Chicago faced ongoing cold weather this week, with Block Club Chicago reporters documenting events and daily life across the city’s neighborhoods.
On January 25, thousands gathered at the intersection of Ida B. Wells Drive and Michigan Avenue in a snowstorm to protest the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis the previous day. The emergency protest was organized by the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA). Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the crowd during the demonstration.
Maria Estela Parra was photographed sewing banners for Chicago sports teams at W.G.N Flag and Decorating in South Chicago, continuing her decades-long work making banners for local legends.
Despite subzero temperatures on January 23, people swam in Lake Michigan at Montrose Pier. Commuters were also seen braving harsh conditions at public transit stations like Damen Blue Line, with landmarks such as Willis Tower visible through the haze.
Erica Bland, executive vice president of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, spoke to fellow protesters about a recent freeze on federal funding. The freeze has raised concerns about its impact on child care services in Chicago.
The annual Point-in-Time count took place on January 22 to assess Chicago’s unhoused population. Photographs showed individuals sleeping at Northwestern Hospital and tents lining streets in downtown areas as bitter cold continued.
Vigils and rallies honoring Alex Pretti were held outside Chicago’s veterans hospital. Scott Mechanic, an ICU nurse, joined one event on January 27. Marika Loftman-Davis from the Illinois Nurses Association attended a candlelight vigil at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center on January 28 for Pretti and others killed by ICE. “Long shift or not, I just figured I better make sure I get out here,” she said.
Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez announced his candidacy for Congress representing Illinois’ 4th District during an event at Pilsen’s 5 Estrellas restaurant.
James P’Pool was among more than 100 workers let go without notice from Signature Room after working there for 17 years. A new lawsuit alleges owners moved assets to avoid paying employees.
Photographs also captured runners continuing their routines along the lakefront despite freezing temperatures; John Wu and Max Lin posed for portraits while out running.
Art exhibits reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy were featured inside IMANIFEST Studios Gallery in West Englewood. Level Sporting Club CEO Clarissa Flores prepared to open a women’s sports bar near Wrigley Field.
Chicago organizers held a press conference in Pilsen expressing solidarity with Minneapolis residents following recent events involving ICE enforcement actions.
Warlord restaurant chef-owner was charged related to sharing sexual photos of a woman; heavy snowfall blanketed Horner Park along the Chicago River as forecasts predicted continued cold and more snow later in the week.
At Queen of Martyrs Elementary School in Evergreen Park, a substitute teacher with prior allegations of child molestation was recently fired by the Archdiocese of Chicago.
