Police brutality and a lack of transparency go together like...well, not PB&J (a happy combo). Let's say hangovers and dry heaves. The abjuration of responsibility and accountability goes like this: The list of Chicago police officers who have the most excessive-force complaints is secret. The City wants it to stay that way. US District Court Judge Joan Lefkow ordered that the records be unsealed and made available to the public. The City's appealing that order,... more ›

By now there's no doubt you've heard of Elvira Arellano, even if the name doesn't sound immediately familiar. She's the illegal Mexican immigrant that's been holed up in Adalberto United Methodist Church on the West Side since mid-August. So far she's been deported once in 1997 and arrested once in 2002; now she's hiding in sanctuary with her naturalized 7-year-old son, Saul. more ›