For fans of any genre, live music isn’t hard to come by in Chicago. Check out our highlights for concerts, festivals and live performances in and around the city.

Welcome to our highlights for concerts, festivals and live music in Chicago. From free shows at Millennium Park to large festivals like Ravinia and Lollapalooza, and intimate shows at small local venues, our guide has all the latest music entertainment. Bookmark this page and check back for updates on concerts and events.

Black Eyed Peas

Nabil Elderkin

What: Grammy Award-winners Black Eyed Peas are set to perform an online show, the first in support of their 2020 album “Translation.” The concert features original members will.i.am, Taboo and apl.de.ap as well as some surprises fans won’t want to miss.

When: Livestreams at 7 p.m. June 11.

Tickets: $10-$80. Visit beplive.com.

Summer Nights with Northlight

What: Summer Nights with Northlight is a cabaret series held at Evanston restaurants to benefit Northlight Theatre. The performers are Alexis J. Roston and Kelvin Roston Jr. (June 10, Good to Go Jamaican, 711 W. Howard), Linda Solotaire (July 27, Sketchbook Brewing Company, 4901 Main, Skokie) and Heidi Kettenring (Aug. 24, Peckish Pig, 623 W. Howard).

When: Performances times are 6 p.m.

Tickets: $60 includes light dinner and select drinks. Visit northlight.org.

Labyrinth Arts and Performance Collective

What: Labyrinth Arts and Performance Collectivepresents “Emerge,” a new cabaret series featuring music, drag performance, comedy and spoken word First up at 10 p.m. June 11 is the retro blues trio Improper Behavior featuring vocalist Sharon Waltham, guitarist Keith Fort and upright bass player Gregory Redfeairn.

When: every second Friday of the month

Where: Porkchop, 1132 W. Grand

Tickets: $20. Visit labyrinthartsperformance.com.

WFMT-FM Opera Series

What: WFMT-FM’s “Opera Series,” a Saturday afternoon staple among opera fans, has featured performances from around the world including the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House and the Swedish Royal Opera. Now Chicago’s adventurous Haymarket Opera Company joins this roster with its acclaimed double-bill of Handel’s “Acis and Galatea” and “Apollo e Dafne.”.Hosted by Lisa Flynn, the broadcast includes interviews with general director Chase Hopkins, Haymarket founder and conductor Craig Trompeter, tenor Michael St. Peter and soprano Erica Schuller.

When: noon June 12

Visit: wfmt.com

Billy Strings

What: Nashville musician Billy Strings has kept busy during the past year first with online performances and more recently in-person shows. He’s currently taking a swing through the Midwest with a handful of outdoor performances. At this year’s Grammy Awards, Strings won Best Bluegrass Album for his acclaimed record, “Home.”

When: June 11-12

Where: Wintrust­ Field, 1999 S. Springinsguth, Schaumburg

Tickets: $49+. Visit wintrustfield.com.

Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre

Photo by William Frederking;

What: The multicultural company that creates new dance and music to explore personal narratives, unveils new works in a performance. The pieces include “Mood Swing,” a suite of duets responding to the pandemic and the social justice movement; “Identity City,” an exploration of the evolution, acceptance and conflict surrounding gender and identity; and “Root,” an African diaspora suite.

When: 7:30 p.m. June 12

Where: Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111^th

Tickets: $10-$24. Visit beverlyartcenter.org.

‘Raices to Roots’

Marlon Taylor

WHAT: The Chicago Puerto Rican experience is celebrated in “Raices to Roots.” Using “home” as a theme, a cast of artists embody stories of pride, struggle and resilience through original Afro-Latin dance, spoken word and music. The performers are poet Luis Tubens a.k.a. Logan Lu; dancers Maria Luisa Torres, Alyssa Harslton and Angela Townsend; and musicians and performers Peter “Maestro” Vale, Natalie Land and Lester Rey.

WHEN: June 5-6, 24-27

WHERE: Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, 4048 W. Armitage.

TICKETS: $30-$50. Visit segundoruizbelvis.org.

Tuesdays on the Terrace

Copyright MCA

When: 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays June 1-Aug. 31

Where: Museum of Contemporary Art’s outdoor sculpture garden, 220 E. Chicago

What: Tuesdays on the Terrace returns to the Museum of Contemporary Art’s outdoor sculpture garden. The popular jazz concert series features an array of Chicago jazz musiciansFirst up on June 1 is Alexis Lombre’s Ancestral Awakenings. Free with advance reservations. Visit mcachicago.org.

Philip Glass Opera

WHAT: Philip Glass’ new opera, “Circus Days and Nights,” is a stunning fusion of opera and contemporary circus with a libretto by playwright David Henry Hwang. The opera, a collaboration between Glass and the Swedish contemporary circus company Cirkus Cirkör (artistic director Tilde Björfors directs) and Malmö Opera, brings to life the poetry of Robert Lax and takes audiences on an adventure into the world of the circus and the performers who dedicate their life to this art.

WHEN: The world premiere opera livestreams through June 13

TICKETS: $12

INFO: Visit malmoopera.se/circus-days-and-nights-in-english.

Tab Benoit

Jean Frank Photo

WHEN: 8 p.m. June 4-5 and 7 p.m. June 6-8

WHAT: Blues guitarist Tab Benoit jumpstarts the return to live music with a multi-night stand at City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph. One of the most impressive guitarists to emerge from the bayous of Southern Louisiana, Benoit has found a favorite second home in Chicago where he fits right in with the city’s long held love of the blues.

TICKETS: $65

INFO: Visit citywinery.com/chicago.

Chicago Sinfonietta

WHEN: The concert streams at 7:30 p.m. June 5

WHAT: The Chicago Sinfonietta concludes its season with a program titled “Fusion: Stronger, Together,” which includes the world premiere of “La Lección Tres,” an orchestra commission from collaborator and Grammy Award-winning musician Victor Wooten. Also on the program: an arrangement of the Suite from Astor Piazzolla’s tango opera, “Maria de Buenos Aires,” and Valerie Coleman’s “Suite: Portraits of Josephine,” a musical tribute to Josephine Baker. The concert streams at 7:30 p.m. June 5.

WHERE: chicagosinfonietta.org/fusion

TICKETS: $45

Music Institute of Chicago

WHAT: The Music Institute of Chicago Chorale presents an online performance of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” in an arrangement for two pianos and percussion. The soloists are soprano Angela De Venuto, baritone Leo Radosavljevic and tenor Peder Reiff.

WHEN: The free performance is at 3 p.m. June 6

WHERE: Virtual, via Zoom

INFO: Visit musicinst.org/chorale

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

When: Live performances May 27-June 13

What: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra returns with live performances May 27-June 13. The first program (May 27-30) conducted by Michael Mulcahy includes Aaron Copland’s iconic “Fanfare for the Common Man” and Samuel Barber’s 20th-century interpretation of a Bach chorale paired with works by Tilson Thomas, Bernstein and Schuller. Erina Yashima conducts (June 3-6) two “Novelettes” by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Schubert’s Symphony No. 5, the string orchestra version of Jessie Montgomery’s “Strum” and Kodály’s orchestral “Dances of Galánta”; and Edo de Waart (June 10-13) conducts Mozart’s overture to “Don Giovanni,” Wagner’s “Siegfried Idyll” and Mozart’s Symphony No. 40.

Where: Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan

Tickets: $29+; cso.org

Shannon McNally

Photo by Alysse Gafkjen

When: Live-streamed show at 8 p.m. May 28 from City Winery Nashville

What: Singer-songwriter Shannon McNally celebrates the release of her new album, “The Waylon Sessions” with a live-streamed show from City Winery Nashville. She’s assembled an all-star band along with special guests Rodney Crowell, Buddy Miller and Kenny Vaughn. On the album, McNally puts a woman’s spin on outlaw classics by Jennings and his cohorts. The result is not so much a tribute but a rethinking of a catalog long considered a bastion of masculinity.

Tickets: $15; citywinery.com/chicago

Henhouse Prowlers

Russ Boxer Photo

When: May 28-June 13

Where: City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph

Tickets: $35. Visit citywinery.com/chicago

More information: Get ready for some furious fingerpicking and perfect harmonies when the Chicago bluegrass band Henhouse Prowlers celebrates the release of a new album “The Departure” with four shows at City Winery.

Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra

When: Streams free May 28-June 13

Where: Visit ipomusic.org.

What: The final online event of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra’s season includes Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” and Eric Ewazen’s Symphony in Brass, Valerie Coleman’s “Portrait of Josephine” and Joan Tower’s “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 1,” which is often viewed as a feminist counterpoint to the Copland work of similar name.

Lollapalooza

When: July 29-Aug. 1

Where: Grant Park

What: Lollapalooza returns to Grant Park July 29-Aug. 1 with Foo Fighters, Post Malone, Tyler, the Creator, Miley Cyrus, Dababy, Marchmello, Journey, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, Kaytranada and more. $375+/festival pass. Visit lollapalooza.com.

Pitchfork Music Festival

When: Sept. 10-12

Where: Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph

What: The Pitchfork Music Festival returns to Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph. Performers include Erykah Badu Phoebe Bridgers, St. Vincent, The Fiery Furnaces, Angel Olsen, Kim Gordon Waxahatchee, Flying Lotus, Thundercat and more.

Tickets: $90/day, $195 festival pass. Visit pitchforkmusicfestival.com.

Riot Fest

When: Sept. 17-19

Where: Douglass Park, Chicago

What: Riot Fest is back, this year with Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins, Run the Jewels, Pixies, Faith No More, Devo, Lupe Fiasco and more.

Tickets: $125+/day $155+/festival pass. Visit riotfest.org.

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Chicagoans can find a range of plays, musicals and dance shows at local theaters large and small. Our guide has the latest on what’s on stage in the city.

Welcome to our highlights of events and entertainment on stage at Chicago’s theaters. From local productions to Broadway hits, our guide has the latest on shows in the city. Bookmark this page and check back for updates and ticket information.

Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre

Photo by William Frederking;

What: The multicultural company that creates new dance and music to explore personal narratives, unveils new works in a performance. The pieces include “Mood Swing,” a suite of duets responding to the pandemic and the social justice movement; “Identity City,” an exploration of the evolution, acceptance and conflict surrounding gender and identity; and “Root,” an African diaspora suite.

When: 7:30 p.m. June 12

Where: Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111^th

Tickets: $10-$24. Visit beverlyartcenter.org.

Court Theatre

What: Court Theatre presents an online staging of Owen McCafferty’s “Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry, 1912),” directed by Vanessa Stalling. The drama tells the story of the sinking of the HMS Titanic using verbatim testimonies from a court investigation of the wreck that probe the causes of the catastrophe, the value systems that enabled it and if indeed it was actually preventable.

When: Streams on-demand June 14-July 11

Tickets: $20-$30. Visit courttheatre.org.

Center for Visual and Performing Arts

Center for Visual and Performing Arts

What: “Winchell: On the Air” is a new one-man play, starring Philip Potempa, about the infamous New York gossip columnist and radio news commentator Walter Winchell (1897-1972). Winchell’s biographer Neal Gabler notes his popularity and influence meant, “He turned journalism into a form of entertainment.”

When: Performances are 11:30 a.m. June 10 (includes lunch, show at 1 p.m.) and 6 p.m. (includes dinner, show at 7:30 p.m.).

Where: Center for Visual and Performing Arts, 1040 Ridge, Munster, Ind.

Tickets: $50. Visit cvpa.org.

Summer Nights with Northlight

What: Summer Nights with Northlight is a cabaret series held at Evanston restaurants to benefit Northlight Theatre. The performers are Alexis J. Roston and Kelvin Roston Jr. (June 10, Good to Go Jamaican, 711 W. Howard), Linda Solotaire (July 27, Sketchbook Brewing Company, 4901 Main, Skokie) and Heidi Kettenring (Aug. 24, Peckish Pig, 623 W. Howard).

When: Performances times are 6 p.m.

Tickets: $60 includes light dinner and select drinks. Visit northlight.org.

Labyrinth Arts and Performance Collective

What: Labyrinth Arts and Performance Collectivepresents “Emerge,” a new cabaret series featuring music, drag performance, comedy and spoken word First up at 10 p.m. June 11 is the retro blues trio Improper Behavior featuring vocalist Sharon Waltham, guitarist Keith Fort and upright bass player Gregory Redfeairn.

When: every second Friday of the month

Where: Porkchop, 1132 W. Grand

Tickets: $20. Visit labyrinthartsperformance.com.

Ghostlight Theatre

Ghostlight Ensemble

WHAT: Ghostlight Theatre’s “Make/Believe,” its annual festival for young audiences, takes place virtually this year. Featured are six new short plays that run the gamut from “Sunshine and the Sea of Lost Things,” about a child with no memory lost at sea to “It’s Poppin’,” about a balloon afraid of soaring through the clouds, to “Splash of Magic,” about a young Black girl trying to conquer her fear of swimming.

WHEN: The festival streams live at 2 p.m. June 5-6 and on demand to July 4

TICKETS: $1-$10

INFO: ghostlightensemble.com.

Chicago Dance Month

Photo by Philamonjaro Studio

When: May 29-June 24

What: June is Chicago Dance Month and it kicks off on May 29 at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand. Presented by See Chicago Dance, the free live event features performances by Aerial Dance Chicago, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, Mandala Arts and The Seldoms. The celebration continues with pop-up performances (3 p.m. Saturdays June 5-Sept. 4, Navy Pier), a park-wide dance “scavenger hunt” featuring an eclectic group of artists (4:30 p.m. June 9, 30 in McKinley Park, 2210 W. Pershing) and a virtual event with more dance performances (6 p.m. June 24). All events are free. Visit seechicagodance.com/dancemonth.

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Chicago has its share of bands playing country or alternative country, but Thomas Comerford’s lonesome sound is in a category of its own. Comerford straddles the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s and the dusty, deadpan observations of psychedelic iconoclasts such as Bill Callahan.…Read More

“A year without music venues, without audiences, without seeing other people play has really made me realize how important that is for me.”

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Looking for something to do with your family? Check out our highlights of current events and activities for kids.

Welcome to our highlights of events and entertainment in Chicago for kids and families to enjoy. Bookmark this page and check back for updates on the latest activities.

Field Museum

Hugo van Lawick/National Geographic

What: Generations have been inspired by the work of primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall who has not only shown the urgent need to protect chimpanzees but also redefined species conservation to include the needs of local people and the environments. A new exhibit at the Field Museu, “Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Jane Goodall,” follows her journey from a curious young child in England to a passionate scientist studying chimpanzees in Africa. Included in the exhibit are a recreation of her field research tent, a hologram-like projection of Goodall who shares her fieldwork memories, augmented reality activities and a projection of Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park.

When: To Sept. 6

Where: Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr.

Tickets: $18-$32. Visit fieldmuseum.org.

Old Town Art Fair

Courtesy Old Town Art Fair

When: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. June 12 and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. June 13

Where: Around the Old Town Triangle Association building, 1763 N. North Park

What: The fair returns with hundreds of artists displaying their creations including paintings, sculpture, jewelry, digital art, prints, photography and mixed media. Live music is provided by, among others, Donna Herula Trio, Soulbillys and Zydeco Voodoo. There’s also a garden walk courtesy of Old Town residents, which features more than 50 quaint green spaces; a children’s area offers a chance for the younger set to get creative with face painting, music and arts and crafts. Pre-registration required. Admission: $12 donation.

More information: oldtownartfair.org

‘Hello Helios: The warming suns of Chicago’s Greektown’

Courtesy Greektown Chicago

When: Through spring 2022

Where: Halsted from Monroe to Van Buren

What: Welcome summer with a new outdoor exhibit celebrating the start of summer with 24 artworks inspired by the sun and related mythologies from Greek, Aztec, Yoruba, Japanese and Native American cultures.

More information: greektownchicago.org

Kayak for Conservation

Shedd Aquarium

When: Ongoing

Where: Kayak Chicago: 1220 W LeMoyne,

What: Get close to nature via the Shedd Aquarium’s popular Kayak for Conservation program, which features a variety of socially distant kayaking experiences on the Chicago River. Participants learn about the river’s environmental history and discover wildlife living in its ecosystem. Sessions are open to all levels of kayakers (including newbies) and are led by Shedd’s wildlife conservation experts. The cost is pay-what-you-can ranging from $20–$100 per participant, with a recommended $40, the base cost of the program.

More information: sheddaquarium.org/kayak

‘Make/Believe’

Ghostlight Ensemble

When: On demand to July 4

Where: Online

What: Ghostlight Theatre’s annual festival for young audiences takes place virtually this year. Featured are six new short plays that run the gamut from “Sunshine and the Sea of Lost Things,” about a child with no memory lost at sea, to “It’s Poppin’,” about a balloon afraid of soaring through the clouds, to “Splash of Magic,” about a girl trying to conquer her fear of swimming. Tickets: $1-$10.

More information: ghostlightensemble.com

‘Hansel & Gretel’ in the Park

Lyric Opera

When: Through June 18

Where: North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski

What: The Lyric Opera, Chicago Park District and the Greater Chicago Food Depository team up to present free, live performances of Engelbert Humperdinck’s 1893 opera based on the fairy tale. This is a new production conceived and directed by Matthew Ozawa and sung in English.

More information: lyricopera.org/hanselandgretel

‘Take Flight’

Museum of Science and Industry

When: Permanent

Where: Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr.

What: The MSI’s Boeing 747 reopens with a reimagined exhibit that explores modern aviation and the science of flight. The plane’s interior has been restored and new interactive elements have been added. Tickets: $12.95, $21.95.

More information: msichicago.org

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Former Chicago Bulls point guard, Derrick Rose, will be a free agent in this summer’s 2021 free agency class, but the Bulls probably will not make a run at him to fill the position. There’s no question about it — the Chicago Bulls need a point guard.  Last season, the Bulls tried sophomore Coby White […]

Chicago Bulls: 3 reasons team won’t pursue Derrick Rose – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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DELAVAN, Wis.–A seaplane landed on Lake Delavan and taxied directly toward where Dave Kranz and I were fishing Thursday. The plane stopped short, then the pilot jumped out and started fishing from the right wing.

Sometimes you have to take a flyer.

Kranz has taken his share.

As we started, he said, “We’re going to catch a bunch of fish today.”

Some bass was bedding, most were post-spawn and I suspect nearly all are by now. We fished wacky-rigged Senkos on braided line on Daiwa spinning reels and St. Croix rods.

For years, I’ve meant to fish with Kranz, who owns Dave’s Bait, Tackle and Taxidermy at the same location in Crystal Lake for 33 years.

I first knew of him from when Art Frisell and I tournament fished on the Chain O’Lakes, where Kranz was much respected.

Not surprisingly, he decided a few years ago to move up in tournament fishing. He is in his fourth year of Major League Fishing’s Northern Division. He has made steady jumps every year (125th, 93rd, 46th). This year, he wants to finish in the top 28, so he can qualify for the championship.

His tournament fishing is both a dream for himself and to heighten interest in the podcast WeFishASA, which he does with Steve Sarley for American Sportfishing Association. Their 258th episode posted Sunday. They have nearly 300,000 uploads annually.

Dale Bowman

Kranz caught the first largemouth a few minutes in. It was on.

“The bass are wide for their year class, lots of 2 1/2-3 pounders,” he said. “Overall I think the quality of Delavan bass are better than Geneva.”

We only caught a couple below that size and a couple above, best going 3 1/2.

“I like guiding,” he said. “I’ve always think of myself as a teacher. I like figuring it out, especially at the tournament level.”

In that regard, he keeps logs on weather, conditions, fish, lures, date.

What Kris Bryant is to baseball positions, Kranz is outdoor pursuits. Beside shop owner, deer hunter, guide, tournament angler and podcaster, he does a column for Fishing Tackle Retailer.

As a retailer, he experienced the growth of fishing during the pandemic.

“I had my best ice fishing season ever, I think it is a spillover from covid,” he said.

I enjoy that Kranz knows fishing and also broader life.

He was a trustee for the McHenry County Conservation District. While talking about that, he gave me an idea of taking the Metra to Crystal Lake, then Ubering to one of MCCD’s many lakes.

Late morning, Kranz tried a popper and caught one on his second cast. Then I caught one on the popper, making my morning.

“Any day I get to fish, even if it is only half an hour at a pond, it makes the day better,” Kranz said.

As we worked over the flat we started on, the bald eagle he has seen every trip flew over.

It was time.

We caught 17 largemouth in three-plus hours.

For the shop or guiding, call (815) 455-2040 or see on Facebook.

STRAY CAST

Spin rate is to baseball what structure is to fishing.

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White Sox: Yoan Moncada’s comeback season is because of one thing by Ryan Taylor

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Chicago Cubs (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Chicago Cubs went into this 2021 season with some strange expectations. For the first time since 2015, people went in expecting a good team but not a great team. So far this year, they have been a great team. It started off very slow which had people wondering. The direction of this franchise going forward still remains in question but the players certainly have made it hard.

The Chicago Cubs are one of the most interesting teams in baseball right now.

Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, and Anthony Rizzo have been key pillars of this team for a long time. All three of them are currently playing on expiring contracts which is a little scary for Cubs fans. Add the fact that Willson Contreras only has 2022 left and it makes it even worse. If they don’t do things the right way here, there might be some trouble on the horizon.

After their afternoon win on Wednesday, they are 35-27 which is right there for first place in the National League Central with the Milwaukee Brewers. They are certainly a good enough team to make the playoffs as constructed but the question will be whether or not they risk the future to try it one more time. There are people that think they will be buyers before they are sellers but that remains to be seen.

To be in a position like this, there have to be players that reward your faith in them. The Cubs have a few players who have done that. There are also going to be some players who don’t justify the faith you put in them. These are the two players that have justified it the most and one who hasn’t:

Next: Player one might be going to the Hall of Fame

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Officer Robert Bakker has been the subject of four internal investigations that were all opened last year, according to records obtained by the Sun-Times. 

A Chicago cop has been issued a five-day suspension for his ties to the far-right Proud Boys and is now facing a second internal probe into allegations of sexual abuse, the Sun-Times has learned.

Officer Robert Bakker is the subject of four internal investigations that were all opened last year, according to records obtained by the Sun-Times.

Though the inquiry into Bakker’s cozy relationship with the Proud Boys initially resulted in the suspension, he hasn’t yet served it because the case was later reopened at the request of Inspector General Joseph Ferguson’s office, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. The inspector general’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ald. Andre Vazquez (40th) previously raised alarms about Bakker to Police Supt. David Brown and Mayor Lori Lightfoot that he said fell on deaf ears. In an interview Wednesday, Vazquez said Bakker’s interactions with the controversial group should have resulted in “an immediate dismissal or some kind of punitive action.”

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

“That’s clearly not been the case,” he said. “This officer’s still out there and there really hasn’t been any kind of accountability. It’s a huge concern.”

Bakker is assigned to the police department’s 1st District and collects a yearly salary of $76,266, city records show.

He didn’t respond to repeated requests to comment.

Multiple active investigations

The latest internal probe targeting Bakker, launched early last August, involves accusations of sexual misconduct and aggravated sexual assault that allegedly occurred in January 2017, nearly a year before he joined the Chicago Police Department as a probationary officer.

The department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs is actively investigating those claims, which fall outside the jurisdiction of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, the city agency charged with investigating police misconduct.

The records contain no specific details of the allegations, and it’s unclear whether the case was ever formally referred to prosecutors.

Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, said prosecutors are “aware of CPD’s pending investigation.”

“If information is referred to us, we will review to determine if criminal charges are appropriate,” Simonton said. No criminal charges have been publicly filed.

His ties to the Proud Boys, first reported by Vice last year, prompted an internal affairs probe into “conduct unbecoming violations,” which are officially described as “instances when a Department member acts in a manner which degrades or brings disrespect to the Department or a Department member.”

The reporting centered on leaked chat logs that show Bakker communicating and organizing meetings with members of the Proud Boys, which has been designated as a hate group by the Canadian government and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Members of the Proud Boys, self-described “Western chauvinists” who often spar with leftist activists, have since been ensnared in a sprawling federal investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

AP

While Bakker previously told the Sun-Times that he was never a member of the group, he didn’t deny taking part in the Proud Boys’ “F— Antifa” Telegram channel. In the chat logs, Bakker spoke harshly of a rainbow-colored police emblem that the department posted on social media to celebrate the LGBTQ community.

“I’m not wearing any rainbow bulls- – -,” he said.

Shortly after Bakker’s connection to the Proud Boys was made public, Ald. Vazquez reached out to Supt. Brown and informed the mayor’s office that Bakker had attended Proud Boys’ meetups in his North Side ward. But as he continued to search for answers, Vazquez’s frustrations boiled over in a scathing email.

“Yesterday on a call with the Mayor is the first response to this that I have received since last Wednesday and the only answer I received was ‘oh sorry, there is an investigation,’” Vazquez wrote in the email to Lightfoot and three of her staffers last June.

“Considering the number of threats of Proud Boy activity across the city and directed at our ward and businesses that is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE,” he added. “We had neighbors in full on panic and fear asking us for answers that you all either forgot to provide, ignored and didn’t provide, or just outright didn’t want to provide until I had to ask it at a briefing in front of the full council and the Mayor.”

Vazquez then claimed it’s “insufficient” for officials to merely say an investigation is ongoing. The police department has repeatedly declined to provide records to the Sun-Times related to open investigations.

After Bakker was given the five-day suspension, the case was reopened on Dec. 4, 2020, based on a written request from the inspector general’s office, a source said. Another investigation related to a civilian complaint accusing Bakker of being part of “the white supremacist group” Proud Boys had been closed on June 2, 2020, because it was duplicative, the source added.

Another internal probe targeting Bakker also resulted in a formal punishment, records show. In January, he was reprimanded after he and his partner failed to search a police cruiser where a pellet gun was later discovered.

Bakker tied to wrongful termination suit filed by Muslim cop

He was also implicated in an internal investigation that was sparked by an anonymous complaint to the inspector general’s office, referred to COPA and later closed, a source said. A COPA spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for information about its probe.

Those investigations are apparently tied to a federal lawsuit filed against the city in 2019 by a former cop named Reema Surgit, who has claimed she was “unlawfully terminated” earlier that year. Surgit, who is Muslim, alleged in a recent filing that she was “subjected to a hostile work environment and a work culture based on her sex, religion, national origin, color and/or race.”

The filing notes that she and Bakker both started working at the CPD’s 1^st District on Sept. 24, 2018, when Lt. Steven Konow allegedly began “screaming at her and claiming that she was to report the day before.” When she pushed back and told him she’d confirmed her start date, Konow allegedly “accused her of lying.”

Bakker, however, wasn’t publicly reprimanded despite also allegedly being a day late, the suit holds.

Surgit claims the abuse continued, and Konow and Lt. David Natelson both contributed to a toxic work environment before she was ultimately fired. Bakker isn’t accused of any wrongdoing, but the suit notes he was able to stay on the job after his ties to the Proud Boys came to light.

The allegations in the lawsuit mirror those included in records of the closed administrative case, which named Bakker and the two lieutenants.

Surgit’s attorney didn’t respond to a request for comment. Neither did the city’s Law Department.

Charges dropped in 2006 arrest

Although Bakker had a clean disciplinary record until last year with only one unsubstantiated complaint, records show he was arrested over a decade before he applied to join the police force.

On April 7, 2006, Bakker was working the door at an “illegal rave party” inside a Bucktown apartment when officers were called to break it up. Bakker and three other men were then placed in custody, records show. Bakker, who was 22 at the time, was charged with serving alcohol without a liquor license and not having a public place of amusement license.

The charges were later dropped, and Bakker disclosed the arrest when he applied to become a cop.

CPD

Contributing: Frank Main

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Four people were wounded in separate shootings in Auburn Gresham.

Nine people were shot, three of them fatally, Wednesday in Chicago including a man who was shot and killed while driving in Gresham.

A gunman in another car, possibly a silver SUV, opened fire around 12:20 p.m. in the 7900 block of South Ashland Avenue, Chicago police said. The man, 31, was shot in the chest and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

A man was killed and another wounded in a shooting in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. The men, 28 and 36, were outside when gunfire rang out in the 2800 block of West Warren Avenue at 8 a.m., police said. Someone drove the men to Mount Sinai Hospital, where the 28-year-old was pronounced dead with gunshot wounds to his body. He was identified as Brandon Smiley of Lawndale, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. The other man was listed in serious condition with gunshot wounds to his arm and thigh.

A man was shot to death as he answered his door in Auburn Gresham on the South Side. The 60-year-old heard the doorbell and went to the front door of his home in the 2000 block of West 83rd Street about 2 a.m., police said. A family member heard a gunshot and found the man lying in the doorway with a gunshot wound to his forehead. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

In non-fatal shootings, Two teenage boys were wounded in a shooting on the Far South Side. They were outside about 9:20 p.m. in the 400 block of East 134th Street when someone opened fire, striking them both, police said. A 17-year-old boy was shot in the back and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. Another boy, 16, was struck in the foot and taken to Roseland Community Hospital, where he was in good condition.

Earlier in the day, a 17-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting in Brighton Park on the Southwest Side. He was walking about 5:30 p.m. in the 4900 block of South Kedzie Avenue when someone fired shots from a vehicle, police said. The teen was struck in the leg and taken to Holy Cross Hospital in good condition.

A man was wounded in a drive-by in Englewood on the South Side. About 1:35 a.m., the 25-year-old was riding in the back seat of a vehicle when a black Jeep pulled up next to him in the 7100 block of South Racine Street, and fired several shots into his vehicle, police said. He was struck in the back and taken to St. Bernard Hospital where his condition was stabilized.

In the day’s first reported shooting, a Chicago police officer fired at a man who had just shot two people in Gresham, but the man got away after barricading himself in a home, authorities said. Officers on patrol had seen the man shooting from an alley into a garage in the 8300 block of South Kerfoot Avenue around 12:30 a.m. One officer fired once at the man, but it was not known if he was hit. They discovered two men in the garage who had been shot by the suspect. One man, 60, was struck in his thigh, and a man in his 50s was struck in the leg. Both were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where the 60-year-old was in good condition and the younger man in serious condition. After running from the scene, the man barricaded himself inside a home. A SWAT team responded and surrounded the home for about eight hours. Later Wednesday morning, police said the standoff was over but that no one was in custody.

Fourteen people were shot, one fatally, Tuesday citywide.

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