Editor’s Note
Welcome to Newswire — your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what action we can take to make our city great, featuring public meeting coverage by City Bureau’s Documenters.
Quote of the Week
“Investigatory stops that target Black and Latino young people disproportionately are on the rise as CPD hunts for guns. Pretextual vehicle stops don't serve the people CPD claims to protect.”
— Ali Longbottom, speaking as a member of the Free2Move Coalition and the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts
[Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, traffic stops listening session, Jan. 24, 2025]
“Something has to change”
A public commenter described being handcuffed and beaten by Chicago Police during a traffic stop at a recent meeting hosted by The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. The police oversight commission began organizing a series of community listening sessions across the city in December 2023 to provide Chicagoans opportunities to share personal experience with police, provide feedback on current policies and discuss potential reforms to the Police Department's practices around traffic stops. This series came as a result of groups such as the Free2Move and Impact for Equity who have called on the Police Department to end pretextual traffic stops. Pretextual stops are when police use a minor infraction to search the vehicle and person for evidence of a crime.
Using traffic stops in the search of illegal guns has resulted in the disproportionate targeting of Black and Brown drivers on the South and West Sides. Although CPD is required to document all stops, a 2024 investigation from Injustice Watch and Bolts found unreported traffic stops have increased under Supt. Larry Snelling. Nearly 200,000 traffic stops in 2023 were not documented or reported to the state, the investigation found.
Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability Traffic Stops Listening Session by Chitra Iyer and Ariana Portalatin
The heart of the matter
The Chicago Park District is partnering with the Chicago Department of Public Health to provide free heart screenings at five South and West Side parks. The free events will occur on Thursdays throughout February and include blood pressure and heart rate screenings. The locations for the screenings were chosen based on the low life expectancy rates in these community areas.
Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners by Kerry Snider and Jerry Winn
Restoring (and expanding)
The 24th Police District Council is working to create a restorative justice court which will serve residents in the 17th, 19th and 20th districts. Restorative Justice Community Courts primarily work with young adults, ages 18 to 26, charged with non-violent felony or misdemeanor crimes. The courts aim to resolve conflict through restorative conferences and peace circles which can include victims, family members, friends, others affected by the crime as well as community members. Participants who qualify for and successfully complete the program can have their charges dismissed and arrest and court records expunged. The first RJCC in Cook County started in North Lawndale in 2017, followed by two more courts in Avondale and Englewood in 2020 and a fourth in suburban Sauk Village in 2024.
24th Police District Council - Rogers Park/West Ridge/Edgewater Glen by Kenji Granberry and Renea Goddard
A version of this story was first published in the January 29, 2025 issue of the Newswire, an email newsletter that is your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what we can do to make our city great. You can sign up for the weekly newsletter here.
Have thoughts on what you'd like to see in this feature? Email Civic Editor Dawn Rhodes at dawn@citybureau.org.