Tonia Hill
@tonia.thetriibe.com
2.7K followers 420 following 260 posts
Award-winning journalist. I'm passionate about elevating the voices of Black Chicagoans and showcasing their resilience and joy—systemic racism reporter at The TRiiBE.
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Reposted by Tonia Hill
mulchy.bsky.social
sixty-eight chicago community, faith, + social service organizations are calling on cook county commissioners to “protect and increase social service spending” amid drastic cuts nationally from the trump admin.

they suggest freezing all law enforcement spending, which has “unjustifiably increased.”
In the last year, the Trump administration has taken unprecedented action to dismantle institutions and programs benefiting marginalized communities, cut funding for essential social services, and pull back funds allocated to states and local jurisdictions. These cuts jeopardize public safety and risk reversing the incredible progress Cook County has made in reducing community violence.

The undersigned 68 community, faith, policy, and service-providing organizations write to call on you and your fellow commissioners to protect funding for essential services like violence prevention, behavioral health, and community investment to reduce intra-community violence. You can support these services by freezing law enforcement spending, which is already far above the levels set when there were many more people in jail and many more criminal cases being processed by our court system.
Over the last decade, Cook County has made tremendous progress in reducing pretrial jailing and improving community safety. This has been a byproduct of both moving away from racist policies promoting mass incarceration and strategically investing in expansions to the social safety net and community-based violence prevention programs. With the Trump administration gutting many of the federal programs aimed at supporting the neighborhoods most at risk of community violence, it is essential that Cook County not only avoid cutting budgets for these programs but also increase investments.

We believe that Cook County can protect and increase essential health and human service spending by freezing all spending for law enforcement. Despite the nearly 40% decrease in the number of people incarcerated in the Cook County Jail, the Cook County Department of Corrections budget has not seen a reduction that coincides with that change in responsibility.
Similarly, the budget for the State's Attorney's Office grew tremendously over the last decade, even as both the number of case filings and crime rates … … continued to decrease. It is important to note that while the federal government has cut hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for essential social services, law enforcement spending has unjustifiably increased.

We would be remiss if we did not acknowledge President Trump's authoritarian attacks on residents of Cook County. Over the last several weeks, there have been repeated threats to the safety of our community members through executive orders targeting people without homes or who have mental health needs. Numerous federal law enforcement agencies have been dispatched to make arrests and deport our neighbors. It is essential at this moment that Cook County expand investments to ensure adequate support of community members targeted by the actions of the Trump administration and everyone impacted by its reduced funding for resources that allow marginalized people to live safe and healthy lives. The County's investment must include increasing the budget of the Public Defender's Office, which is responsible for defending increasing numbers of Cook County residents facing both criminal charges and immigration removal proceedings.

Cook County must protect its important progress increasing community safety and reducing pretrial jailing from a federal administration that has made clear that it does not care about our most vulnerable residents. Please stand strong for community safety by freezing law enforcement spending to protect essential health and human service investments and expand support for Public Defense.

Sincerely,
The Cook County members of the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice and supporting organizations:
A Just Harvest
A Midwest Movement Project
Access Living
Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment | AFIRE
Apna Ghar, Inc.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice ||
Chicago
Beyond Legal Aid
BlackRoots Alliance
Brighton Park Neighborhood Council
Cannabis Equity IL Coalition
Chicago Alliance Against Sexual
Exploitation | CAASE
Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts
Chicago Community Bond Fund
Chicago Therapy Collective
Chicago Torture Justice Center
Chicago United for Equity
Chicago United Solidarity Project | CUSP
Chicago Urban League
Chicago Votes
Children's Best Interest Project
Circles & Ciphers
Color Of Change
Community Renewal Society
Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy
Project | FLAP
First Defense Legal Aid
HANA Center 
Illinois Alliance for Reentry and Justice Illinois National Organization for Women
Illinois Prison Project
Illinois Social Justice Alliance
Impact for Equity
Indivisible Chicago-South Side
Inside Out Network
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
KAN-WIN
Legal Council for Health Justice
Liberation Library
Lucy Parsons Labs
Mamas Activating Movements for Abolition
& Solidarity | MAMAS
Muslim Civic Coalition
NAMI Cook County North Suburban
National Lawyers Guild Chicago
Nehemiah Trinity Rising
Nikkei Uprising
Northwestern University Graduate Workers
Pretrial Justice Institute
Restore Justice
Revolution Workshop
Sana Healing Collective
Saving Our Urban Leaders
Sentencing Advocacy Group of Evanston
She Votes Illinois
Shriver Center on Poverty Law
SisterReach Illinois
Southsiders Organizing for Unity and
Liberation | SOUL
Stick Talk
TASC, Inc.
The People's Lobby
The Puerto Rico Project To Defend If Necessary
Trinity United Church of Christ
Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of
Illinois
Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministry of
Ilinois
Uptown People's Law Center
West Town Law Office
Wolf Pack Therapy
Youth Empowerment Performance Project
tonia.thetriibe.com
Hi Gordon. Can you DM me?
Reposted by Tonia Hill
thetriibe.com
NEW — Rod Johnson will never forget federal agents zip-tying his hands behind his back.

The night of the South Shore raid in Chicago, Johnson said he was detained for two hours.

“I’m an American citizen with no warrants,” Johnson said.

thetriibe.com/2025/10/sout...
South Shore raid triggers past traumas and sparks new conversations about divisions between Black and Latino communities • The TRiiBE
Federal agent activity on Chicago’s South and West sides put Black people in the crosshairs.
thetriibe.com
Reposted by Tonia Hill
thetriibe.com
NEW — President Donald Trump woke up this morning with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on his mind.

On Truth Social, Trump suggested that Johnson and Pritzker be jailed for their handling of protests against his immigration agents.

thetriibe.com/2025/10/trum...
Trump isn’t the first elected official to suggest jail for Mayor Brandon Johnson • The TRiiBE
Months before President Trump, Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez suggested his administration arrests Johnson.
thetriibe.com
Reposted by Tonia Hill
djbyrnes1.bsky.social
I've been working with @thetriibe.com, @chicagoreader.com & @unraveledpress.com for over a month now as a freelancer while also looking for a more stable gig. I like doing journalism marginally more than forklifting, and if you like my work too I'd appreciate your support

venmo.com/code?user_id...
tonia.thetriibe.com
I talked to Ald. Jessie Fuentes, following her temporary detainment by federal agents last week. There's a letter of support circulating online that describes what happened to her.

“ICE agents continue to violate civil liberties with impunity," the letter reads.

thetriibe.com/2025/10/so-a...
So, about that letter of support for Chicago Ald. Jessie Fuentes: 13 alderpeople didn’t sign it • The TRiiBE
The letter describes what the agents did to Fuentes as an “abuse of power.” Mayor Brandon Johnson, City Clerk, Anna Valencia and City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin also signed it.
thetriibe.com
Reposted by Tonia Hill
peoplesfabric.com
“Body-camera video of a Border Patrol agent involved in the shooting of a woman who was allegedly chasing agents in Brighton Park over the weekend shows an officer saying, “Do something, b----,” before pulling over & shooting the woman five times.”

DHS has lied, a lot, about every act of violence.
Reposted by Tonia Hill
normative.bsky.social
Yes, when I want to know what the Black community in Chicago is thinking, I always turn to someone who's really got their finger on the pulse: Stephen Miller.
atrupar.com
Stephen Miller: "The Black people in Chicago are thrilled that we're getting the illegal aliens out of their communities who are stealing their housing, jobs, and resources."
Reposted by Tonia Hill
unraveledpress.com
Well, yeah, we're suing ICE.

This wasn't really a hard decision. As little faith as we have in institutions, we recognize the value of drawing visible lines in the sand. We drew ours personally a while ago, but better late than never.

May every protester be freed and may this occupation end.
Reposted by Tonia Hill
Reposted by Tonia Hill
jimdaleywrites.bsky.social
FRIDAY: CPD denies my FOIA for bodycam footage from 7500 South Shore because footage is only flagged if, among other things, an arrest was made.

SUNDAY: CPD spox acknowledges that they made at least one arrest at 7500 South Shore in an on-the-record statement provided for this story.
Letter on CPD Letterhead in response to FOIA request:

"The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is in receipt of your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 ILCS 140/1, et seq.,
request for the following:
All body-worn camera and in-car camera video associated with the CPD response to 7500 block of S. South Shore Dr
(and/or 2700 block of E. 75th St) the morning of September 30, 2025, during which at least five people were arrested by

federal immigration agents. (For context please see: https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2025/10/01/massive-
immigration-raid-on-chicago-apartment-building-leaves-residents-reeling-i-feel-defeated)

In regard to your request for Body Worn Camera video, please be advised that any available Body Worn Camera video is
denied pursuant to the Sec 7(1)(a), which exempts from inspection and copying the following: "Information specifically
prohibited from disclosure by federal or State law or rules and regulations adopted under federal or State law.” See 5
ILCS 140/7(1)(a). Section 10-20(b) of the Law Enforcement Officer-Worn Body Camera Act states that officer-worn body
camera recordings are not subject to disclosure under FOIA, except where a recording has been “flagged” because of
“the filing of a complaint, discharge of a firearm, use of force, arrest or detention, or resulting death or bodily harm,” or
the requester is the subject of the video footage. 50 ILCS 706/10-20(b)(1)-(3). Moreover, where the requester is not a
subject of the video, and the subject has a reasonable expectation of privacy at the time of the recording, disclosure
pursuant to FOIA is only permissible where the subject is either a victim and/or witness, and has consented to disclosure
in writing. 50 ILCS 706/10-20(b)(2). Accordingly, FOIA is not applicable to your request for body-worn camera video." Email from CPD spokesperson:

"Hello,
The Chicago Police Department responded to the 7500 block of S. South Shore Drive on
September 30, 2025 at approximately 2:00 a.m. after being notified by federal authorities that
they had detained an individual with an active criminal warrant. After responding to the scene
and verifying the active criminal warrant, arresting officers placed a 46-year-old male offender
into custody. This individual has been charged with an Issuance of Warrant. Please refer to the
Cook County Sheriff's Office for additional information related to the warrant.
To be clear, the Chicago Police Department only responded to the scene for criminal
enforcement related to the offender's active criminal warrant. We did not participate in or assist
with any immigration enforcement.
In accordance with the City of Chicago’s Municipal Code, which includes the Welcoming
City Ordinance, the Chicago Police Department does not assist federal immigration authorities
with enforcement action solely based on immigration status.
Additionally, CPD does not document immigration status and does not share such information
with federal authorities.
Reposted by Tonia Hill
thetriibe.com
HAPPENING NOW — This morning, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order establishing “ICE-free zones.”

“That means that city property and unwilling private businesses will no longer serve as grounds for these raids,” Johnson said to applause.

thetriibe.com/2025/10/mayo...
Mayor Brandon Johnson signs executive order establishing ‘ICE-free zones’ • The TRiiBE
Johnson is calling for a full investigation into “all of the brutality” that federal agents have conducted this past week.
thetriibe.com
tonia.thetriibe.com
Thank you for pointing that out. I’ll keep this in mind going forward
tonia.thetriibe.com
Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order establishing “ICE-free zones.”

Here’s an example of signage for the “ICE-free zones.”

Johnson signed this new EO a few blocks away from where federal agents choked a Black man on the West Side.
Reposted by Tonia Hill
kyledcheney.bsky.social
JUST IN: Chicago journalistsa re suing DHS and ICE over force used against reporters:

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Tonia Hill
corli.thetriibe.com
The Black MAGA crowd have gotten their talking points back. They are now saying South Shore is no longer a majority Black community and say that apt building was mainly immigrants. They are trying to blame dems in Chicago for the actions of the federal gov., further fueling flames of division.
Reposted by Tonia Hill
katstafford.bsky.social
More Black Press recommendations: @thetriibe.com is always a must read but especially in this moment to understand what is happening on the ground in Chicago. Historical context +framing.
thetriibe.com
NEW — Darius Fitzgerald, a security guard, was in the midst of a 10-hour shift at a BP gas station in Chicago’s East Garfield Park on Wednesday when he saw a Black man being chased by two federal agents.

thetriibe.com/2025/10/secu...
Security guard describes federal agents chasing Black man in East Garfield Park • The TRiiBE
Agents were also seen choking a Black man; DHS denies allegations.
thetriibe.com
Reposted by Tonia Hill
thetriibe.com
NEW — Darius Fitzgerald, a security guard, was in the midst of a 10-hour shift at a BP gas station in Chicago’s East Garfield Park on Wednesday when he saw a Black man being chased by two federal agents.

thetriibe.com/2025/10/secu...
Security guard describes federal agents chasing Black man in East Garfield Park • The TRiiBE
Agents were also seen choking a Black man; DHS denies allegations.
thetriibe.com
Reposted by Tonia Hill
lisasnowden.bsky.social
Always glad @thetriibe.com exists, but especially now
thetriibe.com
NEW — Darius Fitzgerald, a security guard, was in the midst of a 10-hour shift at a BP gas station in Chicago’s East Garfield Park on Wednesday when he saw a Black man being chased by two federal agents.

thetriibe.com/2025/10/secu...
Security guard describes federal agents chasing Black man in East Garfield Park • The TRiiBE
Agents were also seen choking a Black man; DHS denies allegations.
thetriibe.com
Reposted by Tonia Hill
aclu.org
ACLU @aclu.org · 6d
BREAKING: Our client Mario Guevara, an Emmy-winning journalist detained by ICE in retaliation for livestreaming law enforcement activity, will be deported tomorrow to El Salvador.

Mario and his family are being punished for his reporting. This cruelty is meant to stifle our free press.