The pair were standing outside Monday in the 5700 block of West Grand Avenue when the male suspect approached them and asked what gang they were affiliated with.

Two men were wounded in a shooting early Monday in Belmont Cragin on the Northwest Side.

The pair were standing outside about 3:45 a.m. in the 5700 block of West Grand Avenue when the male suspect approached them and asked what gang they were affiliated with, Chicago police said.

The men responded that they were not a park of a gang, police said. The male suspect then pulled out a handgun and fired shots before leaving the scene.

One man, 33, was struck in the arm and torso and was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition, police said. The other, 31, was shot in the leg and was taken to the same hospital in good condition.

No one is in custody as Area Five detectives investigate.

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History, PBS, CNN and National Geographic observe the 100th anniversary of the attack on a Black-owned business district and residential neighborhood.

LOS ANGELES — Several documentary filmmakers — some backed by NBA superstars — are shedding light on the historically ignored Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, one of the most horrific tragedies in American history.

LeBron James and Russell Westbrook are among those releasing documentaries based on the racially motivated massacre. The projects come during the 100th anniversary of the massacre in Greenwood, a Black-owned business district and residential neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Each documentary uniquely takes a deep dive into how the thriving Greenwood community — dubbed Black Wall Street because of the number of Black-owned businesses — was decimated in a two-day attack by a white mob. In the aftermath, at least 300 Black people were killed. More than a thousand homes were burned and others looted, leaving roughly 10,000 residents displaced and homeless and the Black business district destroyed.

“This has to do with African Americans systematically being run off their land with assets and property being destroyed,” said Stanley Nelson, who co-directed “Tulsa Burning: 1921 Race Massacre” with Marco Williams. Westbrook — who formerly played with the Oklahoma City Thunder — is an executive producer of the documentary that premiered Sunday and repeats at noon Tuesday on the History channel.

National Geographic, CNN and PBS will also debut documentaries. Another documentary, “Black Wall Street” is being distributed by Cineflix Productions, but no network has yet picked it up.

Nelson said all of the projects are much needed and important, especially with the commemoration of the massacre coming near the one-year anniversary of last year’s racial reckoning sparked by the death of George Floyd. (A former Minneapolis police officer has since been convicted of murdering Floyd.)

“I think the more the (Greenwood) story can be brought to light, the better,” said Nelson, an Emmy winner. “I’m sure that every film will be totally different. I think there’s a special timing here.”

Director Salima Koroma said the story should be told more than once. She pitched her Tulsa massacre documentary to some networks nearly five years ago, but drew no interest because she believes the “gatekeepers” weren’t ready to welcome the story.

Eventually, Koroma’s project found a home with James and Maverick Carter’s The SpringHill Co. She believes the Los Angeles Lakers superstar and Carter’s association played a major role in pushing the project forward.

“I just had to get it to the right gatekeepers,” said Koroma, director of “Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street’’ which airs at 8 p.m. Monday on CNN and later streams on HBO Max.

“They see we have to tell Black stories,” she said. “Now everybody’s scrambling to tell it. Finally, tell these stories. I think that’s what’s happening.”

Some filmmakers said the story was a tough one to tell because much of the content doesn’t exist anymore.

“So how can you tell a feature documentary? … Now people are putting in the resources to do more than just the photos,’’ Koroma said. “You can do animation or graphics. It’s a tough one to tell. But with all our powers combined, we can tell this story.”

The Tulsa massacre story had been largely forgotten or unknown to some until HBO series “Watchmen” and “Lovecraft Country” shed light on the dark tragedy within the last two years. Courtney B. Vance and Angela Bassett’s production company recently signed a deal with MTV Entertainment Studios to produce a limited scripted series about the massacre.

Reporter DeNeen L. Brown, who appears in two documentaries, said all the projects chronicling the massacre are needed for educational purposes, since she says most of it was left out of textbooks, newspapers and periodicals from the library. The Oklahoma native said even her father — who is a pastor in Tulsa — never heard of the massacre until the late 1990s, when the Tulsa Race Riot Commission was formed.

“White survivors of the massacre stopped talking about it,” she said. “Black survivors only whispered about it, because there was a real fear among Black people that it could happen again, and it did in other places.”

As a curious child, Brown said she first learned about the massacre after reading about the history of enslaved Black people at school. She said the projects chronicling the massacre can be educational as well.

“It will become something that people and school children will learn about,” said Brown, a Washington Post reporter who has written more than 20 articles on the massacre. She interviewed the descendants of Greenwood residents and business owners in the PBS documentary “Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten,” which airs at 9 p.m. Monday on WTTW-Channel 11.

Brown will be reporting on the search for mass graves in National Geographic’s “Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer,” which premieres June 18. She said documentaries like hers need to be told just as much as the ones about the American Revolution, Civil War and World War I and II.

“(The Tulsa massacre) is not known to the larger community, certainly not known by white America,” said Jonathan Silvers, who worked with Brown as the director on the PBS documentary. “I think the Black American experience has been overshadowed. We white Americans have no idea. That historic violence does cast a very long shadow.”

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The group was standing in the parking lot of a Subway, 6718 S. Stony Island Ave., when a dark-colored sedan drove by and someone inside fired shots.

Four teens were shot Sunday night as they stood in the parking lot of a restaurant in Grand Crossing on the South Side.

The group was standing in the parking lot of a Subway, 6718 S. Stony Island Ave., when a dark-colored sedan drove by and someone inside fired shots, Chicago police said.

A 19-year-old man was struck in the foot, and a second 19-year-old was struck multiple times in the legs, police said. They were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.

An 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy were struck in multiple times in their legs, police said. The 18-year-old was taken to the University of Chicago Medical center and the younger boy was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, both in good condition.

Area One detectives are investigating.

Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

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Irving had 39 points and 11 rebounds in the Nets’ 141-126 victory over the Celtics, his former team. Afterward, as Irving walked off the court, he was nearly hit by a bottle.

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics opened up to full capacity just in time for the local fans to jeer and swear — and worse — at Kyrie Irving every time he touched the ball.

It might have been their last chance.

Irving had 39 points and 11 rebounds to quiet the first post-pandemic full house at the TD Garden, and Kevin Durant scored 42 points to give the Brooklyn Nets a 141-126 victory over Boston on Sunday night and a 3-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Afterward, as Irving walked off the court he was nearly hit by a bottle thrown from the stands. The television broadcast showed Irving and Nets guard Tyler Johnson looking into the stands and pointing; video on social media appeared to show police taking a man in a Kevin Garnett jersey out in handcuffs.

“Fans have got to grow up at some point,” Durant said. “I know that being in the house for a year and a half with the pandemic has got a lot of people on edge, has got a lot of people stressed out. But when you come to these games you’ve got to realize: These men are human. We’re not animals. We’re not in the circus.

“You coming to the game is not all about you as a fan. So have some respect for the game. Have some respect for the human beings. And have some respect for yourself. Your mother wouldn’t be proud of you throwing water bottles at basketball players, or spitting on players or tossing popcorn. So grow the (expletive) up and enjoy the game,” he said. “It’s bigger than you.”

The incident mirrored one in which a Philadelphia fan threw popcorn at Wizards star Russell Westbrook. The Sixers banned him from their games indefinitely.

Irving said he didn’t think banning or even arresting unruly fans would be enough to solve the problem, ascribing it to “underlying racism and treating people like they’re in a human zoo.”

“People feel very entitled out here,” said Irving, who played for the Celtics from 2017-19 and said last week he experienced racism during his time in the city.

“As a Black man playing in the NBA, dealing with a lot of this stuff, it’s fairly difficult. You never know what’s going to happen,” he said. “It’s just unacceptable for that stuff to be happening. But we move on.”

A Celtics spokesman and a spokeswoman for the TD Garden did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“One bad seed doesn’t mean that the whole fruit is poisoned,” Celtics guard Marcus Smart said. “Our fans have been great. We just had a knucklehead do something knucklehead-ish and it got taken care of, so we’re happy for that.”

James Harden added 23 points and a career postseason-high 18 assists for Brooklyn. Game 5 is in New York on Tuesday night, when the Nets will try to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2014.

The 104 points scored by Durant, Irving and Harden tied an NBA playoff record for three teammates set by Boston’s John Havlicek, Jo Jo White and Dave Cowens in 1973 and matched in 1986 by Dominique Wilkins, Randy Whitman and Spud Webb.

Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said he wasn’t surprised Irving bounced back after scoring 16 points on 6-for-17 shooting in the Game 3 loss on Friday.

“It’s Kyrie Irving. He didn’t have a great game last time out. My money’s on him any time after a performance he had,” Nash said. ”I loved his will, to take some of this adversity and have a great game.”

Jayson Tatum scored 40 points for the Celtics, following up his 50-point effort in a Game 3 victory. But with Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker out with injuries, Tatum couldn’t save the season on his own.

Smart had 16 points and nine assists for the Celtics, who reached the Eastern Conference finals in three of the previous four seasons.

After dropping the first two games in Brooklyn, the Celtics were hoping their home crowd would help them make a series of it. Tatum delivered one win in front of a quarter-capacity crowd on Friday, before the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted as of Saturday.

The Bruins had 17,400 for their playoff game against the Islanders on Saturday — the biggest crowd in the NHL this season. The Celtics left several rows around the benches empty on Sunday and officially announced a sellout crowd of 17,226, about 1,500 fewer than the building’s official capacity.

The fans — most of them attending their first home playoff game in more than two years — gave Durant the New York Yankees treatment in pregame warmups, chanting his name derisively and cheering for each missed practice shot. They were even more foul-mouthed toward Irving, who professed his love for Boston and the Celtics before opting out of his contract in 2019 to join the Nets.

“We know how these people here are in Boston. We know how passionate they are about Kyrie in particular — they’re still upset at him,” Durant said. “That’s no reason for them to act childish. Glad we got the ‘W.’ Hopefully, we don’t have to come back here this year.”

TIP-INS

Nets: Durant’s 17 points were the most in the first quarter for a Net since Kenyon Martin’s 17 in Game 4 of the 2002 NBA Finals against the Lakers.

Celtics: Tatum scored 14 in the first. … Walker (knee) and Robert Williams III (ankle) sat out after playing in the first three games of the series, joining Brown (season-ending wrist surgery) on the injury report.

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Jada (played by Yolonda Ross) reassesses her future after she receives devastating news.

SPOILER ALERT: This recap of Season 4, Episode 2 contains explicit plot details.

Emmett (Jacob Latimore) fesses up in regards to his affair with Dom (La La Anthony).

And yes, it was as messy — literally — as we all thought it would be.

Tiff (Hannaha Hall), in no surprise to anyone, is rightfully angry with her husband.

Feeling betrayed, she runs to Dante (played by Cory Hardrict), her business partner, who cashes in on his opportunity to take advantage of Tiff’s feelings.

Showtime

‘Where are the parents?’

One of the standout themes of the popular Showtime series — whether series creator Lena Waithe is intentional about it or not — shows how parenting isn’t a zero-sum endeavor. Teens often do what they think is best despite their parents’ advice.

Kevin (Alex Hibbert) smoked marijuana with Jake recreationally in previous seasons and now is self-medicating via alcohol, getting kicked off a college tour for being high. Like many Chicago teens navigating life in the city’s marginalized communities, he’s finding ways to cope in any way he can.

Since the beginning of season one Kevin has witnessed a killing; shot the killer; dealt with his absentee father’s death; left an all-Black school to attend another where he’s one of the few Black students and endured the kidnapping of his sister, his main confidant. Two episodes into season four, he’s sorting through his thoughts on last week’s police encounter, and Brandon (formerly played by Jason Mitchell), whom Kevin leaned on for haircuts and advice, is dead.

‘There’s a war going on outside…’

After speaking with the police officer who beat up Jake (Michael Epps), Mayor “Douda” comes to two decisions that will have explosive ramifications for the city: He fires the officer makes a public vow to defund the Chicago Police Department. In real life, 40% of the city’s operating budget is dedicated to police resources, and it’s pretty difficult to fire a police officer.

‘Why don’t you get some food before you try to get into something else?’

Trig (played by Luke James) picks up Shaad, an old friend (Jason Weaver), from the Cook County Jail after a lengthy sentence and lays out some ground rules. (It seems Shaad has a bad history of disrespecting boundaries.)

In the midst of Shaad’s welcome-back party, Trig tells Imani (Jasmine Davis) he’s going to live with them. Imani — possibly thinking that her transgender status isn’t known to Shaad — is concerned. After all, remember last season when Imani told Jake about her status?

‘That’s my momma’s song’

In the aftermath of reluctantly bringing her much younger “masseur” Suede (Bernard Gilbert) to her high school reunion, Jada (played by Yolonda Ross) finds out she has cancer.

Hearing that word is a scary proposition. After all, Black women are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women and are twice as likely to die if they are over 50, according to the American Cancer Society.

The episode, named “Cooley High,” seems to be timely viewing. The name is a not only a nod to a poorly planned high school reunion-themed party, but also to the locally based 1975 film where a group of teenage Black boys navigate their lives around some of the same issues as Kevin, Jake, and Papa are now dealing with. Time is indeed a flat circle.

Showtime

5 things we learned from Episode 2:

• Kiesha (played by Birgundi Baker) doesn’t want to know the sex of her unborn child.
• Jada has long had a lump on her breast that she never checked.
• Shaad living with Trig and Imani could have explosive consequences.
• Kevin, continuing to suffer the after-effects of his police encounter, isn’t really interested in anything his girlfriend, Jemma, has to say about their future.
• Papa (played by Shamon Brown Jr.) starts his own podcast.

Storylines to think about:

• Where does Kevin go from here after getting kicked off the college tour?
• How will Douda continue to keep one foot in the streets and the other in City Hall, knowing he’s made a public claim to defund the police?
• Now that both Emmett and Tiff have stepped out on their marriage/relationship, how will their business ventures survive?
• How does Jada cope with her cancer diagnosis?
• And how will police will respond to Trig beating down one of their own?

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As we look at their fading photographs, we ask: Would our brave bygone soldiers have given their lives for politicians’ right to subvert election results?

On this Memorial Day, as democracy in America comes under attack even in the halls of government, we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

We wonder what those heroes we honor on this day would think of seditious Americans and big-dollar political donors who would selfishly overturn the will of the people. What would they think of those who would twist the political process for personal gain?

As we look at their fading photographs, we ask: Would those brave bygone soldiers have given their lives for a politician’s right to subvert election results? Would they have braved everything from musket fire to artillery to IEDs so that future politicians could claim unjustified lifetime holds on their offices?

Would they have said, “Make the world safe for minority rule”? Or “Don’t tread on voter-suppression photo ID requirements”?

Would they have taken to the shores at Omaha Beach to make it possible for partisan state legislatures to overturn the decisions of the voters and select their own presidential winners? Would they have admired the members of Congress who voted not to certify the results of the Electoral College?

As they slogged through the mire or battled under fire in foxholes, did those who died for our country say, “We are fighting so there can be Pizzagate and QAnon”? At the Battle of the Bulge, did they see nothing but “tourists” coming at them?

On the sands of Iwo Jima, did they fight so that grifters could look for ballots that contain bamboo? Would they have attributed military setbacks to Dominion voting machines?

Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP

Did anybody say “Fifty-four forty or fight for 11,780 more votes in Georgia”? Or “We have met the enemy, and they are the voters”? Or “Give us mail-in voting bans or give us death”?

Would they have approved of threats of violence against duly appointed vote counters just trying to do their jobs, ethically and fairly? Would they have looked the other way as partisans purged voter registration rolls? Would they have approved of secretive and suspicious “audits” of votes in states where certain parties weren’t happy with the outcome? Would they have supported a Niagara of bogus lawsuits designed to overturn elections and cast doubt on the results?

Is this what those honorable heroes would be telling us today if their silenced voices could be heard? Is this why they left their homes and went off to war?

Not likely.

We think the servicemen and servicewomen who gave their lives in America’s wars were fighting for something pure and fundamental: American democracy. We think they fought for a vote for everyone. They fought for the American ideal that so many politicians are so busy trashing right now.

We talked with a few veterans who feel the same.

“It makes me sick to see the politicians mess with one of our most basic rights for their own benefit,” said Mike Auxier, a Bloomington resident who grew up in Arlington Heights and served in the Army during Vietnam. “I think they should all be voted out of office.”

“We supposedly fought for democracy and free and fair elections, and you see both of those trampled on,” said Arnold Stieber of Hyde Park, who served in the infantry in Vietnam. “I think it is disgusting, disgraceful and treasonous.”

“Democracy is the reason is the I served,” said Burrell Poe of Logan Square, who served in the Army under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. “Protecting people’s right to vote is extremely important.”

On this Memorial Day, we owe it to those who fought and died for America to stand up for American democracy.

Send letters to [email protected].

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Trevor Williams, who was supposed to start Monday against the Padres, is the latest Cub to be unavailable after he underwent an appendectomy Sunday morning.

The way things are going, David Ross and Marty Pevey might soon have to become co-managers of the Chicago/Iowa Cubs.

As the list of injured players grows, Ross’ daily report on their progress gets longer, and the number of healthy players he needs from Triple-A rises. Ross joked Sunday that he called Iowa manager Pevey and apologized for taking most of his team away from him.

Before Sunday’s game, the Cubs put David Bote on the 10-day IL with a dislocated left shoulder and selected Sergio Alcantara from Iowa. Trevor Williams, slated to start Monday’s game against the Padres, had an appendectomy Sunday morning and is out indefinitely.

But while the Cubs have had a very successful May, the specter hanging over their rise in the NL Central standings is the ongoing task of figuring out who is healthy enough to play.

“The main thing is just, you know, you feel for the guys,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “Then trying to find guys with little bumps and bruises rest where it doesn’t turn into an IL stint and playing guys and balancing that with trying to win each and every day and night.”

Anthony Rizzo continues to work on getting back into the lineup, and his return would simplify things for Ross. But he has not made an appearance since May 25, so the question becomes how long to wait before adding Rizzo to the injured list.

“We’re really getting thin on players that we have to bring up, so I think our first preference would be to just let him continue to get better and hopefully not extend the ten days,” Ross said. “But if it’s something that needs to be done, we’ll definitely do it.”

Looking ahead to June

Beginning Monday, the Cubs host the Padres for three games, starting a June slate that will be a measuring stick for Ross and his team.

“It’s a tough schedule,” Ross said. “If you’re looking at run differential, the top three teams are in the West. It will be a nice test.”

Given how banged up his roster is, Ross said he’s not going to read too much into the wins and losses against the teams the Cubs will face next month. Going up against the Padres, Dodgers, and Giants will be a good barometer for his team’s overall strengths and weaknesses.

“It’ll be a good test to show us where we need to continue to grow, how we measure up, where they might try to take advantage of areas,” Ross said.

Kris Bryant’s flexibility an act of necessity

Bryant is putting together another MVP-caliber season, all while showcasing extra defensive flexibility.

He has always been able to bounce around the field, but with so many injured or day-to-day, Bryant has spent more time than usual away from his usual position at third base. And with Ross trying to keep his healthy guys in the lineup, there’s been no time to brush up on other positions.

“We don’t have the luxury right now of extra work,” Ross said. “We’re really trying to take care of bodies and time under duress, whether it’s on their legs or in the cage. I think he’s really relying on his baseball savvy and experience as he’s used in the past. Which is great — that’s obviously a luxury that we have.”

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It’s time to be rid of the FOID requirement, putting Illinois in line with other states.

Finally, there is a very real chance that the Illinois Firearm Owners Identification Act will be declared unconstitutional and struck down by the state Supreme Court.

This antiquated law is no longer required. There are enough background check procedures for firearm purchases. The FOID law is a violation of our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. That amendment does not stipulate that Illinois residents must complete and submit an application to own a firearm or ammunition and pay a fee for the “privilege.”

Question: Do Chicago gang members apply for FOID cards to legally own their weapons? Of course not. Do they buy ammunition at licensed gun shops? Of course not. They would have to show a FOID card.

SEND LETTERS TO: [email protected]. Please include your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be approximately 350 words or less.

But not having a FOID card doesn’t seem to prevent gang members from possessing weapons and ammunition. FOID is just a money grab by the State.

It’s time to be rid of the FOID requirement in Illinois, putting our state in line with other states that don’t require such a card. If the Illinois State Supreme Court does not strike down the FOID requirement, I hope the U.S. Supreme Court will.

Chris Berney, Schaumburg

Who says Chicago wants to dump the Drive?

At Wednesday’s Chicago City Council meeting, the most bogus argument made for renaming Lake Shore Drive for Jean Baptiste Point DuSable is that this is “the will of the people.” I seriously doubt that if Chicagoans were to actually vote on this issue, even 25% of them would favor the name change.

Among the arguments against changing the road’s name are the high costs and inconveniences involved in doing so. Addresses for homes and businesses along the Drive would have to be changed. Maps would have to be revised. Streets signs would have to be replaced. The costs would be in the millions.

Why should the Chicago City Council, with a history of corruption second only to that of New York’s old Tammany Hall, be allowed to make a change that a clear majority of Chicagoans probably don’t want to make?

How about setting a serious precedent here? Let the people decide.

Tom Sharp, Balmoral

Fix Chicago’s real problems

Chicago, the city that shirks? With all Chicago’s problems, why is the City Council considering spending $2.5 million to change the name of Lake Shore Drive? Dozens of people are shot each weekend, and this is what we do? Really? That $2.5 million could feed a lot of people. It could be used to buy back a lot of guns. It could do real good.

Fix Chicago’s real problems, please.

Bradford L. Meinecke, Logan Square

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At long last, Helio Castroneves joined the exclusive club of four-time Indianapolis 500 winners on Sunday. 

INDIANAPOLIS — At long last, Helio Castroneves joined the exclusive club of four-time Indianapolis 500 winners on Sunday.

Then Spiderman scaled the Indianapolis Motor Speedway fence for his trademark victory celebration at the largest sporting event since the start of the pandemic.

Castroneves wasn’t done yet. At 46 and one of the oldest drivers in the field, he sprinted along the frontstretch of the speedway waving to the 135,000 fans in attendance. He was interrupted during his victory jog by multiple drivers and most of Team Penske, the organization he spent more than two decades with and won three Indy 500s.

But it was time for Roger Penske to part ways with Castroneves, who still believed he had plenty of racing ahead. Michael Shank picked him up for a partial schedule that included the Indy 500 and a shot for Castroneves to add to his legacy at the speedway.

His last Indy 500 win was in 2009, and Castroneves has been trying since to join A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears, his former mentor at Team Penske, as the only four-time winners of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Mears was the last driver to join the club in 1991.

“I love Indianapolis! You guys don’t understand it! The fans, you give me energy,” Castroneves said.

Castroneves was also part of the winning Rolex 24 Daytona sports car team in January, taking the prestigious sports car event for the first time.

“I’ve run two races this year and won two races, I’d say that’s pretty good,” said Castroneves, who noted that Tom Brady won the Super Bowl this year and 50-year-old Phil Mickelson won the PGA Championship last week.

It was a stark contrast to the recent theme of young drivers taking over IndyCar, which now has six different winners through six races this season. Three of them have been first-time winners and four are drivers aged 24 or younger.

Castroneves found himself in a closing duel with one of the young stars, 24-year-old Spaniard Alex Palou, but he passed Palou for good with two laps remaining and beat him by 0.4928 seconds for the victory.

Former Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud, the 2019 Indy winner, was third, followed by Pato O’Ward, the 21-year-old budding IndyCar star.

A year ago, no fans were allowed for the race that was delayed from May to August. This year, celebrities were back and fans were everywhere and they were treated to a win by one of the most popular drivers in Indy 500 history.

___

More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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