Chicago Muckrakers

Posts in category "Criminal Justice"

70 reports of police misconduct on Sunday at NATO protest, says National Lawyers Guild

Now that the barricades are cleared from the streets, downtown traffic has resumed its sluggish pace and thousands of workers in the loop no longer have an excuse to take a day off, what is the legacy of the massive Sunday protest that brought out an estimated 15,000 people? One lasting effect, on both the... Read more »

By YanaKunichoff,
Wednesday at 1:57 pm

• 2 comments

Audio slide show: A brief look into the peaceful start of NATO protests Sunday

Before the images of NATO protesters clashing with police wearing riot gear circulated around the world, thousands of protesters gathered at Chicago’s Grand Park on Sunday morning. These protesters said they wanted to protest peacefully. Here is a brief look into what those protesters had to say on Sunday morning. © Community Renewal Society... Read more »

By MariaZamudio,
Monday at 11:52 am

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Will police's 'snatch and grab' tactic for NATO hurt communities already heavily policed? Some worry it will

The Chicago Police Department, and the hundreds of state troopers coming into town to police this weekend’s NATO summit, have a plan. According to police superintendent Garry McCarthy, their tactic will be to “extract people who need to be extracted.” Commonly referred to as snatch and grab, the strategy will be used instead of tear... Read more »

By YanaKunichoff,
May 18, 2012 at 8:00 am

• 1 comment

NATO summit protests in pictures

All photos by Brent Lewis.

By Chicago Reporter,
May 17, 2012 at 9:14 am

• 1 comment

Proposed child care cuts to trigger downward spiral: "It put families like me and others in a deeper hole."

Chalonda McIntosh doesn’t often take the day off work. But she will tomorrow, when she’ll head down to Springfield to protest cuts and funding shortages to the state’s child care subsidy program for low-income families. I talked to McIntosh back in November when I was doing a story about the lack of child care centers... Read more »

By MeganCottrell,
May 15, 2012 at 3:06 pm

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An Undocumented Life: Violence Against Women Act, a protector of undocumented victims of domestic violence, held up in House

Undocumented women who live with an abusive partner, particularly a U.S. citizen who’s in control of her path to legal status, are the most vulnerable and need protection by the government, said Rep. Jan Schakowsky. But the divisiveness of politics lately is on full display in Congress, where a key piece of legislation that would... Read more »

By MariaZamudio,
May 14, 2012 at 2:18 pm

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State rep. Derrick Smith refuses to testify; lawyer likens his plight to that of Jesus, Dr. King, Mandela

Although he maintains his innocence, 10th District state. Rep. Derrick Smith refused to testify today before the House Special Investigative Committee considering whether to punish or expel him based on allegations he took a $7,000 bribe. After he read a brief statement, Smith’s lips were sealed throughout the day. But players on both sides of... Read more »

By Nick Moroni,
May 10, 2012 at 5:36 pm

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New EEOC guidelines on discrimination based on arrests, convictions bring hope to some communities

For the first time in 25 years, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission refined its guidelines on discrimination against people with arrest or conviction records. The law already warned that making hiring decisions based on arrest records or criminal convictions “may, in some instances, violate the prohibition against employment discrimination.” But under the new guidelines, passed... Read more »

By YanaKunichoff,
May 9, 2012 at 9:45 am

• 1 comment

An Undocumented Life: Two Sisters of Mercy nuns bring prayer and respect to deportees

Every Friday morning around 4 a.m. Sister JoAnn Persch and her best friend of 53 years, Sister Pat Murphy, go to the Broadview immigration processing center to help and comfort dozens of undocumented immigrants about to be deported later that morning. The nuns not only provide pastoral care, but they talk with immigrants and help... Read more »

By MariaZamudio,
May 7, 2012 at 1:39 pm

• 1 comment

The Chicago Reporter Wins 8 Lisagor Awards

The Chicago Reporter won eight Lisagor Awards Friday night honoring exemplary reporting, design, graphics and photography in 2011. The awards were established by the Chicago Headline Club in 1977 to recognize top-notch journalism in Chicago and were named in honor of Peter Lisagor, one of the country’s most respected journalists who died in 1976. In-Depth... Read more »