1 hour.

That's how long a CTA employee sat in the driver seat of their bus before being found unconscious. They later died. I looked into what happened that night and how a stalled bus, that missed over 50 scheduled stops, never raised any red flags. blockclubchicago.org/2024/04/17/dea…

Congressman Danny Davis started his political career by beating the machine--the 1st independent elected on Chicago’s West Side.

But his challengers say it's time for another change.

The race may have a lasting impact. Only two people have held this seat over the last 50 years.

I met Fred Mitchell in 2019, when he was 89 and living in a senior complex. He was captivating as he recalled his time as one of the first Black precinct captains on the West Side, fighting for his community from within the Democratic machine--and then against it.

His story:

Trains and buses are often delayed and dirty, yet the CTA's oversight board rarely provides actual oversight.

The governor & mayor pick the board members. But for years they've filled the transit board w their political allies instead of people who know something about transit.

'This is not a zero sum game, but a quest for freedom and justice for all, not freedom for some at the expense of Palestinians' — Dima Khalidi, of Palestine Legal

My latest on pro-Palestinian protests & American attitudes on movements through the years.

chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/202…

It wasn't until a couple years ago that CTA & city officials decided that addressing homelessness on the trains would require outreach work on the trains.

Rachel Hinton & Nick Blumberg report how the program has helped dozens of people—& why many others are still sheltering on trains.

Police leaders blame slow 911 responses on a staffing shortage.

But as Pascal reports: 'The Police Department’s own records suggest the problem isn’t the number of officers — it’s what those officers are doing on their shifts.'

Thx to Injustice Watch for running this:

Chicago police officers assigned to 'rapid response' duties spend much of their time making traffic stops -- not responding to 911 calls.

You might want to make time for this story by Pascal:

blockclubchicago.org/2024/02/15/911…

Dollar stores were fined thousands of times for selling expired infant formula, overcharging customers & making employees work in unsafe conditions.

They paid the fines & kept going.

Then the store owners pressured City Council to gut proposed new rules--& lots of alders caved.

Violet Affleck was rebuked for wearing a crewneck with the image of a watermelon, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity. That criticism only helped the Chicago-based WearThePeace sell more shirts & raise more money for Gaza with Pious Projects. My latest: chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/202…

Two decades after razing thousands of units, the Chicago Housing Authority still hasn't redeveloped all of the sites it cleared.

200k people are now on its waiting lists--and the CHA is sitting on enough vacant property to take up 25 city blocks, impactforequity found.

Before the verdict, Mick Dumke jumps on the Block Club Chicago pod to talk about the legacy of Ed Burke - Chicago's longest serving alderman.

tinyurl.com/bwr425yc

📷 - Colin Boyle

Mick and I spent MONTHS looking into the migrant shelter deals in the West Loop after learning about how well connected the property owners are…

City Paying Well More Than Typical Rent For Migrant Shelter Buildings — And Keeping Details Secret blockclubchicago.org/2023/12/13/cit…

Chicago officials have worked hard to find shelter for migrants. At the same time:
* Their scramble gave prominent landlords & contractors the chance to profit
* The city is paying well above market rent
* They won't reveal exactly where the $ is going

blockclubchicago.org/2023/12/13/cit…

How are migrant shelters chosen? The city won't say.

How did the bidding work? The city won't say.

How much has been billed? The city says they don't have the records.

'This is fundamentally a transparency story.' -Mick Dumke on Block Club Chicago pod:
tinyurl.com/bdjkekh8

It's true--tomorrow's First Tuesdays is the final First Tuesdays, and we have lots of politics to discuss.

Chicago has an affordable housing gap of more than 100,000 units.

Meanwhile: The CHA has nearly 500 scattered-site units that are vacant. VACANT.

Mick Dumke Emeline Posner Rachel Hinton Jennifer Bamberg

blockclubchicago.org/2023/11/29/as-…

The City Council is demanding oversight of the CTA...

bc the CTA board isn't providing much.

The CTA prez doesn't have to undergo performance reviews, meet any clear performance metrics, or even ride the CTA system -- but gets a $376k salary.
via Mack Liederman Manny Ramos