On July 1st they returned to service, if you want to see the perspective of anonymous sworn Chicago Police officers check out 2nd City Cop. They stopped posting and made their blog private on January 13, 2021 due to concerns with using the Google-owned Blogger platform. I only wonder what changed by July of this year.
[VIDEO] Perhaps some of you in this audience is watching FOX News and some of you probably are no fans of Tucker Carlson. However, I did want to share this monologue with you all. This aired on his TV program last night.
And he connects the chaos that occurred in Chicago both downtown - near Millennium Park - and near 31st Street on the south side with chaos going on around America (shown in above video is the chaotic scene at a gas station in Compton, California). It just shows how the eyes are on Chicago and especially since the DNC will have their convention here next summer. If this is already going on now, can they handle the potential chaos of the Democrat National Convention? There will be protests and of course another concern could be rowdy youth converging in one place.
This is something that perhaps the mayor to be Brandon Johnson could get ahead of except as you see here, his own words in an interview during 2020 could be used against him. Ahh which could've been used against him in the recent mayoral race except well perhaps not very effectively and he's going to be mayor for the next four years.
I want to have optimism that as Tucker states Mayor-elect Johnson isn't an ideologue. His way with words, his ability to talk is probably an improvement over Mayor Lightfoot who seemed to refuse to call out the chaos in downtown this past weekend for what it is.
Regardless it's amazing that this story has wings. Shots fired in the loop. Young people fighting each other in the streets. Youth running around disrupting traffic. A young couple being assaulted by said youth. A car burning in the middle of a street. Young people jumping up and down on top of anything from a CTA bus to a car. It's a shame.
So while our new mayor doesn't seem to condone the looting he still doesn't want to condemn the young people whom people say lack opportunities in their communities. I'd be curious how he intends to provide those young people opportunities. Whether jobs, educational, recreational, or even just services to address whatever is going on at home.
With the DNC coming to the city next year, the eyes will be on the Windy City. The new mayor needs to take control and not make excuses for this unfortunate behavior.
[VIDEO] Illinois Channel Director Terry Martin & Public Affairs host Jeff Berkowitz discuss mayor-elect Brandon Johnson. One question to ask if the mayor-to-be would ignore the issue of crime that most Chicagoans are worried about?
I see only that last-night there was some issues - most call it a melee or a mini-riot - near the 31st Street beach on Friday night. Most who commented on this via Twitter just joked that the Mayor-elect would sent social workers to this instead of a significant police presence.
[VIDEO] If you follow us on instagram (@thesixthward) you might see stores from Wirepoints.org whom you see it's President Ted Dabrowski discuss some of the issues that affects Chicagoans with Public Affairs host Jeff Berkowitz. I'd say let's open the door to you, what issues do you think Mayoral Candidates in the city need to address?
They do discuss crime and a lot of the data Wirepoints does address is the issue of crime. I'd say economic issues are a factor though there is only so much a city can do about the national economic environment. Another issue is certainly insuring our young people are adequately educated and they do mention the power of the teachers union over public education in the city.
[VIDEO] I don't know how many of you are watching cable news whether CNN, MSNBC or even FOX News with the clip above. The discussion is over the latest proposal by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to help keep the Bears within the city limits as opposed to potentially Arlington Heights. Frankly I hope the end of the road isn't that close for the racetrack where a new Bears stadium would be located but then again....
Anyway, the mayor proposed a domed stadium on the site of Soldier Field so that historic and architecturally unique structure would again be gutted and a much larger stadium would be located on the site. It could be open for more than an NFL season, it would be open year round. Some soccer matches could be played there and even better still a future WrestleMania....
Well the crime crisis fits in because well as FOX News and our local news discusses the issues of crime. The crime in the neighborhoods unfortunately spill into the more tony areas of our city. So the portrayal by Steve Doocy and Clay Travis is that Chicago is so crime ridden the Bears don't even want to stay.
ALSO, I do actually admire the mayor's plan for Soldier Field, however, the problem has always been even last year with the Bears inking a deal with Arlington Heights is that I don't think politically she'll be able to keep the team in the city.
[VIDEO] So after Mayor Lightfoot crashes a gathering of people on a north side lakefront beach we get another mass incident of looting locally. The basis for this is said to be a shooting that took place in Englewood on Sunday afternoon. From there, an organized caravan of people go into downtown Chicago and start looting not only there but also the Magnificent Mile. We already experienced some major unrest and now we got more.
Instead of showing some footage from our local news outlets, perhaps we watch someone outside of Chicago analyze what happened overnight through Monday. Anthony Brian Logan is a conservative YouTuber that has taken aim at BLM recently.
I did some posting with regards to this latest development at The Sixth Ward.
I'm sharing this post from The Sixth Ward for those of you who live in both the 34th state representative and 17th state senate districts. Of course the changes that took place evidently occurred during the period where it was too late to change the names on the ballot. JP Paulus published this post on election day Tuesday.
You are NOT getting the people you are voting for as state representative and senator! https://t.co/TX5kkfA9R5
As happens with a retirement (there are other scenarios, but this is what happened in this case) the party "bosses" of a particular state legislative district decides who will finish the length of that term in that seat. So while Donne Trotter had actually retired just about two months before Tuesday's election his name remained on the ballot. He's no longer a state senator for the 17th district...
As for Elgie Sims, he was appointed by party bosses to finish Trotter's unfinished term and yet he reamins on ballot for his previous job as 34th district state representative. And those party bosses appoint Sims' successor Nicholas Smith and his name was not on the ballot for Tuesday's primary election.
JP Paulus makes a solid case for a special election to fill vacated state legislative seats. What do you all think?
One attempt to get a handle on the issue of gun violence in Chicago's crime ridden neighborhoods. At one point in time this blog strived to avoid issues of crime even though I recognize it as a reality in our fair city.
Regardless the fact that a shooting and the volume of them is news not just locally but nationally also is problematic. We all hope for a solution to save our young people. No easy answers, but something has to be done about the violence.
Also for this, there will be three parts to this series. I hope to be able to share the other ones as they're published.
The author of this article - Phil Huckleberry - discusses his experience as a candidate for his neighborhood school's LSC. He apparently won the election, but discovered at a recent meeting that the results have been challenged. That school's LSC won't meeting until next year after new elections, and the school's LSC functions would be governed instead by CPS' central office. Something pertinent Mr. Huckleberry said in his piece:
Now, this story isn't about me and my awe-inspiring 21 votes. It's not about whether or not there was some sort of problem with the election.
But here is the crux of the situation: Bureaucracies put bureaucracy first. And the reality is that Chicago Public Schools is a horrifically clunky bureaucracy, steeped in nonsensical inefficiencies, ultimately overseen by an unelected board who are themselves nothing more than hand-picked highly privileged bureaucrats. The system is failing its students because the system is more important than the students.
There are a lot of smart and dedicated administrators within CPS. But things are never truly going to turn around so long as everything is about CPS and not about the actual students.
I suggest you read the whole thing, and of course we hope to hear your thoughts on this.
"An outspoken elementary school principal who recently blasted the mayor’s office for silencing Chicago Public School principals in an opinion piece he wrote for the Sun-Times, is now airing comments from other school leaders on his blog.
Troy LaRaviere, principal at Blaine Elementary School in Lake View and a veteran of the U.S. Navy, called the administration’s interaction with principals “insulting,” in an opinion piece he wrote in Saturday’s Chicago Sun-Times.
“While publicly praising principals in speeches and with awards, behind the scenes this administration has disregarded principals’ knowledge and experience,” he wrote. “They have ignored and even suppressed principals’ voices in order to push City Hall’s political agenda for Chicago’s schools.”
When principals questioned the merits of Emanuel’s signature longer school day in 2012, for example, “CPS officials were then dispatched to tell the principals their opinions didn’t matter,” LaRaviere wrote."
Since I've already stated that education would still be a focus on this blog, here's a piece to read. Worlee Glover also writes for my other blog - The Sixth Ward. In addition he also maintains his own blog - Concerned Citizens of Chatham.
He mainly opines about the recent approval of 7 new charters schools. Then additionally offers his idea to offer charter school status to parochial schools.
The parochial or catholic school system has operated in the city of Chicago for more than a 100 years. It has been the only option in some communities and was the only alternative for some families who had poor performing Chicago Public Schools. Over the last several years with some Chicago Public Schools offering high performing schools such as Young, Payton, Jones, Brooks, etc it has made some catholic high schools pay model obsolete. Also, when Mr. Tim King, who attended the all boys school Mendel Catholic and was later the principal at the all boys school Hales Franciscan, opened Urban Prep it basically doomed the all boys school pay model.
The remaining schools high schools such as Leo, Mt. Carmel, Hales Franciscan and Gordon Tech , etc and the host of elementary schools should be offered the option to become charter schools. It makes sense because most of these schools out perform Chicago Public Schools and operate schools in areas where CPS has closed schools and in some cases could take over buildings that have been left vacant by the last round of school closures.
Ultimately, the master plan is to have a master education system administered through CPS and since we are almost halfway there why not finally put "children first" and provide proven, stable environments operated by proven operators versus having operators with questionable backgrounds come out of no where and payoff politicians to get taxpayers money,waste it and not serve our young people.
This makes sense I suppose, but this was said knowing that many are opposed to charter schools. Probably many are opposed to charter schools because of the organizations who got the charter and their ties to certain politicians.
For example, amongst those seven charters approved is a Concept Charter school to be located at 8522 S Lafayette has ties to Rev. Charles Jenkins who is the pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church owns the property where the school will be located. He also has ties to the Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel. The property Rev. Jenkins owns is referred to as The Legacy Project click the link for more information.
All the same I recognize that this idea could truly raise eyebrows amongst those who support public education. Besides Mayor Emanuel may be a proponent of charter schools, however, there are plenty of opponents of charters as well.
I find this article from our local NBC affiliate quite depressing. It's an opinion, but it's quite sad that we see CPS graduates as nothing more than lower level workers and that's where they'll stay!
In this city divided between a small overclass of lawyers, consultants and IT professionals, and a large underclass of cashiers, dishwashers and landscapers, the local elites see the public schools as a training ground for service jobs that require little education. Chicago’s status as a regional hub enables it to poach college graduates from surrounding states, thus allowing the city to maintain an educated class with no public investment.
Close 54 public schools and cram the dispossessed students into overcrowded classrooms? Emanuel, who is Chicago’s quintessential global citizen, knows it won’t affect Chicago’s standing as a global city. Today at 4 p.m. in the Daley Plaza, thousands of students, parents and teachers will rally to keep the schools open. Their voices won’t reach the top of the Richard J. Daley Building.
This was published on Wednesday and I apologize for not providing more coverage of the school closings that have occurred within the past week. However you can check out the coverage over at The Sixth Ward to see what's going on.
BTW, most of these closings involve mostly underutilized schools and Bennett would've been one of them but Bennett isn't slated for closing. Although I did hear from one of the neighborhood groups that Shedd will close next year.