Obama To Headline Rally for JB Pritzker
Former President Barack Obama will stump for Democratic gubernatorial candidate JB Pritzker over the weekend, headlining a get out the vote rally on Sunday.
“President Obama spent his time in office fighting for every American, and Juliana and I are going to work tirelessly to carry on his legacy in Springfield. But first, we need to work nonstop during the final days of our campaign to make sure that Democrats are elected up and down the ballot,” Pritzker said in an email inviting supporters to the event on Wednesday.
Former President Barack Obama at his farewell address in Chicago. Photo by Aaron Cynic.
Tickets will be given out on a first come, first serve basis at several Pritzker campaign field offices in Chicago. The rally will take place at the UIC Pavillion beginning at 3:00pm with doors opening at 1:30pm.
Obama’s appearance comes as several high profile politicians from both sides of the aisle have or will appear to rally for candidates ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections. Former Vice President Joe Biden made two stops in Illinois to campaign for Democrats in closely contested races, with one in suburban St. Charles and one in downstate East St. Louis. On the Republican side, President Trump held a rally for Rep. Mike Bost in southern Illinois last weekend, and Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan will be in Illinois Friday to rally supporters for Rep. Randy Hultgren.
Kanye West Donates Another Large Sum To Amara Enyia
Chicago rapper Kanye West cut another large check to mayoral hopeful Amara Enyia, bringing the total amount of money he’s donated to her campaign to $200,000. On Wednesday, West donated $126,460 to Enyia, just one week after he gave a little more than $73,000 to the campaign, which was used to pay off various fines and fees to the Board of Elections.
West’s donation comes after he said he was planning on taking a step back from politics in a series of tweets where he said he felt used, referencing the politics of the Trump administration and the right wing organization Turning Point USA.
“My eyes are now wide open and now realize I’ve been used to spread messages I don’t believe in,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative !!!”
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1057366623621955586
Enyia faced some criticism after West’s first donation, particularly due to his appearance with Trump in the Oval Office. A spokesperson said his interest in her campaign wasn’t a partisan issue and that they welcomed his support.
“Kanye has an interest in investing in Chicago, his hometown, and is welcome to act on those interests at any time,” spokesperson Kristi Kucera wrote in a statement given to the Sun-Times. “We think it is valuable that he is able to focus his efforts on his creative work and on supporting the platform that he believes will help move our city in the right direction...Kanye has never been involved with our campaign other than as a supporter. His interest in the mayoral race is about problems and results, and has nothing to do with partisan politics.”
Amara Enyia speaks at her campaign launch at the Co-Prosperity Sphere in Bridgeport. Photo by Aaron Cynic.
West appeared alongside Enyia and Chance the Rapper, who threw his support behind her earlier this month, at a rally in Woodlawn. Enyia said she and West agreed on many local issues.
“He’s talked about stop-and-frisk. He’s talked about criminal justice reform. He talked about extending mental health services in communities. He has talked about the need to invest economically in communities. He has talked about bringing some of his companies back to Chicago to create jobs,” she told the Sun-Times.
Van Dyke Back In Court
Former Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke appeared in court Wednesday for the first time since he was convicted of second-degree murder, along with 16 counts of aggravated battery for the shooting of Laquan McDonald in 2014.
Attorneys for Van Dyke filed two motions asking the court either acquit him or give him a new trial, according to ABC7.
"We were not going to get a not guilty in this case from a Cook County jury and obviously this is one of the stronger arguments we have for our post-trial motions," said Dan Herbert, Van Dyke's attorney.
Van Dyke’s attorneys say they plan to file a third motion on Friday to have the aggravated battery charges dismissed.
No sentencing date has been set for Van Dyke yet, but all parties involved will return to court on December 14th. McDonald’s great uncle, Rev. Marvin Hunter, said he takes that as a sign the legal battle is coming to a close.
"There's another court date that happens in December 14, which sends a signal to us that the judge and the prosecutors are aggressively trying to get to the end of this trial," said Hunter.
Recommended Reads:
The Waiting Room - Why Leaving Cook County’s Jail is Like The Hunger Games - Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve/The Marshall Project
Chicago Alderman Proposes Reining in Ticket Penalties That Drove Thousands of Black Motorists Into Debt - Melissa Sanchez/Propublica Illinois 