserve one of Chicago’s urban parks. (Zoe Pharo)

Chicago Día de los Niños 24th Parade & Celebration

Plaza Tenochtitlan, 1800 S. Blue Island

Join Chicago Día de los Niños for their 24th Parade and Celebration in collaboration with Chicago Public Schools. The parade will march from 18th Street to 21st Street and Blue Island in Pilsen. (Zoe Pharo)

Everybody’s Art: Free Community Workshops

First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, 6400 S. Kimbark Ave. Saturday, April 27, 2pm–4pm. Free. bit.ly/CommunityArtWorkshops

Keny De La Peña, the Hyde Park Art Center’s (HPAC) Community Engagement Fellow, will host a free workshop in Woodlawn inspired by HPAC’s current exhibition, “The United Colors of Robert Earl Paige.” Attendees will be able to get hands-on experience with different art forms and learn about Paige’s work. (Zoe Pharo)

Beyond the Frame: A Photography Workshop Series

Various venues and dates. Contact info: 205-243-7556, nabeela@luckyjefferson.com

Lucky Jefferson, in partnership with Buddy at the Chicago Cultural Center

On Saturday, October 15, 2022, around 4:15 P.M. this couple was driving westbound on Archer Avenue. There was a driver going eastbound at a reckless speed, well above the speed limit, in a Jeep Cherokee that T-boned this couple’s Nissan Murano at the intersection of Poplar Street & Archer Avenue. The wife was in the passenger seat and died instantly at impact. The husband died in the ambulance en route to the hospital. It took the fire department over 45 minutes to pull the wife’s body out of their vehicle They were married 65 years. Their family and friends are seeking justice through the court system with the help of a witness or video

A Photography Workshop Series."

Organized across various locations in Chicago, the series offers a platform for expression and healing. Through the art of photography, participants will discover a unique space for storytelling and reflection. This free in-person workshop series will be held throughout May 2024 on the following dates:

• Saturday, May 4, 11-1PM, at DePaul Art Museum (Lincoln Park)

• Saturday, May 11, 11-1PM, at Hyde Park Art Center (Partnerships Studio)

• Saturday, May 18, 11-1PM, at Hyde Park Art Center (Partnerships Studio)

• Saturday, May 25, 11-1PM, at Hyde Park Art Center (Partnerships Studio)

The culmination of this series will be a celebrated exhibition at Buddy, located in the Chicago Cultural Center, also known as the People's Palace. Constructed over 100 years ago as the Chicago Public Library and a Civil War memorial, the building is free to the public at all times. Running from July 1 until August 30, the exhibition will showcase the powerful stories and art created during the workshops, highlighting the participants'

If you witnessed the crash on that day please call this number:

708-522-7332

If you know of anyone who witnessed the crash, please encourage them to call the number above.

Join the movement: Our Social Security, Our vote

Social Security is your money, earned through a lifetime of hard work. However, if

groceries and gas. For 1 in every 5 households, Social Security is the main source of income. Protecting Social Security for today and for tomorrow will require Congress to

Sign on to say I’m a Social Security voter!

• AARP is hosting a Social Security Forum on May 9, “Conversations with Chicago Leaders – A Panel discussion about the Future of Social Security” that will focus on the impact of emerging solutions from Chicago Leaders, AARP Members, Volunteers and Community members for addressing Social Security solvency challenges.

• Tune into WVON, 1690 AM, May 9, 2024, @ 2p to join the discussion.