Capitol Building stormed, reopening campus and CPS' return to in-person learning

Plus a whodunit novel that will leave you on the edge of your seat

Jan 12, 2021

Hello, hello! Welcome back to your favorite weekly newsletter with your favorite weekly newsletter team – Francesca, Justin, Grace, Robin and a newbie to the newsletter squad, Associate Editor Claire Malon. We’re in week two of 2021 and there’s already a lot to unpack, so let’s get into it.

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Chicago Businesses Deal with Fallout of Participation in January 6 Insurrection

Scores of rioters gathered in Washington D.C. on January 6 to take part in a Trump-backed insurrection and attempted coup of the United States’ Capitol. Since then, several Chicago figures have been exposed as having attended a rally held prior to the storming of the Capitol Building and are accused of supporting white supremacist ideologies. Chicagoans across the city are calling on patrons to stop supporting the individuals and business. Here are a few:

Tank Noodle

The Vietnamese eatery off Chicago’s Argyle Street in Uptown has come under fire after its owners were criticized for attending the rally (which they posted about on social media). While its owners claimed to have vacated the premises once things turned violent, former customers don’t think that fact made a difference. In a message posted via the business’s Facebook account, the owners said they were “deeply shocked, saddened, and offended when an angry mob stormed the U.S. Capitol,” further condemning the insurrection.

Cognesia

While maybe not the household name of Tank Noodle, the Schaumburg-based tech company Cognesia joined the ranks of businesses which came under fire in the past week. The company made headlines last week after firing its CEO Brad Rukstales, who attended the insurrection and was charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol ground in federal court. “Cogensia condemns what occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, and we intend to continue to embrace the values of integrity, diversity and transparency in our business operations, and expect all employees to embrace those values as well,” the company said last week.

@properties

City-wide real estate group @properties (you’ve probably seen the signs) posted on their public Facebook page that one of their agents had been fired after acknowledging that she had taken part in the mobbing of the Capitol on Wednesday. They said in the statement that they “received a tremendous amount of outreach” after agent Libby McCarten Andrews posted photos of herself at the Capitol.

Insight Studios

Popular Wicker Park tattoo and piercing shop Insight Studios was vandalized last week after several men in a widely shared image taken outside the Capitol building on January 6 have been identified as employees at Insight Studios. In an interview with WBBM radio, Insight employee Mat Moreno said that he and his three friends and coworkers attended the rally to “see what would happen.” Moreno told WBBM Newshour that he and his coworkers left the rally before Trump spoke and that the Trump flag in the photo shared on Facebook happened to be in the background. “We’ve gotten made-up Yelp reviews because they’re calling to cancel our shop and basically try to get us shut down,” Moreno said. “I condemn racism in every sense of the word. And all of us do. But they’re using that photo to attach a name to something they saw and didn’t like on TV.”

With nine days remaining with Trump in office and the status of his emergency impeachment uncertain at this point, law enforcement agencies across the country have received warning from the FBI that there are plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitols, first reported by ABC News.

Chicago Headlines

About 6,000 CPS students headed back to in-person learning on Monday, despite pushback from the teachers’ union and many parents. The return is mostly for Pre-K and special education students, as older students are expected to return progressively in the coming weeks and months, from Block Club Chicago’s Staff.
Long-standing Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan suspended his campaign for reelection after falling short of the necessary 60 votes to secure another term in office. The news came as a shock to many as Madigan has held office for almost 40 years, from Chicago Sun-Times’ (and DePaul alum) Rachel Hinton.
Three people, including a University of Chicago student, were killed in an hours-long shooting rampage on Saturday. The gunman was responsible for five separate attacks which started on the South Side and ended with the gunman being shot by Evanston police, from Block Club Chicago's staff.
The Illinois Senate passed a bill on Monday that would expand the bargaining power of the Chicago Teachers Union. The bill, HB 2275, awaits Governor J.B Pritkzer’s approval. More from Matt Masterson at WTTW.

DePaul News

Next week, DePaul’s campus opens back up, following a two-week campus wide quarantine period meant as a precautionary measure for students returning from holiday travel. However, a closed campus doesn’t mean that things haven’t been happening. Here are a few things you need to know for this quarter:

First, faculty council announced last Tuesday that the university would revert to its standard policy for Pass/Fail grading. For students, this means that those with sophomore standing or above may only choose the option of Pass/Fail in place of a letter grade for electives which do not count towards any major or minor they are in pursuit of.

During both Spring and Fall quarters in 2020, a temporary expansion of the Pass/Fail option came in the form of a “Pass/D/Fail” policy available for students to apply to any of their classes, including those counting toward their majors and minors. The decision to widen the reach beyond electives came from statewide educational recommendations to relieve the stress that COVID-19 placed on students. Most recently, the state has dropped this recommendation, hence the reversion to standard policy.

Last Thursday, DePaul’s SGA passed a resolution calling for the Pass/D/Fail option to be reinstated despite being removed from the state’s recommendations, since many students are still being impacted by abnormal levels of stress due to COVID-19.

This resolution came as one of a string of three passed that day. Another of those passed calls for commuter students to receive special priority dates for class enrollment based on how far they live from campus. Under this system, students who live farther out would be given the opportunity to enroll earlier than those who live closer. The last resolution established an ad hoc committee in charge of planning the celebrations honoring the Class of 2021 with a special focus on ensuring that all festivities are kept safe amid the pandemic.

Finally, a few resources that are still available on-campus ahead of the official reopening:

DePaul Athletics has teamed up with the SGA; the Office of Health, Promotion and Wellness; and the Departments of Residential Education, Dining and Housing & Student Centers to open Wish Field up as a safe outlet for students currently quarantined inside their dorms to leave for some fresh air. The opportunity is available to on-campus students until this Friday, January 15, and information on how to reserve space on the field was emailed to all those eligible.

The following on-campus services are currently digital-only but hope to reopen for in-person usage later this quarter:

The university library’s I-Share system has resumed. Furthermore, it has expanded its course reserves and will continue its book drop off and “Click and Ship” services this quarter. It’s also offering informational materials on navigating Zoom, as well as virtual options for interlibrary loans.
Big changes have happened at the DePaul Art Museum, as all of its gallery spaces are transformed into one massive Latinx exhibition. This is part of the museum’s three-year “LatinXAmerican” initiative aimed at bringing attention to DePaul’s Latinx community. The current exhibition showcases 38 artists across more than 75 works of art. It is currently online-only, though there are plans to open to in-person visitors before the exhibition closes on August 15.

In national news…

The New York Times reports that the House will move quickly on President Donald J. Trump’s impeachment if Vice President Mike Pence refuses to act. The House plans to introduce a resolution asking Pence and the cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment. Speaker Nancy Pelosi put pressure on Pence in a letter on Sunday, urging him to respond. Originally, the Times reported the House could delay the Impeachment Article to the Senate. The House could vote as soon as Tuesday but would like to avoid having the impeachment be the main focus of President-elect Biden’s first few days. According to Representative James E. Clyburn, the Democratic whip, the article may not make it to the Senate until after Biden’s first 100 days.
Americans are divided on whether to remove President Trump according to Vox. Recent polls from PBS NewsHour/Marist (48 percent in favor), YouGov (50 percent in favor), Axios/Ipsos (51 percent in favor) and ABC News/Ipsos (56 percent in favor) all have similar results.
The Los Angeles Times reports that members of the House may have been exposed to the coronavirus by someone who tested positive during the Capitol siege by insurrectionists. The attending physician urged all lawmakers to get tested.
The Capitol Police Chief resigned days ahead of his January 16 end date, according to The Washington Post. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi publicly called for Chief Steven Sund to step down in response to the breach from the pro-Trump mob.

Recommendations

Looking for a quick and fun read to kick off your annual reading challenge for the new year? Or looking for a Christie-inspired murder mystery filled with juicy twists and a plot that you just can’t anticipate? Well, look no further than Lucy Foley’s latest psychological thriller, The Guest List. Set on a dark and rocky island off the coast of Ireland, both killer and victim are part of the high-profile wedding party that is being hosted on the otherwise uninhabited terrain. With a nonlinear narrative, Foley’s refreshing take on the classic whodunit leaves the reader not only guessing who the killer is but also wondering who has been killed until its final, climactic end.

Resources

COVID-19 Testing

All of these testing sites can be accessed for free and without insurance.

Howard Brown offers free, walk-in COVID-19 testing at multiple locations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, in addition to mobile testing sites that are updated weekly, which you can access here.
The Illinois Department of Health and the City of Chicago have opened more free COVID-19 testing sites in the city and surrounding counties, which are listed with more information here.
In the spring, the City of Chicago partnered with CORE response to set up free drive-thru and walk-in testing sites in the city, primarily on the South and West sides, with appointments available Monday through Friday. Register here.
The city has also updated its COVID-19 testing program with more mobile sites, which change weekly. More info here.

Mental Health Resources

At Open Counseling, there’s a list of people and nonprofits with counseling services available for free or low cost.
This website compiles mental health resources, including therapist/counselor directories and other online resources.
The Center on Halsted offers behavioral health, anti-violence and educational resources for LGBTQIA+ people.
Howard Brown Health offers anti-racism resources and sliding scale counseling specializing in the LGBTQ+ community.
This document is a resource for Black people experiencing racial trauma. This master list includes specific resources as well as protesting tips and donation links.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago who provide services for under $75.
Here’s 7 virtual mental health resources supporting Black people right now, including Chicago-based community organization Sista Afya’s support groups
And the Trans Lifeline’s Peer Support Hotline is a resource operated by transgender and nonbinary staffers for the trans community: 877-565-8860.
The Center for Religion and Psychotherapy in Chicago is a nonprofit that provides affordable, sliding-scale counseling. Call (312) 263-4368 extension 9081 to schedule an intake appointment (counseling is not religious-centered).

That’s all for this week, folks. We’ll see you in your inbox again next week but in the meantime, please take care of yourself (mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually!) and stay safe.

With love,

14 East’s Newsletter Team

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