The Chicago Department of Transportation announced Wednesday the Lake Shore Drive Bridge over the Chicago River is set to be raised Thursday night for “testing and maintenance” the same day the city plans to release video of 13-year-old Adam Toledo’s fatal shooting by police in Little Village.
CDOT spokesman Michael Claffey said the bridge will be raised between 10 p.m. Thursday and 5 a.m. Friday for “testing and maintenance ahead of boat run season” and says the closure is not related to the video release.
A spokesperson for Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office declined to comment.
Northbound traffic will be detoured via Monroe Street, Columbus Drive and Illinois Street, while southbound drivers will exit Lake Shore Drive at Grand Avenue and return via Columbus Drive and Monroe Street, Claffey said.
The bridge raising is a yearly practice in which every bridge over the river is lifted sequentially before boats leave mainland shelters to dock in Lake Michigan for the summer, according to Claffey.
The city’s plans to release the video Thursday of Adam Toledo being killed by police March 29 in the 2300 block of South Sawyer Avenue. Adam’s family, which asked the Civilian Office of Police Accountability to delay the video release, viewed the footage Tuesday evening.
The city came under fire last summer for raising bridges into downtown during protests after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The decision, along with the mayor’s call to stop CTA trains from entering the Loop, made it difficult for protesters to leave downtown, according to a scathing inspector general report on how the Chicago Police Department handled the protests.
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — A white former suburban Minneapolis police officer was charged Wednesday with second-degree manslaughter for killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in a shooting that ignited days of unrest and clashes between protesters and police.
The charge against former Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter was filed three days after Wright was killed during a traffic stop and as the nearby murder trial progresses for the ex-officer charged with killing George Floyd last May.
The former Brooklyn Center police chief has said that Potter, a 26-year veteran and training officer, intended to use her Taser on Wright but fired her handgun instead. However, protesters and Wright’s family members say there’s no excuse for the shooting and that it shows how the justice system is tilted against Blacks, noting Wright was stopped for expired car registration and ended up dead.
“Certain occupations carry an immense responsibility and none more so than a sworn police officer,” Imran Ali, Washington County assistant criminal division chief, said in a statement announcing the charge against Potter. “(Potter’s) action caused the unlawful killing of Mr. Wright and she must be held accountable.”
Intent isn’t a necessary component of second-degree manslaughter in Minnesota. The charge — which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison — can be applied in circumstances where a person is suspected of causing a death by “culpable negligence” that creates an unreasonable risk and consciously takes chances to cause a death.
Potter, who was being held on $100,000 bail, was scheduled to make her initial court appearance Thursday afternoon. Her attorney did not respond to messages from The Associated Press.
Potter, 48, and Police Chief Tim Gannon both resigned Tuesday, a day after the City Council voted to fire the city manager, who controls the police force. Acting City Manager Reggie Edwards said Wednesday that because Potter resigned, she is entitled to “all accrual and benefits that is due.” Mayor Mike Elliott has said that the city had been moving toward firing Potter when she submitted her resignation.
This booking photo released by the Hennepin County, Minn., Sheriff shows Kim Potter, a former Brooklyn Center, Minn., police officer who is charged Wednesday, April 14, 2021, with second-degree manslaughter for killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in a shooting that ignited days of unrest and clashes between protesters and police.AP
Police say Wright was pulled over for expired tags on Sunday, but they sought to arrest him after discovering he had an outstanding warrant. The warrant was for his failure to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.
Body camera video that Gannon released Monday shows Potter approaching Wright as he stands outside of his car as another officer is arresting him.
As Wright struggles with police, Potter shouts, “I’ll Tase you! I’ll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!” before firing a single shot from a handgun in her right hand.
The criminal complaint noted that Potter holstered her handgun on the right side and her Taser on the left. To remove the Taser — which is yellow and has a black grip — Potter would have to use her left hand, the complaint said.
Wright family attorney Ben Crump said the family appreciates the criminal case, but he again disputed that the shooting was accidental, arguing that an experienced officer knows the difference between a Taser and a handgun.
“Kim Potter executed Daunte for what amounts to no more than a minor traffic infraction and a misdemeanor warrant,” he said.
Experts say cases of officers mistakenly firing their gun instead of a Taser are rare, usually less than once a year nationwide.
Transit officer Johannes Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison after responding to a fight at a train station in Oakland, California, killing 22-year-old Oscar Grant in 2009. Mehserle testified at trial that he mistakenly pulled his .40-caliber handgun instead of his stun gun.
In Oklahoma, a white volunteer sheriff’s deputy for Tulsa County, Robert Bates, was convicted of second-degree manslaughter after accidentally firing his handgun when he meant to deploy his stun gun on Eric Harris, a Black man who was being held down by other officers in 2015.
Potter was an instructor with Brooklyn Center police, according to the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. She was training two other officers when they stopped Wright, the association’s leader, Brian Peters, told the Star Tribune.
Brooklyn Center announced a curfew of 10 p.m. Wednesday — the fourth night in a row that the city has taken that action. Elliott, the mayor, urged people to protest without violence, saying “your voices have been heard.”
Outside Potter’s home in Champlin, north of Brooklyn Center, concrete barricades and tall metal fencing had been set up and police cars were in the driveway. After Floyd’s death last year, protesters demonstrated several times at the home of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer now on trial in Floyd’s death.
About 90 minutes before Tuesday’s curfew, state police announced over a loudspeaker that the demonstration outside the city’s heavily guarded police headquarters had been declared unlawful and ordered the crowds to disperse. Protesters launched fireworks toward the station and threw objects at officers, who launched flashbangs and gas grenades, then marched in a line to force back the crowd. The number of protesters plummeted over the next hour, until only a few remained. Police also ordered all media to leave.
Brooklyn Center, a suburb just north of Minneapolis, has seen its racial demographics shift dramatically in recent years. In 2000, more than 70% of the city was white. Today, a majority of residents are Black, Asian or Hispanic.
However, Elliott has acknowledged that the police force has “very few people of color.”
___
Bauer contributed from Madison, Wisconsin. Associated Press writers Doug Glass and Mohamed Ibrahim in Minneapolis; Tim Sullivan in Brooklyn Center; and Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, contributed to this report.
Chicago aldermen held a spirited debate Wednesday about launching an unprecedented local crackdown on rogue tow truck drivers who rush to accident scenes, snare damaged vehicles and hold them hostage until rattled motorists pay exorbitant fees.
The City Council’s Committee on License and Consumer Protection did not vote on the ordinance that calls for the city to establish a first-ever license for tow truck operators, require a $250 license for every truck they use and license the locations where vehicles they tow are stored.
License Committee Chairman Emma Mitts (37th) and others want more time to consider AAA’s request for a waiver that could excuse the motor club from record-keeping requirements that would slow down the motor club’s towing operations.
Mitts said she wanted “more discussion to make sure we are all in agreement.” But it was apparent from the tone of the debate and the horror stories told about rampant towing abuses on Chicago streets that the crackdown championed by Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) is coming.
“This is an effort to tackle an industry that’s just been out of control. Wild, wild west. Second-worst in the country,” a frustrated Villegas told his colleagues after Mitts insisted on holding the ordinance in committee. “At a time when people are being taken advantage of, this is not the time to hesitate…We need to get this done.”
Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosa Escareno agreed it was high time for Chicago to get tough to prevent “rampant” abuses by “rogue” towing companies that appear unsolicited at accidents and “take advantage of rattled vehicle owners.”
“In some cases, resident vehicles have been held at ransom. … Owners are often forced to pay thousands to recover their vehicles. And in many cases, the vehicles may be left in random locations, difficult for our investigators to locate,” Escareno said.
Sgt. Keith Blair of the Chicago Police Department’s Major Auto Theft Unit described towing abuses as a “very serious problem” that has “overloaded” CPD and hampered its ability to investigate the number of vehicles towed illegally from crash scenes.
Many rogue tow-truck drivers monitor police and fire department radio frequencies, Blair said, often beating first responders to the scene.
“They’re using any method necessary to try and obtain control of an unsuspecting victim’s vehicle. Promising them free rental and other promises that they never fulfill. And they end up holding these cars hostage,” Blair said.
“They’re closely aligned in some areas with gangs. … Much like we see gang conflicts, we see gang conflicts among tow drivers as well.”
The ordinance also would prohibit certain acts, such as:
o Stopping “at or near” an accident scene or near a damaged or disabled vehicle to solicit the vehicle owner unless summoned to the scene by law enforcement, other city or state agencies or the vehicle owner or his or her representative.
o Making any false, misleading or threatening statements to the vehicle owner for the purpose of coercing the owner to engage the operator’s towing services, such as claiming to be affiliated with a government agency or insurance company that would cover the towing cost.
o Holding a towed vehicle against the owner’s will until the motorist agrees to pay a “ransom” fee that amounts to thousands of dollars to release it.
Five years ago, the tilted playing field between towing companies that snatch cars off Chicago streets and parking lots and motorists who own those vehicles got a bit more level.
The City Council approved a “towing bill of rights” in response to an avalanche of complaints about Lincoln Towing, the company made famous in the Steve Goodman song, “Lincoln Park Pirates.”
Then-Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th) led the charge for the bill of rights just three months after a tense public hearing on the towing issue that featured a heated exchange between Pawar and Allen Perl, an attorney representing Protective Parking Services doing business as Lincoln Towing.
A potted plant was left at the approximate location where Chicago police killed 13-year-old Adam Toledo, in an alley way near 24th and Sawyer, Thursday, April 1, 2021. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.
Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.
This afternoon will be mostly cloudy with a chance of sprinkles and a high near 51 degrees. Tonight’s low will be around 38 degrees. Tomorrow will be partly sunny with a high near 53 degrees.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said it will release video and other materials related to the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo tomorrow.
“COPA has remained sensitive to the family’s grief and is carrying out this release in accordance with the City’s Video Release Policy,” Ephraim Eaddy, spokesman for COPA, said in a statement. “COPA’s core values of integrity and transparency are essential to building public trust, particularly in incidents related to an officer involved shooting, and we are unwavering in our commitment to uphold these values.”
The materials will include footage from body-worn cameras, third-party video, transmissions from the Office of Emergency Management & Communications, SpotShotter recordings and case incidents.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she has seen “multiple videos” of the fatal shooting of Toledo by Chicago police on March 29, but won’t talk about what she saw in them.
Asked about the video at an unrelated event in Jackson Park, Lightfoot refused to describe what she saw or the conclusions she drew from that viewing, for fear of compromising ongoing investigations by the COPA and the Cook County State’s attorney’s office.
The mayor would only reiterate what the Toledo family said after its own private showing on Tuesday: that public release of the shooting videos would be delayed out of deference to the family.
“This is a difficult set of circumstances. First and foremost, we have a family that is still incredibly in the throes of grief. A mom and father who have lost their son, siblings who have lost their brother. Grandparents. I want to be respectful of the family,” the mayor said after joining Gov. J.B. Pritzker in Jackson Park to announce the start of “pre-construction” work tied to the Obama Presidential Center.
So the guest host of “Jeopardy!” is Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and he’s reading this clue from the Title Waves category: “In the 1960s these Midwesterners earned 5 NFL championship trophies.”
The response from the three contestants … crickets.
“Green Bay Packers?” Rodgers said, making the appropriate face and stretching out his arms in disbelief.
Not Erick Loh, the pastor from California, or returning champ Dennis Chase, the biotech project manager originally from Massachusetts, or Norah Webster, a meeting planner from Chicago, could come up with the answer.
A triple stumper.
(Norah, you were our best hope if for no other reason than your city’s proximity to Green Bay and the possibility that maybe you’re a Bears fan or almost certainly know a few.)
When Loh correctly responded to the next clue from the same category about the Boston Celtics, Rodgers couldn’t resist. “Oh, you know that one, huh?” he quipped.
How concerned are you about the Cubs/White Sox two weeks into the season?
Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday, we asked you: How has the pandemic affected your relationship with your faith? Here’s what some of you said…
“It’s been hard not going to church. Watching on YouTube is not the same. However, my faith is my strength and my Zoom small group Bible studies have been a lifeline for my soul.” — Brenda G. Whitson Marquis
“At first it was so hard. I honestly can only think of two times in all my 77 years that I’ve missed Mass and I’ve taught Religious Ed for 24 years, so I truly missed being there. However, emailing, texting, Zooming, and good old fashioned letter writing have kept me in touch with my class and fellow parishioners. And after being fully vaccinated I was able to return on Palm Sunday. I feel blessed.” — Karen Klein Siciliano
“I consider myself a solidly devout Catholic and having Mass on TV on Sunday morning has been very helpful. But I’m at the point now where I’d like to go back to my parish for Mass. However, with the COVID cases rising again, I’m somewhat apprehensive.”— Mike Walsh
“My faith in God is intact, but my faith in humanity sure has suffered during this pandemic!”— Anna Casey
“It has strengthened my faith. Watching Mass at home every Sunday has allowed me to break it down for my children and ensure they understand Mass, the Eucharist, and the other components and it has allowed me to watch Masses from Mexico which I prefer.” — James Gonzalez
Thanks for reading the Chicago Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.
The Moderna vaccine is one of the vaccines being given in Chicago. | Getty
Check out answers to frequently asked questions, including: Am I eligible for a coronavirus shot? Where can I get one? Can I go to a pharmacy? How long do I have to wait?
As Chicago expands its COVID-19 vaccination program, here are some answers to questions on who can get the shots and where to get them.
Who’s eligible for the vaccine?
General public aged 16 and older: All state residents 16 and over are eligible for shots beginning April 12.
Chicago says it will open up eligibility to everyone on April 19. But Chicago residents are encouraged to go to the suburbs or even to Indiana or other states to get appointments if permitted.
Who is eligible in Chicago?
• Health care and nursing home workers: Health care workers as well as employees and residents of nursing homes and congregate facilities have been eligible since December and those individuals can still be vaccinated.
• Seniors and essential workers: In late January, Chicagoans age 65 and older and more than 300,000 essential workers became eligible for the vaccine. The group includes police and firefighters, correctional workers, grocery store employees, educators and transit employees. Go to www.chicago.gov/covidvax for a full list.
• Residents with high-risk medical conditions: In late February Illinois expanded the eligible group to include residents 16 and older with high-risk medical conditions. Examples of conditions given by the state include obesity, diabetes, pulmonary diseases, smoking, heart conditions, chronic kidney diseases, cancer, solid organ transplant, sickle cell disease, pregnancy and persons with disabilities.
Suburban Cook County started vaccinating those with health conditions March 26, while Chicago started March 29. The city has a broader list of health conditions for this eligible group, though smokers aren’t included on the list.
• Additional essential workers: Are eligible as of March 29 in Chicago. The city has said that group will include workers in: transportation and logistics; water and wastewater; food service; construction; finance, including bank tellers; information technology and communications; energy; legal; media; public safety like engineers; and higher education.
How do I sign up to get vaccinated? Where do I go?
Vaccinations are handled through appointments either through a doctor or other health care provider, a pharmacy or an employer. There are also designated sites for mass vaccinations run by cities and counties.
The United Center: Since March 10, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been operating a mass vaccination site at the United Center. Officials have limited who is eligible for an appointment there to all residents 16 and older from certain ZIP codes in vulnerable areas of the city as well as all seniors who live in Chicago.
As of April 12, those ZIP codes include 60608, 60609, 60619, 60620, 60621, 60623, 60624, 60628, 60629, 60632, 60636, 60639, 60644, 60649, 60651, 60652, and 60653.
What if I don’t have a doctor or health care provider?
Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced an outreach plan to engage residents in 15 South Side and West Side communities, largely areas of the city that include many uninsured residents with poor access to health care. The city is working with hospitals, health clinics and other local organizations to inform neighbors on vaccination details. For theses communities, the city has widened the eligibility rules. Go to the city’s Protect Chicago page for more details.
Will it cost me money to get the vaccine?
The vaccine is free to everyone.
Do I need multiple shots?
To be fully effective, the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines approved for COVID-19 each require a second dose, which will either be three or four weeks apart from the first dose. Typically your second appointment is scheduled at the time you receive your first dose.
The Johnson and Johnson vaccine only requires one shot.
Experts say all the vaccines are very effective against stopping infections and extremely effective against preventing severe infections. Individuals will not be able to choose which vaccine they get.
Do I still need to wear a mask after getting the vaccine?
Two weeks after getting the second shot of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, your chance of contracting the virus will be dramatically reduced. No vaccine is completely protective but both of the COVID therapies are more than 90% effective. Johnson and Johnson, which was tested more recently in more countries and against more variants of the virus, is more than 70 percent effective, which officials say is still excellent.
But because there has not been research yet on whether you can still spread the virus to others, officials recommend continuing to take precautions like mask wearing even after you get vaccinated. The CDC said that those who have been fully vaccinated can follow looser restrictions when interacting with others who also have been inoculated.
Alex Morgan and other U.S. national soccer team players have asked a federal appeals court to overturn a lower court decision throwing out their lawsuit seeking equal pay to the men’s team. | Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
Players led by Alex Morgan asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday to reinstate the part of their suit that U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner threw out last May when he granted a partial summary judgment to the U.S. Soccer Federation.
SAN FRANCISCO — Players on the women’s national soccer team have asked a federal appeals court to overturn a lower court decision throwing out their lawsuit seeking equal pay to the men’s team.
Players led by Alex Morgan asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday to reinstate the part of their suit that U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner threw out last May when he granted a partial summary judgment to the U.S. Soccer Federation.
“For each win, loss and tie that women players secure, they are paid less than men who play the same sport and who do the same work; that is gender discrimination,” players’ spokeswoman Molly Levinson said in a statement. “A pervasive atmosphere of sexism drove this pay discrimination.”
Appeals are assigned to three-judge panels. The 9th Circuit estimates that oral arguments in civil appeals will be scheduled 12-20 months from the notice of appeal and 9-12 months after written briefs have been completed.
The U.S. has won the last two Women’s World Cups and is the favorite in this summer’s Olympic women’s soccer tournament.
Players sued the USSF in March 2019, contending they have not been paid equitably under their collective bargaining agreement that runs through December 2021, compared to what the men’s team receives under its agreement that expired in December 2018. The women asked for more than $66 million in damages under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Klausner threw out the pay claim last May, ruling the women rejected a pay-to-play structure similar to the one in the men’s agreement and accepted greater base salaries and benefits than the men, who failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
The sides reached a settlement Dec. 1 on working condition claims that Klausner approved Monday. The deal calls for charter flights, hotel accommodations, venue selection and professional staff support equitable to that of the men’s national team.
The USSF says it pays equally for matches it controls but not for tournaments organized by soccer’s world governing body.
FIFA awarded $400 million in prize money for the 32 teams at the 2018 men’s World Cup, including $38 million to champion France. It awarded $30 million for the 24 teams at the 2019 Women’s World Cup, including $4 million to the U.S. after the Americans won their second straight title.
FIFA has increased the total to $440 million for the 2022 men’s World Cup, and its president, Gianni Infantino, has proposed FIFA double the women’s prize money to $60 million for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, where FIFA has increased the teams to 32.
Coinbase employees gather outside the Nasdaq MarketSite during the company’s IPO, in New York’s Times Square, Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Wall Street will be focused on Coinbase Wednesday with the digital currency exchange becoming a publicly traded company. | AP
Coinbase Global Inc. is making its initial public offering of stock Wednesday with cryptocurrency chatter seemingly everywhere, even at the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Coinbase made a rousing debut on Wall Street Wednesday, with the digital currency exchange’s rising as high as $429, briefly giving it a market value over $100 billion.
Coinbase Global Inc.‘s initial public offering comes with cryptocurrency chatter seemingly everywhere, even at the U.S. Federal Reserve. Digital currencies are being incorporated into business plans and accepted by major corporations like Tesla, PayPal and Visa.
The San Francisco-based company’s listing on a public stock exchange is seen by some as an inflection point for digital currencies, as Coinbase’s fortunes are closely tied to Bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency. Bitcoin’s price has topped $63,000, up from $29,000 at the start of the year, and Coinbase said recently that first-quarter revenue should total around $1.8 billion, exceeding its revenue for all of 2020.
Shares of Coinbase are listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker “COIN,” and were trading around $376 after about 40 minutes of trading, putting its market value around $98.2 billion.
That market value makes Coinbase one of the biggest publicly traded U.S. companies — just 83 companies in the S&P 500 index have market values above $100 billion. Coinbase’s value is greater than the combined market value of Nasdaq Inc., which runs the Nasdaq Stock Market, and Intercontinental Exchange, which owns the New York Stock Exchange.
Founded in 2012, Coinbase became popular among cryptocurrency fans by providing them with an easier way to exchange shares of Bitcoin and other digital currencies.
Coinbase said it had 56 million verified users as of March 31, with 6.1 million making transactions monthly. Trading volume in the first quarter was $335 million.
Coinbase earns 0.5% of the value of every transaction that goes through its system. So if someone buys $100 in Bitcoin, Coinbase earns 50 cents. If Bitcoin or Etherium prices drop, the commissions Coinbase earns drop as well, giving it some exposure to the digital currencies’ rise and fall.
Instead of using a traditional IPO, Coinbase went public through a public listing. That means it avoided the typical agreements with big banks that would buy thousands of shares and promote them. A direct listing allows insiders and early investors to convert their stakes in the company into publicly traded stock.
Other recent direct listings include the music streaming service Spotify in 2018, the messaging service Slack in 2019 and the data-mining company Palantir Technologies in 2020.
Shares of Coinbase should attract investors who want to get into the cryptocurrency space in addition to, or without buying any coins at all, said Lule Demmissie, president of Ally Invest.
“It could also be a less volatile security than the coins themselves,” Demmissie says.
Still, not everyone is buying into the Coinbase hype. David Trainer, CEO of investment research firm New Constructs, said Coinbase has “little-to-no-chance of meeting the future profit expectations that are baked into its ridiculously high valuation.”
Trainer last week put a valuation on Coinbase closer to $18.9 billion, arguing it will face more competition as the cryptocurrency market matures.
However Dan Ives, of Wedbush, sees Coinbase as a window into the future.
“Coinbase is a foundational piece of the crypto ecosystem and is a barometer for the growing mainstream adoption of Bitcoin and crypto for the coming years,” Ives said.
In this March 24, 2018, file photo, Isabel White of Parkland, Fla., holds a sign that reads “Americans for Gun Safety Now!” during the “March for Our Lives” rally in support of gun control in Washington, that was spearheaded by teens from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after the 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. President Biden faces an uphill battle as he tries to push for more state laws that would allow authorities to temporarily disarm people who are considered a danger to themselves or others. State lawmakers, governors of both parties and former President Donald Trump embraced the so-called red flag laws after the 2018 mass shooting in Florida. | AP
President Joe Biden announced last week that his administration would publish model legislation in the next 60 days to encourage more states to pass red flag laws.
IOWA CITY, Iowa — President Joe Biden faces an uphill battle as he tries to revive a push for more state laws that would allow authorities to temporarily disarm people who are considered a danger to themselves or others.
The political circumstances surrounding this year’s effort are drastically different than they were three years ago, when state lawmakers, governors of both parties and former President Donald Trump embraced the extreme-risk protection orders after the 2018 mass shooting that killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
Officials in Florida and several other states quickly adopted so-called red flag laws, hailing the court-ordered removal of guns from people judged to be dangerous as a way to prevent suicides, domestic violence and mass shootings. Trump’s commission on school shootings in December 2018 recommended that other states follow suit.
But momentum for the legislation has stalled after intense pushback from gun rights activists, increasing opposition from rank-and-file Republicans and key defeats for Democratic supporters of gun control in the November elections. Critics argue the laws can strip people of their right to bear arms based on unproven accusations, even as evidence mounts that they save lives.
Biden announced last week that his administration would publish model legislation in the next 60 days to encourage more states to pass red flag laws. His administration also is urging Congress to approve legislation giving states incentives to pass them, which could include millions of dollars in grant funding for implementation.
Still, advocates say they do not expect many, if any, of the 31 states without those laws to adopt them this year.
“We are now pushing against somewhat of a wall. The easier targets have been done,” said Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, which has played a key role in modeling the laws after domestic violence restraining orders. “But we’re in it for the long haul. I’m confident that in 20 years, this will be almost everywhere.”
Horwitz said the laws in many states are still new, and he is working to educate local officials on how to use them. He said a federal grant program to incentivize implementation would be a great step, and he is urging lawmakers not to wait for tragedies to act.
The measures typically allow police and family members to petition courts for civil orders to temporarily strip the gun rights of those who are exhibiting warning signs of violence. Emergency orders that last days can be issued immediately. Judges later determine whether to extend them up to a year, based on evidence presented at a hearing. Respondents can surrender their firearms or have them removed by police, and are barred from purchasing weapons as long as the order remains in effect.
Nineteen states have versions of the laws in place, and research suggests they can reduce suicides and prevent other forms of gun violence. Supporters say they allow people to work through mental health, substance abuse or other crises while unarmed. Thousands of orders have been granted to disarm suicidal, threatening or other unstable people, from California to Connecticut to Florida, although their use has been uneven based on the discretion of local officials.
Bills have been introduced in at least 14 states this year to adopt red flag laws, but have had no success advancing.
“It’s going to be a tougher fight in a lot of the remaining states,” said Allison Anderman, senior counsel with the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
On March 31, a Tennessee House subcommittee voted down a bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Gloria Johnson, who said the orders were “all about keeping people safe.” Republican Rep. John Gillespie said he worried the law “could be abused very, very quickly” because it would allow ex-spouses to file petitions. Another Republican said it would be worse than doing nothing because police could be put in harm’s way if forced to seize weapons.
Virginia was the last state to adopt the orders a year ago, after Democrats took over the General Assembly.
Biden said states with them have seen drops in suicides and that they can have a “significant effect in protecting women” from violence and disarming would-be mass shooters: “It’s time to put these laws on the books and protect even more people,” Biden said.
Horwitz said states do not need model legislation because that already exists. A research consortium in October published detailed recommendations for adopting the laws, including key provisions such as who can petition for the orders and how long they should last.
He said he was hopeful that more federal money might win over some state lawmakers. Congress is expected to consider creating a grant program that would help states pay for training court officials and police, collecting data, developing procedures and forms, and raising public awareness about the orders.
In Minnesota, the Republican-controlled Senate narrowly retained its majority in the November election after blocking a red flag proposal approved by the Democratic-controlled House and supported by Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat. So far, the Senate hasn’t held a committee hearing on a new bill introduced by Democrats in February.
In New Hampshire, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a red flag bill last August, saying it would “weaken the constitutional rights of law-abiding New Hampshire citizens.” With Sununu easily winning reelection and Republicans flipping both houses of the Legislature in the 2020 election, the momentum for the policy is dead.
National Rifle Association spokeswoman Amy Hunter said the state-by-state push has stalled due to “significant public opposition.” She said the laws can deny due process, allow false and malicious claims and do not provide mental health services for those who need them.
Cole Kmet had 28 catches for 243 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie. | Kamil Krzaczynski/AP
Kmet is an unproven up-and-comer and Graham seems to be winding down his career. After that, the Bears have minimal help at a vital position.
The Bears did what everyone wanted them to do a year ago and used their top draft pick, No. 43 overall, to take the best tight end in the draft in Cole Kmet. They hoped that would solve an ongoing problem, but it’s still unknown whether Kmet will grow into a dependable threat in the passing attack.
They’ll go into this season betting on Kmet taking the next step — tight ends usually need a full season to adapt to the NFL — and 34-year-old Jimmy Graham duplicating the decent production he gave them last season. With limited picks and other more pressing needs, tight end will be on the back burner in the draft.
But the Bears still need somebody, so they’ll probably go fishing in the late rounds for an athletic, pass-catching tight end with the potential to develop into a nice complement to Kmet’s abilities.
Kmet progressed throughout his rookie season, so it’s reasonable to expect that trajectory to continue. After the bye week, he played at least 70% of the snaps every game, though his production was modest. Kmet had just three games with more than two catches and never hit 50 yards receiving in a game. He looks like he’ll be a solid player for the Bears, but might not be the game-changing pass catcher they need.
With the win-or-get-fired scenario general manager Ryan Pace seems to face this season, he’ll be looking to find instant starters in the first three rounds at Nos. 20, 52 and 83 overall. The Bears need help on the offensive line, at cornerback, possibly at wide receiver and could use a safety. And that’s assuming they don’t bite on a quarterback after likely getting shut out in the first round.
That leaves Pace a fifth-rounder and four picks in the sixth to search for a tight end with a selection that’s really geared more toward 2022 and beyond. The best candidates who could be available that late are BYU’s Matt Bushman, Jacksonville State’s Trae Barry and SMU’s Kylen Granson. All of them are long shots at that point and will be long-term investments for the Bears.
TIGHT END
Grading the Bears’ need: Medium to low. Proceeding with Kmet and Graham isn’t a terrible plan for 2021, and it’d be hard to justify taking a tight end early one year after drafting Kmet in the second round. The Bears probably need one more season to see if he truly has the potential to be a big-time receiver. Until then, it’s a smart time to take on a project late in the draft.
On the roster: Cole Kmet, Jimmy Graham, J.P. Holtz, Darion Clark, Jesper Horsted.
The five best prospects: Florida’s Kyle Pitts, Miami’s Brevin Jordan, Notre Dame’s Tommy Tremble, Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth and Boston College’s Hunter Long.
Keep an eye on: BYU’s Matt Bushman. There was a lot of interest in him heading into last season, but he tore his Achilles before it began. That could slide him to the sixth round, which would line up nicely for the Bears at No. 204, 208, 221 or 228. He’s an athletic receiver at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds and had 688 yards and four touchdowns as a junior.
Close to home: Notre Dame’s Tommy Tremble had a modest college career, but has shot up draft boards lately thanks to a strong pro day in which he clocked a 4.59 in the 40-yard dash — exceptional for a tight end.
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