Author: Kiran Misra

Activism | Politics

Evans’s Bond Court Order Under Watch

With court watching and town halls, organizers continue to push criminal justice reform

by 2 months ago

Community organizer Ethan Viets-VanLear with A Just Harvest speaks at the release of the 2018 Court Watching Report (Kiran Misra)

At a presentation held last month at the Grace Place Episcopal Church in Printer’s Row, the Coalition to End Money Bond released the most recent results of its community court-watching initiative. Their efforts tracked the implementation of an order, issued by Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans, that bond court judges set more affordable bonds for legally innocent pretrial detainees in the Cook County criminal justice system. This is the most recent result of the long history of activism for bail reform in Cook County—a history which began in the 1970s, as detailed in a three–part series in the Weekly earlier this year.

Arts Issue 2018 | Photo Essay | Poetry | Stage & Screen

Words, Pictures, and Gestures from Louder Than a Bomb

by 3 months ago

Aisha June of the Goodman Theatre Youth Poetry Ensemble

Two weekends ago, high school poets from across Chicago took to the stage for the finals of the Louder than a Bomb (LTAB) poetry slam, a competition that seeks to engage the city in the “pedagogy of listening,” as Young Chicago Authors marketing manager José Olivarez says. Olivarez has been involved in LTAB since 2005: while he began as a student participant in the festival, he’s now working to make the slam an annual reality.

Police | Politics | Visual Arts

Stories of Reform and Resistance

For the People Artists Collective chronicles a history of police violence in Chicago

by 4 months ago

Kiran Misra

Do Not Resist?,” For the People Artists Collective’s 2018 exhibition closed last Friday, February 9 after nearly a month of interdisciplinary generative installations and events across the city. From a training in the basics of cop watching to panels about topics including the abolition ofolf the prison industrial complex and reporting on police violence, the programming engaged thousands of Chicagoans in a conversation about the history of police violence in the city and alternatives to policing in Chicago.

Holiday Issue 2017 | Interviews

Holiday Histories

by and 7 months ago

Joseph and Justin Beard (Jason Schumer)

As December comes around again, many people put up a Christmas tree, go to White Castle, and watch terrible television. Yet most people have unique traditions that make the holidays special as well. The Weekly caught up with a few South Siders this week to find out what makes the holidays special for them. As told to Bridget Gamble at the Hyde Park Dunkin’ Donuts and Kiran Misra at Kusanya Café in Englewood.

Politics

On the Ground

A national activist group’s local chapter aspires to connect new and old organizers

by 7 months ago 1 Comment

Doug Bishop (Kiran Misra)

When we fight, we win. So, let’s go and fight!” said Doug Bishop, opening an October meeting of Indivisible South Side at the First Unitarian Church of Chicago. He was followed by a presentation by Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP) on the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) for the Obama Presidential Center, reports from Indivisible’s working groups, and pitches by four candidates running for office: Rich Eichols, for U.S. Congress in the 8th district of Michigan; Joshua Grey, for Cook County Commissioner in the 3rd District; Fritz Kaegi, for Cook County Assessor; and Sharon Fairley, for Illinois Attorney General.

Best of the South Side 2015 | Chinatown

Best of Chinatown 2015

by 3 years ago

Kiran Misra

The Goldilocks of American Chinatowns, Chicago’s Chinatown is not the biggest in the country, nor is it the smallest. Here, new and old blend together—old village dialects aren’t heard quite as frequently as Cantonese and Mandarin, but survive nonetheless. Historic buildings like the Pui Tak center stand shoulder to shoulder with new restaurants and bustling souvenir stores.