The Chicago Reporter

Current Issue

Thousands are being deported without a chance to appear before an immigration judge.

CRIntern

May, 2013 Watch The Chicago Reporter-NBC 5 Chicago joint investigation on legislation aimed at gun crimes Will mandatory prison time for gun possession make Chicago safer? That's the question at the heart of the issue behind HB 2265. Our partner NBC 5 took a closer look at the bill, as a follow-up to the Reporter's investigation, "Read to pull the trigger." > Read More	April, 2013 Slideshow: An Uptown controversy over The Salvation Army mobile truck comes to an amicable end In early March, The Salvation Army Mobile Outreach Unit was in danger of being kicked out of Uptown. The unit, a service of The Salvation Army Harbor Light of Chicago, offers on-site mental health and substance abuse assessments, referrals and hot meals to those in need, and provides transportation to a treatment facility. It makes a regularly scheduled stop at the intersection of Marine Drive... > Read More	March, 2013 Video: A community mourns at the funeral of 6-month-old Jonylah Watkins Hundreds gathered at New Beginnings Church of Chicago for the funeral of 6-month-old Jonylah Emani Watkins. One week earlier, the baby was shot in the South Side’s Woodlawn neighborhood, according to the Chicago Police Department. —Produced and photographed by Jonathan Gibby and Lucio Villa > Read More
March, 2013 Video: One former drug offender devotes his life to helping other ex-offenders Between 2000 and 2011, nearly 150,000 Chicago defendants received a prison sentence in the Cook County Circuit Court. The majority of them were from poor neighborhoods on the city's South and West sides. Raymond Richard was one of those people. At one time, he lived on the streets of Chicago and turned to drugs and crime to survive. He was released from prison in 2008 and turned his life around... > Read More	March, 2013 SLIDESHOW: Community mourns death of 6-month-old baby girl About 200 people attended a press conference and vigil Tuesday night honoring Jonylah Watkins, a 6-month-old baby shot multiple times Monday afternoon while her father changed her diaper in the South Side’s Woodlawn neighborhood. She died in the hospital on Tuesday. —Photos by Lucio Villa > Read More	March, 2013 SLIDESHOW: Lakeview community members protest to keep Hotel Chateau residents from homelessness Tenants and community members gathered Thursday to demand 46th Alderman James Cappleman or the new owner of the Hotel Chateau to protect current residents from possible homelessness. The Chateau, a single-room-occupancy hotel located in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, has functioned as the housing of last resort for working poor in the area for decades by housing minimum-wage workers, those on... > Read More
March, 2013 What's Up This Week: Protest of Salvation Army feeding restriction, last school-closing meeting and a look at restaurant workers' plight Food Center Uprooted. The Uptown Salvation Army has one month to find a new home where it can continue to feed low-income Chicagoans, after Alderman James Cappleman told the charity it could no longer serve from his ward, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The move has angered some residents, who will protest outside his office on Wednesday. Final School Closing Meeting... > Read More	February, 2013 What's Up This Week: Tuesday's special election; racial discrimination in public housing; undocumented immigrants discuss their status Election Time. Voters are to head to the polls on Tuesday. On the primary's ballot are several local contests, but the most-watched race is the 2nd Congressional District. Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. stepped down from the seat in November. He and his wife have pleaded guilty in federal court to criminal charges. Disparate Impact. Can public housing racially discriminate? Find out... > Read More	February, 2013 The Chicago Reporter awarded two grants to bolster data, immigration reporting We’re excited to announce that The Chicago Reporter has won two grants that will bolster our data-driven reporting and will give us the tools necessary to look at immigration policy in Mexico. The first grant we won was for $5,000 from IRE Data Journalism Fund, sponsored by Google Idea, best known for applying technological solutions to social and economic problems. It’s one of eight recently... > Read More