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Chicago’s Monuments Don’t Tell Full History Apr 05, 2021

Show notes

Chicago’s public monuments have been a flashpoint in the fight against systemic racism. Last July, protesters tried to topple a statue of Christopher Columbus in Grant Park. Mayor Lori Lightfoot responded by unceremoniously removing the statue in the middle of the night. The city also created a committee to review the Columbus statue and 40 other Chicago monuments. Though it was formed months ago, the committee has its first public meeting on Wednesday. Jennifer Scott is a co-chair of the the Chicago Monuments Project. She talks with Jacoby about their work so far.

Guest: Jennifer Scott, Co-Chair, Chicago Monuments Project

How to participate:

A link to the livestream will be posted here: bit.ly/3sUZndm
To send a written comment or sign up to make live comments email ChicagoMonuments@cityofchicago.org. Written comments are due by 10 a.m. Monday.

Wide Angle: Police Accountability and Reform Apr 02, 2021

Show notes

The Derek Chauvin trial got underway this week in Minneapolis. The former police officer has been charged with the murder of George Floyd last May. Floyd’s killing sparked worldwide rallies and protests calling for accountability for police abuse. That’s not new for Chicago. The police department has been under a consent decree since 2019 after the Department of Justice issued a scathing report that found that the CPD regularly used excessive force and racist tactics. This week, two reports revealed the department is behind on reforms and recommendations. We break this all down with Washington Post reporter Kim Bellware, who’s covering the Chauvin trial in Minneapolis, and WBEZ criminal justice reporter Patrick Smith.

Guests: Kim Bellware, reporter, Washington Post (@bellwak)

Patrick Smith, criminal justice reporter, WBEZ (@pksmid)

Opening Day! A Look Back at the Exciting (And Later, Crappy) Home Run Race of ’98 Apr 01, 2021

Show notes

It’s opening day for baseball season! The White Sox start out on the road tonight against the LA Angels, while the Cubs take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. As baseball fans eagerly look ahead to a more “normal” season, we’re looking back at a pivotal moment in MLB history. Joan Niesen is the host of the new podcast Crushed. The show explores the 1998 home run race between the St. Louis Cardinals’ Mark McGwire and the Cubs’ Sammy Sosa, and the fallout after fans learned the stars and many other players had been using steroids. Jacoby talks to Niesen about how that summer both captivated and disappointed a generation of baseball fans.

Guest: Joan Nieson, Host, Crushed (@JoanNiesen)

Opening day schedule: https://bit.ly/2PF2OGl

51 Women Were Killed. Where Are Their Stories? Mar 31, 2021

Show notes

Over the last two decades, 51 women, most of whom were Black, were killed in Chicago in similar ways. Most of their deaths have never been solved. And their stories have been underreported or incomplete. Samantha Latson is a student journalist who has been sharing some of the stories from these women’s lives. As part of a class at Roosevelt University, Latson and other students created the website Unforgotten51.com. She tells Jacoby more about the project.

Guest: Samantha Latson, journalism student, Roosevelt University (@smanthalatson)

Landlords Push Back On Renters Bill Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

On Monday, we talked to one of the advocates behind a bill that would prohibit Illinois landlords from rejecting tenants based on their source of income, such as Section 8 housing vouchers and other subsidies. Evelyn Sanguinetti from Hope Fair Housing Center called concerns over Section 8 a “dogwhistle to let others know that people of color will be moving in next to you.” Paul Arena from the Illinois Rental Property Owners Association says he's "disappointed" Sanguinetti portrayed the group's opposition to the bill as racist. Arena explains why his group opposes the bill.

Guest: Paul Arena, Director of Legislative Affairs, Illinois Rental Property Owners Association

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A Renter’s Right That’s Not Guaranteed Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

The rent is due this week. But hundreds of thousands people in Illinois remain out of work due to the pandemic. Even though Gov. JB Pritzker has again extended the state’s eviction moratorium until April 3, landlords can still reject prospective tenants for having an “unstable” source of income. And the pandemic has made many industries unstable. Jacoby talks with housing rights advocate, and former Republican Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti, about new legislation that would prohibit source-of-income discrimination.

Guests: Evelyn Sanguinetti, Executive Director, HOPE Fair Housing Center

The Week That Was: Damn, Loretto… Mar 26, 2021

Show notes

Loretto Hospital went from administering Chicago’s first COVID-19 vaccine last December to being cut off from the city’s supply in scandal. Hospital officials are investigating whether a top executive was funneling vaccine doses to ineligible people at Trump tower, a luxury watch shop, and a Gold Coast steakhouse. Now, the exec has resigned, and West Siders in the hospital’s neighborhood are feeling left in the lurch. Jacoby talks with Block Club Chicago’s Kelly Bauer, who initially broke the Loretto story, and The Triibe’s Matt Harvey, who’s been out talking to people in Austin.

Guests: Kelly Bauer, Breaking News Editor, Block Club Chicago (@BauerJournalism)

Matt Harvey, Reporter, The Triibe (@MatttheMajor)

Covering Chicago’s Gun Violence—Names, Not Numbers Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

As the nation reels from another mass shooting, some Chicago reporters are doing more nuanced coverage around gun violence. The city’s name is often invoked in national conversations about gun violence and control. But shootings here — like the one in Park Manor that left two people dead and 13 others injured last week — don’t always make prominent lists of “mass shootings.” Jacoby talks with Lakeidra Chavis of The Trace about why that is and how to grieve for gun violence victims near and far.

Guest: Lakeidra Chavis, Reporter, The Trace (@lakeidrachavis)

Chicago House Museums Under Threat Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

Chicago’s neighborhoods are full of house museums — former homes turned into cultural centers celebrating art and history. But leaders of these cultural hubs are worried the city could make it harder to operate in residential areas. On Tuesday, member’s of city council’s zoning committee will consider an ordinance that would require house museums to ask for zoning or special use permits. The proposal comes as several groups seek to establish such museums honoring some of Chicago’s Black icons, such as Emmett Till, Muddy Waters, and Phyllis Wheatley. Jacoby talks with a cultural leader pushing back against the ordinance.

Guests: Peter Vega, Executive Director of the Chicago Cultural Alliance (@PeterVega @chicagocultural); Abby Schnable, Sports Editor at the Loyola Phoenix

The Week That Was: Students Weigh In Mar 19, 2021

Show notes

Illinois colleges could be going back to in-person learning in the fall. That’s just one of the news stories from this week. Jacoby sits down with two of his students at University of Illinois at Chicago to discuss in-person learning, the murders in Atlanta of eight people, including six women of Asian descent, and their hopes and fears for what comes when the pandemic ends. This is our Week in Review: Student Edition

Guests: Onyinye Udeogu and Jaron Cano

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