Perspectives
Martin Luther King Jr., women, and the possibility of growth
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The fabled civil rights leader’s treatment of women bears re-examining in the #MeToo era, as King demonstrated the capacity to evolve before his life was cut short.
Housing
Judge orders compensation for elderly black victims of reverse mortgage scam
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Advocates want to see Mark Diamond face criminal charges and be put out of business permanently, while other black homeowners he targeted hope to obtain restitution soon.
Housing
New law targets reverse mortgage scams
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Elderly homeowners on the South and West Sides have been victimized by schemes that put them at risk of losing their homes.
Housing
FBI targets businessman accused in scam of elderly black homeowners
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Federal agents carried out a search warrant Thursday at the Logan Square offices of Mark Diamond, a Chicago businessman accused of a reverse mortgage and home repair scheme that targeted elderly black homeowners on the city’s West and South Sides.
Housing
Elderly on West and South Sides targets of reverse mortgage scheme, say advocates
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Dozens of elderly African-Americans on the South and West Sides say they were victims of a reverse mortgage scam that left many with fees they couldn’t afford and incomplete, shoddy repairs.
Child and Family
An offender among us (En Español)
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En Chicago, cientos de agresores sexuales de niños están violando una ley estatal con vivir dentro de 500 pies de un centro de cuidado de niños, patio de recreo o escuela. Y las agencias del orden público están fallando en aplicar la ley.
Child and Family
An offender among us
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In Chicago, hundreds of child sex offenders are violating a state law by living within 500 feet of a child care facility, playground or school. And law enforcement agencies are failing to enforce the law.
Child and Family
Safe at home?
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In investigating allegations of child sexual abuse, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services often causes trauma, and black children and families are affected most.
Child and Family
Safe at home? (En Español)
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Parada en la puerta principal de su hogar de dos pisos en una calle tranquila y residencial de Oak Park, Kimberly Stevens dio un beso de despedida a cada uno de sus tres niños de adopción temporal en una mañana soleada de abril 2006, diciendo que los vería más tarde. Stevens no sabía que “más tarde” terminaría siendo más de dos años y medio para su hijo y más de tres para sus dos hijas. No sabía que el niño pasaría tiempo en un hospital psiquiátrico y regresaría a su cuidado siendo ni la sombra de la exuberancia de antes. No sabía que estaba entrando a un proceso legal que le costaría miles de dólares y consumiría casi todo su tiempo y energía. Lo único que sabía Stevens era que había sido una mañana típica de despertar a los niños, vestirlos, darles de comer y prepararles para la escuela.
Child and Family
Fighting trauma in the system
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Responses vary about how best to reduce the trauma caused to children and families during sexual abuse investigations–”particularly ones facing the disproportionate number of black families. Raelene Freitag, director of the Children’s Research Center in Madison, Wis., advocates an approach called “structured decision-making.” The approach acknowledges the tendency of people’s brains to make snap and emotional judgments that could be biased and provides a set of clearly defined, observable and research-based items to make a decision that the investigator’s supervisor can verify. “Nobody’s a bad person because your brain works a certain way,” she said. “An emotional response is not truth.