Election Day, the National Guard returns, and record-breaking COVID numbers
And a resource on preparedness for the week to come
Happy November, folks! There’s a lot, and we mean, a lot going on in the world at this exact moment, so your newsletter team – Francesca, Justin, Robin, Cam and Associate Editor Paige Haeffele – are here to try to break things down a little.
First of all, tomorrow is Election Day. Do you still need a plan to vote? Check out our Voting Guide for more information about registration, mail-in ballots, polling locations and more. Remember – you can register on Election Day in Illinois – so don’t think it’s too late to get your vote counted.
Are you ready to go to the polls, but need to learn more about what’s on your ballot? Last Friday, 14 East published our Issues Guide, a sequel to the Voting Guide that gives you the rundown on some Illinois and Chicago-specific ballot items. Both the Issues Guide and the Voting Guide are available in Spanish, too.
We also highly recommend checking out Injustice Watch’s #CheckYourJudges guide to the Cook County judicial retention portion of your ballot. It’s super well researched and easy to use whether you’re still filling out a ballot at home or planning to head to the polls in person.
Check back with @14eastmag on Twitter and Instagram throughout this evening and tomorrow for more voting-related information. We’ll break down parts of the guides for you to share with your friends and be checking in with our followers to see how your 2020 Election night is going.
And before we get into the news – take care of yourselves, everyone. With COVID-19 cases on the rise and perhaps the most important election of many of our lifetimes taking place, we’re all under a lot of stress. Check out the mental health resources at the bottom of this newsletter and feel free to share with us via social media or email to share any resources or practice helping you get through this week.
What’s happening in Chicago?
Cases of COVID-19 in Illinois continue to rise, with 15,000 new cases and 81 deaths reported over the weekend. The positivity rate for those tested has risen to 8 percent for three consecutive days over the weekend, which is leading to new restrictions and guidelines across Chicago. Under the new restrictions announced by Governor J.B Pritzker on Sunday, all indoor dining and bar service will be suspended for at least two weeks, and gatherings will be limited to a maximum of 50 people. These regulations will go into effect Wednesday.
These new regulations will not impact voting. As of Friday, over 644,000 people had already voted in Chicago, which easily breaks the record for early votes cast in any election. Voting officials are still expecting a large turnout among Chicagoans tomorrow on Election Day as well. Voters have the option of voting at social-distancing friendly “super sites” such as Union Station and the Clerk’s office in the Loop in addition to their precinct’s voting location.
Poll workers will be equipped with disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. Voters are encouraged to wear masks, and any who decline to wear a mask will be directed to a separate voting area.
In anticipation of unrest due to the election results, Lori Lightfoot has bolstered police presence in many neighborhoods that were hotspots for looting and protesting in the past few months, according to NBC5 Chicago. The Illinois National Guard was spotted earlier today driving into McCormick Place, where they’re stationed “to be ready to respond if needed.” That said, the Chicago Office of Emergency Management & Communications tweeted today that there are “currently no plans for them to be deployed.”
On Saturday, student protests at Northwestern University resulted in one arrest. Students protested for the defunding of the Northwestern University police force and cutting ties to Evanston police. Officers used pepper spray on the protestors when it was reported that bricks and other objects were thrown at officers. This was the first clash between Northwestern student protestors and the police in wake of what had previously been entirely nonviolent protests.
Other Chicago headlines
This Halloween weekend there were 29 shootings across the City of Chicago. Four of these resulted in deaths. Gun violence has been up 50 percent in the city throughout October.
City officials and local businesses are preparing for potential Election Day protests. Chicago police are expanding their patrols and many businesses are boarding up. Mayor Lori Lightfoot suggested that bringing up the bridges and halting public transit remain as options.
Ground has been broken at 1370 W. 79th St. for a new affordable housing project. There are 40 units in the building and all are going to be energy efficient. The developing firm, 548 Capital, has been making strides to meet the needs of those finding difficulty with getting housing. They have another project at the 7700 block of South Carpenter Street.
What’s happening at DePaul?
As we near the end of Fall Quarter, let’s take a quick look back at what we know right now about Winter Quarter classes. First, regardless of if they’re scheduled to be in-person or remote, all courses will be completely online for the first two weeks after classes resume. This is in preparation for holiday travel, which may place members of the campus community in high risk areas for infection. Those anticipating on-campus housing during this time should get an email soon with additional details specific to them.
Leading up to Winter Quarter, make sure to keep up-to-date on changes to DePaul building schedules. Facilities such as the Lincoln Park Student Center will be operating with reduced hours over the December intersession. Over the summer, additional precautions were put in place to restrict the access of visitors to DePaul buildings, though this has not been announced for Winter Quarter. Per tradition, the university will completely shut down from December 23 to January 1 for the holidays.
Additionally, an announcement is planned to be made in January detailing the university’s plans for Spring Quarter. While on the topic of Spring Quarter, though its registration typically coincides with the start of summer registration, this will not be the case this year. Students enrolling in summer courses will instead begin their enrollment the same day as fall registration begins, April 29.
With that out of the way, are you tired of 2020 yet? Look ahead to 2023 and jump on board with DePaul’s quasquicentennial festivities, i.e., its 125th anniversary celebration. The university is looking for students’ creative talents in coming up with a special logo honoring this milestone. The winning design has potential to appear on a variety of celebratory materials such as signs, clothing merch and email letterheads – anywhere you’d expect to see the official logo. The winner will receive a $3,000 scholarship. To enter, you must express your intent by November 25 using this form and be enrolled as a student. Final designs aren’t due until March 21, 2021, and students may work on their ideas individually or assemble a team, in which case the scholarship will be split equally among all those involved. Both digital and hand-sketched designs will be accepted.
If you don’t want to read the news, here’s the headlines to know.
More than 9,330,500 people within the United States have or have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March, and at least 231,100 have died, according to the New York Times. States are seeing their highest case counts yet, including Illinois and other Midwestern states, and Wisconsin remains a hotspot for infections, as it hits an average positivity rate of 30.1%.
Election Day is tomorrow, and voters across the country are casting their ballots. Allan Smith at NBC News estimates that 97 million voters have voted already. This compares to only 50 million at the same time during the last presidential election cycle in 2016.
A federal judge recently threw out a lawsuit claiming that the 127,000 ballots cast by voters in Harris County, where Houston is located, were illegitimate, providing a precedent that could impact other suits across the country, according to Brian Naylor at NPR.
A Quinnipiac poll released earlier today puts former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of President Trump by at 11 points nationally with a 2.5-point margin of error. The poll also places Biden slightly ahead in Florida and Ohio, two critical states to cinch this election.
FiveThirtyEight contacted election authorities to determine an estimated time that results would be tabulated and released in each state, as well as races to watch; you can learn more about the timing of results in Illinois and other states here.
Your Educational Resource of the Week
This week we want to turn your attention to something that may be helpful for you before and after the election, no matter the outcome. There’s a resource that’s been circulating online, helping people plan their lives during this stressful time. It’s called the Safety Checklist for November. In it are several sections with resources on protesting, anxiety/self-care and prepping for increasing COVID-19 restrictions.
Resources for students
773-325-7290 and deanofstudents@depaul.edu
The Dean of Students’ Office provides a variety of resources like the Student Emergency Assistance Fund (SEAF) and academic assistance.
Provides financial assistance to students.
Located in the Lincoln Park Student Center, the student food pantry is free and available to all students during limited hours. DePaul ID required for access.
Provides funding for projects led by faculty, staff and student groups.
An online portal linking students to all sorts of virtual events on campus.
A database created by the Illinois Department of Health of all testing centers in the state.
The Chicago Queer Exchange is a network of individuals across Chicago working in collective unity to help those within the LGBTQ+ community. It offers a wide variety of services from cheap furniture to emergency housing and more.
I-Share is a network between libraries across Illinois that allows for reciprocal lending of books and materials to students, even if they don’t attend the college or university they’re borrowing from. DePaul recently updated their I-Share protocol in light of the university physically reopening.
Mental Health Resources
At Open Counseling, there’s a list of people and non-profits with counseling services available for free or low cost.
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
Where to Access Food in Chicago
Freefood.org has a running list of free food resources for those in need.
Brave Space Alliance has a crisis food pantry for Black and trans individuals in need. If you would like to request assistance from Brave Space Alliance, fill out this form.
This spreadsheet highlights businesses and locations providing food. There are also links to donate to these organizations.
Check out the Greater Chicago Food Depository for food banks or donate.
Free Resources for Non-Black Allies
The NPR podcast “Code Switch” tackles a diverse array of topics centered around racial identities and racism in America.
Reading guide of texts about race. All PDFs are free.
Here’s a guide to protest safely during the pandemic
Here’s the ACLU’s Right to Protest guide for Illinois
If you think someone you know has been arrested – call the Chicago Community bail fund at 773-309-1198 to locate them (you need to know their birthdate and full legal name)
Want to increase your awareness about environmental racism, racism in the medical field or another specific subject? Here’s a database by activist and artist Angelina Ruiz, which details reading lists over a range of subject matter pertaining to race.
And once again, your newsletter team –– Francesca, Justin, Cam, Robin and Paige (congrats on your first newsletter!) –– is signing off. We urge you to vote, stay safe, stay healthy and take care of each other this week. See ya soon.