Lori Lightfoot has the legal chops to scrutinize alleged ICE abuses
Like more than a few others, I voted for former Mayor Lori Lightfoot but became disenchanted with her overly aggressive, prosecutorial approach to the office. Yet her new initiative to gather information on immigration enforcement abuses is potentially a perfect fit and an opportunity for redemption and then some ("Can state officials prosecute the feds? Calls are growing after Minneapolis shooting,” Jan. 9).
Lightfoot's focus on preserving details sufficient to identify specific agents who may be engaging in misconduct, as well as the facts of the incidents themselves, is crucial. Thursday, it became apparent the Trump administration has pre-decided the killing of an unarmed observer in Minneapolis was completely justified and the officer completely immune, and is freezing state and local officials out of the investigation.
In other words, they seek to disappear not just immigrants but the facts surrounding deadly contacts with objecting and protesting citizens and other residents. This amplifies the policy of allowing agents to hide their identities with masks and hoods akin to those of the night riders of a century earlier.
We know where this may be heading. History records the role of "big lies," and resultant public feelings of fear and helplessness, in cementing authoritarian control. It is essential to preserve all facts of these incidents to assist civil rights enforcement, to hold the administration to account and to provide an evidentiary predicate for legislative reforms (including clarifying that ICE and Border Patrol do not have absolute immunity from state law murder or manslaughter prosecutions).
As with situations involving alleged police abuse, the details matter. The identity of individual officers is relevant, particularly for those who repeatedly are involved in overly aggressive and deadly encounters. So are facts of whether their supervisors disciplined or encouraged them, and whether they were following or violating written or unwritten policies. Their conversations with others (verbal and electronic) may be material to assessing motive. Of course, these lines of inquiry are wholly blocked if the agents remain masked and thus functionally invisible, and if investigations are controlled and steered to a biased, predetermined conclusion.
Lightfoot's new project is incredibly important. And her experience with federal law enforcement is a huge plus.
Andrew S. Mine, Rogers Park
Bear down in Country Club Hills
As the Chicago Bears evaluate potential sites for a future stadium, I urge the organization — and the public — to consider a compelling opportunity right here in Cook County in the south suburban community of Country Club Hills.
Like countless Chicagoans, I am a lifelong Bears fan who was concerned by reports suggesting the franchise may be considering relocation outside Illinois. While the Bears understandably seek a forward-looking solution, a viable option exists closer to home that offers strategic location, strong infrastructure and transformative economic potential.
Before being elected Cook County clerk, I served as Cook County commissioner for the 5th District in the Southland, which includes Country Club Hills.
Country Club Hills sits within 30 miles of downtown Chicago, Joliet, the Illinois-Indiana border and Midway International Airport. It is at the crossroads of major transportation routes and adjacent to the Calumet Region — an area rich in industrial capacity, freight infrastructure, expanding Metra Electric service and access to three major highways.
In evaluating this proposal, we should look at jurisdictions that have successfully undertaken similar efforts, most notably Inglewood, California. In 2011, Inglewood faced bankruptcy after decades of decline. Under newly elected Mayor James Butts, the city pursued an ambitious plan to attract an NFL team and redevelop the shuttered Hollywood Park Racetrack into a 300-acre stadium and entertainment district.
The opening of SoFi Stadium in 2020 transformed Inglewood’s trajectory. Now home to the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, the stadium spurred economic revitalization and repositioned Inglewood as a vibrant destination for sports, entertainment and commerce within Greater Los Angeles.
It’s equally important to rethink stadium development through inclusive and equitable partnerships. During my time as commissioner, I worked closely with a respected team of Black-owned and minority-led firms that envisioned a south suburban entertainment district anchored by a Chicago Bears Museum and Hall of Fame, surrounded by restaurants, hotels and year-round attractions.
Lastly, and just as importantly, this kind of economic investment in the Southland would strengthen the tax base for communities that have long faced disinvestment and limited economic growth.
Country Club Hills offers the land, expertise and vision to honor the team's legacy while building a future that fans can be proud of.
Monica Gordon, Cook County clerk
On Jan. 6, no anniversary coverage of Capitol attack
I am shocked and appalled at your lack of coverage on Jan. 6 of the fifth anniversary of the attempted coup of the U.S. government. I read the Chicago Sun-Times from cover to cover every day. That day, I saw several pages devoted to sports, with not one word referencing the most significant event in modern U.S. history, an event that precipitated many of the events you actually took the time to include in today's coverage.
The editorial team at the Sun-Times needs to address this issue; otherwise, many of its readers will turn elsewhere to understand what is happening in the country and the world.
Lynn Nelson, Buena Park
‘One nation under God’
Red states, Blue states? Silly me, I thought I lived in the United States of America. Aren’t we supposed to be “one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all?” Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Christopher Berbeka, Palatine