One Reason Chicago is Broke

The CTA is giving away services for free:

• Cook County Sheriff’s Police have spent the last three months patrolling Chicago Transit Authority trains and platforms, the result of a state legislature mandate to assess what’s really happening on Chicago’s rail system.

  [ couple of paragraph of crime stats - go read it at the link]

  One of the most striking findings: on some CTA lines, 80 to 90 percent of riders were not paying their fares. Sheriff Thomas Dart says the problem goes beyond crime — it’s a culture of disregard for basic rules.

Eighty-to-ninety percent of people (and folks) not even paying the fare? We're going to take a wild guess and say, "Red Line." We're also going to wonder why the CTA isn't looking at those ten-foot iron and plexiglass barriers that reduced San Francisco subway crime by nearly 50% and vandalism costs by multiple millions of dollars.

We'll leave the guess about "culture of disregard for basic rules" to you, the readers. 

CCL Holder Detained

In our opinion, CWB fumbles this reporting: [see update at bottom of post]

• A concealed carry license holder is in police custody after he shot a homeless man during an altercation in West Rogers Park early Saturday, according to a preliminary Chicago police report.

  Officers responded to reports of shots fired and a person shot in the 6400 block of North Richmond Street shortly after 6 a.m. In a media statement, Chicago police said a 45-year-old man “was walking outside … when he entered a verbal altercation with a known offender. The offender produced a firearm and opened fire. The victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the torso. The offender was taken into custody.” CPD said the injured man was in critical condition at St. Francis Hospital.

No charges filed as of this writing, so the CCL holder isn't an "offender" which should be Reporting 101. Just about every media outlet uses the word "allegedly" so often, it seems to have lost all meaning. Many use it even following a court conviction, as if a legal finding wasn't enough.

• CPD did not publicly disclose that the shooter is a concealed carry license holder. However, according to a preliminary police report, the man, who lives near the shooting scene, told responding officers he fired his weapon after the other man attacked him.

  Police recovered at least eight shell casings at the scene. Responding officers also recognized the critically injured man as someone who is homeless and regularly spends time along nearby Devon Avenue. CPD records show the wounded man has been arrested 15 times during the past year. His most recent arrest came less than a week ago when officers charged him with drug possession on Devon Avenue, about a half-mile from where he was shot.

Gee, a homeless vagrant who (by CWB's own reporting) has been arrested fifteen times in the past twelve months, the last time for drug possession - which usually means being prone to....drug usage, which often leads to....violent behavior.

Anyone know the last time a homeless drug abuser with numerous arrests was EVER accused of confronting a pedestrian? Should we measure that in hours or minutes?  

Based on the available data though, the reporting is subpar. At the moment, it sounds like the vagrant picked the wrong victim this time. 

UPDATE: a couple commentators point out it appears that CWB is quoting a press release from CPD. We missed the quotation marks that might have tipped us off. Apologies. 

But when we see something like that, we usually toss in a [bracketed reference] or (sic) or some editorial notation that notes "this error isn't ours." Perhaps we were mistaken in assuming CWB would catch something like that - they've done a great job many other times.

Given CPD's history of slanted and politically tainted press releases along with outright lying over crime statistics (documented here for years), if we had seen that press release, we'd have posted it and pointed out the inherent bias. 

Caught an Airbag Thief!

Better than zero....but barely:

• Chicago police have arrested a 26-year-old man in connection with a string of airbag thefts on the Near West Side and in the West Loop, marking only the second known arrest tied to a theft surge that has left more than 2,000 car owners without airbags so far this year.

  Ricardo Bryant was taken into custody Thursday afternoon in the 2800 block of West Flournoy Street after CPD’s Auto Crimes Task Force determined he was responsible for a series of recent thefts in the area, police said. He faces four counts of burglary and one count of possessing burglary tools. Police also said he had two outstanding warrants at the time of his arrest.

Screw it - charge him with all 2,000 open cases.

And yes, we're aware there isn't much you can do with these thefts - it takes almost as much time to get an airbag as it does to cut off a catalytic converter....and you only need a box cutter along with a brick. 

But a bunch of vigilantes might help alleviate the issue.

Double in 016

Supposedly, the quietest and lowest crime district District in the city....but with a Section 8 outpost:

• Two people are dead after they were found shot behind a residential building in the Dunning community on Chicago's Northwest Side Thursday afternoon.

  At 3:30 p.m., the two victims, both males, were found behind a residential building in the 7800 block of West Cahill Terrace, near the intersection of Forest Preserve Avenue and Addison Street and close to Hiawatha Park.

  One victim, a 20-year-old man, had suffered two gunshot wounds to his chest and one each to his head, back, and right shoulder, police said. He was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where he was pronounced dead.

  The other victim was shot in his back, neck, and left leg. He was taken to the same hospital in critical condition and later also died, police said. Neighbors said the second victims was a teenager, but police have not yet released an official age.

By the way, that's a national media outlet report we linked to - even they won't cover for him.

They Think They Work Too Hard

If this happens, how about some pay reductions?

• Chicago Public Schools says it has no plans to shorten the school year in an effort to save money.

  Despite allegations from the Chicago Teacher’s Union, CPS says that reducing instructional time in a classroom is not an option and would go against the district’s five-year strategic plan.

  CPS admits to facing significant financial challenges, but says at no point was the district considering shortening the school year.

Johnny already can't read, write or do basic math, and the CTU wants to reduce classroom hours?

Like we said, no one in Chicago is getting their tax dollars worth in education measures, so everyone is due a refund for the "product" put out by CTU, starting with pay cuts. 

Seriously? $3.3 Billion?

Where did Conehead think he was going to get the money for this?

• Alderpeople learned Thursday that Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration secretly offered about $3.3 billion last fall to reclaim control of the city’s parking meters — a whopping $800 million more than the next-highest bidder. 

  But the City Council members didn’t get those key details from the mayor, his aides or any other city officials. Instead, one of the investors set to buy the rights to the meters blurted out those figures after a city lawyer refused.

  During a hearing of the council’s finance committee, Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th) asked the city attorney, Jim McDonald, how much the Johnson administration bid to buy back city control of the meter system. McDonald paused a moment and then said flatly that the bid information was subject to a confidentiality agreement the city had signed. So he wouldn’t answer.

  That’s when James Wyper jumped in and said he would. 

Conehead's people just pulled that number out of thin air, then agreed to some sort of "confidentiality agreement" that appears to have no legal basis or justification and also ended up being $800 million MORE than the eventual winning bid.

What with Conehead stealing a previously allocated $100 million the other day via a shady "executive order," one has to wonder how much more is being stolen and why there doesn't seem to be any meaningful oversight by the aldercreatures. 

Warm Weekend on Tap

Here comes a string of 90+ degree days.

And after last weekend, everyone seems to have itchy trigger fingers.

Predictions? The usual 1700 hours Friday until 0001 hours Monday.

We'll guess around 9 and 25 as a pre-04 July celebration. 

HeyJackass.com stats only. 

This is Legal?

An "executive order" to redirect $100 million from some place that has already been allocated by the City Council?

• Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Thursday establishing the city's first Office of Gun Violence Reduction.

  He said it will strengthen efforts to prevent violence by coordinating resources across departments and focusing on communities most in need.

  Johnson, joined by community and religious leaders at City Hall, announced the new office as part of a broader push to address gun violence in a city that has recently seen a decline in murders. The initiative is intended to build on that progress by expanding prevention strategies and improving the delivery of services.

Where's the input from elected representatives? Hearings? An accounting of money?

• Johnson said the office will have 17 members, including representatives from CVI organizations, grassroots organizations, faith leaders, mental health professionals and philanthropic partners.

  The office is expected to publish monthly reports on possible progress of violence reduction investments and activities.

  "The establishment of OGVR represents a long-term commitment to building safer communities and addressing root causes of violence," said Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Andre, with the Mayor's Office of Community Safety.

Sounds like bullshit. And it sounds like a bunch of people - seventeen to be exact - might be drawing six-digit salaries without any input from aldercreatures.

CTA Crime Continues

The CTA is still a hotbed of crime:

• An eight-time felon is facing robbery charges after Chicago police say he participated in a three-on-one attack aboard a Blue Line train that left a 61-year-old O’Hare employee with serious injuries. In an unusual twist, it’s the second time Lamonte Taylor-Gwin has been charged with a CTA robbery after being identified through a publicly released CPD “seeking to identify” bulletin.

"eight-time felon" tells you everything you need to know about Conehead's and Prokulous's failure to control crime.

And another one:

• Chicago police are asking for the public’s help identifying a suspect who pushed a 69-year-old man down the stairs inside a CTA station near the Magnificent Mile on Wednesday afternoon.

  Mass Transit Detectives say the suspect approached the victim from behind as he walked down the staircase inside the Chicago-State Red Line Station at 800 North State Street around 1:50 p.m. on June 24. The assailant grabbed the man’s shoulder and shoved him down the stairs before fleeing the station, leaving the victim with “minor” injuries, according to CPD.

Maybe the feds can force the issue on Conehead and Fata$$ since these crimes are occurring on trains - trains are a big deal to feds, even if it's just a "light rail" system.

Another Suicide?

An unconfirmed report of an Officer nearing retirement, but facing some internal discipline, took his own life a few days ago.

The Department (according to numerous people) has steadfastly ignored this occurrence with nary a single mention or the usual e-mail from Larritorious.

Keep an eye out on your fellow Officers and seek help if you're at that darkest point. The Chaplains and EAP do decent work with this.

Prayers and condolences. 

High School with Guns?

We've heard the Department described that way many times.

Unfortunately, it's more like the Jerry Spring Show with Guns:

• A Chicago police officer was disciplined for posting pornographic images of her child’s father online after she found him on a date with another woman while she was pregnant, newly released records show.

  A police supervisor agreed last month to suspend officer [DV]for five days and noted that her case “should be reviewed for a potential criminal referral.”

  But the supervisor also acknowledged the three-year statute of limitations had lapsed for bringing revenge porn charges, the records show.

  [V] confronted her child’s father as he and the other woman were leaving a movie theater in the Loop in November 2022, according to a report by the city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability. [V] stood in front of their car and repeatedly told them she was pregnant before striking the driver’s side window with a roller skate, the report says.

Try to do better people.

And try to not embarrass the Department with these media side shows. 

You Get What You Vote For

This isn't difficult to figure out....unless you're a moron:

• Jenna Klotz was walking in Lakeview this fall when she spotted the stranger who had punched her days earlier. And for the third time that week, she called police.

  Officers eventually found the man, Leon Jackson, on Surf Street. By then, Klotz knew his name. In a tense and emotionally charged moment, officers asked Klotz a question she still struggles with months later: What did she want them to do?

  “I basically was not sure what I was supposed to do,” Klotz said. “But I felt very strongly that this is something that I can’t ignore, because what about the next person after me?”

  Months later, Klotz still thinks about that encounter and worries about who might be next, she said.

The answer is simple:

• sign complaints
• show up in court
• insist on an appropriate sentence according to existing laws

Then, if the judge or states attorney don't follow the law as written, start making noise, campaigning against current office holders, advocating for victims, not falling for the pandering to criminals.

In other words, stop being a dumb ass democrat and voting for dumb ass democrats who support the offenders over the victims. 

Sentenced to What???

This actually happened:

• A former CTA customer service agent who was charged with murder after a man he beat at a downtown Blue Line station died has been sentenced to two years of probation, after a judge found him guilty of less-serious aggravated battery charges at a bench trial, court records show.

  Emmett Richardson, who worked at the LaSalle Street Blue Line stop, was found guilty last month by Judge Carol Howard of aggravated battery of a transit passenger and aggravated battery in a public place. But Howard found him not guilty on two counts of first-degree murder. On Monday, the judge sentenced him to 24 months of probation and ordered him to complete 20 hours of community service, court records show.

And what were the extenuating circumstances that led to this unbelievable sentence?

• The charges stemmed from the death of Kevin Powell, 54, on March 25, 2023. Prosecutors said Richardson found Powell asleep on the platform around 3:17 a.m., next to a wheelchair loaded with belongings, and attacked him for more than an hour without provocation. Richardson kicked the wheelchair out from under Powell, knocking him to the ground, then kicked Powell’s property across the platform, prosecutors said.

  From there, prosecutors alleged, Richardson shoved Powell onto an escalator and followed him to the mezzanine level, where he yanked him over a railing, causing Powell to fall on his back. Richardson allegedly dragged Powell across the mezzanine floor, struck him with a cardboard drink carrier, and hauled him to the top of a staircase, first by his hood, then by his feet. There, prosecutors said, Richardson flipped Powell down the stairs feet-over-head, treating him “like so much garbage,” in the words of former Assistant State’s Attorney Lorraine Scaduto.

  Richardson left and returned to the scene multiple times, prosecutors said, stopping twice to pour water bottles on Powell. He eventually called 911 to report an “unresponsive but breathing man” at the bottom of the stairs. Powell was declared dead at the scene. After the attack, Richardson told police he had found Powell “surrounded” by drug paraphernalia and believed the man had overdosed, prosecutors said. Investigators, however, found no signs of drug use on the platform.

But since the M.E. found cocaine in the dead guy's blood work, the judge ignored everything else.

Oh, and the offender had been officially cited by the CTA for mistreatment of customers....twice.

Premature Conclusion

The Contrarian's take on the recent left-wing cross burning:

• Chicago has become America’s capital of the premature conclusion. Something outrageous happens. A shocking image appears on social media. Politicians rush to microphones. Activists rush to the cameras. Reporters rush to deadlines. Before the police have completed an investigation, before prosecutors have reviewed evidence, and before the public has any reliable understanding of what actually occurred, everybody somehow already knows exactly who is responsible and exactly what it means. Then, all too often, the facts arrive and destroy the narrative.

  We saw it with Jussie Smollett. Chicago was told racist Trump supporters had attacked a television actor on a freezing winter night. Politicians issued statements. National media outlets amplified the story. Celebrities expressed outrage. The city was portrayed as a hotbed of Trump-inspired hatred. Then, after enormous expenditures of police time and public resources, the story collapsed under the weight of its own falsehoods. Such a spectacular embarrassment should have taught our leaders to be more cautious in condemning an entire group of people. Apparently not.

  Last week, a burning cross appeared in Grant Park. If someone were trying to design a symbol guaranteed to inflame racial tensions, generate national headlines, and provoke emotional reactions, it would be difficult to improve upon a burning cross. The image is inseparably associated with the Ku Klux Klan, racial intimidation, and some of the darkest episodes in American history. In a city with Chicago’s racial history, putting a burning cross in a public park is both literally and figuratively inflammatory.

  Predictably, the political class immediately leapt into action. Governor JB Pritzker declared that the incident reflected what happens when the seeds of racism and fascism grow unchecked. Others quickly followed. The implication was obvious. The public was encouraged to conclude this was another example of right-wing extremism, MAGA hatred, and the dangers supposedly posed by Donald Trump and his supporters.

  Then reality showed up.

Go read it all

We'll sit here and wait for Porkulous's apology. 

More Bodies Expected

Porkulous and Conehead still using dead minorities for votes:

• Mayor Brandon Johnson is weighing in on the back-and-forth between Gov. JB Pritzker and President Donald Trump over how to handle crime in Chicago.

  The president posted to Truth Social overnight, saying: "Governor Pritzker, I, as President, can fix this, FAST and Permanently. D.C., Memphis, New Orleans, all down to record lows, and quickly! CALL ME!"

  This comes after a violent weekend in Chicago, where 39 people were shot, six of whom died.

  Trump asked why Pritzker isn't calling him for help. The governor responded to the president's comments, saying he doesn't think Trump has any idea how to protect the state of Illinois.

Except for those pesky statistics coming out of Washington DC where crime has hit 30-year-lows and the mayor (along with the chief of police) are actively praising the federal intervention.

And since it's Federal assistance, guess who isn't on the hook for all the associated costs?

• Chicago and Illinois tax payers

Fata$$ can't have Trump getting good headlines ahead of the mid-terms, so he's willing (and complicit) in the bodies stacking up all summer. 

Conehead is just waiting on his next break from reality in the rubber room at Northwestern.

New Tax Opportunity!

Pfather pflaggot waving his freak flag again:

• A Chicago priest told President Donald Trump to "shut up" following his social media post about a violent Juneteenth weekend that saw at least six people killed and more than 30 others wounded across the city.

  Father Michael Pfleger scolded Trump as Chicago community leaders on Monday called for a city agency to tackle gun violence prevention following the weekend's bloodshed.

  [...] "Shut up, Donald. Just send money and restore the money you took away from gun violence prevention for the city of Chicago and across this country. Give the money back now."

Anyone know how much the Catholic Church pays in taxes every year?

• they don't - they're a non-profit organization and are therefore tax exempt

And if they don't pay taxes, commenting on expenditures of tax payer funds is generally off limits.

Yes, we're aware of politicians campaigning at certain churches and such, but they don't actively solicit funds. That would - and has - run afoul of IRS guidelines regarding non-profits.

But if Mikey wants to comment on how the government spends tax money, well then by golly, his organization ought to start paying taxes starting with Illinois Property Taxes. 

After all, there are pension shortfalls to make up and a whole boatload of untaxed revenue to be tapped.

Thanks Cupich! 

Ain't Dead Yet

As we all suspected, there's still backroom dealing going on:

• The competition to land the Chicago Bears' next stadium is intensifying on both sides of the Illinois-Indiana border, with leaders saying conversations with the team remain ongoing as new potential sites surface.

  Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday that discussions with the Bears are "still alive," noting that the team has reached out to his office for guidance while evaluating options in the state. Meanwhile, Hammond, Indiana, officials say the team continues to show strong interest in property there.

  Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott said on his weekly "Left of Center" podcast that he has been in frequent contact with the team.

Still a lot of time and a lot of campaign contributions to be disguised as bribe money.

Or is it bribe money disguised as campaign contributions? 

Nice Weekend Conehead

According to HeyJackass.com:

• Final Demonized Tally: 7 killed, 36 wounded

CWB also covered it:

• The Father’s Day weekend in Chicago saw 43 people shot or killed citywide, a 105% increase from the same weekend last year, according to preliminary reports. The victim total likely remained below 50 because of rainy weather that moved into the area, as no shootings were reported after 6:15 a.m. Sunday.

  In another troubling benchmark, 27 people were shot across Chicago on Friday alone, the highest one-day shooting victim count since July 5, 2024, according to HeyJackass.com, an independent website that compiles and tracks Chicago crime statistics.

Even the Slum Times was obligated to mention it:

• A 14-year-old boy was among eight people killed over the long holiday weekend that saw nearly 40 others wounded, including 14 people shot during a Juneteenth celebration on the Far South Side.

So guess what Conehead was talking about?

 

Something that happens maybe two or three times a year, to people (or folks) who engage in certain unlawful and overly dangerous criminal activities that bring them into contact with (wait for it....) criminals.

Because if you ignore a problem, then you don't have to explain your failures to the media and therefore, the voters. 

Defunding by Another Name

Government failed at solving this problem, so what would a moron think was a solution?

More government:

• A coalition of city and county officials and advocacy groups is pushing for the creation of a new city Department of Gun Violence Reduction.

  “This would create a stabilized department in the long term that isn’t just responding to the whims of today when we’re dealing with sustained issues,” Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Emmanuel Andre said Monday at a City Hall news conference.

And how would the $100 million price tag be paid for?

• Few details were discussed regarding staffing or what the department might look like. But officials said it would have a $100 million budget made up of existing public safety money across Chicagocity departments. It would have contracting and procurement powers to put workers like violence interrupters on the city’s payroll, the group said. The city plans to spend more than $3 billion on public safety this year, meaning the proposal would take up about 3% of that spending.

So out of the "existing" money....which would include the police budget.

So, no hiring? No promotions? No OT?

Are we getting closer? 

Mini-Quick Hits

Anyone surprised by this one?

• The rapper whose album release party in River North last summer preceded the deadliest mass shooting in Chicago history is now being held in the Cook County Jail after Chicago police allegedly found a stolen handgun beneath her driver’s seat during a traffic stop last week.

  Melanie “Mello Buckzz” Doyle, 25, was detained on felony weapons charges after officers stopped her vehicle in the Lower West Side on June 15.

A rapper with a stolen gun....who'd have thunk it?

- - - - - 

Wicker Park serial killer?

• A Wicker Park man accused of killing and torturing a series of kittens, then replacing each one with a look-alike purchased through Craigslist, avoided prison Monday by accepting a resurrected plea deal moments before jury selection was set to begin.

  Thomas Martel, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of animal torture and one count of aggravated cruelty to animals after Cook County Judge Sharon Kanter said she would honor a previous plea offer of 54 months, even though prosecutors had withdrawn it. With credit for more than 1,000 days spent on electronic monitoring and Illinois’ standard 50% sentence reduction, Martel will not serve any time in prison.

The Garrido people are justifiably outraged at this, as most normal people ought to be.

Anyone know if this psycho has a history of arson? Once you see his picture over at the CWB site, you'll just assume the bed-wetting attribute and put him directly into the serial killer category.

This Will NEVER Happen

Because Porkulous approves of this kind of hate:

• An Illinois state representative says Gov. JB Pritzker should address the political motivations behind a Grant Park cross burning after the University of Illinois Chicago student accused in the incident said it was intended as a protest against the Trump administration and “MAGA Christian nationalist supporters,” not Black people.
  
  Pritzker quickly condemned the June 10 incident on social media after reports emerged that a burning cross had been found in Chicago’s Grant Park.
  
  “Let me be clear that hate has no home here in Illinois,” Pritzker wrote. “This symbol has one purpose: to stir up intimidation and terror. We will not be silent, those responsible must be held accountable.”

And it was supposed to intimidate and terrorize MAGA Christian nationalists....which Fata$$ won't be condemning any time soon. 

That's APPROVED hate after all.

More of This

Truer now than ever before:

Probably very true in this case:

• Three masked “yutes” learned a painful lesson aboard a CTA bus Saturday night: not every victim goes quietly. Chicago police said the trio tried to rob a 54-year-old man riding a northbound Ashland bus near 57th Street around 11:22 p.m. But instead of handing over his valuables, the man allegedly pulled a knife from his bag and fought back, leaving two of the robbers nursing their injuries in police custody.

  According to a CPD media statement, the three male offenders approached the man and demanded his property while aboard the bus. Investigators said they began taking items from him, including a chain necklace that was later recovered from one of the suspects. That’s when the victim decided he wasn’t going down without a fight.

  Police said the man reached into his bag, pulled out a “sharp object,” and struggled with the robbers. During the melee, the suspects battered the victim before fleeing the bus.

  Officers were initially dispatched after a panic alarm from the bus generated a “person with a knife” call. But as they investigated, they learned that three ski mask-wearing teenagers had targeted the passenger and gotten more resistance than they expected. Police recovered a knife at the scene.

Good thing there weren't any "No Knives" signs on the bus!

But if we ever take a CTA bus again.... 

Give It Back

If you steal something, and you admit it, shouldn't you have to give it back?

• Former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett kicked off the groundbreaking ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center on Thursday with a land acknowledgment, citing the Native American tribes historically rooted to the site.

  Jarrett told attendees that organizers wished to “take a moment to recognize the original inhabitants of the land upon which we are gathered today,” listing the Native American tribes historically connected to the site.

  [...] Land acknowledgments have fast become standard practice across universities, government offices, and cultural events. Yet the custom increasingly faces sharp pushback, even from within Native communities. Indigenous scholars and activists frequently dismiss the statements as empty “performative” gestures that offer public relations points for diversity while providing zero tangible benefits or real land back to tribal nations.

That's why you never admit to ever getting an early duck or a padded slip - you're going to get nailed for it one day. 

By the way, as the Sparklefart Foundation continues to stiff dozens of minority contractors for work done on the "center," Valerie has been drawing her $740,000 annual Foundation salary with no hiccups reported.

Funny how that works out. 

Crime is Down Weekend!

If you don't count that baker's dozen shot in one incident:

• At least two drive-by gunmen sprayed more than 100 bullets into a large crowd gathered outside in Roseland late Friday, leaving 13 people wounded in a mass shooting that launched a violent start to Father’s Day weekend in Chicago. By sunrise Saturday, Chicago had already recorded more shooting victims than were reported during the entire Father’s Day weekend last year.

It's been a mess:

• At least five people were killed and 22 others were injured in shootings across Chicago since Friday afternoon.

Which matches the HeyJackass.com numbers.

Happy Juneteenth Weekend! 

Not a Good Look

Charges dropped in the recent ATF/CPD Detail shooting:

• Federal authorities have now dropped charges against three robbery suspects, of which two were shot during an undercover ATF gun trafficking operation.

  Prosecutors claim they obtained new evidence contradicting the ATF and FBI agents' original version of events, according to court records....

Someone FB-Lied?

• Video of a law enforcement officer’s shooting of a Markham teenager June 9 in Country Club Hills appears to contradict the account given to a federal judge last week in a sworn affidavit from an FBI special agent.

  U.S. Magistrate Judge Keri Holleb Hotaling ordered the video’s public release Thursday after its discovery prompted federal prosecutors to drop charges related to an attempted robbery during an undercover operation in the south suburb.

Yet another reason to disband the fbi....and not to be detailed to be part of this inherently compromised organization. 

There have been genuine efforts to redirect the feebs from the dark path the previous administration directed them down, namely becoming the Temu-Stasi Secret Police, but it seems the political indoctrination is just to ingrained to overcome.

Unintentional Suicide?

Won't somebody think of the children???

• A 1-year-old boy found unresponsive in an East Garfield Park apartment this spring died from a drug overdose that the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has now ruled a homicide. He is the second young child in Chicago to be the victim of a drug-induced homicide since July, though authorities have not filed charges in either case.

  Shortly before 10 p.m. on March 24, Chicago police and CFD paramedics responded to a 911 call in the 3100 block of West Fifth Avenue and found the boy unresponsive inside an apartment, officials said at the time. The Chicago Fire Department transported him to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

  The death prompted an investigation by Area Four detectives, who were awaiting autopsy and toxicology results. Those findings were recently completed. The medical examiner determined the child died from a combined overdose of fentanyl, medetomidine-dexmedetomidine, and “probable heroin.” Dexmedetomidine and medetomidine are sedatives used during medical procedures, with medetomidine approved only for veterinary use in the United States.

Why aren't there "safe storage" laws for narcotics? If these drugs had been kept on a high shelf or in a locked safe or stored with a child-proof cap, this could have been prevented.

Lib-tards demand it for guns....it's about time they demanded it for dope, too. 

We're surprised the M.E. didn't classify it as an "unintentional suicide." 

The Fix is in Already

This crooked Cook County judge again:

• In a courtroom at 26th and California on Thursday, two CWB Chicago story arcs came face to face: the effectiveness of facial recognition as a law enforcement tool and the frequency with which Judge D’Anthony Thedford refuses to grant detention petitions. The coincidental combo came after sheriff’s deputies brought Merlin Lu into Courtroom 102 to face hate crime, arson, and other charges for the high-profile cross-burning incident in Grant Park last week.

  Prosecutors told Thedford that on June 9, Lu was captured on surveillance video holding two long planks of wood, walking from his Halsted Street home toward Grant Park. At about 1:52 p.m., he allegedly nailed two pieces of wood together, wrapped toilet paper around the cross, doused it with a gallon of kerosene, and tied a red hat to the top. Prosecutors said Lu propped the cross against a tree and set it on fire. Viral video recorded by a witness captured the cross and the tree burning, with flames extending into the tree’s upper limbs.

  [...] Prosecutors said that after being read his Miranda rights, Lu admitted to purchasing the materials, assembling the cross, and burning it. Prosecutors said Lu also identified himself in two still images, one showing him buying kerosene at Home Depot and another showing him walking toward Grant Park with the wood planks.

  Judge Thedford rejected the state’s request to detain Lu and did not require him to be placed on electronic monitoring, either. However, Thedford did instruct Lu to avoid purchasing items that could be used to start a fire, such as wood or kerosene, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Ooooo....that'll stop crime!

CWB reports that Thedford has quite the disqualifying history:

• “Between 2011 and 2018, the state and federal governments filed liens against Thedford and his wife seeking to collect about $249,000 in unpaid taxes, interest, and penalties,” Injustice Watch reported. “In 2020, the couple declared bankruptcy and reported that they owed the IRS some $220,000 and owed the Illinois Department of Revenue about $10,000.”

But that didn't stop him from landing a seat on the bench.

Bright Future for This One

Another SAFE-T Act success story!

• A 19-year-old woman on pretrial release in a felony gun case tried to kill four Chicago police officers by repeatedly firing at them during a vehicle pursuit on the Southwest Side, according to prosecutors.

  Alexia Castellanos, of Bridgeview, was detained Friday by Judge Shauna Boliker on charges that include four counts of attempted murder stemming from the April 25 incident. She is the seventh person accused of killing or trying to kill someone in Chicago this year while on felony pretrial release.

  According to prosecutors, it all started around 1:12 a.m. when four Chicago police officers working in a tactical unit spotted a Dodge Charger parked in an alley in the 4400 block of South Mozart Avenue. As the officers approached, the Charger sped away, and the officers activated their vehicle’s emergency equipment and began pursuing it.

  During the chase, Castellanos allegedly leaned out of the passenger-side window and fired shots at the officers, then fired at them again moments later. Neither the officers nor their vehicle was struck, but a nearby parked vehicle was hit by a bullet, prosecutors said. 

After being charged previously with ::gasp!:: a gun crime, she got out, procured another gun, and used it to shoot at pursuing officers, from a moving vehicle AND while fleeing on foot after the vehicle rolled over.

No doubt she'll be out again shortly. 

Obamanation Situation Gets Worse

Chicago is going to have a shitload fewer minority contractors around after 2026:

• The Obama Presidential Center was billed as a lasting legacy to former President Barack Obama, and its construction was touted as an ambitious model built with aggressive goals for minority-owned and local businesses.

  But now, some of the very subcontractors who helped build the 19.3-acre campus on Chicago’s South Side say they are facing financial ruin as they race to recover millions of dollars they claim remain unpaid ahead of the center's grand opening Friday. Overall construction costs were reported to be $830 million in 2021, and have likely climbed past the $1 billion mark.

  A Fox News Digital investigation identified multiple construction firms claiming losses ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to tens of millions. The allegations cut against one of the Center's defining goals: helping minority-owned businesses and local contractors grow through one of Chicago's highest-profile construction projects. Several of the complaints reviewed by Fox News Digital come from firms that were supposed to benefit from that mission. 

And that maintenance fund? 

• The allegations emerge days after a Fox News Digital investigation reported that the Obama Foundation’s reserve fund — originally promoted as a $470 million financial safeguard intended to help protect taxpayers if the project encountered financial trouble — remains funded at roughly $1 million. 

So that $469 million shortfall will likely be eaten by Chicago....which is broke.

We're told it's even worse than people realize. 

• every single contractor has been stiffed to some extent so far....100%

Did you see the list of attendees?  A whole lot of "formers" listed at that link.

Newscum made it, but current governor Hochul?  Walz? Canceled. Corey Booker? Canceled. Where's AOC?

We heard that of the over 120 invited politicians, over 80 canceled, almost like they don't want to be seen at something that's going to turn out to be a campaign issue - namely bankrupting companies full of UNION workers who usually vote in lockstep with leftist politicians.

Remember, Chicago is Broke

But they found the secret Rahm Money Tree somewhere....probably in Conehead's Gift Closet:

• The city could be running its first intercity bus terminal under public ownership by late summer following a vote by the City Council to buy the ailing South Loop Greyhound station.

  The ordinance passed Wednesday allows the city to purchase the terminal at 630 W. Harrison St. for $19 million. The deal also pumps millions into renovating the neglected terminal — and saves the nearly half-million people who use the station each year from potentially being kicked to curbside bus service.

We'll expect this to be losing money within a year.

Missed Gun....Again

This time in the 009 District lockup:

• an arrest by the Tact Team (who should have searched the arrestee on scene) 
• transported to the station by either a cage car or a wagon (who should have searched the arrestee before accepting custody) 

...was found to have a gun in his groin area by the lockup keeper.

Completely inexcusable.

Has Academy instruction gotten so bad that Officers are afraid to properly search an arrestee?

Gold Star Union?

This might not end well:

• Off topic but apparently the exempts, Commanders and Deputy Chiefs, are attempting to unionize.

One of the main points of even having the Exempt rank is to have expendable people who are beholden to their political masters. 

If they're allowed to unionize, the political side of the equation loses their hold over them. 

Not that we're in the habit of giving Conehead advice, but if you want to stop this in its tracks, propose getting rid of the Gold Brain pensions provisions and revert to the top tier to the last testable rank (lieutenant). Not only would it kill this effort, it'd be a small step to extending the life of the pensions.

Returning to Basics?

Another interesting rumor:

• Narcotics is going away. They are making 5 area narcotics teams that will fall under the patrol area deputy chiefs. That’s it. They will work out of the same offices as the PRT teams and still have access to 1505 and the Bursars office for money. Wallace is jumping ship and put in his papers for mid July. They told him he was going back to Lieutenant or he can retire. He chose to leave and not do the rest of the summer. This will all happen in September.

Is Homan Square being emptied out? Back in the day there were overd 1,000 personnel assigned there in fifteen or twenty units and sub-units. It was probably larger than HQ on occasion in terms of total bodies.

In practical terms, nothing should be manned until all of the beat cars on all watches are covered adequately. And once the beat cars are covered, then you can start with District tact teams and 06 cars.

After that, you can spend money and personnel on citywide units.

Lighter Font

A couple comments complaining about the text in comments being a lighter gray color, harder to read and annoying as all get out.

It appears to be something Google (that owns eBlogger) did and there doesn't seem to be anything we can do about it yet.

We're looking into it.