Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Monday, February 13, 2017.
- Chance the Rapper rules the Grammys with three wins including Best New Artist, Best Rap Album
Chance the Rapper took home three Grammy Awards Sunday evening: Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance for “No Problem,” and Best Rap Album for Coloring Book. It’s the first time that a Grammy has gone to a streaming-only album—they weren’t even eligible before this year. “Glory be to God, I claim this victory in the name of the Lord!” the Jones College Prep alumnus said as he accepted the Best New Artist Award. “I wanna thank God for my mother and my father who supported me since I was young . . . and for Chicago!” [Sun-Times]
- Cop who shot Quintonio LeGrier, Bettie Jones won’t be charged in their deaths
Chicago police officer Robert Rialmo won’t face criminal charges for the shooting deaths of 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier and 55-year-old Bettie Jones just after Christmas Day 2015. Cook County prosecutors issued a statement saying that “it could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer didn’t believe he or his partner were in ‘imminent danger’ of great bodily harm from LeGrier,” who was holding a baseball bat, according to the Tribune. Rialmo accidentally shot Jones, who was LeGrier’s neighbor, but under Illinois law isn’t liable for accidentally killing an innocent bystander while acting in self-defense. [Tribune]
- State rep Christian Mitchell: Illinois should ban bond money
Democratic state rep Christian Mitchell has introduced legislation to ban the use of money bond in Illinois courts. Under the Equal Justice for All Act, nonviolent offenders would be released on their own recognizance and given support before trial to ensure that they appear for future court dates. Ninety-five percent of Cook County Jail inmates are waiting for their trials, and 62 percent can’t afford to post bond money, according to Mitchell. “The presumption of innocent before proven guilty is a cornerstone of the American judicial system,” Mitchell said. “In our current system, whether or not someone is in jail [pending trial] has more to do with wealth than risk.” [DNAinfo Chicago]
- 71 percent of people stopped by Chicago police officers are black
Around 71 percent of the people stopped by Chicago cops are black, but black Chicagoans aren’t more likely to be found with drugs or weapons than people of any other race, according to a Sun-Times investigation. Many stops take place because the person “fit the description of a criminal suspect, were found near the scene of a crime, or acted in a manner deemed ‘indicative’ of drug dealing,” the newspaper reports. Sixth Ward alderman Roderick Sawyer, the chairman of the City Council Black Caucus, says that many south-side residents would like the police to search for guns more, but it’s concerning that CPD officers might still stop Chicagoans without “reasonable suspicion” of a crime. [Sun-Times]
- How a Northwestern Memorial Hospital surgeon is training Chicagoans to be first responders to violence
Dr. Mamta Swaroop has treated many south-side shooting victims at Northwestern Memorial Hospital because it’s the nearest hospital with a trauma center. “I had patient after patient bleeding out, coming from the south side of Chicago,” she told Vice News. “And I wasn’t able to save them. They would die, they would either be dead on arrival or die on my trauma bay.” Before University of Chicago Hospitals opens its long-awaited trauma center, Swaroop is offering first-responder training to south-siders who want to help victims in the critical moments after a shooting. “We are recognizing that having people right there who are able to help their fellow citizens, turning people from citizens to immediate responders, is a way of reducing morbidity and mortality,” she said. [Vice News]
- A spy-themed restaurant from Milwaukee is opening in River North
Spy enthusiasts will be excited that SafeHouse, a spy-themed restaurant that requires a password to get inside, is opening in River North. The Milwaukee-based restaurant, which even has secret passageways, could open as early as the end of the month inside the AC Hotel. “If Milwaukee is Sean Connery James Bond, we’re like Daniel Craig,” the restaurant’s general manager Gabriel Ayala told DNAinfo Chicago. [DNAinfo Chicago]