More Protests, Gun Violence Throughout the Weekend; Summer School and Autumn Quarter Prep

And a landmark Supreme Court decision

Jun 30, 2020

Hello dear friends,

It’s your beloved newsletter crew — Cam, Grace, Mikayla and Robin — here to bring you more news and resources.

This week you bring you stories of Phase 4, an homage to the original Pride, another protest at DePaul and an Angela Davis reading.

What’s happening in Chicago?

Chicago saw another weekend of both celebration and violence, and children were the victims of gun violence yet again.

Last weekend, five teenagers and children were fatally shot. Saturday, 20-month-old Sincere Gaston was fatally shot while in his car seat with his mother. The police now believe the gunman was trying to target Gaston’s father, who they had assumed was in the car.

Not soon after Chicago Police Chief of Operations Fred Waller publicly addressed this killing on Saturday ⁠— saying that, “too many times children are killed by senseless violence, and not only just children, but grown-ups also”⁠— a 10-year-old girl was killed in Logan Square. Lena Nunez Anaya was watching TV with her brother at her grandmother’s house. A stray bullet went through the window and fatally hit her in the head. Today, there is a community vigil in her memory and a “call to unite Chicago against gun violence.” It will be held at 3534 W Dickens at 7 p.m.

An eight-year-old girl was grazed by a bullet less than two hours after Nunez’s death. She remains in fair condition.

On Sunday, stray bullets became intentional shots. A currently unidentified male shot a 19-year-old man in the back of the head, killing him at around 7 a.m. in Rogers Park. Less than a half hour later, someone fatally shot an 18-year-old man several times in the torso.

“Father Mike Pfleger says that with every death of a child, we are burying our future,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted on Saturday. That same day, President Trump sent a letter to both Lightfoot and Governor J.B. Pritzker addressing Chicago’s gun violence. Since 2016, Trump has claimed that he could fix the “killing problem” in one day but has not taken any steps to do so. “Violence and death, which are disproportionately harming young African Americans, are tragic and unacceptable,” he wrote in the letter. Mayor Lightfoot tweeted that she doesn’t “need leadership lessons from Donald Trump,” and has mentioned before that the pandemic is a likely factor in the increase in violence. The coronavirus outbreak has disproportionately affected people of color thus far and the Trump administration has falsely claimed they are working on resolving the impact of the pandemic on the Black community.

My Block, My Hood, My City is giving away a total of $50,000 in peace grants in an attempt to stop gun violence on the Fourth of July weekend. The organization created by community activists plans to aid any person or group that helps prevent violence.

Phase 4 allowed people to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pride this weekend. On Friday, restaurants and bars were allowed to reopen their indoor seating with specific social distancing rules and various capacity limitations depending on the type of establishment. Lines formed outside bars throughout the city and everything looked normal — a little too normal. Block Club Chicago reported that many people in Wrigleyville were not wearing masks. The CDC recommends and both Pritzker and Lightfoot have said people must wear a mask when outside and unable to social distance.

While some waited in lines on the sidewalk, others were marching on the street. “Pride Without Prejudice” march took place in lieu of the annual Pride Parade, which was canceled in advance due to the pandemic. The march sought to elevate Black and Brown transgender voices, denounce police brutality and celebrate the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall riots in 1969.

Take me out to the ballgame, 2.0? This Wednesday, both the Chicago Cubs and White Sox will return to their home fields for an expedited training camp. The Major League Baseball organization has compiled a 113-page manual that is filled with protocols on how to keep players safe from contracting and spreading COVID-19. Mayor Lightfoot remains hopeful that the fields could reopen with limited capacity, but no date is in sight.

The iconic Willis Tower Skydeck is set to reopen July 3, not that anyone needs any more adrenaline or cortisol in their bodies right about now. The glass structure that allows people to look down onto the city will only be open on the weekends. The number of people per group will be limited and only one party is allowed per window bay.

If you do not want to be high in the sky, you can instead dive deep into Chicago’s pools that are reopening. Under Phase 4, all pools, water parks and beaches are allowed to reopen at 50 percent capacity. The Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said there is no current proof that COVID-19 can spread through water, but that it can spread between swimmers who are not social distancing.

As of today, 738 new cases of the coronavirus were reported, bringing the state total to 141,723 since the start of the outbreak. There have been 14 additional deaths due to complications from the coronavirus, which is the fewest reported since March. This brings the state death toll to 6,902 since the beginning of the outbreak.

Other Headlines In Chicago

Saint Anthony’s Hospital, in North Lawndale, created a kid-friendly outdoor coronavirus testing site and clinic, by Block Club Chicago’s Pascal Sabino.
Chicago Public Schools create new plans for summer school, by Chalkbeat Chicago’s Mila Koumpilova. This includes extending internet access to homes across the city, as well as using programs from Khan Academy.
A family bought all of a paletero’s ice pops on Father’s Day, then created a crowdfunding campaign, giving him at least $40,000 to retire on, by Chicago Tribune’s Laura Rodríguez Presa
The Bud Billiken parade is canceled for the first time in 91 years due to the coronavirus, by Chicago Sun Times’s Miriam Di Nunzio. The parade stands as the largest African-American parade in the United States, and stretches from Bronzeville to Washington Park.
Chicago Bears season ticket holders can receive refunds for 2020, but the team remains hopeful for games, by Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs.
Federally endangered shorebirds are hatching on Montrose Beach, by Chicago Tribune’s Morgan Greene, including Chicago’s beloved plovers.

What’s happening at DePaul?

On Saturday, student activists took to the DePaul Quad to demand that the university end its partnership with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). The protest is the third conducted by DePaul student activists in the wake of George Floyd’s murder which ignited international civil uprisings.

DePaul students are not alone in their protests. While demands vary from school to school, other Chicago universities join them in the fight. In Hyde Park, University of Chicago students are calling for the abolition of UCPD, the largest private police force in Chicago, while in Evanston, Northwestern University students are calling for their university to create concrete policies to protect its Black population.

DePaul students carrying signs explaining DePaul’s connection with the FOP. Grace Del Vecchio, 14 East

Last week, in the days leading up to the protest, the DePaul chapter of Students Against Incarceration posted a series of graphics via Instagram explaining the students’ demands and information about the Fraternal Order of Police.

saidepaul

swipe through to learn more about the Fraternal Order of Police in Chicago and its connections to DePaul❗️ all info is cited at the end

June 25, 2020

On the list of demands, students called for DePaul to terminate its relationship with the FOP, end its School Resources Officer (SRO) program that puts law enforcement officers in schools, and reallocate funds from the Criminology B.A. program and put them towards supporting Black students.

In his address to the crowd of protesters, Black Student Union President Keith Norward drew attention to the last demand calling for the university to prioritize and protect Black students at DePaul and increase funding to African and Black Diaspora studies, Black Cultural Center and Black student groups and organizations.

“DePaul needs to commit to the future of Black students and Black studies,” said Norward.

Keith Norward addresses the crowd in the DePaul Quad on Saturday. Grace Del Vecchio, 14 East

If you don’t want to read the news, here’s the headlines to know.

The Supreme Court has ruled 5-4 against a Louisiana law that would have required all but one of the state’s abortion clinics to close, with Chief Justice John Roberts citing that the law placed an undue burden on those seeking an abortion, from Politico’s Alice Miranda Ollstein.
Different states are reopening — and re-closing — at different paces. Florida has preemptively closed select beaches leading up to July 4 weekend, and has closed bars statewide, as has Texas. California is closing bars in select counties, while providing suggestions for others, according to Forbes’ Sarah Hansen and Lisette Voytko. Other states are different, and NPR’s Rachel Triesman has a state-by-state guide.
The pandemic has exposed massive disparities when dealing with the price of staying healthy, as two Texans found: one has a bill for $199 for a COVID-19 test, while the other is facing an almost $6,500 charge. More on this from NYT’s The Upshot and Sarah Kliff.
COVID-19 is and has been mutating, according to The Washington Post’s Sarah Kaplan and Joel Achenbach, who explore how it is mutating, and what we can do about it.
Allegations of Russia having offered the Taliban bounties to target Western troops have been making waves on Capitol Hill this weekend, from NPR’s Jason Slotkin and Mark Katkov. President Donald Trump refutes that he covered up the allegations, saying in a Tweet last evening that he was not briefed because the information was not deemed “credible.”

And in other news… a nontraditional student prepares for her first year at DePaul.

Sitting at her desk in her South Side apartment, office worker Jazmin Chambers, 31, is thinking about her transition to DePaul this fall for the communications studies program as a non-traditional student.

Beyond relaxing, saving money and enjoying time with family via Facetime during the pandemic, she is laser-focused on getting her degree in two years and finally working at a place that makes her happy.

“I’ve been trying to get my bachelors degree for the past five years. It’s taken this long because of timing and finding space to get over the fear of failure,” Chambers said. “I was wondering if I would get in.”

After completing her associate’s degree last summer, she applied to DePaul on whim and learned of her acceptance in early June. Since then, Chambers has been working on starting her DePaul career strong, and a part of that is finding a new job that will make the leap to school more realized. Currently, she is looking for flexible, possibly remote, work and for scholarships that can help tackle her costs.

What Chambers didn't expect during her transition was the learning curve with new technology. She said she missed the first new student orientation because of work and plans on joining a different session, but Zoom is new for her. It’s just not a tool that she’s used before because she’s an essential worker, as someone who works with hospital records for the University of Chicago. Campus Connect is also a new platform she’s unfamiliar with, but is slowly getting the hang of since it’s vital to navigating DePaul while she’s here.

As for remote classes? “I feel okay. I think it wouldn’t be a problem since some communications classes can be done online,” Chambers said with some hesitation.

The transition is clear, but her career options are not. “When I graduate … maybe an editor? I don’t know yet, I’m keeping my options open.”

Chambers is excited to finish what she started years ago and believes DePaul can help get her there.

Your Educational Resource of the Week

Each week we will be using this section to highlight a different educational resource on race. It may come in the form of literature, film, art or anything that Black scholars and activists are centering at this time.

This week’s educational resource is, “Are Prisons Obsolete?” by Angela Davis. In this text, Davis challenges the need for the prison system while addressing other structures that were once seen as immutable which have since been abolished (ie: slavery).

Davis argues that those structures that seem the most powerful and unchangeable are the ones that need to be fought and dismantled the most. The book offers an explanation of an abolitionist framework which can, in turn, can be applied to abolition movements of the past and of today.

In the first chapters of the book Davis asks two important questions: Are prisons racist institutions? Is racism so deeply entrenched in the institution of the prison that it is not possible to eliminate one without eliminating the other?

You can find this book online or in person at a branch of the Chicago Public Library or at Semicolon Bookstore and Gallery, an independent Black-owned bookstore in Chicago.

Mental Health Resources

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.

Here’s 7 virtual mental health resources supporting Black people right now, including Chicago-based community organization Sista Afya’s support groups
Text SHARE to 741741 for free 24/7 crisis counseling by Crisis Text Line
Contact Illinois’ Call4Calm mental health resources. Residents can text TALK for English or HABLAR for Spanish to 552-020 and the state will put them in touch with a counselor
Call 833-626-4244 for the NAMI Chicago Helpline or 833-TURN-123 for the Bright Star Community Outreach to speak to a mental health counselor
If it’s late at night: text HELLO to 741741. Crisis Text Line is a 24-hour hotline that serves anyone, in any type of crisis
And the Trans Lifeline’s Peer Support Hotline is a resource operated by transgender and nonbinary staffers for the trans community: 877-565-8860.

Where to Access Food in Chicago

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.
Here’s a list of places to access food in Chicago today.

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.
Vanity Fair released a list of anti-racism movies that are streaming for free right now.
The Oregon-based Basic Rights Education Fund has released an anti-racism toolkit geared towards LGBTQ+ organizations.
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

Can’t protest but want to help? Use this social media toolkit by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR)
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)

Where you can donate