Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.
This afternoon will be sunny with a high near 92 degrees. Tonight, the low will be around 69 degrees. Tomorrow’s high will be nearly as hot as today’s — 88 degrees — with some showers and thunderstorms in the forecast for the afternoon.
Top story
After brother, cousin killed, Canadian man laments: Third-world countries are safer than Chicago
Dionte Jelks hates calls from Chicago — the news is always bad.
The most recent one came as his hometown experienced its most violent weekend in at least six decades — with 85 people shot, 24 fatally, between May 28 and 31 — amid spasms of mayhem that followed protests of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Eighteen of those murders happened that Sunday — Chicago’s most violent day in modern history — which we covered in a special report.
As Jelks, 42, walked on a beach that evening near his home outside Vancouver, Canada, his mother called to tell him that two members of his family were among the 18 people killed.
Jelks said his younger brother Darius Jelks, 31, had just picked up their cousin Maurice Jelks, 39, and they were driving to Dionte and Darius’ mother’s home. At 1:40 p.m., while they were waiting at a stoplight in the 1600 block of East 95th St., someone in a dark-colored SUV opened fire, striking both men in the head, police said. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
“I couldn’t even find the words to comfort her,” he said, recalling his mother’s phone call. “I keep asking myself, ‘Who? Why?’”
Both men were funny, spirited and hardworking, he said. Both were fathers — each raising a young boy and girl. Maurice worked in construction and had just saved up enough to buy his first house. Darius worked long days as a truck driver to support his family.
“They were both working hard to make a better life for their family,” Jelks said. “They’re busy all the time, working. We haven’t received any answers from the police, or anything. We just don’t know.
“It weighs heavily on my body,” he said.
The news only reaffirmed a decision Jelks said he made 10 years ago to move his family north, far from the violence and poverty of the city where he was raised, in order to give them — especially his young son — a chance at a better life. He’s not sure he’ll ever set foot in the United States again.
“You get a feeling of unease when you come back to the U.S.,” he said. “You’re constantly looking over your shoulder.” That doesn’t happen where he lives now, he said.
The last time he was in Chicago, Jelks said he sat down with his relatives and talked about moving them from the city. He now said he wants to bring his mother, sister and two nephews to Canada and plans to apply for asylum for his family through the Canadian government. Most times, when you hear about people seeking asylum, it’s to come to the United States from violence-stricken countries that seem far away. That’s how Jelks sees Chicago now.
“My wife is from El Salvador. I felt more safe in El Salvador than I felt on the South Side of Chicago,” he said. “And that’s a third-world country.”
Read Matthew Hendrickson’s full story here.
More news you need
- The Chicago Fire Department is investigating a claim that a department employee drove a car toward a crowd of protesters who were blocking South Pulaski Road in Little Village last week. State Sen. Celina Villanueva said she viewed video of the incident and called the behavior “aggressive.”
- Cocktails-to-go could be sold in Chicago — but only by bars and restaurants, and only until 9 p.m. — under a mayoral plan advanced today. The plan aims to give restaurants another source of income while they remain closed to indoor dining.
- Chicago will be faced with a series of “really, really difficult or impossible choices” without another round of stimulus money to replace revenue lost during the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said today. Next to a property tax increase, Lightfoot said the least palatable of those choices is to cut the budget and lay off city employees.
- “The King of Staten Island,” starring SNL’s Pete Davidson, is sharp, funny and an insightful slice of life, writes film critic Richard Roeper. Read his full review and watch the trailer for the movie, which comes out Friday on demand.
A bright one
Chicagoans enjoy wide open spaces as most of city’s parks reopen
Chicago reopened many of its parks today, much to the delight of locals looking to enjoy the weather or occupy little ones.
At Lincoln Park, Carly Jenkins cradled her slumbering 7-week-old daughter, Delilah, and savored the beauty of a perfect spring morning.
“It’s awesome,” said Jenkins, who’d walked to the park with Delilah and Olivia, her 3-year-old, from their home in Old Town. “Your entire mood changes. You’re finally feeling a little bit hopeful.” Elsewhere in the park, a young couple stole a kiss before riding away on Divvy bikes. Some sat on blankets reading.
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In Humboldt Park, Moe Perez fished in the lagoon. He said he’s happy the parks have reopened because “people need to get out more, people have been confined for so long, they need fresh air.” Some families rented swan boats. Under a tree, three friends sat and chatted while listening to music.
The Lakefront Trail, and all lakefront parks east of Lake Shore Drive, remain closed.
For more scenes from Chicago’s parks today, read Stefano Esposito’s story.
From the press box
Chicago Public Schools sports teams hope to begin practicing again soon, but there’s been mixed messaging from officials on whether they have the green light to do so. One challenge will be meeting an IHSA mandate that players’ temperatures be monitored at the start of each workout, given the number of schools in the district.
Your daily question ☕
With the reopening of many of Chicago’s parks and library branches today, we want to know: what is your favorite park or library in the city, and why?
Email us (please include your name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
On Friday, we asked you how you’d be spending your weekend in light of the city’s partial reopening, which included restaurants and other businesses. Here’s what some of you said…
“I’m going to find a nice outdoor restaurant and have some pancakes while I do some people watching.” — Chris Vaughn
“Taking walk to the nearest park, riding a bicycle, enjoying outdoors.” — Iwona Kelsch
Protesting. See you tomorrow bright and early
— Rafi Sxyz (@thisriffraff) June 6, 2020
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