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Vol. 32 No.19
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May 9, 2018
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austinweeklynews.com
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Brandon B d JJohnson h talks business, page 6
State lawmakers promise action on gang database West Siders shared experiences with database during April 19 hearing By IAN KARBAL AustinTalks
After being notified that her 17-year-old son was wanted for questioning by police, Carolina Gaete, a community organizer and activist on the West Side, brought the teen to the 10th District for what she thought would be a quick interview. Gaete said her son, who had no criminal record and no warrant for his arrest, was held for a week in June 2016 on charges of dispatching a weapon and aggravated felony assault. “I felt like my son was kidnapped,” Gaete said. “My son has been a restorative justice practitioner, and at 16 started reiki … My son is very peaceful.” After proving her son’s innocence, Gaete said she submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to discover why a photo pulled from her son’s Facebook profile was used in a line-up presented to the witness who asserted his guilt. That’s when Gaete discovered her son was listed in the Chicago Police Department’s so-called gang database as a member of the Two-Six gang. Gaete’s son wound up in the database after being reported tardy at his school, which was in Two-Six territory, by CPD officers at the school, she said. See GANG DATABASE on page 8
Fresh paint
ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer
Chicago artist Max Sasing sits on May 7 near the mural he completed last week near the entrance of Michele Clark Magnet High School in Austin. More photos on page 9.
Local school council candidates still needed A rash of LSC vacancies in Austin still need to be filled
By ANALISA TROFIMUK AustinTalks
Openings on 12 of Austin’s 17 Local School Councils remain after last month’s elections. Official results from the elections, held April 17 and 18 at each school, aren’t expected until next month. It’s not too late for local residents or parents of CPS students to be appointed to the vacancies, says CPS spokesman Patrick Mullane.
LSCs with vacant community and/or parents seats can be filled by current council members making appointments, Mullane said in an email statement. The current LSC members will serve until June 30, when their terms end; those who won last month’s election will take office in July. Jennie Biggs, communications director for the education advocacy group Raise Your Hand, said it’s important to have the remaining seats filled because Local School Coun-
cils are the only democracy available in CPS. “LSCs empower parents, community members, educators and, at the high school level, students by bringing their voice to the table,” Biggs said. State Rep. La Shawn Ford also stressed the importance of Local School Councils in a previous AustinTalks story, saying they play a major role in shaping the future of
Austin Chamber of Commerce on the move... 773.854.5848 • www.austinchicagochamber.com
See SCHOOL COUNCILS on page 4