* Irvin campaign yesterday morning…
After a third police officer was shot in less than a week, the trend of heightened violence and brazen disregard for police shows just how empowered criminals really are in J.B. Pritzker’s Illinois. Yesterday’s shooting comes just days after another officer was shot in the same neighborhood and a U.S. Marshal and his K-9 dog were shot while serving an arrest warrant.
The ever-prompt Gary Rabine sent out a release last night in response…
Three police officers have been shot in the same week in one of the most dangerous periods in history for law enforcement. The only person in this gubernatorial race who has actively represented an individual who attacked a police officer is Fake-GOP-Candidate, Richard Irvin. This is in addition to his decade and a half long career representing sexual predators and wife beaters. Richard Irvin has no idea how to deal with the crime problem in this state because for too long he has been part of the problem. It’s time we fully support law enforcement, hold criminals accountable, and get rid of horrible prosecutors like Cook County State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx.
Yikes.
From a Democratic oppo book…
ALEXANDER NUNEZ
Nunez “Kicked” Police Officer On The Face And Shoulder. “[Alexander Nunez] knowingly caused bodily harm to Ofc. Shettles in that he kicked OFC Shettles on the left shoulder and left side of the face, knowing said victim to be a peace officer, while performing his official duties.” [People of the State of Illinois v Alexander Nunez, Count 1, 7/5/16]
Nunez Punched Victim In The Face. “[Alexander Nunez] knowingly caused bodily harm to Moenkemier, Michal J, a family or household member of the defendant, in that said defendant punch Michael in the face with a closed fist.” [People of the State of Illinois v Alexander Nunez, Count 3, 7/5/16]
The case is here.
* We’ve been through this topic before, but click here for background if you still need it. Springfield Leaks…
Tom DeVore, an attorney who is running for Illinois Attorney General’s Office, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a married 27 year old woman, while legally representing her during COVID-19 mask mandates and business shut-downs. According to police reports and body camera footage that we have obtained, DeVore, who is 52 years old, is being accused by the family of a 27 year old woman of manipulating her and telling her that she would receive a big settlement from the state in order to have her “doing things.” Although both individuals are consenting adults, the Illinois Supreme Court has a rule that prohibits such conduct and has even said that it could result in disciplinary proceedings against any attorney involved in such conduct.
According to a recent incident report, there was a disturbance between DeVore and his girlfriend, Riley N. Craig, age 27, that required police response while they were staying at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Downtown, Springfield on April 20, 2022.
Just your normal, everyday, run-of-the-mill attorney general candidate.
* Irvin promises not to close Pontiac prison in visit to Pontiac…
The first topic addressed was the prison situation. Irvin is familiar with what has been taking place but isn’t happy with it.
“I know they’ve been closing down a couple of wings, which to me suggests eventually they’re going to try to close the whole prison,” Irvin told The Leader. “To do that without talking to the community and recognizing how valuable those jobs are to the community, I think is wrong.
“This governor has done that — done executive orders and made decisions without including the other leaders. As next governor, I’ll definitely give everybody a seat at the table and make sure we talk about things before we make decisions and insure that when jobs are getting taken away from a community, which they should never be, that I’m going to talk to people first before it happens.
“As governor, I’ll make sure that we don’t take away jobs, that we actually bring jobs to the city.”
…Adding… From the governor’s office…
As we have said time and time again, DOC is actually hiring MORE people at Pontiac. If you know anyone in the community who would like a job here’s the post: https://illinois.jobs2web.com/job/Springfield-CORRECTIONAL-OFFICER-TRAINEE-0967600-IL-62702-5643/707716100/
* Hmmm…
From the Aurora PD…
When it became apparent that Aurora Pride organization would have difficulty recruiting the remaining required officers willing to take additional shifts, APD and the City met with organizers of the Pride Parade and began working closely with them to mitigate the issue. APD introduced Aurora Pride to other police departments and organizations which could provide sworn law enforcement personnel.
On Monday, June 6th, Aurora Pride informed APD that after reaching out to neighboring jurisdictions and state law enforcement agencies, they were unable to fill the additional sworn law enforcement slots needed for the overall safety of the parade.
* Remember this?…
Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara is demanding that three of his union’s strongest City Council supporters choose between their loyalties to his group and their allegiance to the firefighters union.
At a stormy meeting last week, Catanzara insisted that the three council members, all former firefighters — Nick Sposato (38th), Anthony Napolitano (41st) and Jim Gardiner (45th) — pledge their support to Erin Jones, a Chicago Police Department detective challenging incumbent state Sen. Rob Martwick (D-Chicago). […]
Napolitano added that he doesn’t support Martwick — he just didn’t like how Catanzara handled the situation.
Last night, Napolitano endorsed Martwick’s opponent. Click here.
* Raja…
The Daily Herald’s editorial board wrote, “In his three terms in Congress, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg has quickly established himself as one of the most prominent Democrats on Capitol Hill, a legislator who can lead on tough issues while still working collaboratively across the aisle. He’s an accessible, hardworking left-of-center politician who has earned a positive ranking in the Bipartisan Index calculated by the nonprofit Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.”
The Editorial Board continued, “At a time of growing partisan and extremist rancor in the House, Krishnamoorthi has found ways to work effectively with colleagues of both parties to address the dangers of vaping, build workforces and address stock trading by members of Congress. He’s helped protect the nation from COVID-19 and advance technical education. He is an able and likable problem solver who gets things done — someone with the experience to understand how to work effectively when his party controls the House and when it does not. Why would Democrats in Illinois’ 8th Congressional District want to lose those skills?”
They concluded, “We have endorsed Krishnamoorthi in previous elections and we have been happy with his performance. We strongly endorse him in the June 28 Democratic primary.”
* CD1…
Democratic candidate for Congress Karin Norington-Reaves today announced the endorsement of the Teamsters Joint Council 25, who represent more than 100,000 members in Illinois and Northwest Indiana with 25 local union affiliates.
“As the daughter of a sheet metal worker and granddaughter of both a carpenter and ironworker, I will always stand with the working men and women of this district,” said Norington-Reaves. “As the head of workforce development for Chicago and Cook County, I helped more than 100,000 people find a quality job, many of them union jobs. Unions are the gateway to a strong, stable economic future for so many families. I am proud to have The Teamsters’ support for my campaign, and will be a champion for them in Congress.”
“Karin has 30 years of experience in community development, advocacy, and job creation,” said Terrence J. Hancock, President of Teamsters Joint Council 25. “We have seen Karin’s work in our communities, adding to our membership ranks, and helping working men and women find family-sustaining careers. We know Karin will stand with us every step of the way as our next Congresswoman and continue to support policies and programs that create good-paying jobs, support working families, and spur economic growth in the 1st District. We are proud to stand with her.”
* More…
* Republican attorney general candidate: ‘Where they do not enforce the law, we will enforce it’: David Shestokas, an Orland Park attorney and former assistant Cook County state’s attorney, said during an interview with the Daily Herald editorial board that he would assign attorneys from the attorney general’s office to monitor “people like Kim Foxx in Cook County and Eric Rinehart in Lake County and other prosecutors around the state who fail to enforce the law.”
* GOP candidates line up for chance to challenge Underwood, Foster in two closely watched congressional districts
* Davis touts record in Congress, but rivals Collins, Mendenhall want change
* Kaegi, Steele debate effectiveness of Cook County assessor’s office reforms
* Meet the two Illinois Republicans on the ballot for the 37th District state Senate seat
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* Yep, she’s kicking off her race with a private fundraiser…
Tribune…
Invitations by Lightfoot staffers to donors and supporters, obtained by the Tribune, have made clear Tuesday’s event in River North is her campaign launch.
The mayor currently faces five challengers, all of whom have raised questions about high crime and criticized her leadership as being unnecessarily divisive. So far, her opponents include South Side Ald. Roderick Sawyer, son of a former mayor; former Chicago Public School CEO Paul Vallas; Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner; Southwest Side Ald. Raymond Lopez; and businessman Willie Wilson.
During more than three years in office, Lightfoot has faced spikes in crime, has not run as transparent an administration as promised and engaged in constant fights with unions representing teachers and police — all while struggling to forge good relationships with politicians or leaders in the city’s business community.
* The most puzzling game in politics is predicting which side of her face the mayor will be talking out of on any given day. For instance…
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot escalated her ongoing feud with the Cook County criminal courts system on Monday when she said judges shouldn’t allow people charged with violent crimes out on bail because they are guilty if they have been charged.
“We shouldn’t be locking up nonviolent individuals just because they can’t afford to pay bail. But, given the exacting standards that the state’s attorney has for charging a case, which is proof beyond a reasonable doubt, when those charges are brought, these people are guilty,” Lightfoot said. “Of course they’re entitled to a presumption of innocence. Of course they’re entitled to their day in court. But residents in our community are also entitled to safety from dangerous people, so we need to keep pressing the criminal courts to lock up violent dangerous people and not put them out on bail or electronic monitoring back into the very same communities where brave souls are mustering the courage to come forward and say, ‘this is the person who is responsible.’ ”
Letting people who have been charged with violent crimes out on bond “undermines the legitimacy of the criminal courts,” she said.
But…
And…
But homicides are up all over the country, not just liberal cities. In fact, the pandemic-era murder rate has increased far more in red states that supported Donald Trump in 2020 than blue states that voted for Joe Biden. Crime has also increased in cities that are home to traditional “tough on crime” prosecutors, including Oakland, directly across the bay from San Francisco.
According to John Pfaff, a law professor at Fordham University, the dramatic rise in homicide rates between 2019 and 2020 was essentially uniform in 69 large jurisdictions, regardless of whether they were home to progressive prosecutors. “It’s really an attempt by opponents of reform to leverage the increase in crime and the fear that has generated, and to blame the wrong thing,” says Nicholas Turner, president of the Vera Institute of Justice, a progressive nonprofit that works to combat mass incarceration.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Today, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot announced the launch of her re-election campaign for the office of Mayor of Chicago.
“I don’t look or sound like any other mayor we’ve ever had before, and I’ve had to fight to get a seat at the table. And, like so many in our city, I’ve had to fight to have my voice heard,” said Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “That’s why I’ll never back down from fighting every day to turn your voice into action.”
“When we got knocked down by COVID, we came together as a City and we got right back up. Because that’s who we are – and that’s how we’ve been able to make so much progress, despite all that’s been thrown at us.
“Of course there are tough challenges ahead. We have a lot of work to do, because change just doesn’t happen overnight. But together, we will make our city safer, fairer, and more equitable for all. Now, let’s get back to work.”
WATCH: Mayor Lori Lightfoot Launches Re-Election Campaign
Since assuming office following her historic election in 2019, Mayor Lightfoot has undertaken an ambitious agenda of expanding opportunity and inclusive economic growth across Chicago’s neighborhoods and communities. She has led the city through the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic with tough, fair leadership – all while keeping her campaign promises. Mayor Lightfoot has:
Increased Chicago’s minimum wage to $15 an hour for hundreds of thousands of workers.
Expanded funding for community-based violence prevention and implemented measures to combat gang violence.
Championed the creation of a new civilian police oversight body, advancing Chicago on a path toward police reform.
Forged an equitable and inclusive vaccine distribution program and made unprecedented investments in public health, with a particular focus on the communities most devastated by the virus.
Passed transformative, unprecedented budgets, including historic investments in affordable housing, youth programs, mental health and environmental justice.
…Adding… Rep. Buckner…
Candidate for Mayor Kam Buckner today released the following statement in response to Lori Lightfoot’s re-election announcement:
“Mayor Lightfoot has proven to be utterly ill-equipped to lead Chicago. Carjackings and violence are at record highs, economic disinvestment is drying up our neighborhoods, our schools are under-resourced, our police department is over-extended and under-staffed. Instead of a public safety plan, she’s raised bridges, put up barricades and demanded curfews. Yesterday, three years too late, she announced a single piecemeal public safety measure, which is once again not part of any strategic vision for making Chicagoans safer.
“When Chicago votes for a new Mayor, they’re picking a new direction for our city. I’m a skilled negotiator who’s brought people together to get things done and passed groundbreaking, comprehensive laws around clean energy, banning ghost guns, and public safety and justice.
“As the son of a CPS teacher and law enforcement officer who grew up on the South Side and as State Representative for a district that spans South Chicago to the Gold Coast, I know our people and our communities. And I know we can only thrive if we have a Mayor with a plan.”
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* Center Square…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker continues to take heat from political opponents about crime in Illinois and Chicago.
Republican candidate Jesse Sullivan, who faces five others in the GOP primary for governor, called for emergency federal involvement in the crisis by opening an investigation into the activities of Chicago’s more than 50 known street gangs under the USA PATRIOT Act, the post-9/11 law that facilitates investigations into domestic terrorism.
“Last October, you acted on a letter from the National Association of School Boards calling for an investigation into the activities of lawfully-assembled parents, concerned over strenuous COVID restrictions and the discovery that schools across America were integrating Critical Race Theory (“CRT”) into their curriculum,” Sullivan said in a letter to President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland. “To the best of my knowledge, those protests resulted in zero fatalities.”
Sullivan then noted in Chicago alone, there have been more than 250 lost lives this year. He urged prompt deployment of the National Guard after three police officers were shot in less than a week.
“Somehow, 28 months in [to the COVID-19 pandemic], J.B. Pritzker is still signing monthly COVID disaster proclamations, but he is unwilling or unable to act on an even more pressing crisis – the senseless violence ravaging the streets of Chicago,” Sullivan said. “It’s time for Governor Pritzker to immediately declare a state of emergency and bring out the National Guard to help our undermanned and outgunned police department.”
Pritzker was asked about that Monday and said he has never failed to do what’s been asked of him.
“I will tell you that I have never once hesitated when asked by local law enforcement or by local mayors to provide help from the National Guard. I have never ever hesitated to do that, and I’ve done that several times,” Pritzker said.
* More from yesterday…
Q: Some of the Republican candidates have asked for the National Guard to be called out to combat recent violence involving law enforcement. And so what do you say to that?
A: Well, I think you know that I have called up the National Guard whenever local mayors that I’ve spoken to have wanted that done, have needed that done in their local communities. And I’ll continue to make the National Guard available whenever it is necessary.
* And from Pritzker’s second appearance yesterday…
Q: It has been a wild weekend, we have had another police officer shot at… Your Republican opponents are saying it’s your fault, that you have not been tough enough on crime, and you have not been standing with the police.
A: Let me start by offering my sympathies and my solidarity with officers and with their families. They are heroes. They really are. They do amazing work on the streets of Chicago and our police all across the state of Illinois. And I support that work with everything that I am working on. I want to remind you that we’ve made major investments in support of police. In particular in building back our Illinois State Police, which provides so many officers to backup Chicago Police Department, as well as police departments all over our state, was, as you know, devastated and decimated under the prior administration. We’ve been adding back hundreds of officers. And they’re doing terrific work. They were out when there was looting in 2020. They were called upon, we even brought in the National Guard to support local police. We continue to do that whenever we’re asked to. Maybe most importantly, we’ve been addressing the underlying causes of crime, fighting poverty, making sure we’re providing health care for communities most in need. And that also is an enormous support for our local law enforcement. So you know, for people who talk, that’s easy, we’re actually doing things and the people that stand with me that are in Springfield have voted to help our local police.
* He was also asked about Sullivan’s other point…
Q: COVID extension on emergency orders? Why sign that? What’s that all about?
A: You’re talking about our disaster declaration. Yeah, well, let me remind all of you that, like a flood, you know, floods don’t have a time limitation to them. They end whenever they end. So in Illinois, COVID-19 is like a massive flood that has taken place. It has been going on for a couple of years now. People getting the disease are needing to treat it, are needing to use the executive orders of the office of governor in order to help people get through this terrible time. Ianybody who’s paid attention, and I think the people who have been complaining about this have not been, can see that the disaster declarations and the executive orders have been ramping down over many months now. And so as we ramp them down, we’re also providing the supports that people need beyond the executive orders. But we’re in a different situation now than we were months and months ago. And we’re going to continue to provide support. We’re still in COVID-19, we still have a pandemic, there is still a federal disaster that’s been declared. And so we’re going to keep providing the services that people need and ramping down because we can see that there are fewer and fewer people who are needing hospitalizations when we get surges. Thank God
* Pritzker was asked about his COVID game plan earlier in the day as well…
Q: As you know well, hospitalizations are going up for COVID. As cases going up, you know, what’s your game plan for going ahead, any thought about masking?
A: So I want to remind you that at the height of Omicron, really at the height of COVID-19, we had about 7400 people in the hospital. Today, we have around 1600 people in the hospital. What I watch most closely around COVID, to determine whether we need to take state action is the situation in our hospitals, and whether we’re keeping people safe and healthy. As you know, one of the big differences between a year ago and several months ago and now is we have widespread availability of treatments, of therapeutics. So if people do get sick from COVID, we have for example that is available, widely available, you can have your doctor prescribe it to you, and specifically within the first five days of feeling symptoms. Very importantly, we’re trying to keep people safe and healthy and remind them that if you haven’t been vaccinated, now’s a great time to go do it. If you haven’t received your booster, now is the perfect time to go do that. I’m somebody who’s of an age over 50. So I’ve had a second booster. And I encourage anybody over 50 to go get that booster. But that is one of the reasons why even though you’ve seen case numbers go up, you have not seen hospitalizations go up commensurate with that.
There is also federal relief available for states with emergency orders, including SNAP benefits. Without a state order, those federal benefits go away.
…Adding… The governor’s office pointed to this example…
Beginning April 2021, all eligible SNAP households are eligible to receive a minimum EA [emergency allotment] of $95. … EA will continue as long as the COVID-19 public health emergency is in effect. When the public health emergency ends, EA will only be available for one additional month.
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* A 150 official told me last night that, depending on how well the companies have planned for this strike, “projects will shut down pretty quickly over the next week or so. Most projects in need of aggregate will try to do other things on the project to wait out the strike, but there’s only so much that can be done without aggregate.” Official 150 statement…
This morning, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 commenced a strike against three major material producers at facilities across Northern Illinois in protest of unfair labor practices committed against its members.
In recent days, Local 150 filed federal unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board against the three companies – Lehigh Hanson, Vulcan Materials, and Lafarge Holcim – for bad faith bargaining and violations of employees’ federally protected rights. These companies began busing in replacement workers yesterday at several locations, despite having negotiations scheduled today and tomorrow.
The companies produce aggregate materials including sand, gravel and crushed stone that are essential to the production of asphalt, concrete, and many other construction materials. Collectively, they operate approximately 35 quarries and facilities across Northern Illinois that employ approximately 300 Local 150 members, who were classified as “essential workers” throughout the pandemic. These workers operate heavy equipment that is critical to the routine operation of these facilities.
Local 150 President-Business Manager James M. Sweeney issued the following statement:
“The companies’ aggressive encroachment against their employees’ rights has damaged decades of goodwill and cooperation in our industry. They have disregarded these workers’ health and safety and appear unwilling to negotiate in good faith.
These workers take pride in the tireless work they have done to keep critical construction work going throughout the pandemic, and despite their efforts, their employers have taken unilateral steps to treat them more like adversaries than partners.
As we prepared for this week’s negotiations, we received reports that several companies began importing replacement workers from across the country. We remain willing to negotiate in good faith with the companies and have offered several dates to work toward a fair and equitable resolution, but these workers demand to have their rights, their health and their safety protected at work.
These men and women are highly skilled professionals who cannot simply be replaced and who will not be treated as commodities by multinational corporations more concerned with continuing to generate record profits rather than protecting the safety of the very workers who are the bedrock of their success.”
The companies are using non-union employees/management to load at the quarries. We’ll see how long that lasts. I’ve asked the governor’s office for a statement.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the companies…
Hello Rich,
Please see below for a statement from the Chicago Area Aggregate Producers Association, comprised of Lehigh Hanson, Vulcan Materials and Lafarge:
“We are proud of our strong relationship with Local 150, evidenced by 55 years without a work stoppage. We value our employees and provide them with competitive wages, comprehensive benefits and a safe work environment. We remain committed to moving forward with a new contract and urge cooperation from our Local 150 partners.” - Spokesperson for Chicago Area Aggregate Producers Association
The union says about 300 members are on strike.
…Adding… Geneva sped up a project because of the strike…
Due to a pending strike by construction material suppliers, the City of Geneva has adjusted the work schedule for the Third Street sanitary sewer system repair project. […]
The City accelerated the schedule to make sure the roadway would be fully repaired in a timely fashion well ahead of the Swedish Days festival later this month.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Jordan Abudayyeh…
The Governor urges the companies involved to return to the bargaining table ready to negotiate in good faith with workers who deserve fair wages and safe working conditions. Illinoisans deserve the work of restoring their roads during this important season to continue uninterrupted.
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