Something seems shady at City Hall. It’s not the first time a Chicago politician is operating in the dark. But the actions of Mayor Brandon Johnson are conspicuous for the progressive union organizer who ascended to office on bold promises of cogovernance with the pantheon of Chicago’s political left who coalesced around him.  Since taking […]

The post Johnson administration’s early days marked by lapses in transparency appeared first on Chicago Reader.

When the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) first announced its Meeting the Moment action plan last year, workforce and service delivery issues were at the forefront. Officials pointed to the “Great Resignation” as creating an unusually competitive job market, leading to high attrition rates among bus and rail operators. Mass resignations during the pandemic, along with […]

The post The moment met the CTA appeared first on Chicago Reader.

This story is part of the Chicago Missing Persons project by City Bureau and Invisible Institute, two nonprofit journalism organizations based in Chicago. Read the full investigation and see resources for families of the missing here. Shantieya Smith was a protector in her North Lawndale home, where three generations lived under one roof—the cousin you’d […]

The post What happens when your loved one goes missing? appeared first on Chicago Reader.

My hair is neatly combed these days, no longer the “rat’s nest” my mom affectionately called it when I was a child. But, as I enter Harold Washington Library on a recent autumn day, I still feel an affinity for the creature multiple mayors have identified as Chicago’s top public enemy. I’m here to look […]

The post Target: rats appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Between 2008 and 2022, judges found the testimony of 40 law enforcement officers in Cook County to be incredible or unbelievable, but few officers faced significant repercussions.

The post Judges challenge police credibility in court appeared first on Chicago Reader.

I first reached out to the CTA over email this July, asking them if they tracked opioid overdose-related deaths. I didn’t get an answer to that question until August. The answer was no. But by then, I had already started trying to figure out the numbers on my own.

The post How many opioid overdoses occur on the CTA? appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Content note: some of the names in this story have been changed to protect anonymity. Editor’s note (added November 6, 2023): the writer, Tracy Baim, is related to Clark Baim, who is a main subject in this story. It’s Sunday morning in August 2022, and midway through an online group therapy session, Mariia, in Kyiv, […]

The post An online refuge for care workers during the Ukraine War appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Content note: this story includes details of a violent hate crime against a teenager. From the first World War to the 1970s, more than six million African Americans migrated from the Jim Crow south to cities including Chicago. As documented by The Warmth of Other Suns author Isabel Wilkerson, the Great Migration “was not solely […]

The post Chicago church part of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument  appeared first on Chicago Reader.

It feels like something I don’t have much power to prevent. Like an occasional mosquito bite that you can’t control, it’s just in the air. Except that mosquito sucks $100 from you here and there. Eric Hoskins Eric Hoskins has never owned a car in Chicago. The slew of expenses car ownership incurs in the […]

The post Lose your car, but keep the debt appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Hortensia Bussi held back tears as she addressed a crowd of more than 2,000 people gathered at DePaul University on a December afternoon in 1973. She was in Chicago because, on September 11, 1973, with spring in the air and Chile’s national holiday on the horizon, military aircraft launched from the port city of Valparaíso […]

The post A city of sanctuary: Chicago’s role in the 1973 Chilean coup appeared first on Chicago Reader.

This August 21 marked the five-year anniversary of Dan Bigg’s death. As the CRA gets ready for their 2023 barbecue, I dropped by to learn more about Dan and his legacy from folks who knew him best.

The post Dan Bigg’s legacy of positive change appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Poor bathroom access, shortened recovery times, and safety concerns impact employee morale and, by extension, the commuter experience.

The post CTA employees share the personal cost of working inside the nation’s second-largest transit agency appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Sheila Haennicke was woken up around 2 AM on November 16, 2021, by an Oak Park policeman who informed her and her husband that their 29-year-old son was found unresponsive and his body was at Ascension Resurrection Hospital. In the hours before, Sheila Haennicke’s son, David Haennicke, died of an accidental overdose on the CTA […]

The post ‘Just trying to help him stay alive’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Incidents like this happen, or almost happen, on the CTA every day, so why am I telling you about this one?

The post Anatomy of an intervention appeared first on Chicago Reader.

On a Saturday evening in May, Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela, an elected member of the South African National Assembly and the grandson of Nelson Mandela, stood on stage at the Chicago Teachers Union and recited a chant from a South African tradition that echoed across the rooms of the hall. Mandela, invited to Chicago by organizers […]

The post Does BDS solidarity lose elections?  appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The following five profiles feature trans and genderqueer elders in Chicago as they reflect on identity and joy this Pride Month.

The post Trans elders are revolutionaries appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Fallout from a queer erotica screening at Sleeping Village exhibits how far cultural institutions still have to go to support the entire LGBTQ+ community.

The post Worth the risk? appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Being a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in Chicago means that you are allowed to open a private practice and bill insurance for your clients’ sessions. It also means that you have attained your master’s degree in social work, completed 3,000 hours of clinical work under a licensed supervisor (including unpaid but graded hours of […]

The post ’People of all generations healing together’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Content note: This story contains descriptions of deaths in prisons, including suicide. On July 16, 2010, at 11 PM, Jeremy started sweating. He walked to the health-care unit inside the Lawrence Correctional Center, a medium-security men’s prison in southeast Illinois, where he was serving a 14-year sentence. The facility sits about 90 minutes from Terre […]

The post ’Inmates are extremely manipulative‘ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The day mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson descended upon Lighthouse Church of Chicago UCC was reminiscent of any other political season meet and greet between a hopeful candidate and an inquisitive community of faith. Except it wasn’t the same because Lighthouse is the only predominantly African American and LGBTQ+ -inclusive congregation in the city. The church, […]

The post Brandon Johnson speaks with Black LGBTQ+ leaders appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) is an annual celebration of the lives and contributions of trans people, created in 2010 to draw attention to the community’s successes and also draw attention to the discrimination, violence, and other systemic challenges that trans communities face. This year, local unions with engaged and active trans members are throwing […]

The post Queer Chicago union workers celebrate Trans Day of Visibility with solidarity appeared first on Chicago Reader.

About 15 workers from Berlin Nightclub stood outside the 40-year-old Lakeview venue on March 11. They were a few dozen feet from the Belmont Red Line station, in a gaggle, below a steady downpour of flurrying snow that wouldn’t stick. Because of the weather, the streets and buildings all had a thin, wet film. The […]

The post Organizing the night workers appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The story of Chicago’s own Black Child Book Fair, a traveling event that promotes literacy for Black kids across the country, starts with Chicagoan and author Darryl Harvey releasing his incipient children’s book in 2010, I Can Do Anything. It features a Black child on the cover and is the first in his Sunflower series, […]

The post Superheroes that look like me appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The queer, DACA-led southwest-side group addresses community needs around food, health and public space.

The post The Gage Park Latinx Council nurtures community and identity  appeared first on Chicago Reader.

I’m no expert, I’ve never been addicted or unhoused, and my grief and rage are not the biggest in this city, but still, six people I know died last year. I think you should know them too.

The post ‘She was somebody to us’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

An audiologist's study of over-the-counter hearing aids, a guide to radiator noises, an investigation of ShotSpotter, and much more

The post The Sound Issue appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Employees say a program that serves LGBTQI+ survivors of sexual assault is failing staff and patients.

The post Howard Brown Health halts its medical forensic exam program appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Season three of Escaping the Odds, a podcast about entrepreneurship for the formerly incarcerated, dropped Tuesday.

The post Interview with podcaster Aaron Smith: ‘Get to the root of the person’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Last year, COPA recommended three of the officers involved be fired. They still haven’t been.

The post Chicago police pistol-whipped suspect in brutal 2017 arrest appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The former top judge of Cook County’s domestic violence court will retire with a lifetime pension, despite accusations from women in his courtroom that he mistreated them.

The post Cook County Judge Raúl Vega is retiring under a cloud of allegations appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Advocates say sustained funding is vital to violence reduction.

The post State budget impasse linked to 2016 homicide spike appeared first on Chicago Reader.

My 91-year-old neighbor on hardtack, comradery, and the possibilities of outer space

The post What my hand telephone doesn’t know about Ann appeared first on Chicago Reader.

This isn't the feel-good Christmas story you’re looking for.

The post Searching for the CTA holiday train appeared first on Chicago Reader.

¿Quién tiene derecho a hacer arte en un espacio público?

The post Grieta en la pared appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Who has the right to make art in a public space?

The post Crack in the wall appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Caught in a systemic cycle of incarceration, addiction, and homelessness, how do you make room for the possibility for hope?

The post A bouquet of pharmacy roses appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Despite a move to make HIV prevention drugs free through insurers, those living with the virus fear high prices and endless red tape.

The post The cost of living appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Una breve investigación sobre la desaparición de los buzones de periódicos

The post Si está leyendo esto, no es muy tarde appeared first on Chicago Reader.

A short investigation into the disappearance of news boxes

The post If you’re reading this it’s not too late appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The woman who brought modern art to Chicago

The post Kuh-Kuh appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The city says it’s keeping the streets clean. Citizens say the streets are a ticketing gold mine.

The post Why sweep the streets? appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The reporting is an icon of the paper’s journalism, but John Conroy wonders what it actually accomplished.

The post ‘House of Screams’ revisited appeared first on Chicago Reader.

A deep dive into how this city’s alt-weekly made it through five decades

The post The Reader at 50 appeared first on Chicago Reader.

BIPOC growers on what it’s like to urban farm on the south and west sides

The post A revolutionary act appeared first on Chicago Reader.

I want choice, not a fistful of deeply unhelpful options wrestled, after months, from the banal, cruel system we make poor people navigate to access health care.

The post Medicaid has been good to my body, but it has abandoned my brain appeared first on Chicago Reader.

After a plumbing flood at the aging Logan Correctional Center, three women organized one of the first successful hunger strikes in an Illinois women’s prison in years.

The post First came the sewage, then the hunger strike appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The group is reexamining food distribution through a racial equity lens while fighting for long-term systemic change.

The post The city’s first food equity council works to feed everyone appeared first on Chicago Reader.

As Illinois prisons accelerated releases during the pandemic, many were forced into crowded, unmonitored residential reentry centers across Cook County.

The post ‘I’ll be the first to die’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The group rejected the mainstream gay rights movement and kept alive the spirit of radical LGBTQ+ activism.

The post Queer to the Left came to raise hell appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Uptown residents say plans to sell the lot hint that the operator of Weiss Memorial, which houses an important center for transgender care, could shutter the hospital.

The post Weiss Memorial Hospital wants to sell a parking lot. Activists say that’s a bad sign. appeared first on Chicago Reader.

One McDonald’s chain in Chicago received half a million dollars in forgivable federal loans. Then came complaints of COVID-19 safety failures and a deadly outbreak.

The post PPP aid flooded fast food outlets facing labor complaints appeared first on Chicago Reader.

A report by the state’s auditor general criticized the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services for failing to address the needs of LGBTQ+ youth in its care.

The post Undercounted and underserved appeared first on Chicago Reader.

At Casa Al-Fatiha in Logan Square, two local musicians built a sanctuary for LGBTQ asylum seekers.

The post A DIY music space transforms into a home for asylum seekers appeared first on Chicago Reader.

For three decades, the city has failed to cope with the loss of mental health clinics. The pandemic revealed the wounds of this disinvestment.

The post Breaking the cycle appeared first on Chicago Reader.

“It sounded like the way I thought democracy was supposed to work.”

The post Here’s what you need to know about participatory budgeting appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Where people want the money to go and where the money actually goes

The post Who gets a slice? appeared first on Chicago Reader.

A pilot program for participatory budgeting in Chicago Public Schools led to gender-neutral bathrooms, shower curtains in locker rooms, and students feeling empowered to influence change.

The post ‘What difference would that make?’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Cops say masked teens with a thirst for violence and joyrides are terrorizing the city. An examination of arrests reveals a narrative built on shoddy data and anecdotal evidence.

The post Politics of fear: Are youth really to blame for the carjacking spike? appeared first on Chicago Reader.

A new building filled with social service and education amenities at Altgeld Gardens is a test case for the limits of design and architecture.

The post Is this library politics? appeared first on Chicago Reader.

A dispatch from a protest for Adam Toledo and against police brutality

The post ‘One shot and a cover-up’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

A first-of-its kind resource center is working to empower the queer workforce about their rights after a spate of historic civil rights victories.

The post The National LGBTQ Workers Center aims to end harassment on the job appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Video released Thursday shows that 13-year-old Adam Toledo was unarmed and raising his hands when he was killed by police.

The post Hands up, don’t shoot appeared first on Chicago Reader.

For those who live there, the Ewing Annex Hotel is a refuge, an artifact, and a last chance. The man who’s been holding it together for more than 20 years is about to retire.

The post The last men’s hotel appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Weed is legal in Illinois, but expunging records and freeing prisoners remains complicated.

The post ‘Does the punishment fit the crime?’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The fiery opposition warned of "outside agitators," but most were weighing in from outside the city themselves.

The post How suburban influence defeated a resolution to condemn the Indian government appeared first on Chicago Reader.

CPD has tried to turn rapper and comedian Mohawk Johnson into a cautionary example to social justice protesters. He has other plans.

The post On house arrest with Mohawk Johnson appeared first on Chicago Reader.

A new ABC docuseries focuses on the young public official changing the face of Chicago politics.

The post Bushra Amiwala is “The Voice” to inspire future leaders appeared first on Chicago Reader.

As mutual aid groups pick up the government’s slack during the pandemic, social justice organizations and funders are looking at how to continue this momentum.

The post The solidarity economy appeared first on Chicago Reader.

A deep dive into Illinois’s sweeping new criminal justice reform law

The post Bail abolition is just the tip of the iceberg appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Chuy Garcia’s first term in Congress earns progressive accolades, honorary Squad membership

The post ‘He’s a real one’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s latest exhibit preaches equity, but behind the scenes artists and former museum employees are demanding real change.

The post ‘The Long Dream’ and a labor nightmare appeared first on Chicago Reader.

In 1963, a Black politician named Ben Lewis was shot to death in Chicago. Clues suggest the murder was a professional hit. Decades later, it remains no accident authorities never solved the crime.

The post The murder Chicago didn’t want to solve appeared first on Chicago Reader.

As Chicago Recovery Alliance feuds, overdoses spike.

The post Harm reduction appeared first on Chicago Reader.

If there wasn’t a serial killer who picked off dozens of victims without detection for decades, then the city was broken in a way that gave off the illusion of one.

The post Have you seen these 51 women? appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Author, organizer, and educator Mariame Kaba shows that collective action can be powerful only with community, and provides the next generation of changemakers with critical lessons on abolition and organizing in her new book.

The post ‘Nothing that we do that is worthwhile is done alone’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

A guide to your rights as a Chicago renter during a pandemic

The post Confused about the COVID-19 eviction bans? We’ve got you covered appeared first on Chicago Reader.

For nearly 20 years, the United States was on the verge of adjusting the census and eliminating the Black undercount.

The post Losing count appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Cook County let eviction court go unrecorded for six months.

The post Eviction court judge slams moratorium as ‘utter idiocy.’ It’s not on the record. appeared first on Chicago Reader.

She fell behind on rent. Then her landlord sued. Then the Chicago Housing Authority threatened to terminate her voucher.

The post Domestic violence survivors battle to keep legally protected housing subsidies appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Current and former students, staff, and faculty at the top-ranked art school describe microaggressions, discrimination, and a failed anti-racism campaign.

The post Inside the fight for racial equity at SAIC appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Three generations of unapologetic Latina activists continue the Lozano family legacy.

The post It’s in her blood appeared first on Chicago Reader.

COVID-19 hospitalizations at Illinois corrections department leave incarcerated peoples’ loved ones with questions

The post In the dark appeared first on Chicago Reader.

On the violence, sadness, and hope of 2020

The post A year like no other appeared first on Chicago Reader.

From voter outreach to working for their communities, undocumented immigrants across the Chicago area don’t let their immigration status get in the way of participating politically.

The post For undocumented immigrants, the work doesn’t stop at the election appeared first on Chicago Reader.

In the last decade the Chicago Park District has removed 12 of 16 basketball courts from neighborhoods that have doubled and tripled in value, further marginalizing communities facing displacement.

The post A case of disappearing hoops in gentrifying neighborhoods appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Amid a pandemic and spike in anti-Asian attacks, being an election judge in 2020 was about supporting democracy and taking a stance against racism.

The post Chinese-speaking poll workers reflect on historic election appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Current and former employees of Pangea describe racism, segregation, and a "toxic" workplace.

The post Corporate culture at Chicago’s top evictor is ‘an absolute caste system’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

These organizations supported the amendment for a graduated income tax, but now must find ways to support their communities after election loss.

The post Immigrant advocates regroup, prepare for austerity after Fair Tax defeat appeared first on Chicago Reader.

We likely won’t see the 75 percent cut that organizers have asked for, but there are some proposals on the table.

The post Four actual proposals for cutting Chicago’s police budget right now appeared first on Chicago Reader.

After the success of Proposition 22, the ride-hailing giant is funding a local super PAC that could drastically change the gig economy landscape in Illinois.

The post Lyft won big in California. Now it’s set its sights on Illinois. appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Restaurant owners of color struggle to stay afloat during the pandemic.

The post ‘If I could run away, I would’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

When election and racial justice protests rocked Chicago, the mayor used raised bridges and shut down public transportation as crowd control measures, which harmed the city’s workers.

The post Lightfoot turns city’s infrastructure into weapons against protesters appeared first on Chicago Reader.

A Q&A with the designer of the People’s Budget bus tour

The post How do you give Chicagoans a say in the city’s budget? appeared first on Chicago Reader.

What a Reader contributor saw as a first-time election judge

The post Tales from the polls appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The swinging lifestyle creates solace and friendship for those seeking sexual freedom.

The post Sex and the suburbs appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The Chicago Public Library's flagship teen program was a refuge for Black and Brown youth. Recent layoffs put that in jeopardy.

The post What happened to YOUmedia? appeared first on Chicago Reader.

A guide to who holds the power and purse strings when it comes to Chicago’s money

The post How does the city budget work? appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Budget season is here but it’s more dogged than usual. How will the city recover from a nearly billion-dollar budget gap?

The post Chicago’s budget crisis, explained appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Black and trans activists build networks of support and mutual aid at Brave Space Alliance.

The post ‘If they cannot hear you when you whisper, watch when you say a cuss word’ appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Leslie Borns is adventure-ready, with sizable sunglasses and a big floppy hat protecting her from the sun above the Montrose Beach Dunes.

The post How one woman revived the city’s most impressive natural ecosystem appeared first on Chicago Reader.