Chicago -
From Lucy Parsons Lab via Rachael Perrotta
Lucy Parsons Labs sued the FBI on Monday for its records on late Chicago police commander Jon Burge.
The FBI maintains investigative, arrest and prosecution records about Burge, who went to jail for perjury about torture directed under his watch. LPL filed suit after long delays in the processing of their requests despite the clear public interest in the release of records.
Posted on June 18, 2019
By Brianne Gorod/TakeCare
With Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report out, and President Trump engaging in unprecedented obstruction of congressional efforts to investigate him and his administration, calls for the U.S. House of Representatives to at least begin an impeachment inquiry are ramping up. Even House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler has recognized that “[t]he president’s continuing lawless conduct is making it harder and harder to rule out impeachment or any other enforcement mechanism.”
If the House were to open an impeachment inquiry and that inquiry ultimately resulted in a vote to impeach, Trump wouldn’t be the only one in the spotlight. Chief Justice John Roberts would be there, too, because he would be responsible for presiding over the trial that would take place in the Senate. And that’s why it’s more important now than ever that Roberts demonstrate that he’s capable of being the impartial umpire he famously promised to be at his confirmation hearing.
Posted on June 17, 2019
By Olivia Brecht/Brighton Park Neighborhood Council
WHAT: Chicago’s Mental Health Task Force, chaired by Ald. Sophia King (4th), will convene the first public forum on public mental health services called for by the recently-enacted “Public Mental Health Service Expansion Resolution.”
Residents will be able to provide written and spoken testimony on the mental health needs in the city and provide recommendations on the re-opening the closed public mental health clinics and expanding current mental health services at existing clinics.
Posted on June 11, 2019
By The Arab American Action Network
The Arab American Action Network, a grassroots community organizing and social services institution based in Southwest Chicagoland, issued a call Thursday for the Illinois State Police to turn over records about a secret surveillance initiative known as the Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative.
AAAN filed a lawsuit to uncover these records in February; the ISP filed a response in state court to keep these records hidden from the public.
On Friday, the AAAN appeared for the first time in court, to once again demand that the ISP turn over its records. The SAR Initiative infringes on the civil rights of Illinoisans, especially members of the Arab and Muslim community whose everyday activities are often deemed “suspicious.”
Posted on June 8, 2019
By CME Group
Ag producer sentiment dropped to its lowest level since October 2016, erasing all improvements recorded following the November 2016 election.
The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, based on a mid-month survey of 400 agricultural producers across the U.S., declined 14 points in May to a reading of 101, down from 115 in April.
Posted on June 5, 2019
By Paul Kiel/ProPublica
Every year, the IRS, starved of funds after years of budget cuts, loses hundreds more agents to retirement. And every year, the news gets better for the rich – especially those prone to go bold on their taxes. According to data released by the IRS, millionaires in 2018 were about 80% less likely to be audited than they were in 2011.
But poor taxpayers continue to bear the brunt of the IRS’s remaining force. As we reported last year, Americans who receive the Earned Income Tax Credit, one of the country’s largest anti-poverty programs, are audited at a higher rate than all but the richest taxpayers. The new data shows that the trend has only grown stronger.
Posted on June 2, 2019
By Julia Conley/Common Dreams
Two studies released by the executive compensation firm Equilar on Friday revealed that CEOs of some of the wealthiest companies in the U.S. are seeing their pay rise at about twice the rate of the workers who make the day-to-day operations of their businesses run.
The Associated Press commissioned a study of compensation for 340 executives at S&P 500 companies, which revealed that the CEOs earned raises averaging $800,000 in 2018 – a 7 percent increase over the previous year.
Workers would need to work 158 consecutive years to earn what their bosses make in one year, the AP reported.
Posted on May 28, 2019
By The Electronic Freedom Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today launched TOSsed Out, a project to highlight the vast spectrum of people silenced by social media platforms that inconsistently and erroneously apply terms of service (TOS) rules.
TOSsed Out will track and publicize the ways in which TOS and other speech moderation rules are unevenly enforced, with little to no transparency, against a range people for whom the Internet is an irreplaceable forum to express ideas, connect with others, and find support.
This includes people on the margins who question authority, criticize the powerful, educate, and call attention to discrimination. The project is a continuation of work EFF began five years ago when it launched Onlinecensorship.org to collect speech takedown reports from users.
Posted on May 21, 2019
By The Mikva Challenge
Following a school year of action, Chicago youth will gather to showcase their year-long activism effort to better their schools and neighborhoods at Chicago’s 17th Annual Action Civics Showcase on May 21, 2019 at The Bridgeport Art Center. Mikva Challenge will host the showcase in partnership with the Chicago Public Schools’ Department of Social Science and Civic Engagement.
Throughout the showcase, youth will present nearly 100 projects to civic partners in order to get their feedback. Examples include:
Posted on May 20, 2019
By The Illinois PIRG Education
As its long-troubled pipe replacement program comes under increased scrutiny from the Chicago City Council, Peoples Gas filed its first 2019 quarterly program report to the Illinois Commerce Commission last Wednesday. It shows that the program is once again over budget and behind schedule. Adding insult to injury, at least 7 percent of the average March residential customer bill is going toward pipe replacement work.
“The Peoples Gas pipe replacement program is a poorly designed, mismanaged, bad deal for Chicago,” said Illinois PIRG Education Fund Director Abe Scarr. “For a project spanning decades, falling behind schedule or going over budget any one quarter or year is not necessarily a sign of failure, but doing so every quarter, every year, is. Forcing Chicago heating customers to pick up the tab for this program is unacceptable”
Posted on May 18, 2019
