VOLUME 40 NUMBER 2 March/April 2011 $5

CHICAGOREPORTER.COM 2 THE CHICAGO REPORTER | March/April 2011 INSIDE March/April

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FOUNDER John A. McDermott PUBLISHER Alden K. Loury On the cover EDITOR Kimbriell Kelly 11 An offender among us MANAGING EDITOR In Chicago, hundreds of child sex Rui Kaneya offenders are violating a state law by living within 500 feet of a child care PRESENTATION EDITOR facility, playground or school. Christine Wachter REPORTERS 13 Double whammy Angela Caputo More sex offenders violated the state Jeff Kelly Lowenstein Predominantly black neighborhoods like South law in poor and black communities. Shore, where the Loren Children’s Learning BLOGGER/REPORTER Center is located, have higher numbers of child Megan Cottrell 16 Reforming the abuser sex offenders living in violation of the state COPY EDITOR Experts say education, treating residency law than the city’s other communities James Tehrani offenders will bring better results. combined. Photos by Joe Gallo. INTERNS Allison Griner A.Jay Wagner Also inside Philip Jacobson Samantha Winslow In the next issue Louis McGill 17 Payday roulette In its May/June issue, The Chicago EDITORS & PUBLISHERS EMERITI Workers’ paychecks are withheld more Reporter will investigate gun charges Alysia Tate often than not at a local nonprofit. leveled against Chicago teens and Laura S. Washington explore the impact subsequent Roy Larson Departments prosecution has had on youth violence. THE REPORTER READERS BUREAU Hiranmayi Bhatt Terri Johnson Editor’s Note/News...... 5 Barbara Bolsen Keith Kelleher Spinoffs...... 6 Got a news tip? Kristen Cox David Mussatt The Chicago Reporter brings injustice Matthew Nicol Turner-Lee Q&A...... 8 Hendrickson Bob Yovovich to the forefront in the areas of Bob Honesty Parting Shot...... 20 criminal justice, labor, housing, health, immigration and government. If you Published by the Community Renewal Society ON THE COVER: Rev. Calvin S. Morris, executive director have a tip, call (312) 427-4830 x4040 ISSN 0300-6921. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOE GALLO or e-mail [email protected]. Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Source: Illinois Sex Offender Registry, Feb. 9.

WWW.CHICAGOREPORTER.COM | THE CHICAGO REPORTER 3 4 THE CHICAGO REPORTER | March/April 2011 EDITOR’S NOTE Reporter News Too close for comfort

I was talking to my neigh- to schools who are violating should or should not have a bor last fall when an unfamil- Illinois’ 500-foot law. But 500-foot boundary. But the iar man walked out of a house many people don’t know that bottom line is that it is our and stood in the driveway it’s also illegal in Illinois for state’s law. It’s on the books. talking to a group of teens. child sex offenders to live that And apparently there are hun- “Who’s that? A new close to child care facilities. dreds of people not following neighbor?” I asked my neigh- The percentage of sex of- the rules, and local and state bor. “Yes,” she replied as her fenders living near child care police aren’t stopping it. kids kicked a ball around facilities is far greater than The Illinois State Police at her feet. “From what I’ve the percentage of sex offend- tracks the addresses where heard, he’s the boyfriend of ers and predators living ille- these sex offenders live. But the woman who lives there gally near schools and parks. Kelly Lowenstein found that with her children. I hear he’s Reporter Jeff Kelly Lo- not only are there plenty of a sex offender. But if you wenstein has found that violators, but also that this look at the sex offender reg- Kimbriell Kelly, Editor 44 percent of the offenders information is not available istry online, he won’t show Opinions expressed by the who local authorities say are on the state police’s website. up because he is registered at editor are her own. “compliant” are in violation If you were to plop in their his real address in the town of state law concerning child address, you could see the next door.” We welcome letters. Send them care facilities. And we’re not number of offenders in their I don’t have any children, to [email protected] just talking about sexual neighborhood. You can add to but I convulsed. It was the or 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite predators living within a few your search icons for schools week before Halloween and 500, Chicago, IL, 60604. Please blocks of a day care. Kelly Lo- and parks, which are also off the neighborhood kids were include name, address and a day- wenstein has found examples limits. But no option is avail- already dancing around the time phone number. Letters may in Chicago where convicted able for child care centers. street with angel wings and be edited for space and clarity. child sex offenders are living And we only included the li- witch hats. I told my neigh- on the same block, next door censed child care centers that bor that I had just read an The Chicago Reporter has and, in one case, in the same are part of the list of licensed article about how parents now stumbled upon some- building. child care centers kept by the could protect their kids by thing even more troubling, Obviously, everybody has Illinois Department of Chil- using their cell phones to finding that hundreds of child to have some place to live. dren and Family Services. track sexual predators. But sex offenders in Chicago are And some people argue that There are likely plenty more based on what she had just listed on the child sex offend- 500-foot boundaries are inef- unlicensed home day-care fa- told me, that wouldn’t help. er registry but at addresses fective—that many child sex cilities that are not included. This guy wouldn’t even show that violate state law. offenders are family members If we’re going to have laws up on the registry—at least We’ve all heard stories of living at a kid’s own home. So on the books, we must follow not accurately. sex offenders living too close I’m not arguing whether we them. n

projects will involve original reporting In February, the Reporter launched Reporter News or original data analysis. They also will a subscription campaign with a full- The Chicago Reporter is partnering provide coverage either for or about color, tri-fold brochure; four-minute with the Chicago Community Trust and the target communities, which include and five-minute video brochures; Community Media Workshop this year nearly 30 South and West side com- and advertisements in the print and to provide a burst of local coverage by, munity areas with median incomes online editions of the Chicago Reader, for and about underserved communi- below the citywide median. In a survey wbez.org, and gapersblock.com. The ties on Chicago’s South and West sides. conducted last year by the Trust, campaign features offers for free PDF In April, through its Community News residents of several South and West subscriptions with every $30 two-year Matters initiative, the Trust will award side communities indicated that they print subscription and every $20 one- a series of $2,000 and $10,000 local were not satisfied with the quantity and year print subscription. The two-year reporting awards to fund original re- quality of media coverage their com- subscriptions also come with a free porting and fact-based analysis in 2011. munities received. Reporter messenger bag. The campaign The funded work will focus on how The Reporter and Community Media also features $10 one-year, PDF-only important issues facing the city, county Workshop will help manage the selec- subscriptions. In addition, current print and state are affecting or will affect resi- tion of winning projects and provide subscribers receive a free Reporter dents of low-income neighborhoods on technical assistance to grantees. Most messenger bag when they refer two the South and West sides of Chicago. of the projects will be published this others to subscribe. This program is designed to add year between May and November. For To view the video and subscribe, significant amounts of new information more information, visit cct.org and visit chicagoreporter.com and click on to the local news ecosystem. Winning search for “local reporting awards.” “subscribe.”

WWW.CHICAGOREPORTER.COM | THE CHICAGO REPORTER 5 SPINOFFS Digging Deeper

Census shows racial changes More Chinese people The news: The first batch of results coming to Chicago from the 2010 Census was released in December. Behind the news: Eight wards in Chicago had a shift in racial majority, according to a Chicago Reporter analysis of census data from 2005 to 2009. Three racially mixed wards—the 40th, 46th and 48th—and one majority-La- tino ward—the 1st—became majority-white, while two majority-black wards—the 2nd and 27th—and one majority-white ward—the 50th—shifted to being racially mixed. Another majority- white ward—the 13th—became majority-Latino. Dick Simpson, head of the political science department at the University of Illinois at Chicago, attributed the increase of majority-white Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to Chicago in January signified a major step forward for Mayor Richard wards to gentrification in M. Daley’s effort to build ties with the world’s second-largest economy. James Berglie/ZUMAPRESS.com the past decade. This was particularly evident in the 2nd Ward, which saw a boom in The news: 2009, a jump of 24 percent. members to join them here.” condominium construction. A major source of that In addition, more Chinese In January, Chinese “It has a racial aspect, but growth has been China’s immigrants have come to President Hu Jintao visited it’s a class change,” he said. booming economy, enabling Chicago from cities like San Chicago, his only stop “Forces of development are more Chinese people to Francisco and New York, outside the nation’s capital. attracting more whites to migrate, said Z.J. Tong, Tong said. move back to the city.” president of the Chicago Historically, Chinese Even though the number of Behind the news: Chinese Cultural Institute, have migrated outward from majority-Latino wards did not During the past decade, which seeks to promote Chi- places like Chicago, so the see an overall increase, Simp- the number of Chinese and nese language and culture in recent pattern represents son predicted that Latinos will Taiwanese immigrants saw the city. somewhat of a reversal of gain political power through an increase in Chicago. “More Chinese are do- past trends, he added. the redistricting process. The number climbed ing business now, so more “New York and San Fran- Latinos have been under- 14 percent from 24,000 in students can afford to come cisco are so populated that represented because their 2000 to 27,450 in 2009, to the U.S. to study,” said competition is high among voting population is reduced shows a Chicago Reporter Tong, citing China’s passing Chinese businesses,” Tong by citizenship barriers and low analysis of census data. of India last year as the top said. “In the past 10 years, turnout, he said. But that will Statewide, the number country of origin for interna- we have seen more people change over the next decade of Chinese and Taiwanese tional students in the United move from the coastal areas as Latinos have the largest immigrants increased from States. “And more Chinese to Chicago.” young population. “That’s a 56,000 in 2000 to 69,700 in can sponsor their family —Philip Jacobson sign of increasing strength,” Simpson said. “They will be a legitimate third partner in the political system.” Have you seen our blog? Go to www.chicagonow.com/muckrakers —Samantha Winslow

6 THE CHICAGO REPORTER | March/April 2011 Disabled minorities out of work The news: resented less than a half percent of the total disabled population compared with Illinois’ monthly unemployment rate Disabling rates one-quarter for African Americans. dropped consecutively in 2010 starting Of the disabled people in the work- Though experts forecast better in March, and a recent survey by the force, black people also hold the highest employment rates this year, Employer Associations of America shows rate of unemployment, with 1 in 4 out numbers show that in Illinois, people that hiring will continue to increase this of work. Disabled Asian unemployment with disabilities continue to have a year throughout the state. stands at 18 percent, while for those difficult time finding jobs. identified as “other” and of “two or more Behind the news: races,” the numbers are 25 percent and Disabled Unemployed Total Despite the optimism, disabled 20 percent, respectively. people in workforce unemployed people in Illinois continue to struggle to “Profound unemployment of people Black 25% 76% find employment at staggering rates. The with disabilities is not new and is a White 14% 62% numbers are amplified when compound- phenomenon that is centuries old,” said ed by race. Among those in the work- Amber Smock, a policy advocate at Ac- Latino 13% 61% force, 16 percent of disabled people are cess Living, a Chicago-based disability unemployed compared with 9 percent of advocacy organization. “If you consider Source: American Community Survey people who are not disabled. But among women or people of color with dis- all disabled people—both in and out of abilities, the bias against hiring has been action to improve support for employ- the workforce—nearly 2 of 3 people are even stronger.” ment. “This means [to] improve educa- without a job. Smock said in an e-mail that the tion opportunities, improve job oppor- The numbers are worse when you causes for disability discrimination are tunities, improve housing opportunities, consider race. Of all disabled people who deeply rooted in stereotypical hiring prac- improve health care opportunities and are black, 76 percent don’t have a job— tices. When combined with traditional personal development opportunities. All the second highest rate among all racial minority bias, the challenge becomes of these areas contribute to successful and ethnic groups. Native Americans had even more overwhelming, she added. employment,” she said. the highest percentage, though they rep- Smock sees these figures as a call to —A.Jay Wagner

White candidates can count on white votes The news: ‘consensus candidate.’ They general elections, and it rose just didn’t publicly acknowl- to as high as 97 percent, A Chicago Tribune/WGN poll White vote edge it.” which happened in 1991. showed Rahm Emanuel as Chicago’s white voters But the joke turned into But Chicago political the front runner in the race don’t need to name a a question: Do white voters pundit Don Washington, to be the city’s next mayor, consensus candidate. rally behind white politi- creator of the Mayoral Tuto- with a wide lead among They typically vote for cians? rial, warns that economic white voters. white candidates. It turns out the answer is divisions may split this elec- yes. The Reporter analyzed tion’s white vote between White wards voting for Behind the news: every Chicago mayoral elec- Gery Chico and Emanuel. white candidates Gathered around the tion from 1983 to 2007, and “There’s also a class table at Carter’s Barbershop 1983 84% found that majority white thing going on here. Gery in North Lawndale, The Chi- 1987 85% wards voted for white candi- Chico has garnered all four cago Reporter’s staff fiercely 1989 93% dates 89 percent of the time. police endorsements,” debated on its weekly radio 1991 97% During that span of time, Washington said. “He’s got show whether there’s such 1995 92% the number of voters in a lot of white middle class a thing as a consensus 1999 93% majority black wards who supporters who will help candidate for mayor for voted for a candidate of decide the election.” Chicago’s black and Latino 2003 89% their own color decreased— So it looks like communities. 2007 84% from 96 percent in 1983 to @anybodybutrahm was Listeners chimed in on Source: The Board of Election 36 percent in 2003. onto something. Perhaps Twitter. But one particular Commissioners for the City of Chicago But the percentage of that’s because, in Chicago, comment made everyone voters in white wards voting the tradition is clear: The laugh. @anybodybutrahm: “Rahm, for white candidates re- white consensus is to vote It came from the Re- Daley & The Machine effec- mained steady—84 percent for the white candidate. porter’s Twitter follower tively made Rahm the white in both the 1983 and 2007 —Megan Cottrell

WWW.CHICAGOREPORTER.COM | THE CHICAGO REPORTER 7 Q&A Ahlam Mahmood

An Iraq War refugee labors to ease the pains of her people.

Ahlam Mahmood (left) and Beth Ann Toupin use the Iraqi Mutual Aid Society to smooth the transition into American life for Chicago’s Iraqi refugees. Photo by Joe Gallo. Bridging the gulf By Louis McGill

Ahlam Mahmood has long been compelled to help her fel- her. A day after her arrival, low Iraqis. For more info she began helping Iraqi Her first stab at humanitarian aid work came shortly after refugees who had similarly the war began in her homeland in 2003. But her effort came to To learn more about the Iraqi been resettled here. a screeching halt in 2005, when she and her family had to flee Mutual Aid Society’s work, go Within weeks, through the country to escape the violence. to www.iraqimutualaid.org. her Amnesty Internation- Her family eventually resettled in Damascus, Syria. There, al contacts, Mahmood ap- Mahmood resumed her social work—this time for the Iraqi proached Beth Ann Toupin refugee community. But it was again thwarted when she was about creating the Iraqi Mutual Aid Society to help Iraqi refu- jailed by the Syrian intelligence agency for refusing to spy on gees. It all began with operating with one cell phone, no stor- the aid workers and journalists operating there. It took five age space and no help. They ran meetings out of Mahmood’s months and the hard work of friends at Amnesty International studio apartment. Two years later, Mahmood and Toupin are to secure her release. working out of their own office space and enlisting the help Soon afterward, Mahmood and her family were relocated of volunteers. to Chicago as refugees, with nothing but the clothes on their Mahmood explains that Chicago is the second largest city in backs. But Mahmood didn’t let the new surroundings deter the U.S. for Iraqi refugees, behind Detroit. The city has become

8 THE CHICAGO REPORTER | March/April 2011 home to roughly 3,000 people from the war-torn country, and will find any kind of jobs. Sooner or later, we find that the Iraqis about 10 new families arrive every month. Nationally, about will listen to other Iraqis. 34,500 people have been resettled between 2006 and 2009. The state-funded resettlement agencies are able to help for How did you begin community organizing? the first eight months, providing training and other services, but with their funding dropping to a third of what it was a de- The start was the war. When a lot of civilians were killed, cade ago, and the number of refugees climbing, they are under around the beginning of the war, my house ran out of drinkable too much strain to help past that point. water. So, I try to reach one of my cousin’s houses to get water This is where the Iraqi Mutual Aid Society comes in. The from his house, and I see people who are dead—families, men, agency provides clothing and other necessities from a store of women, children. So I ask my cousins to help me to bury them, donated items, offers advice on finding work and where to buy to honor them. We had bombs that hadn’t exploded in our fields. food, and teaches refugees how to access a network that the And at this point I recognized that if we didn’t do anything, no Iraqi people have slowly built up. one would do anything to help us. Not a dime of funding for the agency comes from the lo- I found a job at the Iraqi Assistance Center, and I took it. I was cal, state or federal government. Grants and donations from appointed as a city council member in 2004. It gave me strength organizations across the country have allowed it to grow to to carry on and continue my work when I saw the people after this point. But Mahmood and Toupin haven’t been able to pay they had suffered, so I was trying to help them out, because they themselves—even after continuing to devote 40 to 60 hours are good people and they have suffered a lot. a week of their time. The Chicago Reporter recently sat down with Mahmood to What has your experience been creating this discuss her work. organization? How have the Iraqi refugees been treated in Before I came here, I was working for the humanitarian aid America? in Syria. So when I came here, the people I know and helped in Syria—they heard about me and asked, ‘Can you help me out to I’m proud to say that everything here, everything that’s been find my way in this strange city?’ So they came in and told me donated to the people for the last year and a half—it’s always about their difficulties. And I’m the person who they think I have been from the individual. We have nothing from the government. this magical stick and I will fix everything in one second. I’m proud that this is what the American people have done to Basically, I’m here. Everyone knows me from the first step. You help out the Iraqi refugees. cannot change all the minds, but we are building trust, and this is And refugees in most of the other states, they don’t have the the difference. The new families—they came to us and asked for same things that refugees have here. So we find some people are help. Now people are coming to us, because they trust us. moving from their states to Chicago. But I cannot ever deny that we would never have anything without Beth Ann. Most of the Iraqis know just me, because of Why do Iraqi refugees have a problem trusting the language barrier. She is the one who handles the paperwork; the resettlement agencies? she’s the one who’s organizing things. I make a thousand excus- es just to run away from it. It’s because of bad experiences with humanitarian organiza- So this is it. We are two hearts wanting to do some good for tion. In Iraq, we didn’t have any nongovernmental organizations these people who have suffered a lot. before 2003. All of a sudden there were hundreds of agencies. They were not trained. They don’t know anything about hu- Who has the most difficulty adjusting? manitarian work there. They didn’t know how to reach the people and understand their problems. They were in their offices. And Everyone is different about adjusting to the life here, but the humanitarian work is to go between the people and recognize most difficult ones are the teenagers. They lived much of their their needs and make a solution for it. It is not an office job. lives where there was dictatorship. If they did something, they When they came to the United States, they also had prob- would get hurt; even if they did nothing, they would get hurt. But lems. They say, ‘You will get a job in no time. You will have a nice they came here, and they find everything in front of them. Their home. Everyone will have a bedroom.’ They show us pictures of head is not adjusting to this life. I tell the resettlement agencies, a woman in front of a car, as if I would come to the United States ‘Don’t let the youth get into trouble and then tell them this is and find all this in front of me. wrong. Don’t make them learn the hard way. Create a group for them. Tell them what is right and wrong here.’ It’s a totally differ- Is it difficult for refugees to find work in Chicago? ent culture from what they had. It’s about a cultural mood in the Iraqi community. Like when Do people plan on moving back? they came here and had a cleaning job, they say, ‘I will never go on that cleaning job.’ Because down there, it would be a shame- Whoever wants to return has already returned. The rest of ful job that anyone can hold. They don’t have the understanding them are looking for a good life. now that there is nothing called shame. You have to have a job to survive. You have to have the job for your children. What more can the United States do to help? Here, if I start as a cleaner, I can end at the top of the company because there are people who appreciate your hard work. Extend the help for the refugee for more than eight months. If people can change their mind from that image to this one, of In this economy, everyone knows that it’s not easy to find a job course they will choose it. in eight months. We have people who are willing to recertify as This is one of the points that we were dealing with when the doctors or engineers or pharmacists or dentists, and this takes new arrivals came in. After three months, they will forget it. They a long time. n

WWW.CHICAGOREPORTER.COM | THE CHICAGO REPORTER 9 COVER STORY Child Sex Offenders

These toys belong to a child care facility in the basement of a North Lawndale house. A convicted sexual predator lives on the second floor of the same building and is listed as “compliant” with Illinois law requiring him to register. Photo by Joe Gallo.

10 THE CHICAGO REPORTER | March/April 2011 An offender among us In Chicago, hundreds of child sex offenders are violating a state law by living within 500 feet of a child care facility, playground or school. And law enforcement agencies are failing to enforce the law.

By Jeff Kelly Lowenstein

aKicia Brown walks with a confident stride, but violating the state’s residency rule by living within 500 feet her eyes are laced with worry. A veteran educa- of a school, playground or licensed child care facility, The Chi- tor with a decade’s experience before she opened cago Reporter found. And they are doing so with impunity, as the Loren Children’s Learning Center in the South the state’s law enforcement agencies have done little to crack Shore neighborhood in 2006, Brown thought she down on these violators. knew all the issues that should concern her. The Reporter’s analysis shows that these violations oc- But she didn’t realize until recently that James Lilly lived curred in communities across the city but happened most of- Lnext door to her facility. Or that Alan Campbell and Roderick ten in poor and black neighborhoods. Wesley lived on the next block on South Merrill Avenue. The Reporter interviewed nearly a dozen local and state All three men are convicted child sex offenders—and they elected officials, but few seemed aware of the high number are violating a state law by of violations. This could be living less than 500 feet away in part because online sex of- from Brown’s facility. Yet, the fender registries maintained men are listed as “compliant” Power Points by the Illinois State Police and on the state’s sex offender An Illinois law prohibits child sex offenders from living the City of Chicago are effec- registry. within 500 feet of child care facilities, schools and tive in flagging only a small “It’s definitely a concern playgrounds. But The Chicago Reporter found that: number of violations. because we are dealing with A vast majority of viola- children,” Brown said. “You In Chicago, 45 percent of child sex offenders are tions are likely to be over- never really know what’s go- violating the residency rule. Close to half of these looked since the registries, ing to happen so we take the offenders lived within 500 feet of two or more while allowing their users to necessary precautions to make facilities. search sex offenders by prox- sure [sexual abuse] doesn’t Nearly 700 child sex offenders listed as “compliant” imity to schools and parks, happen here.” on the sex offender registry maintained by the Illinois do not take into account the These measures include State Police are violating the residency rule. locations of more than 3,300 putting locks on the build- licensed child care facilities in ing’s front and back doors, These violations occurred across the city the city. installing video cameras in but happened more often in poor and black The state police’s registry the facility and having the neighborhoods. even labels 693 offenders who children play in an enclosed Law enforcement agencies are doing little to stop are violating the residency back yard. these violations. rule in Chicago as “compli- Many other facilities may ant.” More than 40 percent need to take similar precau- For more information about the people and organizations of these offenders, in fact, tions. we write about, go to www.chicagoreporter.com. live within 500 feet of two or In Chicago, 797 child sex more facilities. offenders and predators are And law enforcement

WWW.CHICAGOREPORTER.COM | THE CHICAGO REPORTER 11 COVER STORY Child Sex Offenders

LaKicia Brown sits with some students from the Loren Children’s Learning Center in the South Shore neighborhood. Brown has taken additional security measures after learning that three convicted child sex offenders live within 500 feet of the facility. Photo by Joe Gallo.

agencies can produce little evidence that they have been vigi- “The safety of children is always first and foremost as it lant in enforcing the residency rule in the city. relates to public safety,” he said. “If this is some kind of under- The Chicago Police Department declined to respond to the current under the radar, we need to address it aggressively.” Reporter’s repeated requests for comment on the issue. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said it does not tally llinois law states that child sex offenders may not know- how many violations it has been alerted to by local police de- ingly live within 500 feet of a school, playground or “child partments. The office also said it filed two charges against res- Icare institution, child care center, part-day child care fa- idency violators in 2008, four in 2009 and just one in 2010. cility, or a facility providing programs or services exclusively This lack of enforcement dismayed state Sen. Iris Martinez, directed toward persons under 18 years of age.” whose district had 34 offenders violating the residency rule. When sex offenders are released from prison, the Illinois “We have laws in place because we are trying to protect our Department of Corrections is initially responsible for making children,” Martinez said. “Once again, we say to law enforce- sure that their new residence meets the state’s residency rule, ment, ‘They’ve got to put their money and their resources to said Cara Smith, the department’s chief of staff. what is most important.’ In Chicago, sex offenders must register within three days “It is not acceptable that we take this attitude. It could of their release with the police department, and, depending on mean that the life of a child could be saved,” she said. their offense, re-register every three or 12 months. Polly Poskin, executive director of the Illinois Coalition The Chicago Police Department declined repeated requests Against Sexual Assault, a Springfield, Ill.-based advocacy for information about whether it checks the residency rule as group, acknowledged the scarcity of resources available but part of offenders’ registration. warned that the consequences of abuse demand vigilance on Offenders who fulfill their registration responsibilities are the issue. “Living in an era of diminished resources can lead listed as “compliant” by the state police on its sex offender to complacency about accountability,” she said. “Once sexual registry, said Isaiah Vega, a department spokesman. abuse occurs, what a tremendous drain that is on people’s But being identified as compliant means nothing for the ability to function the way they would like and what a loss residency rule. that is to the community and the society at large.” In Chicago, 44 percent of 1,573 child sex offenders who are Alderman Anthony Beale, whose 9th Ward had 37 residency identified as compliant lived within 500 feet of a school, play- rule violators, the city’s sixth-highest total, echoed the concern ground or licensed child care facility. So did 335, or 44 per- and called for action, legislative or otherwise, to be taken. cent, of the city’s 755 sexual “predators,” a group of offenders

12 THE CHICAGO REPORTER | March/April 2011 A look at the violators Double whammy Child sex offenders were far more likely to live within 500 feet of child care facilities than In Chicago, nearly 800 child sex offenders and predators are violating the playgrounds or schools. state’s residency rule by living within 500 feet of a school, playground or child care facility. About 87 percent of them are labeled “compliant” by the Violating the residency requirement online sex offender registry maintained by the Illinois State Police. These Type # Facilities # Violations % violations happened most often and at higher percentages in predominantly black neighborhoods or in communities with median incomes below the Child care center 3,324 776 23% citywide median. Playground 462 19 4% School 664 15 2% Child sex offenders In violation Offenders labeled “compliant” with their Not in violation registration requirement were almost as likely to Race of community violate the residency rule as those who were not. Black Compliant vs. noncompliant Mixed Latino Registration # Offenders # Violators % White Compliant 1,573 693 44% Asian Noncompliant 215 104 48%

Each of the Illinois Senate districts with the highest number of offenders violating the state’s residency rule had at least 75 such offenders. Illinois Senate districts with most violations District Senator # Violations 16 Jacqueline Y. Collins 113 Both the number of 14 Emil Jones, III 97 child care facilities 5 Rickey R. Hendon 89 and the total number of child 17 Donne E. Trotter 89 sex offenders are 3 Mattie Hunter 75 disproportionately high in predominantly Each of the Illinois House of Representatives black communities. districts with the highest number of offenders Sex offenders in violation, violating the rule had at least 50 such offenders. by race of community area llinois House districts with most violations

4% White District Senator # Violations 12% Latino 64% 32 André M. Thapedi 61 21% Mixed Black 33 Marlow H. Colvin 59 10 Annazette Collins 58 28 Robert Rita 56 Note: Numbers do not add up to 100 percent because of rounding. 6 Esther Golar 53

Methodology More than one in four of all offenders living within 500 feet of a child care facility lived in five The Chicago Reporter obtained the data on child sex offenders living in Chicago from the Illinois Sex Offender Registry maintained by the Illinois State Police. of the city’s 50 wards. The Reporter also took information from the Chicago Park District, the Chi- Chicago wards with most violations cago Public Schools and the Sunshine Illinois Accountability Project to build a database of locations for licensed child care facilities, schools and playgrounds Ward Alderman # Violations in the city. Mapping software was used to determine whether offenders listed 17 Latasha R. Thomas 50 in the registry were violating Illinois’ residency rule by living within 500 feet 34 Carrie M. Austin 48 of a child care facility, school or playground. A few addresses, however, could not be read by the software. Thus, for the analysis, they were presumed to be 15 Toni Foulkes 46 in compliance with the residency rule. The number of violators in the analysis 7 Sandi Jackson 45 could include some offenders who are exempt from the residency rule by having owned a property prior to their conviction for sexual crimes. 21 Howard B. Brookins, Jr. 41

WWW.CHICAGOREPORTER.COM | THE CHICAGO REPORTER 13 COVER STORY Child Sex Offenders

A child walks along a street in the North Lawndale neighborhood. The disproportionately high number of child sex offenders and child care facilities in predominantly black neighborhoods is contributing to a high number of residency rule violators in those communities. Photo by Joe Gallo.

who have been convicted of more serious crimes than child neither of whom violated the residency rule. sex offenders. In all, 64 percent of all residency rule violations occurred in These violations happened most often and at higher per- predominantly black neighborhoods, compared with 12 percent centages in communities with median incomes below the in Latino communities and 4 percent in white neighborhoods. citywide median, the Reporter analysis found. The same trend Of the city’s 77 community areas, 35 percent were predom- occurred in predominantly black neighborhoods. inantly black, according to a Reporter analysis of census data. In the West Side’s Austin neighborhood, for example, 66 of Majority-Latino communities made up 16 percent, while 19 84—or 79 percent—of child sex offenders identified as com- percent of the neighborhoods were predominantly white. pliant are violating the residency rule—the highest number in This range in compliance levels is caused in large part by the city. The Auburn Gresham neighborhood has 38 of 45—or the fact that more sex offenders live in black communities, 84 percent—of its offenders in the same circumstances. Both and more licensed child care facilities are also located in those communities had median incomes below the city’s, and both neighborhoods. Black communities had 57 percent of all li- areas are predominantly black. censed child care facilities in Chicago, compared with just 11 By contrast, Forest Glen, a predominantly white neighbor- percent in Latino neighborhoods and 6 percent in white areas. hood on the Far Northwest Side that had a median income But Maria Whelan, president of Illinois Action for Chil- significantly higher than the city’s, had just two offenders, dren, a Chicago-based children’s advocacy group, said the

14 THE CHICAGO REPORTER | March/April 2011 Yet, online sex offender registries fail to pay close attention to locations of child care facilities. The city’s registry can be searched for sex offenders’ locations by ward, school, park or address but not by child care facility. The state police’s registry shows the locations of each sex offender, along with icons for each park and school in the state, but there are no similar icons for child care facilities. Alderman Beale said that absence should end. “If you’ve got parks and schools, you should have child care [facilities] also,” he said. Vega of the state police said the placement of any icons identifying schools and parks goes beyond the law’s mandates. Concerned people can enter the address of the child care facility and identify the number of offenders living within a 500- foot radius, he said. Ann Spillane, chief of staff at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, said child care facilities should be included on the site as part of giving the public as much information as possible. Besides the lack of information about child care facilities and playgrounds, the state police’s registry can be mislead- ing. On the site, the word “compliant” simply means that the offenders have complied with state law by registering at pre- scribed intervals. The offenders’ compliance status has nothing to do with whether they are complying with the residency rule, which is monitored by local police, Vega said. As a result, the offenders could literally be living in the same building as a child care facility and still be listed as compliant. The Reporter discovered one such instance in Chicago. But such information is apparently not shared regularly among relevant agencies. Spillane said that’s been an ongoing problem. “We should be using the computer technology that’s available to us and allowing people to see through mapping where child care facilities are and where ex-offenders live,” she said. “We have struggled for years to have all relevant agencies talk to each other and exchange data on a regular basis so that the public can go and be armed.” The lack of child care facility data on online registries is a case in point. DCFS maintains a list of licensed child care facilities in the state on the Sunshine Illinois site. Kendall Marlowe, a DCFS spokesman, said his department “regularly responds” to requests from law enforcement agencies for lists of child care facilities but does not share it with the state police or the City of Chicago on an ongoing basis. Such problems reveal an inadequate system, Martinez said. number of violations may actually be higher. She added that no law enforcement agency is taking sufficient The Illinois Department of Human Services found that 35 responsibility to change this untenable situation. She said she percent of Chicago children less than 4 years old were in child plans to “see what we have in current law, looking to see if it’s care provided informally by friends, family and neighbors—in a matter of amending or enforcement.” facilities that were not licensed with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. pinions differ widely about the effectiveness of resi- Whelan said the 1996 passage of welfare reform and many dency restrictions in keeping children safe. single mothers’ unpredictable work schedules have created a O Ed Yohnka, communications and public policy di- market for child care providers in the community who can meet rector at the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, main- the needs of people with constantly changing work hours. tained that the law has the opposite of its intended effect. By The number of people whose occupation was indicated as giving offenders so few places in which to live, he said, the “day care” in the census rose 14 percent in Chicago from 17,790 legislation makes them less likely to register and essentially in 2005 to 20,240 in 2009—at twice the growth rate of all jobs drives them underground. in the city, according to a Reporter analysis of census data. Jill Levenson, an associate professor at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., has written a number of studies that have he vast majority of residency rule violators—767, or shown that residency restrictions have no connection to re- 94 percent—live near child care facilities. Just 15 of the duced rates of child sexual abuse. “There doesn’t seem to be Tviolators were near schools, while another 31 live near any real statistical correlation between proximity to a school playgrounds. Continued on page 18.

WWW.CHICAGOREPORTER.COM | THE CHICAGO REPORTER 15 COVER STORY Best Practices Reforming the abuser Experts say education, treating offenders will bring better results

By Megan Cottrell program are evaluated by a profession- ward fulfilling that mission.” al, who assesses them for recidivism But just focusing on convicted sex risks and directs them toward the best offenders won’t end child sexual abuse, essica, Sarah, Megan, Amie. Each treatment options. They then partici- Slagle said. Parents especially need to be name represents a victim of child pate in group therapy, which helps them educated on how to prevent their child sexual abuse and law named after identify what Deming calls “cognitive from being a victim and to spot the signs that victim. Sex offender registries, distortions”—ways of thinking that may of an abuser. J residency restrictions, community no- lead sex offenders to justify their abuse. Slagle said the “stranger danger” con- tifications—all put into place by grieving Once offenders are deemed eligible for cept of child sexual abuse is largely false. communities desperate to prevent these parole, Deming and his team help them Most children are abused by someone tragedies from happening again. find stable housing that meets Indiana’s they or their family know, she said. Even According to the Association for the 1,000-foot residency restrictions and in cases where an abuser snatches a child Treatment of Sexual Abusers, 30 states also assist in their continued recovery. from a playground or school, residency have enacted restrictions on where con- “We want them living with another restrictions may fail to prevent it. victed sex offenders can live, typically healthy person, rather than living with “Just because he can’t live by the restricting them from residing within someone who has behavior that will school doesn’t mean he can’t drive by 500 to 2,000 feet of places where chil- likely lead them back into a life of crime,” the school and snatch that child,” Slagle dren frequent. But while those laws may Deming said. said. “Those particular individuals tend be well-intentioned, they may not be Once offenders are living in the com- to offend a mile away from their home.” particularly effective, experts say. munity, they are required to continue Slagle points to studies in several states that show residency restrictions for sex offenders do nothing to prevent ‘People assume that sex offending is a crimes. A 2007 study by the Colorado Department of Corrections showed no crime of proximity. That is not correct. It’s a crime of evidence that residency restrictions pre- relationship.’ —Margie Slagle, Ohio Justice and Policy Center vent repeat sex crimes. In a similar study in Minnesota, researchers concluded that none of the 224 sex offenders who were “People assume that sex offending is therapy and undergo regular polygraph convicted of a repeat crime would have a crime of proximity. That is not correct. tests. The program also makes sure that been prevented by such restrictions. It’s a crime of relationship,” said Margie the people they come in contact with— But providing funds to programs like Slagle, an attorney who specializes in the parole officers, counselors, employers— Darkness to Light, a sexual abuse educa- child sexual abuse issue at the Ohio Jus- are aware of the best ways to help them tion program, could help keep children tice and Policy Center. keep from reoffending. safe. Studies on Darkness to Light have Instead, Slagle said, more attention All this concentrated treatment and proven its effectiveness in helping par- should be paid to two strategies that monitoring has paid off. Deming said a ents identify the patterns of child sexual work: education and treatment. study of released sex offenders in Indi- abuse. Slagle said understanding the way “We need to provide treatment for ana showed a 1.7 percent recidivism rate sexual abuse happens has even changed sex offenders, the appropriate treatment for sexual crimes, compared with 3 per- how she parents her own children. to assure they don’t reoffend,” she said. cent to 8 percent in other states. Despite “My son used to take guitar lessons, “And we need to educate parents so they the program’s success, only a handful of and I used to drop my son off at a church know what to look for.” states require treatment or provide ser- for lessons and leave him with a per- Some states, like Indiana, have made vices for sex offenders. fect stranger,” Slagle said. “Just because headway in dealing with sex offenders. “A few states offer community treat- he teaches at a church is meaningless. The Indiana Sex Offender Management ment, but very few states have the con- Sometimes, we, as parents, don’t realize and Monitoring Program was launched tinuum of services that span across the we are putting our children at risk.” in 1999 with significant results. Adam entire spectrum of prison to communi- Slagle understands that child sexual Deming, the program’s executive direc- ty,” Deming said. abuse is every parent’s nightmare but tor, said it uses a three-step approach to Even in times of meager state bud- hopes that future legislative action and help treat sex offenders: risk assessment, gets, when funding programs for sexual funding won’t just be a reaction—but treatment and community supervision. offenders may not be particularly popu- follow what research has shown is ef- “The biggest myth out there is that lar, Deming said programs like his are an fective. sex offenders cannot be treated success- important investment. “If we invested in programs that are fully, and that all sex offenders are likely “The primary mission of our program proven to work,” she said, “we could sig- to go on to commit new sex crimes,” De- is public safety and reducing the occur- nificantly reduce child sexual assault.” ming said. rence of sexual violence in the commu- Sex offenders who go through the nity,” he said. “This program is vital to- [email protected]

16 THE CHICAGO REPORTER | March/April 2011 INVESTIGATION Late Paychecks

Maria Ortiz couldn’t figure out how to feed her family when her paychecks stopped arriving on time from her employer. It turns out that the nonprofit had a history of paying workers late, even when the company had money. Photo by Joe Gallo. Payday roulette Workers’ paychecks withheld more often than not at local nonprofit

By Megan Cottrell North Side. But that day, as her first by one ASI employee from October 2008 grandchild begged for food, Ortiz didn’t to November 2010 about when they re- get her paycheck. She didn’t get one two ceived their checks. A letter reportedly aria Ortiz held the cry- weeks earlier, either. Or two weeks be- sent to employees was posted on a blog ing newborn in her arms, fore that. that indicated that each payroll for the rocking her back and forth Ortiz and her co-workers at ASI have company’s 400-person workforce costs to try to get her to sleep. been getting late paychecks for the past about $225,500. MBut the baby wouldn’t quiet down; she two years. In some cases, management The Reporter’s analysis found that was hungry. held lotteries to determine who got paid ASI paid its workers late 75 percent of Ortiz kept rocking, knowing there or made workers beg for their checks, the time during the past two years for was no formula in the house to feed her employees said. which the Reporter had data. Even when granddaughter. Management blames the delays on the state paid ASI enough money to make “I didn’t have any money,” she said, late payments from the state. But a Chi- payroll, its workers still didn’t get their her voice trembling as her eyes filled cago Reporter investigation found that’s money on time 75 percent of the time. with tears. not necessarily the case. ASI Executive Director Rebecca Cruz Ortiz should have had money. She The Reporter obtained the state’s said the company only pays its workers worked full-time as a home health care payment records from the comptroller’s late when the state doesn’t pay on time. aide for ASI, a nonprofit on Chicago’s office and compared them to records kept She said the company is just now being

WWW.CHICAGOREPORTER.COM | THE CHICAGO REPORTER 17 INVESTIGATION Late Paychecks

OFFENDERS Continued from page 15 or child care facility and an offender’s likelihood of reoffending,” Lev- ‘[Cruz is] picking and choosing who she enson said. wants to pay—her favorites. If she felt your situation But state Sen. Jacqueline Collins rejected the notion that offenders was bad enough, she felt so sorry for you, she would living so close to a child care facility did not present a risk to children, give you your check.’ —Edna Jackson, ASI employee noting that the majority of child abductors strike close to their own neighborhoods. More often than not, reimbursed for invoices submitted four she said, those neighbors are black. months ago. Registries can give parents a “We are a not-for-profit,” Cruz said. All work, no pay false sense of security, said Margie “The majority of our clients are paid ASI officials blame payroll issues Slagle, an attorney who specializes for by the state. We have to wait for the on late payments from the state, in the child sexual abuse issue at state to pay us.” but The Chicago Reporter found that the Ohio Justice and Policy Center. Cruz’s employees have tried to get workers were still paid late when This can deter parents from learn- help from the state itself. Illinois law the company received state money. ing about the issue, she said. She says that financial hardship is not a valid endorsed an approach in which of- basis for late payments, and employers Payments to ASI employees when fenders are assessed by psycholo- must follow the payroll schedule it sets company was paid on time by state gists for their risk of reoffending, with employees. rather than subjected to a uniform Currently, the only recourse for work- residency restriction. ers is to file a claim with the Illinois De- Levenson said Illinois’ residency partment of Labor. But Kassie Beyer, ad- 25% paid on time rule is lenient, with many other vocate for ASI’s employees at the Service states and municipalities using dis- Employees International Union, said the workers paid tances of 2,000 or even 2,500 feet. process is “slow and rarely effective.” late 75% of The Reporter found that offend- “Each missing check ends up being the time ers were prohibited from living in 34 filed separately, and as soon as ASI pays percent of the city’s total area. This up, the claim disappears,” Beyer said. analysis did not distinguish between “There is no penalty to the company,” residential and commercial areas of As of January, 12 complaints have the city. been filed with the Illinois Department Sources: Illinois Office of the Comptroller, ASI; Alderman Beale pushed for of Labor concerning ASI. All have been analyzed by The Chicago Reporter higher levels of compliance with the about late pay, with the majority resolved existing law. “If I have to round up before the state had to intervene. my state lawmakers, I’ll do it,” Beale A new law, which went into effect Jan. SEIU and ARISE Chicago to unionize. said. 1, allows the state to fine companies that Late paychecks also have created di- Alderman Leslie Hairston, whose pay their workers late and also allows visions between employees, said Edna 5th Ward includes much of the workers to collect interest on their late Jackson, who has worked for ASI for six South Shore neighborhood, where pay. But because workers often receive years. Jackson said Cruz cut checks for the Loren Child Care Center is locat- their late pay before the state has time to employees that she knows. ed, called for regular briefings from process their claim, it won’t likely have “[Cruz is] picking and choosing who the police to the aldermen about the an effect, Beyer said. she wants to pay—her favorites,” she registry so that they can help keep But the problem is that people said. “If she felt your situation was bad their constituents informed. chronically receive late paychecks, not enough, she felt so sorry for you, she Back at the Center, Brown calls that they’re not getting paid at all. Rep. would give you your check.” firmly to Tristan, a preschooler, to Harry Osterman said he tried to arrange Cruz said she has never cut im- sit on a chair before turning to smile for ASI to be put on an expedited pay- promptu checks. tenderly at a boy who thanks her for ment system with the state. In addition, The uncertainty has caused some sharpening his pencil. While saying Adam Kader, a labor organizer for ARISE employees to find other work. Ortiz was that she does not endorse forcing Chicago, said Osterman’s office arranged fired from her job at ASI in late Decem- offenders from the community, she a conference call with ASI and the state, ber. She said it was difficult to have her also does not support compromis- but Cruz didn’t participate. position taken away. She worries about ing on the existing statute. “Kids are Cruz denies that she was ever invit- her clients and is concerned about find- the first priority,” she said. “Adults ed to such a meeting, and she said she ing another job in the current economy. are here to protect them.” would attend any meeting or conference But she couldn’t take the stress of never call that would help her pay her employ- knowing if she was going to receive a Contributing: Angela Caputo, Kimbriell ees. Osterman confirms that he has tried paycheck. Kelly and Alden Loury. Allison Griner, Louis to help ASI employees get their pay- “It was too much,” Ortiz said. “I work, McGill and A. Jay Wagner helped research checks on time. and I should get paid. If they won’t pay this article. Cruz said complaints about late pay me, I can’t work there.” are coming from a small minority of [email protected] workers who are being pressured by [email protected]

18 THE CHICAGO REPORTER | March/April 2011 COVER STORY Best Practices

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PARTING SHOT Museum of Science and Industry

January 30, 2011 Jeon Kimbrough of Lynwood, Ill., adds his signature to an art installation at the Museum of Science and Industry’s Black Creativity exhibition commemorating lynching victims. The museum’s Black Creativity program celebrates its 40th year this year and runs through March 20. Photo by Jason Reblando.