Afternoon Edition: Oct. 15, 2020

Former Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson. | Getty Images

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 and cool, with a high near 58 degrees. Tonight’s low will be around 35 degrees, and could fall below freezing in the suburbs. Tomorrow’s forecast doesn’t include a warmup — the high will be 56 degrees — but it will be sunny.

Top story

Former CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson sued for sex assault, harassment

A Chicago police officer who was assigned to former Supt. Eddie Johnson’s security detail has filed a sexual abuse and harassment lawsuit against the former top cop.

The five-count lawsuit, filed late yesterday in Cook County Circuit Court, claims that while Johnson was Officer Cynthia Donald’s boss he forced her to perform sex acts, and the city of Chicago and Mayor Lori Lightfoot retaliated against her when the allegations against Johnson came to light.

Donald also claims Johnson damaged or destroyed evidence on his cellphone sought by the Office of Inspector General.

Donald was a central figure in the events that ultimately led Lightfoot to fire Johnson last year, a month before he was scheduled to retire. Johnson was found slumped over the wheel in a city-owned SUV a few blocks from his Bridgeport home in the early hours of Oct. 17, 2019. At a news conference later that day, the former superintendent said he was out to dinner with some friends and forgot to take his prescribed medication.

Johnson said he dismissed his driver for the night and opted to take himself home, but felt tired during the drive and decided to pull over. He later confessed to Lightfoot that he had “a couple of drinks” with dinner.

However, according to sources, the former superintendent was actually at Ceres Café — a downtown bar known for its generous cocktail pours — drinking with Donald for several hours. Johnson promoted Donald to his security detail shortly after he was named superintendent. Sources said Johnson and Donald were seen on restaurant video kissing repeatedly.

The former superintendent is married to CPD Lt. Nakia Fenner.

According to the lawsuit, in the summer of 2015, just a few months after he assumed the helm of the CPD, Johnson noticed Donald while she was assigned to the CPD’s First District station in the South Loop. The suit alleges Johnson then called a friend of his, remarked on Donald’s appearance and said: “How did we miss this one?”

“Superintendent Johnson then masterminded a plan to have Plaintiff assigned to his unit so that he could be close to her, keep her under his control, dictate her work hours and schedule, ply her with alcohol, and perpetrate his sexual harassment and abuse of her,” the suit states.

In May 2016, Johnson arranged for Donald to be transferred to his security detail. Six months later, according to the suit, he made Donald his personal driver.

Donald alleges the first instance of sexual assault occurred within the next three months in Johnson’s fifth-floor office at CPD headquarters in Bronzeville. Johnson was set to attend an event, but before leaving, he summoned Donald to his office. Once she was inside, Johnson pushed her onto a couch, removed her pants without her consent, performed oral sex on her and then ejaculated onto her body. Donald alleges that Johnson then said: “Now you know you belong to me.”

Read Sam Charles’ full story here.

More news you need

1. Public health officials today announced 4,015 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Illinois, the highest number of new cases ever reported by the state throughout the pandemic. The staggering caseload is one greater than the 4,014 cases confirmed on May 12, at the state’s initial peak.
2. Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown has ordered a series of disciplinary actions to punish five officers accused of engaging in a widespread cover-up to protect then-Supt. Eddie Johnson and conceal the circumstances surrounding the drinking-and-driving incident that got him fired. The harshest penalty is a 28-day suspension.
3. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appeals judge in Chicago, was asked during her Senate confirmation hearing to explain her dissenting appeals-court opinion in convicted kidnapper Hector Uriarte’s case. Her answer provides a window into her literal reading of the law.
4. Medical, community and religious leaders on the South Side are racing to build a new health care model to address chronic illness, poor access to treatment and a pandemic that is disproportionately hitting Black and Latino neighborhoods. The coalition will seek millions in state money to fund the South Side Health Transformation Project.

A bright one

Star-studded ‘Drop Dead Drag Pageant’ set for Lakeshore Drive-In live show

Some of Chicago’s most famous drag performers are ready to strut their stuff on the city’s lakefront tomorrow night for a Halloween-themed spectacle.

CircuitMOM Productions’ “Drop Dead Drag Pageant” — a tribute to the 1999 mockumentary film “Drop Dead Gorgeous” — will feature a talent portion with nine choreographed production numbers, mock awards and the crowning of a queen, said organizer Matthew Harvat.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 12 winner Jaida Essence Hall is one of the contestants for CircuitMOM Productions’ “Drop Dead Drag Pageant.”

Some of the show’s biggest stars include Jaida Essence Hall (“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 12 winner), Landon Cider (Season 3 winner of Netflix’s “Dragula”), and The Vixen (“RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum and co-founder of “Black Girl Magic”— a showcase of Black drag performers).

The pageant is being held at the Lakeshore Drive-In. Showtimes are 6 and 8:30 p.m. Attendees will be required to park their cars one full space apart and wear masks when outside their cars.

“You know that the excitement of having a live audience just drives creativity — all that is gone until we get this pandemic under control,” said Harvat. “This is the safest way we could do a Halloween event that still provides lots of high-end production. … And we’re keeping hope alive until we can all go back to being inside venues next year.”

Read Evan F. Moore’s full story here.

From the press box

The White Sox have been serious enough about their interest in Tony La Russa to reportedly get permission from the Angels, his current employer, for an interview. But why? Rick Morrissey struggles to see how the Sox could view a 76-year-old who hasn’t managed in nine years as their prime target.

And our experts make their picks for the Bears’ Week 6 matchup against Panthers ahead of the game Sunday afternoon.

Your daily question ☕

Have you voted yet, either in person or by mail? How did it go?

Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked you: Have you been watching “Windy City Rehab”? What did you think of the show’s second season? Here’s what some of you said…

“She’s a talented designer, but it seems like at the end of every episode, they run the numbers and she breaks even or she’s still sitting on the property. I don’t know how she makes any money after realtor fees, carrying costs, etc.” — Dave Nichols

“My dad and I just had this conversation last night. It’s horrible! Nobody wants to hear her boo-hooing about her personal business problems. We want to see the good work!” — Cheryl Thompson

“I love that show! Feel so sorry for her! Her partner is a thief and she should sue him to get all the money back that he stole.” — Henry Alfaro

“The way the show is portrayed this season seems like a one-sided story. I’d love to hear or see Donovan’s perspective.” — Ande Leslie

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