Chicago Newsroom

Ken Davis is joined by The South Side Weekly’s Michael Wasney, to discuss his recent article about the rapid adoption of high-tech policing in Chicago. Specifically, Wasney talks about ShotSpotter, a network of hundreds of pole-mounted microphones that “listen” for the sound of gunshots, then refer the co-ordinates through special cell-phones to police cars. The system currently covers about half of Chicago’s footprint. This is a very expensive enterprise, and it raises serious concerns about privacy and entrapment. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by Stacy Davis Gates, the Chicago Teachers Union’s political director. They discuss the Union’s assertion that moves by the Chicago Public Schools to close four Englewood high schools is a violation of their contract. Davis also talks about the need for an elected representative school board and an end to mayoral control, and an end to student-based budgeting, which she says assumes that every student in the system costs the same to educate. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by the Tribune’s City Hall reporter Hal Dardick and the BGA’s Madeleine Doubek, who’s their Director of Civic Engagement. It’s a conversation about the current status of politics and policy as 2018 comes on-line. The panel discusses Chris Kennedy’s claim that Rahm Emanuel has a “strategic gentrification plan” to empty Chicago of minorities and ramp up gentrification across the city, along with the likelihood of Rahm Emanuel’s and Bruce Rauner’s re-election, the retirement of Lisa Madigan and the prospects for the candidates attempting to win her seat, and the ascension of Janice Jackson to CEO of the Chicago Public Schools. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin, who led the fight against the County’s “pop tax.” Boykin says that President Toni Preckwinkle “doesn’t like me” and has arranged for a challenger to take him on in the 2018 election. He says that the fact that the Board was able to replace the pop tax’s $200 million in tax revenue with strategic cuts and budget realignments proves that the tax was unnecessary. He also talks about his visit last week to the United Nations, where he talked with UN officials about a range of issues related to street violence in Chicago, including having the UN send peace-keeping troops into Chicago. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by media strategist Sylvia Ewing and political consultant Kitty Kurth to discuss the aftermath of the Alabama Senatorial election, the ascension of the “#MeToo” movement, the Al Franken resignation and local political issues. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by the Chicago Tribune’s Juan Perez, Jr. to discuss their recent series on Chicago’s shrinking high schools. They identified 17 designated neighborhood high schools whose populations have shrunk significantly in the last five years and whose very existence is now in question. In the case of Gage Park High School, for example, 2,700 students live within the school’s boundaries, but with 330 students, the school is currently at about a quarter of its capacity. Its students have dispersed to 153 other CPS high schools. They also discuss the recent resignation of Forrest Claypool as CEO and the appointment of Janice Jackson as interim CEO. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by City of Chicago Inspector General Joe Ferguson to discuss the current round of collective bargaining agreement negotiations involving 90% of Chicago’s work force. They also discuss his sense that technology and greater professionalization of management has resulted in a significant reduction in street-level corruption among the work force. They also discuss current police-community relations, and the IG’s role in helping police management identify corruption and unfavorable administrative practices. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by four veterans of the Harold Washington years in Chicago. Jacky Grimshaw was the mayor’s Director of Intergovernmental Relations and is currently Vice President for Policy at the Center for Neighborhood Technology. Patrick O’Connor was (and still is) the Alderman of the 40th Ward. Cheryl Corley was City Hall reporter for WBEZ and is currently Midwest/Chicago correspondent for NPR. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia was elected Alderman during Washington’s term and was part of the realignment of the City Council that awarded Washington majority control of the Council. He’s currently 7th District Commissioner at the Cook County Board. The guests tell behind-the-scenes stories about their interactions with Washington, who died in office thirty years ago this weekend. The panel also looks at the Washington legacy and speculates about how Washington, had he survived and been re-elected, might have grappled with the difficult issues Chicago is facing today. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by the co-founders of City Bureau. It’s a non-profit news organization that strives to train members of minority communities in Chicago as news reporters and “trackers” who attend all manner of public meetings to document the official proceedings with written reports and live tweets. They discuss the demise last week of DNAInfo, which was shut down by its sole owner, Joe Ricketts, after the New York staff unionized. Chang and Holliday talk about how DNA, for which they, themselves once worked, did wonderful work but was ultimately unsustainable because it didn’t have a diversity of financial sources. They believe that their mix of member support, donations and philanthropy is ultimately a more reliable model. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

Ken Davis is joined by The Chicago Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner to discuss the recent release of the City of Chicago’s Gun Trace Report. The report follows about 21,000 guns confiscated by the Chicago Police in the past three years and traces them back to their first owners and the stores or dealers from which they were originally purchased. The report reveals that 40% of Chicago’s crime guns originate from Illinois, mostly from a small number of high-traffic gun stores in the Chicago suburbs. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).