Latest news with #BrendanReilly
CBS News
03-07-2025
- CBS News
Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly calls for permanent closure of Artis Restaurant and Lounge after mass shooting
Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) on Thursday called for the city to permanently shut down a River North nightclub, after a mass shooting outside Wednesday night left four people dead and 14 wounded. Reilly, whose ward includes the Artis Restaurant and Lounge nightclub, called the shooting disturbing, and cited a history of violence at the location as a reason to shut it down. After an album release party for rapper Mello Buckzz, police said someone in a dark vehicle drove past the nightclub as the rapper's friends and fans hung around outside, firing shots into the crowd. Rabbi Avraham Kagan heard the gunfire. "It was last night around 11, and we just heard we heard noise. It was gunshots; pow, pow, pow," Kagan said. Four people were killed and 14 others injured. The owners of the lounge, Brandi and Brittany Artis, rented the space just a few months ago, and promoted the fact it was owned by Black queer women. Exavier Pope, who attended a soft opening for the lounge earlier this year to celebrate one of the owner's birthdays, said, "It is a beautiful space." "It is a very welcoming space," he said. But the space has also has a history of violence. In November 2022, one person was killed and three others were wounded in a mass shooting at the former Hush Lounge nightclub in the same space. Operating under a different owner at the time, the city temporarily closed Hush after that shooting, and under pressure from Reilly the city revoked its licenses and eventually shut Hush down. In a statement released on Thursday, Reilly asked the city to revoke Artis Lounges' business license, and immediately pursue permanent closure of the club. "Given the serious public safety concerns and clear mismanagement of this event, I am calling on the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection to revoke this business license immediately and pursue permanent closure of the establishment," Reilly wrote. The Chicago Police Department already has issued a summary closure of the building, temporarily closing it amid an investigation into the shooting and the location itself. "Despite early assurances from the new restaurant owner that this venue would support local artisans, foster inclusivity, and serve as a hub for connection, creativity, and joy - the owners decided to turn over their venue to promote a new rap album release," Reilly wrote. "It is clear the new operators were dishonest with the City about their plans for the venue and have now contributed to a devastating act of violence—just weeks after opening as a BYOB 'restaurant.'" Pope thinks forcing Artis Lounge to shut down is a harsh move for the new owners "These women started this business in this community to be able to make a safe space, and it was tarnished, and this shouldn't be the overall way that the community views them as business owners," There have been other violent incidents the River North community in recent years. In May 2022, just a few blocks from what is now Artis Lounge, a mass shooting left 2 dead and 7 hurt outside of a McDonald's at Chicago Avenue and State Street. In October 2023, a block away, eight people were shot outside a restaurant and bar in the 300 block of West Erie Street. More security is what Rabbi Kagan would like to see. "When such incidents occur, that's an automatic call for more security, which helps ensure these things don't happen again, and it also acutally helps those who are perpetrating the crimes," he said. The restaurant's owners had no comment on Reilly's call to shut them down.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Editorial: Latest worry for Chicagoans? Electrocuted dogs
Chicago does not have a city charter, more's the pity. If it did, we'd favor some aspirational freedoms for its citizens. Freedom from being the victim of violent crime would be one. For another, how about the freedom to walk your dog on the streets of Chicago without worrying that your beloved pooch might get … electrocuted? We jest not. In mid-February, two dogs were shocked while walking over an electrified manhole cover in the 600 block of North Dearborn Street in the city's River North neighborhood. One dog died. There was a similar February incident on the city's West Side, near the Claremont dog park in the Tri-Taylor neighborhood, after a dog came in contact with a city light pole. In the case of the Dearborn Street incidents, which first were met with much waffling and buck-passing and owner blame, the cause was eventually revealed to be a pinched electrical wire, per Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd. A city crew was dispatched to fix the problem. But too late for at least one dog. It got worse. Block Club reported earlier this week that multiple dogs belonging to residents of the downtown apartment building Wolf Point East were being shocked by a metallic strip in front of the building and still were not satisfied that corrective steps had been taken. Residents were saying more than a dozen dogs had been shocked. It's true that weather conditions can contribute to these issues and that cautious owners always are best advised to keep dogs away from any and all potential contact with live electrical current in the great outdoors. But let's be clear. A dog should be free to walk over a Chicago manhole cover or out its own front door without current shooting through its pores, traumatizing the dog's owner, let alone the dog itself. And, in a city filled with dog lovers, this whole troubling business is worthy of some serious citywide examination and mitigation by Commonwealth Edison, the city of Chicago and private building owners. Owners deserve to have confidence in their pets' safety. The city was right to encourage residents to report any locations with 'stray voltage' through its 311 hotline, but then the city also has a responsibility to prevent 'stray voltage' (an Orwellian bit of language, implying that voltage just likes to take a walk) from occurring in the first place. Dogs are Chicagoans too. Imagine if they had lobbyists. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
Chicago Tribune
06-03-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: Latest worry for Chicagoans is electrocuted dogs
Chicago does not have a city charter, more's the pity. If it did, we'd favor some aspirational freedoms for its citizens. Freedom from being the victim of violent crime would be one. For another, how about the freedom to walk your dog on the streets of Chicago without worrying that your beloved pooch might get … electrocuted? We jest not. In mid-February, two dogs were shocked while walking over an electrified manhole cover in the 600 block of North Dearborn Street in the city's River North neighborhood. One dog died. There was a similar February incident on the city's West Side, near the Claremont dog park in the Tri-Taylor neighborhood, after a dog came in contact with a city light pole. In the case of the Dearborn Street incidents, which first were met with much waffling and buck-passing and owner blame, the cause was eventually revealed to be a pinched electrical wire, per Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd. A city crew was dispatched to fix the problem. But too late for at least one dog. It got worse. Block Club reported earlier this week that multiple dogs belonging to residents of the downtown apartment building Wolf Point East were being shocked by a metallic strip in front of the building and still were not satisfied that corrective steps had been taken. Residents were saying more than a dozen dogs had been shocked. It's true that weather conditions can contribute to these issues and that cautious owners always are best advised to keep dogs away from any and all potential contact with live electrical current in the great outdoors. But let's be clear. A dog should be free to walk over a Chicago manhole cover or out its own front door without current shooting through its pores, traumatizing the dog's owner, let alone the dog itself. And, in a city filled with dog lovers, this whole troubling business is worthy of some serious citywide examination and mitigation by Commonwealth Edison, the city of Chicago and private building owners. Owners deserve to have confidence in their pets' safety. The city was right to encourage residents to report any locations with 'stray voltage' through its 311 hotline, but then the city also has a responsibility to prevent 'stray voltage' (an Orwellian bit of language, implying that voltage just likes to take a walk) from occurring in the first place. Dogs are Chicagoans too. Imagine if they had lobbyists.
