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This Week in Congress Congressional floor Schedule
Illinois Bikers Win
Nagy Announces 44th Ward
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Bridgeport Victim Dies
A 56 year old man who was beaten along with several members of his family in Chicago's clout heavy Bridgeport neighborhood has died. The attack which was reported in the 9-13-99 edition of City2 E- News has provoked controversy. The alleged attacker is an African- American male; the victims are White. Many in the community where the incident happened feel the defendant should be charged with a hate crime. The Cook County states attorneys office feels differently, saying race was not the motivating factor in the crime. This same Bridgeport community was the center of controversy several years ago when a young African – American male was severely beaten by a group of Whites. The perpetrators in that case were charged with a hate crime. One should be loath to try to make political hay out of this tragedy, but you can't help giving the case a second glance. The Cook County states attorney is a man won his office as the result of a once popular Republican states attorney,( who was a former police officer) failing in the eyes of some, to swiftly bring to justice an off duty White officer accused of killing a African-American street person. Let's hope the reason the defendant in this case is not being charged with a hate crime is not political. Is states attorney Divine more concerned with his re-election bid next year, or in seeing justice served?
Ryan Truncates Speech
According to a group of anti-Castro Cubans Illinois Governor George Ryan left out several lines of a speech he gave while on his recent trip to Cuba. The anti-Castro group has taken the governor to task for leaving out several references to limiting dissent that they fell would have offended the aging dictator, who was in the audience. A Ryan spokesman did not deny that the governor left out the lines in question. He states that it had nothing to do with offending Castro, that the governor routinely does such things. The anti-Castro Cubans aren't buying it- neither are we.
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