The TRiiBE

10/27/2025

NEW — This past Friday, the 61st Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) awarded Spike Lee with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the “Evening with Spike Lee. In Conversation with Dr. Jacqueline Stewart” at the AMC 14 NewCity.

A well-known New York Knicks fanatic, Lee attended the Chicago festival, even though the Knicks were playing the rival Boston Celtics back at home.

Greeting him on the red carpet was Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and movie star Delroy Lindo.

Earlier in the day, the film festival screened the new Spike Lee joint, 'Highest 2 Lowest,' featuring Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, and A$AP Rocky.

“This is a great festival, a lot of my friends are here,” Lee told The TRiiBE on the CIFF’s red carpet. “You know what’s a testament of what I think about this festival? The New York Knicks are playing the Boston Celtics tonight in the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, and I’m here. So that’s your answer right there.”

Read the full story: https://thetriibe.com/2025/10/spike-lee-gets-his-flowers-at-chicago-international-film-festival/

10/27/2025

NEW — For this follow-up story, The TRiiBE issued a call to interview Chicago residents who reached out to their alders about not signing the letter of support for Ald. Jessie Fuentes, who was temporarily detained by federal immigration agents earlier this month.

The consensus among the residents we interviewed was one of disappointment.

“To be clear, Alderman Napolitano believes that Alderman Fuentes’ actions were inappropriate and outside the scope of her authority as an elected official,” said Chris Vittorio, Ald. Anthony Napolitano’s chief of staff.

A 23rd Ward resident said she started making daily calls to the ward office of Ald. Silvana Tabares to get a response.

“She has always branded herself as the daughter of immigrants; she is also Latina,” the resident said. “So that was very surprising to see her not stand in solidarity with Jessie [Fuentes] in that moment, or just stand against ICE. What is happening right now is just a crazy violation of so many rights, and it’s awful to see.”

Read the full story here: https://thetriibe.com/2025/10/residents-weigh-in-on-the-alderpeople-who-did-not-sign-a-letter-of-support-for-chicago-ald-jessie-fuentes/

10/24/2025

NEW — Feds detained multiple people across Lakeview today and tear gassed a residential block.

Ryan Oliver, a standup comedian who works as a part-time custodian at the Laugh Factory, was inside the comedy club on Chicago’s North Side when he heard shouting from outside. That prompted him to leave Laugh Factory to see what was happening.

Oliver said he saw a Latino laborer, who was working on the building, being detained by federal officers as he had “blood coming out [of] his nose and down his mouth.”

The laborer was one of two people who were detained by federal agents Friday morning at Broadway and Belmont Avenue on Chicago’s North Side.

The second person detained was Oliver’s coworker Nate Griffin, who works as a night manager at the Laugh Factory.

Laugh Factory is located at Broadway and Belmont Avenue in Lakeview, which is located in Chicago’s 44th Ward. The area is predominantly white and one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the city.

About a mile north in a separate incident, witnesses reported federal agents deploying tear gas in a residential neighborhood: on Lakewood Avenue between Roscoe and Henderson streets.

Neighbors gathered outside of a house where agents detained another laborer. The remains of the man’s lunch were still on the ground just after 12:30 p.m.

One neighbor described the scene as “very violent,” stating that the man was complying with the agents but that they “were just throwing him all over the place.”

Read the full story: https://thetriibe.com/2025/10/laugh-factory-worker-detained-by-federal-agents-on-chicagos-north-side/

10/22/2025

NEW — Federal agents entered a gated residential courtyard complex Tuesday morning and detained a laborer in the North Side neighborhood of West Ridge, witnesses say.

“We’re pretty shaken up,” one witness told The TRiiBE.

Richard Holtzman, the president and community association manager for Prairie Shores, which manages the property, emailed a statement to The TRiiBE about the ICE activity: "I assume they were enforcing the law.”

Read the full story here: https://thetriibe.com/2025/10/federal-agents-detain-a-laborer-working-on-gated-apartment-building-in-west-ridge/

10/20/2025

NEW — Art Beats + Lyrics (AB+L) took over Navy Pier’s Aon Grand Ballroom this past Friday.

The traveling show, which originated in Atlanta in 2004, showcased emerging and established Chicago artists in the visual arts and hip-hop communities.

“It gives exposure to the arts,” said 36-year-old attendee Brittany Talbert, who teaches History and Advanced Placement African American Studies at a local high school.

“A lot of times Black people specifically are left out of the art conversation in terms of like mainstream, but it’s important,” Talbert said. “It gives us a sense of pride. It reminds us of our heritage, of our culture, how influential we are, and also it’s an opportunity for us to commune with one another. I love it.”

Read here: https://thetriibe.com/2025/10/art-beats-lyrics-brought-black-visual-arts-to-chicagos-navy-pier-this-year/

10/20/2025

NEW — The TRiiBE goes to ‘No Kings’ protest with veteran reporter Monroe Anderson.

On Oct. 18, an estimated 250,000 people attended the "No Kings" rally and march in Chicago; millions joined protests nationwide.

Veteran reporter Monroe Anderson and TRiiBE co-founder Morgan Elise Johnson attended the protest. They reflect on the historic moment while interviewing attendees.

Read more here: https://thetriibe.com/2025/10/the-triibe-goes-to-no-kings-protest-with-veteran-reporter-monroe-anderson/

Watch more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lgbgkhI_L8&t=8s

10/16/2025

NEW — In Chicago, criminal and civil proceedings stemming from Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz” continued Wednesday, with more to come this and next week.

Big news of the day included the announcement of a new hearing for the restraining order meant to rein in federal agents’ violent behavior. Despite the order, agents have deployed tear gas in two separate Chicago communities in the week since the judge handed it down.

On Tuesday, an older white Border Patrol agent detained a young Black man outside a Walgreens in the East Side neighborhood, only blocks away from where agents deployed tear gas on dozens of local community members at the intersection of 105th Street and S. Avenue N.

The young man and a 15-year-old boy were released.

Read here: https://thetriibe.com/2025/10/detained-youth-released-after-feds-gas-east-side-neighborhood-judge-calls-for-morning-hearing-on-restraining-order-against-feds-and-more-from-court/

10/15/2025

NEW — Chicago organizers are pushing Mayor Brandon Johnson and the City Council to pass a progressive FY 2026 budget.

Described as "the people's budget," it calls for diverting away from regressive forms of balancing the budget (such as raising property taxes) and choosing progressive forms like taxing major corporations.

Any Chicago council member standing in opposition of a progressive budget, organizers say, are “with Trump.”

“I can tell you right now that I imagine [Ald.] Ray Lopez is right there rooting for Trump right now," one organizer said.

Johnson is scheduled to give his FY 2026 budget address on Oct. 16, kicking off Chicago's budget season.

Read here: https://thetriibe.com/2025/10/as-trump-cuts-vital-services-chicago-organizers-push-city-council-to-pass-a-progressive-city-budget-for-fy-2026/

10/14/2025

UPDATE — Multiple witness videos today show an older white federal agent straddling a young Black man on the ground outside of a Walgreens on Chicago’s Southeast Side.

“Why you running?” the federal agent asks the young Black man underneath him.

As the young man attempts to answer, a person can be heard in the video screaming, “he’s a citizen!”

This is a developing story.

For the second time in less than a week, militarized federal agents deployed tear gas in Chicago residential neighborhoods. Nearby, they detained a young Black man onlookers insisted was a U.S. citizen

10/14/2025

NEW — For the second time in less than a week, militarized federal agents deployed tear gas in a Chicago residential area today.

Members of the media, Chicago police officers on the scene for crowd control, and the broader nearby community were also exposed to the tear gas.

Southeast Side Rapid Response reported around 1:30 p.m. that immigration agents had taken an estimated nine people in the area today, including at least three individuals taken from the scene on 105th Street and S. Ave. N.

Read here: https://thetriibe.com/2025/10/federal-agents-gas-chicagos-east-side/

10/14/2025

NEW — Dr. Kim Dulaney says she was fired from the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center earlier this month after going public with allegations of misconduct and fund misuse by museum leadership.

Dulaney sent a press release on Oct. 7 listing out her allegations against museum leadership.

“This is not just about me,” Dulaney said in the written release. “This is about the abuse of public trust and the silencing of professionals who stand up for integrity. DuSable is a public institution and it belongs to the people—not to those who weaponize power for personal or political protection. President Irmer responded to my complaint of retaliation by terminating my position under the guise of restructuring, which punctuates my point. She has no respect of the law and no fear of, or regard for consequences. She has said she is undefeated and has no boss.”

Raymond Ward, the DuSable Museum’s media relations consultant, denied the allegations.

Read the full story: https://thetriibe.com/2025/10/former-dusable-museum-employee-alleges-retaliatory-termination-after-filing-complaints-of-misconduct-by-leadership/

10/13/2025

NEW — On Friday night, Chance the Rapper returned to Chicago for the hometown stop of his “And We Back” tour.

Chicago was represented on every front, as the South Side rapper brought out Chicago natives BabyChiefDoIt, Vic Mensa, Jamila Woods and Do or Die to join him on stage.

Making an obvious Grammy push, Chance and his team have submitted the Star Line album and several songs for consideration. His fans believe Chance has done what it takes to take home at least one award from the Recording Academy.

Earlier in the day, Chance partnered with the CTA to take over a train, and decorate it with a full Star Line theme. A full circle moment for the rapper, as he used to ride the Red Like from the South Side to the Harrison stop to attend Jones College Prep, his alma mater.

“I’ve been taking the train since I was yay-high,” Chance told The TRiiBE. “So seeing my album, seeing all the people that came out early to get on the train and ride with me, having a video come out today, having a show today, my heart is very full.”

Read the full story: https://thetriibe.com/2025/10/chicago-got-the-full-experience-as-chance-the-rapper-brought-star-line-to-life/