Blair Paddock
@blairpaddock.bsky.social
prisons + investigations for @wttw.bsky.social
Pinned
Blair Paddock
@blairpaddock.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Mouse Arts and Letters Club
mouseartsandletters.org
In January, my partner, friends and I will be opening up a cultural club in an old bank in Bridgeport: the Mouse Arts and Letters Club. We'll host News Night, a citywide newsroom, screenings, translation + ecology events & more. We'd love you to join us. Sign up for updates: mouseartsandletters.org
Reposted by Blair Paddock
New Interview: www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
January 3, 2026 at 9:42 PM
New Interview: www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
Reposted by Blair Paddock
NEW: beginning january 1, chicago will ban unhoused people on the sex offense registry from seeking shelter on public transit.
it’s the latest in a concerted effort by mayor johnson’s admin to criminalize homelessness on cta trains + buses and in public parks during the coldest months of the year.
it’s the latest in a concerted effort by mayor johnson’s admin to criminalize homelessness on cta trains + buses and in public parks during the coldest months of the year.
‘An impossible situation’ - Chicago Reader
Beginning January 1, the City of Chicago will ban unhoused people on the sex offense registry from seeking shelter on public transit.
chicagoreader.com
December 26, 2025 at 2:20 PM
NEW: beginning january 1, chicago will ban unhoused people on the sex offense registry from seeking shelter on public transit.
it’s the latest in a concerted effort by mayor johnson’s admin to criminalize homelessness on cta trains + buses and in public parks during the coldest months of the year.
it’s the latest in a concerted effort by mayor johnson’s admin to criminalize homelessness on cta trains + buses and in public parks during the coldest months of the year.
Reposted by Blair Paddock
State regulators cited Roseland Community Hospital with an “immediate jeopardy” warning after a suicidal patient left the ER without supervision. His case is part of a troubling pattern tied to deaths and neglect. Investigation by @ndblumberg.bsky.social.
news.wttw.com/2025/12/16/r...
news.wttw.com/2025/12/16/r...
Roseland Hospital Failed to Monitor a Patient During a Mental Health Crisis, Regulators Say. Now He’s Charged With Killing His Wife
Since 2023, Roseland Community Hospital has received at least four immediate jeopardy citations. That warning is the most serious deficiency a health care facility can be cited for, according to feder...
news.wttw.com
December 16, 2025 at 3:01 PM
State regulators cited Roseland Community Hospital with an “immediate jeopardy” warning after a suicidal patient left the ER without supervision. His case is part of a troubling pattern tied to deaths and neglect. Investigation by @ndblumberg.bsky.social.
news.wttw.com/2025/12/16/r...
news.wttw.com/2025/12/16/r...
For Those Interested in Sandhill Crane Migration at the Jasper-Pulaski Stopover Point in Indiana: the numbers are much lower compared to last year. Note the gap between Dec. 9 2025 from years prior.
December 15, 2025 at 10:06 PM
For Those Interested in Sandhill Crane Migration at the Jasper-Pulaski Stopover Point in Indiana: the numbers are much lower compared to last year. Note the gap between Dec. 9 2025 from years prior.
When Illinois closed its prison in Dwight more than a decade ago, the transfer to Logan CC left incarcerated women traumatized.
Now, as the state pitches to close Logan, the largest women’s prison in IL, advocates want to ensure that history is not repeated. news.wttw.com/2025/12/09/a...
Now, as the state pitches to close Logan, the largest women’s prison in IL, advocates want to ensure that history is not repeated. news.wttw.com/2025/12/09/a...
Advocates Ask Pritzker, IDOC to Endorse Transfer Plan for Women at Logan Prison
In March 2024, Gov. JB Pritzker announced the closure and rebuild of both Stateville and Logan correctional centers, allocating $900 million for the projects. The decision came after a state-commissio...
news.wttw.com
December 9, 2025 at 9:33 PM
When Illinois closed its prison in Dwight more than a decade ago, the transfer to Logan CC left incarcerated women traumatized.
Now, as the state pitches to close Logan, the largest women’s prison in IL, advocates want to ensure that history is not repeated. news.wttw.com/2025/12/09/a...
Now, as the state pitches to close Logan, the largest women’s prison in IL, advocates want to ensure that history is not repeated. news.wttw.com/2025/12/09/a...
Reposted by Blair Paddock
2017: Officer shoots teen in the back of their shoulder
June 2021: Shooting ruled unjustified
Sept. 2021: Top cop disagrees
Nov. 2021: Police Board president orders full hearing
2019-24: 4 lawsuits naming officer settled for $590K
June 2025: Officer promoted to sergeant
Nov. 2025: Charges dropped
June 2021: Shooting ruled unjustified
Sept. 2021: Top cop disagrees
Nov. 2021: Police Board president orders full hearing
2019-24: 4 lawsuits naming officer settled for $590K
June 2025: Officer promoted to sergeant
Nov. 2025: Charges dropped
The Chicago police officer who shot a 16-year-old in September 2017 in what investigators ruled was an unjustified use of deadly force will not be fired, according to documents obtained by WTTW News. https://to.wttw.com/48nbt6g
CPD Officer Who Shot Teen in 2017 Won’t Be Fired — But Was Promoted After Costing Taxpayers $590K
Since the shooting, Chicago taxpayers have paid $591,500 to resolve four lawsuits that allege the officer, who was promoted in June 2025, violated the rights of other Chicagoans, according to an analy...
to.wttw.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:07 PM
2017: Officer shoots teen in the back of their shoulder
June 2021: Shooting ruled unjustified
Sept. 2021: Top cop disagrees
Nov. 2021: Police Board president orders full hearing
2019-24: 4 lawsuits naming officer settled for $590K
June 2025: Officer promoted to sergeant
Nov. 2025: Charges dropped
June 2021: Shooting ruled unjustified
Sept. 2021: Top cop disagrees
Nov. 2021: Police Board president orders full hearing
2019-24: 4 lawsuits naming officer settled for $590K
June 2025: Officer promoted to sergeant
Nov. 2025: Charges dropped
Want to help us build a new cultural club in Chicago? Consider being a member here: mouseartsandletters.org/membership-1
December 2, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Want to help us build a new cultural club in Chicago? Consider being a member here: mouseartsandletters.org/membership-1
Reposted by Blair Paddock
A Mauritanian man will testify Monday about torture he says he endured at Guantánamo Bay—at the hands of former Chicago detective Richard Zuley.
His story is one thread in a web connecting Zuley to the post-9/11 legacy through this city.
🔗 news.wttw.com/2025/11/20/m...
His story is one thread in a web connecting Zuley to the post-9/11 legacy through this city.
🔗 news.wttw.com/2025/11/20/m...
Man Who Said He Was Tortured by Ex-CPD Detective at Guantanamo Bay Set to Testify
Circuit Court Judge Adrienne Davis is weighing whether to overturn the conviction of Anthony Garrett in connection with the murder of 7-year-old Dantrell Davis, who was shot and killed by a sniper at ...
news.wttw.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:47 PM
A Mauritanian man will testify Monday about torture he says he endured at Guantánamo Bay—at the hands of former Chicago detective Richard Zuley.
His story is one thread in a web connecting Zuley to the post-9/11 legacy through this city.
🔗 news.wttw.com/2025/11/20/m...
His story is one thread in a web connecting Zuley to the post-9/11 legacy through this city.
🔗 news.wttw.com/2025/11/20/m...
Reposted by Blair Paddock
NEW: The exodus of corrections officers from federal prisons to ICE comes amid shortages of critical supplies, from food to personal hygiene items, for both staff and inmates.
It threatens to make the already grim conditions in these prisons even worse.
It threatens to make the already grim conditions in these prisons even worse.
As Federal Prisons Run Low on Food and Toilet Paper, Corrections Officers Leave in Droves for ICE
Many of the problems the agency is facing now are not new, but staff and prisoners fear an exodus of officers could make life behind bars even worse.
www.propublica.org
November 21, 2025 at 1:00 PM
NEW: The exodus of corrections officers from federal prisons to ICE comes amid shortages of critical supplies, from food to personal hygiene items, for both staff and inmates.
It threatens to make the already grim conditions in these prisons even worse.
It threatens to make the already grim conditions in these prisons even worse.
Reposted by Blair Paddock
BREAKING: Chicago police officers will be allowed to file felony gun charges without first getting approval from a prosecutor throughout the city, Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke announced Friday. @wttw.bsky.social
Program Allowing CPD Officers to Directly File Felony Gun Charges to Expand Citywide, Top Prosecutor Announces
The Felony Review Bypass Pilot Program was “an unqualified success,” Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke said.
news.wttw.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:38 PM
BREAKING: Chicago police officers will be allowed to file felony gun charges without first getting approval from a prosecutor throughout the city, Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke announced Friday. @wttw.bsky.social
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Another banger for @wttw.bsky.social by @ndblumberg.bsky.social
Ex-Aurora Mayor Backed $450K Line of Credit Without Council Approval; Nonprofit Leader Racked Up Charges at ATMs and Strip Clubs
OnLight Aurora, a city-supported nonprofit, aims to provide high speed internet to the west suburban community’s institutions, businesses and residents. It’s also in massive debt, with a long history ...
news.wttw.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Another banger for @wttw.bsky.social by @ndblumberg.bsky.social
In January, my partner, friends and I will be opening up a cultural club in an old bank in Bridgeport: the Mouse Arts and Letters Club. We'll host News Night, a citywide newsroom, screenings, translation + ecology events & more. We'd love you to join us. Sign up for updates: mouseartsandletters.org
Mouse Arts and Letters Club
mouseartsandletters.org
November 14, 2025 at 7:25 PM
In January, my partner, friends and I will be opening up a cultural club in an old bank in Bridgeport: the Mouse Arts and Letters Club. We'll host News Night, a citywide newsroom, screenings, translation + ecology events & more. We'd love you to join us. Sign up for updates: mouseartsandletters.org
a year of news night!
November 14, 2025 at 3:49 PM
a year of news night!
Reposted by Blair Paddock
You probably saw videos of a nighttime raid in Chicago. Agents rappelling from a helicopter, bursting down doors, questioning brown-skinned immigrants.
We investigated -- and found little evidence to support the government’s claims about Tren de Aragua.
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
We investigated -- and found little evidence to support the government’s claims about Tren de Aragua.
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
“I Lost Everything”: Venezuelans Were Rounded Up in a Dramatic Midnight Raid but Never Charged With a Crime
Authorities said Tren de Aragua “terrorists” had taken over the building. A ProPublica investigation found little evidence to back up the government’s claims. For the first time, the Venezuelans arres...
www.propublica.org
November 13, 2025 at 1:28 PM
You probably saw videos of a nighttime raid in Chicago. Agents rappelling from a helicopter, bursting down doors, questioning brown-skinned immigrants.
We investigated -- and found little evidence to support the government’s claims about Tren de Aragua.
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
We investigated -- and found little evidence to support the government’s claims about Tren de Aragua.
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
And Illinois State Police provides access to gang database info to DHS. In June, I found that DHS Enforcement and Removal Operations signed a data sharing agreement with ISP in *2024*. news.wttw.com/2025/06/02/i...
November 13, 2025 at 3:01 AM
And Illinois State Police provides access to gang database info to DHS. In June, I found that DHS Enforcement and Removal Operations signed a data sharing agreement with ISP in *2024*. news.wttw.com/2025/06/02/i...
Reposted by Blair Paddock
NEW: DHS secretly obtained Chicago police data on 900 residents accused of gang ties. It was quietly deleted after intelligence officers violated rules against domestic spying.
The handoff came well after city inspectors formally announced CPD's gang data was deeply flawed and infected w/ bias.
The handoff came well after city inspectors formally announced CPD's gang data was deeply flawed and infected w/ bias.
DHS Kept Chicago Police Records for Months in Violation of Domestic Espionage Rules
The Department of Homeland Security collected data on Chicago residents accused of gang ties to test if police files could feed an FBI watchlist. Months passed before anyone noticed it wasn’t deleted.
www.wired.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:04 PM
NEW: DHS secretly obtained Chicago police data on 900 residents accused of gang ties. It was quietly deleted after intelligence officers violated rules against domestic spying.
The handoff came well after city inspectors formally announced CPD's gang data was deeply flawed and infected w/ bias.
The handoff came well after city inspectors formally announced CPD's gang data was deeply flawed and infected w/ bias.
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Good morning from Judge Jeffrey Cumming's courtroom, where he's considering a motion to release 100s of "Midway Blitz" arrestees on EM who were subjected to "warrantless" arrest.
ICE and CBP recently produced a list of 3,300 people arrested since June
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/24/c...
ICE and CBP recently produced a list of 3,300 people arrested since June
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/24/c...
Federal judge appears poised to order release of at least some ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ arrestees
A Chicago federal judge appeared poised Friday to order at least a portion of the thousands of people detained in “Operation Midway Blitz” released on electronic monitoring while litiga…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Good morning from Judge Jeffrey Cumming's courtroom, where he's considering a motion to release 100s of "Midway Blitz" arrestees on EM who were subjected to "warrantless" arrest.
ICE and CBP recently produced a list of 3,300 people arrested since June
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/24/c...
ICE and CBP recently produced a list of 3,300 people arrested since June
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/24/c...
tomorrow!
November 12, 2025 at 2:03 PM
tomorrow!
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Reposted by Blair Paddock
Legal experts called DHS’ move to use driver’s license data for citizenship checks more evidence of federal overreach.
“The administration wants to get as much data as it can, however it can, whenever it can.”
With @texastribune.org
“The administration wants to get as much data as it can, however it can, whenever it can.”
With @texastribune.org
DHS Wants States to Hand Over Driver’s License Data for Citizenship Checks
It’s the latest step in an unprecedented initiative to pool confidential data that the Trump administration claims will help identify noncitizens on voter rolls and tighten immigration enforcement.
www.propublica.org
November 2, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Legal experts called DHS’ move to use driver’s license data for citizenship checks more evidence of federal overreach.
“The administration wants to get as much data as it can, however it can, whenever it can.”
With @texastribune.org
“The administration wants to get as much data as it can, however it can, whenever it can.”
With @texastribune.org
Reposted by Blair Paddock
When Jose Jeronimo Guardian showed up at a Spanish language traffic court this week, he didn’t expect to be detained and face expulsion from a country he’d lived in for more than two decades.
With @capitolnewsil.bsky.social: illinoisanswers.org/2025/10/31/i...
With @capitolnewsil.bsky.social: illinoisanswers.org/2025/10/31/i...
‘They are literally targeting people.’ ICE comes to southern Illinois
CARLYLE, Ill. — When Jose Jeronimo Guardian showed up at a Spanish language traffic court this week, he didn’t expect to be detained and face expulsion from a country he’d […]
illinoisanswers.org
November 3, 2025 at 3:20 PM
When Jose Jeronimo Guardian showed up at a Spanish language traffic court this week, he didn’t expect to be detained and face expulsion from a country he’d lived in for more than two decades.
With @capitolnewsil.bsky.social: illinoisanswers.org/2025/10/31/i...
With @capitolnewsil.bsky.social: illinoisanswers.org/2025/10/31/i...
Reposted by Blair Paddock
A partial list of what Bovino does not have to tell a federal judge happened today:
*An agent pushed a City Council member in Albany Park
*Agents deployed pepper spray in Albany Park & Evanston
*Agents were involved in a car crash in Evanston
*An agent pointed a gun at a woman in Evanston
*An agent pushed a City Council member in Albany Park
*Agents deployed pepper spray in Albany Park & Evanston
*Agents were involved in a car crash in Evanston
*An agent pointed a gun at a woman in Evanston
BREAKING: Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, who led a series of raids across Chicago, Evanston and Skokie on Friday, does not have to report every weekday at 6 p.m. in person to the federal judge who has tried to rein in federal agents’ use of force, an appeals court ruled. @wttw.bsky.social
Appeals Court Rules Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino Does Not Have to Check In Every Day With Federal Judge
Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino, who led a series of raids across Chicago, Evanston and Skokie on Friday, does not have to report every weekday at 6 p.m. in person to the federal judge who has tried t...
news.wttw.com
October 31, 2025 at 9:54 PM
A partial list of what Bovino does not have to tell a federal judge happened today:
*An agent pushed a City Council member in Albany Park
*Agents deployed pepper spray in Albany Park & Evanston
*Agents were involved in a car crash in Evanston
*An agent pointed a gun at a woman in Evanston
*An agent pushed a City Council member in Albany Park
*Agents deployed pepper spray in Albany Park & Evanston
*Agents were involved in a car crash in Evanston
*An agent pointed a gun at a woman in Evanston
Reposted by Blair Paddock
New: a class action suit filed in Chicago's federal court this morning alleges overcrowding and inhumane conditions at the Broadview, IL ICE facility, as well detainees being denied legal counsel.
The plaintiffs say this amounts to 1A and 5A violations.
The plaintiffs say this amounts to 1A and 5A violations.
October 31, 2025 at 1:51 PM
New: a class action suit filed in Chicago's federal court this morning alleges overcrowding and inhumane conditions at the Broadview, IL ICE facility, as well detainees being denied legal counsel.
The plaintiffs say this amounts to 1A and 5A violations.
The plaintiffs say this amounts to 1A and 5A violations.
a year of news nights! november 13!
October 30, 2025 at 10:50 PM
a year of news nights! november 13!