Trump disparages Renee Good, fatally wounded by ICE in Minneapolis, to whitewash shooting

So, according to our "esteemed" president, Renee Good, who was killed protesting the heavy-handed tactics of ICE agents, was a "professional agitator." She was a radical leftist zealot who committed domestic terrorism.

On the other hand, Trump has portrayed Ashli Babbitt, who at Trump’s urging was protesting Trump’s false claims about the election of 2020, who battled Capitol police and broke a window trying to get into the Capitol to prevent Congress from fulfilling its democratic duty, as a hero. Not only a hero, but her family was entitled to compensation from the government for her death.

Do we need any more proof that Trump is either a would-be dictator who wants to stifle any actions he disagrees with and rewrite history or a person who is so divorced from reality that he lives in his own fantasy view of the world?

Peter Felitti, Lincoln Square

‘Say her name’

The following poem, “Look At Us,” is a response to the killing of Renee Nicole Good by ICE officials and a tribute to her:

Say her name, / Renee Nicole Good. / Remember her name, / Renee Nicole Good. / Look at us and insist / All of this is meant for good. 

You brand her a domestic terrorist, / But herein lies: / Beloved mother and wife / Daughter / Neighbor / Poet

Justify your murder / To her orphaned 6-year-old son / To her mother outliving her child / To her neighbors holding vigil. / Rationalize your lethal force Upon the unarmed.

George Perry Floyd — / His blood colors your putrid hands. / Renee Nicole Good — / No peace, only crimson.

Christine Tran, Jefferson Park

Bring back ‘Northwest Passage’

Regarding the essay " 'Northwest Passage' connecting Ogilvie and Clinton CTA station deserves another go,' " to further complicate things for commuters here, the city added a bike lane on the east side of Clinton, going both north and south, even though Clinton is a one-way street.

Last year, I was racing from work at UI Health to catch a Metra up to Rogers Park to see my son’s baseball game. I took the Pink Line to Clinton, went down the stairs to the street and then had to cross over Clinton to get to the east side. I was slammed into at full speed by someone driving an electric bike southbound on Clinton. He was knocked off his bike, and I was slammed to the street. Thankfully, we were both okay. Turns out he was racing to catch a train, too.

Yes, I could’ve walked back to the crosswalk and crossed at the light, but as the essay notes, this area is full of commuters running from one train to the next, trying to get home, trying to get to work. Adding the two-lane bike lane (open to electric bikes too!) made the commuter lines even more unfriendly and more dangerous.

I like what the writer is proposing. I never knew it even existed.

Erin Tobin, Bucktown

Trump’s name defaces Kennedy Center

We are tired of having those Trump placed on the board of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts politicizing this stalwart arts venue by placing the guy's name on its moniker, no less ahead of JFK's.

We also tire of the lame excuses for doing this, such as the board voting "unanimously." Adding Trump's name is no different than a prior administration overseeing the retitling of military bases. Trump's name is already part of the moniker for the U.S. Institute of Peace.

The electorate is not that stupid. Only Congress can vote to name a federal landmark like the center, so a board vote never authorized by Congress remains unlawful; changes in military bases first had to (also) receive Congressional approval; and the name of the institute is currently the subject of an ongoing court battle.

The salient points of the federal law to toss Trump's name can be found in the U.S. Code, together with a joint resolution to which President Johnson and Congressional leaders at the time in 1964 affixed their signatures.

The building was intended to be, and remain, a memorial to JFK alone, recognizing his decades of public service, military career and devotion to the advancement of the performing arts nationwide. It was not, nor ever was intended to be, an edifice for Trump, given his background that includes being a convicted felon; civilly liable for sexual assault, legally owing millions to the woman he assaulted; shirking military service due to bone spurs; and not even close to JFK's backing of the arts.

And, now, even performers are canceling their concerts there due to the Trump name emblazoned as part of the center's marquee.

Litigation in federal court in D.C. has already commenced to take down Trump's name. But regardless, his self-glorifying himself with this renaming has no place at the center whatsoever.

It is anathema to the guardrails that "We the People" — as the nation's ultimate sentry —expect will remain as stanchions to protect, honoring our nation's distinguished servants — as reflected in the names of storied treasures like the Kennedy Center that Congress approved and from which it has never wavered.

Miles J. Zaremski, Highland Park

Clean up Calumet River region

When I was in high school, I volunteered at an organization called Chicago Adventure Therapy and was introduced to the various green spaces on the South Side that provide space for adventure sports. From my time spent climbing at Steelworkers Park, biking at Big Marsh, and kayaking in Kickapoo Woods, I fell in love with the Calumet River region.

Unfortunately, a history of industrialization and pollution in this area has led to health hazards that have negatively impacted residents’ abilities to enjoy nature.

Before industrialization, the region was full of biological diversity due to the rich wetlands, sand dunes and location adjacent to the Great Lakes. The growth of Chicago’s industrial landscape led to mass pollution, habitat destruction and resource extraction, leading to the poor ecological condition of the area.

The EPA has designated several areas in the Calumet region as Superfund sites. Those are plots of land with hazardous contamination due to manufacturing, mining, landfills or processing plants. There are ongoing remediation and restoration projects that have contributed greatly to the improvement of this area’s ecology.

The EPA’s Dune, Swale, and Shelf Wetlands Restoration project has focused on reversing the loss of wildlife habitat and improving the landscape for wildlife populations. Since 2015, this project has worked to restore over 900 acres of wildlife habitats in this region and has provided protection against invasive species. Unfortunately, this region is still far from being fully restored, and the rivers still face heavy pollution.

One study collected hydrologic data of the Calumet River region to demonstrate the importance of these wetlands for protecting water quality and water storage. The wetlands help filter pollutants from water, sequester carbon, prevent floods, provide wildlife habitats and protect biodiversity.

It is important for there to be continued monitoring of the hydrology and ecology of this region to ensure the maintenance and growth of these benefits from the once native wetlands. Additionally, the success of the EPA restoration and remediation projects demonstrates their importance and can motivate the creation and funding to rehabilitate other Superfund sites.

It is also important to hold local, state and federal government officials accountable to the change we want to see. We must advocate for funding to restore the Calumet region and elect officials who share our ecological interests.

Priya Chambers, undergraduate student, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Establish city charter

The recent budget standoff may already feel like old news, but the issues it exposed are not. Chicago’s financial challenges are not about one mayor, one vote, or one fiscal year. They are structural. And unless we take a hard look at how the city runs itself, we will keep replaying the same debates, with higher stakes and fewer good options.

I say this as a lifelong Chicagoan and a parent raising a family here. Chicago is home. Too many residents feel like they are being asked to pay more while expecting less — less reliability, less safety and less confidence that the city is planning for the future.

At its core, the problem is simple. Chicago spends like a city that is growing, even as economic opportunity has stalled. The city budget has expanded by billions of dollars in recent years, while job growth and wages lag behind peer cities. Nearly 40% of city spending now goes to debt service and pensions, leaving less room for basic services or smart investment. That is not a sustainable path.

The issue is not only how much we spend, but how decisions are made. Chicago lacks a modern city charter that sets clear fiscal rules, requires long-term planning and creates guardrails against short-term political fixes. As a result, budgeting becomes reactive and opaque — driven by deadlines instead of strategy.

A city charter would not magically solve our challenges, but it would force honesty. It could require multi-year financial planning, independent analysis of long-term costs, and clearer standards for borrowing and one-time revenues. Most importantly, it would help turn budgeting from an annual scramble into a process residents can understand and trust.

Growth also has to be part of the solution. A city that does not grow cannot meet its obligations without repeatedly raising taxes or cutting services. That means making it easier to build housing, open businesses, and create jobs across every neighborhood — not driving investment elsewhere through unnecessary friction.

Chicago has reinvented itself before. When it confronts problems honestly and plans for the long term, it emerges stronger. The new year is a chance to do that again.

Liam Stanton, founder, The Chicago Style Project

About that Venezuelan grab ...

From the "Just what is going on?" file: I think that much of the thrust of current U.S. adventurism is planned on the links at Mar-a Lago, motivated by the influence of myopic in-the-loop corporate shredders. At base, it is all about ending the hemispheric drift to socialism and re-establishing the primacy of predatory capitalism.

"This is our hemisphere!" Imagine the hubris.

Greg Susoreny, Munster, Indiana

New Year’s Eve TV letdown

Little or no coverage of Chicago festivities was on almost any channel last night. We mostly watched Dick Clark's on Ch. 7 because Chicago was part of their line-up for the first time, but Chance the Rapper was seen performing at the very end — right before midnight, along with introductions to Las Vegas performers. Shameful how little time Chicago was featured on Ch. 7 during their five-hour show.

Ch. 2 showed mostly Nashville and nothing in Chicago at midnight. Ch. 5 showed "Fireworks Around the World," which did not even include Chicago at midnight. Ch. 32 showed "Coast to Coast" fireworks and nothing at midnight in Chicago. Ch. 9 featured fireworks at midnight. Local channels always featured festivities across the lakefront and city, from the North Side to the South Side on New Year's Eve.

It feels like there was an upper hand in this debacle of a night.

G.L. Gorman, Bridgeport