Read More

Activists gathered near the Englewood police district Thursday to decry the city’s decision to extend its contract with ShotSpotter, the company behind an acoustic gunshot detection system that has recently come under heavy fire for allegedly being inaccurate.

The city’s three-year, $33 million contract with the Silicon Valley-based startup was initially supposed to expire Thursday. But Cathy Kwiatkowski, a spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Procurement Services, said the deal was extended for two additional years at the request of the Chicago Police Department, which uses the software to respond to alerts of gunfire.

Tynetta Hill-Muhammad, of BYP100 and Defund CPD, claimed to reporters the contract was stretched out “under the cover of night,” without any public comment or notification to members of City Council. The few dozen demonstrators ultimately called on the city to immediately end the contract and instead invest in communities the technology has been used to monitor, like Englewood.

“We know that the solution is not policing. It is not hyper-surveillance,” Hill-Muhammad said. “We are here because we know that the solution is an investment in life-affirming institutions and resources that will reduce instances of violence and allow people to pursue the fullness of life.”

The demonstration came just hours after the Associated Press published an investigation raising serious alarms about ShotSpotter’s technology, the latest in a series of news reports and studies that have challenged its accuracy and efficacy.

Though its system is closely guarded as a trade secret, ShotSpotter has claimed it’s 97% accurate. The AP investigation, however, found the system could miss gunshots or wrongly detect other sounds as gunfire, and it concluded there were serious issues with using the technology as evidence.

As with another report published in July by Vice, the AP investigation noted that ShotSpotter employees have altered both the location of an alert and the number of gunshots detected. The AP also reported that dispatchers and police officials have previously been able to make some of those alterations.

A company spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But a police spokesman stood firmly behind the software.

“In order to reduce gun violence, knowing where it occurs is crucial,” spokesman Tom Ahern said in a statement. “ShotSpotter has detected hundreds of shootings that would have otherwise gone unreported. ShotSpotter is among a host of tools used by the Chicago Police Department to keep the public safe and ultimately save lives.”

The CPD’s use of ShotSpotter came under increased scrutiny following the death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who was shot and killed in March by a Chicago police officer responding to an alert from the system. Toledo’s hands were empty when the fatal shot was fired, though he was seen on the officer’s body-worn camera holding a pistol a moment earlier.

After referencing Toledo’s killing — and a study published in May by the MacArthur Justice Center that found 86% of ShotSpotter alerts in Chicago prompted no formal reports of any crime — activist Adwoa Agyepong insisted “no surveillance technology should be used to terrorize the South and West side.”

“Using untested, unverified technology to send police to our communities — that’s horrific,” Agyepong said.

Read More

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Republicans plotted their return to power during their day at the Illinois State Fair on Thursday, pitching the importance of fielding candidates for every office up for election next year “from governor to dog catcher.”

But so far, the party’s prospective ticket for top offices in next year’s election is made up of largely unknown candidates who’ll have to build statewide name recognition and overcome a significant money disadvantage to keep up with Democrats, who currently hold all six statewide offices as well as the U.S. Senate seat that will be on the ballot.

State GOP Chair Don Tracy said it’s too early to know who the party’s champion might be for the statewide offices that are up for grabs. Asked how the party will overcome its lack of funds in comparison to the Democrats, Tracy said “money can’t buy love.” He added that he doesn’t “think it can buy a re-election by this governor.”

Billionaire Gov. J.B. Pritzker has already seeded his campaign fund with $35 million in March, after pumping $171 million of his personal fortune into his 2019 campaign.

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy delivers the “Fire Pritzker” chant during Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair on Thursday.Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP

“Money is a big influence in politics, but it’s not everything,” Tracy said.

Members of the party and supporters rallied on the Director’s Lawn at the state fairgrounds Thursday afternoon, toting signs that read “Defeat J.B.,” “Fire Pritzker, Hire Bailey” or carrying tote bags emblazoned with “Darren Bailey for Governor” in support of the state senator from southern Illinois who is vying for the chance to unseat Pritzker.

Others held up signs that read “Save Illinois,” wore stickers that said “My governor is a tyrant” or tried to stay cool in the nearly 90-degree heat with “Rabine for Governor” fans in apparent support of gubernatorial candidate Gary Rabine.

State Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, a GOP candidate for governor, visits with supporters during Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair on Thursday.Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP

Republicans stressed the need to fill next year’s ticket with Republican candidates, ahead of what Mark Shaw, the co-chair of the state’s GOP, called a “do-or-die election.”

“We have to have candidates everywhere, up and down the ballot, for everything from governor to dog catcher, ladies and gentlemen. So, I encourage you to get involved, step up,” Shaw said at a morning meeting of the state’s Republican state central committeemen at a Springfield hotel. “Instead of sitting on your couch and complaining about what isn’t getting done, be part of what is getting done.”

Rank and file members of the party at the hotel meeting heard from Bailey of Xenia, suburban Bull Valley businessman Rabine and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo, who are all vying for the chance to oust Pritzker.

Businessman Gary Rabine, a Republican candidate for Illinois governor, speaks with visitors during Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair on Thursday.Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP

Though firing Pritzker was a main message of the day, none of the three announced GOP candidates for governor got a spot on the stage for the afternoon rally, the day’s main event.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of downstate Taylorville, who has been mentioned as a potential GOP gubernatorial candidate, did get a speaking role on the afternoon stage as well as at the morning meeting.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., delivers his remarks during Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair on Thursday.Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP

He said his political future — and potential decision to run for governor — is dependent on how the “corrupt Democrats” decide to draw the state’s congressional maps, suggesting he’d be more inclined to run for governor if the Democrats eliminated his congressional district or threw him into someone else’s district.

Others addressing the party at the hotel included state Rep. Tom Demmer, a Dixon Republican who said he’s still “exploring” a run for Illinois secretary of state, and state Rep. Dan Brady of Bloomington, who may also seek the party’s nomination to succeed outgoing Democrat Jesse White.

Republicans who’ve said they want a shot at the top of the ticket include Bobby Piton, a portfolio manager who bills himself as a “Conservative Patriot committed to preserving our Freedom and Republic,” and Allison Salinas, whose Facebook page says she stands up “for the unborn, backing our 2nd Amendment and standing up for our law enforcement agencies.”

Others include Peggy Hubbard, a Navy veteran and former police officer, and Tim Arview, who bills himself as a “conservative Republican” on his Facebook page.

Peggy Hubbard, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, gives a thumbs up during Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair on Thursday.Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP

None were given speaking parts at the afternoon rally or the morning meeting.

In addition to recruiting candidates, party leaders vowed to hunt for votes in the Chicago area.

Cook County Republican Chairman Sean Morrison said the party understands the “path to victory comes through Cook County” — and apparently so do some of the prospective candidates.

“There are a lot of people motivated — which people will see over the next few months — there are a lot of … good quality people motivated to run for a lot of offices on the Republican ticket. As chairman, I’ve fielded many of those inquiries over the last six, seven months, and so we’ve got game plans that are being put in effect there.”

The shifting of next year’s primary from March to June was “the best gift” Democrats gave Republicans, Morrison said, adding the extra time will give the party more time to execute its game plan.

“The best thing we got was another seven months of runway,” Morrison said. “The Democrats thought that it benefits them, we’ll see how it all ends up in November of 2022.”

Read More

A person was shot and killed Thursday afternoon on a CTA Red Line train in Englewood.

About 4:20 p.m., a male was on the train traveling in the 200 block of West Garfield Boulevard when three people approached him and one of them fired shots, Chicago police said.

The male was struck in the arm and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died, police said.

No arrests have been made. Area One detectives are investigating.

Read More

The on-field expectations have changed for the Cubs over the last month as the team’s championship window has officially closed with the mass player-exodus at the trade deadline. The experience level of the players at the major-league level has also changed outside of remaining veterans like Jason Heyward, Kyle Hendricks, Willson Contreras and Alec Mills amongst others.

With such inexperience in the Majors as the team prepares for 2022 and beyond, the emphasis for the remaining two months for the Cubs has shifted from fighting for playoff position to teaching and culture building.

Manager David Ross is naturally leading the charge of that and with the variables of his team dramatically different as he closes out his second season at the helm, he’s making sure the players who walk through the clubhouse door know that a new standard in the organization has been set.

“They changed the team’s expectations about this organization,” Ross said after the deadline. “They changed the caliber of play that is expected. They changed expectations for our fan base that is passionate.

“I think it’s time to get to work. … Change creates opportunity, and there’s a real opportunity here for new guys to prove that they’re sustainable big-leaguers. … That’s a really valuable next two months [where] we’re gonna have to continue to keep an eye on the guys that can go out and prove it every single day.”

One thing that stood out from Jed Hoyer’s thoughts after the deadline was the idea of not wanting to “waste a crisis”. That thought has been true for Ross and his message of getting to work isn’t one he’s only putting on the players or the front office. But also himself.

There is no one that would ever say that the Cubs skipper isn’t competitive and the edge he’s brought since his time as a player has translated to his brief time as a manager.

But unlike his first season that saw the Cubs win a division title, the team has taken a drastic step back in his second year. Seeing both the highs of a division title and the lows of two 11-game losing streaks and a down season, 2021 has brought Ross new perspective.

As he focuses on leading the team each day until the end of the season, he’s also taken the time to reflect on how he wants to run his team in years to come.

“I’ve probably jotted down a lot more stuff that I will take [and] implement,” Ross said. “Just long-term thoughts and goals. ‘How do I get this message across?’ How do I get what I want in the style that I find important in certain moments?’ Not verbalizing and showing frustration.

“Everybody gets frustrated, right? It’s not just managers, but players, coaches, everybody. So not verbalizing those, you learned really quickly that everybody’s watching us. I think I learned that last year. You have to try to be the same person when I’m in the clubhouse, every day when I walk into a meeting to when I’m on the top step.”

Ross has already begun to implement some changes as the season goes on, including group stretch before batting practice on the road and team film sessions before each homestand.

As the team has transitioned, it’s offered Ross and the coaching staff the opportunity to have teachable moments, even in a stretch of where the team might not be playing as they have in recent years.

“After a bad game for a player, you don’t want to pile on, right? Take maybe two days. Let’s talk about it later or teach it the next series. We had a baserunning thing that we didn’t do great in Colorado that we showed in the next series at home. And then in the Miami series, that same player did the same exact thing, made a better read and ended up tagging up and scoring a tying-run for us.

“We’re not singling out anybody. This is what we did wrong. Everybody learned from it. The same player was in the same situation and learned from it. I think that’s a rewarding moment in a situation where we’re not winning baseball games.”

Read More

NEW YORK — A key accuser at the R. Kelly sex-trafficking trial returned to the witness stand on Thursday, first claiming Kelly had a Girl Scout fetish and then weeping when a prosecutor asked her to read aloud from a journal entry describing how he allegedly beat and choked her the last time they were together in 2010.

Jerhonda Pace, who had remained stoic during nearly two days on the witness stand, read how Kelly cursed at her and slapped her three times, telling her, “It’s not going to be an open fist next time.” She wrote that he choked her and sexually assaulted her before she “became fed up with him” and left.

Pace testified she believed Kelly gave her herpes, backing allegations by prosecutors that he broke the law by knowingly transmitting the STD. They offered more evidence on that point by calling his personal physician to the witness stand later Thursday to testify the singer had a long history of treatment for herpes.

Pace, who is pregnant and only a few days from her due date, asked for a break so she could compose herself.

She resumed her testimony in Brooklyn federal court a day after telling jurors she was a 16-year-old virgin and a member of Kelly’s fan club when he invited her to his mansion in 2010. While there, she said, she was told to follow “Rob’s rules” — edicts restricting how she could dress, who she could speak with and when she could use the bathroom.

She said Kelly — born Robert Sylvester Kelly — sometimes demanded she wear pigtails and “dress like a Girl Scout” during sexual encounters that Kelly often videotaped.

On cross examination, defense attorney Deveraux Cannick sought to show Pace hid her true motivations regarding Kelly and deceived him by lying about her age.

“You were in fact stalking him, right?” Cannick asked.

“That is not right,” she responded.

Pace had testified earlier that she told Kelly she was 19 when they met but had informed him she was only 16 by the time he sexually abused her.

Cannick confronted her with a lawsuit settlement she signed indicating she agreed she never revealed to Kelly that she was a minor. She said it was in exchange for hush money.

The questioning fit a theme that defense lawyers have repeatedly pushed early in the trial: Kelly was victimized by groupies who hounded him at shows and afterward, only to turn against him years later when public sentiment shifted against him, they allege.

To bolster their claims against Kelly, prosecutors showed jurors screenshots from Pace’s phone showing several communications with Kelly in January 2010, including a text from him reading, “Please call.” There was also a photo of her with “Rob” tattooed to her chest. She said she’s since “covered it up with a black heart.”

Later, Dr. Kris McGrath told jurors he had been prescribing herpes medication for Kelly since at least 2007 and became fast friends with him until 2019, sometimes examining the singer during house calls at his mansion. Kelly didn’t pay for treatment but instead picked up the tab for the doctor to attend his concerts in Chicago, New York and elsewhere, he testified.

Pace, the trial’s first witness, was among multiple female accusers — mostly referred to in court as “Jane Does” — expected to testify at a trial scheduled to last several weeks. Other likely witnesses include cooperating former associates who have never spoken publicly before about their experiences with Kelly.

The Associated Press doesn’t name alleged victims of sexual abuse without their consent unless they have shared their identities publicly. Pace has appeared in a documentary and participated in media interviews.

Kelly, 54, has denied accusations he preyed on Pace and other victims during a 30-year career highlighted by his smash hit “I Believe I Can Fly,” a 1996 song that became an inspirational anthem played at school graduations, weddings, advertisements and elsewhere.

The testimony comes more than a decade after Kelly was acquitted in a 2008 child pornography case in Chicago. The reprieve allowed his music career to continue until the #MeToo era caught up with him, emboldening alleged victims to come forward.

The women’s stories got wide exposure with the Lifetime documentary “Surviving R. Kelly.” The series explored how an entourage of supporters protected Kelly and silenced his victims for decades, foreshadowing the federal racketeering conspiracy case that landed Kelly in jail in 2019.

The trial is occurring before an anonymous jury of seven men and five women. Following several delays due mostly to the pandemic, the trial unfolds under coronavirus precautions restricting the press and the public to overflow courtrooms with video feeds.

Read More

Read More

Four men were wounded in a shooting Thursday afternoon inside a business in Bronzeville on the South Side.

They were inside a business about 4:10 p.m. in the 300 block of East 47th Street when two people opened fire, Chicago police said.

A 30-year-old man was struck in the chest and transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, police said.

A man, 36, suffered gunshot wounds to the head and ankle and another man, 36, was hit in the wrist, police said. The fourth victim, a 60-year-old man, was struck in the thigh, police said. They were taken to the same hospital and all listed in good condition.

There is no one in custody.

Read More

During the spring and early summer, Americans enjoyed a brief period of live music and moviegoing before COVID cases started to spike and cancellations rolled in.

In response to the changing circumstances, promoters AEG and Live Nation have announced vaccine mandates for their concertgoers starting in October.

Music festivals such as July’s Lollapalooza in Chicago have experimented with requiring attendees to present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. About 200 fans out of 385,000 tested positive in the two weeks after the event began.

But other events that went forward this summer have led to viral outbreaks, such as Watershed Music Festival in George, Washington, which has been tied this week to more than 230 coronavirus cases in a crowd of 25,000.

With movie theaters taking a hit amid the delta variant and positive COVID tests bringing filming delays, the release dates of many movies have been reshuffled as well.

As the nation heads indoors for the fall, the future of concerts and movies is uncertain. Here’s a list of the notable delays and cancellations.

Concerts

Stevie Nicks

The Fleetwood Mac singer has canceled all five of her performances scheduled for 2021 because of concerns about rising COVID numbers. Nicks, 73, told fans in a tweet announcing her decision that although she is vaccinated, given her age, she is being abundantly cautious.

Limp Bizkit

They played Lollapalooza, but the 1990s rap rock band announced that they are canceling their 2021 tour dates for the health and safety of all concertgoers. “In short, the system is still very flawed,” lead singer Fred Durst told Billboard. “Even if the performers, crews, staff and promoters do their best to ensure safety on and behind the stage, that doesn’t ensure the safety of the audience as a whole.”

Singer/songwriter Michael Buble performs at T-Mobile Arena on March 30, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.Getty Images

Michael Buble

The singer/songwriter has postponed U.S. and South America tour dates in an attempt to avoid this summer’s surge of infections. “It is better for me to reschedule these shows to a time when all of us are confident that we can relax and enjoy the show,” the singer announced on Aug. 10.

Korn

On Aug. 14, Korn announced that singer Jonathan Davis had tested positive right before the band’s Scranton show, which they pushed to Sept. 25. Other tour dates in Northeast cities were postponed until October and shows in Darien and Syracuse, New York, were canceled.

Fall Out Boy

On Aug. 4, Fall Out Boy pulled two shows in New York City and Boston from their Hella Mega tour with Green Day, Weezer and The Interrupters after a member of the band’s team tested positive. Yet, they rocked Wrigley Field to its core on Aug. 15.

“Each band and their crew have operated in a bubble independently to safeguard everyone as much as possible at each show and in between shows,” Fall Out Boy wrote on Instagram.

Lynyrd Skynyrd

The American rock band canceled four shows this August after guitarist Rickey Medlocke tested positive for coronavirus. The band also postponed an Aug. 13 concert in Atlanta until Oct. 23.

Garth Brooks

On Aug. 18, the country music superstar canceled the next five shows on his stadium tour. “In July, I sincerely thought the pandemic was falling behind us. Now, watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight and I must do my part,” Brooks said in a statement. Brooks’ wife, singer Trisha Yearwood contracted COVID in February.

Neil Young performs at Painted Turtle Camp on September 14, 2019 in Lake Hughes, California.Getty Images

Neil Young

The singer/songwriter has withdrawn from the sold-out Farm Aid concert, where he was set to perform alongside Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews on Sept. 25.

“My soul tells me it would be wrong to risk having anyone die because they wanted to hear music,” he wrote in a message posted to the Neil Young Archives site. “All you people who can’t go to a concert because you still don’t feel safe, I stand with you. I don’t want you to see me playing and think it’s safe now.”

Movies

‘Avatar 2’

The release of the sequel to the 2009 blockbuster has been pushed from December 2021 to December 2022. All aspects of production have been delayed by COVID, according to a letter released by director James Cameron.

“As many of you are aware, due to COVID-19, we were forced into an unexpected lengthy delay in starting the live action filming we are currently doing in New Zealand,” he wrote. “What most of you likely do not know is that the pandemic is still preventing us from being allowed to recommence most of our virtual production work on stages in Los Angeles.”

‘The Batman’

“The Batman,” a new take on the Dark Knight starring Robert Pattinson, has been postponed from Oct. 1, 2021, to March 4, 2022, following a series of delays after cast members tested positive for COVID.

‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’

The family-friendly live action adaptation was set for release Sept. 17 but has been delayed to an as-yet undetermined date.

‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

In a domino effect of Marvel delays, the premiere of the “Doctor Strange” sequel has been pushed from November 2021 to March 25, 2022. It was originally set for release in May 2021.

Timothee Chalamet in “Dune.”Warner Bros.

‘Dune’

“Dune,” the star-studded movie adaptation of the sci-fi classic, was originally scheduled to premiere December 2020 but was delayed until Oct. 1, 2021, and then pushed again to Oct. 22 2021.

‘Halloween Kills’

The release of the horror reboot was pushed from October 2020 to October 2021, delaying its already scheduled sequel “Halloween Ends” a full year as well, until October 2022.

‘Jurassic World: Dominion’

“Jurassic World: Dominion,” the sixth installment of the blockbuster franchise, was postponed from June 11, 2021, until June 10, 2022.

‘The King’s Man’

The sequel to the “Kingsman” series has been continuously delayed from the original February 2020 release date until September 2020 and then again until Dec. 22, 2021.

‘Minions: Rise of Gru’

The release of “Minions: Rise of Gru” has been delayed a full two years from its original July 3, 2020, release date, to July 1, 2022.

‘Mission: Impossible 7’

“Mission: Impossible 7” was delayed from Nov. 19, 2021, to May 27, 2022, which pushed “Mission: Impossible 8” from a Nov. 4, 2022 release to July 7, 2023.

‘No Time to Die’

The 25th James Bond movie was originally scheduled for release April 2020 but has been delayed a third time until Oct. 8, 2021.

‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’

The “Shazam!” sequel will now premiere on June 2, 2023, a year after its original June 3, 2022, release date.

‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

In a series of delays to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the fourth “Thor” movie was moved from its original Nov. 5, 2021, release to Feb. 11, 2022, and then again to May 6, 2022.

‘Top Gun: Maverick’

The sequel to Tom Cruise’s 1986 classic has been pushed back twice by the pandemic and is now scheduled for Nov. 19, 2021.

‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’

The “Venom” sequel will now come out on Oct. 15 instead of Sept. 24. This is the third delay to the release, which was initially scheduled for Oct. 2, 2020.

Festivals

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which was scheduled to run Oct. 8-10 and Oct. 15-17, has been canceled in response to the overwhelming rise in Louisiana’s COVID cases. The festival, which had already been postponed from spring, will offer ticketholders refunds and rollovers to next year’s event, which is scheduled for May.

“In the meantime, we urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials, so that we can all soon experience together the joy that is Jazz Fest,” the announcement read.

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has canceled all its 2021 events and entertainment options, including the rodeo competitions, after already being delayed until May to accommodate the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

President and CEO Chris Boleman announced on Feb. 3: “While we were optimistic that moving our Rodeo to May would provide a better opportunity to host our annual community event that Rodeo fans have come to love and expect, unfortunately, it has become evident that the current health situation has not improved to the degree necessary to host our event.”

Gulf Coast Jam

The Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam music festival, which successfully hosted country music lovers in Panama City Beach, Florida, this June, has postponed its Labor Day event until June 3-5, 2022.

In the release announcing the delay, organizers cited Bay County, Florida’s surge in cases this summer and promised ticketholders rollovers and refunds.

Coachella and Stagecoach

In January, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach country music festival, which were scheduled for April, were canceled.

The announcement marked the third time the Coachella festival was canceled because of the pandemic. “We look forward to when the events may return,” Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser wrote.

Electric Forest

The outdoor music festival in Rothbury, Michigan, was canceled for the second year in a row this April and postponed until 2022.

“We must balance our optimism with realism – and we must respect the process in place, the efforts underway, and the sacrifices we’ve all made over the last year in an effort to keep each other safe,” the announcement read.

Read more at usatoday.com

Read More

The prolific and brilliant Spike Lee has always represented his home of New York City with the greatest of pride but also an unblinking social conscience, wearing his love for NYC on his Yankees baseball cap and his Knicks jerseys, and of course most importantly through such lasting feature films as “Do the Right Thing,” “Crooklyn,” “25th Hour, “She’s Gotta Have It,” and “Inside Man.”

Lee also has focused on other elements of life in America by directing such invaluable documentaries as “4 Little Girls,” “David Byrne’s American Utopia” and “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts” — so given his passion for New York and his non-fiction storytelling gifts, who better than Lee to direct an epic, four-part, nearly eight-hour HBO documentary series about the complex and rich and tragic and beautiful and heartbreaking and inspiring world of New York City in the 21st century?

In the comprehensive and illuminating “NYC Epicenters 9/11 ? 2021 1/2 ,” Lee conducts 200 interviews with New Yorkers from all walks, from health care workers to journalists to firefighters to actors to politicians, while often offering his own, typically strong and vocal opinions about everything from 9/11 to the Black Lives Matter movement to Donald Trump to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. (I’ve seen three of the four episodes.) And while the series is New York City to its very core and only occasionally visits stories in other parts of America, the people we meet and the stories they tell and the hardships they endure and the battles they fight are relatable to the rest of the country and most of the world.

Episode 1 is largely about the outbreak of the pandemic, as politicians, front line health care workers, patients and journalists recall the early days of uncertainty followed by the months and months of tragedy. Every time new interview subjects are introduced, they introduce themselves on camera, e.g. “My name is Chuck Scarborough, I’m a news anchor at NBC-4 New York and I’ve been working there since 1976,” “My name is Sylvie De Souza, I’m the Chair of Emergency Medicine at the Brooklyn Hospital Center,” “I’m Bill de Blasio, 109th mayor of the City of New York,” etc. Virtually every interview provides a new and unique perspective. Lee serves as off-camera interviewer, allowing the subjects and the stories they tell to be front and center. (Not that he doesn’t inject his unique phrasing and his unfiltered opinions; when Donald Trump is onscreen, the graphic refers to him as “President Agent Orange.” In a later episode, Barack Obama is identified as “President Barack ‘Brudda Man’ Obama.”)

During “Epicenters,” Spike Lee identifies Donald Trump as “President Agent Orange.”HBO

“Epicenters” eventually expands into lengthy treatments of the Black Lives Matter movement; the marches and rallies and conflicts across the USA in the summer of 2020; the dangerous spread of misinformation about COVID and the vaccines, and the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol of Jan. 6. Never one to opt for the more subtle notes, Lee at one point plays a live version of Bruce Hornsby singing the social protest anthem “The Way It Is,” while we see still photos and mug shots of insurrectionists.

The third installment is all about 9/11. Lee starts with a clip of from “On the Town” (1949), with Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Jules Munshin as sailors trying to experience all that New York has to offer in 24 hours. We then segue to footage of the building of the World Trade Center in the 1970s, accompanied by “Fanfare for the Common Man” by Brooklyn native Aaron Copland. Soon thereafter, we’re plunged into the waking nightmare that was 9/11, with witness after witness saying at first the whole thing felt like it was something out of a movie.

AP

We’ve seen much of this footage and heard many of these stories before, but it’s still a devastating reminder of one of the most horrific days in American history. There is an extended passage about one aspect of the rescue efforts that was relatively overlooked: the maritime evacuation of more than a half-million people from Lower Manhattan by a convoy of Coast Guard vessels, NYPD Harbor Unit boats and ships, fireboats, merchant ships, tugboats and civilian ferries.

Through it all, Spike Lee’s lifelong love affair with New York City and its people is fierce and unwavering.

Read More