The Washington Post: The alarming numbers on race and police misconduct in Chicago
Before the release of graphic footage of a police shooting that turned hundreds of protesters into the streets Tuesday night, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel took pains to present the tape as damning evidence against a single officer, not the police force as a whole.
“One individual needs to be held accountable,” Emanuel said in a conference call with ministers and other civic leaders, according to the Chicago Tribune. The footage shows Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shooting Laquan McDonald, a black 17-year-old, in the back. Van Dyke discharges 16 rounds, continuing to fire after McDonald falls.
But recently released data on police complaints in Chicago show broad disparities in how the city’s police as a whole interact with its black population. Although African Americans make up 32 percent of Chicago’s population, they filed 61 percent of all complaints since 2011. Just 1 in 5 complaints came from white citizens, who make up nearly half of the city.
Daily Herald: Will Lincolnshire take on labor unions by establishing right-to-work zone?
Months after formally endorsing Gov. Bruce Rauner’s controversial turnaround agenda for Illinois, Lincolnshire officials are going further by moving to establish the town as a right-to-work zone.
Trustees are considering an ordinance that would prevent local employers from automatically deducting union dues from workers’ paychecks. Eliminating that mandatory deduction means workers couldn’t be fired if they choose not to pay union dues or fees.
Months after formally endorsing Gov. Bruce Rauner’s controversial turnaround agenda for Illinois, Lincolnshire officials are going further by moving to establish the town as a right-to-work zone.
Trustees are considering an ordinance that would prevent local employers from automatically deducting union dues from workers’ paychecks. Eliminating that mandatory deduction means workers couldn’t be fired if they choose not to pay union dues or fees.
CBS: Mom facing charges after allowing 4-year-old to play outside alone
Every day is a learning experience when you’re just 4-years-old. Tomahawk Hendren is a self proclaimed outdoor guy. But his explorations inside his gated Sacramento apartment complex has taught his mom a hard lesson about the law.
“He was outside and a neighbor called the cops on us,” said Tomahawk’s mother, Sonya Hendren.
Sonya Hendren was arrested for felony child endangerment and neglect and had Tomahawk taken away. The alleged crime was letting him roam on a playground 120 feet from their front door.
Chicago Sun Times: Seal criminal records of ex-offenders
Seal criminal records
The Chicago Sun-Times editorial board identified an important problem in its Nov. 24 editorial, “Prison ‘reform’ can’t be a revolving door.” The editorial board correctly noted that nearly half of ex-offenders in Illinois return to prison within three years, and cited the inability to find work as a major driver behind this problem.
However, the editorial board’s suggestion to spend more on jobs training and granting ex-offenders access to Pell grants isn’t the right solution. Those measures would prepare people for jobs they can’t get in Illinois.
Journal Standard: Illinois' criminal-justice system is crushing human capital
There’s a gaping hole in Illinois’ labor force, made up of the men and women who are discounted from jobs because of a mistake they made in the past.
In any given year, nearly 50,000 Illinoisans will spend time in prison. And whether he or she stole a bike or was busted for a minor drug crime, criminal records are barriers for ex-offenders trying to get their lives back on track, even after serving their time.
It’s a problem in every state, but particularly in Illinois because jobs are scarce and the barriers to entry are numerous.
Chicago Tribune: Illinois schools' strengths, weaknesses exposed in statewide survey
Like educators across Illinois, Bolingbrook High School teachers were asked to share candid observations about their administrators as part of an anonymous state survey earlier this year — and they didn’t hold back.
About 70 percent of the teachers surveyed disagreed or strongly disagreed that their principal is an effective manager; that it’s OK to discuss frustrations with the principal; and that a member of the school leadership team “knows what’s going on my classroom.”
Those responses and more were considered so negative that Bolingbrook High tied for the lowest score in the state — a 2 out of 99 in the category of “effective leaders.” And that’s just for one component of a survey that exposes the inner workings of public schools.