Is anybody out there?
Wednesday, Jun 3, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Comcast supplies my internet. This national outage map is from DownDetector…
* AT&T is my phone provider. I use it as a backup wifi hotspot during Comcast outages. Also from DownDetector…
Luckily for me, I can piggy-back on a Verizon account. But my site went down for a bit and, man, if this isn’t the most typical 2020 thing to happen I don’t know what is.
…Adding… Comcast and AT&T are both working again for me. Whew. That was so weird.
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* From the Join the Lawsuit against Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Facebook page…
Click the pic to read the comments. Whew.
Needless to say, it’s a completely goofy claim not supported by any facts, but whatever.
Waiting for a breathless post on Second City Cop in 3… 2…
…Adding… From Mayor Lightfoot’s conference call with reporters today…
As we’ve already discussed, that wild rumor about thousands coming from Indiana to protest was all over social media and Ald. Lopez took it seriously. To be clear, there probably were several Hoosiers in town. Chicago would be the closest big protest for anyone living in northwest Indiana. Plus, lots of Chicago-area folks have moved to Indiana and they still have friends and families here. So, that’s to be expected. But an organized caravan of thousands of people from Indianapolis, or whatever, was just nonsense.
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Attempts to heal
Wednesday, Jun 3, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Block Club Chicago…
On Sunday afternoon, Little Village neighbors came together to protect 26th Street businesses after people looted shops. Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22nd) said as the night went on, a few Latino men became “antagonistic” and were indiscriminately targeting Black people driving through the neighborhood.
In a video posted to Facebook, four Black women and a child driving through Little Village near Kedzie Avenue and Cermak Road Sunday had their car hit three times with bat as men stood in the street. A car was burning in the background.
In another video posted to Twitter, Latino men stood at the corner of Kedzie and Cermak, some with baseball bats, throwing items at cars as the drove by. Those items included bricks, Rodriguez said. A car was burning and other drivers attempted to dodge items launched in their direction. […]
On Monday evening, Rodriguez said he witnessed a young Black couple driving on Kedzie go through a “gauntlet” with people throwing things at their car. The Black couple were in Little Village to patronize a local business, he said.
“It was terrible. They looked so frightened,” he said.
According to leaders in the area, some of the Latino men guarding Little Village are members of the Latin Kings street gang.
* Sun-Times…
Michael A. Moreno Jr., owner of Moreno’s Liquors in Little Village, said the racial tension he’s witnessed the past two days is “scary.” He was among those who tried to guard his business, and he tried talk to some gang members who were doing the same thing. But he believes the gang members ended up acting as provokers.
“The gangs took matters into their own hands,” Moreno said inside his liquor store Tuesday. “I feel like a lot of people had well intentions at first. Unfortunately, when you start allowing the gangs to start protecting the neighborhood, you are not going to have the outcome that you would like.”
Ald. Ray Lopez, whose 15th Ward is home to a mix of both Latino and African American residents in communities such as Back of the Yards, said a juvenile gang member shot an African American man near 45th Street and Hermitage Avenue on Tuesday morning after asking the man, “What are you doing in this neighborhood?” The 49-year-old, who was with his daughter and son-in-law, was shot in the wrist and taken to Stroger Hospital. He was in good condition Tuesday.
* On to Cicero…
Shapearl Wells, an African American resident of Cicero, said she and her family were targeted Monday afternoon on Cermak.
It happened first to her cousin, who was driving out from Chicago to visit her. She was at a red light on Cermak Road and Central Avenue when a group of men approached the cousin’s car.
“They told her, ‘You not from around here you n - - - - - bitch,’” Wells said.
She told Wells what happened when she arrived. Wells, who’s lived in Cicero since 2003, was stunned. She went out for a drive to see for herself.
At some point, “about 20 to 25 Latin Kings” approached Wells’ car. “I rolled down my window and they told me I would only be OK if I go in the house and stayed inside.”
She said she called the police to tell them what happened, but nothing was done.
* Tribune…
After several social media posts were widely shared showing alleged gang members in Little Village and Cicero attacking black people in those neighborhoods, people began labeling the situation a race war. More posts advised black Chicagoans to avoid “Mexican neighborhoods” because Latinos were profiling and targeting them as looters. […]
In Pilsen, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez said in a video that he was aware of attacks reported on social media and urged the community to look after its black neighbors.
On Tuesday, Chicago community leaders and elected officials denounced the reports of violence against black Chicagoans by Latinos, saying that it is a “distraction” to the systematic racial issue they intended to fight in Floyd’s name. […]
More than 200 people, some from the suburbs, dispersed in groups throughout Southwest Side neighborhoods, including Gage Park, Back of the Yards, Brighton Park, Pilsen and Little Village on Monday evening with brooms and bags to pick up debris from the looting.
* Last night…
* Today…
Days after racial tension mounted between Little Village residents and African Americans protesting the death of George Floyd, protesters marched down 26th street and encouraged unity. […]
As the crowd grew, organizers told those gathered that Latinos won’t get respect until black people do. “Our lives as brown people is connected to the lives of black people,” one organizer said.
Stephanie Cerda-Ocampo said she joined the march because she thinks Latinos ignore anti-black problems in the community. “We need to stick together and fight against the real issue like white supremacy,” she said.
* More…
…Adding… CPD Superintendent this afternoon…
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Testing sites reopening
Wednesday, Jun 3, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Marni Pyke with the Daily Herald…
Ten out of 11 state-run COVID-19 testing sites that closed Sunday when Illinois National Guard troops who assist at the facilities were deployed to keep the peace will reopen Wednesday.
Those include popular locations in Aurora and Rolling Meadows. An 11th testing site in Waukegan is being moved to 102 W. Water St. and will be in business Thursday.
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency took the state testing sites offline Monday and Tuesday amid increasing violence in Chicago and the suburbs, as looters took advantage of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis May 25. […]
The sites also included locations in Champaign, Chicago, East St. Louis, Harwood Heights, Peoria, Rockford and South Holland.
Some National Guard troops that had been helping at the testing facilities with crowd management were reassigned to help local police departments reduce violence and protect property.
…Adding… More info here.
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* Your thoughts?…
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the governor’s press secretary Jordan Abudayyeh…
The Governor will support the Leaders if they request a special session. Gov. Pritzker firmly believes real structural change comes from protest paired with policy. The Governor’s office is in close contact with members of the black caucus to discuss their priorities for police reform with genuine investigations, transparency, and accountability. This administration knows we need sustained economic investment in Black and Brown communities and will work with the legislature to build on the progress we’ve made together. The Governor will do everything in his power to ensure equity is the foundation for the work in state agencies under his control. Over the weeks to come, the Governor believes it’s his role to listen, convene activists and policy experts, and support lawmakers who represent communities that have been silenced for far too long to propose policies that move our state forward.
Still waiting on responses from the two legislative leaders.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From Senate President Don Harmon’s spokesperson John Patterson…
President Harmon has been contacting caucus members and is eager to engage in building an agenda for action.
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* 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.
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* ISP Director Brendan Kelly spoke to reporters today…
Let me first just touch on really why we are here. Our fellow citizens our fellow human beings, wish to be heard. They wish to be heard so that action can come from being heard. And it is difficult to be able to hear them in a peaceful and productive way if that message and those voices are overwhelmed and drowned out by crime and by being hurt by violence, and by destructive activity and petty crime.
Director Kelly went on to talk a bit about what the ISP had done in Chicago and in Aurora.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* More…
We’ve had requests for assistance from every part of the state. Obviously there was some activity in Springfield in Champaign, Aurora Rockford, other communities throughout the state that have called upon for the ISP to provide the systems, but also something called ILEAS. Not many members of the public may be aware of something called the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System, essentially that is a mutual aid system that has been in place for some years for departments to provide assistance to other departments that may be overwhelmed by particular events, catastrophe, mass casualty type of situation or other events, which may require additional law enforcement manpower beyond what that particular community has. So, as these events unfolded over the weekend as a peaceful protest shifted to unfortunately some criminal conduct as we’ve been saying, there have been requests to the Illinois State Police request to ILEAS, and to some extent those resources and the manpower that’s been available has been reaching the point where additional resources have been needed. We’ve seen looting, we’ve seen thefts went to criminal damage and we’ve seen some Parsons throughout the state. And again, there’s not one particular location or one particular community in which this is entirely focused on it sometimes. We are very quick to say there’s a hotspot here or a hotspot there.
But frankly, the information that we’ve been receiving and how this process has evolved over the past 24 hours 48 hours 72 hours, has been that we have seen a number of individuals who are between the ages of 17 to 25, young people, communicating with one another on social media, targeting a particular business, particular retail, saying let’s meet at this location at this time. And once they reach a critical mass of people they find a way to break the windows, either using rocks or a hammer or picking up trash can or more location with a bicycle breaking those windows going into the business then taking as much property as they can in some cases, there’s some indication that maybe attempted to set fires in some locations, but as a process which has been repeated as the governor said today we are in close communication with our federal partners at all times.
The information we have consistently received from them and they’ll be approved and providing to them, is it does not appear to be yet, any indication of an organized structured group that is driving a critical mass of these incidents.
In large part these are, as described at that particular age group of people seeing a pattern and practice that they’re modeling after what they’ve seen on social media. There are people who are traveling around different communities they’re maybe not from that community, they come from different parts of the state. They are driving in their vehicles sometimes hanging outside their vehicles, waving signs, making gestures. We’ve seen people with bats and other types of items that are potential weapons, driving around and voicing their opinion with regards to law enforcement. But then some of those individuals committing the type of acts that we’ve been that we’re describing here that have resulted in looting have resulted in criminal damage to property theft. And the type of activity we’ve seen play out and Champaign, Aurora and other locations.
We’ve seen many ramp closures, more closures of ramps on interstates in this state than anybody can remember. We don’t have a record going back all the way to when interstates were open but it appears of the records that are available, including the collective memory of the men and women of the Illinois state police that this is the first time we’ve seen a point in our history where this many ramps to the interstates have been closed at the same time.
* More from Director Kelly…
We’re seeing activity today, but it is so far of a different tone and tenor than the activity that we saw over the weekend and we hope it stays that way. But in order to make sure it stays that way, there are steps that the governor has directed us to do. He’s very concerned that making sure that these peaceful protests are protected and that human life is protected, infrastructure is protected, that the livelihoods of so many people who are just struggling to get their lives back together now. After the first phase of the pandemic that that activity is protected, while people are practicing peaceful protest during the weekend.
* Types of policing…
While we have been responding to incidents, the division of patrol, crowd control group, SWAT, as well as the state bioterrorism Intelligence Center which is a component of the Illinois State Police that works with our homeland security advisor.
* Limitations of ILEAS…
But the way it works, essentially, is if your neighbor’s house is on fire, we all go to help our neighbor, put out that fire. The problem with the limitations of that model is if everybody’s house is a little bit on fire, how are we all supposed to respond to the one critical thing? So when we see these various brush fires, these small incidents being repeated in any number of communities around the state, all at the same time, it makes it very difficult for that process to work.
So, to respond to the governor’s concern that he has for protecting the people at the state and protecting property and human life and the right to be able to peacefully protest. I shifted some resources that we have within the ISP to be able to devote more human resources to the role of patrol.
He then went into some detail about what resources had been shifted.
* Unprecedented?…
What’s interesting to hear from the men and women who have been doing this for many years, people that are in all walks of law enforcement, is that this cycle of activity is is not like the usual cycle of crime. This is different than other protests. This is different than other types of flare ups that we’ve seen or other types of confrontations that have occurred in response to a particular event.
And what we’re seeing here is some factors that we don’t have any way to measure or anything to compare to. This is the first time, where we’ve seen a huge surge in the number of people that are temporarily unemployed. With the economy we’re hoping we hope that goes down but we’re at a point where that is a factor and we don’t know how that is impacting public safety. We’re at a point where people are coming out of the various phases in the first round of the pandemic. People that have pent up energy, they have concerns about their health, they have concerns about their economic future that have been impacted by measures that have been needed to protect public health. We’re not sure how that how that’s gonna play out yet in terms of public safety.
We don’t have good criminology and sociology numbers to compare rates of crime and the time those crimes that occur. The days those crimes occur what type of crimes would occur to compare to from the 1918 pandemic criminology sociology of prediction of criminal activity and being able to respond to that was not developed the way it is now, with last time we had a pandemic so that is a factor that is impacting the way people are behaving.
And again, we’re not quite sure how that looks. How some of the protests and the level of aggression, the level of violence that has mutated from peaceful protests, peaceful protest majority of peaceful protests to some things that really are distinct and apart from the peaceful protests. That’s not something that has played out in a way that it does. There are some consistencies with previous protests and previous response to these type of events, but they’re in terms of what time of night in terms of where and when it has been different in some ways, so because of that we have to take additional measures, we have to be different.
* Three regions…
The state police with ILEAS and with the support of the National Guard will be coordinated through three regions. During the pandemic, we have set up three law enforcement support centers, the Illinois state police have and coordinated with with guard resources as necessary and with at least some local departments, we are going to continue that model of having regional law enforcement support centers in the northern part of the state, the central part of the state and the southern part of the state. We’ll divide the state into three areas to be able to provide support and maximizing the additional resources that the Illinois State Police are bringing to bear and maximizing the manpower, from the Illinois National Guard, that will help us free up a local law enforcement in the state police to be able to focus on the needs as they arise.
* On to questions for the director. Asked about bricks thrown off an I-55 overpass…
I can’t talk about particular locations where bricks have been thrown. I can tell you that there have been examples of not just bricks but batteries, you know, rocks, things that are made of cement, you name it any number of objects that have been thrown at law enforcement vehicles, and I’m not aware of any civilian vehicles yet. It would surprise me if that’s happened in the midst of some of these riots, but we know that that’s a pattern of conduct that we’ve seen from some people that are taking again, a moment that should be about righteous justice and turning that into something that’s violent and just purely destructive so we the only state police have only had two vehicle, which have been damaged that were damaged by bricks, so far. I know that other departments have had vehicle set on fire. I’ve had vehicles taken damaged objects thrown at them, destroyed so that is a that is a phenomena that we’re aware, but that’s that’s specific case that’s not something I can comment on here.
He was also asked a question about Mayor Lightfoot’s criticism of CPD’s efforts over a week ago and declined.
* No more questions, so he concluded with this…
It is the duty of this department and this agency, as it is for all men and women who serve in this capacity, to be ready for anything. And we are going to be ready for anything and we are ready for anything.
I’ve asked for a list of communities that the ISP has deployed to and will update if I get one.
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* Gov. Pritzker at his briefing today…
Yesterday into today, 375 members of the Illinois National Guard joined local law enforcement in Chicago to assist with street closures. We implemented stringent parameters on their mission and use of force, including no interference with peaceful protesters expressing their first amendment rights. Since that deployment we have received additional reports of escalating situations and requests for assistance from communities around the state. We have now called up an additional 250 members of the Illinois National Guard, to be ready to assist other cities across the state that have faced a surge of destructive action, notably looting over the last 24 hours.
Again, our role is to support the response led by local law enforcement and municipalities, we are working with local leaders and law enforcement to meet their requests for assistance to the greatest extent possible. An additional 300 Illinois State Police troopers are also coming online today into tonight to help keep our communities outside, Chicago safe, with a focus on preventative measures and supporting local law enforcement, where departments are running thin.
* More from the governor…
The State Emergency Operations Center in Springfield is monitoring requests from local governments around the state. Individuals from Illinois Emergency Management Agency, and various mutual aid networks are on standby to assist. Illinois State Police director Brendan Kelly will provide a live update from the Blue Room at the Capitol in Springfield at 5:30pm today, with more details on our statewide response
I guess I’ll be covering that, too. Please remember to pardon all transcription errors.
* More news from the governor…
To bolster this response and give us greater flexibility, I have today issued a disaster proclamation for Cook, Champaign, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Madison, Macon, Sangamon and Will counties to coordinate state agencies and resources as we work to assist local governments with their disaster response and recovery operations.
…Adding… The proclamation is here.
* Back to Pritzker…
In time property can be rebuilt. But the pain will fall disproportionately on the backs of our small business owners, our working families and our communities of color. And it has to stop. We have to take care of our people. And for that reason we will continue to flexibly deploy Illinois State Police and the National Guard strategically as we work with the dual purpose of protecting Illinoisans, as well as the first amendment rights of peaceful protesters.
I know there are people in this country, including some elected officials, who will point to the looting we’ve seen in Chicago and across Illinois and use it to dismiss the pain and anguish and sorrow of the moment.
Let me be clear. We cannot allow those who have taken advantage of this moment to loot and smash to also steal the voices of those expressing a need for real meaningful change. That will not be our story here in Illinois. Because this anger doesn’t come out of nowhere, it’s born of decades and centuries of systemic racism and injustice. The White House might fan the flames, but the fear that of what happened to George Floyd could happen to you or to your son or daughter is woven deeply into the fabric of what it means to be black in America. And that’s what all of us have to recognize. That’s where our work begins.
* On to questions for the governor. This morning, President Trump got on a conference call with governors, he had choice words. Calling governors weak, said that they need to be much tougher, that states are being overridden, and you’re making yourself look like fools. Much has been made this morning that he said to Governors that you have to dominate. First of all, what was your takeaway from that conversation. And what was your interpretation of when the President said you have to dominate?…
Well you heard my reaction. The truth is that the President has fanned the flames instead of bringing peace and calm. It is usually the job of the president to stand up in these circumstances, and try to bring down the temperature, that’s not what this president does. And so I felt, you know, after many minutes on that call I mean I think we were on that call for 40 minutes hearing him express what I found to be inflammatory rhetoric. And then I heard other governors get on and not call it out. And so I spoke out, and felt that was my obligation. I wish that the President would hold his words, I wish he would, if he can’t say something that is going to help us across the nation to bring the temperature down then he shouldn’t say anything at all.
* Yesterday you approved the National Guard in Chicago in a limited role as you have discussed. What is it going to take, you know you’ve seen the images of looting, not only in the city but in neighborhoods around Chicago. What is it going to take for the National Guard’s role to be enhanced?…
Well, as you see, we are enhancing it, we respond though to local law enforcement to local municipalities, we were asked to play a limited role yesterday. I did so at the request of the city of Chicago. I think it’s an appropriate request by the way I think the city of Chicago has a significant police force, and much of it was out last night doing their job. Even though I know that there was a lot of looting.
The fact is that the National Guard doesn’t have the job and doesn’t regularly train to be a frontline police officer doing law enforcement in municipalities. We have military police that are trained to be military police, some of them are police officers in their home counties or home cities across Illinois, but many of them are not. And so I think they were providing a support function, they’ll continue to do that more. As you heard me talk about today we’ll have more of them out all across wherever the municipalities have requested and where we can. But the important thing to know is that between the state police, which are going to have 200 plus troopers out there, almost 300, add that on top of the 375 that we already had up from the National Guard plus 250 more than been called up. It’s a pretty significant force.
* If you had any hope President Trump would take your advice, what’s the suggest you do to address the unrest and violence across the country?…
Well I think he should speak to the pain that’s being experienced by people all over the country. African Americans people of color who have been subject to situations like we’ve seen you know the unfortunately the George Floyd situation was not a unique one. And so I’d like to hear the president stand up and talk to that situation and also bring clergy together ask clergy to step up, I would do that. I am doing that. I really think it is time to call for calm around, not just the city of Chicago, the entire state of Illinois and entire country. That is, in part, the job of a president, this one hasn’t done it.
* Will the National Guard’s work change so they’re not just managing the perimeter in downtown?…
Well it’s their job to support local law enforcement so we’ll continue to do that and do it wherever they are asked to do it. And again, we have resources that we’re bringing to bear you’ve heard when you add up everything that we’re bringing forward it’s approaching 1000 personnel from state police and from National Guard and we’ll do what’s necessary here to help. First of all, to allow the peaceful protesters to do the kind of protest that’s appropriate. And then to catch the bad guys.
* And has the state closed down any of its COVID-19 testing facilities in response to protests and separate looting and having to call the National Guard to focus their attention on the issues at hand?…
Yes, it’s one of the unfortunate consequences of what’s happened is we can’t have guardsmen out there unprotected providing the testing well you know we can’t have police out there protecting the guardsman. We’re out there trying to protect the public and we just it’s impossible at the moment. So temporarily, the guard which has done an unbelievably great job. Let me just be clear, we would not have the kind of testing numbers that you have across the state if the guard wasn’t manning these posts, but unfortunately this situation has forced us to shut down some of those temporarily.
[The governor did not have the numbers of shuttered facilities.]
…Adding… Press release: “On Sunday, IEMA Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau ordered the closure of all Community Based COVID-19 Testing Sites in Illinois in order to protect staff and those utilizing these services. A reopen date will be announced as soon as determined.”
* What advice would you have for small business owners who are seeing images of looting and rioting, how can you assure them that the state is doing everything that it can to protect private property?…
We’ll do everything that we can to protect private property, that’s, you see here, some of the bravest individuals representing the bravest individuals in the state and they are out there protecting private property public property and lives. So we’ll continue to deploy as needed. These things have popped up overnight unexpectedly in some other areas outside of the city of Chicago and then outside of even the center of the city of Chicago. And so we’re being responsive as municipalities have asked us to step in. But it’s not our job to go in and take over for law, local law enforcement. Our job is to go help them deliver their mission locally.
* Some have question though, you know after seeing images yesterday on the south on the west side that were at times there were stretches where there was no presence of local law enforcement to enter calling into question, you know, is all is everything being done possible?…
Well, again, local law enforcement have strategies, the city of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department as you know managed the NATO protests and other protests, historically has the capability to manage this. They’re the ones who set the mission here. But I must say that our Illinois State Police which really was responding on an emergency basis to situations around the state, brought down the temperature in places. They managed to dispel people disperse the people who are in Aurora that were surrounding a police department in in Aurora Police Headquarters and we’re doing as we are asked by local law enforcement and the Chicago PD has this capability.
* Not counting the Bulls championship, the Illinois National Guard hasn’t been utilized for civil unrest within the United States since the Kent State shooting and the protests of the Vietnam War. Given the gravity of that time, what does the significance of this moment mean to you as you prepare to deploy the guard under these current circumstances?…
Well we live in some extraordinary and difficult moments. Now, during my lifetime I have not seen this, I was very young in 1968. What I can say is that this has something to do about leadership in the nation. When you don’t have national leaders who are bringing down the temperature in situations like this, it tends to fan the flames. Please look at the words that the President has put out on Twitter, look at the words that he says, he talks about total domination.
I don’t want to dominate peaceful protesters who have legitimate grievances. I do want us to put down the situations of people destroying property or violent behavior. And so I just, to me this is an extraordinarily unusual [time]. Having said that, we will meet the challenge, and we have the capability, need to challenge the people of Illinois have the capability. And again, I would ask for people to step up and call for calm and peace in our streets. It is time really for people all across our state and particularly for our faith leaders to step up and remind us who we are. I am doing it every day but I think it’s very important coming from the various faiths that represent faiths that are represented across the state.
* Several Chicago aldermen are calling for 3000 members of the National Guard to be deployed to the south and west sides of Chicago because of all of the looting in those areas. They’ve been critical that the Guard has been used to help secure downtown but not the city’s neighborhoods. What is your reaction to the widespread looting on the south and west sides and this request for additional members of the guard to specifically target those, the looting on the south and west sides and really all over the city?…
What I would say is that it’s the mission that gets set by local law enforcement that is being followed. We’re providing support services which is the appropriate thing to do, and State Police have been stepping up on the front lines because they have the kind of training that’s necessary to be right there on the front lines, making arrests for example. And so you’ve seen we’re deploying state police, significant numbers of state police and deploying significant numbers of guardsmen and women.
* How does it help Illinois for you call out the president as you did today?…
I think there are two things. One is I think we have to express our values. What I said is an expression of the values of the people of the state of Illinois. That inflaming the kind of violence and looting by simply calling for utter dominance of everybody including the peaceful demonstrators is, that’s just one example. You saw when the looting starts the shooting starts you saw that the President said that, and repeated something that comes from a racist past in the United States. So I think it’s an important thing to call out the values of the people of Illinois at an appropriate moment. And, it helps the state of Illinois because I think people should know what we stand for. I mean we are, we’re great people the state of Illinois, as you know, has produced some amazing presidents of the United States because of the values that we all share. And so I’m just reminding everybody that that that’s who we are.
* Can you expand on what the 300 state police troopers will do in pursuing preventative measures and assisting local law enforcement what types of preventative measures?…
ISP Colonel: We have several missions that we have identified that we’re going to use those additional personnel for. So, of course we already have our crowd control aspect, and we’ve been using that for the last three days and they have been doing an amazing job. We have a need from local law enforcement local municipalities for assistance with traffic control. They are requesting us for those type of details. We also are going to be using our officers to do just some of the calls for service that we have right now within the city. We have been inundated with calls of service so those extra personnel will help us they’re there. They’re there investigative components that we’re going to be using our additional officers for as well. So, there are several different missions that we do have identified in place, and we will be using those additional officers for all of those.
Gov. Pritzker: Something important if I may, just there is an enormous amount of coordination that is going on between law enforcement at the federal, state and local level and I’m really proud of that fact. I was on a call earlier today with federal officials, with our state officials, with our National Guard. We are getting briefings from the city of Chicago, and briefing them on our capabilities and what we can do to be helpful. So I just wanted to point out that the state police, which has the ability to rapidly to respond where there’s a need, the coordination that’s going on between all of these levels of government and in particular law enforcement is really spectacular.
* What do you plan to do with your disaster orders for these counties, what executive orders will you issue. Will you release funds via EO to help build rebuild businesses. What else can you do to provide security through an EO? How long will the disaster orders last, should a large relief package be considered legislatively?…
That’s an awful lot to read leading down a road that we haven’t yet gone down. I think what we’re trying to do is to operate flexibly and that’s what a disaster proclamation allows us to do in these circumstances. But it is limited right now to simply law enforcement and being responsive to the needs of those counties without having to deal with a lot of red tape when you need to move quickly within minutes or hours to help local law enforcement.
Again, the proclamation is here.
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974 new cases, 23 additional deaths
Monday, Jun 1, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 974 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 23 additional deaths.
- Cook County: 1 male 40s, 1 female 50s, 1 female 60s, 4 males 60s, 1 female 70s, 2 males 70s, 3 females 80s, 2 males 80s, 2 females 90s
- DuPage County: 1 male 80s, 1 female 100+
- Kankakee County: 3 males 80s
- Lake County: 1 male 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 121,234 cases, including 5,412 deaths, in 101 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 20,014 specimens for a total of 918,273. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from May 25–May 31 is 6%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for a death previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted.
* Sunday…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 1,343 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 60 additional deaths.
Cook County: 3 females 30s, 1 male 40s, 2 females 50s, 2 male 50s, 2 females 60s, 3 males 60s, 1 unknown 60s, 6 females 70s, 4 males 70s, 8 females 80s, 2 males 80s, 4 females 90s, 1 female 100+
DuPage County – 1 female 60s, 1 female 70s, 2 females 90s, 1 male 90s
Kane County – 1 male 50s, 1 female 90s
Lake County – 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Madison County – 1 female 60s
Monroe County – 1 female 60s
Peoria County – 1 male 80s
St. Clair County – 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
Union County – 1 male 90s
Whiteside County – 1 male 90s
Will County – 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 80s
Williamson County – 1 male 50s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 120,260 cases, including 5,390 deaths, in 101 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 21,154 specimens for a total of 898,259. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from May 24–May 30 is 7%.
* Saturday…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 1,462 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 61 additional deaths.
Coles County: 1 male 80s
Cook County: 4 males 40s, 1 female 50s, 3 males 50s, 1 unknown 50s, 1 female 60s, 4 males 60s, 1 female 70s, 6 males 70s, 5 females 80s, 2 males 80s, 5 females 90s, 1 male 90s
DuPage County: 1 female 60s, 2 males 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
Kane County: 2 males 60s, 1 female 70s, 2 males 70s, 1 female 80s
Kankakee County: 1 female 60s
Lake County: 1 male 90s
Madison County: 1 female 90s
McDonough County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
McHenry County: 1 male 80s
St. Clair County: 1 female 90s
Tazewell County: 1 male 70s
Union County: 1 female 90s
Will County: 1 female 80s, 2 males 80s, 1 male 90s
Winnebago County: 1 female 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 118,917 cases, including 5,330 deaths, in 101 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 25,343 specimens for a total of 877,105. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from May 23–May 29 is 7%.
…Adding… Hospitalization numbers…
As of 5/31 (11:57pm)
Total COVID patients in ICU: 902
Total COVID patients on ventilators: 547
Total COVID patients in hospital (non-ICU): 2313
Total COVID patience in hospital: 3215
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* From the Illinois State Police…
As of 1:28 p.m., the following additional closures are in place until further notice:
I-94 N/B and S/B ramps to Sibley E/B
I-80 E/B and W/B at Torrence
* From earlier today…
-EXIT RAMP CLOSURES - June 1, 2020 -
As of 12:15 p.m., the following Interstate exit ramp closures are effective until further notice:
I-94 N/B and S/B to Lake Street
I-94 N/B and S/B ramps to Old Orchard Road
I-290 E/B to Congress
I-94 N/B ramp to Congress
I-90 N/B ramp to Ohio
I-90 S/B to Ohio
ALL exit ramps on I-90/94 from 18th Street to Division Street are closed until further notice.
The exit ramps are listed below:
18th Street
Roosevelt Road
Taylor Street
Polk Street
Van Buren Street
Jackson Boulevard
Adams Street
Monroe Street
Madison Street
Washington Boulevard
Randolph Street
Lake Street
Ohio Street
Ogden Street
Milwaukee Street
Augusta Boulevard
Division Street
*** UPDATE *** From the ISP…
*This closure is NO LONGER in effect: I-94 E/B ramp to IL-21*
________________________________________________________________________
As of 4:40 p.m., the following additional closures are in effect until further notice:
I-88 E/B and W/B ramps to IL-31
I-88 E/B and W/B ramps to Farnsworth Avenue
I-88 E/B and W/B ramps to IL-59
I-94 W/B ramp to IL-132
_______________________________________________________________
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* Sigh…
*** UPDATE *** Transcript from the governor’s office…
GOV: Mr. President, can you hear me? This is Governor Pritzker.
POTUS: I can hear you.
GOV: Thank you, you know, I wanted to say Mr. President…
POTUS: Are you on your cell phone? JB, are you on your cell phone?
GOV: Can you hear me ok? Sorry, can you hear me ok, Mr. President. Thank you.
GOV: I wanted to take this moment - and I can’t let it pass - to speak up and say that I’ve been extraordinarily concerned about the rhetoric that’s been used by you. It’s been inflammatory, and it’s not okay for that officer to choke George Floyd to death. But we have to call for calm. We have to have police reform called for. We’ve called out our national guard and our state police, but the rhetoric that’s coming out of the White House is making it worse. And I need to say that people are feeling real pain out there and we’ve got to have national leadership in calling for calm and making sure that we’re addressing the concerns of the legitimate peaceful protestors. That will help us to bring order.
POTUS: Okay well thank you very much JB. I don’t like your rhetoric much either because I watched it with respect to the coronavirus, and I don’t like your rhetoric much either. I think you could’ve done a much better job, frankly. But that’s okay. And you know, we don’t agree with each other.
GOV: Mr. President, we’re the second
POTUS: I saw it, what happened, it was a disgrace. But I spoke about it probably as long as I did about Barack and himself, and those police officers, what they did, including the three of them, that stood there and watched, and they didn’t even participate in it. The whole world was disgraced by it — that’s just our country — and the whole world was watching. So I - someone can tell me I haven’t spoken about, I’ve spoken about it at great length, at great length, and I will continue to speak about it. But I also have to speak about law and order. We need law and order in our country. And if we don’t have law and order, we don’t have a country. So we need law and order. Okay, who’s next?
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* The Illinois Statehouse is also being closed at 2 o’clock, I’m told…
Secretary of State office buildings in Springfield are closing today at 2 p.m.
The Springfield buildings impacted include, but are not limited to, the following: The Howlett Building, the Illinois State Library, the Herndon Building and the Driver Services facility located at 2701 S. Dirksen Parkway. All of the buildings will reopen tomorrow, June 2.
Out of an abundance of caution and after conferring with law enforcement, these buildings are being closed at 2 p.m. today to protect the public and employees.
* The SoS confirmed to me that this rally prompted the closure decision…
…Adding… Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association…
Spokesman Henry Haupt says media are not required to vacate the [Statehouse] pressroom, but the office is advising it out of “an abundance of caution.”
* Last night…
* Yesterday…
* ‘My silence won’t allow it’: Vehicle procession organized by Black Lives Matter Springfield remembers George Floyd, others
…Adding… From the scene…
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