It was a cool summer evening and neighbors were outside up and down the block in Englewood, some in groups under trees, others bent over a car, its hood raised.

Hardly anyone noticed when the Jeep pulled up across the street around 8:15 p.m. but in seconds two gunmen jumped out and began firing in all directions, according to Chicago police.

People ran, some hid behind cars, one person stumbled in the middle of the 6500 block of South Halsted Street, got up but fell again and started crawling away.

The gunmen sprayed a line of parked cars before jumping back into the Jeep and speeding off. In one of those cars was 1-month-old Terriana Smith, strapped into a child seat, according to her family.

Terriana was shot along with six other people, but she was the worst, a gunshot to the head.

She was taken in critical condition to St. Bernard Hospital, then transferred to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she underwent surgery Friday morning.

“She’s doing pretty good,” her uncle Charles McKenzie said, adding that she was breathing on her own. He said the bullet did not pierce her skull. Her car seat had several bullet holes in it.

The baby’s mother had driven to the block to speak to community members about keeping youth from violence.

“It’s hurtful, it’s painful,” said McKenzie,. “Out here serving and protecting the community and fighting against gun violence every day and it ends up my people that’s afflicted from this gun violence.”

Terriana was among three young children shot on Thursday, one of the most violent days this year with 32 people shot, four of them fatally.

Hours earlier, a 9-year-old girl was shot in the head as she sat in a car in Grand Crossing. She was taken by a police officer to Comer Children’s Hospital in critical condition.

Shortly after midnight, an 8-year-old girl was shot in the arm as she sat inside her home in Roseland. Two women on the porch were also shot and one of them died.

Police reported no arrests in any of the attacks Thursday.

The Sun-Times reported last month that more children 15 or younger have been shot so far this year, a trend that continues into July.

The three children were wounded in some of the deadliest neighborhoods in the city, Sun-Times data shows. Englewood ranks third for homicides this year with 18; Grand Crossing 9th with 14; and Roseland 12th with 12.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

The shooting that wounded the 1-month-old came just days after two other mass shootings killed two women and injured 15 other people in Chicago.

At least 24 shootings across the city this year have wounded four or more people, according to a Sun-Times analysis.

“Last night was a disaster,” said Khandes McKenzie, 25, the baby’s cousin. “We see other families going through this trauma and now it happened to us and it’s heartbreaking.”

Charles McKenzie said the family had gathered in the area to speak to the community as part of their work with his organization, Englewood First Responders.

Not long after, Khandes McKenzie said she heard about the shooting through Facebook.

“It was a panic,” Khandes McKenzie said. “Even the thought that someone else had just got shot, someone opened fire like that. We all were panicking.”

The family gathered at the hospital Thursday night for “deep prayer” led by her grandmother.

Friday afternoon, Charles and Khandes McKenzie joined a small group of people at the scene of the shooting. The gathering had been scheduled days ago for the children of the community, with a barbecue and toy give-away.

But before they got to that, they formed a half-circle as two pastors led in prayer, calling for healing in the community and those hurt in the violence.

Charles McKenzie stepped forward to thank the group. “I’m grateful for all you guys coming out to show love to the Englewood community and also my niece and my sister.”

His voice broke and he buried his face in his hands, unable to continue.

Later, Khandes McKenzie finished his thought. “We’re just trying to keep them on the right path,” she said. “There is no need for retaliation at this point.”

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Workers at the Chicago-based Portillo’s chain restaurant have walked off this job this week in an effort to demand safer working conditions and fair wage.

After five days off the job, the employees on Friday held a press conference in front of Portillo’s flagship location in River North to call attention to their plight.

“All we want is to be treated decently, treated fairly and paid fairly,” 15-year employee Armando Huerta said at the conference. “Thanks to the company for the good years, but enough is enough.”

The 17 employees — who all work at Portillo’s Food Services in Addison, which prepares food for 47 Portillo’s locations throughout the Chicago area — said they skipped work after seeing a large increase in their hours with no overtime pay during the pandemic. Employee Paty Cordova said Portillo’s has refused to bring in new employees to take the shifts of sick workers, resulting in each worker doing the work of two or three people.

Usually, Cordova works four days a week, but she was forced to work six during the pandemic, she said.

The workers, who are all Hispanic, requested to meet with management as a group but were refused the opportunity at every level, Cordova said. The workers are not unionized. Since they began the walkout, the company has sent letters to the workers and threatened to fire them if they did not return, the group said.

In a statement, Portillo’s said they have faced challenges with hiring new staff but said they are increasing starting wages and have boosted wages for existing workers.

“We are disappointed that a small group of our team members have chosen to participate in a rally instead of coming in for their scheduled shifts,” the statement said. “The Portillo’s leadership team is committed to hearing from each of our team members individually and will continue to do so.”

The request to meet one-on-one with workers is an intimidation tactic, Cordova said at the rally.

The event, which was organized with the help of Arise Chicago, a faith-based nonprofit that fights for workers’ rights, ended with remarks from Rev. Robert Jones and two other reverends leading a prayer circle for the group.

“I stand today with all of these wonderful human beings as a faith leader to say that it is just plain wrong to treat human beings like they are machines,” said Jones, of Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church on the South Side. “We call on ownership to do the right thing and take care of your employees. Enough is enough.”

The workers said they will continue their walkout for as long as it takes management to agree to meet with them collectively.

“We don’t care anymore about the consequences. We are in this fight together and will keep fighting until the end,” Cordova said.

Sam Heller/ Sun-Times

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Fourth of July celebrations may be back to normal for Americans as U.S. coronavirus cases drop and more than half (57%) of American adults are fully vaccinated. With typical holiday celebrations comes fireworks, barbecues and lots of food.

Several food experts are warning Americans not to let the holiday excitement distract them from food safety protocols. Bacteria, food poisoning and poorly cooked meals can easily ruin a celebration.

“Rates of foodborne illness tend to increase during the summer months because germs grow faster in warmer, more humid weather. People also cook and eat outside, making shortcuts to food safety tempting because they are away from the convenience of soap and running water at the kitchen sink,” Sandra Eskin, USDA’s Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, said in a news release.

More than half of Americans (57%) plan to grill or barbecue over the holiday weekend — that’s more than those who plan to travel, watch fireworks from home or attend public events or festivals, according to data and tech market research firm Numerator. It surveyed more than 2,000 consumers on June.

The excitement for cookouts is so great that regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, Americans want to fire up the grill. Even more people surveyed who said they will not get the vaccine plan to grill (60%), compared to those who are vaccinated (55%), the survey found.

At gatherings, those who are unvaccinated need to make a safety plan, said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said recently. “If you’re not vaccinated, our guidance has not changed for you. You remain at risk of infection. You still need to mask and take other precautions.”

How should I prepare and cook meat?

Ground beef and pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160?F while steaks and roasts should be cooked to at least 145?F and allow to rest for three minutes after removal from the grill. To prevent any mistakes, use a food thermometer to check that your burgers or steaks have been cooked to a temperature that will help avoid foodborne illnesses from bacteria such as E. coli.

When grilling raw meat, there are multiple steps you can take to avoid getting food poisoning, especially with E. coli, which can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps three to four days after exposure – and potentially kidney failure in children under 5 years old and in older adults, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

“Grilling really makes it look done a lot of times way before it actually is fully done,” said USDA food safety expert Meredith Carothers in recent remarks about July 4th grilling mistakes.

Don’t reuse marinades that have been used with raw meat. If you’re preparing kabobs for the holiday, keep meat and vegetables separate. Veggies cook faster than meats so put peppers, onions and carrots on separate sticks.

How can I practice cleanliness?

When grilling, use separate plates and utensils for raw meat and cooked meat and ready-to-eat foods, such as raw vegetables, to avoid cross-contamination. If you use a dish to bring out the meats, don’t reuse it for any other food dish until it’s been thoroughly washed. Bacteria on raw meat can easily spread to cooked meat if the plate isn’t cleaned.

Remember to wash your hands with soap and water after preparing meals. Also wash your kitchen counter, cutting boards and utensils after they are used on raw meats.

“Don’t let foodborne illness ruin the cookout – follow food safety guidelines like washing your hands, thoroughly cooking your food and checking food temperature with a thermometer,” said Sandra Eskin, USDA’s Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, in a news release.

stock.adobe.com

What about non-meat dishes?

If you’re bringing cantaloupe, potato salad or other picnic foods use a cooler.

Keep certain salads or desserts that were served cold chilled afterward. Cold dishes should not stay outside for more than two hours — and just one hour if it is warmer than 90 degrees outside. If you’re staying from home, be sure to bring a cooler for these dishes.

If you’re worried about foods that will bring bacteria, Powell suggests mayonnaise. He said the egg-based spread has gotten a bad rap over the years. But “commercial mayo uses pasteurized eggs and has high levels of vinegar,” whose acid content helps control bacteria, a food safety scientist and creator of barfblog.com, Doug Powell said.

Regardless of where or what meals you’re cooking, be extra cautious for those who are more likely to succumb to food poisoning from E. coli. Children and newborns, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with weak immune systems are among those more susceptible.

Read more at usatoday.com

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Marv Albert has seen his share of athletes and broadcasters announce their retirement and then come back a couple years later. He doesn’t expect to be one of them.

The Hall of Fame announcer would call his final game on Saturday if the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which would propel the Bucks to their first NBA Finals since 1974.

If the Hawks win, Albert’s final game would be Monday’s Game 7 in Milwaukee. The 80-year-old announcer said before the playoffs began in May that he would retire at the conclusion of TNT’s coverage for the season. Albert has been with Turner Sports for 22 years, including 19 as its lead NBA play-by-play voice.

After that, the only way to hear Albert announcing a game would be inside his house.

“I think I’ll revert to doing it off the television set for my wife, as we were doing during lockdown and as a kid, my brothers and I would would do it with a crowd record in the background. That’d be the closest I would get to it,” Albert said when asked if he’d consider a comeback. “I’m ready to call it quits. I’ve said this before but the pandemic was kind of a rehearsal for retirement.”

Albert has already made one comeback. He was fired by NBC and resigned from Madison Square Garden Network in 1997 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of sexual assault when a longtime lover accused him of biting her on the back more than a dozen times and forcing her to perform oral sex.

After undergoing therapy, Albert returned to MSG in late 1998 and joined Turner in 1999 when the NBA lockout ended. He was rehired by NBC in 2000 and was there until the network lost the NBA rights in 2002.

“I’ve been very fortunate. I had several errors early. And then in recent years, also, you got to be a little lucky,” he said.

Even though he has broadcast games in all four major U.S. professional leagues, Albert’s 55-year career is most closely associated with the NBA. He was the radio voice of the Knicks during their championships in 1970 and ’73. He called five of the Bulls’ six title runs on NBC in the 1990s and and still has his courtside seat to witness today’s stars.

Albert said the biggest changes he’s seen in the NBA game involve defense, where hand checking is no longer allowed and other subtle moves to hinder offensive players can’t happen anymore.

His dream NBA starting five comes from a mixture of eras. Albert went with LeBron James and Larry Bird as his forwards with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center and Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan as his guards.

“I think if they played today, their bodies would be in different shape and they would be adjusting. Bird was already a very good 3-point shooter anyway,” he said. “I even think a guy like Bob Cousy would have been able to alter his game because you have more small guards in the game now than you did at a certain period years ago.”

Even though Albert is retiring, his family will maintain a professional relationship with TNT. His son, Kenny Albert, will join the network in October when it begins broadcasting NHL games.

“I said, if he gives you any trouble at all, because I know he can be tricky, I’m a phone call away,” Marv Albert said.

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The Friendly Confines took on a new meaning Friday when 172 new citizens of the United States were sworn in during a ceremony at Wrigley Field.

The ballpark, for about 30 minutes, was transformed into the nation’s largest federal courtroom to provide the proper setting for a special naturalization ceremony to welcome people from more than 40 countries.

The federal district court seal — an eagle holding a red, white and blue shield — was beamed onto the giant video screen in right field.

The word “Welcome” in dozens of languages was on the video screen in left field.

Under a cloudless sky, Judge John Lee presided over the ceremony from a podium atop the Cubs dugout.

“Wrigley Field seems like an environment that is sustained by the spirit of people who love it,” Franklyn Eke, who’s originally from Nigeria and became a citizen Friday, said of Wrigley. In other words, he said, “This venue is very cool.”

It was the first time such a ceremony, normally reserved for a 25th-floor courtroom in the Dirksen Federal Building downtown, has been held at a sports venue in Chicago.

“Wrigley Field is 107 years old and when you’re 107 years old, you don’t get too many firsts, but this is a first,” said Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts, who also took a moment to sell his team to the country’s newest Americans. “It is an honor to host you on this special day and we all hope that you’ll be back here many, many, many, times.”

Chief Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer, a Cubs fan, got the ball rolling on having a special naturalization ceremony at a Chicago sports arena after she took the reins at Chicago’s federal courthouse in 2019.

“Wrigley Field has a complicated history. It has been the setting for struggle, sacrifice, hardship, hard work and heartbreak,” she told the new citizens. “But it’s also a symbol of dedication, hard work, beating the odds and triumphant wins. It also humbly reminds all of us in the hopes that the next season is always going to be a brighter one.”

For Hector Perez, 38, citizenship means he’ll be able to visit relatives in Mexico for the first since his mother brought him to the United States 30 years ago. Concern over leaving the country and not being allowed to return has prevented such a trip.

“Today I’m very happy,” said Perez, of Downers Grove.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, one of several elected officials to attend the event, recalled how his great-grandfather Nicholas Pritzker arrived in the United States as a penniless immigrant escaping antisemitism in Europe and succeeded in building a life for himself and his family.

“It’s a beautiful thing to watch dreams come to life,” he said.

Before leaving, each new citizen — decked out in a Cubs hat provided by the ball club — was invited to take a picture in the Cubs on-deck circle next to an American flag.

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Chicago’s lakefront will be illuminated by fireworks for Independence Day weekend after all.

The show will kick off at 9:30 p.m. Saturday and should be visible from multiple locations along the lakefront, as the fireworks will be shot higher than usual, the mayor’s office announced Friday.

Residents should be able to view the display from Grand Avenue to the north to at least 55th Street to the south, the mayor’s office said. WBBM Newsradio 780 AM and 105.9 FM will provide a music simulcast to go along with the show.

“Putting on a grandiose fireworks display to celebrate both our city’s reopening and Independence Day is an excellent way to kick off the summer we’ve all been waiting for,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “Thanks to the hard work of our residents, who followed public health guidelines and did their part to slow and stop the spread of COVID-19, we are now able to bring back exciting summer traditions like these.”

The announcement comes after Navy Pier announced last month that its beloved Fourth of July fireworks shows were canceled for the second straight year.

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Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

Today will be mostly sunny with a high near 75 degrees. Tonight’s low will be around 57 degrees. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high near 88.

Top story

‘Painful lesson’ on payment apps: It was a lot easier to be scammed than Chicago business owner realized

A week ago, Chicago business owner Brinda Gupta received a seemingly legitimate text message warning her Zelle account had been compromised.

That was followed up by a phone call appearing to be a Bank of America number that went to her voicemail. When she called back, she went through the automated menu, and soon received another call from a man identifying himself as a fraud officer from the bank.

Unknown to Gupta at the time, he was a scammer who had spoofed real Bank of America phone numbers in his text and calls to make it appear they were legitimate.

And while he was talking Gupta through steps that supposedly would protect her accounts online, he actually was gleaning information that allowed him to set up a parallel Zelle account — and transfer more than $6,000 from her account to his in two transactions that took a few minutes to complete.

With peer-to-peer digital payment apps increasingly popular — it’s estimated that four of five Americans use them as a way to quickly and easily pay a bill or transfer money to a friend — they’ve become a growing target for scammers.

The nonprofit U.S. PIRG Education Fund consumer watchdog organization says complaints about the apps have surged during the coronavirus pandemic.

The payment apps — which include Zelle, Venmo, Square and others — can be more convenient than a credit card. But they don’t offer the same protections as credit cards, for instance, to go to the credit card company and dispute a fraudulent charge.

Stephanie Zimmermann has more on the scams and how you can protect yourself and your accounts.

More news you need

1. A 1-month-old girl and six other people were hit by gunfire in Englewood last night when three gunmen jumped from a Jeep and began firing up and down the street. The attack came just days after two mass shootings killed two women and injured 15 other people in the city.
2. In a rare move, the Illinois Prisoner Review board revoked the parole it gave to Ray Larsen, who killed a teen boy in 1972. The board voted in April to free Larsen, then he went on the lam twice.
3. Workers at the Chicago-based Portillo’s chain restaurant walked off the job this week, demanding safer working conditions and fair wages. Employees marked five days off the job today with a demonstration and press conference at Portillo’s flagship River North location.
4. Oak Brook teenager Jui Khankari received the highly acclaimed Diana Award last week for her nonprofit AInspire, which strives to diversify the field of artificial intelligence. AInspire services over 7,500 students in 58 countries with virtual workshops, videos and educational curriculum she created.
5. Researchers here and around the Midwest have developed an app to better understand the prevalence and danger of ticks — and offer advice for those hoping to avoid them. So far, the app has been downloaded by thousands of people who have logged their experiences with the tiny critters.
6. The owner of La Catedral in Little Village says business is finally good again after dropping off by 75% during the peak of the pandemic. Stefano Esposito caught up with Ambrocio Gonzalez about his restaurant’s recovery and what’s next for the beloved eatery.

A bright one

Rare meteorite offers insights into the birth of planet Earth

About the size and shape of a lopsided softball, the lump of rock was not much to look at.

It didn’t glitter or shimmer, like objects in the Field Museum’s nearby Hall of Gems, which perhaps explains why few visitors took a detour to see what all the fuss was about Wednesday.

You perhaps have to be a scientist to get really excited about this kind of thing — the way Maria Valdes is, spending months this year examining — inside and out — this tiny chunk of rock, which plummeted through Earth’s atmosphere and plopped down in Morocco.

Brian Rich/Sun-Times

“A meteorite is a window into — not only the history of the asteroid it came from but into our solar system as a whole,” said a giddy Valdes, a Field research scientist.

When the rock was donated to the Field last year, Valdes and other scientists at the museum knew it was a meteorite, in part, because it had a glassy black crust — a telltale sign that it had at one time entered the atmosphere.

But it was Valdes’ research that revealed it was especially rare space debris because it had come from Vesta, the second-largest asteroid in the solar system and often visible in the night sky. Of all meteorites found on Earth, only about 4% come from Vesta, Valdes said.

Stefano Esposito has more on the rare rock and Valdes’ research here.

From the press box

When two Blackhawks players were allegedly sexually abused by the team’s video coach in 2010, where were their teammates to speak up for them, columnist Rick Morrissey asks.

And after dealing with a series of injuries over the last few years, top White Sox prospect Jake Burger finally will get his shot in the big leagues.

Your daily question ?

What song sounds like summer to you? Tell us why. Reply to this email (please include your first name and where you live) and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, we asked you: With the Fourth of July weekend almost here, we want to know: What will you be cooking this holiday? Here’s some of what you said…

“Bratwurst and dijon red potato salad.” — Katy Stevens

“My son is making smash burgers with bacon and sauteed onions with roasted potatoes and rosemary, grilled corn on the cob, tomato, cucumber and onion salad with a vinaigrette.” — Victor Balata

“Puerto Rican Shish kabobs AKA Pinchos.” — Antonio Cruz

“Barbecued pork, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, taco salad, cookies and cake.” — Linda Gillock Tinkham

Thanks for reading the Chicago Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

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SURFSIDE, Fla. — The number of people missing in the Florida condominium collapse fell substantially Friday, from 145 to 128, after duplicate names were eliminated and some residents reported missing turned up safe, officials said.

Authorities also announced the recovery of two more bodies, including the 7-year-old daughter of a Miami firefighter. That raised the confirmed death toll to 20 people.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the number of missing declined following an audit. In some cases, when detectives were able to contact people who had been reported as potentially missing, they found that not only were they safe, but other members of their families were safe, too. That pushed the list of people who have been accounted for up to 188 and reduced the number of missing, she said.

“So this is very, very good news,” she said, adding that the numbers are expected to keep changing because detectives are continually reviewing the list and verifying reports.

Detectives have worked around the clock to contact relatives and others. In some cases, English and Hebrew names have been offered for the same missing relative, officials have said.

The 7-year-old who perished in the collapse was “a member of our fire family,” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said.

The discovery of the girl’s remains was especially hard on rescuers, Levine Cava said.

“It was truly different and more difficult for our first responders. These men and woman are paying an enormous human toll each and every day, and I ask that all of you please keep them in your thoughts and prayers,” she said at a news conference.

No one has been rescued since the first hours after the June 24 collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South condominium.

During a meeting Friday with relatives of the missing, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said that only one voice has been heard during the entire search. A woman’s voice was detected until about 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. on the morning of the collapse, which happened around 1:30 a.m. Rescuers were unable to reach her, and he said no other voices or human sounds have been heard since.

Jadallah also prepared the families members for a possible suspension of the search if Hurricane Elsa — now in the eastern Caribbean — brings strong winds to South Florida that would make the work too dangerous.

Some rescue workers who are now staying in tents will be moved to cruise ships, which can stay safe during a tropical storm, Jadallah said.

About 600 first responders will stay on the Royal Caribbean ship Explorer of the Seas, the cruise line said. The ship, which can accommodate more than 3,000 passengers, began housing rescue teams Thursday and likely will continue for the next month.

Friday’s announcements came a day after officials said they were working on plans to tear down what’s left of the building after concerns about the structure’s instability prompted a 15-hour halt to the search for survivors. Crews noticed widening cracks and up to a foot of movement in a large column.

It will likely be weeks before the demolition is scheduled, officials said.

The cause of the collapse is under investigation. A 2018 engineering report found that the building’s ground-floor pool deck was resting on a concrete slab that had “major structural damage” and needed extensive repairs. The report also found “abundant cracking” of concrete columns, beams and walls in the parking garage.

Just two months before the building came down, the president of its board wrote a letter to residents saying that structural problems identified in the 2018 inspection had “gotten significantly worse” and that major repairs would cost at least $15.5 million. With bids for the work still pending, the building suddenly collapsed last Thursday.

___

Associated Press Writer Bobby Caina Calvan contributed to this report from Tallahassee, Florida.

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Workers at the Chicago-based Portillo’s chain restaurant have walked off this job this week in an effort to demand safer working conditions and fair wage.

After five days off the job, the employees on Friday held a press conference in front of Portillo’s flagship location in River North to call attention to their plight.

“All we want is to be treated decently, treated fairly and paid fairly,” 15-year employee Armando Huerta said at the conference. “Thanks to the company for the good years, but enough is enough.”

The 17 employees — who all work at Portillo’s Food Services in Addison, which prepares food for 47 Portillo’s locations throughout the Chicago area — said they skipped work after seeing a large increase in their hours with no overtime pay during the pandemic. Employee Paty Cordova said Portillo’s has refused to bring in new employees to take the shifts of sick workers, resulting in each worker doing the work of two or three people.

Usually, Cordova works four days a week, but she was forced to work six during the pandemic, she said.

The workers, who are all Hispanic, requested to meet with management as a group but were refused the opportunity at every level, Cordova said. The workers are not unionized. Since they began the walkout, the company has sent letters to the workers and threatened to fire them if they did not return, the group said.

In a statement, Portillo’s management did not address the specific charges leveled by the workers.

“We are disappointed that a small group of our team members have chosen to participate in a rally instead of coming in for their scheduled shifts,” the statement said. “The Portillo’s leadership team is committed to hearing from each of our team members individually and will continue to do so.”

The request to meet one-on-one with workers is an intimidation tactic, Cordova said at the rally.

The event, which was organized with the help of Arise Chicago, a faith-based nonprofit that fights for workers’ rights, ended with remarks from Rev. Robert Jones and two other reverends leading a prayer circle for the group.

“I stand today with all of these wonderful human beings as a faith leader to say that it is just plain wrong to treat human beings like they are machines,” said Jones, of Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church on the South Side. “We call on ownership to do the right thing and take care of your employees. Enough is enough.”

The workers said they will continue their walkout for as long as it takes management to agree to meet with them collectively.

“We don’t care anymore about the consequences. We are in this fight together and will keep fighting until the end,” Cordova said.

Sam Heller/ Sun-Times

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A 16-year-old boy whose family was illegally evicted from its Marquette Park apartment gunned down his landlord’s nephew, Cook County prosecutors said Friday.

Surveillance cameras recorded Deandre Rounds walking toward his family’s former apartment building Tuesday morning with a gun in his hand and parking an orange Nissan Murano nearby.

Rounds allegedly fired his weapon three times at a front window of the building where Brewer was standing inside, in the 6600 block of South Sacramento Avenue.

Brewer, 29, was struck in the forehead and died.

Brewer was the nephew of the building’s landlord, who had illegally evicted Rounds’ family because they were behind on rent and a neighbor had complained about them, Murphy said.

Instead of giving the family an eviction notice and filing the required paperwork with the county, Brewer’s uncle changed the locks and turned off power to the first-floor apartment, Murphy said.

Brewer had been sleeping in a basement apartment with his girlfriend when he woke up to the sounds of footsteps in the apartment above. Brewer talked to his uncle and went upstairs, where his girlfriend overhead part of a confrontation between Brewer and others, Murphy said.

When Brewer returned to the basement, he told his girlfriend Rounds and several others were upstairs, Murphy said. Shortly after, surveillance cameras recorded the Murano pulling up in an alley behind the building.

Just before he was shot, Brewer sent a text message to his uncle indicating that “someone was coming back,” Murphy said.

Three .40-caliber shell casings were found in the front yard of the building, which were later matched to the gun Rounds was seen hiding in bushes when he was chased by police and eventually arrested later that day, Murphy said.

Rounds was charged as an adult with first-degree murder.

Murphy asked Judge Arther Wesley Willis to order Rounds held without bail Friday, but the judge set the teen’s bail at $4 million instead.

Rounds recently started working at a Walmart in the southwest suburbs, his lawyer said.

Rounds is expected back in court Thursday.

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