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The lobby space within House of Prayer Church of God in Christ, a building that is the former Central Park Theater, 3535 W. Roosevelt Road. | Central Park Theater Restoration Committee photo

A historic West Side venue that led to the lavish movie palaces of the 1920s should be preserved.

The Chicago Theatre turned 100 years old last week, which is a milestone worth celebrating, given the venue narrowly dodged demolition to become a cornerstone of the downtown live theater district.

With the Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St., motion picture theater owners Balaban & Katz and their architects, C.W. & George Rapp, created a striking French Revival movie palace that put on a show before the the film even began.

But many of the elements perfected in the Chicago Theatre were brought to bear by the same team four years earlier with the construction of their first movie palace, the Central Park Theater, in the North Lawndale community.

There’s a movement underway to seek landmark status for the building, 3535 W. Roosevelt Road, which has been House of Prayer Church of God in Christ since 1971.

We’d like to see this happen. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but a local designation would help draw more attention to this important but lesser-known structure.

And it certainly couldn’t hurt current efforts to raise money to reopen and restore the 104-year-old building.

Nation’s first mechanically air conditioned theater

Built in 1917, the exterior of the three-story brick and terra cotta building on Roosevelt Road isn’t visually lavish compared with the movie palaces Balaban & Katz and their architects Rapp & Rapp would create a few short years later — although the interior comes pretty close.

But in their first theater, B&K and the Rapps deliver many of the goods that would make their venues famous.

For instance, the 1,800-seat Central Park was the nation’s first mechanically air-conditioned theater. And the Rapps took advantage of new high-strength steel to design balconies that didn’t need main floor support columns.

The unobstructed views became a feature of the dozens of B&K theaters that would follow, including the Uptown, the Tivoli — located on 63rd Street near Cottage Grove Avenue — and the Chicago Theatre.

In 1926, B&K merged with Famous Players-Lasky, creating a new company, Paramount-Publix, that was then the world’s largest theater operator.

“As a result, the innovations pioneered at the Central Park — the design of lavish theater buildings in outlying commercial centers, live stage shows, outstanding service and the novel use of air conditioning — were applied on a national scale to hundreds of theaters from coast to coast,” according to the National Register nomination documents from 2005.

Built when North Lawndale was primarily Jewish, the theater remained a community focal point when Black people became the majority of the neighborhood’s residents beginning in the 1960s.

Under a new banner as House of Prayer Church of God in Christ, the venue became a popular spot for major gospel music acts of the day such as Shirley Caesar and the Mighty Clouds of Joy, the church’s current senior pastor, Robert Marshall, told Block Club Chicago in 2020.

“It was known as the gospel headquarters of Chicago,” Marshall said. “All of those top groups, that’s where they came, to House of Prayer. Everybody in Chicago knew.”

A comeback for the old Central Park?

The former theater isn’t under threat of demolition, but it is in disrepair — so much so, the building is shuttered due to code violations.

Though worn, the interior retains much of its original magnificence, however.

A coalition of North Lawndale residents, House of Prayer, preservationists and others have formed the Central Park Theater Restoration Committee to raise money and awareness about the building’s history and figure out possible future uses.

City landmark status would significantly protect the building from demolition while this important work gets done.

Given Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration’s plans to redevelop the Ogden Avenue corridor in North Lawndale through the Invest South/West program, it’s clear the city has its eyes on the neighborhood.

We hope a landmark designation protecting the former Central Park Theater can happen as well.

And back to the Chicago Theatre, reaching the century mark last week.

The theater was slated for demolition in 1985. Then, Chicago Theatre Restoration Associates stepped in and spent millions restoring it.

Frank Sinatra sang at the theater’s 1986 reopening.

That’s the kind of ending we’d like to see for the old Central Park.

Send letters to [email protected]

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Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Sky star’s season with Russian team is just beginning, plus she needs to determine if she wants to retire

Seven days after celebrating her first WNBA title, Allie Quigley was at her apartment in Russia gearing up for her season with UMMC Ekaterinburg.

Quigley will be there for just seven days before she’ll return to the U.S. for a two-week break in her EuroLeague schedule.

Approaching what will be her 15th professional season, Quigley is still driven by the joy she gets playing this game.

“Watching the NBA the other day a little part of me was missing it already after just a week off,” Quigley said. “I still really do feel a joy playing. Especially when you can get to a point like we did with the Sky, where it’s fun. We were all playing our roles.”

Of course, what isn’t fun about bringing the first WNBA title to a city that is near your hometown. Quigley grew up 50 miles southwest of Chicago in Joliet and played four years for Doug Bruno at DePaul.

The easy answer is nothing, but the Sky know the 2021 season wasn’t easy and it definitely wasn’t always fun. For Quigley, the year started with a minor hamstring injury that sidelined her for six games, five of which were losses.

Back healthy, Quigley was coming off the bench early. It was a role she didn’t complain about. By the second half of the season, Quigley was back with the starting five, and it was clear that’s exactly where she belonged.

Through the Sky’s championship run, Quigley averaged 15.2 points on 41.7% shooting.

So, what gets discussed between a veteran and her coach in an exit meeting after a championship season? When you’re nearly 15 years into your WNBA career, areas of improvement aren’t the main focal point.

Instead, Quigley and Sky coach/general manager James Wade recapped the season and how far the organization has come.

The future was on the table along with the 2021 WNBA Championship trophy.

WNBA free agency begins in January and Wade has four players on guaranteed contracts for 2022: Candace Parker ($195,000) Azura Stevens ($140,000), Ruthy Hebard and Dana Evans.

In her exit interview, Quigley told Wade she’s only interested in playing for the Sky. The question for her is whether or not she is ready to retire.

“I’ve been going year by year,” Quigley said. “I’m going to let the championship settle in and think about that in a month or so, how I want to end [my career].”

Quigley said she’s still unsure on what the end to her professional basketball career will look like. She has gone back-and-forth on the idea and wants to let her emotions settle before making any decision.

Right now, she’s enjoying being a champion and all that comes with it.

She and her wife/teammate, Courtney Vandersloot, received their first championship partnership offer from Coors Light shortly after winning the title. It’s the only partnership deal they’ve received since beating Phoenix in four games.

When she returns to Chicago for her two-week break from UMMC Ekaterinburg, she’ll be honored at DePaul’s women’s basketball home opener against Texas Southern on Nov. 9.

Quigley and Vandersloot had a goal long before Wade joined the organization. Before Diamond DeShields was drafted third overall and Kahleah Copper and Stefanie Dolson arrived in a blockbuster trade. They wanted to make the Sky an attractive location for free agents.

They succeeded in making it attractive for Parker. And after securing the franchise’s first-ever title to become the 10th WNBA championship franchise, they may have solidified Chicago as a top WNBA market to play in.

The 2022 WNBA free-agency period will be telling.

“It’s unbelievable,” Quigley said. “I’m happy that Chicago got this championship and got to experience it.”

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The young bull bison quickly acclimated to the holding pen and began eating within minutes of arriving at Kankakee Sands. | Dale Bowman

Ten young bull bison arrived and acclimated well at Kankakee Sands, one of three sites near Chicago with reintroduced wild bison.

MOROCCO, Ind.–The lead bison stuck its shaggy brown head out the back of Eric Schier’s cattle-hauling tractor trailer, took a tentative step toward the loading chute, then backed up.

After 10 minutes of this, Schier climbed his trailer, then lugged a bag of sawdust from a compartment to spread on the new chute.

Bingo, two bull bison lumbered out single file, shortly eight others followed.

“I’ve been waiting for this day,” said Garet Litwiler, conservation technician/bison manager, who built the chute.

The 10 bulls (two 2-year-olds, eight 3-year-olds) from Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota spread out in the holding pen at Efroymson Restoration at Kankakee Sands. Like teenage boys opening a refrigerator, the bison began grazing.

“I’m looking for signs of stress and don’t see it: no tongues hanging out and no tails are up,” site manager Trevor

Dale Bowman
A just arrived young bison bull eyes grazes in the holding pen after arrival at Kankakee Sands.

The 10 bulls will provide fresh DNA to the 100-plus bison established and roaming 1,100 acres at Kankakee Sands, 8,400 acres of prairies, wetlands, and savanna, owned and managed by the Indiana chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

“We’re getting to the point where it is hard to grow in size,” Edmonson said. “We need genetic diversity. This is an opportunity to get new animals for our herd. We don’t want animals born here to breed with animals born here.”

TNC, with six satellite herds, has a unique relationship with Wind Cave to help it reach its genetic conservation goals. Kankakee Sands is the farthest east satellite.

“As a web of networked herds, we can trade animals back and forth as we grow to keep the genetic pool as intact as possible,” Edmonson emailed later.

The Chicago area has three nearby sites (two TNC) with reestablished bison.

It started with 30 in October, 2014 at another TNC site, Nachusa Grasslands, about 100 miles and two hours driving west of downtown Chicago. Edmonson noted TNC is second only to Ted Turner as a producer of wild bison.

“When they started [bison at Nachusa], I told my dad that I wanted to do that,” said Schier, of Mount Morris, who was on his third trip to and from Wind Cave.

I understand that appeal. Bison are awesome brutes and our national mammal.

In October, 2015, 27 bison were introduced as a 20-year experiment in restoring the native tallgrass prairie at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, about 50 miles and an hour drive southwest of downtown.

In October, 2016, 23 bison were introduced to help manage prairies at Kankakee Sands, about 70 miles and an hour and a half drive south of downtown. The site provides critical habitat for more than 600 species of native plants, 70 butterfly species and 250 bird species.

Kankakee Sands staff wrote that bison prefer grazing grasses and sedges, giving an advantage to flowering plants and the insects and animals that those plants support. Grazing also lowers the height of vegetation, providing habitat for such rare birds as the upland sandpiper.

When bison wallow, they create shallow depressions, which fill with rainwater and can provide habitat for amphibians, reptiles, insects and early successional plants.

Edmonson compared that diversity to the diversity they want for their bison.

Litwiler said hair samples were sent to Texas A&M for genetic analysis.

“We have a pretty good idea of the family tree here,” Edmonson said.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. next Saturday (National Bison Day), Nov 6, Kankakee Sands staff and volunteer bison rangers will talk to visitors at the bison viewing area about bison, the corral and the Wind Cave partnership.

For more about visiting or volunteering, contact Edmonson at [email protected].

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Former Blackhawks president John McDonough hasn’t spoken publicly in 18 months. | Nam Y. Huh/AP file photo

McDonough hasn’t spoken publicly even once since his firing as Blackhawks president, much less since an investigation revealed he led the Hawks’ efforts to cover up alleged sexual assault.

Where is John McDonough?

It has been 18 months since the harsh, arguably dictatorial man was fired from his post as Blackhawks president.

It has been five months since Kyle Beach’s lawsuit first told the world an alleged sexual assault had occurred in May 2010, on McDonough’s watch.

It has been three days since an independent investigation concluded that McDonough not only knew about former video coach Brad Aldrich’s alleged sexual assault of Beach but also hosted and took charge of a meeting where Hawks executives discussed the allegations and chose not to report Aldrich for weeks.

And still, McDonough — for decades one of the most powerful figures in Chicago sports — has not come up for air, has not made any public comments, has not pointed fingers elsewhere to try to justify his actions (a la general manager Stan Bowman) and certainly has not accepted accountability for his grievous error that ruined Beach’s career.

He has not responded to countless interview requests, by the Sun-Times and surely other media outlets. He hasn’t even released a vague, pre-written statement like the one the Hawks posted the day after his firing, the last time he was heard from.

It was already clear, based on his 13-year reign in which success was measured by only wins and profits, that McDonough is a merciless man.

Now it’s clear he’s also a coward.

When he jumped from the Cubs’ presidency to the Hawks’ in 2007 — arriving at the United Center as abruptly and shockingly as he left in 2020 — he ushered in tremendous change. On the surface, much of it was welcomed: Marketing increased dramatically, the on-ice product improved dramatically, and fans flocked to the Hawks bandwagon.

But behind the scenes, McDonough showed little empathy for the human elements of the organization. He created a cold, rigid internal work environment and exercised his power constantly and universally.

Employees interviewed in the Jenner & Block investigation described him as “extremely controlling and wanting to be — and being — the final decision-maker” on virtually everything.

McDonough, if he ever does speak, probably wouldn’t refute that description. That control fueled him. In a 2013 Sun-Times interview reflecting on his 2008 and 2009 firing spree and fans’ impression of him as “ruthless,” he essentially admitted so.

“If that’s a byproduct of winning, of ‘One Goal,’ then when it’s all said and done, that’s the way it has to be,” McDonough said at the time. “This job is not for the faint of heart.”

Or seemingly, considering his actions, for those with any heart at all.

His handling of the Aldrich situation is therefore hardly surprising, albeit deplorable. When told on May 23, 2010, of the alleged assault, McDonough instead referenced the Cubs’ championship drought and said “the Blackhawks might never make it this far in the playoffs again, and that they needed to think about when to handle the issue,” Bowman told investigators.

At the meeting’s end, McDonough told others to “leave it to” him,” the investigation found. He then took no action until finally reporting Aldrich to human resources on June 14, at which time he said he’d “decided not to alert [HR] or outside legal counsel and to not do anything about the incident during the playoffs so as not to ‘disturb team chemistry,’ ” the investigation found.

Yet when interviewed himself by investigators this summer, McDonough — per usual of late — had nothing to say. The investigation report more delicately states he expressed “virtually no recollection of the discussion after the issue had been raised.”

As irresponsible as all involved in the 2010 meeting were, and as bad as many others in the organization have looked during its fallout this year, McDonough shoulders by far the greatest culpability.

His reputation hasn’t been merely tainted. It has been deservedly demolished.

And he’s evidently not even willing to apologize.

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Allen Robinson celebrates a catch against the Raiders. | Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images

They’re stuck in the middle. Here are moves they could make at the deadline — but won’t — to change that.

The Bears need to be bold at the trade deadline.

Before 3 p.m. Tuesday, they have an opportunity to get younger and cheaper and rebuild their cache of draft capital to more closely match the timeframe of rookie quarterback Justin Fields. They need to admit that they don’t have a playoff-caliber team, much less a championship one, and plan for 2022.

They won’t do it.

Despite the claims for the last 11 months by coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace that they would do what was best for the franchise, their own jobs are at stake. They’re motivated to be slightly better in the short term rather than build for next season.

In January — amazingly, it was the last news conference he has given — chairman George McCaskey laid out what he and president/CEO Ted Phillips would look for in deciding their futures.

“Ted used the word ‘improvement,’ ” McCaskey said then. “I use the word ‘progress.’ I think they’re similar. I think all four of us will know whether there’s been sufficient improvement — or sufficient progress — to continue past 2021.”

Selling off the team’s veterans would not be interpreted as progress, even though the Bears need picks. Because of the Fields trade, the Giants own the Bears’ first- and fourth-round picks next year. The Bears have picks in Rounds 2, 3, 5 and 6 — and an extra fifth-rounder from the Anthony Miller trade.

The trade left the Bears no incentive to bottom out this season; each loss only helps the Giants’ draft order.

They’re stuck in the middle, then. Here are moves they could make at the deadline — but won’t — to change that:

Free A-Rob

Through seven games — 5 1/2 of which have featured Fields at quarterback — Allen Robinson has 23 receptions for 250 yards and one touchdown. By contrast, he had 17 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns in a two-game span last year.

No one has been more harmed by the Bears’ broken offense — or by playing preseason snaps with Andy Dalton instead of Fields — than Robinson. It’s nothing short of shocking, given that Robinson has shined despite uneven quarterback play by Mitch Trubisky and Blake Bortles over the years.

The Bears should trade him. They need to find out if another team can bring the best out of Robinson over the last 2 1/2 months of the season — and how much they’d be willing to give up for the privilege.

The asking price likely would start at a third-round pick, which the Bears will probably receive as a compensatory draft selection if Robinson leaves via free agency. Compensatory picks fall at the end of the round; a pick sent over from another team would not.

Then there’s Robinson salary — the Bears are paying Robinson about $1 million per game. Whoever trades for him would have to free up salary-cap space to fit in $9 million.

Before the Bears’ offense broke completely, though, Robinson had 3,151 receiving yards over three seasons. Not many players like Robinson are available — particularly with no financial obligation beyond the season’s end. The combination of salary and draft-pick compensation would probably prove too rich for teams, though.

As it is, it’s fair to wonder who exactly is benefitting from the current situation. Not Robinson, who needs the gaudy receiving stats to land a contract this offseason — unless the Bears put the franchise tag on him for a second straight year, which seems unlikely. Fields hasn’t gained much, either — he’s not in sync with Robinson and seems to have a better connection with second-year wide receiver Darnell Mooney.

Listen on David Montgomery

Montgomery — who is nearing the end of an injured-reserve stint because of a knee sprain — ranks sixth in the NFL with 77.3 rushing yards per game, behind only Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb, Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott and Jonathan Taylor. He finished fifth in rushing yards last year. A physical runner, he’s the heartbeat of the Bears’ offense. And yet …

Running backs have proved to be replaceable. Montgomery’s physical style might not age well. His contract expires at the end of next season; will the Bears want to pay him like a top-12 running back? If the answer is no, the Bears have to listen if teams call to check on Montgomery’s availability. He’d be a clear upgrade for the playoff-bound Ravens, Rams, Bills and Cardinals. Would they trade a late second-rounder for him?

Rookie Khalil Herbert has proved the last three weeks that the Bears have a replacement already on the roster. If Herbert runs for 31 or more yards in his fourth game as a featured back Sunday, he’ll surpass Montgomery’s rushing yards over the four games in which he was healthy.

Trading Montgomery would sting. But doing so would be the best chance for the Bears to land a second-day draft pick. Khalil Mack is hurt — and expensive. Robert Quinn is pricey, too. Akiem Hicks is in the final year of his contract but has been battling a groin injury. Danny Trevathan can’t start on his own team.

Trade a quarterback

Despite having the worst offense in football, the Bears boast the most competent second-string quarterback in the league and the most accomplished third-stringer in the history of the game.

Backup Andy Dalton has started 144 games in 11 years. Third-stringer Nick Foles is a former Super Bowl MVP. Both can be had.

The Bears certainly will be watching this weekend to see if any starting quarterback around the league suffers a significant injury.

They have been open to trading Foles since the spring but won’t send him somewhere he doesn’t deem a good fit. They wouldn’t get much for him. On Monday, the Eagles sent quarterback Joe Flacco to the Jets, who gave up a 2022 sixth-round pick that could convert to a fifth-rounder based on playing time. Flacco is on a one-year deal; Foles has a $4 million roster bonus and a $4 million base salary due next season, although only $1 million of the base salary is guaranteed.

If the Bears move Foles, they’d like to re-sign Dalton to back up Fields next year. Dalton, though, could be intriguing to a team scrambling to replace a starter between Sunday and Tuesday’s deadline. Getting a fourth-round pick for 2 1/2 months of Dalton would be a win.

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Three teens were among 11 wounded in citywide shootings Friday. | Sun-Times file

A 15-year-old boy was in serious condition after being shot in the head while traveling in Chicago Lawn.

Three teens were among 11 wounded by gunfire in Chicago Friday.

A 15-year-old was shot and seriously wounded in Chicago Lawn on the South Side. The teen was a passenger in a car traveling in the 3200 block of West 63rd Street about 12:05 a.m. when he was shot in the back by someone in a white sedan, Chicago police said. He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was in serious condition, police said.
A 16-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting Friday in Back of the Yards on the South Side. The teen was near the street about 2 p.m. in the 5200 block of South Hermitage Avenue when someone opened fire, striking him in the thigh, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition, police said.
Another 16-year-old was shot about five hours later waiting for a friend on the Near West Side. The teen was standing outside waiting for a friend about 7:30 p.m. in the 300 block of South Western Avenue when someone in the back seat of a black Kia fired shots, police said. He was struck in the thigh and was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center in good condition, police said.

Eight others were wounded in shootings in Chicago Friday.

Two people were killed and at least nine others were wounded in shootings in Chicago Thursday.

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A 16-year-old boy was shot October 29, 2021 in the Near West Side. | Adobe File Photo

The teen was standing outside waiting for a friend about 7:30 p.m. in the 300 block of South Western Avenue when someone in the back seat of a black Kia fired shots.

A 16-year-old boy was shot while waiting for a friend Friday night in the Near West Side.

The teen was standing outside waiting for a friend about 7:30 p.m. in the 300 block of South Western Avenue when someone in the back seat of a black Kia fired shots, Chicago police said.

He was struck in the thigh and was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center in good condition, police said.

Area Four detectives are investigating.

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The Hurricanes beat the Blackhawks 6-3 on Friday. | AP Photos

The Hawks’ season-opening losing streak extended to eight games with a 6-3 defeat Friday.

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Blackhawks are playing like a hockey team without belief.

They’re still saying all the right things, at least when it comes to their on-ice performance. But in a 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Friday that extended the Hawks’ season-opening losing streak, they simply didn’t seem confident enough to turn the tide when things started going badly.

“Eight games in and we don’t have a win — it’s terrible,” Brandon Hagel said. “Early on, it’s like, ‘Let’s keep playing the same way. We’re going to get out of this. We’re going to get out of this.’ We’re still trying to do that, we’re still trying to stay positive… But obviously, the first win is in the back of everyone’s mind.”

After setting a league record by not leading once through their first six games, the Hawks have actually shown early jump and scored the first goal in each of their last two.

The undefeated Canes quickly turned the tide, though, scoring five unanswered goals in a 14-minute stretch straddling the first intermission. And Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton, as has been the case far too often this season, seemed out of ideas about how to stop the tsunami.

“We allowed them to get back into the game too easily,” Colliton said. “We’ve got to make them work [harder] for what they get… In the first period, you can’t expect to beat a team like that when you’re giving up two-on-ones, three-on-twos, getting beat inside at our net.”

The Hawks remained down four guys, including Patrick Kane, on COVID-19 protocol. They lost another, Tyler Johnson, to an apparent arm or wrist injury that is expected to keep him out of Saturday’s game against the Blues, at the least.

One bright spot was the debut of defenseman Isaak Phillips, who became the first alumnus of Team Jamaica to play in the NHL.

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Angela Wade-Brown, mother of Turrell Brown, who was killed by police in September during a domestic disturbance, at a Friday news conference. | Brian Rich/Sun-Times

“I miss my son daily,” Angela Wade-Brown, mother of Turrell Brown, said Friday. “I wake up missing my son, I go to bed missing my son — and then to hear that this officer is on the street?”

The family of a man killed by Chicago police last month while responding to a domestic disturbance call is demanding the city to terminate the officer who fired their gun and should be prosecuted for the shooting.

“I want to see accountability,” Angela Wade-Brown said Friday during a news conference. “I miss my son daily, I wake up missing my son, I go to bed missing my son –and then to hear that this officer is on the street?”

Wade-Brown’s son, 28-year-old Turrell Brown, was killed by Chicago police on the morning of Sept. 19 in the 6500 block of South Harvard Avenue, according to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. The visit was in response to a woman who said Turrell Brown hit her in the face and was armed with a knife.

Body camera video released by COPA showed a woman telling officers her boyfriend had hit her chest and face. She had asked officers to remove the man from her apartment, according to the video.

Shortly after, Turrell Brown appeared with a knife in hand, as officers stepped back outside the apartment, shouting at him to put the knife down. As Turrell Brown slowly stepped to close the apartment door, an officer fatally shot him.

COPA is still investigating that officer’s use of force.

Wade-Brown said her son holding a knife at one point during the encounter doesn’t justify the officer shooting him. She said the video doesn’t show her son acting erratic, but instead shows him talking calmly and moving with caution. She wished police had done more to deescalate the situation.

Brian Rich/Sun-Times
Lebryant Brown, brother of Turrell Brown, who was killed by police in September during a domestic disturbance, calls for the police officers to be fired.

Lebryant Brown, the man’s brother, said officers had other options at their disposal to use before reaching for their guns.

“He just went into the apartment and executed my brother,” Lebryant Brown said.

“If this situation didn’t cause for him to use a Taser, then I don’t know what situation would, because he was just trying to close the door and [the officer] just pulled out his gun and killed my brother,” Lebryant Brown said. “We should not have to protest to get justice. The police should be held to the same laws that everybody else in America is held to.”

State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, joined the grieving family at the news conference and echoed their calls for some sort of accountability in the fatal encounter. The family, who lives in his district, had reached out to him, pleading for his help.

“On Sept. 19, their loved one was shot and killed by a Chicago police [officer] and to this day, they still haven’t received any mental health support from the city of Chicago,” Ford said. “Today the family would like to be heard.”

Kaleah Brown, Turrell Brown’s sister, cried as she said police benefited from a double standard of justice; they can just go home after taking a person’s life.

“If this had been a situation of Turrell Brown murdering the Chicago police [officer], he would have been in jail today. They would not have allowed him to go home with his family, to continue his job,” Kaleah Brown said. “My heart is broken. My brother will never come back again … because the Chicago police did this.”

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St. Rita’s BJ Hall (1) and Liam Bartos (23) celebrate during the game against Rolling Meadows. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

Sophomore running back Ethan Middleton busted loose for 78 yards on St. Rita’s opening play, and the Mustangs scored three touchdowns in the first nine minutes of the game.

St. Rita senior Kaleb Brown, who was injured in the first few minutes of the season opener, was dressed and ready to play in the Mustangs’ Class 7A state playoff game on Friday.

That’s exciting news for St. Rita, area football fans and Ohio State. But the Mustangs didn’t need him in a 42-7 running clock win against Rolling Meadows.

Sophomore running back Ethan Middleton busted loose for 78 yards on St. Rita’s opening play, and the Mustangs (8-2) scored three touchdowns in the first nine minutes of the game.

“We don’t need to push it,” St. Rita coach Todd Kuska said. “With the weather and the situation I thought we were alright. We have some other guys that can play.”

Kyle Clayton, St. Rita’s starting running back who has filled most of the void left by Brown’s injury all season, is out with an injury himself. Kuska isn’t sure when he will be back.

“It’s running back by committee from here on out,” Kuska said. “You turn the ball over and you are out. Competition makes everyone better.”

Middleton had 15 carries for 150 yards and two touchdowns. That’s impressive production in a playoff game from a young player that was on the bench three weeks ago.

“I’m starting to get the hang of it,” Middleton said. “At first I was cautious, trying to find a hole. Now I’m starting to see it a little bit more, starting to feel the speed.”

DJ Stewart, another sophomore running back, added 11 carries for 98 yards. St. Rita quarterback Tommy Ulatowski ran for three touchdowns, all in the first quarter.

It was 35-0 at halftime.

“[Middleton’s big run to start the game] gave us energy,” St. Rita lineman Djabril McNabb said. “That just carried over to the defense and the special teams.”

McNabb recovered two Rolling Meadows fumbles. Rolling Meadows (5-5) managed just five rushing yards in the game.

Evan Grace, Rolling Meadows’ quarterback, was 8 for 15 passing for 165 yards with one interception. He connected with senior Ethan Groark for an 88-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

St. Rita will face the Collinsville vs. Geneva winner on the road in the second round next week.

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