Every year, a Chicago mayor proposes a budget. And, after it’s released, the City Council holds hearings for every department, asking questions and making requests. It don’t usually matter that much -most years, the budget gets approved without any significant changes. But, for those who have time to attend these hearings, it offers a great window ( Read more... )

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So remember how, back in the early December, a kid tried to rob me with a toy gun while I was interviewing someone for an article over the phone?

Well, I won an award for the article that the interview was for.

( And that wasn't all )

If you go by what you hear in the news, you might think that every African-American who lives in low-income, mostly Black neighborhoods doesn’t trust the police and thinks they are out to get them.

The reality, of course, isn’t quite that simple. “Urban blacks” aren’t a hive mind, and you are going to get a whole range of opinions and perspectives ( Read more... )

I imagine that, when most people hear about Chicago shootings, the last thing they notice is the location. Not unless it's in neighborhoods where shootings don't usually happen. But ever since my days writing for Chicago Flame, I've been all over the city, including some places that are, well, less safe than others. So when I hear about, say, a ( Read more... )

If you read my mom’s LJ, you probably know that my mom is a big supporter of the Night Ministry - and for a good reason. The North Side organization works to provide housing for homeless youth, especially LGBT youth, as well as various services for the poor and the homeless in general, often in the face of limited resources and limited space. The ( Read more... )

I suppose something like that was bound to happen sooner or later.

Even before I started writing for Austin Weekly News, I wasn't exactly a stranger to the rougher parts of Chicago. I've been offered drugs, I've seen prostitute solicit passing motorists, I've had a prostitute solicit me, but I've never seen someone so much as flash a gun in my ( Read more... )

On Friday, I was covering a Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals' hearing on the Night Ministry's application to turn a home into a shelter for homeless youth in North Lawndale. Usually, those things go by fairly quick - 10 minutes, 20 minutes tops. My plan was to attend the meeting, then go down to North Lawndale to get the picture of the building ( Read more... )

When I saw an article on DNAinfo Chicago about a couple who adopted four siblings, there was one thing that struck me. It wasn't that the couple were white and their adopted kids were black - it's not something that happens every day, but it's not that terribly unusual, either. It wasn't that they managed to keep the siblings together, despite some ( Read more... )

This hasn't been a good week for police/community relations in United States.

On Tuesday, Alton Sterling was shot in Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana. The details are still hazy, but we know that there was a call alleging that he was waving a run around, two officers were sent to investigate, they tackled him to the ground and shot him. ( Read more... )