“In my seven years here this is the worst loss we’ve taken as a team,” defender Arin Wright said.

Ahead of the Red Stars’ opening match of the 2021 NWSL season against the Portland Thorns on Sunday night, coach Rory Dames said his team was always able to stay even-tempered regardless of results.

He credited that fact to the leadership within the team.

After their 5-0 loss to the Thorns, disappointment was the collective emotion felt amongst the Red Stars.

“In my seven years here, this is the worst loss we’ve taken as a team,” defender Arin Wright said.

What’s hard to understand for players and fans is that this team had two months of preseason training and an entire month of competition to get ready. Pair that with the depth on this roster, and there aren’t many excuses that explain the team’s inability to contain the Thorns’ attack.

Wright and fellow defender Sarah Gorden agreed that the team still is developing cohesion.

“It can be difficult when you have this many talented players,” Gorden said. “It takes longer to find that chemistry on the field.”

The team started the week with a day off Monday before diving back into training ahead of its game against Gotham FC on Saturday. Gotham is coming off a Challenge Cup finals appearance in which it lost to the Thorns in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw.

The Red Stars will be without midfielder Julie Ertz who suffered a right knee MCL sprain after colliding with Thorns midfielder Rocky Rodríguez in the 28th minute of the season opener. She is currently rehabbing and is expected to be back for the U.S. women’s national team’s Olympic send-off games.

Following the home opener, the team will play two matches on the road in four days.

First, the Red Stars visit Kansas City at 7 p.m. Wednesday, then they head to Houston next Saturday. It’s the Red Stars’ first match in Houston since the NWSL announced there would be no disciplinary action following the investigation into Gorden’s claim that a BBVA Stadium security guard racially profiled her and her boyfriend.

Before the opener against the Thorns, the Red Stars opted not to come out on the field for the playing of the national anthem.

This decision was sparked by a video the NWSL published in April promoting a documentary on the 2020 Challenge Cup in Utah. In it was a clip of an emotional embrace between Casey Krueger and Julie Ertz during the anthem ahead of the team’s match against the Washington Spirit.

That moment went viral, but many outlets failed to acknowledge the trauma at the root of it. The Red Stars collectively felt the league exploited Krueger.

The Red Stars did not play the anthem ahead of their two Challenge Cup matches at SeatGeek Stadium, and some players opted to stay in the locker room for the anthem while they were on the road.

Before the opener in Portland, Oregon, the players decided that they would remain in the locker room as a team.

Moving forward, Gorden said she anticipates the Red Stars will be on the field for the anthem. Gorden and Wright both said it’s important to take a stance publicly against police brutality and systemic racism. Kneeling for the anthem is one way they plan to do that.

“What the league did is not OK,” Gorden said. “You can’t use Black trauma for a pump-up video or to bring in views.”

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Dolson leaves Sky to participate in 3×3 basketball Olympic qualifier

Sky center Stefanie Dolson always wanted to win gold with Team USA.

She envisioned it would be playing five-on-five, but USA Basketball had other plans for her.

“When [Team USA] brought this opportunity to me, I had to take it,” Dolson said. “It’s always been a goal of mine to go to the Olympics.”

The dynamic with her 3×3 teammates is one she has needed to get used to.

Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces), Katie Lou Samuelson (Seattle Storm), Allisha Gray (Dallas Wings) and Dolson are all in a group chat together. This week they were talking about their travel plans for the upcoming qualifying tournament.

Plum and Samuelson played against each other in a WNBA game Tuesday night before they got on a flight together from Seattle to France.

Dolson said the group is always rooting for each other. The key to successfully transitioning from competitors to teammates is having a good sense of humor. Dolson said they’re always joking with each other about past games.

As far as how the transition from a traditional five-on-five game goes, Dolson said it’s a lot easier than people might expect. The only significant adjustment is the speed of play. The ball comes out of the net, and play continues once the defending team dribbles or passes the ball behind the arc.

Physicality is a large component of success in this style of play. Dolson said there’s a lot more fouling that isn’t called.

“We were able to have a mini three-on-three tournament with the five-on-five team during training camp in San Antonio,” Dolson said. “That was fun because none of them knew the rules. It made it interesting and exciting for us.”

The tradition surrounding U.S. women’s basketball is present but not in the same way for the 3×3 team.

Dolson and her teammates are clearly aware of the winning culture established by Team USA. The U.S. women’s basketball team’s eight gold medals are more than any other nation since the sport was added to the Summer Olympics in 1976. This is the first-ever 3×3 Olympic qualifying tournament. Dolson and her teammates are looking to establish a new winning culture.

Heading into the qualifying tournament, Dolson said confidence isn’t an issue. Although, it isn’t easy to determine how they’ll stack up against their opponents because it is the team’s first official competition.

The U.S. plays Indonesia and France in the first day of preliminary games on Thursday. They finish up preliminary play against Germany and Uruguay next Saturday.

The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals all will be played on May 30 in Austria.

“It doesn’t matter to me how I get it,” Dolson said. “Being an Olympian and reaching that goal is so special.”

Leaving the Sky is always a challenge, especially during a season that carries championship expectations. Dolson has confidence that when she is competing with Team USA, the Sky’s other bigs like Astou Ndour-Fall and Azura Stevens will seamlessly fill her starting role.

Stevens was out Wednesday against the Atlanta Dream, and Sky coach and general manager James Wade has said they are taking their time easing her back into action. In the meantime, the Sky have signed rookie Natasha Mack after pursuing a hardship exception.

Mack will remain with the team until Dolson returns the first week of June.

“When I’m gone, I’ll watch every game the Sky has over here,” Dolson said. “But at the same time, I’ll be making sure I’m mentally prepared for the games I have in Austria.”

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While the Chicago Bulls will be watching the 2021 NBA Playoffs from home, a couple of former Bulls will be in the mix with their new team. After the Washington Wizards tore up the Indiana Pacers to earn the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff seed, they will be facing the no. 1 seeded Philadelphia […]

Chicago Bulls: Chandler Hutchison attempts worst troll job in history – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen has four NBA seasons on his resume.

He has shown an ability to score from outside, attack the rim and even make midrange shots. Perhaps he hasn’t shown it as consistently as expected, but he has shown it. There’s no question he has weapons opposing teams have to game-plan for.

And no one in the league has defended Markkanen, who will be a restricted free agent this offseason, harder than Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas. He did so before the season started, after the trade deadline, then again after the regular season ended this week.

”I’ve got limited stuff that I can obviously be permitted to comment on regarding that, but I thought Lauri had a good year,” Karnisovas said. ”I thought he was more efficient. He’s a 40% three-point shooter. You know shooting comes at a premium in our league, and I think Lauri is an essential part of our team. We hope he is a part of what we’re building here, so I’m looking forward to free agency and talking to his representation.”

Karnisovas wasn’t lying, but he left out a few numbers. And important ones, at that.

Yes, Markkanen did shoot a career-best 40% from three-point range, but he also averaged a career-low 13.6 points, grabbed a career-low 5.3 rebounds, handed out a career-low 0.9 assists and, for the third time in his career, failed to play in more than 53 games.

So was Karnisovas, who has a growing reputation of displaying the ultimate poker face, saying what he’s supposed to say at this time of year regarding his players’ futures, or was he letting the rest of the league know he has a strong hand and intends to use it if called?

This summer will answer that, with the Bulls able to match any offer Markkanen receives.

The talent pool in the 2021 free-agent class was supposed to be historic. Organizations started lining up their salary caps to take advantage of it as early as two years ago. Then big names started re-signing with their teams.

There’s still money to be spent, however, and restricted free agents such as Markkanen and Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball are about to benefit from that.

Two weeks ago, Markkanen said he’s looking to sign with a team that values him as a starter. The Bulls no longer are that team. They have a pair of All-Stars in guard Zach LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic, and Markkanen (even with a small sample size in the case of Vucevic) hasn’t shown an ability to play effectively alongside either for extended minutes.

So where might Markkanen end up? The one place he privately wants to land is with the Mavericks, joining guard Luka Doncic and big man Kristaps Porzingis. The Mavericks will have serious cap room this offseason and were in the middle of the pack in three-point shooting, but Markkanen and Porzingis might be too similar in terms of their skills for that to happen.

So which other team might be interested in Markkanen? Keep an eye on the Knicks, who will have the most cap room of any team and can use more shooting.

Yes, Karnisovas will have the final say on Markkanen and his future. But, ”essential” or not, some pieces just don’t fit and are no longer worth the price.

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Welcome back to another edition of the Sun-Times Chicago Baseball Quiz, I am your quizmaster, Bill Chuck. These quizzes are designed to be fun and can be played on your own or you can test your family, friends, neighbors or colleagues. The questions are easy if you know the answers. Other than stats, there will be no math. There will be a nice mix of Cubs and White Sox and a blend of history and current events. Baseball is filled with great facts and stories, so there is no need for the questions to be obscure (“What did William Sianis feed his billy goat?”).

Are you ready for the Chicago Nine?

Play ball!

1. When Anthony Rizzo made his major-league debut, which team’s uniform was he wearing?

a. Cubs

b. Red Sox

c. Padres

d. Nationals

2. Who holds the Sox record for saves in a season?

a. Keith Foulke

b. Addison Reed

c. Bobby Jenks

d. Bobby Thigpen

3. True or False – Since 2000, the season-high for any Cubs pitcher is three shutouts?

4. Who is the last White Sox player to have a 200-hit season?

a. Tim Anderson

b. Albert Belle

c. Frank Thomas

d. Nellie Fox

5. Three Cubs pitchers won five games (a team-high) in the first month of the season (March/April). Which one of these four didn’t?

a. Kerry Wood

b. Greg Maddux

c. Larry Cheney

d. Jake Arrieta

6. Who was the first player in White Sox history to homer in his first postseason at-bat?

a. Adam Eaton

b. Adam Engel

c. Alexei Ramirez

d. Aaron Rowand

7. Since 2000, who has stolen the most bases for the Cubs in a single season?

a. Ryan Theriot

b. Eric Young Sr.

c. Juan Pierre

d. Corey Patterson

8. Tony La Russa was born on October 4, 1944. On that day:

a. Joe DiMaggio had four hits in the World Series

b. The Cardinals and Browns met for the first (and only) all-St. Louis World Series

c. Phil Cavarretta of the Cubs won the NL batting title

d. The White Sox’ Eddie Lopat closed the season pitching a one-hitter

9. Entering the 2021 season, Jose Abreu had 233 career doubles. Is this more, less, or the same number as Mookie Betts, who entered the majors in 2014 like Abreu?

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. Rizzo debuted on June 9, 2011, playing for the Padres. 2. Bobby Thigpen saved 57 games in 1990. 3. True. Let’s give a shutout shoutout to Jake Arrieta who had three shutouts in 2015. 4. Albert Belle had exactly 200 hits in 1998. 5. Kerry Wood’s high was four wins in 2003. 6. Adam Engel homered in his first at-bat in Game 1 of the 2020 AL Wild-Card Series. 7. Juan Pierre stole 58 in 2006. 8. The Browns beat the Cardinals in Game 1 of the Series, 2-1. 9. Betts entered the season with 238 doubles, five more than Abreu.

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At least sixteen people have been shot, five fatally, since Friday night in Chicago, including a 15-year-old boy killed in Lawndale on the West Side.

About 11:50 p.m., Dajon Gater was on a front porch in the 3900 block of West Lexington Street when two males approached and began firing shots at him, according to Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He suffered a gunshot wound to the head was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

Two people were fatally shot following an incident at an East Garfield Park convenience store Friday night.

About 10:25 p.m., a male was in an argument with a 23-year-old woman in the 500 block of North Kedzie Avenue when he began shooting at her and an 18-year-old man she was with, police said.

The woman suffered a gunshot wound to the torso and was transported to Stroger Hospital where she was pronounced dead, Chicago police said. She was identified as Destiny Nunez of Aurora.

The man was struck multiple times in the torso and leg and transported to Norwegian Hospital where he was pronounced, police said. He has not yet been identified.

The incident began in a convenience store and ended in the parking lot, according to police.

About four hours later, two more people were killed in a shooting in West Garfield Park.

The men were standing outside about 2 a.m. in the 4000 block of West Wilcox Street when someone approached them on foot and fired shots, police said.

One man, 24, suffered gunshot wounds to the head, neck, chest and leg, police said. He was transported to Loretto Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

The second man, 28, was struck in the chest, torso and arm, according to police. He was taken to Stroger Hospital where he was also pronounced dead, police said.

At least 11 more people have been wounded in shootings since 5 p.m. Friday.

Last weekend 48 people were shot citywide, including a 2-year-old girl, a 13-year-old boy and two Chicago police officers.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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There’s no doubt Justin Fields is the right quarterback for the Bears.

Poise from Day 1. Miles to his deep ball. And speed. That sweet, sweet speed the franchise has never had at the position. He has the potential to be everything his predecessors over the previous century weren’t.

But, as Bears great Jim McMahon so harshly — and precisely — put it recently, Chicago is “where quarterbacks go to die.” So the real question is whether the Bears are the right franchise for Fields.

More specifically, is Matt Nagy the right coach to develop him into the maximum version of himself?

When the Bears hired Nagy in 2018, they saw a quarterback whisperer who helped get Alex Smith on track, supervised the infancy of Patrick Mahomes’ career and was a protege of offensive mastermind Andy Reid.

What they got is a likable coach who is an exceptional leader, but that offensive boost never materialized.

The Bears were ninth in the NFL in scoring in 2018 (helped substantially by defensive scores and short fields on offense), 29th in 2019 and 22nd last season. Nagy’s quarterbacks combined for the 12th-worst passer rating in that span and the ninth-lowest yardage as Nagy shifted among Mitch Trubisky, Nick Foles and Chase Daniel.

The best quarterback success stories of his career have been helping Smith become serviceable and being part of the group that chose Mahomes in the 2017 draft. But it wasn’t as though the Chiefs at large were unconvinced by Mahomes and Nagy insisted they take him, and Smith has a vastly different skill set than Fields.

No matter how much Nagy might insist otherwise, coaching a quarterback like Fields is new ground for him.

“I’ve coached a lot of different quarterbacks,” Nagy rebutted. “I started as a young coach in Philadelphia with Donovan McNabb. . . . I’ve been with Kevin Kolb, I’ve been with a rookie in Nick Foles, I’ve been with Michael Vick, I’ve been with Alex Smith, I’ve been with Trent Edwards, Patrick Mahomes as a rookie. So many different scenarios.

“They’re all different, and what makes it so much fun is for me to say, ‘OK, here we are. How do we put a plan together?’ That, for me, is the fun part. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, as we do as coaches.”

Nagy preaches keeping it real, so let’s do that quickly: Most of the quarterbacks he listed were underwhelming. He was an intern when the Eagles had McNabb and was not yet a position coach when Vick played for them. Also, Mahomes played one game as a rookie when Nagy was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator.

That being said, general manager Ryan Pace’s belief is that whatever Nagy helped instill in Mahomes in 2017 was integral to his monumental success thereafter. That takes faith, but it’s plausible.

One element of Mahomes’ greatness is that the Chiefs did not insist on coaching out of him the very qualities that made him special.

“I’ve been blessed, even from high school, with [coaches] letting me be who I am and scramble around and throw the ball and do what I do,” Mahomes said the day after winning Super Bowl LIV. “[Coaches have been] trying to work on the fundamentals and everything like that but still letting me be who I am.

“And now with coach Reid, knowing the right time to rein me in, but at the same time letting me be who I am. Having all those coaches support me and let me be who I am helped me get where I am today.”

A lot of what Mahomes does is unconventional, but why change something that has gotten him this far?

That seems to be what Nagy and his staff did with Trubisky. The organization fell in love with his athleticism, then Nagy hammered, “You win from the pocket,” into his head every day. It’s possible no one could’ve fixed Trubisky anyway, so Nagy is not necessarily at fault for him fizzling, but he can’t take that approach with Fields.

Nagy’s motto, “Be You,” needs to mean exactly that for Fields, not “Be Who I Want You to Be.” The goal is not to turn Fields into a competent QB. He’s too good for the Bears to settle for that. Nagy loves to point to Smith, but don’t forget that it took Smith seven seasons just to be adequate, and even at his peak, the Chiefs were making plans to replace him.

There should be no thought of turning Fields into Smith. Or Foles. Or Andy Dalton. It’s fine for him to learn behind guys like that, and there are parts of how those quarterbacks see the game that will benefit him, but the last thing anyone should want is for Fields to morph into one of them.

Nagy’s challenge is to enhance what Fields already has rather than change him. Doing less is actually doing more in this case, and that’s how he can legitimize his reputation as an expert on quarterbacks.

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Chicago Cubs: A red-hot Ian Happ is exactly what the doctor ordered by Ryan Sikes

The Chicago Blackhawks are always well represented on the World’s stage. The 2021 IIHF World Championships are going on which always provides fans with a little bit of extra hockey. There is always a lot to be excited about when it comes to this tournament but it is always just a little more fun when your favorite team is heavily involved.

There are a total of eight members of the Blackhawks organization that are playing in this thing. Six of them have already played in the NHL (some more than others) and two are still considered prospects. Oddly enough, none of these players will represent Team USA which is a rarity for the Hawks.

The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of their players playing at the IIHF Worlds.

Canada

• Nicolas Beaudin
• Brandon Hagel
• Brandon Pirri

None of these guys are going to be leaders on Team Canada or anything but being on a team with expectations like that is so nice. They aren’t as good as some other Canadian squads we have seen in this tournament before but they always have a chance. Of the three, Nicolas Beaudin is the one to be the most excited about in terms of the Chicago Blackhawks’ future. He should be a mainstay on the blue line within the next year or two.

Czech

• Dominik Kubalik

Dominik Kubalik is one of the best players the Chicago Blackhawks have right now. He is so good at scoring goals in the NHL and he is already up to his old tricks in this tournament as he is on the board already in game number one. The Hawks believe he is going to be one of their better pure goal scorers for a long time.

Germany

• Lukas Reichel

The Chicago Blackhawks selected Lukas Reichel with the 17th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. They believe that he is going to be a good player for a long time once he is up in the NHL so this is another step towards him being a developed NHLer.

Russia

• Nikita Zadorov
• Maxim Shalunov

These two players are very different in terms of where they are in their NHL careers right now. However, right now they are teammates for Team Russia in this tournament. Nikita Zadorov is an okay defenseman that doesn’t really fit well on this team. He is currently an RFA so it will be interesting to see if they bring him back or trade him. Shalunov is an unsigned prospect.

Switzerland

• Philipp Kurashev

The Swiss are slowly but surely becoming a great hockey country. They are starting to produce some of the game’s best players which is really exciting for them. Hopefully, Philipp Kurashev is able to help their national team along with the Blackhawks for years to come.

Related Story: Three trades the Blackhawks can make with an East team

As you can see, the Hawks have talent spread all over the map. Normally, you might see guys like Patrick Kane or Alex DeBrincat playing for Team USA but they decided not to this year. Either way, it is nice to see these guys get the much-deserved chance to represent both their countries and club.

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They continue to push for civilian oversight of the police department and non-police alternatives to respond to mental health crises and provide public safety in schools.

Roxanne Smith has been waiting for change.

Even before the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis led to a summer of protests and a racial reckoning, Smith, a longtime leader of the group Communities United, was pushing for change.

She had urged the Chicago Police Department to abide by the consent decree that followed the police shooting of Laquan McDonald, requiring changes in many police policies.

For her, police reform is personal. Her son Seneca Smith has been in prison for years after being shot by the Chicago police and convicted of attempted murder. She doesn’t believe what the police said about how the shooting unfolded.

Then, a few years ago, when her other son, Roget Smith, was having an anxiety attack, she called 911 to get paramedics to help get him to a hospital. But officers also showed up, and she didn’t think they helped things with her son, who has a condition called Fragile X syndrome.

“Why would you come in acting like he’s a criminal, ready to handcuff him and throw him on the floor?” Smith said. “He didn’t do anything wrong. He’s just having an anxiety attack.”

Smith is among community leaders in Chicago who have long been calling for police reform. Now, a year after massive protests broke out after Floyd’s death, she and other activists in Chicago say they’re frustrated by what they see as slow progress by City Hall on reform.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Among their priorities, they continue to push for civilian oversight of the police department and non-police alternatives to respond to mental health crises and provide public safety inside schools.

Since Floyd’s death in May 2020, 21 people have been shot, seven of them fatally, by Chicago cops, according to the city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability. Among those killed was a 13-year-old, Adam Toledo.

ACLU of Illinois

Nusrat Choudhury, legal director of the ACLU of Illinois, said City Hall has resisted change and points to police department failures to meet deadlines set out in the consent decree, which calls for changes in how officers are disciplined, supervised, trained and recruited.

“I think that the city has made statements about wanting to do more to reform policing than what the consent decree requires, but their actions speak louder than words,” Choudhury said.

City officials seem to view the consent decree as “a ceiling,” Choudhury said, “but they should really be looking at it as a floor.”

City officials have acknowledged they haven’t met all of the deadlines but point to having improved compliance requirements for police training, community policing and officer wellness.

Andrea Ortíz, an organizer with the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, said that, if the city had made reforms earlier, such as instituting a foot-pursuit policy, the fatal police shootings of Adam Toledo and Anthony Alvarez might have been avoided. The 13-year-old and Alvarez, 22, were fatally shot by officers in separate incidents earlier this year.

The council has pushed for a greater emphasis on “treatment, not trauma,” sending out counselors and therapists rather than the police in response to emergency calls that involve a mental health crisis, Ortíz said.

“There’s something about trauma-informed personnel — a counselor or social worker who understands what folks are going through and have years of experience of handling mental health crises and how to de-escalate and calm a person,” Ortíz said. “How to see them as a person and not a potential threat.”

Laqueanda Reneau, an organizer with Communities United, said Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration needs to invest more in communities across the city.

Lightfoot has pointed to changes in policies for handling search warrants and car pursuits as proof of progress on police reform.

“Do we need to do more?” Lightfoot said at a recent news conference. “Of course, we do. And that journey is going to continue for years to come because there has to be continual training and work.”

On a recent weekday in Austin, two people held up a sign on busy North Avenue that urged, “Honk For Police Accountability.” They were part of a group of community organizations protesting outside Ald. Chris Taliaferro’s 29th Ward office, pushing for the Chicago City Council to consider the proposed Empowering Communities for Public Safety Ordinance. Taliaferro chairs the council’s Committee on Public Safety, and activists were critical of his delays in having the ordinance considered.

“For years, for decades, since before I was even organizing, we’ve seen what the harsh policing has done to our communities,” said Carlil Pittman, co-founder of the community group GoodKids MadCity. “We’ve seen our people suffer. We’ve seen our people be beaten, brutalized, murdered by police officers. And now we have an opportunity to bring real change into our city and be a model for other cities, to be a model for the country and what policing should look like.”

The proposal merges ideas from community groups that have called for civilian oversight of the police, said Kobi Guillory, co-chair of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. It calls for a binding voter referendum to create a civilian oversight commission with authority to hire and fire the police superintendent, negotiate police contracts and set the department’s budget.

It has gotten support from the council’s Black, Hispanic and progressive caucuses and is expected to get a committee vote next month.

Lightfoot recently said she supports civilian oversight and is expected to introduce her own ordinance.

Guillory said, even after a summer of protests, the city hasn’t made real changes in policing.

“It was not really surprising but disappointing Chicago was the only city that hadn’t made any promises after the uprisings,” Guillory said.

Joel Rodriguez, a community organizer for the Southwest Organizing Project, said the empowering communities ordinance is the way to bring about transformative change.

“We need to have police accountability,” Rodriguez said.

Elvia Malagón / Sun-Times

For Marques Watts, the fatal shooting of his friend Caleb Reed last summer was a reality check. He had watched how his friend was turning into a man, speaking out publicly about the need to work toward peace.

“My community is not safe no more,” said Watts, 18, a junior at Mather High School.

Reed, an outspoken activist, was killed weeks after Watts’ 16-year-old brother Derrion “Umba” Ortiz was fatally shot last July in Burnside.

Watts joined Communities United and Voices of Youth in Chicago Education to continue his friend’s work. Mather’s Local School Council was among those that voted to remove police officers from the school.

VOYCE is still pushing for officers to be permanently removed from other schools and urging schools to try alternatives to the police to keep incidents from escalating, said Maria Paula Degillo, the program’s coordinator.

Watts wants more social workers in schools.

Pat Nabong / Sun-Times file

When remote schooling began last year, he said he initially struggled because he couldn’t stop thinking about his brother and Reed. One of his teachers helped him push past his grief.

“We already go through traumatic things outside of schools,” Watts said. “It should be a different way to approach us.”

Elvia Malagón’s reporting on social justice and income inequality is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.

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Two men were fatally shot early Saturday morning in West Garfield Park.

The men were standing outside about 2 a.m. in the 4000 block of West Wilcox Street when someone approached them on foot and fired shots, Chicago police said.

One man, 24, suffered gunshot wounds to the head, neck, chest and leg, police said. He was transported to Loretto Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

The second man, 28, was struck in the chest, torso and arm, according to police. He was taken to Stroger Hospital where he was also pronounced dead, police said.

No one is in custody, according to police.

About four hours earlier, a man and a woman were shot in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. A male was in an argument with a 23-year-old woman at a convenience store. in the 500 block of North Kedzie Avenue when he began shooting at her and an 18-year-old man she was with.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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