Tag: chicago

2026 Chicago Socialism Conference Features Covid Masking Requirements

The 2026 Chicago Socialism Conference is requiring all attendees to wear N-95 or K-95 masks – and organizers will provide them for those without.

A description on the conference website adds:

“Please note: this requirement applies only to formal conference spaces and sessions—attendees should be aware of the possibility that attendees will be unmasked elsewhere in the conference hotel (or beyond) where they may informally congregate.”

Attendees are encouraged to test themselves for Covid ahead of time, and free tests will also be available on site.

The conference, which begins on Friday, will host a number of socialist speakers including Hasan Piker and DSA president Megan Romer.

In an about section, the conferences states “Socialism 2026 is a four-day conference bringing together thousands of socialists and radical activists from around the country to take part in discussions about social movements, abolition, Marxism, decolonization, working-class history, and the debates and strategies for organizing today.”

Continuing, it states, “Every year, the Socialism conference is a place where activists share lessons from their struggles—from anti-ICE organizing to the fight for gender liberation, from striking workers to Palestine solidarity campaigns, the struggle to stop the destruction of the planet, the fight against racism, and more.”

A conference agenda lists a number of programs including a “Marxism Education Series,” “Reproductive Justice Strategy Session,” “Sing, Struggle, Organize: Movement Songs, Political Education, and Collective Power,” and “Abolition Judaism: The Revolutionary Possibilities of Diaspora.”

Sponsors of the conference includes the DSA and the Palestinian Youth Movement among many other radical left organizations.

A code of conduct for the conference says they are committed to “uplifting and centering the voices and organizations of oppressed people and we know that interpersonal harm and harassment are pervasive in our society, and the left is not immune to these behaviors.”

Continuing, they state, “Our goal is to have a conflict- and crisis-free conference, and we are committed to working to de-escalate and resolve any problems that may arise.”

What is not clear from the code of conduct is whether the calls of political violence from Piker or other featured speakers violates the code of conduct or if threats towards conservatives and Republicans are allowed.

Tickets for the full conference range from $250 to $500 but if you identify as a student or low income, a subsidized option at $65 is also available.

Keep reading

Enes Kanter Freedom Files Federal Lawsuit Against Chicago Sky and City of Chicago After Ejection Over “Woman” T-Shirt — Demands Jury Trial

Former NBA star and human-rights activist Enes Kanter Freedom has filed a federal lawsuit after he was ejected from a Chicago Sky game for daring to wear a shirt stating a basic biological fact.

The 15-page complaint was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Freedom named Chicago Women’s Basketball Operations, LLC, the company operating the Chicago Sky, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, and the City of Chicago as defendants.

The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief and damages and demands a jury trial.

Freedom announced the legal action on X:

“Just filed a federal complaint.

“I’m taking legal action over my ejection from the @chicagosky game while peacefully exercising my First Amendment rights.

“My T-shirt did what the whole @WNBA apparently couldn’t: define a woman.

“No threats. No violence. Just biology. And somehow, that required a security escort.

“You don’t have to agree with my speech, but you don’t get to silence me for it.

“I will not be intimidated. I will not be silenced. I will continue to stand for women and defend free speech.”

Keep reading

Schools forced into borrowing cash because Chicago is late on taxes

A “perfect storm” of convoluted bureaucracy caused Cook County, Illinois to spend 10 years and $63 million building a property tax billing software that did not work. 

Because tax collection was delayed, Chicago Public Schools were forced to take a loan to stay operational, incurring $33 million in interest costs.

Key facts: A July 21 report from the Cook County inspector general found that the contractor designing the tax billing software, Tyler Technologies, received conflicting information from three different government agencies involved with the project.

The county Assessor’s Office helmed the first stage of the project. But when a new assessor was elected, he added new requirements that delayed the project.

The Treasurer’s Office gave input later on, and asked Tyler Technologies to use different home ownership data than the Assessor’s Office had provided, according to the IG report.

The Treasurer’s Office staff also reportedly argued with Tyler Technologies about how to design the tax billing software. This created an “openly adversarial” work environment, according to the audit. At one point, county staff were told to intentionally withhold necessary data from Tyler Technologies, the report stated.

Eventually, the county hired another contractor just to serve as a liaison between government officials and Tyler Technologies.

The county also required Tyler Technologies to hire a local project manager, but the first three managers departed because of “knowledge gaps or interpersonal conflicts with county employees,” according to the IG report.

The Treasurer’s Office began using the new tax software in late 2025, even though the county’s Bureau of Technology warned that there were “hundreds of errors.” County homeowners have still not received their 2025 tax bills as of Aug. 8, 2026.

The Clerk’s Office and Treasurer’s Office said Tyler Technologies did not assign enough staff to the project, and that its programmers were not always present at meetings about technical issues, the report states. But the audit also noted that Tyler Technologies’ staff sometimes voluntarily worked seven days a week and without pay to try and resolve issues with the tax system.

Keep reading

OF COURSE: Abdul El-Sayed’s Half-Sister is a Radical Professor at the University of Chicago Who Allegedly Assaulted a Police Officer

Being a radical, leftist lunatic apparently runs in Abdul El-Sayed’s family. The half-sister of the Michigan senate candidate is a professor at the University of Chicago who has participated in anti-ICE protests and even allegedly assaulted a police officer.

What a charming family they must be. Don’t you want to elevate them to the United States Senate after hearing this?

This is just another warning sign about El-Sayed as a candidate.

FOX News reported:

Controversial socialist Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is facing fresh scrutiny after it was revealed that his close relative is a far-left professor who was arrested on a felony charge last year for her role in an anti-ICE riot.

Eman Abdelhadi is a polarizing figure. She works as an associate professor at the University of Chicago’s Department of Comparative Human Development, and has a years-long history of landing in the national spotlight for radical activism and inflammatory statements.

She’s also El-Sayed’s half sister.

Last fall, as leftist zealots spent months protesting, sometimes violently, outside an ICE detention facility in suburban Chicago, Abdelhadi was booked after allegedly spitting on an Illinois state trooper. She was charged on Oct. 3 with two counts of aggravated battery to a government employee, a Class 3 felony, and two counts of resisting/obstructing peace, a Class A misdemeanor.

A day before her arrest, she appeared on a podcast called “Movement Memos,” which is affiliated with the far-left publication Truthout. During that interview, she recalled her previous experiences at the riots at the Broadview facility.

She seems nice.

Keep reading

Report: Chicago Has More Murders in 2026 than All Major Cities in Pro-Gun Florida Combined

A report from the Major Cities Chiefs Association shows that gun-controlled Chicago has more murders thus far this year than all major cities in pro-gun Florida combined.

The report was released August 5, 2026, at which time it indicated Chicago had 211 murders for the year.

By contrast, Florida’s major cities–Miami, Orlando, and Tampa–had a combined 29 murders during the same time frame.

Specifically: Eight murders in Miami, ten murders in Orlando, and eleven murders in Tampa.

The number of robberies in Chicago also eclipsed the total number witnessed in Florida’s major cities. There were 2,168 in Chicago versus a total of 385 in Miami, Orlando, and Tampa, combined.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) posted to X regarding the report: “Florida has a 50 year low crime rate. When you enact law and order policies and support law enforcement, the bad guys pay the price.”

In addition to policies that support law enforcement, Florida has constitutional carry, which DeSantis signed into law April 3, 2023. His signature made Florida the 26th constitutional carry state in the Union.

On the other hand, Chicago, like all of Illinois, requires law-abiding citizens to acquire a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card simply to own a gun for home defense and subsequently mandates a second document, a concealed carry permit, in order to carry for self-defense. Additionally, there is a 72-hour waiting period on gun purchases, a red flag law, an “assault weapons” ban, a “high capacity” magazine ban, gun storage laws, a “Glock switch” ban, a bump stock ban, and regulations on firearms that Democrats refer to as “ghost guns.”

Moreover, Chicago has city-based controls and its seat, Cook County, has county controls that give Chicago even more 2A restrictions than other parts of the state.

Keep reading

THAT SHOULD DO IT: Chicago Officials Put Signs in Subway Cars That Say ‘Violence Will Not be Tolerated’ 

Officials from the city of Chicago, including the transit authority, recently made a big to-do about putting up signs in subway cars that say ‘violence will not be tolerated.’

This should work perfectly, right? Criminals will see the signs and change their behavior in order to follow the rules, right?

Of course, this assumes that potentially violent criminals on Chicago’s public transit system can read, which isn’t a safe bet.

FOX 32 in Chicago reports:

New CTA campaign aims to deter violent crime on buses, trains

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Chicago Transit Authority are launching a new public awareness campaign warning that prosecutors will seek pretrial detention for people accused of committing violent crimes on public transit.

The initiative will place more than 7,000 signs on CTA buses and trains that say, “Violence on the CTA will not be tolerated. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office will prosecute and seek pretrial detention for all violent offenses on public transit.”

“In order to have a safe and thriving city, we need to have a safe public transportation system,” Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke said in a statement.

“The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is committed to doing everything we can to make our public transportation system the safest in the nation. We are putting up these signs to show how seriously we take these cases and to reinforce the consequences offenders will face for bringing violence onto the CTA.”

CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen said the campaign is intended to reassure both riders and transit employees.

Keep reading

Taxpayer Millions Couldn’t Stop Seven Save A Lot Grocery Stores From Going Dark In Crime-Ridden Chicago

Save A Lot shuttered seven locations across Chicago’s crime-ridden South and West sides over the weekend, once again exposing the dysfunction of a metro area run by unhinged progressives. City officials poured millions of dollars into the grocery outlets in hopes of improving food access, only to watch the stores remain unprofitable amid persistent theft.

Local outlet ABC 7 reports “frustration, anger, and concern” among the community as Save A Lot shuttered seven stores on Saturday, with many residents saying this would reduce their access to food.

The outlet noted:

Save A Lot began a partnership with retail company Yellow Banana in 2023 in an effort to keep grocery stores open on the city’s South and West sides and combat food deserts.

A company spokesperson cited financial struggles and cuts to SNAP benefits as reasons for the closures. In a statement, the company said, “We are committed to the wellbeing of the communities we serve. We will continue to engage with City and Community leaders to explore ways to provide access to quality food and services for residents, and we are actively supporting impacted Yellow Banana team members throughout the transition.”

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Yellow Banana had a $26 million redevelopment agreement with the city of Chicago and received more than $13 million in taxpayer financing to renovate and reopen Save A Lot locations. The rest of the funding came from federal grants and loans.

Despite the debate on X over whether the seven locations qualified as “government grocery stores,” they were privately owned and operated but supported with taxpayer funding. Even with public backing, the stores failed to turn a profit. Theft was likely a major factor in the shutdowns, although the operator cited broader financial pressures and reductions in SNAP benefits.

Add Save A Lot to the growing list of retailers reducing their exposure to Chicago, alongside Walgreens, Aldi, and Walmart. Walgreens and Aldi explicitly cited theft, burglaries, and violent incidents in certain closures, while Walmart and Save A Lot pointed more broadly to persistent losses and financial headwinds.

The accelerating retail exodus suggests Chicago’s progressive governing model enforced by City Hall is backfiring. Without basic public safety and a commercially viable operating environment, progressives risk even broader food and pharmacy deserts in low-income areas as businesses want no part of lawless neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, socialist politicians gaining power at the local level are promoting taxpayer-funded supermarkets and “free food for everyone.” Yet history offers little evidence that government-run grocery models can remain efficient, financially sustainable, or responsive to consumers without persistent subsidies. But, of course, these politicans pitch ‘this time is different’ … 

Keep reading

Chicago Residents Fume as Seven Grocery Stores Close Despite the City Spending Millions of Taxpayer Dollars to Save Them

The people of Chicago received hard lessons that crime and socialism have catastrophic consequences, as grocery stores are shuttering across the city.

As FOX 32 Chicago reported, seven Save-A-Lot stores on the Windy City’s South and West sides closed today. This news comes despite the stores receiving $13.5 million in city grant (taxpayer) money to stay open.

But Save A Lot previously cut ties with Yellow Banana, which operates the stores, leaving the operator with no choice.

Forget Constipation! Drink This And Empty Your Bowels Instantly!

In addition, Yellow Banana suffered a blow when CEO Joe Canfield died of a stroke at the age of 54 back in April.

Block Club Chicago also notes that Yellow Banana had a hard enough time opening the stores to begin with due to missed deadlines, protests, legal disputes, sudden closures, and scathing national headlines.

The closure of these stores will make it far harder for residents of the South and West to find fresh groceries. These are impoverished, crime-ridden areas that are already struggling with food insecurity.

Communist Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, of course, was quick to blame the federal government for the closures, citing ‘cuts’ to SNAP benefits, for example.

Keep reading

Crazy Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Now Pushing for Reparations Over ICE Raids 

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson must be suffering from low approval ratings because he is pushing for reparations again. This time, it’s not over slavery but about people from parts of the city that were subjected to ICE raids.

Of course, there is absolutely no money for this. The city of Chicago is broke, but Johnson has no intention of ever actually delivering on this anyway.

Johnson is simply trying to curry favor with an electorate which can’t stand him.

Townhall reports:

The city of Chicago is billions of dollars in debt, including $36 billion in pension debt. The Chicago Public School district also has a budget deficit of more than $700 million. Despite these very dire fiscal parameters, Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to spend more taxpayer money to give reparations to areas where ICE conducted immigration enforcement raids.

“I believe the most relevant ballot referendum question around receiving reparations for communities that experienced that hardship, and whether that was on the west side of Chicago or the black man being placed in an illegal chokehold or long guns being stuck into the faces of women and children, zip-tied and thrown into vehicles. Kidnapped, shot at. I mean, police officers, tear gas, right?” Johnson said. “So the updated policy in the spirit of my executive order, there’s greater alignment to create a pathway to accountability.”

Keep reading

Mayor Blames “Slavery” As Chicago Wrestles With Deadly Crime Spree

The city of Chicago, long run by Democrats, has an infamous black crime problem.  Over the course of Father’s Day weekend around 47 people were shot and 8 people killed, with a 105% increase in violent crime compared to 2025.  On “Juneteenth”, a drive-by mass shooting in Princeton Park injured at least 12–14 people with over 100 shell casings recovered. 

The situation is so bad that many black commentators are starting to speak out, demanding to know why black Americans can’t seem to stop killing each other.

All the evidence, all the data, suggests that Father’s Day weekend violence in the black community is so egregious exactly because there are almost no fathers.  In Chicago, 80% of all black births are to single mothers and 72% of black children live in single parent households, compared to a national average of 25% across all ethnic groups.  Approximately 70% of all juveniles facing incarceration come from single parent households.  

Coupled with an overall culture that idolizes violence and lacks basic impulse control learned from proper parenting, the source of the problem is clear.  Democrats, however, have a different theory. 

In a press conference addressing Chicago’s national embarrassment, Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson diverted the discussion into his own personal pet project on reparations.  He argues that the “history of slavery” in the US is the source of income inequality; insinuating that income inequality is the root cause of violent crime in the black community.  In other words, black-on-black crime is somehow all white people’s fault.

Keep reading