Police or no police: Will Chicago’s new mental health crisis pilot address structural failure?
By Emmanuel Kizito Medill Reports “Suicide by Cop” refers to situations where a person calls an officer or takes an action with the expectation that the officer will kill them. Sometimes carrying a toy gun or weapon, they depend upon the assumption that the police will shoot, even if mental illness or distress seems to […]
Fair Tax failure: Immigrant leaders break down why and what’s next
By Kelly Heinzerling Medill Reports When Illinoisans went to the polls this year, they were asked to vote on an amendment to the Illinois State Constitution which would give lawmakers the ability to create a graduated-rate income tax, which would tax wealthier people at a higher rate. Despite having the support of Gov. J.B. Pritzker […]
On Election Day, Chicago’s homeless population grapples with what it means for them to vote
By Hannah Lichtenstein Medill Reports On the day millions headed to the polls to vote for an American president, Mike McCool offered up a very different option for the country’s future leadership. “I think this country should just turn itself back over to England and say, ‘we apologize for the Revolutionary War. We’ll never do […]
Election Day in Oak Park: Spending referendum is haunted by ghost of past pool fiasco
By Helen Quinn Pasin Medill Reports On election day Nov. 3, 2020, Oak Parkers had to decide how to vote on the local referendum: “Shall any capital expenditure of $5 million or more by any local taxing body within Oak Park be subject to a binding referendum for approval or rejection by voters?” This referendum […]
Chicago Election Commissioners support bilingual voters, but still fall short of community needs
By Kelly Heinzerling Medill Reports When Sarah Cartagena went to Humboldt Park to vote with her predominantly Spanish-speaking mother, she was surprised to find that, though the materials and signs were in multiple languages, the poll worker she interacted with in this large Spanish-speaking community did not speak the language. For the 15.7% of Chicago […]
With 62 judges on the ballot, what’s a voter to do? ‘Toss Toomin’ campaign was latest effort to engage voters on judicial races
By Courtney Kueppers Medill Reports By shortly after 10 a.m. on Election Day, Dan Schneider was beginning to feel like a broken record. “I’ve been saying the same thing for over an hour,” the 29-year-old lawyer said. Outside of Chicago’s United Center, typically home to the Bulls and Blackhawks, upbeat music played on a speaker, […]
Reflections from Puerto Rico: Rebuilding, Resilience and Resistance
By the Medill Explores Puerto Rico Team Medill Reports In February 2020, Medill MSJ students reported across Puerto Rico about the impacts of the island’s colonial status and debt crisis; recent earthquakes and 2017 hurricanes Maria and Irma; environmental injustice; and the island’s imperiled infrastructure and electrical grid. Throughout the reporting, the resilience and resourcefulness […]
Reflections from Puerto Rico: Medill Explores 2019
In Puerto Rico, I learned that butterflies are more resilient than dinosaurs By Justin Agrelo There’s a square in downtown Adjuntas, Puerto Rico that when standing inside of it feels like you’ve hopped into a postcard or a history book about Spanish colonization. The square is paved in white cement and gray cobble. Its fountain, […]
