🧵I spent the last month learning about low-income tax credits that subsidize affordable housing in the US & what happens as the credits expire.
That's what happened at the Pavilion Apartments in O'Hare, which lost 223 affordable units.
@BlockClubCHI
💫 Professional life update: I'm happy to share I've joined the
@BlockClubCHI
team full-time to cover the far Northwest Side!!! This is a big dream come true, as is working with some amazing editors/reporters who believe in me as much as I believe in local journalism. So blessed!
At least a thousand people are marching in
#LaVillita
to honor
#AdamToledo
and to visit the memorials made at 24th/Sawyer. The collective sadness can be felt out here.
Rest In Peace, Adam.
A small group is marching the streets in
#LoganSquare
to demand justice for Adam Toledo, the 13-year-old shot and killed by police.
Enrique Enriquez, of Little Village, holds a sign that reads “Justicia para Adam.”
#OnAssignment
for
@BlockClubCHI
The protest has now stopped at Central Park/Wrightwood, near the mayor’s block. Police presence is increasing as marchers chant: “why did you kill a child?!”
“We miss you, Adam!”
#ChicagoProtests
#AdamToledo
Today in my
@BlockClubCHI
newsletter: the story behind my recent piece on The Clarendale. Ald. Gardiner, who was set to give a speech at last week's development update event, refused to speak until me and
@colinbphoto
left. We got kicked out but were able to return once he left.
Clarendale update: Despite rumors circulating on social media that an urgent care facility and Advocate Medical Group Primary Care will be the retail tenants, developers told me that's false. They are shopping for tenants alongside Aldi. via
@BlockClubCHI
The crosswalk hand lights at the California/Armitage intersection have a new message:
#BlackLivesMatter
. Props to the sneaky artist who got up there (how?) and added this subtle but clever artwork. Where else would you see this if not Logan Square?
The Logan Square march and protest organized by
@GKMC18
and
@BlckRising
has started at the monument with organizer Taylor Norwood speaking first.
“We have yet to receive a statement from the mayor on what happened to Miracle Boyd.”
#ChicagoProtests
“If you talk to anyone who rides a bike in Chicago … we are constantly coming face to face with our own mortality & having our lives threatened while we are trying to get around our city, but seeing these low scores, it kind of reflects how we’re all feeling.”
@bikegridnow
📣A title change comes with a new glamor shot by
@colinbphoto
: After 2+ years covering the far NW side for
@BlockClubCHI
, I'm officially moving over to cover Logan Square/Avondale/Humboldt Park full-time (where I started as a Block Clubber in 2018).
I am WILDLY excited!
Helloooooo Logan Square! After what feels like eons, it’s finally happening: work on the long-anticipated traffic circle is set to begin! We got a large group of community members + elected officials, including
@ChicagosMayor
, for an official groundbreaking here this AM.
Happy story from me and
@colinbphoto
: A mother from Belize — who was sent to Chicago w/ other migrants from Texas — didn't have enough money to organize a birthday party for her daughter. Teachers at
@Taft_HS
led the surprise quinceañera celebration.
Dozens of people are gathered here at Ald. Gardiner’s office in Jefferson Park. They are calling on him to resign amid recent scandals.
“Boo Gardiner. Don’t vote for him…. Whose ward? Our ward.”
#OnAssignment
for
@BlockClubCHI
Despite having a license plate number/name, police haven’t arrested/cited the woman who drove through a family’s yard and hit a neighbor’s car over the weekend. The inaction has angered neighbors who say she needs to be held accountable. via
@BlockClubCHI
I’ve got an update to
@greenfieldjohn
’s condition after his crash downstate: He’s doing better everyday and his family suggested fans donate to
@streetsblogchi
if they want to show their support as he recovers.
Get well soon, John!!
Look here, we finally have concrete bike barriers on the southbound side of Milwaukee and Kilbourn, where Carla and Nick died in Old Irving Park. There are also more flexi posts + concrete barriers on Milwaukee closer to Schurz. The protections aren’t complete but almost done.
Bike marshals and protesters whose bikes were taken by CPD: your bikes are waiting for you at
@CDRosa
’s office until 5. So far only about 10 have been picked up but about 30 remain. One guy walked out with his bike and said he’s thrilled to be reunited.
“My heart is singing.”
🚨 And good news for marshals/protesters whose bike was taken at the July 17 Columbus statue protest: Alderman
@CDRosa
+
@NLGChicago
recovered 39 bikes taken by CPD and will host a pick-up event THIS Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. at 35th ward office, 2934 N. Milwaukee Ave., Unit C. 🚲
Dulce Rodriguez and her family are here with a nice sign that reads, “We Are
#AdamToledo
.”
There are thousands of people here but dulce says there should be more, especially families.
Gardiner’s anti-news-media position, esp. his dislike of us b/c of past coverage, is unfortunate, but it won’t deter me from covering our neighborhoods. His attempt to shut me out has made my job more difficult, but reader support and tips give me the courage to keep showing up!
For more than a year, a group of Jefferson Park neighbors has tried to get the CTA to install public restrooms or portable toilets for commuters and unhoused neighbors at the Jeff Park transit center. (1/3)
via
@BlockClubCHI
On Monday, I checked out the newly installed concrete bike curbs on Milwaukee starting @ Addison & a few were already damaged, like this 1 (left). Today I went back & it looks like this (right). What's going on? These were installed about a week ago.
Story:
The Logan Square leaderless March demanding justice for
#BreonnaTaylor
is now moving up Humboldt from Palmer Square Park. We’re heading to Milwaukee Avenue.
#ChicagoProtests
Family and friends are here in Daley Plaza to remember loved ones lost to gun violence this year with a beautiful purple Tree of Remembrance that features buttons and pictures of each person.
#OnAssignment
for
@BlockClubCHI
“We’re here to remember Joshua …& we will be here for you not just today but always. Join us to remember Joshua and to not only protect bike lanes but also our youth.” -
@AlderwomanCruz
.
Almost 100 here in Portage Park to honor Joshua Anleu. 🚲 💔
#OnAssignment
@BlockClubCHI
UPDATE: Five days after a woman mowed down a family's garden and crashed into a parked car before fleeing, police arrested a suspect Thursday. Charges are pending. via
@BlockClubCHI
The power of local news is so alive in this city & I love it! This is how you know: when the
@nytimes
covers the
#GATORWATCH2K19
story that has captured Chicago & the country this week, thanks to the dedicated
@mina_bloom_
and
@BlockClubCHI
, my favorites.
Blue Line trains to O'Hare are in service all night and aren't stopping due to concerns about homeless people, contrary to a quickly spreading Facebook post, a
@cta
spokesperson said.
via
@BlockClubCHI
A Jefferson Park family says a woman threatened them before driving her SUV into their yard, destroying half of their garden and hitting a neighbor’s car — all because they have been critical of the area’s alderman.
via
@BlockClubCHI
📢
#bikechi
cyclists: am writing about the growing backlash to Divvy's new citywide x-min fees for e-bikes/the lack of base blue bikes available. Have you used an e-bike recently & were shocked by the price? Has it been hard to find blue bikes? Let me know! ariel
@blockclubchi
.org
Here's my latest on Ald. Gardiner's problematic behavior toward women and constituents that highlights some of his retaliation tactics against people who voiced criticism of him online — including people outside of his ward.
via
@BlockClubCHI
Do you have baby formula to spare? Some Chicago-area moms created a collection project to donate unopened formula to those who need it amid the shortage, w/ a focus on low-income moms of color/undocumented moms. Check out ways to help!⬇️
via
@BlockClubCHI
Today is my first day freelancing for
@WTTW
! For my first piece, I’m checking in with the Love Fridge Chicago collective, which has distributed 10 fridges around the city in the last two months to give and take free food to/for those in need — and today is its anniversary!
The crowd is at Milwaukee/Kimball/Diversey with all traffic stopped. It’s quite a lively and powerful scene with inspiring words from
@oso_campeon
, who has been hunger striking for 30 days.
“We deserve clean air. We are not leaving the SE side.”
#StopGeneralIron
#DenyThePermit
Here's one of my first official NW side
@BlockClubCHI
stories: a wild turkey was spotted in LaBagh Woods by local birder
@bobdolgan
, showing proof of biodiversity improvements and hope for more birds to come to the area. I know lots of turkey facts now!
There’s a good crowd in
#LoganSquare
for the
#StopAsianHate
rally organized by
#StopAsianHateChi
. Members of the AAPI community and lots of allies are here to listen to their stories, stand up to hate and to honor the victims of the shooting and recent hate crimes.
Some sweet Friday news: Lovin' Scoop, the newest addition to Six Corners at 4032 N. Milwaukee Ave., opens today from 3 p.m.-10 p.m. The shop will serve Capannari ice cream, a family-owned business based out of Mount Prospect, IL.
This panel on online violence against women journalists — something we’ve all experienced — was an emotional stir that could be felt in the room. Thank you to badass women journalists
@RanaAyyub
@mariannaspring
@julieposetti
&
@camposmello
for sharing your story+strength!
#IJF22
So this was a WOW moment: I recently got to climb up ~75 feet to the inside steeple of the historic Minnekirken church in Logan Square and see the interior structure, which dates back to 1912! The views were nice, too. I love that every day on the job is a different!
📢 Hey
@BlockClubCHI
readers! Have you seen huge political campaign signs in your neighborhood? Turns out, they're illegal under a city ordinance. Hit me up if you have seen them/if they've been placed on your lawn and have thoughts to share on this! ariel
@blockclubchi
.org.
Six residents of the 45th Ward are suing the area’s alderman — and the city itself — for Ald. Gardiner allegedly blocking them or deleting critical comments on his Facebook page, violating First Amendment rights.
via
@BlockClubCHI
NEW: Leaked profanity-laced texts between Gardiner and a former staffer show the alderman ripping anyone who dared to challenge him — including two aldermen and a female chief of staff who he deemed an alderman's "b-tch." via
@BlockClubCHI
A fire destroyed an encampment for people who are homeless in Avondale & a resident told me he saw two men enter and start the fire: "I think this is a hate crime."
Read my latest
@BlockClubCHI
piece to find out how you can help those who lost everything.
Family, friends and activists are here in Portage Park to stand up for
#AnthonyAlvarez
and call for justice after he was killed by police one month ago. The group also is standing up for immigrant worker rights on this
#MayDay2021
.
#OnAssignment
for
@BlockClubCHI
To any Far NW side
@BlockClubCHI
readers out there, we got some good news!
@mollydevore1
is your new neighborhood reporter — please give her a warm welcome and send her story ideas!
Very excited to share my first story with
@BlockClubCHI
!!!
I'll be covering the far Northwest side, so please send any Jefferson Park, Portage Park, Norwood Park, Forest Glen, Sauganash or Edison Park-related tips to molly
@blockclubchi
.org
The Jefferson Park project at 5150 N. Northwest Highway was the subject of a long, heated, racially charged debate. But now some initially skeptical of affordable housing in the area have applied for spots, developer
@FullCircle310
said. via
@BlockClubCHI
Reporting for
@BlockClubCHI
is so fulfilling b/c neighbors really feel heard and connected in stories, which has become incredibly important during these difficult times. Neighbors I recently spoke w/ congratulated the work, saying "keep up the fight!" & that they are grateful.
It’s a beautiful sunny day in Logan Square to officially unveil the new buffered bike lanes on Milwaukee Avenue between Western and California.
@AldermanLaSpata
gives the improved bike lane a go for the media.
#OnAssignment
for
@BlockClubCHI
Edison Park neighbors have created a petition calling for officials to study Northwest Highway to see how it can be made safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.
@activetrans
via
@BlockClubCHI
by
@sbadilini
UPDATE No. 2: Charges are in. Maureen McGlade has been charged with two misdemeanors for criminal damage to property and failure to notify damage to an unattended vehicle. She also was cited for not having a valid registration, police said.
UPDATE: Five days after a woman mowed down a family's garden and crashed into a parked car before fleeing, police arrested a suspect Thursday. Charges are pending. via
@BlockClubCHI
More good news for
@LakeEffect_LLC
: It cleared another hurdle toward opening its Northwest Side firehouse brewpub this week when City Council reversed a liquor ban impacting the business. The firehouse should be open by next summer! via
@BlockClubCHI
What a day. Went from interviewing teachers who recently lost their jobs after a far North Side preschool unexpectedly closed after 60+ years to a pro-CPD, pro-Trump rally in Jefferson Park and then back home, where it’s full of
#MexicanIndependenceDay
. Shoutout to my neighbor!
It was a blessing & honor to speak w/ author, organizer & educator Mariame Kaba for the
@Chicago_Reader
and learn from her wisdom and new book, as well as amazing folks
@eveewing
,
@dreanyc123
&
@Asha_2A
.
S/O to
@o_fishel
for the beautiful illustration!
This story reminds me of why I 💜 this job: Highlighting the humanity amid the migrant influx, a group has set up a barber shop in Pritzker Park to pass the time, meet new friends + make some money as they wait to secure work permits.
More
@BlockClubCHI
I’m loving the new painted bike lanes on Sacramento, complete with a full street resurfacing! No more pot holes. It’s a small victory but I’ll take it
@ChicagoDOT
.
Since many reached out about this: Gardiner signs on the scaffolding at the Six Corners Novak Sears project go against city code and will be removed,
@ChicagoDOT
officials told me.
The "code prohibits advertising messages on any construction canopy located within the public way"
Was not able to get a picture, but Gardiner signs all over the scaffolding at the Novak Sears site at 6C.
I remember, of course, when donations from a developer would get a Alderperson in serious trouble in 45.
My, how things have changed.
More than 20 elected officials are calling on Gardiner to publicly apologize after he urged staff not to help constituents who criticized him and called female residents and City Hall staffers “b-tch” and “c-nt.”
via
@BlockClubCHI
w/
@jus10chi
It’s been a month since East Side activists have been on a hunger strike to
#StopGeneralIron
& get Mayor Lightfoot to
#DenyThePermit
for the new metal scrapper moving into the East Side, a majority Black/Brown community.
Activists are in
#LoganSquare
to keep fighting 4 justice.
Time for a sappy reflection🧵on my Kolmar Park reporting.
About 2 years ago,
@jensabella
, asked if I was interested in writing a story about efforts to rededicate a park for a German-Jewish poet who died in the Holocaust. I said yes & wrote this piece. 1/
A bit of reflecting here: September was my best writing month of the year! Ten articles, a few new editor contacts and publications, several pieces I'm proud of and the most $$ made in a month. Here's to keeping the momentum going and beating my own record in October.
Every time I see someone biking on Irving Park Road, my body physically tightens up and cringes. Never bike on Irving Park! It would be wonderful to see bike lanes and a road diet there, but that sounds like an impossible ask.
A mother, community activist and data researcher is running to unseat freshman Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th). Denali Dasgupta (
@DenaliFor39
) is billing herself as a progressive candidate with a focus on improving public resources.
via
@BlockClubCHI
The Jeff Park people spot is finally, officially, complete!
@ChicagoDOT
crews installed the finishing touches to the new plaza (a former alley) over the weekend. The project has been seven years in the making.
40 sunny degrees is a worthy reason to check out Jefferson Park’s newest Mexican restaurant, Ztatl, which means “salt” in Nahuatl, the spoken language of the Aztecs.
📍4808 N Milwaukee Ave.
@BlockClubCHI
story coming soon!
Some Jeff Park residents want improved safety at a popular pedestrian crossing where a driver badly injured a woman last week — then fled the scene. Neighbors want a speed bump and more signs to compel drivers to stop for pedestrians.
@BlockClubCHI
Whether it’s been for date nights, parties or a quick snack,
@Superdawg
has served generations for ... 75 years! The iconic joint is celebrating a milestone and will have a new honorary street sign and a monthlong birthday celebration. 🌭
@BlockClubCHI
City officials and
@LaCasaNorte
hope to turn The North Hotel apartments, which have been for sale since 2022, into transitional housing for youth experiencing homelessness in Humboldt Park. The shelter would house 35-45 youth ages 18-24 for ~120 days.
It's been a week since Alexis Hadac was attacked by this woman in a South Loop park. Still, the woman, who said her husband is a police officer, hasn't been arrested, despite community tips that helped ID her. Read my update for
@BlockClubCHI
.
NEW: Earlier today, a memorial for
#AnthonyAlvarez
was cleared from the Northwest Side corner near where he died — for the third time in two months — and his grieving family members are accusing police of harassing them while they mourn. via
@BlockClubCHI
Finally! Raised concrete curbs are coming to the
@MilwaukeeAvBike
lane between Addison Street and Irving Park Road to improve safety for cyclists using the bike highway after two died along the strip.
#bikechi
via
@BlockClubCHI
New for
@BlockClubCHI
: Activists are calling on the city to keep public transit open during any post-election protests but no promises/details have been released on the issue so far.
"It’s wrong to shut down public transit."
@activetrans
@Lyndab08
Polish Farm Market in Portage Park, next to the Patio Theater, is now open! I checked it out and spoke to one of the chefs, who worked at the Szymanski deli spot before it went out of business in October.
“I am very happy to work here [again]."
➡️
In between writing two stories and bouncing between more phone calls than I can count, today I talked to
@JohnHowellWLS
about the Jefferson Park lawn story. I only stuttered a few times for my first radio interview!
A Jefferson Park woman drove through her neighbor's lawn screaming in retaliation for their criticism of the local alderman.
@BlockClubCHI
Reporter
@ArielParrella
joins
@JohnHowellWLS
with the full story. Read it:
New signs up @ Six Corners: Two big ones for Sweet Dragon, the boba tea cafe spot opening in the corner storefront, were installed today. The business had some licensing delays but plans to open in a few weeks, the owner tells me. More to come soon!
Clarendale sign also went up.
I don’t know how I’ve never been to the Independence library branch but it’s beautiful and quiet and I love it. This is mostly a
@chipublib
appreciation tweet.
Officer Evan Solano is still reporting to work with his badge and a gun, his lawyer says — despite facing 2 separate investigations for killing a young father in Portage Park & pulling his weapon on a driver in Logan Square.
via
@mina_bloom_
/
@BlockClubCHI
As the city scrambles to find housing for migrants, police officers — along w/ MANY volunteers — have ended up on the frontlines of the crisis. I spoke to some of them to see how they're doing and what they want to see from the city.
@BlockClubCHI
New for
@BlockClubCHI
: After a shooting severely injured local bike mechanic and father Jermell “Mello” Akins, cyclists and friends from all over the world are raising money for his long road to recovery. It's beautiful to see the love Mello has received!
NW side neighbors have a message for the person targeting a home with hate crimes: Love wins.
"The support was amazing," the homeowner said. "It sends a statement: 'The more you mess with us, the gayer I am going to make this place.'"
via
@BlockClubCHI
Update: Brodie Blakeslee, who has white supremacist affiliations and lives behind these businesses, was charged for spray-painting swastikas. He admitted to it and he wanted to let Black Lives Matter supporters know the neighborhood was “protected.”
More bike news: Today
@CDRosa
's office, along with
@NLGChicago
and Safe Bike Chicago, has recovered 22 more bikes confiscated from racial justice protesters by CPD. There will be another pickup event Sept. 20. My latest for
@streetsblogchi
has more info!
Hi Logan/Avondale/Irving Park peeps! Have you gotten a bunch of campaign mailers from Natalie Toro in recent weeks and want to talk to me for a story? I've been getting lots of mailers from her backers, too. Plz reach out if you want to share thoughts: ariel
@blockclubchi
.org.