Thursday, October 23, 2025

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Make an affordable monthly gift online at wbez.org slash donate. Good afternoon. I'm Lisa Labez and this is The Rundown.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed an executive order, he says, will demand justice as deportation efforts continue in the Chicago area. The governor says the ongoing campaign will eventually end. And when it does, an official. record of what he calls ongoing abuses will be needed. My colleague Alex Degman reports former federal judge Ruben Castillo will head this Illinois Accountability Commission, who says federal agents are ignoring the Constitution.

Just because someone gets upset or frustrated doesn't mean that they can violate the Constitution and hurt people, detain people, seize people. even shoot people. The commission is setting up public hearings, hoping to hear from people who have been directly affected. Meantime, federal immigration agents today faced off with protesters outside a discount mall in the Little Village neighborhood. They continue to make a...

in that southwest side area. The Suntimes reports agents arrested at least five people led by U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino. Federal officers wearing gas masks were also seen tear gassing and pepper spraying protests.

And the Chicago Police Department said it responded to multiple 911 calls, including a call from federal agents in need of assistance. Chicago police issued a statement saying officers went to that scene in Little Village to... help with crowd and traffic control.

Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is mourning the loss of one of his sons and multiple family members. Bailey announcing this morning his son Zach, his wife, and two of their three children were killed in a helicopter crash in Montana. The couple's 10-year-old son was not on that flight. Governor J.B. Pritzker at an unrelated news conference appeared choked up as he offered condolences and said he and First Lady M.K. Pritzker were devastated by the news. I cannot imagine.

losing a child, losing two grandchildren, and what they must be going through. That's all I can say. A statement from the Baileys say they are finding comfort in their faith and the support they've received so far. They're asking for privacy. And four voting rights groups are suing the state of Indiana over some new laws that require voters to prove they are U.S. citizens. The Post-Tribune reports groups in the lawsuit say Indiana's rules unfairly burden citizens who were recently naturalized.

Those people are more likely to have a temporary ID, and that gets them automatically flagged by the state's verification system. Now, if they don't provide documentation of citizenship, they can be kicked off the voter rolls. You're listening to The Rundown.

How do you keep alive the memory of Chicago residents whose lives have been cut short by gun violence? A program called Notes for Peace thinks music is part of that answer. This joint effort from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and a local nonprofit creates original songs with grieving families. My colleague Courtney Kippers followed the process of one song from start to finish. Justin Perry was a writer, a rapper, a music fan who appreciated all genres.

He was a parent to a young daughter and his mother's only son. But when he died in 2021 in a shooting just outside Chicago when he was 28 years old, Justin Perry was reduced to one paragraph in a newspaper story about local gun violence. Now, his mother, the coolly calm and confident Raquel Perry, is bringing her son's vibrancy back to life. in a song. On a hot afternoon in early October, Perry arrives in the basement of St. Sabina's church and takes a seat in a circle of folding chairs.

So my name is Raquel Perry. I also brought two pictures of Justin. My son is Justin Perry, Justin Jeremiah. He loves to write, or he loved to write, but he loved music. Perry is one of eight mothers here. all of whom have lost a child to gun violence. Today, they will share stories of their children with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's training program. It's the beginning of Notes for Peace, an effort meant to provide healing.

and also to put names and faces to the shootings that have become a routine part of a Chicago news cycle. Here's Perry. I want to add to Justin's legacy, and I want to have something that will live on. And so this, to me, is a way to help him live on. Since the program began in 2018 as a collaboration between the CSO and the nonprofit Purpose Over Pain, more than 100 original songs have been created. Here's Purpose Over Pain co-founder Pam Bosley.

We try to allow parents an opportunity to tell their stories. If it's through music, if it's through press conferences, whichever way you can tell your story, you need to tell the story of your child. And don't silence yourself. The songs vary in style and tone. Each is different, just like the people they are about. But it always starts with a conversation, like the one Perry had in the church basement with musicians Sava Velkov and Hamid Barbarji.

Perry plays some of Justin's music on her phone. I listen to this beat flow. I love it. It's a dope beat. And she's quick to laugh when she remembers their inside jokes. Here's Velkov in Barbargi. We've got a lot of good material to go off of, and I think we're going to do justice to Justin. I think we learned a lot about a really wonderful person. So I'm looking forward to getting the process started.

The musicians spend the next two weeks writing the lyrics, harmony, and orchestration. The process will culminate in a professionally mixed track and live concert. They later meet up with Perry at Lost Boy Sound, a studio in Chicago's West Loop. It's a big day. Her chance to land her verse on the song. Now it's your turn. I've just got to master my part. I keep...

It's like I'm saying it fast. I gotta, in my head, I gotta slow it down. I'm trying to rap it out or something. I don't know what I'm doing. Perry takes a deep breath, then steps up to the mic as the music plays her in. Dear Justin, I just had to get this out to you. I'm writing these words and it's hard to see it through. Even in spirit, you're still the air that I breathe. Every day I thank God when I'm praying on bended knee.

For your family you showed that you care. As she nails her part, the emotions catch up with her. Perry breaks down in tears. Thank you. Embracing Sara Lee. a songwriting coach who has guided the parents and musicians through the process. Thank you all so much. Okay, I think I want to do it just one more time. I'm okay. He will be so proud. A few days later, the final concert is here. The mothers are each dressed in white.

Perry has Justin's photo on a necklace around her neck. About 100 people are at Chop Shop in Wicker Park to hear the completed songs. Perry's track, A King Lives On, is the closing number. She places a photo of Justin at the front of the room. Then, she and vocalist Megan McNeil make their way to the stage. The strings and trumpet begin.

You deserve all the credit. I'm your biggest fan. Please don't ever forget it. I'm a king. And I learned it from you. I love you more than life. You're my best friend too. Peace is a virtue. As McNeil sings, Perry looks skyward and wipes a tear from her eye. A king lives on, both in Perry's heart and now forever in song. Courtney Kippers, WBEZ News.

Sunny skies, a cool day today, high in the mid-50s. And then chilly tonight, a freeze warning in effect for areas outside downtown Chicago, a low in the upper 30s. And Friday, sunshine, high in the mid-50s. You can find the latest news whenever you want at WBEZ.org or on your radio at 91.5 FM. I'm Lisa Lavez. Thank you for listening.