Chicago has a new community police oversight body that emerged in response to the historic 2020 protests. According to those elected to serve, however, it’s already full of cops.
by Zoë Takaki Aug 27, 2026
A federal agent from Chicago identified by community members as 40-year-old Martin Lagunas was recorded pointing his gun in a Virginia woman’s face on Monday. His team of ICE agents has been documented intimidating observers, drivers, and protesters across at least three states in the last year.
The city body tasked with searching for Chicago’s next police superintendent candidates argued viciously over one another’s capabilities on Thursday evening at a monthly meeting.
An unidentified Madison police officer shot and killed 38-year-old Corey Ruiz last week at close range after he was already on the ground, prompting large protests in the Wisconsin capital.
Videos show federal agents pointing weapons at bystanders and trying to access state property as rapid response groups have reported at least 80 detainments across Chicagoland in the last five weeks.
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident involving Lieutenant Daniel Miller. The cop, who also owns Stars and Stripes Sports Lounge in Indian Head Park, has been involved in at least two deaths on duty.
The Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts found that in Burke’s first 500 days in office, she has pursued policies that “present fewer checks on police power in prosecution and prevent wrongfully convicted people from seeking redress.”
A court general order and new state law have not stopped ICE from increasingly staking out Chicago area courthouses for arrests since February. Sightings of federal agents near court continue this week as “processing” of detainees at Broadview has accelerated.
Supporters and families of victims attended Thursday’s Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability meeting to demand answers.
The spectacle saw hundreds of phallic items, big and small, flood the designated free speech zone—a small barricaded area where people have been permitted to demonstrate since President Trump’s mass deportation blitz swept through Chicagoland.
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