This is my first time using 11 Labs to generate audio, and I have to say I am impressed. I think it’s great that you can change the voices of those who is narrating the audio; it makes it easier for people to choose what they pay attention to the most. The system is very easy to use, and there are lots of things that you can do on the website, such as voice creation, voice isolation, voice changing, and much more.

For this story, I used the prompt and the script from the class example to generate this audio. “Loved ones of a man who was shot to death by two Chicago police officers interrupted a speech Sunday afternoon by Mayor Brandon Johnson at a community listening session.

The mayor had just begun speaking at the listening session, hosted by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression at Trinity United Church of Christ in Roseland, when people began to shout from the audience, according to video of the event.

Jasmine Smith, an activist with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, told the Chicago Sun-Times that they were loved ones of 58-year-old Timothy Glaze. Two police officers shot Glaze 16 times on Jan. 3 as Glaze walked toward them carrying a knife in the hallway of a Little Village high-rise.

His family has said he was in “mental distress” and officers should have tried to de-escalate the situation. The family is also incensed that the two officers are back on patrol after spending 30 days assigned to administrative duties, per department policy following a fatal shooting.

Johnson thanked the group for raising the issue.

But the disruptions continued for several more minutes until others in the audience started chanting “let the mayor speak.” The disrupting group was escorted out of the meeting. Witnesses say the rest of the event went on uninterrupted.

Johnson told the attendees that, quote: The frustration that is being expressed today is one that we have held for generations, but I can tell you one thing for sure that though we’ve inherited a mess, we’re going to clean it up and we’re going to do that together.”

The Environmental Cost of AI Data Centers

With the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence throughout the world, there also comes growing infrastructure to support it. Many of you have probably heard about new data centers being built throughout the United States, either through personal stories shared on social media or in the news, but what are they really? Without understanding how data centers currently operate, we may overlook long-term implications for communities and our ecosystem/environment as a whole.

With the rise of Generative AI worldwide, there is very little public information about the long-term effects these data centers will have. According to the World Resources Institute, the threats that data centers have are not an unavoidable outcome but rather a “result of decisions made by developers, local governments and other stakeholders.”

According to UIC professor and Argonne Senior Scientist Michael Papka, when asked about evaluating environmental impact, he responded, “From a researcher, I would say you need to look at each component [electricity, carbon, water, hardware], and then you can make optimizations on each of those components.” Papka

To better understand where the negative implications of data centers come from, we have to understand what they are. The data centers that are being built today are not like data centers of the past; they are much larger in scale, thus using much more resources.

According to Kathryn McGrath’s article for Earth Justice, the largest data center that is being built today is over 2,000 acres. Older data centers that were around before the rise of generative AI only used less than 50 megawatts of energy to run, while these new data centers and ones that are currently being constructed need between 1,000- 4,000 megawatts of electricity.

“They are enormous facilities that run 24 hours a day, often consuming energy equivalent to that of a whole city to power servers and cooling systems. -These new AI data centers are also consuming far more energy and water than before.” Kathryn McGrath

These cooling systems that they are referring to use hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per day to keep these systems from overheating. The World Resources Institute outlines that many of these data centers’ use of water is comparable to a small town. They also mention how nearly ⅔ of the data centers in the United States are built in areas already struggling with water drought.

The amount of water used by these facilities raises serious concerns, as many of these areas are already experiencing water droughts and are getting further strained. Water is a necessary part of day-to-day life for everyone and everything in our world to keep us and our ecosystems alive. According to the Southeast Arrow, most of these AI data center facilities connect straight to the local public drinking supply, competing directly with local residents and taking water away from people.

Environmental Health News states, “Data centers’ water consumption in the U.S. already accounts for 2–3% of public water use, with projections rising to 8% by 2030. Researchers suggest smaller AI models could reduce resource strain without sacrificing performance.”

The World Resources Institute outlines seven different ways the growth of these AI data centers has been changing local conditions and has helped look at ways to manage these trade-offs. The number one on their list is managing the massive energy demands. They mentioned how one new AI data center takes up about as much power as 100,000 homes. They highlighted how this ties into the rising cost of power bills across the United States.

“Some data centers house gas power on-site for day-to-day operations, creating continuous air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Diesel-fueled backup generators also release harmful air pollutants, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), linked to respiratory disease, heart disease, asthma, and other serious health risks.” The World Resources Institute

These are some of the ways that the World Resources Institute highlights the air pollution and climate impacts that come with the emissions from these large data centers. They mention how some facilities have switched to ‘battery energy storage systems’ that can replace diesel-fueled backup generators in the case of outages. They state that implementing cleaner power sources can help address these problems, in turn improving the health of people living near these data centers.

The large-scale electricity demands that these data centers require to operate smoothly not only increase local electricity bills, but they also strain the local power grids and heavily increase pollution.

This is what the U.S. Department of Energy has to say about the growing electricity demand in the United States. “The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) estimates that data centers could grow to consume up to 9% of U.S. electricity generation annually by 2030, up from 4% of total load in 2023.3 At a national level, data centers are critical to supporting America’s economic growth by powering businesses and enabling continued leadership in innovation, including for AI applications.” U.S. Department of Energy

The U.S. Department of Resources Institute also outlined that they have been anticipating this rising electricity demand and have been planning accordingly. They address the nationwide goal to obtain a zero-emissions economy by 2050, meaning they hope to totally eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. They are stating the Clean Energy Production Tax Credit as well as the Clean Energy Investment Tax Credit in hopes of supporting companies’ investments in clean energy.

The Earth Justice organization is fighting back to protect communities and fight the rising pollution and electricity costs that arise with data centers. They also state that these unchecked electricity demands from data centers ‘undermine our transition to clean energy.’ They mention how these data centers and companies are getting away with these negative implications because tech companies are often forced to sign NDAs or confidential contracts.

Earthjustice also highlights, “The NAACP and Earthjustice are suing Elon Musk’s company xAI over air pollution from an unpermitted power plant built for an AI data center. Earthjustice stopped a congressional bill that would have exempted data centers from key environmental protections.” Kathryn McGrath

The World Resources Institute says that 60% of the data centers in the United States are in just 10 states. Illinois and Georgia tied ranks #4 of the list of states with the highest number of data centers as of January 22nd 2026, with a whopping 195. #1 was Virginia with 566 data centers, #2 Texas with 391, and #3 California with 287 data centers.

ABC7 Chicago in an article written by Kay Cesinger, outlines some of the positives to new data centers developing in Illinois. They mentioned the new data center opening up In Joliet Illinois, will bring tax revenue and financial benefits for people who live in the community. They also say that this data center, along with other data centers opening up in Illinois, will create more jobs for people who live nearby. They address how not all data centers use water as a cooling system, especially states with cooler weather use outside air to keep their systems from overheating.

ABC7 Chicago also outlines some negatives of data centers being built in Illinois. They state that Illinois doesn’t have enough guardrails in place to protect our environment, communities, and water supply. They also talk about Illinois’ concern for the air pollution and energy use caused by these large data centers.

“The residents in the [Aurora] community said that they could smell the methane gas that was being burned, the diesel gas that was being burned. And that’s particulate matter; it’s odor, so these communities face real consequences when something happens,” Kay Cesinger

“If I could change anything, it would be an equal investment, or at least a substantial investment, in the system side of understanding whats consuming the power and whats not consuming the power” Mike papka on what he would change to add to the environmental stability of AI datacenters.

According to the Environmental Health Project in an article written by Elan Justice Pavlinich, “As with other forms of air pollution, those at increased risk include children, developing fetuses, pregnant people, elderly, and individuals with chronic respiratory or cardiovascular disease. Data Centers also pose environmental justice concerns because they disproportionately affect minority and low-income communities.”

As well as negatively impacting these specific groups of people, Environmental health projects address how the noise and light pollution can lead to hearing loss, stress-induced insomnia, and overall decreased quality of life. They address how the problems that arise from data centers unfairly disadvantage people who are already in vulnerable states.

In a story by the Denver Gazette in the Philadelphia Inquirer, they talk about what it’s really like to live near one of these data centers. Amber Ayrer has lived in her house for 25 years and thought it was her forever home until a data center opened up across the street.

“Ayrer said the 2.4-million-square-foot complex has emitted a near-constant hum. She struggles to sleep, she said, and has suffered from headaches. She turns the TV on to mask the sound. Residents who live farther away have also complained about the noise, including in a recent lawsuit that was thrown out due to procedural issues.” The Philadelphia Inquirer

The lawsuit details that the sounds coming from the data center are 10x louder than a typical suburban neighborhood at night. The sounds stopped for a very short period of time after the lawsuit led to a 1 million dollar lawsuit but have since returned. The data centers are trying to buy people out of their homes nearby to the data center. Ayrer does not want to sell her home, but fears when the data center officially opens up the sounds will get much worse.

E- waste (electronic waste) is another impact of new data centers created because of generative AI. According to Human-i-t in an article by Liz Cooper In 2022 the world generated 62 million metric tons of e-waste, and it is predicted to rise to 82 million metric tons by 2030, mainly because of the rise of generative AI. Out of these millions of metric tons of e-waste, only 22.3% of that waste is properly collected and disposed of.

The Hidden Environmental Cost of AI

According to an article published on EScholarship written by Faith Nicole Sunga the United States is one of the largest producers of e-waste. This raises concerns regarding public health as e-waste contains lots of toxic components like mercury and lead. They mention how the poor management of E-waste ‘degrades various ecosystems and disrupts communities nearby disposal sites due to leakage’ Sunga. As we know, only 22.3% of the waste is recycled correctly, meaning that the surge in e-waste caused by data centers will significantly add to the degradation of the ecosystem and the disruption of communities.

“If you’re looking to do it more efficiently, that’s potentially slowing you down. The guy next to you… doesn’t care about efficiency, just wants to get the better answers faster, so you’re gonna lose to them in the market” Papka, on why many AI companies and data centers don’t prioritize environmental sustainability.

Ultimately, with the environmental impact that current data centers are giving off, they will negatively affect the environment and people if a change is not made. If you want a way of getting involved to make data centers more green without eliminating them, check out Dream.org. They have ways of getting involved in stopping the toxic tech for a more human-centered approach.

Want to test your knowledge? Take this quiz.

Have you ever heard information in the media about Chicago being a dangerous city? Did you know Chicago crime rates have been decreasing over the last few years? According to World Population Review, Chicago doesn’t rank in the top 20 for most dangerous cities in the United States.

According to statistics published by the Chicago Police Department, the overall crime rate from 2024 to 2025 decreased 13%. Some of the aspects of crime that decreased the most were murder, which decreased at a rate of 29% from 2024 to 2025. Robbery decreased 36%, motor vehicle theft decreased 21%, and shooting incidents decreased 35%.

Over the last three years, the crime rate in Chicago has been decreasing steadily. Some of the other aspects that decreased were felony theft, decreasing at a rate of 10%; burglary decreasing at a rate of 20%; aggravated battery decreasing at a rate of 12%; misdemeanor theft decreasing at a rate of 3%; and criminal sexual assault decreasing at a rate of 1%.

These crime rates given out at the end of 2025 show that public safety aspects of Chicago are improving. No aspect of crime complaints increased in the year 2025 compared to 2024.

To find out more information about crime in Chicago, visit ChicagoPolice.org.

ART DIRECTION- Gabby Valente ART BY- OpenGen AI

How many times a day have you caught yourself checking your notifications or scrolling social media when you need to focus on bigger tasks? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. According to an article in Consumer Affairs, the average American picks up their phone 205 times a day. They also mention that the average American spends 4 hours and 30 minutes a day, and about 97% of Americans have smartphones that they use daily.

According to the American Psychological Association, Americans’ attention spans have dropped significantly in the past few decades, from an average of 2.5 minutes in 2004 to just 47 seconds today. The severe decrease in attention span makes it harder to maintain concentration on one task at a time. They address that this is partially because of the ability to switch tasks repeatedly on smartphones.

Digital technology and social media also negatively affect our cognitive function when we use them for too long. According to an article by Frontiers, these technologies, such as smartphones, have impacted our cognitive ability to make decisions, “affecting how we gather, process, and evaluate information to make choices… the overwhelming volume of information available can lead to information overload, complicating the decision-making process and potentially causing decision paralysis (Eppler and Mengis, 2004).” Mathura Shanmugasundaram and Arunkumar Tamilarasu.

Frontiers also mentions the negative impacts that digital technologies such as smartphones and AI have on our critical thinking and learning abilities. They mention that students who have social media, on average, have lower GPAs than students who don’t use social media or digital technologies. This article also mentions the decrease in attention spans that comes with using digital technologies.

These things matter because having smartphones and digital technologies can be a great asset as long as we know how to use them. Constant reliance on our phones can lead to worse sleep patterns, increased stress, lowered cognitive abilities, and a lowered attention span.

What’s your favorite Chicago team? Check out an interactive chart to see Illinois web searches on the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago Bears from March 1st to today.

Since late March marked the start of baseball season, searches for the Cubs and the White Sox began to rise in early April. The interest of people in Illinois searching the web for the Cubs is significantly higher than Illinois residents searching the web for the White Sox. The average number of web searches for the Cubs from March 1st to today nearly doubles the number of web searches in Illinois regarding the White Sox.

Early October is when the White Sox numbers started to rise significantly, and the Cubs started to drop significantly. This is likely due to the fact that the Cubs were ruled out of the playoffs on September 30th, and the Sox were not ruled out until October 10th, 2026, which is why, since the 10th, the Sox web searches have also dropped significantly.

As far as the Chicago Bears go, you can see that the web searches for them stayed fairly low until August, which makes sense, as that is when football season starts. We can see that there are two large spikes when it comes to the Bears that happen to correspond to when they were playing the Minnesota Vikings and when they were playing the Green Bay Packers.

The predictions Google Trends makes for the rest of the week show that the White Sox and Cubs will continue to drop and the Chicago Bears will continue to rise.

This second chart represents some of the dancing with stars cast of 2026. In this story, I compared web searches throughout the United States in relation to Tatyana Ali, Ezer Frech, and Amber Glen. To check out the interactive chart, click here.

I chose these 3 stars that are on this 2026 season of Dancing with the Stars because they are still in the competition but a little less known than some of the A-list actors competing this season. Ezra Frech is a Paralympic gold medalist, Amber Glen is an Olympic gold medalist, and Tatyana Ali is an American actress and singer.

We can see that on September 15th, the day that this season of Dancing With the Stars premiered, Ezra Frech dominated the web searches with almost 5x more searches than both Tatyana and Amber. This is because the first night of Dancing with the Stars was the male stars only that were performing. September 16th searches for both Amber and Tatyana surpassed Ezra's, as this was the second night of the premiere when the female stars were dancing.

Week 2 of Dancing With the Stars, September 22, Amber doubles the amount of web searches in comparison to Tatyana and also has significantly more searches than Ezra. As a new episode of Dancing with the Stars comes out every Tuesday, this is why the searches are significantly higher on Tuesdays.

After week two of the competition, the searches for each celebrity get much closer in web searches. Do you think Google Trends can predict the next winner of Dancing with the Stars?

Having trouble falling asleep at night? Restless sleeper? Or just wake up many times throughout the night? Here is a guide on how to improve the quality of your sleep. Here are the top 5 ways to improve your sleep according to the Mayo Clinic.

Step 1: Stick to a sleep schedule. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day helps you set your internal clock so you are more rested and ready to start the day. Mayo Clinic also notes that you should get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, but no more than 8.

Step 2: Pay attention to what you eat and drink. Avoid large meals a few hours before bed for better sleep; also avoid alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine.

Step 3: Create a restful environment: “Keep your room cool, dark, and quiet” Mayo Clinic. They also mention doing activities that keep you calm and eliminating light to help with this restful environment.

Step 4. Limiting your naps during the day: limiting naps to less than an hour and not taking naps at all after 3 p.m. is proven to help increase the quality of sleep that you get at night.

The 5th and final step is making sure to include physical activity in your daily routine. John Hopkins Medicine says that being active helps to promote deep sleep that is needed for your body and brain to reset and function properly.

Prompts used to generate images- #1"I'm writing about steps to improve your sleep. Generate a photo of step one being sticking to a sleep schedule. Use good graphics and represent a sleep schedule in the photo you generate”. #2 “Now, for step 2, add paying attention to what you eat and drink. Use more graphics and fewer words. Avoid eating a big meal before bed, and avoid nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine”. #3 “Less words again for step 3: create a restful environment”. #4 “Step 4: limit daytime naps.” #5 “Step 5: include physical activity in daily routine.” -Art direction by Gabriella Valente | Art by ChatGPT

This chart shows statistics for the Chicago Bulls’ home vs. away games during the 2025–2026 season. The Bulls ended their season with a 31- 51 record, finishing 12th in the NBA Eastern Conference (out of 15). They placed 4th in the Central Division; therefore, they did not make it into the playoffs.

The Bulls had a record of 18–23 for their home games, winning around 44%. While they had a record of 13–28 for their away games, winning about 32%, meaning they performed significantly better during their home games vs. away.

The steady blue line labeled GTM shows which game of the season they were in at that time. The charts show that the Bulls played pretty consistently in their home games and away games, as there were only minor fluctuations between them.

The gold line represents 3-point attempts, as we can see they are between 24–52 per game. The orange line shows the 3-pointers that were actually made, hovering significantly lower, falling between 3–23 made per game in the 2025–2026 season.

The green line represents their 2-point attempts, which fell between 32 and 76. The Dark blue line hovering significantly lower is the made 2-pointers, which fall between 20 and 40 made per game in the 2025–2026 season.

The Bulls started their season out strong with five consecutive wins against Detroit, Orlando, Atlanta, Sacramento, and New York. That streak was shortly followed by a five-game losing streak, and later in the season, in February, they suffered a ten-game losing streak.

The Chicago Bulls ranked Second in the league for their pace of play; according to ESPN, their pace was 105.0 in the 2025- 2026 season, meaning the number of possessions the Bulls used per game.

Overall, even though the Chicago Bulls didn’t have the best 2025–2026 season, there were still aspects of the season where they did very well.

After a steady decline in Cubs game attendance from 2009–2013, 2013 was a low point for Cubs attendance after consecutive losing seasons; attendance dipped to only 2.64 million per season. Attendance rapidly recovered from 2014–2016 (2016 being the year they won the World Series), with a growth of nearly 600,000 visitors over that time. Surprisingly, of the years charted, 2016 was not the highest year for Cubs game attendance. The highest year was 2007–2008, as the team had a division-winning season in 2007, made the playoffs, and in 2008 won the National League Central division. To this day, 18 years later, 2008 still remains the highest year for game attendance in Cubs history, with 3,300,200 overall attendees throughout the season and a game average of 40,743 fans per game in 2008. Overall, as it is for most sports, the attendance seems to rise when the team is having a good season; fans want to see their teams do well.

By Gabby Valente and Atzin Anguiano

Erica Wallace, a customer service representative who has dedicated 33 years to CTA, doesn’t need to see the data on Chicago’s homeless crisis. She sees it at work each day.

Wallace recalled the interactions and encounters she had experienced at the UIC Blue Line Station on Halsted.

“It’s daily,” Wallace said, mentioning the times she’s encountered unhoused people at work. “This station in particular, because we have a UIC train that stops here, and goes back toward O’Hare. Everybody has to get off the train; a lot of homeless people are shifted off, and so they come up here.”

In 2024, Chicago’s migrant surge relocated thousands of asylum seekers from the southern border to the Windy City. Since the surge, Chicago’s homeless population tripled and remains an issue today.

The Chicago 2025 Annual Report on Homelessness estimates that, through a PIT Count, a total of 7,452 people are experiencing homelessness. Furthermore, the racial breakdown shows 53% are African American, followed by 35% Hispanic or Latino. This estimate, however, was conducted in late January 2025 and does not account for the number of people currently experiencing homelessness.

This link directs you to an interactive chart

The report estimated that about 6,136 individuals experiencing homelessness reside in sheltered locations, with 32% being children under the age of 18. Alternatively, the estimated number of unsheltered individuals was noted as 1,316, with the ages ranging from 45 to 64.

Homelessness Reliance on CTA

Many Chicagoans rely on the Chicago Transit Authority, whether it’s the bus or the train. It has also become a heavily relied-on temporary shelter for unhoused individuals.

Wallace said that in all her years of working at CTA, not a day has gone by that she has not seen homeless people using CTA stations and transportation as temporary shelters to sleep or spend their days.

“It’s always been a problem,” Wallace said, “but it has gotten really bad in the last few years. I would say since COVID, it’s been really bad.”

With COVID-19 being one of the biggest national crises, it impacted many residents’ ability to maintain jobs, and as a result, many individuals lost their homes. Due to this, many homeless individuals resort to temporary shelters, such as CTA stations and transport.

“We’re not supposed to have loitering,” she said. “It’s not supposed to be riding back and forth, but I mean, it’s kind of hard to control because there’s so much right now.”

Wallace claimed desensitization is one of the traits she has had to pick up in order to truly work such an extended period of time at CTA. She recalls the many times she witnessed homeless individuals being removed from UIC trains once they had reached the final destination. She explains the unwell state they are usually in, and how unfortunate it is for them to feel like they have nowhere else to go.

Wallace talked about the CTA’s outreach program to support unsheltered riders. CTA is aware of the reliance homeless individuals have on the transportation system, and partnered with the City’s Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) to offer services and support to individuals who need assistance.

“It’s important to have compassion. CTA does an outreach program at the end of the line at Forest Park,” Wallace said. “I believe it’s two nights a week. They feed the homeless and give them resources that they can take advantage of.”

25th Ward Alderman’s Advancements to End Homelessness

Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez (25th Ward) is working to help the homeless population in Chicago, specifically in Pilsen. He is an open supporter of the organization Bring Home Chicago, an organization dedicated to helping the homeless population of Chicago gain resources.

“Having shelter is fundamental in Chicago, at least, we believe this is a human right. In some of the changes that the current federal government is proposing, we can’t get away with housing first, and it’s almost like housing last,” Sigcho Lopez said.

Despite the United States being the wealthiest country in the world, it has one of the highest rates of homelessness across developed nations. Federal laws and policies continue to make housing and resources for the homeless across the United States extremely difficult to access, experts say.

An article from April 2026 from the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities said: “the Administration’s approach is at odds with evidence-based solutions — namely, low-barrier affordable housing and customized, community-based services — that are proven to help ensure people have consistent access to safe, stable housing.”

Sigcho Lopez said that on July 15, Little Village will open its first non-congregate, permanent supportive housing program.

“I think that’s an important policy. There are about 100 to 120 basically SROs, like single rooms,” he said.

Lopez is advancing projects to help local homeless people. He and others at the local level are creating more stable options for the unhoused community in Chicago.

Anti-Homeless Architecture is taking over Chicago

Anti-homelessness architecture is all around big cities in America, and in Chicago. Though this is more than just making benches and tables with bars across them to prevent people from sleeping on them.

“It’s about aesthetics, and I don’t support that [anti-homeless architecture],” Sigcho-Lopez said. “There have been multiple occasions where we’ve been told, ‘You need to add infrastructure to keep the plaza aesthetically pleasant.’ But in an immigrant community that has long been a point of entry, the real beauty is having open spaces that are welcoming to people.”

This is also an issue in many places as Chicago transitions to a cashless system. Even before COVID-19, many restaurant and retail stores started to become cashless.

An April 2026 Chicago Tribune article cited some statistics: In Illinois, 7.1 percent of Illinois households do not have bank accounts, which is a bit higher than the national average, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.”

According to a July 2025 article in the Belleville News Democrat businesses in Illinois are allowed to decide whether or not they are a cashless business or not. It’s up to the business’s discretion what types of payments they take in Illinois. Although some states have laws requiring businesses to accept cash payments.

A September 2025 article from WGN News said, “You’ve likely seen it outside businesses, at bus stops, along sidewalks, and in parks, as it can take many forms. Hostile architecture is ‘hostile’ because it subtly (or sometimes quite plainly) keeps people away.”

Many people walk past a bench with an armrest bar through the middle of it and don’t think anything of it, but this is a prime example of anti-homeless architecture hiding in plain sight. Anti-homeless spikes are also very popular in the architecture around Chicago; this is where they add spikes to ledges or otherwise flat areas to spot people from lying down there.

“It’s like bottling stereotypes and stigmas, and unfortunately equating unhoused residents with violence,” Sigcho-Lopez. “It is part of the dehumanization and criminalization of the unhoused residents. We’re seeing that, unfortunately, with way too many lawmakers who think that they can address the issue of unhoused residents by just putting people in jail.”

Learn more

If you or anyone you know in the Chicagoland area is experiencing homelessness and needs help, you can reach out to the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness (312) 641–4140, or the city of Chicago also has many trusted resources on their website.

Test your knowledge- QUIZ — Quiz created by LM Notebook, directions by Gabby Valente.

This is the opening minute from a speech Barack Obama delivered on Feb. 15, 2013 at Hyde Park High School in Chicago. This was shortly after Hadiya Pendleton died from a gang shooting at a park near Obama’s Hyde Park home.