* Cicero was a major hotspot last night…
Four people shot, two fatally, in Cicero Monday as unrest and protests over the killing of George Floyd continued for another day.
Town spokesman Ray Hanania confirmed the deaths to WGN News. Hanania said at least 60 people were arrested Monday.
Hanania said there have been “outside agitators” that have entered Cicero “after being rebuffed by the closure of downtown Chicago. The only shots fired have been by these outside agitators and looters who are not Cicero residents.”
The identities of the people who were killed have not yet been released. No further information was provided.
Hanania said more than 100 Cicero police officers are on patrol assisted by about 120 county and state police.
* From the Illinois State Police…
The Illinois State Police Northern and Central Crowd Control responded to the town of Cicero late last night due to complaints of civil unrest. After approximately 2 hours, the CCT was able to disperse the crowd and left.
* There was also at least some looting…
Viewing the video, you will quickly lose count of how many looters were seen busting into El Patron Liquor Store in Cicero. They jumped the counter, trashed display cases, and broke bottles in just a few minutes as Cicero police arrived.
Chopper 2 showed officers using their batons to make arrests, attempting to detain some of the looters. A police dog was let loose, but the damage was done.
But Chet Patel, a friend of the liquor store owner, was brought to tears while hugging the officers who quickly cleared the business – saving what was left. […]
While Cicero did not issue a curfew, police did tell people to stay home and be safe.
Shortly after the incident at the liquor store, several people were running in traffic when a car struck at least three pedestrians. One person was taken away by stretcher. Their condition is unknown.
* A bit of video…
* On to Naperville…
A protest in Naperville that started peacefully took an ugly turn late Monday night as authorities said a different group of protesters arrived and began breaking windows and looting downtown businesses.
The vandalism and looting began around 9:35 p.m. — despite a 9 p.m. curfew — when one protester set off a firework that caused an explosion. Vandals then broke windows at more than a dozen downtown establishments, including Barnes & Noble, Talbots, Sullivan’s Steakhouse, Walgreens, Smoothie King, Bangkok Village, Pandora, Starbucks and the Gap. Looters also entered some businesses, police said, and tried unsuccessfully to break into the Apple store. […]
Naperville police Cmdr. Mike Son said the damage began after the firework was set off. Many protesters ran from the Washington Street and Chicago Avenue intersection where the firework went off, but did not immediately leave downtown and began breaking windows and entering businesses.
“This appeared to be a different group,” Son said. “They weren’t protesting the same way the other group was.”
More…
Windows were shattered at Barnes & Noble, Einstein’s Bros. Bagels, Lauren Rae jewelry, Lush cosmetics, and the Pandora jewelry store. Dozens of people gathered at the back of the Apple store and tried to gain entry. Anderson’s bookshop across the street was not damaged. […]
The Naperville Police Department requested mutual aid from the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System, the Illinois State Police, the Aurora Police Department, the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, and the Department of Homeland Security, which brought additional officers to Naperville. […]
While people entered businesses unabated, two armored Kane County sheriff vehicles rolled north on Main Street through the heart of Naperville’s posh downtown. The armored vehicles were joined by several officers on foot and Naperville police cars behind them. Police did not deploy tear gas, Son said.
By 11 p.m., several dozen police with shields and wearing helmets and masks, standing with an armored truck, blocked off Main Street just south of Jefferson Avenue. Only a few scattered people remained in the downtown and the violence seemed to have stopped.
…Adding… This morning…
* Decatur…
Two employees inside Thornton’s Gas Station, on East Pershing Road, are cleaning up and assessing damage. There’s broken glass and a busted door. Police also blocked off the area.
The regional manager says it happened about 8:30 pm, Monday. He says police responded quickly, but looters did take items. Police were able to pull over a vehicle after watching surveillance video from the gas station. No word if anyone’s been arrested.
People also hit the Casey’s on West Mound Road and the Tobacco Shack on Grand Avenue. No word if items were stolen from those locations.
* Jacksonville…
Police responded to a possible burglary at Walmart Monday night. It happened about 11:45 pm, in the 1900-block of West Morton.
It was reported multiple suspects broke a door to gain entrance, stole several items and fled the scene.
Officers responding saw a maroon Chevrolet Impala speeding from the scene and tried to conduct a traffic stop. After a short pursuit, the abandoned vehicle was found in the 200-block of Caldwell.
Several items believed to have been stolen from the business were recovered in the vehicle. No arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities.
- Father Ted - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 10:33 am:
I used Twitter to follow some of what was going on in Cicero yesterday and it was frightening. Lots of vigilante-style action including bands of individuals armed with baseball bats looking for looters and groups of guys with long guns on top of stores. There were rumors of African Americans being pulled from cars, which flared tension between that community and Latinx.
Twitter has been a good way to get up to the minute, unfiltered updates on what’s happening but even on a normal day it’s not great for the soul. These days it’s harrowing.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 10:36 am:
There were rumors that the local street gangs were “protecting” Cicero.
Hard to believe that armored vehicles and police in riot gear are patrolling downtown Naperville. Just surreal.
- Donnie Elgin - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 10:37 am:
“Lots of vigilante-style action including bands of individuals armed with baseball bats looking for looters and groups of guys with long guns on top of stores”
In the face of violent lawlessness, what do you expect?
- Bob Loblaw - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 10:41 am:
“What do you expect”
Indeed. Now apply that same logic to the original looting.
- Bob Loblaw - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 10:42 am:
So many of these shooting stories say things like “were shot amid protests,” but are ever so light on details as to whether the shooting happened at a protest, was done by a protestor, or whether it was a completely separate event that happened at the same time
- Back to the Future - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 10:44 am:
With Mayor Lightfoot’s F Bombs, Pritzker’s grandstanding and President Trump waving a Bible around, I think we need some new leaders in government.
You would think with all the money we spend on government that at least we could feel safe from looters, gangs and mobs burning up stores.
- Last Bull Moose - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 10:49 am:
My daughter took a broom to downtown Naperville this morning to help clean up. She did not want the protests blamed for the damage.
- Chris - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 10:52 am:
“ You would think with all the money we spend on government that at least we could feel safe from …”
The police, maybe?
Seems to be a little missing the point here.
Yes, some bad people are taking advantage of the situation to wreak havoc, and ‘get free stuff’ (and almost everyone agrees that they are bad and should be punished if caught and due process funds them responsible) but can we really not all see the irony of complaining about bad actors within a protestors, when the protesting is about bad actors within the police, and their acting with impunity to harm *people* rather than just property?
- Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 10:54 am:
Understanding that riots and looting are horrible and should be stopped, none of this would be happening if the cops didn’t snuff out the life of another African-American. If military force is brought in and things escalate, it may set off conflagrations far worse than what’s experienced so far.
- cermak_rd - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 10:58 am:
I agree with Grandson of Man. I live in Berwyn and have had a couple sleepless nights (North Riverside side of Berwyn was affected Sunday night, Cicero side last night). This would not be happening without the killing of Mr. Floyd by a team of police officers plus, locally, a pattern of rough treatment toward black suspects, especially when compared and contrasted against the treatment of white armed protesters.
- Quibbler - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 11:01 am:
Note that this didn’t happen until after the National Guard was deployed. More policing doesn’t mean more safety.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 11:02 am:
“With Mayor Lightfoot’s F Bombs, Pritzker’s grandstanding and President Trump waving a Bible around”
This is a heroic effort at false equivalency as to what each of these three people has been doing lately. A++ for effort.
- hisgirlfriday - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 11:03 am:
There was a showdown with looters at Kohl’s in Bloomington overnight and they hit a few other locations.
https://www.wglt.org/post/unrest-2nd-straight-night-police-face-crowd-bloomington-mall
The courthouse only was open for half a day and restaurants all over town closed early out of fear even with no curfew imposed.
- Daily Grind - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 11:04 am:
* white armed protesters. *
who destroyed nothing and injured no one.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 11:06 am:
===who destroyed nothing and injured no one. ===
Perhaps because the cops left them alone.
- Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 11:13 am:
The images of armed white protesters besieging a state capitol while cops did nothing, and another African-American killed because of an alleged $20 crime, epitomize the institutional racism that is the root of the crisis.
- SOIL M - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 11:15 am:
white armed protesters. *
who destroyed nothing and injured no one.
Look up the story on the kid from Galesburg who was arrested yesterday, also one in Nashville. Two sisters in NY charged with attempted murder of 4 Police Officers.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 11:18 am:
===* white armed protesters. *
who destroyed nothing and injured no one.===
The thing about praising vigilantes is… eventually the vigilantes become less… selective… and restrained… so not antagonizing them… that’s a safety thing… and a form of “passive” terrorism too.
- Back to the Future - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 11:54 am:
I saw a police car burning just a block or so from where I live.
A news story talked about 180 businesses that were looted and some were set on fire.
The responses from Mayor Lightfoot, Gov. Pritzker and President Trump seem to be all about them, political spin or finger pointing.
- Back to the Future - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 12:00 pm:
To Last Bull Moose:
That was a nice note about your daughter.
Good for her.
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 1:06 pm:
Imagine that.
– MrJM
- The Dude - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 2:17 pm:
I’ve lost a lot of faith in our government through this.
This is their most important job they have allowed it to spread.
- cermak_rd - Tuesday, Jun 2, 20 @ 2:42 pm:
The Dude,
The problem is law enforcement is not set up to prevent all crime. Normally it is a reactive force, acting after an act has been perpetrated. Or noticing a pattern (for instance with serial murder) and trying to prevent future occurrences.
It took the federal government 1.5 years to catch Bonnie and Clyde, and don’t forget they were accused of murder, otherwise they would never have been on the FBI’s radar.
And they were 2 people. At this point in time there are lots of semi-organized, autonomous groups involved in the actual acts of looting and I just don’t think law enforcement can react to all of this.