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South Side Weekly

@southsideweekly.bsky.social

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News, arts, and investigations by and for Chicago's South Side. southsideweekly.com

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South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · Nov 11

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Reposted by South Side Weekly

unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 10h

We're told at least one person was arrested—and later released with a citation for disorderly—by Broadview police for simply being on the Maywood side of 25th at Harvard St outside the ICE facility this morning.

They were documenting agents coming and going as electeds have told people to do.

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 10h

"Ms. Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work. Ms. Brockman feared for her life multiple times throughout this terrifying experience."

Jim Daley @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social · 10h

NEW: The People’s Law Office is representing Debbie Brockman, the WGN producer who was detained by feds.

“Ms. Brockman and her legal team adamantly deny any allegation that she assaulted anyone. Rather, Ms. Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work.”

Statement on Behalf of Debbie Brockman, WGN
Employee Assaulted by Federal Agents

Debbie Brockman, the WGN employee who was physically attacked and arrested in Chicago, Illinois by federal agents on October 10, 2025, would like to provide the following information to clarify any misunderstandings or misrepresentations that have been previously reported.

First off, Ms. Brockman wishes to clarify that at the time of this incident she was not acting in any professional capacity as an employee of WGN. During the morning hours this past Friday, Ms. Brockman was walking to the bus stop as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by Border Patrol agents.
Ms. Brockman, who is a U.S. citizen born in this country, was violently detained on Foster Avenue, on the north side of Chicago. As this occurred, individuals on the street began recording the incident and asked Ms. Brockman her name. In addition to providing her name, Ms. Brockman stated that she worked for WGN. She added this information because she hoped someone would notify her employer so her coworkers would know that she would not be arriving at work that day.
Ms. Brockman was detained and held in federal custody for approximately 7 hours before being released. She has not been charged with any crimes and she intends to pursue all legal avenues available to her to vindicate her rights and hold the federal authorities accountable for their actions.
Ms. Brockman is being represented by attorneys from the People’s Law Office in Chicago. Ms. Brockman and her legal team adamantly deny any allegation that she assaulted anyone. Rather, Ms. Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work. Ms. Brockman feared for her life multiple times throughout this terrifying experience.
“This incident should be alarming and horrifying to every single person in this country,” said Brad Thomson, one of Ms. Brockman’s attorneys at People’s Law Office. “If armed, masked, federal agents are sn…

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 13h

Chicago: Report sightings of federal agents to rapid responders and the press. Connect with your neighbors, find a community defense workshop, and post know-your-rights signs. Attend a No Kings rally on October 18.

Resist. Our democracy is at stake.

It’s Up to Us to Protect One Another

As Trump sends troops to Chicago, we will continue to investigate and report. Readers have a role to play, too.

southsideweekly.com

Reposted by South Side Weekly

Alex Zucker @alexzucker.bsky.social · 23h

Lengthy and thorough, including many previously unreported facts, from agents separating people arrested by race to the real estate fight that led up to the raid.

Heartbreaking, infuriating, fascist as all get-out. People want to live in peace, free of danger. Instead we get this.

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 8d

NEW: In the weeks leading up to a massive ICE raid at a South Shore apartment building, neighbors saw drones surveilling the area, and teachers at a nearby school regularly saw agents in the neighborhood.

✍️ Jose Abonce for the Weekly and Maira Khwaja for @invisible.institute

Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children

Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.

southsideweekly.com

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 4d

If you see ICE agents, Illinois State Police, or Chicago or suburban police engaging in immigration enforcement or misconduct, file a complaint with COPA, Cook County, or the IL Inspector General and let us know. If you have video, here's how you can share it with us:

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 9d

Have you witnessed ICE activity in Chicagoland, or seen CPD or other local law enforcement assisting federal agents or engaging in misconduct?

LET US KNOW.

Upload video directly at tinyurl.com/chicagojourn... or email us at [email protected]

HAVE YOU SEEN ICE?
¿HAS VISTO A ICE?
We are a group of journalists across newsrooms in Chicago who
are collecting video related to use of force, stop & frisk, and
traffic stops conducted by federal agents.
Share video: tinyurl.com/chicagojournalists
Contact us: chicagojournalists@protonmail.com
We won’t share video publicly without your permission.
Share video / Enviar video
Somos un grupo de periodistas de distintos medios en Chicago
recopilando videos relacionados con el uso de la fuerza,
detenciones, controles de tráfico y retenes por agentes
federales en Chicago.
Enviar video: tinyurl.com/chicagojournalists
Contacto: chicagojournalists@protonmail.com
No compartiremos video públicamente sin permiso.

Reposted by South Side Weekly

Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 4d

That's two Chicago journalists feds have arrested (that I know of) in the last few weeks.

We're less than 24 hours out from federal judge Sara Ellis entering a restraining order that was supposed to protect journalists, among others, from abuse by federal agents.

Jim Daley @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social · 4d

I'm at the scene where ICE abducted multiple people from Lincoln and Foster this morning.

A WGN producer was among the people taken, allegedly because she was among a group of bystanders who tried to intervene. ICE agents hit this car while making their getaway.

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 6d

Let us be clear: The President of the United States is levying war against American cities and American citizens—and we cannot rely on the other branches of government to save us.

It’s up to us.

It’s Up to Us to Protect One Another

As Trump sends troops to Chicago, we will continue to investigate and report. Readers have a role to play, too.

southsideweekly.com

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 8d

NEW: In the weeks leading up to a massive ICE raid at a South Shore apartment building, neighbors saw drones surveilling the area, and teachers at a nearby school regularly saw agents in the neighborhood.

✍️ Jose Abonce for the Weekly and Maira Khwaja for @invisible.institute

Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children

Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.

southsideweekly.com

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 9d

Have you witnessed ICE activity in Chicagoland, or seen CPD or other local law enforcement assisting federal agents or engaging in misconduct?

LET US KNOW.

Upload video directly at tinyurl.com/chicagojourn... or email us at [email protected]

HAVE YOU SEEN ICE?
¿HAS VISTO A ICE?
We are a group of journalists across newsrooms in Chicago who
are collecting video related to use of force, stop & frisk, and
traffic stops conducted by federal agents.
Share video: tinyurl.com/chicagojournalists
Contact us: chicagojournalists@protonmail.com
We won’t share video publicly without your permission.
Share video / Enviar video
Somos un grupo de periodistas de distintos medios en Chicago
recopilando videos relacionados con el uso de la fuerza,
detenciones, controles de tráfico y retenes por agentes
federales en Chicago.
Enviar video: tinyurl.com/chicagojournalists
Contacto: chicagojournalists@protonmail.com
No compartiremos video públicamente sin permiso.

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 14d

Founded by thirteen World War II GI’s from Chicago’s South Side, the model railroad has been in continuous operation.

Reposted by South Side Weekly

Altavoz Lab @altavozlab.bsky.social · Sep 8

📰 Meet the English-language cohort of the 2025 Altavoz Lab Community Fellowship!

✨ Leslie Hurtado – Cicero Independiente
✨ Jewél Jackson – @southsideweekly.bsky.social
✨ Nadia Tamez-Robledo – @edsurge.com / Puente News Collaborative

🔗 altavozlab.com
#AltavozLab #LocalNews #CommunityMedia

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 15d

Weclome to BoSS 2025! We want to remind you—and ourselves, to be honest—that the grief and urgency we feel is a result of the love we have for one another. That is not something that anyone can separate us from. These moments exemplify our passion for our people and communities, and our resilience.

Welcome to Best of the South Side 2025

s a publication that covers the South Side, we have to be real. We cannot celebrate without acknowledging the struggles so many people are facing at this moment, both here and overseas. The current ad...

southsideweekly.com

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 18d

“The mayor only appointed [Burnett III] and the City Council only approved him because of his father,” said UIC professor emeritus and former alderman Dick Simpson. “So that’s, unfortunately, a frequent practice in Chicago, for instance.”

City Council Confirms Ald. Burnett III and Approves Obama Center Set-Asides, ADUs

The Obama Center ordinance will give preference to displaced residents and establish a property tax debt relief grant program.

southsideweekly.com

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 25d

ICE's Operation Midway Blitz spread through suburbs and South Side neighborhoods, escalating into detentions, family separation, and the fatal traffic-stop shooting of, Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez.

🖊️@almacampos.bsky.social and Jose Abonce

Trump’s ICE Crackdown Hits Home

Federal agents killed a man during a traffic stop amid widespread sweeps that unfolded during the Mexican Independence Day weekend.

southsideweekly.com

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · Aug 15

A notification system used by Cook County to alert crime victims about offenders’ statuses may be allowing ICE to obtain personal data on thousands of immigrants. Alma Campos, our Immigration Project Editor, reported this story.

southsideweekly.com/cook-county-...

Cook County Sheriff “Data Loophole” Lets ICE Access Immigrant Info

A clause in the county’s contract lets an information system designed for crime victims funnel sensitive data to ICE-contracted LexisNexis.

southsideweekly.com

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · Aug 14

"As with every outrage from the cabal currently occupying the White House, you can do something about it. Support local media. Read, listen, watch, share—and subscribe or become a member. In the meantime, we will keep doing our job: conveying the truth."

southsideweekly.com/trump-kills-...

Trump Kills the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

It’s yet another Trump action that also hurts his own voters.

southsideweekly.com

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · Jul 25

NEW: CPD spent about $27 million to police the four-day DNC last August—about $10 million more than the federal funding allocated to personnel and operations the event, according to data newly published by the city's Inspector General. By Max Blaisdell southsideweekly.com/chicago-poli...

Chicago Police Blew Past DNC Overtime Budget

New data from the Office of Inspector General shows the department overspent its DNC allocation by nearly 60%.

southsideweekly.com

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · Jul 23

Mayor Johnson refuses to order CPD to release calls and other data about the police response to an ICE facility on June 4. Alds. Lopez and Napolitano prevented a City Council vote on forcing the department to do so.

Don't worry, your local community paper already obtained the tapes. Listen here:

June 4 Calls Show CPD Knew Federal Immigration Agents Were Asking for Help

An officer in the department’s “fusion” center told 911 dispatchers Homeland Security Investigations—a division of ICE—were calling for help. He also wanted to avoid media attention.

southsideweekly.com

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · Jul 23

High heat means it's a good day to cool off in the lake!

“There is something about being by the water and seeing the water meet the sky—seeing that horizon line and just feeling like it’s endless.”

southsideweekly.com/captivating-...

Captivating, Nourishing, Sacred: What Promontory Point Means to South Siders

Community members and conservationists reflect on why Promontory Point is a space ‘worth fighting for.’

southsideweekly.com

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · Jul 21

Last week we obtained calls an ICE contractor and HSI agent made to the city's 911 center to request help with crowd control while moving arrestees, and a call from a CPD captain who said he wanted to avoid media scrutiny of the police response.

Listen here:

southsideweekly.com/june-4-calls...

June 4 Calls Show CPD Knew Federal Immigration Agents Were Asking for Help

An officer in the department’s “fusion” center told 911 dispatchers Homeland Security Investigations—a division of ICE—were calling for help. He also wanted to avoid media attention.

southsideweekly.com

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · Jul 16

The City Council will consider an ordinance today that would allow construction of apartments called "granny flats" (officially, "accessory dwelling units" or ADUs) in coach houses and basements. @alexnitkin.bsky.social dug into ADUs in this @illinoisanswers.bsky.social piece

‘Granny Flats’ Are Illegal To Build In Most Of Chicago—And Political Gridlock Is Keeping It That Way

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) or “granny flats” are illegal to build in most of Chicago, but a pilot program allowing them in some areas showed promising results. City officials are divided over the...

southsideweekly.com

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · Jul 15

NEW: Investigations editor @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social obtained 911 calls and other documents that indicate CPD was aware immigration authorities were requesting help at an ICE facility on June 4. southsideweekly.com/june-4-calls...

June 4 Calls Show CPD Knew Federal Immigration Agents Were Asking for Help

An officer in the department’s “fusion” center told 911 dispatchers Homeland Security Investigations—a division of ICE—were calling for help. He also wanted to avoid media attention.

southsideweekly.com

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · Jul 2

Si usted o alguien que conoce ha sido estafado por una empresa que ofrece servicios de inmigración, los reporteros de Weekly quieren entrevistarlo. Escanee el código QR o visite bit.ly/NotariosSSW para completar nuestra encuesta.

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · Jul 2

If you or someone you know has been defrauded by a business offering immigration services, Weekly reporters want to hear from you. Scan this QR code or go to bit.ly/NotaryFraud to fill out our survey!

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · Jul 1

The City Council's Immigrant & Refugee Rights Committee is meeting today to look into the police response to an ICE facility on June 4. OEMC documents show two calls were made from the facility: one for a disturbance/large gathering, and another to assist an officer. It's unclear who called.

Latino Caucus Blasts Mayor, CPD Chief on ICE Response

In a June 12 letter, the Caucus expressed frustration about CPD’s approach to federal immigration enforcement and criticized Johnson for not informing them about his pick for interim CPS CEO.

southsideweekly.com