Programming note. Chicago Public Square will take a few days off. Back Monday, April 26.
‘Heartbreaking.’ Lawyers for the family of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who was shot and killed by a Chicago police officer, say that after watching body camera footage of the incident, the family’s asking the city to delay release of that video …
■ … but the Civilian Office of Police Accountability says it’s required by law to make the footage public within 60 days.
■ Tribune columnist Mary Schmich: “Over and over, the families of people harmed by police are summoned to be peacekeepers despite the violence inflicted on someone they love.”
■ Dozens of people marched through downtown Chicago last night to protest the killing of Toledo and Daunte Wright, shot by a cop during a traffic stop in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center Sunday.
■ The Trib’s Dahleen Glanton: Consider “defunding” police enforcement of minor traffic laws—assigning it instead to “monitors,” whose main goal would be “to avoid creating volatile situations.”
Brooklyn Center’s long night. A third round of protests brought chaos to streets outside the police station.
■ Updating coverage: Prosecutors expected to decide today whether to charge the cop who killed Wright, purportedly believing she was firing a Taser.
■ The Onion: “Police Department To Avoid Future Errors By Replacing All Equipment Officers Carry With Guns.”
Leaving a prosecutor incredulous. In the trial of ex-Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin, charged with the death of George Floyd last year, an ex-cop asserted that Chauvin was justified in pinning Floyd and laid responsibility on Floyd for not “resting comfortably” before he died.
■ A Sun-Times editorial: “This is … is what this country has allowed law enforcement to become, as evidenced by the endless, stomach-turning routine of police harassing, wounding or killing unarmed Black and Brown people.”
■ The U.S. House was nearing a vote on legislation stalled for decades—establishing a commission to develop plans for a national apology and a plan to address slavery’s lasting effects.
Days, not months. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci says he doesn’t expect the pause on administration of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot COVID-19 vaccine to last long.
■ The Conversation: What the suspension means for you.
■ Chicago Teachers Union members were working remotely today to press demands for more precautions before high schools reopen.
■ A plan advancing through the City Council would guarantee workers time off to get vaccinated—with fines of up to $5,000 for employers who don’t comply.
■ The pandemic-driven flight from offices has prompted aldermen to consider a long-overdue overhaul of the city’s rules on home businesses.
■ The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s opened phone lines to accept claims of up to $9,000 for funerals of those who died of COVID-19: 844-684-6333.
A year later, nothing. The brutal April 2020 murders of two prominent married Harvard-grad lawyers, Thomas Johnson and Leslie Ann Jones, in their Oak Park home remain unsolved—and police are notably mum.
■ ABC 7: As a hearing officer for the Chicago Police Board, Johnson “handled several controversial, high profile cases alleging police misconduct.”
‘Disturbing.’ Ahead of a hearing Thursday, the chair of a House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection has previewed a report that finds Capitol Police were crippled that day by leadership mistakes and equipment deficiencies.
■ The report describes what the AP calls “a multitude of missteps.”
Dogs gone. The Chicago Fire Department is banning firehouse dogs after one of them attacked and killed a family pet.
■ That dog was put to death.
Corporate Justice League. Hundreds of executives from big-name companies, including Amazon, Google, General Motors and Starbucks, have pledged to oppose discriminatory voting legislation …
■ … but others, including Coca-Cola, Home Depot and Delta, declined.
■ The Tribune: United Airlines wants passengers to donate money toward sustainable jet fuel.
■ HBO’s John Oliver last month: Companies have long aimed “to drill home the message that it is your responsibility to deal with the environmental impact of their products.”
Programming note at the bottom for people who don’t read programming notes at the top. Chicago Public Square will take a few days off. Back Monday, April 26.
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