November 2 | The Columbia Chronicle

NOV

02

» K AYLIE SLACK /CHRONICLE

2020

CHICAGO VOTES The Chronicle’s Election Issue Campus, page 4

Arts & Culture, page 7

Update on COVID-19 safety precautions as positive cases rise

Latest Borat film 2020’s nonsense

encapsulates

Metro, page 10

Editorial, 14

On Election Day voters will also have to decide on judges

Why the Chronicle is endorsing Joe Biden for president

editor’s note

Chicagoans face the music with courage and creativity, even in tough times » KENDALL POLIDORI CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF WE ARE ALL collectively experiencing trying times, and there is little indication that it will ease up any time soon. Tomorrow the nation will decide on a president, and—regardless of the outcome—there will be mass disappointment among millions of Americans, while at the the same time the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths continues to rise.

But behind the intersecting political discord and a health crisis plaguing the nation, there is one thing that can offer even the slightest glimpse of hope: music.

When Rattleback Records closed its doors for three months earlier this year due to the pandemic, the co-owners joined the Chicago Artists Relief Fund and other organizations to raise money for others who were struggling.

Charlie Wein, media and events coordinator, said the first thought that came to everyone’s mind at Rattleback was, “Who can we support?”

Now open with an expanded storefront, co-owner Paul Ruffino said the store, 5405 N. Clark St., would not have made it without the support and loyalty of its customers. Ruffino said he realized the store and its employees were part of a larger community.

Despite the struggle to adapt and develop the store during the pandemic, Wein said the past few months have been a validation of its connection with customers, residents and other community members.

As someone who works closely with the Chicago music community, I have often seen similar instances of support and helping those in need.

Concerts and live performances have come to a halt. Independently-owned music venues are vacant. Musicians are playing livestreamed shows. Customers have limited access to music shops, and some are still closed.

However, this has not caused a disconnect between people and music. If anything, the pandemic had made the connection stronger and more intimate.

There are now more compilation projects created by Chicago artists from various genres; virtual benefit concerts; Chicago-based organizations raising money for independent artists and venues; and Bandcamp days for artists to receive full profit from merchandise sales.

In terms of federal support, how the election turns out could inher2 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE NOVEMBER 2, 2020

ently impact the relief independent music venues receive.

In July, the Save Our Stages Act was introduced to the Senate as a $10 billion Small Business Administration grant program for independent live music venue operators affected by the pandemic.

The grant would provide six months of financial support to keep venues afloat and pay employees, if passed.

On Oct. 1, the House of Representatives passed the revised $2.2 trillion HEROES Act stimulus package, which includes provisions of the Save Our Stages Act. But, the bill is now sitting in the Senate, composed of 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats, and will require bipartisan support to pass.

But even if government funding is not provided immediately, the music community is banding together.

Trey Elder, the creator of “Situationchicago,” told me he could not sit and watch those in Chicago’s art and music community struggle without taking action.

“Situationchicago” brought together 25 Chicago artists and 25 independently-owned Chicago music venues to raise money for local venues in need.

The album was released in July, and its limited edition sales will conclude in late December.

This selflessness also exists in circles outside of the music community, showcased through recent Chronicle coverage of the Paint The City project to support local artists; virtual drag shows; and fundraisers on Twitch to raise money for trans people struggling during the pandemic.

Although it may seem like people are divided, especially leading up to the election, communities have come together in ways I have never seen before.

We are all experiencing the pandemic. The impacts of it may be entirely different, but we are all inherently “in this together.” Kindness, neighborly love and support is one of the most positive aspects to come from this year.

So regardless of the election results, or how long it takes the U.S. to combat the spread of COVID-19, one thing will be constant: music, reminding us that community is vital in sustaining humanity.

Music is a microcosm of human decency displayed during difficult circumstances and, politics aside, it is important to sustain communities when the government does not.

KPOLIDORI@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

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VOL. 56, ISSUE 5

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campus

Audio Acoustic Arts student with a speaking role in Chicago P.D. this month » ColumbiaChronicle.com

» VICKI LEI/CHRONICLE

College rankings don’t tell the whole story for Columbia students » LAUREN LEAZENBY NEWS EDITOR WHEN JUNIOR PHOTOGRAPHY major Brandon

Filas was looking to transfer from Elgin Community College, he said was searching for a program that would allow him to grow as an artist. Filas did not want to move too far from home and was looking at schools that offered sizable scholarships.

“Trying to figure out a combination of those three is how I made my decision,” he said.

Now in his first semester at Columbia, Filas said one aspect that did not factor into his decision was college rankings.

Based on advancements in technology, curriculum and campus life, U.S. News and World Report recently ranked Columbia as the No. 8 most innovative among regional universities in the Midwest for 2021—but for some students who end up choosing Columbia, that number on a list does not matter much.

“Just going off of a ranking can be a det-

riment,” Filas said. “It can put you in a position where you aren’t in a program that best suits your needs.”

In the larger list of top regional universities in the Midwest overall, Columbia ranks 103 out of 157 schools. According to U.S. News and World Report, 22% of a college’s ranking score comes down to a six-year graduation rate. The six-year graduation rate for students starting in Fall 2013 at Columbia is 50%.

Derek Brinkley, assistant vice president of undergraduate admissions, said most current and prospective students do not pay attention to rankings like these. Rankings are a bigger deal for international students looking at colleges in the U.S. and parents of prospective students, he said.

Brinkley said ranking as a top innovative college in the region symbolizes progress and highlights the commitment of faculty, staff and administrators to provide students with a quality educational product.

“It just shows that Columbia is really doing the work in order to be the best in-

stitution that we can be,” he said. “[Rankings] are a nice reflection of the work that they’ve been doing.”

Jordan Dawson, a freshman creative writing major, said Columbia is one of the more innovative schools she considered in her college search. Dawson’s reasons for ultimately picking Columbia included the hands-on nature of the curriculum, small class sizes and the significant portion of the faculty currently working in their fields.

Dawson said the rankings she saw during her college search did not sway her decision, but she remembers coming across many program-specific rankings that tell a different tale compared to Columbia’s regional or nationwide overall rankings.

On the Hollywood Reporter’s list of top American film schools in 2020, for instance, Columbia was ranked No. 14, ahead of DePaul University, which is ranked No. 24. The college also has the top comedy program in the country—beating the University of Califor-

nia, Los Angeles and Harvard University— according to College Magazine.

Program rankings like these are more useful to prospective students, Brinkley said. Appearing on these lists can also bring in students who are interested in specific programs but have never heard of Columbia.

But, even these should not sway a prospective student’s choice, Brinkley said.

In the admissions office, he said counselors don’t tend to push rankings as a reason to attend Columbia. Instead, he said they focus on whether a program—including the curriculum and faculty—will be the “right fit” for an individual student.

“I always just try to warn parents and families when I’m talking to them that rankings are not the end-all beall in any way, shape or form,” he said. “These rankings are just icing on the cake for what it is that we’re doing in our process.

LLEAZENBY@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM NOVEMBER 2, 2020 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 3

campus

College administrators update COVID-19 safety precautions as positive cases increase » MENGSHIN LIN/CHRONICLE

» JONAH OCUTO MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER/EDITOR » MATEUSZ JANIK STAFF REPORTER AS THE FALL semester progresses, the college has made adjustments to its plan and released details on the effectiveness of its approach to combat the spread of the coronavirus on campus.

As of Oct. 19, 813 COVID-19 tests have been conducted through the college’s free testing program, according to Associate Vice President of Strategic Communications and External Relations Lambrini Lukidis. This includes test taken by students, staff, faculty and others.

The college made an announcement on Oct. 16 that testing would be available five days a week instead of three, a change Chief of Staff Laurent Pernot said was to make testing more convenient for everyone.

“We were seeing, early on, maybe 1520 people a day, and we’re seeing more like 40 some people a day now,” he said.

As of publication, Wednesday October 28, Columbia currently has 13 active COVID-19 cases—according to the college’s COVID-19 dashboard—which are defined as students who have tested positive for COVID-19 and have been on campus while in what the Chicago Department of Public Health calls an “infectious period.”

The dashboard also notes that “nine previously reported ‘active cases’ have been removed because they have met the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]/CDPH criteria for recovery.”

As of publication, DePaul University has had 22 positive COVID-19 cases, while Loyola University Chicago has had 43, just a few less than the 49 new positive cases at Northwestern University.

While most hybrid and in-person classes are transitioning to remote learning after Thanksgiving break, Pernot said weekly testing will not be made mandatory for classes remaining in-person. Instead, it will be employed strategically in given circumstances on a departmental level, he said.

“The problem with these tests is ... by the time you get your negative re4 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE NOVEMBER 2, 2020

WITH MORE THAN 800 TESTS SINCE APRIL, TESTING ON CAMPUS IS NOW AVAILABLE FIVE DAYS A WEEK.

sult, your new test is already stale,” Pernot said. “There is some evidence— and certainly borne out by the health experts we talked to who have seen it elsewhere—that people tend to take too much comfort from a negative test.”

As positive cases continue to rise on campus and statewide, Lukidis said remaining flexible and assessing situations on a case-by-case basis is integral to keeping the college safe.

“We just knock on wood every day … it’s nice to see it all come together and see people following the rules during the training,” Lukidis said. “We always expected that we would have cases on campus … and it’s how we manage each individual case that helps us make further decisions.”

Pernot said the college has “several dozen” special quarantine dorm rooms that have already been used for a “handful” of cases. He said there is no specific number of quarantined students be-

cause some students are selected to occupy those rooms, but decide to go home and quarantine instead.

First year filmmaking major Chloe Dutton was looking forward to living in the Dwight dorms. But, when she heard her brother tested positive for COVID-19 back home less than two weeks prior, she worked with Residence Life to get tested and was then moved into a quarantine room in the University Center.

Carrying a bag of her belongings, Dutton was welcomed to what looked like a normal college dorm with some essential amenities like towels and shampoo.

One of the biggest changes was that she couldn’t leave her dorm to get food, so it was delivered to her, she said. “[Residence Life] gives [you] a bunch of paper that has breakfast, lunch and dinner on it and it [has] different options you can get for each meal,” Dutton said.

Someone would retrieve the or-

ders and deliver them to her room, Dutton said.

Although the situation was not ideal, Dutton was satisfied with the college’s approach in handling it.

“Obviously it sucks to be in there, especially when you tested negative, but I would rather they be careful than lenient on it,” Dutton said.

While the extent to which COVID-19 will evolve and spread is still unknown, Pernot and Senior Vice President and Provost Marcella David said in an Oct. 21 collegewide email that they are hopeful the college will see the semester to completion.

“It is our belief that with continued adherence with safety precautions and the ongoing consideration for each other that characterizes Columbia, we can successfully complete the fall semester,” the email stated.

CHRONICLE@COLUM.EDU

campus

Going the distance: Students cross Illinois borders to ensure their votes are counted » GIANELLA GOAN/CHRONICLE

» RYAN ROSENBERGER STAFF REPORTER SENIOR MUSICAL THEATRE major Allie Magee and her partner Blake Kolesa, a Loyola University Chicago law student, drove 18 hours from Chicago to Magee’s hometown in Rockwall County, Texas. But, this was not a typical road trip—it was to vote in the upcoming general election and help others get to the polls.

The two of them left Chicago on Wednesday, Oct. 28 to participate in the last day of early voting in Texas—Friday, Oct. 30, Magee said.

Magee had to go to Texas to vote because that is where she is registered. She also wanted to vote with her younger sister, who is voting for the first time.

Because of repeated claims made by President Donald Trump about the legitimacy of mail-in voting, many voters have found themselves distrustful of voting by mail.

“I’m from a big family of women, and it’s a

very big deal for us,” Magee said. “We know we haven’t had the right for very long.”

Magee said she had mixed feelings about traveling home to vote, and it was not due to the long hours jammed in a car.

“I’m very excited to get to go vote ... but it also has a layer of anxiousness, because it’s either going to be really good or really bad,” Magee said.

Because Trump has not committed to a peaceful transfer of power, Magee said it was important for her to vote early in this election.

Kolesa, who voted by mail in his hometown of Staunton, Illinois, said he joined Magee on the trip to assist her in getting people to the polls and promote the importance of voting.

They will spend the days leading up to the election making calls and engaging in relational organizing, which is the practice of trying to bring friends and family to the polls, Kolesa said.

“You have immigrants who are allowed to vote, who have become American cit-

izens ... [or] maybe you have people who are left-leaning, but they have lived in this deep red state [and] maybe they’re very passionate but aren’t registered to vote because they never thought it would matter,” Kolesa said.

According to a report by the Knight Foundation that surveyed 4,000 full-time college students, approximately half of college students plan on voting by mail, which includes 63% of Democratic voters and 31% of Republican voters. Thirty-nine percent of students plan to vote in-person, according to the report.

Gianella Goan, a senior graphic design major and graphic designer for the Chronicle, said she and her sister went back home to Memphis, Tennessee, to vote because she does not trust that a mail-in ballot would make it in time to be counted. “[I’ve heard] stories of friends that I’ve had, who requested a ballot and then it took a month to get it, and then they had to send it back and they weren’t even sure if they made it,” Goan said. “Just to be on the safe

side, I thought it was safer and quicker to fly back to Memphis and vote there.”

Goan said another part of her decision to vote in Memphis instead of registering to vote at her Chicago address was to be able to vote for local candidates and help out her peers in her home state.

Sophomore filmmaking major Trinity Branch, who flew home to New Mexico to vote early, said she voted there because she plans on moving back after she graduates.

Branch said New Mexico has a large Native American population, and she wanted to vote in the state to make sure the “right people” would be elected into office to represent their needs.

Magee said Texas, traditionally a red state, has a chance to go blue this year, and her vote could make a large impact.

“It’s important to me to not only make sure my vote gets counted, but it is counted where it needs it more,” Magee said.

RROSENBERGER@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM NOVEMBER 2, 2020 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 5

arts&culture

Ajani Jones delivers his most personal record with latest EP » ColumbiaChronicle.com

Q&A: Former Columbia student Phil Tyler says connections are key for film students » ISAIAH COLBERT STAFF REPORTER

THE CHRONICLE: HOW DID COLUMBIA PREPARE YOU FOR THE FILM INDUSTRY?

WHEN PHIL TYLER got career advice from actor, director and comedian Robert Townsend, he ran with it. Townsend told Tyler to go to Columbia to get the education and attention he would need to pursue a career in film and television.

Since leaving Columbia in 2004, the film and video directing major has kept himself busy behind and in front of the camera on shows like “Hell’s Kitchen,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Ballers.”

Tyler gave his best career advice during a virtual Career Center panel Monday, Oct. 19, to students navigating the film industry and spoke one-on-one with the Chronicle about his journey and working during the pandemic:

TYLER: I loved Columbia. It was a melting pot of brilliant minds coming together. When I finally moved out to Los Angeles, I already had a home base [because] 12-15 of us that were in my graduating class were already out in LA. We already had a network of people that have similar goals, passions [and] dreams. We are all working toward it and we piggybacked off each other to keep each other going.

It does not matter how great you are in Chicago. Once you go out to LA, then you have to start over from scratch. There is a different culture, there is a sense of entitlement … and I appreciated it.

People saw that work ethic I got from Chicago, from the Midwest, from

Columbia, and they just wanted to snatch me up and have me be a part of their production. I love that. Columbia has a lot of pull just by its name. I didn’t really realize that until working [for] four years [because] every time I mentioned Columbia in LA, [people] are like ‘Okay, you’re good to go.’ It’s like saying I went to Harvard.

WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN THE ROLES YOU TAKE BEHIND AND ON CAMERA?

When it comes to roles in general, I want it to be honest; [it is always] something that speaks to me. … I always have to represent that truth that resonates with me even if it may be contradicting to our current state.

When I’m training [for a police role], I am thinking about my Uncle KB.

My Uncle KB was a police officer. He passed away, but he was an amazing police officer. … If there was any injustice going on around him, he put his foot down.

When I was on “Chicago P.D.,” I played a tough, by-the-books cop that did not compromise. With everything that is going on in the world, I thought that it was a challenge to be able to portray a Black cop that still has integrity.

You do not always see that. You do not always see the compassion and the good because there’s still good cops out there.

We need to see that duality; [if] we only see one side, then we are blinded.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHANGES YOU HAVE SEEN IN THE INDUSTRY?

Comedy is hurting because of it being more limited in what you can and cannot say and how you portray things.

But on the flip side, the level of care and concern that we have now with everything is beautiful because we are starting to give a damn where before [we] did not. We have all these remarkable stories that we would have never heard about or even see in the ’80s and ’90s. That is an achievement. That is a sign of maturity in our industry.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR COLUMBIA STUDENTS HOPING TO ENTER THE FILM INDUSTRY?

» SAVANNA STEFFENS/CHRONICLE

Build a network that you know you can grow with first at school. My friends in college are still my friends now. When it comes to film and television, you cannot do it alone.

You need a core group that believes in the same things you believe and is passionate about the same things you are passionate about.

If you see people you believe in along your journey, keep them close. If you see someone you admire, figure out how to reach them. If you want to do an internship with a production company you love, do an internship. If you want to shadow somebody, like [an] actor, director or somebody, [then] write an email, send a letter. You have no idea how many people will say yes. You got to put yourself out there.

A lot of people are scared to communicate and say, ‘Hello, how are you?’ Don’t be. Open your mouth. Let people know what you can do. You got to be aggressive and say, ‘Hey, I’m here.’ That is powerful because somebody is going to see.

ICOLBERT@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM 6 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE NOVEMBER 2, 2020

arts & culture

‘Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm’ is the perfect time capsule for 2020’s nonsense » ISAIAH COLBERT STAFF REPORTER SEQUELS MADE more than a decade after their predecessor often lack justification for existing.

But the aptly titled film, “Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm,” created by actor Sacha Baron Cohen, manages to maintain relevance.

In his first film, Borat, played by Cohen, travels across the U.S. to get advice on how to run his homeland as a fictional journalist of Kazakhstan.

Fourteen years later, in “Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm,” he returns to bribe “America’s most famous ladies’ man,” “Mikhael Pence,” and gain favor with “McDonald Trump.”

The film is meta in how it blurs the line between filmed and real-life events. Due to the box-office success

» VICKI LEI/CHRONICLE

MOVIE

of his first film, which made $26.1 million in its opening weekend in 2006, Cohen has to wear multiple outlandish disguises so he and his character are not recognized as he travels across “Yankeeland.”

Like a driver rubbernecking at a car crash on the highway, Borat’s comedy is hard to look away from, no matter how cringe-inducing his antics are.

At one point in the film, Borat walks into the Conservative Political Action Conference disguised as a Klu Klux Klan member to go “unnoticed.”

The fourteen years between the two movies provide ample material for the consecutive punchlines and dark humor.

Borat encounters non-suspecting citizens, anti-maskers during the COVID-19 lockdown and QAnon theorists.

The charm of both Borat films is not just in the character’s stunts, but how

the people he interacts with react and play further into the chaotic comedy.

Borat starts out as the butt of the joke until his shenanigans turn into a mirror he holds up to the people he meets, forcing them to confront their own racism and sexism.

The story of the subsequent film is surprisingly more compelling than the first—it is about family. Borat is joined by his daughter, Tutar, played by Maria Bakalova.

Borat and Tutar are like bulls in a “Made in China” shop. Their obscene pranks lead them to a number of awkward situations from explaining the phenomenon of female masturbation at a Republican women’s club meeting, to getting a crowd at a March For Our Rights Rally to sing along to lyrics calling for “chopping journalists up like the Saudis do” and injecting

former President Barack Obama and Dr. Anthony Fauci with the “Wuhan Flu.” Between cringey plot points, the movie leaves time for quiet moments where the father and daughter’s relationship develops in a surprisingly effective way.

Borat starts off by treating Tutar less like a human being and more like a dog or horse. As absurd as the movie is, it does a good job in showing their relationship develop.

Early press reviews of the new film touched on a situation between former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Tutar, which raised some eyebrows.

Following an undercover interview with Giuliani for the film, he is seen tucking in his shirt after removing a microphone while in a hotel bedroom with Bakalova, whose character is 15 years old. The scene was controversial due to pictures that were circulated online of Guiliani lying down on a hotel bed with his hand near his crotch next to Bakalova.

Although the scene is exaggerated to a degree in the movie, Giuliani’s behavior would be enough to warrant an interruption from NBC host Chris Hansen. Fortunately, the scene does turn into an episode of the former television series “To Catch a Predator” because Borat barges in before anything bad can happen to Tutar.

Giuliani posted a tweet during the week of the movie’s release saying he did nothing “inappropriate” and “If Sacha Baron Cohen implies otherwise, he is a stone-cold liar.”

Considering the tragically ironic events that have happened in 2020 that move beyond parody, the satirical nature of the film somehow still works.

Borat blurs the lines between a comedy and a meta-commentary on the mindset of Americans.

The first “Borat” film’s conclusion understates the audience’s representation and instead focuses on the spectacle that is Borat. “Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm” will leave the audience saying, “Wawaweewa!” at how Borat is less ridiculous than most Americans in 2020.

ICOLBERT@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

NOVEMBER 2, 2020 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 7

Chicagoans advocate for victims of Nigerian federal police violence » ColumbiaChronicle.com » MENGSHIN LIN/CHRONICLE

2020 Election

Chicago motorcyclists ‘Ride to the Polls’ to encourage voting BIKERS LINE UP IN FRONT OF UNION STATION TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO VOTE IN THE UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

» CAMILLA FORTE DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

» MENGSHIN LIN/CHRONICLE

RUMBLING ENGINES CUT through the brisk morning air as more than a dozen bikers gathered to take part in Ride to the Polls, a voter mobilization effort organized

by Engines for Change in cities throughout the country.

On Saturday, Oct. 24, motorcyclists rode from Good Call Moto, a motorcycle merchandise shop in the West Town neighborhood, to Union Station, 225 S. Canal St., to drop off mail-in ballots and raise awareness for voting in the upcoming presidential election.

The event was put together by Engines

for Change organizer Katie Stamaris and was the first of its kind in Chicago.

“Engines for Change really set up the nationwide structure for what we’re doing, and then every city that’s participated has done something unique,” Stamaris said.

The national Ride to the Polls initiative was created by Kirsten Midura, founder of Engines for Change, and Porsche Taylor, editor-in-chief of Black Girls Ride, a magazine representing black women in motorcycling. The two connected during the Black Lives Matter March on Washington in August.

At the March on Washington, Taylor spoke to activists across the country about the Ride to the Polls initiative with the

DAVID SALK CHECKS THE AIR IN HIS TIRES IN PREPARATION FOR THE RIDE TO THE POLLS, ENSURING HIS BIKE IS SAFE AND READY TO RIDE BEFORE THE EVENT. 8 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE NOVEMBER 2, 2020

aim of creating a reoccurring, nationwide movement to encourage civic engagement among motorcyclists.

“We want to be able to show people there are motorcyclists who care about civil rights and equality for everyone,” said Midura.

For Chicago’s Oct. 24 event, Stamaris rallied participants through community outreach. She laid the groundwork by reaching out to members of various local biking clubs, who then helped spread the word within their own communities.

While the general mission of the event remained central to the ride, Stamaris said some adjustments were made to ensure compliance with COVID-19 regulations.

But, bikers were still able to come together before the ride to catch up and exchange ideas for a ride plan.

Following the bikers’ stop at Union Station, they rode as a group in a giant loop across the city to promote voting.

Cutting through several Chicago neighborhoods like Lincoln Park, North Shore, Old Town, Wicker Park and West Town, the bikers’ route officially concluded at the Cobra Lounge, 235 N. Ashland Ave. Several riders were decked out with flags and stickers on their bikes and jackets in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and LGBTQ+ rights.

At stoplights and intersections, bikers interacted with pedestrians and fellow motorcyclists, who waved and honked in support.

While a few bikers were there to drop off their own mail-in ballots, many in attendance had already sent out ballots or planned to vote in-person on Election Day.

David Salk, a biker from the Town Up Chicago riding club, came to motivate the public to send their ballots in and communicate the importance of voting to the community.

To Salk, the lack of voter turnout in 2016, especially among young people, was particularly upsetting.

“I’ve voted ever since I could,” said Salk.

“I’m pretty pissed at the students because ... it took you guys a long time to wake up. ” Gail Swanson, a biker who rode in from the North Center neighborhood after hearing about the event through Facebook, is passionate about dispelling stereotypes surrounding the biking community.

“I think there’s unfortunately a reputation of motorcyclists being quite conservative and right wing … and I’m definitely on the other side of that,” said Swanson.

She said it is important for her to represent the diversity within her community.

With the hope of maintaining the initiative’s momentum, bikers with Engines for Change will continue to ride to the polls nationally up to Election Day, with upcoming rides planned across the West Coast.

Stamaris said she hopes the Ride to the Polls gatherings will serve as a catalyst for greater civic involvement, rather than being an isolated event.

“I want [the] West Loop and Chicago to have a lot of opportunities to gather as a community,” said Stamaris. “I think politically what we’re all learning is the importance of getting more involved on a much more micro level.”

CFORTE@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

BIKERS PARTICIPATING IN THE RIDE TO THE POLLS EVENT LINE UP IN FRONT OF UNION STATION TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO VOTE IN THE UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

K ATIE STAMARIS, WHO ORGANIZED THE CHICAGO RIDE THROUGH ENGINES FOR CHANGE, SPEAKS TO EVENT PARTICIPANTS ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF THE RIDE BEFORE THEY HEAD OUT ON THE ROAD TOGETHER. » MENGSHIN LIN/CHRONICLE

» CAMILLA FORTE/CHRONICLE

BIKERS FROM RIDE TO THE POLLS CRUISE DOWN VAN BUREN STREET TO THEIR FIRST STOP AT UNION STATION.

MANY MOTORCYCLISTS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RIDE DECKED OUT THEIR BIKES, JACKETS AND HELMETS WITH ACCESSORIES EXPRESSING THEIR POLITICAL LEANINGS AND ISSUES THEY CARE ABOUT. » CAMILLA FORTE/CHRONICLE

» K’VON JACKSON/CHRONICLE

K ATIE STAMARIS, CHICAGO ORGANIZER FOR ENGINES FOR CHANGE, CARRIES HER DOG WALDO TO THE RIDE TO THE POLLS EVENT.

AFTER DROPPING OFF THEIR BALLOTS, PARTICIPANTS IN RIDE TO THE POLLS CRUISED THROUGH SEVERAL CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOODS TO ENCOURAGE VOTER TURNOUT IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION.

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» CAMILLA FORTE/CHRONICLE

2020 Election » LUCAS MARTINEZ/CHRONICLE

Voting for judges: More than a two-person race » MATEUSZ JANIK STAFF REPORTER ALONG WITH VOTING for the next president and deciding whether Illinois should establish a graduated rate income tax, voters in Chicago will have to decide which judges to elect for Cook County Circuit Court, as well as Illinois’ Supreme and Appellate courts.

Kristy Gonowan, president of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Chicago Area, said it is important for judges to be fair and unbiased.

Gonowan said the significance of judicial leadership reaches from local and state courts all the way to the Supreme Court where Amy Coney Barrett was recently confirmed by the Senate.

“Just think about that in terms of Chicago,” Gonowan said. “These are judges that will be on the bench for at least a few years until they need to be retained again.”

Chicagoans will be voting for a number of judicial candidates either running for the first time to fill a vacancy or running for a retention vote to keep their current position, which would require 60% of the vote.

There are 101 different judicial candidates across Chicago and Illinois

that will fill a majority of each voter’s ballot and may cause some to hesitate in making a decision. However, there are organizations, like the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Chicago Area, that review and evaluate candidates to help citizens make an educated choice.

Sarah King, director for the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, said the amount of research anyone would have to do on their own “would be a pretty big task.” King said she has been approached by many of her friends and family asking her to explain the judicial candidates’ stances.

King said bar associations provide detailed evaluations of each judicial candidate in conjunction with the Alliance of Bar Associations, which consists of 12 different Illinois bar associations in collaboration.

These include: the Arab American Bar Association of Illinois, the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Chicago Area, the Black Women Lawyer’s Association of Greater Chicago, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, the Cook County Bar Association, the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, the Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois, the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, the Illi-

10 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE NOVEMBER 2, 2020

nois State Bar Association, the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago, the Puerto Rican Bar Association of Illinois and the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois.

In order to put together detailed evaluations, King said the judicial evaluation committee has candidates undergo a review which includes interviews and background checks with colleagues or other law professionals who have worked with the candidate before.

King said candidates are evaluated for their litigation experience, legal knowledge and ability, integrity, sensitivities, diversity, bias, judicial temperament, diligence, punctuality, impartiality, character and professionalism.

Most bar associations that represent minority groups, such as the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago and the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, pay attention to what each candidate or judge has done to help individuals from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.

Adam Zebelian, vice president of the board for the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago, said it is important for voters to know the people they are putting in positions of power.

“We want to ensure that there are judges that are not only qualified and

have the legal acumens to rule properly, but also are open-minded and will follow the law in a way that is respectful of every community member of Chicago,” Zebelian said.

In addition to the Alliance of Bar Associations, the Chicago Bar Association also evaluates judicial candidates across the city by asking similar questions and accepting applications from candidates for an evaluation. The CBA focuses on the Chicagoland area and is not affiliated with any specific bar associations.

Risa Lanier, chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s judicial evaluation committee, said deciding on who to put on the bench can drastically change how people are treated in traffic court for a ticket or if a parent receives custody in domestic relations court.

“I cannot overstate this enough,” Lanier said. “It is extremely important to know about the qualifications of judicial candidates because they make everyday decisions that impact our lives.”

For judicial candidate evaluations, visit the Alliance of Bar Associations or the Chicago Bar Association websites.

MJANIK@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

2020 Election

2020 Presidential Debates are over; two politicos weigh in on their effectiveness DICK SIMPSON HAS followed debates dating back to John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, and in his five decades of experience watching politics, he said this year’s faceoffs were the worst.

“None have been quite so bad. The debates with Hillary Clinton and Trump in the last 2016 election approached it, but this was the worst of the debates that I’ve seen in 50 years of watching politics,” said Simpson, a political science professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and former 44th Ward alderperson.

Amid the pandemic, racial injustice and economic recession, the presidential and vice presidential debates conveyed to voters why each candidate was different and why they should hold office.

The first presidential debate on Sept.

29 between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden was portrayed as a far cry from the conduct expected on the debate stage by mainstream news outlets like Vox, the Washington Post and Time Magazine.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court, COVID-19, the economy, race and violence in cities and the integrity of the election were important topics to discuss, they were overshadowed by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace’s attempt to referee a verbal boxing match between the fast-jabbing Trump and the veteran Biden who was more locked in to his traditional game plan.

Trump said the U.S. was rounding the corner on COVID-19 cases, argued no president had done more for the Black community than him—with the exception of Abraham Lincoln—and questioned the effectiveness of mail-in ballots. Biden often noted Trump’s frequency in downplaying the science in relation to COVID-19, acknowledged systemic racism within the U.S. and encouraged people to plan how they would vote through iwillvote.com.

Climate change, the economy and foreign policy were discussed with less emphasis in comparison to the pandemic, racial issues and the U.S. Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett following the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Biden said his climate plan would create new jobs and clean the environment, while Trump said the U.S. is energy independent and Biden’s plan is a “pipe dream” because of its cost and effectiveness.

In contrast to their running mates, the exchange between Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential nominee and California Senator Kamala Harris during the vice presidential debate on Oct. 7 highlighted aspects of what a “real debate” should entail. Each candidate adhered to their allotted time and debated while on the ropes from their opponent’s barbs until it was their turn to respond.

Simpson said the vice presidential debate was the “clearest” of the three, although fewer voters watched it.

“Most people don’t decide their vote for president just based on the performance of the vice president, but both Pence and Harris came off relatively well in the vice presidential debate,” he said.

The second presidential debate was replaced by dual town halls on Oct. 15, where each candidate was in a different location, asked questions by voters and broadcast on separate channels. The Commission on Presidential Debates canceled the debate after Trump contracted the coronavirus and refused to participate in a virtual debate with Biden, according to CNN. Trump and Biden did meet again for the final presidential debate on Oct. 22, with the Commission on Presidential Debates’ no-interruption policy being enacted by muting each candidate’s microphone while the other was speaking. Despite those measures, the second round between Trump and Biden managed to have more false and inaccurate statements than the first, according to The Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank based in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Simpson said Biden was more effective in arguing Trump’s mishandling of

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» ISAIAH COLBERT STAFF REPORTER

the COVID-19 pandemic while Trump was able to appeal to rural working class voters with his appeal to patriotism through his slogan “Make America Great Again.”

Trump’s weakest topic was the pandemic, as it reminded people of what they have suffered through this year, Simpson said.

Delmarie Cobb, a political consultant who heads the Publicity Works firm, said past elections have been decided by candidates who ran on an issue that took place during the previous administration.

“The party that was in office when that disaster took place were clobbered with it and it certainly gave their opponents an edge,” said Cobb, who worked on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.

Cobb said Trump calling Biden “Sleepy Joe” lowered the bar for Biden. While Biden only had to prove he was “lucid” and draw from his “wealth of knowledge,” Trump’s answers were not substantive enough to make up for the COVID-19 mortality rate, she said.

“How can you be a sitting president at a time where you’ve got one of the biggest crises in the world and you have no plan, and you just want to wish it away,” she said.

Cobb said Trump’s reluctance to talk about COVID-19 was the biggest issue working against him.

“In general, the Biden argument tends to win over [voters] based on the public

opinion polls,” Simpson said. “We’ll see on Election Day whether that holds out at the polling place.”

Simpson said foreign policy, which is traditionally discussed during the final debate, was not as heavily covered in this year’s debates, aside from the relationship between the U.S. and China.

He said today’s televised debates are shorter in length and contain fewer topics than the pre-Civil War debates of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, where arguments were clearer and longer. Although the ability to mute microphones made an improvement, Simpson and Cobb said there is still room to improve the structure of debates so candidates can give critical answers.

“It’s getting better with the two-minute answers, fewer topics, less gotcha questions and more substantive questions, but we’re still experimenting with this,” Simpson said.

He suggested the creation of a new debate format and called for more debates in local races.

But, voters should not solely rely on what happens during a debate when choosing a candidate, Cobb said.

“For something as important as the presidential election, of all elections really, you’ve got to do your own homework,” she said.

ICOLBERT@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

NOVEMBER 2, 2020 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 11

LINES FORM OUTSIDE THE WARREN PARK FIELDHOUSE, 6601 N. WESTERN AVE., FOR EARLY VOTING AND VOTER REGISTRATION BEFORE ELECTION DAY.

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‘This is the first time’: RohingyaAmericans in Chicago cast their ballots » DYANA DANIELS STAFF REPORTER ON A COOL afternoon in late October, Abdul Jabbar packed his van with around 15 people and made his way to Warren Park.

He was among other Rohingya-Americans and supporters on a mission to cast their votes in a U.S. presidential election for the first time.

For anyone, voting in a general election for the first time is a momentous occasion, but for Rohingya-Americans, voting in America brings a whole new sense of pride.

On Oct. 20, Jabbar wanted to share this moment with his community. Within a week of bringing the idea to both the program manager and education director at the Rohingya Cultural Center, 2740 W. Devon Ave., everyone at the center who was eligible to vote went to the polls together.

“Most of our Rohingya people, this is the first time we are voting,” Jabbar said.

“Especially for myself, this is the first time I am voting in a general election. I was not

allowed to vote in my hometown in my country because of my identity.”

Rohingya refugees began coming to Chicago in the early 2010s to escape persecution in their home country of Burma, now known as Myanmar, according to Sarah Pajeau, program manager at the Rohingya Cultural Center. Jabbar came to Chicago from Burma in 2012 and now works as a senior case manager at the cultural center.

Myanmar also has an upcoming election on Nov. 8, but the Rohingya people are not allowed to vote in it or any other elections because they are not considered citizens.

“The Rohingya minority Muslims are not allowed to become parliament members simply because of religion,” wrote the cultural center’s Executive Director Nasir Zakaria in an Oct. 20 press release.

“The Rohingya are persecuted in Burma and stripped of our rights, such as education and freedom of religion.

While we have proof of originating from Burma, we are not considered citizens.

Due to the genocide, there are 1 mil-

FIRST-TIME VOTERS ARE ABLE TO REGISTER AND VOTE EARLY, AND RETURNING VOTERS CAN CAST MAIL-IN BALLOTS.

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lion Rohingya refugees living in limbo in Bangladesh and other Rohingya refugees worldwide.”

Once Rohingya refugees come to America, they must have a Permanent Resident Card, also known as a Green Card, for at least five years and take a citizenship test to become a legal U.S. citizen.

The Rohingya Cultural Center offers citizenship and English as second language courses. Because the Rohingya language is only a spoken language and not written, Rohingya-Americans must take these courses to understand a portion of the citizenship test that requires the test taker to speak in English.

“Most of my adult students have never been in school,” said Susan Chestnut, the cultural center’s education director. “Most of the students that voted had been in my class for a year. I was always talking about voting and that it is one of the most important things you can do as a citizen.”

Chestnut said she put up information around the center on where to vote and its significance, but the push from Jabbar was

what got more people interested.

“Had we just left it up to individuals, maybe not as many would have voted,” Chestnut said. “But having this be an event made it more special, and it showed the community members what they can get from going through the citizenship process. It’s hard to become a citizen ... but it’s worth it in the end.”

Jabbar took the time to explain to his fellow community members the different parties and candidates running for office and left the rest up to them. He has offered to assist more people if they need it but does not recommend voting on Election Day because of the pandemic and the fear of overcrowding.

“It’s important to have a new government and also have new proceedings,” Jabbar said. “If we have a president who is willing to take more refugees and give us more opportunities to help our families get here, that would be very helpful. And we are hopeful that will happen.”

» K’VON JACKSON/CHRONICLE

A THUMBS-UP OF APPROVAL FROM A FIRST-TIME VOTER EXCITED TO PARTICIPATE IN DEMOCRACY.

DDANIELS@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

TRUMP SUPPORTERS TOOK OVER THE SIDEWALK AND FILLED WHITE CASTLE’S PARKING LOT, CHANTING BACK AS PEOPLE IN PASSING CARS SHOUTED AT THEM.

WHILE A PEW RESEARCH CENTER POLL SHOWS ONLY 28% OF VOTERS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 29 VOTED FOR TRUMP IN 2016, THERE WERE MANY YOUNG TRUMP 2020 SUPPORTERS AT THE RALLY.

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More than 100 Trump supporters stage rally in Oak Lawn days before election » MENGSHIN LIN PHOTOJOURNALIST AS A FINAL campaign effort, around 100

supporters of President Donald Trump occupied sidewalks in Oak Lawn, Illinois, dressed in “Make America Great Again” clothes and hats and carrying flags, with some wearing cardboard cutouts of Trump’s face.

In the background, a parody of the Village People’s “YMCA” played over the speakers, replacing the chorus with “M-A-G-A.” The Trump supporters gathered in the parking lot of White Castle at the intersection of 95th Street and South Cicero Avenue along with a caravan from Lyon, Illinois, on Sunday, Oct. 25.

Across the street from the Trump rally, a group of five counterprotesters waved flags for Joe Biden, an anti-Trump flag and the Mexican flag. Many people in cars passing by shouted the F-word at Trump supporters and raised their middle fingers.

Catherine O’Shea, who identified as a Democratic Party supporter prior to the 2016 presidential election, organized the Trump rally. O’Shea said she changed parties when she saw “where the country was going” with “anti-American activities.”

O’Shea said she blames Gov. J.B. Pritzker, along with other Democratic politicians, for shutting down businesses that affect many families during the pandemic.

“That’s against our liberties ... and then it’s a domino effect,” O’Shea said. “It affects the worker; it affects the landlord of where the business is; and it affects the taxes. We definitely need Trump because he has done so much already for every demographic and imagine what more he’s going to do.”

Devin R. Jones, committeeperson for the 18th Ward Republicans—a committee to assist Republican candidates—was one of the few African American supporters at the Trump rally.

Jones began supporting Trump shortly after the 2016 presidential election because of Trump’s preference to appoint “originalist justices” and give funding to

A TRUMP SUPPORTER SPORTS HIS “I VOTED!” STICKER ON THE BACK OF HIS HAT AS HE CHANTS, “FOUR MORE YEARS. FOUR MORE YEARS.”

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Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs, he said.

According to Politifact, there has been no significant difference between the funding given to HBCU’s under Trump’s administration in comparison to the previous presidential administration.

A 2018 Pew Research Center poll found that only 6% of 3,014 surveyed voters who identify as Black voted for Trump in 2016.

While the Black Lives Matter movement has become a subject of political debate after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers in May, Trump supporters have often clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters.

Jones said as an African American man, he encounters racism everywhere.

“I don’t think that just because someone’s a Trump supporter, that they should automatically be looked at as racist,” Jones said.

He said the Black Lives Matter movement opposes the government, which in many instances is comprised of politicians who are similar-minded and not all Repub-

licans or Trump supporters.

O’Shea said she agrees that Black lives matter, but the sentiment is being “infiltrated” by the Black Lives Matter organization that has done “nothing” for the Black community and is a “domestic terrorist group.”

“This is America—we love diversity,” O’Shea said. “We love every [and] all the different cultures. We love all the different dances that the cultures bring ... the different clothing, the different food ... music [and] writings.”

However, Jay Murillo, organizer of the counterprotest in Oak Lawn, said Trump is dividing the nation and separating all ethnicities.

“We feel like they’re trying to silence our voices, and we’re expressing our opinions as well,” Murillo said. “A lot of the Latino and Hispanic community ... they’re not as well represented as they should be, so I think we should help everyone get out there and vote.”

MLIN@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

TWO TRUMP SUPPORTERS WEAR TRUMP 2020 MASKS ALONGSIDE OTHER SUPPORTERS RALLYING FOR PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AT THE INTERSECTION OF 95TH STREET AND SOUTH CICERO AVENUE IN OAK LAWN ON SUNDAY, OCT. 25.

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opinions

The use of forced sterilizations must end » ColumbiaChronicle.com

ENDORSEMENT: BIDEN IS A BEACON OF EMPATHY IN A SEA OF POLITICAL UNREST

attention Biden gives to marginalized communities is also a breath of fresh air.

He plans to stand up to polluters to n the middle of a pandemic and ensure safe drinking water for commuwith climate change nipping at our nities like Flint, Michigan, and Harlan, heels, remembering the individuals Kentucky.

And rather than incarcerwho comprise our country is more imating individuals for drug use alone, portant now than ever. That is why the Biden has said the system should Chronicle is endorsing former Vice send people to drug courts and President Joe Biden for president. treatment for their addictions.

Biden’s policies incorporate empathy and science to ensure the safety of the These potential reforms are importAmerican people, where President ant because issues like systemic poverty Donald Trump has focused on personal in Flint, where the median household beliefs and the state of the economy income is $27,717, and the cycle of drug in the present rather than thinking addiction are difficult to fix without ahead to the future. intervention and government resources.

In regard to climate change, Biden’s Furthermore, Biden not only plans policies look out for the livelihoods of to end the military ban on transgender U.S. citizens now and through 2050— individuals, he will also make prosewhen he plans to achieve a 100% clean cuting the murderers of transgender energy economy—rather than focusing women of color a priority. on profits now. Meanwhile, Trump After the military ban on transempowers the fossil fuel industry. gender individuals was allowed to go In the current state of unrest, the into effect by the Supreme Court on » EDITORIAL BOARD

I

EDITORIAL BOARD

pursuing art-based careers, who will likely work as freelancers in the future.

Biden is not perfect, but he has grown, proving his openness to change, and we see potential in him to innovate and learn even more. He used to oppose gay marriage. Now he is a proponent for LGBTQ+ rights. We do Jan. 22, 2019, and since the president not agree with his refusal to ban began praising countries who impose fracking, but we hope his willingness the death penalty on drug dealers, to revise his policies eventually rears we are ready for a change. its head here, too.

We believe Biden is in favor of human What matters is that he represents rights—even basic ones, like the right to us and is learning to adapt to access affordable health care. voters’ needs as science and issues Throughout his campaign, Biden of social justice evolve. said he will establish a review board to In March, in an effort to reach out assess drug prices in other countries to younger voters, Biden adopted part and recommend reasonable costs for of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) highthe U.S., expand the Affordable Care er education plan: making public Act and bring back all federal funding colleges and universities free to to Planned Parenthood. anyone whose family income is less Trump’s desire to repeal the Affordable Care Act and defund Planned than $125,000 per year.

A vote for Biden is a vote for empathy, Parenthood would affect American science and human rights, so our ballot citizens’ right to breathe, see and live has a black oval next to his name. comfortably.

Employer insurance may not be an option for everyone, CHRONICLE@COLUM.EDU especially for those of us

POLICY CHANGES CHRONICLE STAFFERS WOULD MAKE IF THEY WON THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ON WRITE-IN BALLOT

» GIANELLA GOAN GRAPHIC DESIGNER

» EVAN FINTZY PHOTOJOURNALIST

» SUNJOY WALLS MEDIA SALES REPRESENTATIVE

1

1

1

2

2

Affordable Healthcare: Creating an affordable option for everyone.

3

3

2

Criminal Justice Reform: Ensure the reduction of errors and unjust prison sentencing.

4

3

Income Equality: Minimize the wage gap between working people.

4 5

Extend COVID-19 crisis unemployment insurance to provide immediate relief to working families, small businesses and other affected communities.

Expand access to high-quality healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community to further ensure their equality and rights.

Ensure BIPOC are compensated fairly to focus more on the racial economic gaps created by the U.S. system.

4

Close loopholes in the federal background system for gun licensing and possession to reduce the amount of gun and domestic violence instances.

5

Restore the naturalization process for green card holders to make it more accessible and less difficult for qualified individuals.

14 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE NOVEMBER 2, 2020

Climate Change: We only have a few more years to change the way we live as humans on our earth before it becomes irreversible.

5

COVID-19 Guidelines: More concrete and comprehensible guidance must be put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Allocate funds for reparations that would be given to African American and Native American people.

Black and Brown people have a disproportionate disadvantage in this country and funds could provide tangible assistance in whatever ways they see fit.

Provide free therapy for children in schools to ensure coping skills and overall better mental health early on.

Defund the police because of the history of police brutality so money can be allocated to disenfranchised communities, education and innovation.

Decarbonize transportation to lessen the effect of climate change.

Congress should support the innovation potential of rural areas by creating rural innovation institutes. This would contribute to economic growth prospects and to America’s overall innovation system. This can be done by creating a nationwide network of rural innovation institutes in sectors such as aquaculture, agriculture, wind and water energy, mining, and timber.