Mayor Lori Lightfoot will take questions from reporters this morning after a groundbreaking ceremony. We'll ask about what happened this weekend with protests.
I'll live tweet. Follow for updates and let me know if you have questions.
Background: blockclubchicago.org/2020/07/19/tee…
I'll live tweet. Follow for updates and let me know if you have questions.
Background: blockclubchicago.org/2020/07/19/tee…
Ald. Michelle Harris (18th) celebrating groundbreaking for Huddle House restaurant: "Nothing happens without the mayor in the city of Chicago being a part of it."
Harris: "This is the first and the beginning of wonderful things to happen on the south end of Stony Island."
Harris: "Look at all the beautiful things and the changes that are happening in communities of color."
Lightfoot praises aldermen who know how to get things done — not just on social media or through protests, she says, but through collaboration.
Lightfoot: This Huddle House will be only the second dine-in restaurant in the 8th Ward. "We want to make sure the needs of this community are met. This will help remedy a critical need for food alternatives here in Calumet Heights."
Lightfoot: They'll provide up to 80 permanent jobs for Chicagoans.
Lightfoot: "We need to think about what we have gained in this moment, and what we have gained are many things, but importantly, we can't forget our sense of community. That is what gets us through the hard times. That is what propels us forward and gives us inspiration and ...
"a determination" to make sure tomorrow is better than today.
Lightfoot: "This is $1.1 million that come through NOF." It'll take 5-6 months.
Lightfoot: "I think we've got to link these developments together. The city has finalized the construction of the Gately Track."
Lightfoot: "It's important we continue to be very focused on making sure that our response to COVID remains robust. Commissioner Arwady will be talking later today about steps we're gonna be taking this week to make sure we stay on top of the things we're seeing in the data. ...
"But life does go on. ... And one of the most important thing we do is make sure we're continuing to bring jobs and opportunity in areas of our city that haven't traditionally gotten that kind of investment."
Lightfoot: "I have great concerns about that, particularly given the track record in the city of Portland. I spent a lot of time yesterday talking to the mayor of Portland to get a sense of what's happening there. We don't need federal agents without any insignia taking people...
"off the streets and holding them, I think, unlawfully. That's what we need. ... If the president is truly sincere about wanting to help, there are a number of things that the federal government is uniquely qualified to do that we could sue his help with, and they all evolve ...
"around the fact that we have way too many illegal guns on our street. Every year, our Police Department takes more illegal crime guns off the street than NYPD and LAPD combined, and that's because they're flowing over the border from Indiana" and coming up from the South.
Lightfoot: Trump could fund the ATF here, fully fund prosecutors here, empower the ATF to go after illegal gun sales/federally licensed gun dealers selling to strawmen. "These are some easy, simple things the president could do."
Lightfoot on weekend violence: "I talked to the superintendent multiple times a day, but again, I urge the media to dig into the numbers. We put additional resources and focus on the 11th District; and if you look at the weekend numbers comparatively, we actually did quite ...
"well there." They're going to put more extra resources into districts on the South Side.
Lightfoot: "I think we've got to make sure we don't lose sight of the following: No. 1, people have a right in this country, in this city, to peacefully protest. That is a sacred right ensured by the First Amendment, and I support that. ... Unfortunately, what we saw and what ...
"I think the superintendent will talk about later today, was a group of vigilantes, people who came for a fight, not a peaceful protest. You're going to see video that shows these people" kneeling down, dressing in black and "pummeling police" with projectiles.
"That's not ...
"That's not ...
"peaceful protest. That's anarchy. And we are going to put that down. We are actively investigating and we are going to" get justice.
"We can't have a circumstance where a small subset of that try to take over and hijack the peaceful protest and then turn it into a fight with ...
"We can't have a circumstance where a small subset of that try to take over and hijack the peaceful protest and then turn it into a fight with ...
"the police.
"What I will say also is this: I'm not happy about some of the things I saw with people who are injured." She's not happy about reporters being "interfered" with while doing their job.
People should call 311 and report incident to COPA. "But what I also say is ...
"What I will say also is this: I'm not happy about some of the things I saw with people who are injured." She's not happy about reporters being "interfered" with while doing their job.
People should call 311 and report incident to COPA. "But what I also say is ...
"this: This is a difficult time, and there are many who want to foment conflict. And, unfortunately, we're hearing this on a daily basis from the president in ways that are absolutely unhelpful and I'll go further and say absolutely dangerous.
"We as Chicagoans have a long ...
"We as Chicagoans have a long ...
"history of peaceful protest. It's baked into our DNA. We need to lean into" that and be respectful and build bridges. "That is what needs to happen in this moment. I know these are difficult, intense times, but we need to be better to each other. We need to remember we are ...
"neighbors and we need to remember that our children are watching."
Lightfoot: "We need to also understand what isn't there. I believe that it's true, and our team will determine: There are no monuments to African Americans in this city. There are no monuments to women. ... And we need to correct that problem. Later this week, I will be ...
"announcing a process by which we start our examination of these issues. It's not just about a single statue. It's about how we want to reflect our values as a city to make sure everyone is reflected in our history and, in particular, our permanent memorialization of ...
"our history.
"This is the moment to address it at long last."
"This is the moment to address it at long last."
Lightfoot: "That's just wrong, that's just wrong. We have, for years, an infrastructure built up to make sure that when there is misconduct it is vigorously investigated. The lead on that is COPA. That's been true since it was stood up in 2106. The suggestion ... that we are ...
"floundering" in responding to misconduct is "wrong."
Lightfoot: There are "disturbing" allegations in the deferred prosecution agreement.
Lightfoot on Madigan: "If those allegations are true, obviously he should resign. But we don't know they are true. ... We'll see how things develop, but that's troubling."
Lightfoot on Ald. Ray Lopez's ward office getting windows broken: "We're not going to tolerate anyone attacking elected officials and engaging in criminal conduct against them."
And it's over.
