* Shruti Singh and Amanda Albright at Bloomberg…
Illinois, which has faced escalating penalties in the bond market as the coronavirus batters its finances, is poised to become the first state to borrow from the Federal Reserve’s $500 billion lifeline for local governments.
The state is planning to borrow $1.2 billion from the central bank for one-year to cope with revenue losses brought on by the economic shutdowns caused by the pandemic and the delay of its annual tax-filing deadline.
The step comes after Illinois last month canceled a planned auction of such short-term debt as the interest rates demanded by investors soared amid concern it could be the first state to have its bonds cut to junk. The Fed will charge an interest rate of 3.82%, more than a full percentage point less than it paid during a bond sale last month.
“The Federal Reserve Bank worked closely with our team to make this transaction possible through the Municipal Liquidity Facility, which is an important tool the state is using to answer the unprecedented economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Alexis Sturm, director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, said in the statement.
The bond is scheduled to be paid off a year from Friday. A bill passed last month allows the state to borrow another $5 billion, but that would likely be long-term.
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* Tribune…
After four days of civil unrest, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Tuesday turned to religious and community leaders to urge protesters to channel anger over the death of George Floyd toward efforts for criminal justice reform and economic development in minority communities.
“What’s very important to me is that we establish an agenda — an agenda that’s led, in part, by the very peaceful protesters that are out on the streets, that were there protesting last night, the night before and the night before, the folks who there with legitimate grievance,” Pritzker said. […]
Joining Pritzker and Preckwinkle at Kleo Art Residences, an affordable housing development in the Washington Park neighborhood on the South Side, were religious leaders including Cardinal Blaise Cupich of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago and Apostle Carl White of Victory Christian International Ministries, who recalled when businesses along Roosevelt Road were set aflame in riots of 1968. […]
Earlier this year, Pritzker unveiled a criminal justice reform agenda — including an eventual end to cash bail — that he hoped to begin advancing in the General Assembly’s spring legislative session before it was subsumed by the coronavirus pandemic. Preckwinkle has been a proponent of similar efforts at the county level.
* CBS 2…
“Real change, structural change comes from protests paired with policy. That means police reform with genuine investigations, transparency and accountability. That means taking the justice and criminal justice and making it mean something. That means sustained economic investment in black and brown communities across our state,” Prizker added. “Activism is critical and it will take activism plus action to build ourselves into the state, into the nation that we must strive to become.”
Among the faith leaders present, Cardinal Blase Cupich.
“Last week, we had a death in the family. Our brother George was murdered. We should mourn. We should be angry and hurt but we also should heed the wishes of the Floyd family and not dishonor this gentle memory by spreading the sickness of violence,” Cupich said.
* ABC 7…
Preckwinkle said George Floyd’s death “caused an uproar because it was routine.” […]
Cardinal Cupich also called for “passing legislation that guarantees equal opportunity for employment and healthcare,” but said policies are not enough.
“We must resolve to break this heartbreak, to turn this heartbreak into action and people of faith need to take the lead for we know that even the darkest deeds can be redeemed by love and love is what is called for now.”
* Sun-Times…
The governor said the state is looking to the federal government for support for the “basic functions of our state.”
“We have lost revenues in our state, and we need to rebuild those coffers in order for us to deliver the services on the ground that people need and the supports that small businesses need,” Pritzker said.
“The last five days have at least demonstrated to everybody who wasn’t already paying attention that we have systemic racism that also needs to be addressed in a state budget … we’re the land of Lincoln, we’re the land of Barack Obama … but over the last five days I think it’s been brought to the fore that our communities — our black and brown communities — are the ones that we need to focus on.”
The governor was also asked if he’d call a special session to deal with these issues and he said he wouldn’t, offering the same reasons he gave in May.
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* S&P Global Ratings…
S&P Global Ratings believes that Illinois’ (BBB-/Negative) adopted budget continues to be precariously balanced, and does not include measures to meaningfully address structural instability. We consider the fiscal 2021 budget structurally misaligned, as along with an outstanding $7.2 billion bill backlog, the pension and other postemployment benefit obligations are not funded based on actuarial recommendations. On a budgetary basis, the total resources exceed the total expenditures, but the revenue side anticipates an additional $5 billion in either additional direct federal aid or borrowings through the Federal Reserve’s Municipal Liquidity Facility (MLF). Whereas we believe that additional direct federal aid is possible, the amount, timing, and potential restrictions on use are unclear at this point, and so budgeting potential use introduces risk.
Should additional federal aid not be received or not be received to provide liquidity in time for budgetary use, the state passed legislation allowing for MLF borrowing, with potential repayment over up to a 10-year period, although the current MLF authorization allows only for 36-month repayment schedules. Management indicates that the $5 billion may not be borrowed at one time, but if needed, could be tapped in various borrowings from the MLF over the fiscal year. There is capacity in the MLF authorization legislation for an additional $5 billion from Illinois, but such a borrowing simply shifts the repayment to future budget years, and the hope for additional aid is a precarious assumption. The state recently sold $800 million in tax-exempt general obligation (GO) bonds on the open market, demonstrating some level of market access, and the MLF is designed to provide liquidity when other market conditions would be uncertain or costly.
The new budget has a $39.0 billion operating component and then another $3.9 billion in additional expenditures, including statutory transfers out, debt service, and other borrowing repayments (including those needed to fund operations in fiscal 2020). All spending considered, the $42.9 billion budget is 5.8% larger than the fiscal 2020 budget. Illinois entered into this recession slowly working toward budget stability, but with little to no money in the budget stabilization fund (BSF). Where many other states had taken advantage of the long economic expansion following the Great Recession, Illinois faced political gridlock through multiple fiscal years, built a significant bill backlog, delayed action to reduce a sizable pension obligation, and could not accumulate a rainy day fund. We consider the state’s current options available to address the pandemic to be limited, compared to those of other states.
In the 2021 budget, the revenue side introduces more risk. Compared with the draft executive budget presented in January, the adopted budget reflects over a $4 billion decrease in recurring revenues, or 10.5% lower. The nominally largest revenue decrease is in the individual income tax line: the $1.8 billion decrease is 8.8% off the January estimate. But the sales tax estimate decrease is a larger percentage decline, with the almost $1.6 billion reduction reflecting a 17.5% decrease in assumed receipts for the fiscal year. These, and all other, revenue declines are offset through an increase of $300 million in interfund borrowing, the previously mentioned $5 billion MLF borrowing or federal aid receipts, and $1.274 billion in potential new individual income taxes, should a constitutional amendment pass in November instituting a graduated income tax. The original estimate of additional revenue receipts attributable to the graduated income tax was $1.435 billion, and so the state is reflecting a reduction caused by the recession.
So, in order to fully meet the total expenditure obligations in the budget, the state is relying on interfund borrowing, either federal aid or further federal borrowing, and the support of the electorate to vote to revise the tax structure to raise more revenue. Should any of those not materialize as expected, the state will need to look to more significant expenditure cuts through later legislative action. We believe the state has capacity to make cuts to close a gap, as there are no cuts in the current budget.
Illinois expects that the $5 billion MLF borrowing would be tapped if direct federal aid is not sufficient in terms of timing or amount. Should the direct federal support not materialize as hoped, the security for the MLF borrowing is the state GO, and we would view this borrowing on parity with existing GO debt. Currently the outstanding GO debt has a relatively rapid maturity with 74% retired within the next decade, and so there is some replacement capacity, but by our calculations, Illinois already has the fifth-highest debt per capita in the nation. Debt service on existing debt declined from fiscal 2020 by 11% or $211 million in the adopted fiscal 2021 budget.
The expenditure side of the fiscal 2021 budget holds most line items to the fiscal 2020 spending levels, but there are no layoffs or program eliminations being adopted to help balance the budget. Level funding, though, will extend personnel and purchasing controls put in place at the outset of the pandemic, into fiscal 2021. The school funding formula is set equal to fiscal 2020; however, this is $350 million less than the state intended to fund for fiscal 2021 when it revised its school funding formula several years ago, and $462 million or 5.2% less than the governor’s original budget earlier this year. The college and university system, although funded $129 million less than in the January draft budget, is also level funded to the fiscal 2020 budget. So, the state is holding the districts to level funding assumptions, but with existing teacher contracts and other obligations, we do expect cuts to be passed down to the local school level decision-makers.
There are a couple of credit positives in the adopted budget. First, the statutorily set annual pension contribution is being fully met. As the statutory pension funding is designed to attain a 90% funded status in 2045, this is one of the least conservative funding methodologies in the nation among state peers, and so anything less than meeting this obligation would have been seen as a notable credit negative. Second, the state appropriated the necessary amounts to support the priority lien ratings we have tethered to the state, Build Illinois (BBB/Negative), Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) (BBB/Negative), and Illinois Sports Facility Authority (BBB/Negative), with additional provisions to support the MPEA operations.
As we have noted in past reports, Illinois has a history of leaving difficult fiscal choices to future budgets, and to the extent that expected federal aid does not materialize and the state does not adjust expenditures to reflect available resources, the fiscal 2021 budget could weaken the state’s credit trajectory.
Fiscal Year 2020 Closeout
The state expects a $2.7 billion shortfall through the end of the fiscal year and is closing that gap predominantly through federal aid and borrowing. Not all of this is lost revenue, however, as income taxes will be due in the next fiscal year, on July 15, conforming with the federal change to the tax filing date. The largest component of the resources needed to close the fiscal 2020 gap is a $1.2 billion borrowing likely through the MLF. The contemplated GO Certificate Series of June 2020 would need to be repaid in June 2021. This borrowing provides immediate cash flow support, but does create a cash flow pressure for the time of repayment. Additionally, the state is using other interfund borrowings to close out the fiscal year, including $400 million through the Treasurer’s Investment Pool. In times of fiscal challenge, we often see budget gaps closed with use of reserves, expenditure cuts and deferrals, new revenues, and debt. As Illinois entered the recession without reserves to tap, and believes state government services critical to responding to the pandemic, the solutions to date have all been on the debt and federal assistance side of the ledger.
The state has over the past three months received more than $5 billion in federal aid. Much of that has restrictions on use, in that it has to be used to cover costs associated with fighting COVID-19. As the state’s expenditures to date have not been to this level, and the state has until Dec. 31, 2020 to account for the spending, the receipt of these funds has been helpful in addressing the unbudgeted costs associated with the pandemic.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Jun 2, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Building on efforts to support the hospitality industry through the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 2682, a bipartisan piece of legislation, which allows the sale of cocktails by bars and restaurants with liquor licenses for pickup and delivery.
“Restaurants and bars are beloved businesses in so many of our communities and also some of the hardest hit from the COVD-19 pandemic,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This legislation will provide these businesses with a critical tool to bring in additional income until they can safely and fully reopen their doors once more. As we move forward, I am fully committed to taking every action available to us and pursuing all resources at the state and federal level to support this critical industry.”
“COVID-19 has devastated our independent restaurants and bars who patiently and cooperatively closed since the outset of the pandemic back in March,” said Illinois State Sen. Feigenholtz. “Illinois joins 34 other states in enacting this policy. This new law provides restaurants and bar owners with a survival tool as they wait to open safely and to their full capacity.”
“Cocktails to go is a small but important initiative designed to help our hospitality industry get back on its feet after COVID-19,” said Illinois State Rep. Zalewski. “I’m excited about its prospects to drive customers back to bars and restaurants and thank Governor Pritzker for his support.”
Cocktails can only be delivered in a sealed, labeled container with a tamper-evident cap or seal by an employee of the liquor license holder who is over the age of 21 and trained in responsible alcohol service. Cocktails may not be delivered via a third party delivery app. Cocktails can only be delivered after an employee verifies the age as well as the level of intoxication of the consumer.
The legislation also delays late fees and license fees for liquor licenses for businesses and establishes automatic liquor license renewal approval and extension for any license holder whose business or operations have been suspended in any capacity due as a result of COVID-19.
There will be a delay in Chicago until mid-June so the city council can pass an ordinance.
* The Question: Will you take advantage of this new law? Why or why not?
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1,614 new cases, 113 additional deaths
Tuesday, Jun 2, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 1,614 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 113 additional deaths.
- Cook County: 3 males 40s, 1 unknown 40s, 1 female 50s, 1 male 50s, 2 females 60s, 10 males 60s, 6 females 70s, 8 males 70s, 16 females 80s, 5 males 80s, 7 females 90s, 5 males 90s, 2 females 100+
- DeKalb County: 1 female 90s
- DuPage County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s, 4 males 90s
- Hancock County: 1 female 60s
- Kane County: 1 male 40s, 1 male 60s, 2 females 70s, 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 90s
- Kankakee County: 2 males 70s
- Lake County: 1 female 40s, 2 males 40s, 2 females 60s, 2 females 70s, 2 males 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 2 females 90s, 1 male 90s
- LaSalle County: 1 male 90s
- McDonough County: 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- McHenry County: 1 male 90s
- St. Clair County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Will County: 1 male 40s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
- Winnebago County: 1 female 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 122,848 cases, including 5,525 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 16,431 specimens for a total of 934,704. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from May 26–June 1 is 7%.
*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.
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* IGPA…
The University of Illinois System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) today releases results from the first in a series of Pandemic Stress Indicators designed to evaluate the social and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Illinois residents.
The Pandemic Stress Indicators grew out of the work on IGPA’s Task Force on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This first stress indicator is a weekly poll of three sets of experts about pandemic policies, starting with how and when to take steps to reopen the economy. Experts on economics, public health, and/or vulnerable populations from across Illinois have generously agreed to provide, via periodic surveys, opinions on pandemic policies. The panelists, with affiliations, are listed in Appendix A. In answering the surveys, panelists provide only their own personal views, and do not offer official positions on behalf of their respective institutions. […]
The inaugural survey was fielded May 20-23. There were 27 responses, 11 from experts in economics, and 8 each with expertise in public health and vulnerable populations.
The full list of experts is here.
1) In March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, officials issued a series of orders declaring Illinois to be in a state of disaster, and requiring most individuals to stay at home, except for essential activities. Should these orders be altered in any way in the coming week, starting Monday May 25?
• Officials should ease the restrictions to allow more public and economic activities.
• Officials should leave the present orders in place unchanged.
• Officials should tighten the restrictions to allow fewer public and economic activities.
• I’m uncertain what officials should do.
Pretty much divided.
2) Ideally, who should be setting or revising rules to “re-open” Illinois?
• the president
• the president and congress, through the normal national legislative process
• the governor
• the governor and general assembly, through the normal state legislative process
• county and/or city officials
• I’m uncertain
3) The “Restore Illinois” plan groups 11 Emergency Medical Services regions into four larger regions (Northeast, North-Central, Central, and Southern Illinois) that can follow different re-opening schedules. What do you think is the right number of regions for stay-at-home or quarantine rules in Illinois?
• one: only statewide rules make sense
• two, in case the greater Chicago area needs different rules from the rest of the state
• four: the current plan is sensible
• 5-20: more regional variation would be useful
• more than 20: it should be possible to have variation by county or city
• I’m uncertain
Economics experts want more regions, but the others are fine with the way things are.
4) How would you rank the following sources of advice the governor might take into account in making decisions about when, where, and how to adjust emergency orders? Please drag and drop the boxes so that they are in order from most to least important.
-Legislators
-Medical and public-health experts and officials
-Economists
-Public opinion
-Other governors, based on experiences in their states
Legislators rank pretty low there.
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* Washington Post…
President Trump has the legal authority to deploy active-duty military personnel to states to help quell violent protests across the country over the death of a black man in police custody — though the dramatic move he threatened Monday would probably generate strong pushback from some state and local officials, analysts said.
In a televised speech, Trump said he had recommended Monday “to every governor to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets.”
“Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming law enforcement presence until the violence has been quelled,” Trump said. “If a city or a state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.” […]
The deployment of active-duty military personnel, though — particularly to states that may not want them — would represent a further escalation of Trump wielding his considerable presidential powers.
“I am mobilizing all available federal resources, civilian and military, to stop the rioting and looting, to end the destruction and arson, and to protect the rights of law-abiding Americans,” Trump said.
* Sun-Times…
Pritzker appeared on MSNBC and CNN shortly after Trump, said he was not going to ask for active military troops to be deployed to Illinois. “We will not be doing that and I can’t imagine any state will do that,” he told MSNBC.
On CNN, Pritzker said, “Well, it’s illegal. He can’t do it. We won’t request military assistance here in the state of Illinois. I can’t imagine why any governor is going to do that. This is, it’s ridiculous.
* But the law has been invoked numerous times over the years…
Before invoking it, the president “must first issue a proclamation ordering the insurgents to disperse within a limited time, 10 U.S.C. § 334.4. If the situation does not resolve itself, the President may issue an executive order to send in troops,” according to a 2006 report by the Congressional Research Service.
That is the same year the act was amended to expand the instances in which the president may invoke the law, after the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina a year earlier was criticized.
It authorizes “the President to employ the armed forces during a natural disaster or terrorist attack.”
As to whether a state must request the presence of those military forces in the state, that’s “not necessarily” the case, according to experts.
* There is some disagreement among legal experts…
Stephen Vladeck, a national security and constitutional law expert at the University of Texas at Austin, said on Twitter that the federal government does not necessarily need a state request before using troops for domestic law enforcement, and that the Insurrection Act is open-ended in letting the president decide when circumstances merited its use.
He said the Insurrection Act had not been used since 1992, partly because of the unpopularity of using troops for domestic purposes.
“And it’s hard to imagine courts second-guessing factual determinations by the President that circumstances warrant use of the military to restore order,” Vladeck wrote. “Instead, the real constraint today might be responsibility; if Trump invokes these statutes, he’d own all that follows.”
Not all experts are certain that the circumstances merit it.
Eugene Fidell, who teaches military justice at Yale Law School, said Monday that he does not believe Trump has the authority to send in troops without the governors’ permission in these circumstances.
“Absent a request from the legislature or the governor of a state, I think the only way the power can be lawfully exercised is if there were an impeding of federal authority,” he said, pointing to the example of Little Rock, Arkansas, when troops were sent in because the state was not abiding by a federal court order.
* Mayor Lightfoot today…
That’s not going to happen. I will see him in court. It’s not going to happen. Not in my city. And I’m not confident that the President has the power to do that, but we have our lawyers hard at work. And if he tries to do that, and you certainly have power of our governor, and myself as a mayor, we will see you in court.
And then she added…
Now, keep in mind, keep in mind, this is a man who likes to bluster. Even before I was mayor, this man indicated he was going to ’send in the feds,’ whatever that means. So, let’s not overreact. […]
We are not going to give over our city to the military so the President can play to his re election. That’s not going to happen. Period.
Deep, deep breaths before commenting, please. Thanks.
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Chicago forges ahead
Tuesday, Jun 2, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WTTW…
Chicago will move ahead into the next phase of reopening Wednesday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced. That transition that had been put into question following violent protests across the city in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Lightfoot on Tuesday said she made the decision only after speaking with business owners, chambers of commerce and city officials, all of whom she said were fully behind moving into phase three of the state’s Restore Illinois plan during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Everywhere I went I asked a question: Should we open or should we delay?” the mayor said during a press conference Tuesday. “And to universal acclaim, emphatically, what I heard from people is ‘Mayor, we have to step forward. We have to open.’”
Under the new guidance, Chicago restaurants and coffee shops will be allowed to reopen to outdoor dine-in service, along with stores, barbershops and salons, child care centers and golf courses with strict limits on the number of people allowed indoors.
* BlockClub Chicago…
City services will stay closed for the time being, though Lightfoot previously said they are scheduled to return Monday.
Lightfoot said residents can expect summer programs, youth activities, religious services, gyms and the lakefront and beaches to reopen in Phase 3 as well, but not Wednesday.
This announcement came as a surprise following a weekend full of protests, looting, violence and vandalism across the city. But Lightfoot said consulting with business owners who suffered losses from coronavirus followed by looting helped her decide to move forward anyway.
“I want to tell the city now, after a lot of consultation and, yes, a lot of prayer, we will reopen tomorrow and take this important next step as planned,” Lightfoot said. “That means numerous businesses and public spaces will be reopening to the public with limited capacity.”
* Sun-Times…
She said she had made the decision after touring damaged commercial strips on the South and West sides and talking to business owners across the city — businesses that had been gearing up to reopen but were instead cleaning up debris and contacting their insurance companies.
They were nearly unanimous in their desire and determination to reopen their businesses and get people back to work, she said.
“One business owner did burst into tears, saying how much her business means to her,” Lightfoot said Tuesday. “That was a humbling experience to bear witness to their resolve.”
* Patch…
The mayor said police will remain deployed at grocery stores and pharmacies that have been targeted by looting.
“I have a lot of priorities but top among them are groceries, pharmacies and making sure that we can get those resources into our neighborhoods that were hard-pressed before, as you know we have too many food deserts across the city. So, I have my team working in a coordinated fashion to make sure we that we can fill those needs,” the mayor said. […]
Mayor Lightfoot said that as of Tuesday morning city officials were still considering whether to lift overnight curfews and CTA service disruptions that have been in place since Saturday in response to violence and looting.
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Rumors and looters
Tuesday, Jun 2, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This was a very big rumor over the weekend…
“I said, ‘I heard on the scanners that we have hundreds of people, caravans, driving in from Indiana and other places to come and terrorize our city,’” [Ald. Ray Lopez, 15th] said.
“She rebuffed that. … She said, ‘I’m dealing with issues. That’s an unsubstantiated rumor. You can chase that if you want, Ray.’”
Lopez wasn’t the only alderman spreading that rumor. But we have so far seen zero evidence of that actually happening. Crazy rumors circulate during crises. Responsible leaders refrain from spreading them. And just because you hear somebody say something on a police radio doesn’t mean it’s true.
* And then there’s this lone clown…
A man from downstate Galesburg who allegedly appears on video rioting, looting and urging attacks against the police has been hit with what appears to be the first federal criminal charge related to the violence this weekend in Chicago.
Matthew Lee Rupert, 28, has been charged in an eight-page criminal complaint in federal court in Minnesota with civil disorder, carrying on a riot and possession of unregistered destructive devices. The complaint alleges Rupert participated in looting and rioting in Minneapolis in response to the police killing of George Floyd before moving on to Chicago.
He was posting Facebook videos as he was committing crimes. Not the brightest porch light on the block. From his now disabled Facebook page…
![](/wp-content/imageserve.png)
* Anyway, Sheriff Tom Dart wasn’t sure what and who were behind the looting and violence…
But they were less certain who was behind what Dart described as an effort to “utilize … the peaceful protesters for their own criminal acts.” […]
“There’s definitely organization [to the looting] but as far as the overarching organization, that’s being looked at,” the sheriff said.
Civil unrest is often accompanied by looting. But to some, Sunday’s looting looked somehow organized.
* I thought ISP Director Brendan Kelly had some interesting things to say yesterday…
We’ve seen looting, we’ve seen thefts we’ve seen criminal damage and we’ve seen arsons throughout the state. And again, there’s not one particular location or one particular community in which this is entirely focused on. 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 locations 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 they’ve attempted to set fires in some locations. […]
We are in close communication with our federal partners at all times. The information we have consistently received from them and that we’ve been 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 these 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.
So, at least some of them organized themselves on social media (Facebook groups are a good bet) and met up physically and waited until their numbers reached a “critical mass” and then acted. Safety in numbers, so to speak.
* The Walmart on 83rd St. in Chicago was hit by dozens of looters on Sunday. A buddy of mine was there when the looters suddenly swarmed in. I asked how many people he saw…
Swamped. 4-6 people in each car. Just pulling into the parking lot. Running in then running out.
* Some police forces observed the behavior and learned what to expect. Monday night in Bloomington…
Police used different tactics on the second night of unrest. On the first night, officers concentrated forces at the entrances to stores such as Best Buy and Target. During the second iteration of the challenge from the looters, police leadership spread out units to block entry to parking lots and prevent the vandals from concentrating in swarms of vehicles.
* On the other side of town later that night…
Looked like a smorgasbord.
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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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Peaceful marches after turbulent weekend
Tuesday, Jun 2, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* SJ-R…
Walking north on Ninth Street in Springfield as part of a rally protest in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, Jade Pearson admitted she was “overwhelmed” by the day.
Overwhelmed in a good way, though.
“It was peaceful. It was inclusive and I thought (the organizers) did a good,” said Pearson of Loami, who was with her wife, Shekeira Pearson. “I hope that people are listening. Everyone deserves a voice. Everyone deserves justice.”
Protesters marched from the steps of the Capitol Building around downtown Springfield twice, as the ranks swelled to over 1,000.
A commander for the Springfield Police Department, reached Monday afternoon while the rally was going on, said there were no problems with the crowds. The decision to eventually block off Capitol Avenue and Second Street around the capitol was based on numbers, said Andrew Dodd, commander of field operations.
“It gave them a safe place to convene,” Dodd said.
The rally was organized by Allaijah Davis, 15, of Lanphier High; Ariona Fairlee, 16, who attends Southeast High; and Nykeyla Henderson, 17, also a student at Lanphier.
* News-Gazette…
A day after looting led to businesses closing early and mayors issuing citywide curfews, hundreds — if not thousands — marched peacefully through C-U’s streets Monday in a protest that lasted nearly three hours.
It was, in the words of the president of the Champaign-Urbana’s Black Lives Matter chapter, “amazing.”
And after Sunday’s unrest, Satchez Johnson added, “I’m glad that people still came and they had faith in it.”
The diverse throng of people marched throughout the afternoon — from the Champaign County Courthouse to the Urbana Police Department and eventually to the Champaign Police Department.
* Elgin…
A protest remembering George Floyd with chants of “Black Lives Matter” and “No Justice, No Peace” took place passionately but peacefully Monday evening in Elgin.
The crowd of several hundred people gathered first along Kimball Avenue and grew as it made its way in front of the police station on Douglas Street. Police command staff, including Police Chief Ana Lalley, roamed through the crowd talking to people as other officers wore helmets, face shields or body shields, standing by and observing.
Not everything was peaceful and quiet yesterday. We’ll get to that in a bit.
From what I can tell, though, most of Chicago was pretty quiet last night as well.
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