Podcasts about Chicago Avenue

In this episode of Gangland Wire, Gary Jenkins sits down with Bob Cooley, the once–well-connected Chicago lawyer who lived at the center of the city's most notorious corruption machine. After years out of the public eye, Cooley recently resurfaced to revisit his explosive memoir, When Corruption Was King—and this conversation offers a rare, firsthand look at how organized crime, politics, and the court system intersected in Chicago for decades. Cooley traces his journey from growing up in a police family to serving as a Chicago police officer and ultimately becoming a criminal defense attorney whose real job was quietly fixing cases for the Chicago Outfit. His deep understanding of the judicial system made him indispensable to mob-connected power brokers like Pat Marcy, a political fixer with direct access to judges, prosecutors, and court clerks. Inside the Chicago Corruption Machine Cooley explains how verdicts were bought, cases were steered, and justice was manipulated—what insiders called the “Chicago Method.” He describes his relationships with key figures in organized crime, including gambling bosses like Marco D'Amico and violent enforcers such as Harry Aleman and Tony Spilotro, painting a chilling picture of life inside a world where loyalty was enforced by fear.   As his role deepened, so did the psychological toll. Cooley recounts living under constant threat, including a contract placed on his life after he refused to betray a fellow associate—an event that forced him to confront the cost of the life he was leading. Turning Point: Becoming a Federal Witness The episode covers Cooley's pivotal decision in 1986 to cooperate with federal authorities, a move that helped dismantle powerful corruption networks through FBI Operation Gambat. Cooley breaks down how political connections—not just street-level violence—allowed the Outfit to operate with near-total impunity for so long.   Along the way, Cooley reflects on the moral reckoning that led him to turn on the system that had enriched and protected him, framing his story as one not just of crime and betrayal, but of reckoning and redemption. What Listeners Will Hear How Bob Cooley became the Outfit's go-to case fixer The role of Pat Marcy and political corruption in Chicago courts Firsthand stories involving Marco D'Amico, Harry Aleman, and Tony Spilotro The emotional and psychological strain of living among violent criminals The decision to cooperate and the impact of Operation Gambat Why Cooley believes Chicago's corruption endured for generations Why This Episode Matters Bob Cooley is one of the few people who saw the Chicago Outfit from inside the courtroom and the back rooms of power. His story reveals how deeply organized crime embedded itself into the institutions meant to uphold the law—and what it cost those who tried to escape it.   This episode sets the stage for a deeper follow-up conversation, where Gary and Cooley will continue unpacking the most dangerous and revealing moments of his life. Resources   Book: When Corruption Was King by Bob Cooley Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Subscribe to the website for weekly notifications about updates and other Mob information. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent ‘Brothers against Brothers’ or ‘Gangland Wire,’ the documentaries click here.  To purchase one of my books, click here. 0:03 Prelude to Bob Cooley’s Story 1:57 Bob Cooley’s Background 5:24 The Chicago Outfit Connection 8:24 The Turning Point 15:20 The Rise of a Mob Lawyer 23:54 A Life of Crime and Consequences 26:03 The Incident at the Police Station 50:27 The Count and His Influence 1:19:51 The Murder of a Friend 1:35:26 Contracts and Betrayal 1:40:36 Conclusion and Future Stories Transcript [0:00] Well, hey guys, this is a little prelude to my next story. Bob Cooley was a Chicago lawyer and an outfit associate who had been in, who has been in hiding for many years. I contacted him about six or seven years ago when I first started a podcast, I was able to get a phone number on him and, and got him on the phone. He was, I think it was out in the desert in Las Vegas area at the time. And at the time he was trying to sell his book when corruption was king to a movie producer And he really didn’t want to overexpose himself, and they didn’t really want him to do anything. And eventually, COVID hit, and the movie production was canceled. And it was just all over. There were several movie productions were canceled during COVID, if I remember right. A couple people who I have interviewed and had a movie deal going. Well, Bob recently remembered me, and he contacted me. He just called me out of the clear blue, and he wanted to revive his book and his story. He’s been, you know, way out of the limelight for a long time. And so I thought, well, I always wanted to interview this guy because he’s got a real insider’s knowledge to Chicago Outfit, the one that very few people have. [1:08] You know, here’s what he knows about. And he provides valuable insight into the inner workings of the Outfit. And I don’t mean, you know, scheming up how to kill people and how to do robberies and burglars and all that. But the Chicago court system and Chicago politics, that’s a, that’s a, the, the mob, a mafia family can’t exist unless they have connections into the political system and especially the court system. Otherwise, what good are they? You know, I mean, they, they just take your money where they give you back. They can’t protect you from anybody. [1:42] So I need to give you a little more of the backstory before we go on to the actual interview with Bob, because he kind of rambles a little bit and goes off and comes back and drops [1:54] names that we don’t have time to go into explanation. So here’s a little bit of what he talked about. He went from being, as I said before, Chicago Outfit’s trusted fixer in the court system, and he eventually became the government star witness against them. He’s born, he’s about my age. He was born in 1943. He was an Irish-American police family and came from the Chicago South side. He was a cop himself for a short period of time, but he was going to law school while he was a policeman. And once he started practicing law, he moved right into criminal law and into first ward politics and the judicial world downtown. [2:36] And that’s where the outfit and the old democratic machine intersected. He was in a restaurant called Counselor’s Row, which was right down. Bob had an office downtown. Well, he’s inside that system, and he uses his insider’s knowledge to fix cases. Once an outfit started noticing him that he could fix a case if he wanted to, he immediately became connected to the first ward power broker and outfit political conduit, a guy named Pat Marcy. Pat Marcy knew all the judges He knew all the court clerks And all the police officers And Bob was getting to know him too During this time But Bob was a guy who was out in He was a lawyer And he was working inside the court system Marcy was just a downtown fixer. [3:22] But Bob got to where he could guarantee acquittals or light sentences for whoever came to him with the right amount of money, whether it be a mobster or a bookmaker or a juice loan guy or a crap politician, whoever it was, Bob could fix the case. [3:36] One of the main guys tied to his work he was kind of attached to a crew everybody’s owned by somebody he was attached to the Elmwood Park crew and Marco D’Amico who was under John DeFranco and I can’t remember who was before DeFranco, was kind of his boss and he was a gambling boss and Bob was a huge gambler I mean a huge gambler and Bob will help fix cases for some notorious people Really, one of the most important stories that we’ll go into in the second episode of this is Harry the Hook Aleman. And he also helped fix the case for Tony Spolatro and several others. He’s always paid him in cash. And he lived large. As you’ll see, he lived large. And he moved comfortably between mobsters and politicians and judges. And he was one of the insiders back in the 70s, 60s or 70s mainly. He was an insider. But by the 80s, he’s burned out. He’s disgusted with himself. He sees some things that he doesn’t like. They put a contract out on him once because he wouldn’t give somebody up as an informant, and he tipped one of his clients off that he was going to come out that he was an informant, and the guy was able to escape, I believe. Well, I have to go back and listen to my own story. [4:53] Finally in 1986 he walked unannounced they didn’t have a case on him and he walked unannounced in the U.S. Courthouse and offered himself up to take down this whole Pat Marcy and the whole mobster political clique in Chicago and he wore a wire for FBI an operation called Operation Gambat which is a gambling attorney because he was a huge gambler [5:17] huge huge gambler and they did a sweeping probe and indicted tons of people over this. So let’s go ahead and listen to Robert Cooley. [5:31] Uh, he, he, like I said, he’s a little bit rambling and a little bit hard to follow sometimes, but some of these names and, and, uh, and in the first episode, we’ll really talk about his history and, uh, where he came from and how he came up. He’ll mention somebody called the count and I’ll do that whole count story and a whole nother thing. So when he talks about the count, just disregard that it’ll be a short or something. And I got to tell that count story. It’s an interesting story. Uh, he, he gets involved with the only own, uh, association, uh, and, uh, and the, uh, Chinese Tong gang in, uh, Chicago and Chicago’s Chinatown. Uh, some of the other people he’ll talk about are Marco D’Amico, as I said, and D’Amico’s top aide, Rick Glantini, uh, another, uh, connected guy and worked for the city of Chicago is Robert Abinati. He was a truck driver. [6:25] He was also related to D’Amico and D’Amico’s cousin, former Chicago police officer Ricky Borelli. Those are some of the names that he’ll mention in this. So let’s settle back and listen to Bob Cooley. Hey, all you wiretappers. Good to be back here in studio gangland wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. And, you know, we we deal with the mob here once a week, sometimes twice a week on the podcast. And I have a special guest that hadn’t been heard from for a while. And, you know, to be honest, guys, I’ve kind of gotten away from the outfit. I’ve been doing a lot of New York stuff and Springfield, Massachusetts and all around the country. And I kind of got away from Chicago. And we’re going back to Chicago today. And I’m honored that Bob Cooley got hold of me. Now, you may not know who Bob Cooley was, but Bob Cooley was a guy. He was a mob lawyer in Chicago, and he really probably, he heard him as much as anybody’s ever heard him, and he did it all of his own accord. He was more like an undercover agent that just wasn’t officially designated an FBI agent rather than an informant. But anyhow, welcome, Bob. [7:37] Hello. Nice meeting you. Nice to meet you. And I’ve talked to you before. And you were busy before a few years ago. And you were getting ready to make some movies and stuff. And then COVID hit and a lot of that fell through. And that happened to several people I’ve talked to. You got a lot in common with me. I was a Kansas City policeman. And I ended up becoming a lawyer after I left the police department. And you were a Chicago copper. And then you left the police department a little bit earlier than I did and became a lawyer. And, and Bob, you’re from a Chicago police family, if I remember right. Is that correct? Oh, police, absolute police background, the whole family. Yes. Yeah. Your grandfather, your grandfather was killed in the line of duty. Is that right? [8:25] Both of my grandfathers were killed in the line of duty. Wow. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why I eventually did what I did. I was very, very close with my dad. Yeah, and your dad was a copper. [8:38] He was a policeman, yeah. And in fact, you use that term. I, for many, many years, wouldn’t use that word. It just aggravated me when people would use the word copper. To me, it would show disrespect. Oh, really? I said to us in Kansas City, that’s what we call each other, you know, among coppers. Oh, I know. I know. But I know. But, you know, I just, for whatever reason, one of the things that aggravated me the most, in fact, when I was being cross-examined by this piece of shit, Eddie Jensen, the one I wrote about in my book that was, you know, getting a lot of people killed and whatever. And he made some comment about my father. and I got furious and I had to, you know, my father was unbelievably honest as a policeman. [9:29] Everybody loved him because they didn’t have to share, uh, you know, but he was a detective. He had been written up many times in true and magazines and these magazines for making arrests. He was involved in the cartage detail. He was involved in all kinds of other things, but honest as the day is long. And, and, um, but, uh, again, the, uh, my father’s father was, uh, was a policeman and he was killed by a member of the Capone gang. And, uh, and when he was killed, after he was killed. [10:05] The, uh, well, after he got shot, he got shot during a robbery after he got shot, he was in the hospital for a while. And then he went, then he went back home. He went back home to his, uh, you know, to his house, uh, cause he had seven kids. He had a big family too. And, uh, stayed with his, you know, with his wife and, and, and eventually died. And when he died they had a very mediocre funeral for him. They had a bigger, much bigger funeral when Al Capone’s brother died. But during that time when I was a kid when I was about 13, 12, 13 years old, I worked among other places at a grocery store where I delivered to my grandmother. My grandmother lived in South Park which later became Mark Luther King Drive. She lived a very, very meager life because she basically had nothing. [11:09] What they gave them for the, at that time, what they gave them for the police department was a portion of the husband’s salary when they died, whatever. It was never a big deal like it is now, you know, like it is now when policemen get killed in the line of duty. and I’m thinking at the same time I’m thinking down the road, You know, about certain things from my past did come back to affect me. [11:38] Doing what I was doing, when I got involved, and I got involved absolutely with all these different people. My father hated these people. I didn’t, you know, I didn’t realize how much. I didn’t realize much when I was growing, you know, when I was growing up and whatever. And even when I was practicing law and when I opened up Pratt-Mose, I would have my father and mother come along with other people. And the place was all full of mobsters. I mean, we’re talking about, you know, a lot of Capone’s whole crew. A lot of the gunmen were still alive. In fact, the ones that ran the first award were all gunmen from Capone’s mob. And never said a word, never said a word about it. You know, he met my partner, Johnny Diaco, who was part of the mob, the senator, and whatever colitis could be. My dad, when my dad was dying. [12:38] When my dad was dying, he had what they didn’t call it, but it had to be Alzheimer’s because my dad was a unbelievably, he was a big, strong man, but he was never a fighter, sweet as could be to anybody and everybody. When he started getting bad, he started being mean to my mother and doing certain things. So we finally had to put him into a nursing home. When I went to see him in the nursing, and I had a close relationship with my dad because he saved my life many times when I was a kid. I was involved with stolen cars at school. I should have been thrown out of school. It was Mount Carmel, but he had been a Carmelite, almost a Carmelite priest. [13:25] And whatever, and that’s what kept me from being kicked out of school at Marquette when they were going to throw me out there because I was, again, involved in a lot of fights, and I also had an apartment that we had across the hall from the shorter hall where I was supposed to stay when I was a freshman, and we were throwing huge parties, and they wanted to throw me out of school. My dad came, my dad came and instead of throwing me out, they let me resign and whatever he had done so much, you know, for me. Yeah. [14:00] Now when I, when I meet, when I meet him up in the hospital, I, I came in the first time and it was about maybe 25 miles outside, you know, from where my office was downtown. And when I went in to see him, they had him strapped in a bed because apparently when he initially had two people in the room and when somebody would come in to try to talk to him and whatever, he would be nasty. And one time he punched one of the nurses who was, you know, because he was going in the bed and they wouldn’t, and he wouldn’t let him take him out. You know, I was furious and I had to go, I had to go through all that. And now, just before he died, it was about two or three days before he died, he didn’t recognize anybody except me. Didn’t recognize my mother. Didn’t recognize anybody. Yet when I would come into the room, son, that’s what he always called me, son, when I would come in. So he knew who I basically was. And he would even say, son, don’t let him do this to me when he had to go through or they took out something and he had to wear one. Of those, you know, those decatheters or whatever. Oh, yeah. [15:15] Just before he died, he said to me, he said, son, he said, those are the people that killed my father. He said, and his case was fixed. After, I had never known that. In fact, his father, Star, was there at 11th and State, and I would see it when everyone went in there. Star was up there on the board as if there’s a policeman or a policeman killed in the line of duty. When he told me that it really and I talked to my brother who knew all about all that that’s what happened, the gunman killed him on 22nd street when that happened the case went to trial and he was found not guilty apparently the case was fixed I tell you what talk about poetic justice there your grandson is now in that system of fixing cases. I can’t even imagine what you must have felt like when you learned that at that point in your life. Man, that would be a grief. That would be tough. That’s what eventually made me one day decide that I had to do something to put an end to all that was going on there. [16:25] I’m curious, what neighborhood did you grow up in? Neighborhood identity is pretty strong in Chicago. So what neighborhood do you claim? I grew up in the hood. First place I grew up, my first place when I was born, I was at 7428 South Vernon. Which is the south side, southeast side of the city. I was there until I was in sixth grade. That was St. Columbanus Parish. When I was in sixth grade, we had to move because that’s when they were doing all the blockbusting there in Chicago. That’s when the blacks were coming in. And when the blacks were coming in, and I truly recall, We’ve talked about this many times elsewhere. I remember knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell all hours of the day and night. A black family just moved in down the street. You’ve got to sell now. If you don’t, the values will all go down. And we would not move. My father’s philosophy, we wouldn’t move until somebody got killed in the area. Because he couldn’t afford it. He had nine kids. he’s an honest policeman making less than $5,000 a year. [17:45] Working two, three jobs so we could all survive when he finished up, When he finished up with, when we finally moved, we finally moved, he went to 7646 South Langley. That was, again, further south, further south, and the area was all white at that time. [18:09] We were there for like four years, and about maybe two or three years, and then the blacks started moving in again. The first one moved in, and it was the same pattern all over again. Yeah, same story in Kansas City and every other major city in the United States. They did that blockbusting and those real estate developers. Oh, yeah, blockbusters. They would call and tell you that the values wouldn’t go down. When I was 20, I joined the police department. Okay. That’s who paid my way through college and law school. All right. I joined the police department, and I became a policeman when I was 20. [18:49] As soon as I could. My father was in recruit processing and I became a policeman. During the riots, I had an excuse not to go. They thought I was working. I was in the bar meeting my pals before I went to work. That’s why I couldn’t go to school at that time. But anyhow, I took some time off. I took some time off to, you know, to study, uh, because, you know, I had all C’s in one D in my first, in my first semester. And if you didn’t have a B, if you didn’t have a C average, you couldn’t, you kicked out of school at the end of a quarter. This is law school. You’re going to law school while you’re still an active policeman. Oh yeah, sure. That’s okay. So you work full time and went to law school. You worked full-time and went to law school at the same time. When I was 20, I joined the police department. Okay. That’s who paid my way through college and law school. All right. I joined the police department, and I became a policeman when I was 20, as soon as I could. My father was in recruit processing, and I became a policeman. Yeah, yeah. But anyhow, I went to confession that night. [20:10] And when I went to confession, there was a girl, one of the few white people in the neighborhood, there was a girl who had gone before me into the confessional. And I knew the priest. I knew him because I used to go gambling with him. I knew the priest there at St. Felicis who heard the confessions. And this is the first time I had gone to confession with him even though I knew him. [20:36] And I wanted to get some help from the big guy upstairs. And anyhow, when I leave, I leave about maybe 10 minutes later, and she had been saying her grace, you know, when I left. And when I walked out, I saw she was right across the street from my house, and there’s an alley right there. And she was a bit away from it, and there were about maybe 13, 14, 15 kids. when I say kids, they were anywhere from the age of probably about 15, 16 to about 18, 19. And they’re dragging her. They’re trying to drag her into the alley. And when I see that, when I see that, I head over there. When I get over there, I have my gun out. I have the gun out. And, you know, what the hell is going on? And, you know, and I told her, I told her her car was parked over there. I told her, you know, get out of here. And I’ve got my gun. I’ve got my gun in my hand. And I don’t know what I’m going to do now in terms of doing anything because I’m not going to shoot them. They’re standing there looking at me. And after a little while, I hear sirens going on. [22:00] The Barton family lived across the street in an apartment building, and they saw what was going on. They saw me out there. It was about probably about seven o’clock at night. It was early at night and they put a call in 10-1 and call in 10-1. Assist the officer. Is that a assist the officer? It’s 1031. Police been in trouble. Yeah. And the squad’s from everywhere. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. So you can hear, you can hear them coming. And now one of them says to me, and I know they’re pretty close. One of them says to me, you know, put away your gun and we’ll see how tough you are. And I did. [22:42] Because you know they’re close. And I’m busy fighting with a couple of them. And they start running and I grab onto two of them. I’m holding onto them. I could only hold two. I couldn’t hold anymore. And the next thing I know, I wake up in the hospital about four days later. Wow. What had happened was they pushed me. Somebody, there was another one behind who pushed me right in front of a squad car coming down the street. Oh, shit. Yeah, man. And the car ran completely over me. They pulled me off from under the, just under the back wheels, I was told were right next to, were onto me, blood all over the place. Everybody thought I was dead. Right. Because my brothers, my one brother who was a police kid that, you know, heard all the noise and the family came in. I tried to prostrate my house and they all thought I was dead. But anyhow, I wake up in the hospital about three days later. When I wake up in the hospital, I’m like. [23:54] Every bone of my body was broken. I’m up there like a mummy. And the mayor came to see me. All kinds of people came to see me. They made me into an even bigger star in my neighborhood. The Count lives down the street and is seeing all this stuff about me and whatever. Jumping quickly to another thing, which got me furious. Willie Grimes was the cop that was driving this quad. He was a racist. We had some blacks in the job. He was a total racist. When my brother and when some others were doing their best to try to find these people, he was protecting them. Some of them, if they caught, he was protecting them. [24:48] I was off the job for like nine months when I came back to work. I never came to the hospital to see me. I mean, everybody came. Every day, my hospital went. Because one of the nurses that I was dating, in fact, she was one of those killed. That’s when Richard Speck wound up killing her and some of the others at the same time. It was at the South Chicago Hospital. Holy darn. What they did for me, I had buckets in my womb with ice. We were bringing beer and pizzas and whatever. Every day was like a party in there. When I finally came back to work, it was 11 o’clock at night. I worked out in South Chicago, and I’m sitting in the parking lot, and the media is there. The media, they had all kinds of cameras there. Robert Cooley’s coming back to work after like nine months. They wouldn’t let me go back. [25:51] I’m walking by the squads. And Willie was a big guy. He was probably about 220, a big one of these big muscle builders and all that nonsense. [26:04] He’s sitting in the first car. The cars are all lined up because when we would change, when we would change at like 11 30 uh you know the cars would all be waiting we jumped into the cars and off we go as i’m walking by the car i hear aren’t you afraid to walk in front of my car. [26:26] I look over and he had a distinctive voice i walk over to the car and i reach in and i start punching them, and I’m trying to drag them out of the car. The cameras, the cameras are, you know, they’re all basically inside. They’re all inside. You know, as you walk in there, they’re all inside there. When I do, I eventually walk up there. But the other police came, and they dragged me. They dragged me away, and they brought me in, and whatever. We got transferred out the next day out of the district. And the first policeman I meet is Rick, Rick Dorelli, who’s connected with, who’s a monster. He’s connected with them. And, and he’s the one who told me, he said to me, you know, we played cards and he realized I was a gambler, but I had never dealt with bookmakers. And he said, he says, yeah, you want to make some money? You want to make some easy money? Well, yeah, sure. You know, uh, you know, and thinking that’s, you know, working security or something like that, like I had done back in Chicago, you know, like I had done on the south side. And he said, I want you to make some bets for me with somebody who said. [27:43] And I remember him using the term. He said, I want you to be my face. He said, and I want you to make some bets for me. He said, and he said, and if you, if you’ll do it, I’ll give you a hundred dollars a week just to make the bets for me. And then, you know, and then meet with these people and pay these people off. And I said, sure. You know, I said, you know, why? He says, because I can’t play with these. people he said i’m connected with him he said and i’m not allowed to gamble myself he said but he told me he said i’ve got a couple people i take bets from i’ve got my own side deal going so i want you to do it i want you to do it and i’ll give i’ll give you to them as a customer, and you’re gonna be a customer and he’s and he tells people now that i got this other police He’s in law school. He comes from a real wealthy family, and he’s looking for a place to bet. He’s in Gambia. He’s looking for a place to bet. [28:47] So I call this number, and I talk to this guy. He gives me a number. When you bet, you call, and you do this, and you do that. And I’m going to get $100 at the end of the week. Now, I’m making $5,200 a year, and they’re taking money out of my chest. I’m going to double my salary. I’m going to double my salary immediately. Why wouldn’t you do it? That’s fantastic money at the time. So I start doing it. And the first week I’m doing it, it was baseball season. [29:19] And I’m making these bets. He’s betting $500 a game on a number of games. And he’s winning some, he’s losing some. But now, when I’m checking my numbers with the guy there, he owes, at the end of the week, he owes $3,500. [29:38] And now, it’s getting bigger and bigger, he’s losing. I’m getting worried. What have I got myself into? Yeah, because it’s not him losing, it’s you losing to the bookie. That’s what I’m thinking. I’m thinking, holy, holy, Christopher, I’m thinking. But, you know, I’ve already jumped off the building. So anyhow. I’d be thinking, you better come up with a jack, dude. It’s time to pay up, man. Anyhow, so when I come to work the next day, I’m supposed to meet this guy at one of the clubs out there in the western suburbs. [30:21] I’m supposed to meet the bookmaker out there. And Ricky meets me that morning, and he gives me the money. It’s like $3,400, and here’s $100 for you. Bingo. That’s great. So, okay. When I go to make the payment to him, it’s a nightclub, and I got some money in my pocket. Somebody, one of the guys, some guy walks up. I’m sitting at the bar and, you know, I hear you’re a copper. I said, pardon me? He says, I hear you’re a copper. He was a big guy. Yeah. I hear you’re a copper. Because at that time, I still only weighed maybe like, well, maybe 60, 65 pounds. I mean, I was in fantastic shape, but I wasn’t real big. And I said, I’m a policeman. I don’t like policemen. I said, go fuck yourself. or something like that. And before he could do anything, I labeled him. That was my first of about a half a dozen fights in those different bars out there. [31:32] And the fights only lasted a few minutes because I would knock the person down. And if the person was real big, at times I’d get on top and just keep pounding before they could do anything. So I started with a reputation with those people at that time now as I’m, going through my world with these people oh no let’s stay with that one area now after the second week he loses again, this time not as much but he loses again and I’m thinking wow, He’s betting, and I’m contacted by a couple of people there. Yeah. Because these are all bookmakers there, and they see me paying off. So I’m going to be, listen, if you want another place to play, and I say, well, yeah. So my thought is, with baseball, it’s a game where you’re laying a price, laying 160, laying 170, laying 180. So if you lose $500, if you lose, you pay $850, and if you win, you only get $500. [32:52] I’ve got a couple of people now, and they’ve got different lines. And what I can do now is I check with their lines. I check with Ricky’s guy and see what his line is. And I start moving his money elsewhere where I’ve got a 30, 40, sometimes 50 cent difference in the price. So I’d set it up where no matter what, I’m going to make some money, No matter what happens, I’ll make some money. But what I’m also doing is I’m making my own bets in there that will be covered. And as I start early winning, maybe for that week I win maybe $1,000, $1,500. And then as I meet other people and I’m making payments, within about four or five months, I’ve got 10 different bookmakers I’m dealing with. Who I’m dealing with. And it’s become like a business. I’m getting all the business from him, 500 a game, whatever. And I’ve got other people that are betting, you know, are betting big, who are betting through me. And I’m making all kinds of money at that time. [34:14] But anyhow, now I mentioned a number of people, A number of people are, I’ve been with a number of people that got killed after dinner. One of the first ones was Tony Borsellino, a bookmaker. Tony was connected with the Northside people, with DeVarco, the one they called DeVarco. And we had gone to a we had gone to a I knew he was a hit man, we had gone to a basketball game over at DePaul because he had become a good friend of mine he liked hanging with me, because I was because at that time now I’m representing the main madams in Chicago too and they loved being around me they liked going wherever I was going to go so I always had all kinds of We left the ladies around. And we went to the basketball game. Afterwards, we went to a restaurant, a steakhouse on Chicago Avenue. [35:26] Gee, why can’t I think of a name right now? We went to a steakhouse, and we had dinner. And when we finished up, it came over there. And when we finished up, I’d been there probably half a dozen times with him. And he was there with his girlfriend. We had dinner and about, I’d say it was maybe 10, 30, 11 o’clock, he says, you know, Bob, can you do me a favor? What’s that? Can you drop her off? He said, I have to go meet some friends. I have to go meet some friends of ours. And, you know, okay, sure, Tony, not a problem. And, you know, I took her home. [36:09] The next day I wake up, Tony Barcellino was found dead. They killed him. He was found with some bullets in the back of his head. They killed him. Holy Christopher. And that’s my first—I found that I had been killed before that. But, you know, wow, that was—, prior to that, when I was betting, there was i paid off a bookmaker a guy named uh ritten shirt, rittenger yeah john rittenger yeah yeah yeah he was a personal friend yeah was he a personal friend of yours yeah they offed him too well i in fact i he i was paying him i met him to pay him I owed him around $4,500, and I met him at Greco’s at my restaurant he wanted to meet me out there because he wanted to talk to me about something else he had a problem some kind of a problem I can’t remember what that was. [37:19] But he wanted to meet me at the restaurant so I met him at Greco’s, And I paid him the money. We talked for a while. And then he says, you know, I got to go. I got to go meet somebody. I got to go meet somebody else. I got to go straight now with somebody else. And he said, I’ll give you a call. He said, I’ll give you a call later. He said, because, you know, I want to talk to you about a problem that I have. He says, I want to talk to you about a problem that I have. I said, okay, sure. He goes to a pizza place. Up there in the Taylor Street area. That’s where he met Butchie and Harry. In fact, at the time, I knew both of them. Yeah, guys, that’s Butch Petrucelli and Harry Alem and a couple of really well-known mob outfit hitmen. Yeah, and they’re the ones that kill them. I’m thinking afterwards, I mean, But, you know, I wish I hadn’t, I wish I hadn’t, you know, I wish I could save him. I just gave him. Man, you’re cold, man. [38:34] You could have walked with that money. That’s what I’m saying. So now, another situation. Let me cut in here a minute, guys. As I remember this Reitlinger hit, Joe Ferriola was a crew boss, and he was trying to line up all the bookies, as he called it. He wanted to line them up like Al Capone lined up all the speaks, that all the bookies had to fall in line and kick something into the outfit, and Reitlinger wouldn’t do it. He refused to do it no matter. They kept coming to him and asking him his way. I understand that. Is that what you remember? I knew him very well. Yeah. He was not the boss. Oh, the Ferriola? Yeah, he wasn’t the boss, but he was kind of the, he had a crew. He was the boss of the Cicero crew. Right. I saw Joe all the time at the racetrack. In fact, I’m the one who, I’m the one, by the time when I started wearing a wire, I was bringing undercover agents over. I was responsible for all that family secret stuff that happened down the road. Oh, really? You set the stage for all that? I’m the one who put them all in jail. All of them. [39:52] So anyhow, we’re kind of getting ahead of ourselves. Reitlinger’s been killed. Joe Borelli or Ricky Borelli’s been killed. These guys are dropping around you, and you’re getting drawn into it deeper and deeper, it sounds to me like. Now, is this when you – what happens? How do you get drawn into this Chicago outfit even more and more as a bookie? Were you kicking up, too? Well, it started, it started, so many things happened that it just fell into place. It started, like I say, with building a reputation like I had. But the final situation in terms of with all the mobsters thinking that I’m not just a tough guy, I’m a bad guy. [40:35] When I get a call, when Joey Cosella, Joey Cosella was a big, tough Italian kid. And he was involved heavily in bookmaking, and we became real close friends. Joey and I became real close friends. He raised Dobermans, and he’s the one who had the lion over at the car dealership. I get a call from Joey. He says, you’ve got to come over. I said, what’s up? He says, some guys came in, and they’re going to kill the count. They want to kill the count. And I said, And I said, what? This is before the Pewter thing. I said, what do you mean? And so I drive over there, and he says, Sammy Annarino and Pete Cucci. And Pete Cucci came in here, and they came in with shotguns, and they were going to kill them. I said, this was Chicago at the time. It’s hard to believe, but this was Chicago. And I said, who are they? I didn’t know who they were. I said, who are they? I mean, I didn’t know them by name. It turns out I did know them, but I didn’t know them by name. They were people that were always in Greco’s, and everybody in Greco knew me because I’m the owner. [41:49] But anyhow, so I get a hold of Marco, and I said, Marco, and I told him what happened. I said, these guys, a couple of guys come in there looking for the talent. That are going to kill him because apparently he extorted somebody out of his business. And I said, who were they with? And he said, they were with Jimmy the bomber. They were with Jimmy Couture. [42:15] I said, oh, they’re for legit then? I said, yeah. I said, can you call? I said, call Jimmy. I knew who he was. He was at the restaurant all the time. He was at Threatfuls all the time with a lot of these other people. And I met him, but I had no interest in him. He didn’t seem like a very friendly sort of anyone. I could care less about him. I represented a lot of guys that worked for him, that were involved with problems, but never really had a conversation with him other than I. [42:53] I’m the owner. So I met with him. I wrote about that in the book. I met with them and got that straightened out where the count’s going to pay $25,000 and you’ll get a contract to the… He ripped off some guy out of a parlor, one of those massage parlors, not massage parlor, but one of those adult bookstores that were big money deals. Oh, yeah. So when I go to meet these guys, I’m told, go meet them and straighten this thing out. So I took Colin with me over to a motel right down the street from the racetrack, right down from the racetrack, and I met with him. I met with Pete Gucci. He was the boss of, you know, this sort of loop. When I get finished talking with him, I come back, and here’s the count and Sammy, and Sammy’s picking a fork with his finger and saying, you know, I rip out eyes with these. [43:56] And the count says, I rip out eyes with these. And I said, what the fuck is going on here? I said, Pete, I said, you know, get him the fuck out of here. And you all at the count said, what’s the matter with you? You know, these guys are going to kill him. And now the moment I get involved in it, he knows he’s not going to have a problem. You know, he’s pulling this nonsense. [44:23] So anyhow, this is how I meet Pete Gucci and Sammy Annarino. After a while, I stopped hanging around with the count because he was starting to go off the deep end. Yeah. Yeah. [44:39] And we were at a party, a bear party with, I remember Willie Holman was there, and they were mostly black, the black guys up there on the south side. And I had just met this girl a day or two before, and the count says, you know, let’s go up to a party, a bear’s party up there on Lakeshore Drive. If we go up there, we go to this party, it’s going to be about maybe 35, 40 people in there, one or two whites, other than the players. And other than that, we’re the only white people there. When we walk into the place, there’s a couple of guys out there with shotguns. It was in a motel. And you walk through like an area where you go in there, and there’s a couple of guys standing there with shotguns. We go in and we go upstairs and, hey, how are you? And we’re talking with people. And I go in one room. I’m in one room. [45:45] There were two rooms there. I’m in one room with a bunch of people and, you know, just talking and having a good old time. And the count was in the second room. And I hear Spade. He always called me Spade. Spade, Spade, you know. And I go in there, and he’s talking with Willie Holman. I remember it was one of them. He was the tackle, I think, with the Bears and a couple of others. And this whole room, all these black guys. And he goes, that’s Spade Cooley. He says, him and I will take on every one of you. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And we’re in a room, and he goes, that’s what he says. You know, him and I will take it on every one of you. And Willie did that. He calmed down. He’s telling him, calmed down. What the fuck? It was about a week or so after this. And because I had been out with the county, he’s calling me two or three times a week to go out. And we’re going, a lot of times it was these areas in the south side with a lot of blood. He liked being around Blacks. [47:00] That’s when I met Gail Sayers, and I met some of these others through him. But a lot of the parties and stuff were in the South Side out there, mostly Blacks and all. But we had gone someplace for dinner, and we’re heading back home. We’re heading back to my place, and we’re in his car. He had a brown Cadillac convertible. On the side of it, it had these, you know, the Count Dante press. And he always ran around. He ran around most of the time in these goofy, you know, these goofy outfits with capes and things like that. I’m driving and when we’re talking and I’m like distracted looking at him. And I’m waiting at a stoplight over there right off of Chicago Avenue. And as we’re there. [47:48] I barely touched the car in front of us, you know, as I’m drifting a little bit and barely touch it. There were four guys in the car and, you know, and the one guy jumps out first, one guy jumps out first and then second one, and they start screaming. And when the count gets out, the guy starts calling you, you faggot or something like that, you know, whatever. And as the other one gets out, I get out of the car. And the next thing I know, they jump back in the car, and they run through a red light, and they disappear. Somebody must have recognized them. One of the other people there must have realized who this is that they’re about to get into a little battle with. In fact, they ran the red light. They just ran the red light and disappeared. They come, no, no, no, no, no. And we go off to my apartment and I’m here with this girl, another girl I had just met a day or so before, because I was constantly meeting new people, uh, running around and, uh, we’re sitting on the couch. I’m sitting in the couch next to her and the count, the count was over there. And he suddenly says to her, he says, he says, this is one of the toughest people I’ve ever met. He said, and he says, tell her how tough you are. Tell her how tough you are. [49:10] I said, you know, I said, you know, you know, and he says, tell them how tough you are. And I said, John, you know, and he walks over, And he makes a motion like this towards me. And he barely touched my chin. But I thought he broke it. He then steps back and he goes, I got to cut this hand off. He says, you saved my life. He said, you saved my life. He said, the only two friends I’ve had in the world were my father and you. He says, I wasn’t even that crazy about my mother. That’s when I said then he goes and he stands and I’m looking at it now he stands up against the window I looked up on the 29th floor, he stands by the window he says get your gun he says and I want you to aim it at me, and say now before you pull the trigger and I’ll stop the bullet, I’ll stop the bullet this guy was nuts and I said I said, what? [50:28] He says, before you pull the trigger. [50:36] Tell me before you pull the trigger and I’ll stop the bullet. He wanted me to shoot him. He stopped the bullet. When I got him out of there, Now when he’s calling me, I’m busy. I’m busy. Once in a while, I’d meet him someplace. No more driving or whatever. That was smart. I hadn’t seen him in probably five or six months. And this is, again, after the situation when I had met with Anna Randall and Gooch and the others. I’m up in my office and I get a I get a call from the county, and he said and I hadn’t probably seen him even maybe in a month or two at all and he said, can I come over and talk to you and I was playing cards in fact I had card games up in my office and, we called him Commissioner. [51:41] O’Malley Ray O’Malley, he was the head of the police department at night. On midnights, he got there at 4 to 12. He started at 4 to 12 until midnights. He was the head of them. He was the commissioner. He was in charge of the whole department. He used to play cards up in my office. We had big card games up in my office. And when he’d come up there, we’d have the blue goose parked out in front. We’d have his bodyguard sitting out there by my door. When he was playing in the games. This went on for a couple of years. [52:15] I was at the office, but, you know, I’m at the office playing cards. [52:20] And I had a, it was a big suite. We had, you know, my office was a big office in this suite. We had about six other, you know, big, big suites in there. And so he comes over, he comes over to meet with me. And so I figure he’s in trouble. He’s arrested. He says, I’ve got a situation going. He says, well, you can get a million dollars. And he said, but if I tell you what it is, he says, and you’re in, he said, you got to be in. I’ll tell you what it is. I said, John, if I need money, I said, you get $2 million, then you can loan me if you want, but I don’t want to know what it is. I said, I just don’t want to know what it is. [52:59] It was about a week or two later. It was a pure later, basically. It was a pure later caper. Yeah, guys, this was like the huge, huge. And the one he set it up with was Pete Gucci, the guy that was going to kill him. That was the one who set it up. I knew that. I thought I remembered that name from somewhere. I don’t remember. They ended up getting popped, but everybody got caught, and most of the money got returned. No, no. No bit that the outfit kept, I understand, if I remember right. What was the deal on that? There was more to it than that. Just before that happened, I go up, and Jerry Workman was another lawyer. Actually, he was attorney up in the office, post-rending bank. When I’m going up into the office, I see Pete Gucci there. This is probably a week or so after the situation with the count. Or maybe even a little bit longer than that. I said, Pete, what are you doing? I said, what are you doing here? Jerry Workston’s my lawyer. Oh, okay. [53:55] Okay. He said, I didn’t know you were off here. I said, yeah. I said, Jerry’s a good friend of mine. Okay. And as I’m walking away, he says, you tell your friend the count to stop calling me at two, three in the morning. He says, I got a wife and kids and whatever. And I said to him, I said, Pete, you got no business dealing. I don’t know what it is. I said, but you guys got no business dealing involved in anything. You got no business being involved with him. And I walked away. I see him and I see him as he’s leaving. I see him as he’s leaving and say goodbye to him. Jerry was going to be playing cards. [54:39] It was card night too. Jerry was going to be playing cards in my office because the people would come in usually about 9 o’clock, 9.30 is when the game would usually start. I talked with Jerry. He had been in there for a while. He was arrested a day or two later. The fbi comes in there because he had stashed about 35 000 in jerry’s couch oh really that was his bond money he got that was his bond money if he got to get bailed out to get him bailed out that was his bond money that was there that’s how bizarre so i got involved in so many situations like this but anyhow anyhow now sammy uh, So it’s about maybe a week or two later after this, when I’m in the car driving, I hear they robbed a purulator. The purulator was about a block and a half from my last police station. It was right down the street from the 18th district. That was the place that they robbed. And not long after that, word came out that supposedly a million dollars was dropped off in front of Jimmy the bomber, in front of his place. With Jimmy the bomber, both Sammy Ann Arino and Pete Gucci were under him. They were gunmen from his group. Now I get a call from, I get a count was never, you never heard the count’s name mentioned in there with anybody. [56:07] The guy from Boston, you know, who they indicated, you know, came in to set it up. The count knew him from Boston. The count had some schools in Boston. And this was one of his students. And that’s how he knew this guy from Boston that got caught trying to take a, trying to leave the country with, you know, with a couple thousand, a couple million dollars of the money. Yeah, I read that. It was going down to the Caribbean somewhere and they caught him. And Sammy Ann Arino didn’t get involved in that. He wasn’t involved in that because I think he was back in the prison at the time. [56:44] Now, when he’s out of prison, probably no more than about maybe three or four months after all that toilet stuff had died down, I get a call from Sam, and he wants me to represent him because he was arrested. What happened was he was shot in a car. He was in a car, and he had gotten shot. And when they shot him, he kicked out the window and somehow fought the guys off. When they found him there in the car and in his trunk, they found a hit kit. They said it was a hit kit. How could they know? It was a box that had core form in it, a ski mask, a ski mask, a gun, a gun with tape wrapped around it and the rest of it. Yeah. And he’s an extra time. Mask and tape or little bits of rope and shit like that. I’d say no. So he was charged with it, and he was charged with it in his case, and he had a case coming up. I met him the first time I met him. He came by my office, and he said, you know, and I said, no, that’s not a problem. And he says, but I’ve got to use Eddie Jensen, too. [57:52] And I said, I said, what do you mean? I said, you don’t need Eddie. And he says, I was told I have to use him. Jimmy Couture, his boy, he said, I have to use him. I know why, because Eddie lets these mobsters know whenever anybody’s an informant, or if he’s mad at somebody, he can tell him he’s an informant, they get killed. And so I said, you know, that piece of shit. I said, you know, I want nothing to do with him. I had some interesting run-ins with him before, and I said, I want nothing to do with that worthless piece of shit. You know, he’s a jagoff. And I said, you know, I says, no. He said, please. I said, no. I said, Sammy, you know, you don’t need me. He knows the judge like I know the judge, Sardini. I said, you know, you’re not going to have a problem in there. I get a call from him again, maybe four or five days after that. He’s out of my restaurant and he says, Bob, please. He said, You know, he says, please, can I meet you? He says, I got a problem. I go out to the meeting. And so I thought, there’s something new. I want you to represent me. I want you to represent me, you know, on the case. And I says, did you get rid of that fence? He says, no, I have to use him. But I says, look, I’m not going to, I want, no, Sammy, no, I’m not going to do it. He leaves the restaurant. He gets about a mile and a half away. He gets shotgunned and he gets killed. In fact, I read about that a couple of days ago. [59:22] I know it’s bullshit. They said he was leaving the restaurant. It was Marabelli’s. It was Marabelli’s Furniture Store. They said he was leaving the furniture store. What they did was they stopped traffic out there. They had people on the one side of the street, the other side of the street, and they followed, they chased him. When he got out of his car and was going to the furniture store, They blasted him with shotguns. They made sure he was killed this time. After that happened, it’s about maybe three or four days after that, I’m up in my office and I get a call. All right, when I come out, I always parked in front of City Hall. That was my parking spot. Mike and CM saved my spot. I parked there, or I parked in the bus stop, or in the mayor’s spot. Those were my spots. They saved it for me. I mean, that was it, for three, four, five years. That’s how it was. I didn’t want to wait in line in the parking lot. So my car is parked right in front of the parking lot. And as I go to get in my car, just fast, fast, so walking, because he was at 134 right down the street from my office and he parks like everybody else in the parking lot so he can wait 20 minutes to get his car. [1:00:40] And, and, and Bob, Bob, and, you know, and when I meet up with him, I’m both standing and we’re both standing right there in front of the, in front of the, uh, the parking lot. And he was a big guy. He weighed probably about 280, 290, maybe more. You know, mushy, mushy type, not in good shape at all. In fact, he walked with a gimp or whatever. And he says, you better be careful, he says. Jimmy Couture is furious. He heard what you’ve been saying about me. [1:01:17] You’ve been saying about me. and something’s liable to happen. And I went reserved. I grabbed him, and I threw him up on the wall, and I says, you motherfuckers. I said, my friends are killing your friends. [1:01:34] I said, my friends, because he represented a number of these groups, but I’m with the most powerful group of all. And when I say I’m with him, I’m with him day and night, not like him just as their lawyer. Most of them hated him, too, because most of them knew what he was doing. Yeah most of these and most of these guys hated him and i said you know but i and and i just like you’re kissing his pants and i don’t know if he crapped in his pants too and uh you know because i just turned around i left that same night jimmy katura winds up getting six in the back of the head maybe three miles from where that took place yeah he was uh some kind of trouble been going on for a while. He was a guy who was like in that cop shop racket, and he had been killing some people involved with that. He was kind of like out away from the main crew closer to downtown, is my understanding. Like, you were in who were you in? Who was I talking about? Jimmy Couture? Jimmy Couture, yeah. He was no, Jimmy Couture was Jimmy Couture, in fact, all these killers, we’ll try and stay with this a little bit first. Jimmy Couture was a boss and he had probably about maybe a dozen, maybe more in his crew and, He didn’t get the message, I’m sure. [1:03:01] Eddie Jensen firmly believes, obviously, because it’s the same day and same night when I tell him that my friends are killing your friends. [1:03:14] He’s telling everybody that I had him kill, I’m sure. Yeah, yeah. Because it was about another few days after that when I’m out in Evanston going to a courthouse. And there you had to park down the street because there was no parking lot. Here I hear Eddie, you know, stay. I’m going to say Bob, Bob. And when he gets up, he says, Bob, he says, when I told you, I think you misunderstood. When I told you it was Jimmy Cattrone. it was it was jimmy katron was a lawyer that you know worked in out of his office close friend of mine too he was a good friend of mine it was jimmy it was jimmy katron that you know not because he obviously thought he believed so he’s got all these mobsters too bosses and all the rest thinking that i was involved in that when i when i wasn’t uh when i was when i wasn’t actually But it’s so amazing, Gary. And that’s one of a dozen stories of the same sort. I met unbelievable people. I mean, we’re talking about in New Orleans. We’re talking about in Boston. Now, if you were to say, who were you with? Always somebody’s with somebody. Were you with any particular crew or any particular crew. [1:04:41] Buzz, were you totally independent? [1:04:46] Everybody knew me to be with the Elmwood Park crew. And that was Jackie Cerrone before Michael, I mean, before Johnny DeFranco. That was Jackie Cerrone. Okay. That was Giancana. That was Mo Giancana. Mo was moving at the clubhouse all the time. That was the major people. [1:05:13] And where was their clubhouse? What did they call their clubhouse? Was that the Survivors Clubhouse, or what was the name of their operation? Every group had one, sometimes more clubhouses. Right. That was where they would have card games in there. They’d have all kinds of other things going. the place was full of like in Marcos I call it Marcos but it was actually Jackie Sharon’s when I first got involved Jackie Sharon was the boss who became a good friend of mine, Jackie Sharon was the boss and Johnny DeFranco was, right under him and then a number of others as we go down, our group alone we had. [1:06:04] Minimum, I’d say, a thousand or more people in our group alone. And who knows how many others, because we had control of the sheriff’s office, of the police department, of the sheriff, of the attorney general. We had control of all that through the elections. We controlled all that. So you had 1,000 people. You’re talking about all these different people who we would maybe call associates. It would be in and out of our club all the time. Okay. Yeah. We’re talking a number of policemen, a number of policemen, a number of different politicians of all sorts that we had. I knew dozens of people with no-show jobs there. We had control of all the departments, streets and sanitation, of absolutely urbanizing. We controlled all the way up to the Supreme Court. What about the first ward, Pat Marcy, and the first ward now? Was your crew and Jackie Cerrone’s crew, did that fall into the first ward, or were they totally there? How did that relate, the Pat Marcy and the politicians? And I found out all this over a period of time. [1:07:28] Everything had changed right about the time I first got involved with these people. All these people you’ve read about, no one knows they were still alive. I met just about all of them when I got connected over there with the first word. A lot of the, we were talking about the gunmen themselves. All the Jackie not just Jackie but I’m talking about Milwaukee Phil Milwaukee Phil and all the rest of them they were over there at Councilors Row all the time because when they were to meet Pat Marcy, what they had there in the first war and, It just so happened, when I started in my office, it was with Alan Ackerman, who was at 100 North, where all their offices were upstairs. The first ward office was upstairs. [1:08:22] And below the office, two floors below, I found out on this when I got involved with them, we had an office. looked like it was a vacant office because the windows were all blackened out. That’s where he had all the meetings with people. When Arcado or Yupa, anybody else, any of the other people came in, this is where he met them. When the people from out of town came in, we’re talking about when, what do you think? [1:08:58] But when Alpha, when Fitzgerald, when all these people would come in, this is where they would have their meetings. Or these are the ones who would be out with us on these casino rides. When these people came in, this is where they would do the real talking because we’d go to different restaurants that weren’t bugged. If this office was checked every day, the one that they had down below, and nobody, nobody, their office was, I think it was on the 28th floor, the first ward office. You had the first ward office, and right next to it, you had the insurance office when everybody had to buy their insurance. Obviously at upper rates big office connected to the first ward office when the back there’s a door that goes right into into theirs but the people were told you never get off or you get off you get off at the office floor but then you you walk you you get off it and i’m sorry you get off it at the. [1:10:11] You don’t get off at the first ward office you get off at one of the other offices one of the other offices or the other floors and when you come in there, then you’ll be taken someplace else after that a double shop that’s where they would go and in fact when I had to talk to Petter Cary messages or whatever people like Marco couldn’t talk to Marcy. [1:10:41] Only a few people could. Only people at the very top level could. Marco, he was a major boss. He could not talk to Marco. If he needed, you know, whatever. Marco D’Amico. Marco was, you had, Marco was the one right under Johnny DeFonza. Yeah. Marco’s the one that was in charge. He was the one who was in charge of all the gambling. Not just in Chicago, but around all those areas in Cook County. We had not just Chicago. They were also the ones that were in charge of all the street tax, collecting all the street tax. That’s where the big, big money was also. Everybody paid. What happened was in the 70s, right as I got involved

In this gripping episode of Gangland Wire, host Gary Jenkins sits down with Robert “Bob” Cooley, the Chicago lawyer whose extraordinary journey took him from deep inside the Outfit's criminal operations to becoming one of the federal government's most valuable witnesses against organized crime. Cooley pulls back the curtain on the hidden machinery of Chicago's underworld, describing how corruption, bribery, and violence shaped the Chicago Outfit's power in the 1970s and beyond. As a lawyer, gambler, and trusted insider, Cooley saw firsthand how mob influence tilted the scales of justice—often in open daylight. Inside the “Chicago Method” of Courtroom Corruption Cooley explains the notorious system of judicial bribery he once helped facilitate—what he calls the “Chicago Method.” He walks listeners through: How defense attorneys worked directly with Outfit associates to buy favorable rulings. The process of approaching and bribing judges. Why weak forensic standards of the era made witness discrediting the key mob strategy. His personal involvement in the infamous Harry Aleman murder case, where clear guilt was erased by corruption. Life in the Outfit: Gambling, Debt, and Mob Justice Cooley recounts his early days gambling with Chicago Outfit associates, including Marco D'Amico, Jackie Cerrone, and John DeFranzo. Notable stories include: The violent implications of unpaid gambling debts in mob circles. Tense interactions with bookmaker Hal Smith and the chaotic fallout of a bounced check involving mobster Eddie Corrado. How D'Amico often stepped in—sometimes with intimidation—to shield Cooley from harm. These stories reflect the daily volatility of life inside the Outfit, where money, fear, and loyalty intersect constantly. Bob Cooley has a great book titled When Corruption Was King where he goes into even greater detail and has many more stories from his life inside the Chicago Mob. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Subscribe to the website for weekly notifications about updates and other Mob information. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent ‘Brothers against Brothers’ or ‘Gangland Wire,’ the documentaries click here.  To purchase one of my books, click here. 0:06 Introduction to Bob Cooley 1:32 Life as an Outfit Gambler 2:00 My Relationship with Marco D’Amico 10:40 The Story of Hal Smith 11:05 A Dangerous Encounter 20:21 Meeting Sally D 22:23 A Contract on My Life 22:37 The Harry Alleman Case 34:47 Inside the Courtroom 51:08 The Verdict 52:26 Warning the Judge 53:49 The Case Against the Policewoman 58:36 Navigating the Legal Maze 1:08:14 The Outcome and Its Consequences 1:11:39 The Decision to Flip 1:24:38 A Father’s Influence 1:33:57 The Corruption Revealed 1:50:12 Political Connections 2:02:07 The Setup for Robbery 2:20:29 Consequences of Loyalty transcript [0:00] Hey, guys, my guest today is a former Chicago outfit associate named Robert Bob Cooley. He has a book out there titled When Corruption Was King. I highly recommend you get it if you want to look inside the Chicago outfit of the 1970s. Now, Bob’s going to tell us about his life as an outfit gambler, lawyer, and I use payoff to judges to get many, many not guilty verdicts. Now, I always call this the Chicago method. This happened for, I know, for Harry Ailman, a case we’re going to talk about, Tony Spolatro got one of these not-guilties. Now, the outfit member associate who is blessed to get this fix put in for him may be charged with a crime, even up to murder. And he gets a lawyer, a connected lawyer, and they’ll demand a bench trial. That means that only a judge makes the decision. A lawyer, like my guest, who worked with a political fixer named Pat Marcy. [0:53] They’ll work together and they’ll get a friendly judge assigned to that case and then they’ll bribe the judge. And all that judge needs is some kind of alibi witnesses and any kind of information to discredit any prosecution witnesses. Now, this is back in the olden days before you had all this DNA and all that kind of thing. So physical evidence was not really a part of it. Mainly, it was from witnesses. And they just have to discredit any prosecution witness. Then the judge can say, well, state hadn’t really proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt and issue a not guilty verdict and walk away. Now, our guest, Bob Cooley, is going to take us inside this world. [1:29] And it’s a world of beatings, murders, bribes, and other kinds of plots. He was a member of the Elmwood Park crew. He was a big gambler. He was a big loan shark. And he worked for a guy named Marco D’Amico, who was their gambling boss and loan shark in that crew. Among other bosses in this powerful crew were Jackie Cerrone, who will go on and become the underboss and eventually the boss for a short [1:55] period of time. and John no-nose DeFranzo, who will also go on to become the boss eventually. What was your relationship with Marco D’Amico? I talked about when I first came into the 18th district, when I came into work there, and they put me back in uniform, the first person I met was Rick Borelli. Rick Borelli, he was Marco’s cousin. [2:23] When I started gambling right away with Rick, within a couple of days, I’m being his face, and I’m calling and making bets. There was a restaurant across the street where every Wednesday and sometimes a couple days a week, I would meet with Ricky. And one of the first people he brought in there was Marco. Was Marco. And Marco would usually be with a person or two. And I thought they were just bookmakers. [2:55] And I started being friendly with him, meeting him there. Then I started having card games Up in my apartment And, Because now I’m making, in the very beginning, I’m making first $100 extra a week. And within a couple of weeks, I’m making $500, $600 extra a week. And within about a month, I’m making $1,000, sometimes more than that. So now I’m having card games, relatively big card games, because I’ve got a bankroll. I’ve got probably about $5,000, $6,000, which seemed like a lot of money to me. Initially uh and after a while that was a daily that was a daily deal but uh so we we started having card games up there and then we started socializing we started now he’d be at these nightclubs all the time when when i’d go to make my payoffs he was part of the main group there he was one of the call he was right he was right under jack right under at that time originally Jackie Cerrone, and then he was right under Johnny DeFranco. [4:07] But he was… And we became real good friends. We would double date and we spent a lot of time together. And we had these big card games. And that’s when I realized how powerful these people were. Because after one of the card games, there was somebody that was brought in, a guy named Corrado. I’m pretty sure his name was I can’t think of his first name, but Corrado was this person that somebody brought into the game. And after we finished playing cards, and I won all the time. I mean, I was a real good card player, and I wouldn’t drink. I’d supply liquor and food and everything, but I wouldn’t drink. And as the others drank, they were the same as at my office. After we finish up, this guy says, you want to play some? We can play maybe some gin. just human being. And he was there with another friend of his who just sat there and watched. So we played, not gin, but blackjack. We played and passed cards back and forth when you win. Then you’re the dealer and back and forth. And I lost, I think I lost about $4,000 or $13,000 to him. [5:26] I lost the cash that I had. I had cash about $5,000 or $6,000. And I gave him a check for the rest. You know, but everything I was doing was wrong, you know. Yeah, one of those nights. It’s in there. And it’s funny because you asked about Marco. [5:47] And I thought, you know, oh, well, and whatever. And I gave him a check. I said, no, it’s a good check. And it was. It was for my office. It was an office check that I gave him. And that next morning, I’m meeting with Ricky and with Marco at this restaurant across from the station before I go in and to work. And I said, son of a B. I said, you know, they had a bad night first ever. Marco wasn’t at that game, at that particular game. And what happened? I said, I blew about 12,000. Okay, but you? Wow. And I said, yeah, I said, one of the guys at the game played some, I played some blackjack with somebody. What was his name? Eddie, Eddie Corrado. Eddie Corrado. He said, that mother, he said, stop payment on the check. He said, stop payment on the check. He said, because it wasn’t nine o’clock. It was only like, you know, seven, you know, seven 30 or whatever. He said, and when he gets ahold of you, arrange to have him come to your house. Tell him you’ll have the money for him at your house. So that’s what I, that’s what I do. So I stopped payment on it probably about five after nine. I get a call from, from Mr. Corrado. You mother fucker. [7:17] I said, no, no. I said, there wasn’t enough money in the account. I said, I’m sorry. I said, all right, then I’ll be over. I said, no, no, no. I said, I’m in court right now. I said, I’m in court. I said, I’m going to be tied up all day. I’ll meet you at my place. I’ll meet you back there. Well, I’ll be there. You better have that. I want cash and you better have it. Okay. Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m at home. Marco comes in. And he was there with Tony and Tony was there and Ricky was there. And Ricky was there. And they come over a little ahead of time and he comes in. I live on the 27th floor. The doorbell rings. Up he comes with some big mustache. [8:00] I open the door. You better have the fucking money and whatever. And I try to look nervous. I try to look real nervous. and when you walk into my apartment you walk in and you see the kitchen right in front of you and to the left to the left you’ve got an area away and you’ve got the the kitchen wall blocking what’s behind it over there and these three guys are standing marco and you are standing right there alongside of it and and when he walks in behind me, He sees Marco and all but shit in his pants. When he sees Marco, he goes, and Marco, you motherfucker. And, you know, oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was with you. He says, how much money you got me right now? And, you know, he says, pull your pockets out. He had about, he had about three or 4,000 with him. [9:02] And he says, you give him that. He says, you, he says, you, and he says, you give him that right now. And you apologize to him. Oh, and he says, he says, and I may give you a number. I want you to call. He says, we can put you to work. Apparently this guy had done the same thing to them a few years before and got the beating of his life somebody brought him into one of their card games, did he have a technique a cheating technique or had some marked cards no it was a card mechanic he could play games with cards they call him a mechanic and, in fact the guy was great at it because he had his own plane and everything else. But again, he had moved from Chicago and had just come back in the area. And they mounted. And so anyhow, he leaves. And he leaves then, and Marco took the money. Marco took the money. Marco took the money. Typical Bob guy, man. [10:19] And I says, what about the cash I lost to him? He says, well, you lost that. He says, you lost that. That’s when I realized how powerful. That’s when I realized how powerful that [10:35] he was part of the mob, not only a part of it, but one of the operational. Yeah, important part of it. That brings to mind another unbelievable situation that occurred. [10:49] The, uh, this is probably the, we’ll know the year by when it happened. There was a bookmaker named Hal Smith. Oh yeah. I remember that name. He got, tell us about Hal Smith. [11:05] Well, Hal Smith was a, he was a big guy too. A real, a real big guy. I met him on Rush street. He knew I was a gambler. He knew that I was a big gambler and I started gambling with him. Thank you. And I was with him probably for about maybe five or six months. And I’d win with him. I’d lose with him. And he would take big places. He would take $5,000 a game for me. And as they say, so the numbers were big. At the end of the week, we were sometimes $60,000, $70,000. [11:42] They were big numbers back and forth. And he was always good for the money. I was always good for the money. And one particular week, it was about $30,000. And I was waiting for money. Somebody else was supposed to give me even more than that. And the person put me off. And it was a good friend of mine. And I knew the money would be there. But a lot of times, these guys are going to collect it at a certain time. And then they’re expecting to give it to somebody else. Well, he was short. So I said, look, I don’t have it right now, but I’ll have it tomorrow, I said, because I’m meeting somebody. Well, okay, it better be there. [12:31] And look, it’ll be there, okay? Not a problem. So the next day, the person I’m supposed to get it from says, I’ll have it in a couple of hours. I don’t have it right now, but I’ll have it by late this afternoon. And I’m in my office when Hale Smith calls me and I said, I’ll have it a little bit later. And he slams the phone bell. I’m downstairs in Counselor’s Row. In fact, I’m meeting with Butchie and Harry. We’re in a booth talking about something. They had just sent me some business or whatever, but I’m talking about something. And George, the owner of the restaurant, comes over and he says, somebody is asking who you are and they want to talk to you. And they point out this guy. It was a guy I had seen before, because a lot of times at two in the morning, I would go down on West Street, and they had entertainment upstairs. And there was this big English guy. He was an English guy, as you could tell by his accent, a real loud guy. And when I walk up to talk to him, and he’s talking loud enough so people can hear him, and he says, you better have that. I’m here for it. You better have that. You better have that money. [13:51] Bob Hellsmith sent me, you get the money and you better have that money or there’s going to be a problem or whatever. And I said, well, the money will be there, but people can hear what this guy, this guy talking that shit. And he leaves. And he leaves. He’s going to call me back. And he leaves. I said, I’m busy right now. I says, give me a call back when I’m in the office and I’ll meet with you. So Butch, he goes, what was that all about? And I said, you know, it’s somebody I owe some money to. Well, who is he? Who is he with? I said, Harold Smith. And he said, who’s Harold Smith? You don’t pay him anything. He said, you don’t pay him anything. And he calls, when he calls back, he says, you will arrange to meet him. And I said, you know, I said, well, where? [14:44] And they knew where I lived. They’d been to my place at that time. I’m living in Newberry Plaza and they said, there’s a, there’s a Walgreens drugstore in Chicago Avenue. Tell him you’ll meet him there at Walgreens, and we’ll take it. And he says, and we’ll take it from there. When he does call me, I said, look, I said, I’ll meet you tomorrow morning for sure at Walgreens. I’ll have the cash. I said, I’ll have the cash, and I’ll have all of it. I said, but, you know, I’m tied up on some things. I said, I’ll go to my own bank when I’m finished here and whatever, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning for sure at 9 o’clock tomorrow morning. Okay. I sit down with them and they just said, I said, they said, go there and go meet them. And we’ll take care of it. The Walgreens is a store right in the corner of Michigan Avenue and Chicago Avenue, south side of the street. And it’s all windows. Huge windows here. Huge windows here. And a bus stop, a bus stop over here. When I get there, I park in the bus stop and I’m looking to my right and here he is sitting in a booth by himself, right by the window. And I look around and I don’t see anybody. I mean, with a lot of people, I don’t see Butchie. [16:06] Uh or red or anybody around but i i go in there anyhow and uh sit down and i uh sit down in the booth across from him and he’s eating breakfast he’s got some food in front of him and uh the girl comes by right away the girl comes by and i says you know just get me a coke and and he says have you got the money and i said yes and why i got i got a lot i got a lot of money in my pocket but not the, whatever it was he wanted, not the 27 or 28,000. There’s nobody there. And, uh, so we’re talking for no more than about two or three minutes. They had a telephone on the counter. I hear the phone ring and the waitress, the waitress is on the phone. And then she comes walking over and she says, it’s a call for you. And, and when I go get in the phone, I woke up and there’s a phone booth there. And here’s Butchie in the phone booth. And he’s there with a couple of other people. I hang the phone up. I walk over and I had my appointment booked. And I walk over and I just pick up the book. And as I’m walking out there, walking in, we pass each other. And so now when I get in my car and he’s looking at me in my car and right next to him is Butchie. And across from him was a red old male and Fat Herbie. [17:34] Herbie Blitzstein? Herbie Blitzstein? No, it wasn’t Herbie. This is another one. That’s one thing of Herbie. We called Herbie Fat. It was Fat Herbie. And the third guy is like sitting facing him. This is like, that weighs about 300 pounds. Oh, Sarno. Make Mike Sarno. Mike Sarno. That was it. And that’s, that’s, that’s who it was. You know, and I, I drive off, go to my office and go about my business. I get a call later that day from, uh, Hale Smith. Where’s my money? Where’s my money? I said, I gave it to your guy. You what? I gave it to him. I met him at nine o’clock this morning and I gave him the money. You did. And I said, yeah. Um, okay. And he hangs, and he hangs up. I don’t hear anything for a while. I never saw him again. I saw Hale a couple of times because he was always in one of the other restaurants. I lived in Newberry right across from there, but he never talked to me. I never talked to him, never said anything. It was about maybe it had to be a good couple of months later, When I read about Hale, Hale’s no longer with us. [18:52] That’s obviously how they found out about him. I never saw the other guy again. I’m hoping they didn’t kill him, but I’m assuming that’s what probably happened to him. In a public place like that, they probably just scared him off. He probably said, you know, I’m way over my head. I’m out of here. [19:15] They didn’t kill him in the public place he wouldn’t have been in the newspapers my little thought is like with the three guys they took him for a ride, I don’t know they just told him to leave town and he realized what it was and he did Hal didn’t get a chance to leave town Hal had other problems if I remember right I’d have to look it back up but he had other problems with the outfit what I found out later what they had done, was they had gotten one of their guys connected with him to find out who his customers were. In other words, one of the other people that he didn’t realize, that Hale didn’t realize was with them, they got him connected with them where he’s the one who’s doing his collecting and finding out who the customers were because they wanted to get all his customers as well as his money. It turns out he was He was a huge bookmaker for years. That’s what happened to him. And they just took his book. Yeah, I remember something about that story because I killed him in his house, I believe. Yeah, Sally D. [20:22] Sally D, yeah. Sally D was one. When I first met Sally D, he was with Marco’s Fruit, too. [20:30] He owned a pizza place up on the north side, north shore, and I broke him. I was betting with him and beating him week after week. And one of the last times I played with him, he couldn’t come up with the money. It took him an extra couple of weeks to get the cash to pay me. But we were real close friends with him. He’s a bizarre character because he was a totally low level at that time. Yeah. When he then connected up with the Cicero crew, with Rocky and Felice, with Rocky and those people, he became a boss with them. It turns out it was after they killed Al Smith. He was part of all that. That’s Salih De Laurentiis. He’s supposed to be a boss. He moved on up after the Family Secrets trial. He didn’t go down with that, I believe, and he kind of moved on up after that. I don’t know what happened to him. What was so funny about that, when he would come into the club, Marco’s club, Bobby Abinati. [21:42] Who was strictly a very low-level player, although we indicted him with the Gambia star. He’s the one who set up the robbery. Would that have been great if that would have gone through? He’s the one who set up that robbery in Wisconsin. He’d be making fun of Salihide all the time. [22:03] When Salihide would come in, he would make fun of him and joke about him and talk about what a loser he was. This is when he’s a boss of that crew. I mean, just a strange, I mean, nobody talked to bosses like that, especially when, when you’re, when you’re what they call Bobby, you know, what was Marco’s nickname for Bobby Knucklehead? [22:23] That was his nickname, Knucklehead. Pat Marcy, uh, contacted me about, you know, handling me in the only own case. [22:32] I couldn’t have been happier because that was a short time after they put a contract on me. So now i realized if they’re going to be making money you know they finally stopped because for good six seven months when i when i came back to chicago uh i was checking under my car every day in case there was a bomb i moved i moved from uh from a place that i own in the suburbs into an apartment complex so i wouldn’t be living on the first floor yeah it’d be impossible to somebody to break into my, you know, took them thrashing into my place. I changed my whole life around in that sense. [23:10] And when I drove everywhere I went, you know, I would go on the highway and then jump over. I would do all, I wanted to make absolutes. Even though nobody came around, I wasn’t taking any chances for a long period of time. And that was too when it cost me a fortune because that’s when I stopped dealing with the bookmakers because I wasn’t going to be in a position where I had to go meet somebody at any time to collect my money and whatever. [23:39] So what had happened, though, was somebody came to see me. And when I was practicing, there’s a lot of things I wouldn’t do. I set my own rules. I would not get involved. After the Harry Alleman case, I never got involved anymore myself fixing certain cases. But even prior to that, I wouldn’t fix certain cases. I wouldn’t get involved in certain cases, especially involving the police, because my father was such a terrific policeman, and I felt I was too in a lot of sentences. I loved the police. I disliked some of the crooked cops that I knew, but on the surface, I’d be friendly with them, etc. Harry Ailman was a prolific hitman for the Elmwood Park crew. He killed a teamster who wouldn’t help set up trucks for the outfit, a guy named Billy Logan. He was just a regular guy. He’s going to take us right into the meeting with the judge. He’ll take us into a counselor’s row restaurant where these cases were fixed. Now, Bob will give us a seat right at Pat Marcy’s table. Now, Pat Marcy was the first ward fixture, and he’s going to take us into the hallway with Pat Marcy where they made the payoffs. [24:57] Now, Bob, can you take us inside the famous Harry Aileman murder case? I know you fixed it. And tell us, you know, and I know there was a human toll that this took on that corrupt judge, Frank Wilson. Okay. The Harry Aileman case was, it was not long after I became partners with Johnny DeArco. I get a call from, I’m in Counselor’s Row at the restaurant. Whenever I was in there now, my spot was the first ward table. Nobody was allowed to sit there day or night. That was reserved for first ward connected people and only the top group of people. [25:40] I’m sitting there at the table and Johnny DeArco Sr. Tells me, you know, Pat wants to talk to you. About something. And I said, you know, sure. Not long afterwards, Pat comes downstairs. We go out. We go out in the hall because we never talk at the table. And he tells me, have you got somebody that can handle the Harry Alleman case? I had seen in the news, he was front page news. He was one of the main mob hitmen. He was partners with Butchie Petrucelli. But it was common knowledge that he was a hitman. He looked like one. He dressed like one. He acted like one. And whatever. And he was one. In fact, he was the one that used to go to New York. And I know he also went to Arizona to do some hits and whatever. He traveled around the country. I said to Pat, they thought the case was a mob hit on a team street. a teamster. I assumed that it was just that. It was people doing what they do. But I said to Pat, I said, well, get me the file. Get me the file. Let me see what the case looks like. Because I would never put a judge in a bad spot. That was my nature. [27:06] When I had cases, a lot of these judges were personal friends of mine. What I would do, if I wanted to have a case, if I wanted to fix a case to save all the time of having to go to a damn long trial, I would make sure that it was a case that was winnable, easily winnable. When I got the file, when I got the file from Pat, he got me the file the next day. The next morning, when he came in, he gave me the file. I looked at the file. It was a throw-out case. When I say throw-out case, absolutely a nothing case. [27:46] The records in the file showed that a car drove up down the street. Suddenly somebody with a shotgun blasted a guy named Billy Logan in front of his house and drove away. They were contacted by a neighbor, this guy, Bobby Lowe. Was it Bobby Lowe? Yeah, I’m pretty sure Bobby Lowe. Who indicated that he opened the door and let his dog run out. And when he looked, he saw somebody. He saw a car, and he gave a description of the car. And he saw somebody pull up, and he saw him shoot with a shotgun. And then he saw the person get out of the car and shoot him with a .45, and shoot him with a .45. And then the car sped away. That was pretty much the case. Some other people heard some noise, looked out, and saw a car driving away. A period of time after that, it had to be about a year or so after that, somebody was arrested driving to Pennsylvania to kill somebody. There was a guy who stopped. [29:16] Louie Almeida was his name. Louie Almeida was stopped in his car. He was on the way to Pennsylvania. And in front of his car, he had shotguns. And he winds up, when he gets arrested, he winds up telling the authorities that he can tell them about a mob murder back in Chicago and winds up cooperating with them. He indicates what happened. He indicated that, you know, he was asked to, you know, or he got involved in it. He got the car and whatever. They did this. They did that. And he pulled up alongside Billy and wound up shooting the victim as he came out of the house. [30:09] Now, I look at some other reports in there, some reports that were made out, new reports. They talk about the Louis Almeida. They talk about the witness that gave the first statement. and they said that they found, or he’s giving us a new statement now where he says he’s walking his dog. He hears a shotgun. His dog runs towards the car where the shooting was coming from. He saw Harry get out of the car and walk over and shoot him, walk over and shoot the victim, and he was looking at him, And then he jumped in the bushes and the car drove away. A complete new story. Yeah. A complete new story. And. I looked at the reports, and this is an easy winner. And so I told Pat, you know, I’ll take it. You know, I’m sure I can handle it. I said, I’m sure I can handle it, but, you know, I’ll let you know. [31:21] That’s when I contacted, I met my restaurant, Greco’s, and I had Frank Wilson there a lot. Well, I called Frank Wilson, invited him and his wife to come to the restaurant. I had done that many times before. When he gets there, I tell him, I have the case. You know, I told him I was contacted on this case, I said. And I said, it’s an easy winner, I said. And I explained to him what it was. I told him, you know, it’s the driver of the car who’s doing this to help himself. And this other guy, Bobby Lowe, that gave a complete new story from the original story that he gave. And I indicated, you know, can you handle the case? And he tells me, I can’t handle the case, he said, because I was SOJ’d. In Chicago, Illinois, they have a rule that makes it easy for people to fool around because for no reason at all you can ask to have a judge moved off the case. And you can name a second judge that you don’t want to handle the case. [32:34] Frank Wilson’s reputation was as such that the lawyer that turned out to be a judge later on, Tom Maloney, who had the case, named him in the SOJ. It was assigned to somebody else, and he indicated he wanted any other judge except Frank Wilson. Frank Wilson on the case. And this was Harry Aileman’s lawyer. Yeah. Okay. And who Tom Maloney, who then ends up being the judge years later. But yeah. Well, because we knew he was going to be a judge. Yeah. We knew ahead of time. I knew at that time. That’s what makes the story so unbelievably interesting. Yeah. Anyhow, he says, I can’t do it because… In Chicago, in Chicago, it’s supposed to keep it honest. I love this. To keep it honest. Yeah. To keep it honest, each judge is supposed to be picked by computer. [33:33] Same thing they’re doing to this day. Trump wondered why the same judge kept getting all his cases. Because they’re doing the same thing we did, some of us could do in Chicago. He was the chief judge in the area. he said to me, I don’t think I can get the case. I don’t think I can’t get the case. I said, I’ll get the case to you. I said, I’ll get, because I already, I, in fact, through Pat Marcy, anytime I wanted a case to go anywhere, I would contact Pat and I’d give him a thousand dollars and he would get me any judge I wanted. Uh, I said, well, I think I can. I said, I said, And I gave him $1,000. [34:16] I said, here, this is yours. And if I can’t get the case to you, you keep it. If I can’t get, I never said to him, will you fix it? Will you this or that? I mean, he understood what it was. I didn’t know how he would react to it. When I asked him, would you handle it? Were the words I used. I had never fixed anything with him before. [34:43] In case he was, you know, he would want to report it to somebody. I wasn’t worried because Frank had a reputation as being a big drinker. After I got the Harry Elliman file, Pat tells me, I’m going to have somebody come and talk to you. Who comes? And we meet in the first ward office, and then we go downstairs into the special room they had for conversations. It’s Mike Ficarro. He’s the head of the organized crime section. He’s the one who prosecutes all the criminals. He’s one of the many prosecutors in Chicago. That’s why there were over 1,000 mob murders and never a conviction from the time of Al Capone. Not a single conviction with over 1,000 mob murders because they controlled absolutely everything. He’s the boss. [35:35] I knew him. I didn’t like him. He had an attitude about him. You know, when I would see him at parties and when I’d see him at other places, and I’d walk by and say, hi, he just seemed coldish. [35:47] I found out later why. He was jealous of the relationship I had with all these people. [35:54] He says, I’ll help you any way I can, anything you need, whatever. So the prosecutors on the Harry Olliman case were our people. That’s who’s prosecuting the case anyhow. But they couldn’t get one of their judges apparently who would handle the case. So, but anyhow, uh, so, uh, when we, um, when we go, when we, when we go to trial, um. [36:25] Before to help me out, I told Pat, I’ll get somebody else to handle the case. I’ll have somebody else. I said, I won’t go in there. I won’t go in there because everybody knows I’m close to Frank, very close to Frank. I said, so I won’t go in there. I’ll get somebody. He says, no, no. He said, I’ll get somebody. And so he gets a guy named Frank Whalen, who I didn’t know at the time. He was a retired lawyer from Chicago. He was one of the mob lawyers. [37:00] He was one of the mob lawyers. And he lived in Florida. He lived in Miami. I think it was, no, Lauderdale. He lived in the Lauderdale area. He was practicing there. So I fly out. I fly out to meet him. I i do all the investigating in the case the i’m using an investigator that harry alleman got from me in fact he was the same investigator that got in trouble in in uh in in hollywood for what for a lot of stuff i can’t think of his name right now but he’s the one who got indicted in hollywood eventually for you know wiretapping people and whatever it was the same one. And he got me information on Bobby on this Bobby Lowe. He found out Bobby Lowe, Bobby Lowe was a drug addict. [37:59] When the FBI got a hold of him, Bobby Lowe was living out in the street because he had been fired from his first job. He had a job in some kind of an ice cream company where they made ice cream, and he got fired there for stealing. And then he had a job after that in a gas station, and he faked a robbery there. Apparently, what he did was he called the police and said he had been robbed. This is before they had cameras and all the rest of that stuff. He said he had been robbed. And somebody happened to have been in the gas station getting gas. It was a big place, apparently. [38:45] And when the police talked to him, he said, I didn’t see anything strange. He said, I saw the attendant walk out to the back about 10, 15 minutes ago. I saw him walk out to the back of the place and then come back in. And so they go out, and he had his car parked behind it, and they found the money that was supposed to have been stolen in the car. So not the best witness, in other words. Well, that’s an understatement, because that was why… That was why now he suddenly shows up, and they know all this. The FBI agents that obviously know all this, that’s their witness. That’s their case. To me, it’s an airtight, you know. Yeah. Anyhow, I developed the defense. I went back to see Frank a second time. I flew out to Florida a second time, gave him all this information. [39:48] I had talked to some other people to a number of people that were going to indicate that Harry played golf with them that day see how they remembered not golf but he was at a driving range with them with about five people they remember what they were three or four years three or four years before that what I also found out now, and I didn’t know and it changed my whole attitude on that this wasn’t a mob killing you, This guy that he killed was married to his, I think it was his cousin or some relation was married. I’m pretty sure it was to his cousin. She had told Harry, I got this from Butchie, Butchie Petrosselli, who had become a close friend of mine after I got involved with Harry’s case, his partner. And that was why he killed them, because apparently the sister, his sister-in-law, whatever she was, had told him, you know, when he was beating her up, she had said, well, my Harry Alameda won’t be happy about this. And he said, supposedly, he said, fuck that, Kenny. [41:02] And that’s why the shooting took place. Wow. This changed me. You know, I’m in the middle of it. There’s no getting out of it now. Yeah, they’ll turn it back. And by now, I’m running around all the time with Butch and Mary at night. I’m meeting them at dinner. They’re coming to one of my places where I have dinners all the time. You know, I’m becoming like close friends, close friends with both of them. Yeah. So anyhow, but anyhow, the lawyer that he got, Frank Whalen, who was supposed to be sharp, turned out like he was not in his, let’s just say he was not in his prime. [41:46] Charitable. And when he went in, you know, while the trial was going on, you know, while the trial was going on, I get a call from Frank. From Frank Wilson, because I told him, you don’t come back into the restaurant now. You don’t come back into the restaurant. I used his office as my office all the time, along with a bunch of other judges. I had a phone, but it cost about a dollar a minute to talk on my phone. I had to talk on my phone. So when I’d be at 26th Street in the courthouse, even though no lawyers are allowed back there in the chamber, so I’m back there sitting at his desk using the phone taking care of my own other business. I stopped going in there while the trial was going on. [42:35] So, anyhow, he calls me, and he wants to meet me at a restaurant over on Western Avenue. And, okay, he called me from one of the pay phones out there in front of the courthouse, and I go to meet him. What did he want? Was he complaining about the lawyer, Waylon? What was he complaining about, Waylon? and I was screwing it up. [42:59] When I meet him, I said, you know, he’s like, you know, he said, you know, we go into the bathroom and he and he said he’s all shooken up. He says, this is going to cost me my job. He said, he said, you know, they’re burying him. You’re burying him. You know, because I had given this information on the two witnesses. And he says, Frank Whalen, he said, isn’t doing a thing and cross-examining these people and whatever. [43:32] And he says, and he’s all upset. And I said, Frank, no, I’m shook up one of the few times in my life where it’s something I can’t handle. He had never told me, you know, I’ll fix the case, never. And I said to him, and I said, Frank, I said, if something goes wrong, I said, I’m sure they’re going to kill me, is what I said to him. Yeah. I said, if something goes wrong, I’m sure they’re going to kill me. And I left. I left the bathroom. Now, I have no idea what’s going on in his mind and whatever. Yeah. I see Pat the next day. And by something goes wrong in this case, you mean if he gets found guilty, that’d be what would go wrong and you would get killed. Is that that’s what you mean? Well, no question, because when I met, I didn’t go into that. I met with Harry Alleman. I get a call after I got involved in the case. A couple days later, I get a call from Markle. Meet me at one of the nightclubs where I was all the time at night with these people. [44:47] Above it, you’ve got a motel, a bunch of hotel rooms. I get a call from Markle. The reason everybody loved me and the mob, I never discussed what I was doing with anybody or any of the other dozens of mobsters I run with that I was involved in Harry’s case. Never said a word to anybody about any of this. That was my nature, and that’s why all these people love me. I never talked about one thing with anybody else or whatever. He says, I want to meet you. When I get over there, he says, let’s go upstairs. Somebody wants to talk to you. And we go upstairs, and there’s Harry Alleman. And Harry, how you doing? How are you? [45:27] And he says, listen, you’re sure about this? And I said, yeah. I said, I’m sure. And he said, well, if something goes wrong, you’re going to have a problem. Those were his words to me. You’re going to have a problem. And I said, you know, he says, because this judge, he says, this judge is a straight judge. And he said, Tom, you mean Tom Maloney. He says, and Tom wants to handle my case. And he tells me he’s going to be named a judge by the Supreme Court real soon. And he wants to handle and he wants to handle my case before he… Uh, you know, before he becomes a Supreme court, before he becomes a judge, I knew the moment he told me that I knew for sure that was the case because we control everything, including the Supreme court. I said, you know, I said, don’t, you know, don’t worry about it. I lied to him. And I said, uh, I said, yeah, the judge is going to, I said, yeah, he’s going to throw it out. He knows, I said, he knows what’ll happen if he doesn’t. That’s what I told Harry. I want to keep him happy. [46:34] I’m going to keep him happy probably for a few hours I’m a little nervous and then that’s all behind me like so many other problems I got in the middle of oh my god talking about walking a tightrope so now the lawyer came into Chicago he was in Chicago I met him when he came in he was staying at the Bismarck was at the Bismarck Hotel right around the corner from you know where Counselor’s Row was that’s where he was staying in the in the hotel right there by the first board office and there was a way to go in there without being seen and there was a, You go through another restaurant and you go through the alley and go up there. And I wouldn’t, I didn’t want to be seen walking into there because I know the FBI are probably, are probably watching and whatever. When he comes into town, they handle the case. So I go upstairs to see him. You know, I said, what the hell’s going on in court? He says, I’m going, it’s going great. It’s going great. I said, it’s going great. I just, you know, I just got a call last night. I had to go meet the judge. And he said, you’re not doing any cross-examining. Oh, I’m doing a great job. You know, I’m doing a great job. So after a few minutes of, I leave. Yeah. [47:52] That’s when I saw Pat Marcy, too. And I said, Pat, I said, the judge is upset about whatever’s going on. I said, maybe we should give him some more because I agreed to give him $10,000. And he said, you know, what a piece of work he is. You know, he said $10,000, and that’s all he’s going to get, not a nickel more or whatever. So now to say I’m nervous again is an ultra statement. The case, I walked over, and I wouldn’t go in the room, but I wanted to just be around that room for some reason. FBI agents all over the place. [48:30] FBI agents all over the place. And so now I’m at home and I’m packed. I’ve got my bags packed because if he finds it, I don’t know what he’s going to do. I’m worried he might find him guilty because of all that had happened. He, when the trial ended a given night, and the next day he was going to give the result. In fact, I didn’t go out and play that night. I was a little nervous, and I stayed home, and I packed up my bags. I packed up my bags, and about 9 o’clock, I got in the car, and I started driving. And by the time he gave the ruling, I was probably about 100, maybe 150 miles away. And I hear on the radio, you know, found him not guilty, found him not guilty. So I turn around. Hit the next exit, turn around and come back. I turn around. Northbound on I-55. [49:27] Probably a couple hours later, here I am parked in my parking spot. My parking spot was in front of my office, right across from City Hall. And I parked in the mayor’s spot when she wasn’t there. And drove probably to drive her crazy. But that was where I parked. That was my parking spot. We’d see my big car with the RJC license plates parked in the bus stop. And so here I am. I parked the car and I go in. I go in. [50:01] And I’m sure Pat told some people, probably not, but I’m sure they told all the mobsters, all the top mobsters, because these guys all wanted to meet me afterwards and get the restaurant. I go in to see them. We walked into the janitor’s closet. You walk out of Counselor’s Row. You go to the left. It goes into the 100 North Building. Now, you’ve got the elevators to the right. And behind that, you’ve got a closet where the janitors keep all their stuff. And you’ve got some stairs leading up to the, there was a, what do you call it? There was an office there where the commodities, big commodity exchange was right there. that there was a stairway leading up to where the offices were with some doors with bars and everything on it. And Pat is standing on those stairs, about two or three stairs. You know, I said, wow. I said, you know, everybody’s going nuts. And he goes, well, you know, you did a good job. And he gives me an envelope. He gives me an envelope. And, you know, I put the money in my pocket. [51:09] We said we had some more. We said a couple other words about, you know, this and that. And then I just go in there. I go back in the counselor’s. [51:21] Now, after the feds started getting indictments, did you try and warn the Aleman case judge, Frank Wilson? Why did you do that? And when I went to see Frank Wilson, I went to help him. I said, Frank, I said, look, I said, I was contacted by, I said, I was contacted by the, by the, by the FBI. They were investigating the Harry Aleman case. I said to him, I said, they, they feel the case was fixed. I said, when they come to see me, I said, you know, I said, I’m not going to talk to them. I said, I’m not going to talk to them. I’m going to take the fifth. And in your case, you can do the same thing. When they, if they come to talk to you, you just take the fifth amendment. If they give you immunity, I said, you know, then you, then you testify, but you tell them the truth. I said, don’t worry about me. Tell them the truth. This is how I talk to him. When I’m talking to him like that, it’s almost like he’s trying to run away from me. [52:27] We’re at a restaurant in a big complex. It was in one of those resorts in Arizona. He’s all but running away from me. I was trying to help him. What I said to him was, Frank, I said, the statute of limitations ran on all this. It’s been more than five years. There’s nothing they can do to you or to me, I said, because the statute ran. I said, so don’t lie to them. What the feds were concerned about, and I don’t know why, that he would deny ever fixing the case when it went through. I don’t know why they’re worried about that, but they were, and I didn’t want to see him get in trouble. [53:13] That’s why I went there to protect him. Hey, Bob, you were asked to represent an outfit associate or an outfit associate’s son who was accused of breaking the jaw of a Chicago policewoman. And you know, when a cop is injured in a fight with somebody, the cops follow that case. And I do not want to see any shenanigans going on. So, so tell us about how you walked that line. And I bet those cops were, were not happy with you in the end. Some people think this is a reason you flipped. Take us inside that case, will you? [53:45] And the reason I mentioned that it had a lot to do with what I eventually did. Now we’ll get back to what made me do what I was going to do. When I was practicing law now, and now I have been away from all this for years, I was out of town a lot because I’m representing the Chinese all around the country. I’m their main lawyer right now. [54:10] And I get a call from Lenny Colella. And he says, my son, he said, my son is in trouble. I want to come in and I want to talk to you about handling his case. This was a heater case, too. This was a front page case because he was charged with aggravated battery and attempted murder. Supposedly, he had beat up a policewoman and it was all over the place. He was a drug addict and whatever, supposedly he did all this. And when he came into the office with his dad, he was high. When I talked to him, he’s got his kid with him. And the kid is a smart aleck. As we’re talking, the kid, and I asked the kid, well, whatever. The kid was a smart aleck. And I just said to him, I said, Len, I can’t help you. I said, get him out of here. I want nothing to do with him. I said, I can’t help you. You didn’t take cases that were involved with cops anyhow, for the most part. No. I didn’t know what had happened in this case. I know what I saw in the paper. I didn’t know what the facts or anything were or whatever. I mean, if it turned out that if I felt when I talked to him that he had done it, whatever, I would not have taken the case anyhow. [55:26] I mean, I would not have. That’s why I say, too, that may be, too, why I was as quick and as rude as I was when he came in there and was acting and was a little bit high. I just wanted nothing to do with him, period. I said to his dad, his father said, you know, if I get him cleaned up, you know, I said, well, if you get him cleaned up, then we’ll talk again. I said, but I can’t help him, and I can’t help him. [55:54] And off he goes. the father re-contacted me about a week later. And he said, I had him in rehab and he straightened out and whatever. And he brought him back in and it was a new person. And when he told me the facts of the case, when he told me what happened, because he was a big, tough kid. He was a big, you know, he was a weightlifter, but he was a big, tough looking kid. [56:19] And it’s a little police woman. When he told me what happened, I believed him. Because I’ve been out in the street and whatever. And he says, you know, he told me what happened, that he had gotten stopped. He was out there talking to her. And when she said, you’re under arrest for DUI, he just walked. He says, I walked. I was going to get in my car and drive away. And she grabbed me and was pulling me or whatever. And I hear all these sirens coming. And within a few minutes, there’s all kinds of police. There’s about half a dozen police there. He says, and then they started jumping on me. He said, she was under me. He was all beaten up. He was all bloody and whatever. And she apparently had her jaw broken. And there’s no doubt in my mind when he’s telling me that, you know, when they were hit with his clubs or with this thing that they claimed he had without his fingerprints, it was a metal bar. Right, a slapper. A chunk of lead covered by leather. Everybody used to carry a slapper. How about you carry a slapper? They claimed, but there was no cloth on this. It was just the metal itself. Yeah, oh really? [57:45] Anyhow, that makes it interesting during the trial when they flat out lied. No, he had no blood. I got the hospital reports. They wouldn’t take him in the station because he was too badly beaten up. But anyhow, he also had two other charges. He had been involved in a fight in a bar. And he had been involved in another situation with the police. And he was charged with resisting arrest and battery on a policeman out in Cicero. So he had these three cases. So I gave the father a fee on handling, you know, the one, I was going to, I gave him a fee one case at a time. I said, you know, first thing we’ll do, I want to get rid of those other two cases. I’ll take them to juries, I said. [58:36] I’ll take them to juries because I wasn’t going to put them. I knew both the judges on those cases, but I wasn’t going to put them in a position on a case like that. I take the first case to trial. And I get him a not guilty. That was the fight in the bar. [58:54] That was out in one of the suburbs. That was out in, I’m not sure which suburb, in the northwest side. After we get that case over with, before that case, I get a call from Pat Marcy. Pat Marcy, I hadn’t seen him probably even for a couple months, but I hadn’t talked to him for quite a long period of time. And he says to me, you got a case that just came in. He said, we’re going to handle it. And I said, there’s no need, Pat. I said, I can win these cases. I said, there’s no need. I can win these cases. And he said, we’re going to handle this. The case is going to go to Judge Passarella, he said, and we’ll take care of it. I said, Pat, there’s no need to. I said, I can win these cases. I said, they’re all jury trials, but I know I can win them all. And he says, you do as you’re told. Pat had never talked to me like that before. [59:54] Powerful as he was and crazy as I am, And he never, you know, you never demand that I do anything or whatever. We had a different type relationship. And although I hadn’t broken away from them by now, it’s been years. I had broken away from them for about, you know, two, three years. And he says, you know, take the case to trial. I said, well, he’s got some other cases, too, and I’m going to take the one. And she says, I’ll take it to a jury, and I’ll win it. You’ll see how I win it. I take her to trial, and I get her not guilty. The second case was set for trial about a month after that. Not even, yeah, about a month or so after that. And during that time, a couple of times I’m in counselors, and Pat says, when are you going to take the case to trial? I said, well, Pat, you know, I won the one case. I got the other case on trial, and it was before Judge Stillo. He was a judge that we eventually indicted. [1:00:51] Stillo was very, very well connected to the first ward. He’s one of the old-time judges out in Maywood. And I told him, you know, when I came in there, he assumed I’d take it to trial and he’d throw it out. And I said, no, no, no, there’s no need to. I says, I’m going to take the jury on this one. Number one, I had stopped fixing things long before this. And, but he was, to make money, he was willing that he would have thrown the case out. It was a battery with a Cicero policeman. And I says, no, no, I’ll take it. I’ll take it to, you know, I’ll take the jury. I said, I don’t want to put you in that pursuit. Oh, don’t worry about me. I take that one to trial and I win that one too. Now Pat calls me, when the hell are you going to take the case to trial? And that’s the original case with the police woman. That’s the main one. The main one. Okay, go ahead. [1:01:44] When are you going to take it to trial? And I don’t want to take it to trial. In fact. I had talked to the prosecutor, and I said, look, I said, because he was charged with, he was charged with, you know, attempted murder and arrest. I said, if you’ll reduce it, the prosecutor was an idiot. He knew me, should have realized that, you know, that I never lose cases. Yeah. You know, but I want to work out something. He was a special prosecutor on it. He said, we’re not going to reduce it. We said, you know, if you want to work out a plea, we went five years, we went five to ten or whatever in the penitentiary. And I said, well, that’s not going to happen. I said, well, then we’ll just have to go to trial. So now, while I’m at Counselor’s Row, on one of my many occasions, because I was still having some card games over there at somebody else’s other lawyer’s office, because I had had big card games going on there for years. I’m sitting at the counselor’s row table, and Judge Passarella comes in. There’s just him and me there, and when he comes in, I say, Oh, you’re here to see Pat? [1:02:56] And he goes, Pat, who? No more conversation. Who the fuck? No more. The guy’s treating me like I’m some kind of a fool or whatever. And I developed an instant disliking to him. I had never seen him around that much or whatever before that. So now, after the second case, you’re going to go to, you know. So I talked to Lenny. When Lenny came in, Lenny came in with him when we were starting to get prepared for the case. And, oh, this is before this is before I talked to the prosecutor. And I said, Lenny, I said, I says, if I can get it reduced to a misdemeanor, to a misdemeanor. I said, you know, can we work with, you know, and work out a plea, let’s say, for maybe a month or two, you know, a month or two. Is that OK with you? Oh, sure. He says, oh, sure. [1:03:57] Now, this Lenny, this was the kid’s dad, your client’s dad. This is his dad. Now, explain who he was, who Lenny was. His dad was. What’s his last name? Yeah, Karela. Karela, okay. Lenny Karela, I’m pretty sure was his name. He owned a big bakery out there in Elmwood Park area. Okay. And he was friendly with all the mobsters. Okay, all right. I got you. For all I knew, he may have been a mobster himself, but I mean, he may have been because we had thousands of people that were connected. He was a connected guy. All right, go ahead. I’m sorry. And he said, oh, yeah, sure, no, not a problem because the papers are meant, they’re still, after a year, they’re still mentioning that case will be going to trial soon and every so often. [1:04:43] What I had also done, I tried to make contact with the policewoman, not with her, but I put the word out and I knew a lot of police and I got a hold of somebody that did know her. And I said, look, I said, no, the case is fixed if I want it. Yeah. But I don’t want it. Even though I know that, you know, that it’s all BS, you know, I said, look, I said, get a hold of her and get a hold of her lawyer and tell them if they want to file a lawsuit, you know, you know, we can, they can get themselves some money on it. Uh, you know, he’ll indicate, you know, he’ll, he’ll, he’ll indicate that, you know, he, he was guilty or whatever, but I wanted to get her some money. The word I get back is tell him that piece of shit, meaning me to drop dead, to drop dead. You know, we’re going to put this guy in prison and that’s where he should be too. When the case now, now when the case goes to trial. [1:05:48] The coppers lied like hell and talk about stupid. I’ve got the police reports there. When they took him into the police station, they wouldn’t take him. The station said take him to a hospital. He goes to the hospital and the reports, you know, bleeding here, bleeding there, and, you know, marks here, marks there. They beat the hell out of him. [1:06:10] You know, nobody touched him. You know, nobody touched him. Nobody touched him. Was he bleeding? No, no, he wasn’t. He wasn’t bleeding. Didn’t have any, you know, along with, you know, along with everything else. Flat out lied. How many policemen were there? There were two or three. There were about 10 by the time it’s over. But it’s an absolute throwout. Any fingerprints on that metal? Well, we had some fingerprints, but not his. And on and on it went. It’s a throwout case to start with. The courtroom now where the case was, was very interesting. You walk in there, and when you walk in there, there’s about 20 people that can sit. And then there’s, it’s the only courtroom in the building where you have a wall, a glass wall, all the way up, all the way up. Covering in the door, opens up and goes in there. You go in there. It’s a big courtroom. A bunch of benches now in there. You go to the left, and here’s the judge’s chambers. You come out of the chambers, and you walk up about four steps. And here the desk is on like a podium. And it’s not where all the others are, you know, where you look straight forward. It’s over on the side. It’s over, you know, to the left as you walk out of his chambers. [1:07:40] When the judge listens to the case he goes in there I’ll come up back with my ruling he comes out about 10 minutes later he walks up the steps, And now he turns off the microphone. Somebody turns off the microphone so the people in the back can’t hear anything. The ones inside there can, you know, can hear. The one back there can’t hear anything because it’s all enclosed. [1:08:11] That’s why they got the microphone back there. Somebody shut it off. He says, basically, I’m not guilty in a real strange voice. And all but runs off the all but run and don’t ask me why this is what he did all but runs off all but runs off into the into his chambers, you know he’s afraid all those cops out in the audience were going to come and charge the stand I guess and put a whack on him. [1:08:43] But think about it this is Chicago he’s with the bad guys but I’m just saying I don’t know why he did all that, but that’s what he did. And so now, as I come walking out with Mike, and they’re all in uniform, and most of them are in uniform, and then you’ve got the press and all kinds of cameras and whatever there. And as I come walking out along with him, some of these guys I know, and these jerk-offs are like calling me names and whatever. I go, I go see Pat. [1:09:23] And when I go back into Counselor’s Row now, he’s there at the table. And when I come in, it’s a repeat of the Harry Allerman thing. He walks out. He walks directly. And I’m following him, and he walks in. He goes back into the same janitor’s closet and stands on the same steps just above me, you know, talking to me. And I said to him I said this judge is going to have a problem, I said, he’s going to have a problem. I said, what if he says something? And he said to me, nobody would dare. He said, nobody would dare cooperate against us. They know what would happen. Or words to that effect. And don’t ask me why. So many other things had happened before this. But now I’m looking at him and I’m thinking, you know, somebody’s got to stop this craziness. All this stuff. I’m thinking that at the moment, but then I’m worried for some reason, I think he can read my mind. [1:10:34] Stupid as all of this seems, I’m afraid to think that anymore. I’m almost, you know, cause Pat’s such a powerful person and every sense I know, I know his power, but anyhow, so I leave. And like I say, 10, 15 minutes later, that’s all forgotten about. He paid me the rest of the money I was supposed to get from them. [1:10:56] Obviously, he wanted to do it because he was probably charging a lot of money. That’s why he didn’t want me to take things. He wanted to collect the money because while the case was going on too, he puts me in touch with the head of the probation department because he was able to help in some way. He knew some of the, you know, some of the, some of the policemen involved in the thing had been contacted too. Yeah. But they were contacted and they messed up by, you know, they messed up by lying about all that. Yeah. When there’s police reports saying, oh, no, but anyhow, that was that particular case. Tell us why you decided to flip. [1:11:38] These had been your friends. You knew you had explosive information. You knew as a lawyer, you knew what you had to say would send these people to prison for many, many years. if not life. It had to be hard. As other things happened, why did I commit the, Probably two or three other times things happened. But the most important thing was to think when my dad was dying, and I was very close to my dad. When my dad was dyi

Alcala's Western Wear on Chicago Avenue is Made in Chicago.

Alcala's Western Wear on Chicago Avenue is Made in Chicago.

Alcala's Western Wear on Chicago Avenue is Made in Chicago.

Shamus Toomey, Editor in Chief and co-founder of Block Club Chicago, joins Bob Sirott to share the latest Chicago neighborhood stories. Shamus has details on: Milwaukee Avenue In Wicker Park Will Go Car-Free Once A Month This Fall: The Meet Me On Milwaukee pilot will shut down Milwaukee Avenue between Damen and Ashland avenues to cars […]

(The Center Square) – Despite a mass shooting just north of downtown Chicago Wednesday night, Mayor Brandon Johnson says he wants people to enjoy the city this holiday weekend. The shooting outside Artis Restaurant and Lounge on Chicago Avenue left four people dead and 18 others wounded. Police said a vehicle pulled up near a crowd of people on the sidewalk, and gunfire erupted from the vehicle. The incident happened as a crowd was leaving a release party for a local music artist. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said detectives are working hard to solve the crime. “We as a Chicago Police Department want to make sure that we bring justice to these families, but we also want to make sure that we take individuals who are this violent and this careless off the streets,” Snelling said.

Jeanette Rupert, Jeanelle Austin and Butchy Austin grew up around 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis and all took action in different ways following the murder of George Floyd. They shared with MPR News how their activism has impacted them and their communities in the time since.

Five years ago, the murder of George Floyd by then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin turned the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue into an epicenter of worldwide calls to change policing. It was at that intersection where witnesses filmed Floyd's final moments as he cried out repeatedly that he couldn't breathe.Now, as city leaders work to implement court-ordered police reforms, they are also trying to figure out what's next for the site where the murder happened, now known as George Floyd Square. Council member Andrea Jenkins represents that area on the Minneapolis City Council. She joins MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the future of George Floyd Square.

In celebration of Black History Month in February, MPR News is highlighting Black history throughout the state. From a fur trader believed to be one of the first African descendants in territory that is now Minnesota, to streets and parks renamed in 2024 after Black community leaders, these sites span the state and the centuries. Click to explore Black history sites throughout the stateSouthern Minnesotagibbs divGibbs Elementary School, RochesterGibbs Elementary School in Rochester is named after George W. Gibbs Jr., the first known Black person to set foot in Antarctica.Gibbs was serving in the U.S. Navy when he sailed to the continent as a member of Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd's third expedition.In January 1940, after almost 40 days at sea on the U.S.S. Bear, he was the first person to step off the ship.Gibbs moved to Rochester and became a civil rights activist and small business owner. He spent almost 20 years working at IBM, co-founded the Rochester Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, and founded an employment agency he operated until 1999.— Alex Haddon, radio reporter interndiv rushfordUnderground RailroadAlthough not much is known about Minnesota's role in the Underground Railroad due to its secrecy, the Rushford Area Historical Society believes the city was part of the network to help enslaved people to freedom. The area was home to abolitionists at the time and is about 16 miles from the Mississippi River, an escape route north to Canada. Secret rooms have been discovered in at least three homes in Rushford, which are all currently private residences. One home was built in 1859 for abolitionists George and Harriet Stevens and is thought to be a safe house in the 1860s. In a different house, a secret room was found downstairs after the flood of 2007. It's an 18-room, two-story house built in 1861 for Roswell and George Valentine. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.A third home was built in 1867 for Miles Carpenter, an early Rushford banker, and is also thought to be a safe house. The Rushford Area Historical Society also believes limestone caves were used to hide people escaping to freedom. — Lisa Ryan, editorCentral Minnesotadiv msrMinnesota Spokesman-Recorder, MinneapolisAs the oldest Black-owned newspaper and one of the longest standing family-owned newspapers in the country, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder is a point of pride in the Twin Cities. The paper was started in August 1934 by civil rights activist Cecil E. Newman with a split publication: the Minneapolis Spokesman and the St. Paul Recorder. In its first issue, Newman made a prediction and promise to readers, writing, “We feel sure St. Paul and Minneapolis will have real champions of the Race.” Today, Newman's granddaughter Tracey Williams-Dillard serves as the CEO and publisher for MSR and continues the paper that has been a trusted news source in the Black community for almost a century. As a weekly paper, MSR has tackled topics like local Ku Klux Klan activities, Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Movement, Minneapolis' first Black woman mayor, and George Floyd's murder. In 2015, its building at 3744 4th Ave. in Minneapolis became a state historic landmark.— Kyra Miles, early education reporterdiv penumbraPenumbra Theatre, St. PaulFounded in 1976, Penumbra Theatre was created by Lou Bellamy. Over the years, Penumbra has had the distinction of being the only Black professional theater in Minnesota. The name Penumbra means “half-light” or “partial eclipse.” It was founded using a Comprehensive Employment Training Act grant from the federal government. Its first production, Steve Carter's “Eden,” explored diversity of ethnicities within the African American community. In a 1977 interview with MPR News, Bellamy described the theater as being inadvertently political, with its focus on giving Black actors opportunities to perform at the professional level.  “The roles that you generally see — and it's because of the people who choose the shows — are waiters, butlers, things that if not debilitating, at least are not allowing them to show the extent of their capability,” Bellamy said.Penumbra has had a number of company members that are recognizable, both locally and nationally. Perhaps its most famous alumnus is playwright August Wilson, who developed some of his earliest plays at Penumbra. In a 2023 interview, Bellamy noted that the character Levee in “Ma Rainey's Black Bottom” was influenced by his brother Terry's portrayal in early readings. In 2021, under the direction of Lou's daughter Sarah Bellamy, the theater received a $5 million grant to build on its work in racial equality. — Jacob Aloi, arts reporter and newscasterdiv leeArthur and Edith Lee House, Minneapolis In June 1931, Arthur and Edith Lee, a Black couple, purchased the modest craftsman-style home in Minneapolis' Field neighborhood and moved into the predominantly white neighborhood with their young daughter, Mary.Several years earlier, property owners in the area signed a contract with the neighborhood association to not sell or rent their homes to anyone who wasn't white.When the Lees moved in, community members tried to force them out.Their home became the site of an urban riot in July 1931, when an angry mob of 4,000 white people gathered in their yard and spilled out onto the street, demanding the family leave the neighborhood.A U.S. postal worker, World War I veteran and NAACP member, Arthur Lee said he had a “right to establish a home” in the neighborhood of his choosing.Many individuals and organizations came to the family's defense, including local and national chapters of the NAACP and the prominent civil rights attorney, Lena Olive Smith. (see Lena O. Smith House below)The Lees stayed in their home until the fall of 1933. According to the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, the family slept in the basement because of safety concerns, and their daughter Mary was escorted to kindergarten by the police.The Arthur and Edith Lee House became a designated historic property in Minneapolis in 2014.The Lee protests remain some of the largest and most widely publicized race-related demonstrations in Minnesota's history. The city of Minneapolis' local historic landmark designation similarly finds the Arthur and Edith Lee House to be associated “with broad patterns of social history, particularly in regard to African American history in Minneapolis, race relations and historical trends of housing discrimination.”— Erica Zurek, senior health reporterdiv floydGeorge Floyd Square, Minneapolis On May 25, 2020, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd outside of a convenience store at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue on the south side of Minneapolis. The community transformed the intersection into a memorial and protest site. It's also become a point of contention over how to remember Floyd's murder and the protest movement that started here. Local protesters maintain that the site should be community-led, until the city meets a list of demands for justice. For a year after Floyd's murder, protesters kept the streets closed to traffic; city workers took down the barricades in 2021. Now, the city is locked in an ongoing debate over the square's future. City officials say the streets are overdue for reconstruction. They're pushing for a plan to rebuild the intersection, supported by some local residents and businesses on the block. But local activists, who still maintain the ongoing protest, say it's too soon for the city to take a role in the street design. Instead, they say they want the city to invest in neighborhood services, like housing and substance abuse programs.— Estelle Timar-Wilcox, general assignment reporterdiv hiawathaHiawatha Golf Course, MinneapolisAt a time when African American golfers were barred from participating in white-only tournaments and golf courses, the Hiawatha Golf Course became a popular gathering spot for Black golfers.The course opened in 1934 in south Minneapolis, and was the spot, a few years later, where African American golfer James “Jimmie” Slemmons created what's now the Upper Midwest Bronze Amateur Memorial — a tournament that welcomed Black golfers.Despite being a popular course for African Americans, the Hiawatha Golf Course clubhouse barred non-white golfers from entering. That is until 1952, when that rule ended, largely because of the efforts of golf legend and trailblazer Solomon Hughes Sr.“Hughes was an excellent golfer, recognized nationwide, yet still could not golf at white golf courses, which is why Hiawatha golf course is so important to us,” said Greg McMoore, a long-time south Minneapolis resident and historian.Although once only allowed to play with the United Golfer's Association, a league formed by Black golfers, Hughes was among the first Black golfers to tee off in a PGA event at the 1952 St. Paul Open.In 2022, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board officially named the clubhouse the Solomon Hughes Clubhouse. The golf course was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2023.— Cari Spencer, reporterdiv smithLena O. Smith House, MinneapolisCivil rights leader and trailblazing attorney Lena O. Smith lived in this Minneapolis home on 3905 Fifth Ave. S. While working in real estate, Smith witnessed up close the discriminatory practices that excluded Black families from certain neighborhoods of the city. She took that experience to law school and in 1921 became the first Black woman to practice law in the state of Minnesota.As an attorney, Smith took on several high-profile cases fighting segregation and defending the rights of Black residents of Minneapolis. She worked to desegregate spaces in the city including the Pantages Theatre and protected a Black family from a campaign to oust them from their home in a mostly white neighborhood of south Minneapolis. (see Arthur and Edith Lee House, above)Smith founded the Minneapolis Urban League and led the local chapter of the NAACP as its first woman president. She worked inside and outside of the courtroom to advance civil rights until her death in 1966. Her home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. — Alanna Elder, producerdiv spiral‘Spiral for Justice' memorial, St. PaulOn the south lawn of the State Capitol grounds is the ‘Spiral for Justice' memorial for Roy Wilkins.Wilkins, who grew up in St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood, was a civil rights leader. He worked in various roles at the NAACP from 1931 to1977, leading the organization for 22 years.The memorial has 46 elements that are positioned in a spiral, getting higher and higher as they extend out from the middle and out beyond two walls that surround the main parts of the sculpture. Each element represents a year of his work at the NAACP, and the elements breaking through the wall represent progress breaking through barriers of racial inequality. The memorial, designed by sculptor Curtis Patterson, was dedicated in 1995.— Peter Cox, reporter div wigingtonClarence Wigington, St. PaulThe Highland Park Water Tower was designed by Clarence “Cap” Wigington, the first African American municipal architect in the United States.Wigington designed or supervised the creation of over 130 buildings throughout his decades-long career, with most located in St. Paul and designed during his tenure at the city architect's office between 1915 and 1949.He designed a number of city projects including fire stations and park buildings, as well as ice palaces for the St. Paul Winter Carnival. (He also designed my old stomping grounds, Chelsea Heights Elementary School, and an addition to my alma mater Murray Middle School.)Some of his other landmark structures include the Harriet Island Pavilion (since renamed after him), Roy Wilkins auditorium and the Holman Field Administration building at the St. Paul Downtown Airport.The Highland Park Water Tower, built in 1928, is one of three Wigington structures listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The others are the Harriet Island Pavilion and the Holman Field Administration building.— Feven Gerezgiher, reporter and producerNorthern Minnesotadiv gomerStatue of Tuskegee Airman Joe Gomer, DuluthA statue in the Duluth International Airport terminal honors a Minnesotan who was a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.Joe Gomer was among the country's first Black fighter pilots, flying 68 combat missions in Europe. He and his fellow Tuskegee Airmen were tasked with protecting bombers from German fighters. The unit's success helped the push to end segregation in the U.S. military.Gomer stayed in the military after the war and later worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Minnesota. He lived in Duluth for 50 years and stayed active into his 90s. The Duluth News Tribune reported that Gomer shared the history of the Tuskegee Airmen and talked about the importance of education with school groups.Veterans' groups in Duluth worked to raise money for the statue to honor Gomer's service to his country; it was dedicated at the airport in 2012, on Gomer's 92nd birthday. Gomer died the following year at age 93; he was Minnesota's last living Tuskegee Airman.— Andrew Krueger, editordiv mosleyHattie Mosley, HibbingIn 1905, 23-year-old Hattie Mosley moved from Decatur, Ill., to the up-and-coming mining town of Hibbing, Minn. Twelve years prior, the town was established by a German miner. At the time, 50 percent of Hibbing residents were born in a foreign country. Yet Mosley, a Black woman, remained a minority, as it was still uncommon for Black people to live in northern Minnesota as long-term residents. This is according to history expert Aaron Brown, who was featured in an Almanac interview with Twin Cities Public Television about the resident. Mosley came to Hibbing as a widow, and did not have any children. She spent the next 30 years as a single woman caring for the mining town as its residents faced the Spanish Flu, the effects of World War I and other daily ailments. She often volunteered in poor immigrant communities and checked in on the sick, using her homemade cough syrup and homemade remedies to nurse most of the town back to health.She was known to help with the worst cases other medical professionals wouldn't dare to touch, including the most severe quarantined cases of the Spanish Flu. Because of this, she is described as a heroine and often called the Florence Nightingale of Hibbing, according to Brown.She died in 1938 and is buried in Maple Hill Cemetery. The beloved nurse and midwife's obituary said her greatest joy in life was helping those who could not afford care. “Her acts of charity, so freely given, numbered a legion and among the poor her death will be keenly felt,” read her obituary in the Hibbing Daily Tribune.Mosley was elected to the Hibbing Historical Society's Hall of Service and Achievement a decade ago.— Sam Stroozas, digital producerdiv st markSt. Mark AME, DuluthSt. Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church is in the Central Hillside area of Duluth. The church was built in 1900 and was added to the National Register in 1991. W. E. B. DuBois spoke at St. Mark in 1921 before a gathering of the Duluth chapter of the NAACP, which had recently been founded after the lynching of three Black men in downtown Duluth. DuBois founded the national organization in 1909.— Regina Medina, reporterdiv bonga pembinaFort Pembina, near present-day Pembina, N.D.Pierre Bonga and his family are well known in Minnesota's early Black history, before it was even a state. His son George Bonga was one of the first Black people born in what later became the state of Minnesota, according to MNopedia. George was born in the Northwest Territory around 1802, near present-day Duluth. His mother was Ojibwe, as were the two women he married in his lifetime. George was a guide and translator for negotiations with the Ojibwe for Territorial Governor Lewis Cass. While the Bonga family has connections to many locations in present-day Minnesota and the Great Lakes region, they spent time in Fort Pembina, according to the University of North Dakota. Pierre Bonga was also a trapper and interpreter. He primarily worked near the Red River, as well as near Lake Superior. He died in 1831, in what is now Minnesota. — Lisa Ryan, editorClick here.

Jen Sabella, the Director of Strategy and co-founder of Block Club Chicago, joins Bob Sirott to share the latest Chicago neighborhood stories. She provides details on: Passages Wine And Books Opens In West Town As A Place To Gather And Unwind: The bookstore on Chicago Avenue stocks fiction, romance, mystery and other genres. Owner Amanda Sadowski […]

Award-winning investigative journalist Liz Collin sets the record straight. She uncovers what really happened on Chicago Avenue and exposes the truth of the 2020 riots. For more: https://www.thefallofminneapolis.com/ Episode sponsor: United Patriot Supply: bit.ly/ABWSupply This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit allenwest.substack.com/subscribe

Dave Schwan has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. Bally’s Cooperation announced it has closed the deal to the tune of 200 million dollars for the Tribune Publishing Center site for its Bally’s Chicago location. It’s a 99 year ground lease deal for the land on Chicago Avenue and Halsted. […]

A crowd of bystanders watched helplessly as a Minneapolis police officer took George Floyd's life in Minneapolis in 2020. One of those watching was just 9 years old, Judeah Reynolds. Now an 11-year-old sixth grader, Judeah has released a children's book called “A Walk to the Store.” It documents the effect Floyd's murder had on her and how she's continuing to move forward. "I'm too little to walk alone to the store,” Judeah reads to a rapt audience of elementary school students in north Minneapolis Friday. “So I ask everybody in the house, "Will you walk me to the store?" Her cousin Darnella Frazier agreed to walk Judeah, with her $3 for candy, to Cup Foods at the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. That's where Judeah watched as George Floyd lost consciousness and stopped moving under Derek Chauvin's knee. Her cousin recorded the video of Floyd's murder that went viral. "We watch a man get killed,” Judeah reads. “We cannot stop it from happening. All we can do is tell what happened." Stephen Maturen for MPR News Judeah Reynolds reads from her book before an audience of young children at Legacy of Dr. Josie R. Johnson Montessori School. Judeah was the youngest bystander at the scene. Her presence was noted repeatedly by judges and attorneys as four ex-cops stood trial in state and federal court in Floyd's killing. All four former officers are currently serving federal prison sentences. Two of the former officers, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, are set to go on trial later this month in Hennepin County District Court on charges of aiding and abetting Floyd's murder. As told to Sheletta Brundidge and Lily Coyle, Judeah's story was inspired by a book by Brundidge's daughter that Judeah read called “Cameron Goes to School'' in the Urban Ventures reading program. Brundidge said Judeah's book purposely doesn't dwell on the horrific details of Floyd's murder. There are no images of Derek Chauvin or of Floyd pinned to the ground. "I didn't want to relive that trauma for Judeah,” said Brundidge, who has authored three other children's books. “George Floyd died but the world moved. We moved in the right direction with racial equity and breaking down barriers and systemic things that have been in place for generations. We all moved. I didn't want her stuck in that spot." Stephen Maturen for MPR News A copy of the book “A Walk to the Store” sits on a table during an assembly at Legacy of Dr. Josie R. Johnson Montessori School on Friday in Minneapolis. Instead, Judeah's story follows her path, from sadness to starting to understand the power she had as a witness of this event. That's why Brundidge felt it was important for the book to also include a list of ways that parents can help kids through trauma. "As parents we're having to explain school shootings [at] football games, and why we've got to be careful or what we've got to look out for. These kids are going through a lot of trauma,” Brundidge said. “This little girl who people were wondering about, who was in the video, 'I wonder how she's doing? I think about her all the time.' Well, she's doing fine." The drawings by Darcy Bell-Myers of Stillwater show Judeah and her family in bright colors. Judeah wears a blue shirt that says “Love.” Judeah's book release was held at Legacy of Dr. Josie R. Johnson Montessori School in north Minneapolis. It's named for the pioneering Minnesota civil rights advocate, active since the 1950s, who helped pass anti-discrimination laws in the state. Painting symbolized a movement Bringing the ‘Icon of a Revolution' to George Floyd Square A movement memorialized Plywood art honoring George Floyd goes on display Johnson said it broke her heart when she heard Judeah witnessed Floyd's killing. But she was hopeful seeing Judeah read to a gym full of children. “To see her today be able to say she saw and she's still alive and awake as to what's going on, and to feel safe and secure, is what our struggle as Black adults is all about,” Johnson said. Judeah's father Ronnie Reynolds remembers some hard days after Floyd's killing. She couldn't sleep, she was crying all the time. The family moved to Chicago to get some distance. The book release was the first time they'd been back. "Me and my family left Minneapolis because the tragedy was too much for my little daughter to bear. She didn't want to go to school, she was scared of police and stuff,” Reynolds said. “And I was like, ‘OK, it's time to just move away for a while.'" Stephen Maturen for MPR News A balloon honoring the 49th birthday of George Floyd is prepared for release. But Reynolds has watched his daughter grow, get better and gain strength. When he read her book, he said it brought tears to his eyes to see how far she'd come. Judeah's book was released on what would have been George Floyd's 49th birthday. After hearing the book, dozens of children tramped into the parking lot behind the school. They sang "happy birthday," shouted George Floyd's name, and released a big red balloon. Brundidge told the kids it would float all the way to Floyd in heaven. Judeah said most kids she went to school with don't understand all that happened to her. She wants to share her story with other kids to help make positive change. “I'm too little to walk alone to the store,” Judeah's story closes. “But I'm big enough and brave enough to make things better in a very big way.” The book is published by Beaver's Pond Press and is available at AWalkToTheStore.com.  Stephen Maturen for MPR News Students watch as a balloon honoring the 49th birthday of George Floyd is released during an assembly to celebrate the book “A Walk to the Store” at Legacy of Dr. Josie R. Johnson Montessori School on Friday in Minneapolis.

A crowd of bystanders watched helplessly as a Minneapolis police officer took George Floyd's life in Minneapolis in 2020. One of those watching was just 9 years old, Judeah Reynolds. Now an 11-year-old sixth grader, Judeah has released a children's book called “A Walk to the Store.” It documents the effect Floyd's murder had on her and how she's continuing to move forward. "I'm too little to walk alone to the store,” Judeah reads to a rapt audience of elementary school students in north Minneapolis Friday. “So I ask everybody in the house, "Will you walk me to the store?" Her cousin Darnella Frazier agreed to walk Judeah, with her $3 for candy, to Cup Foods at the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. That's where Judeah watched as George Floyd lost consciousness and stopped moving under Derek Chauvin's knee. Her cousin recorded the video of Floyd's murder that went viral. "We watch a man get killed,” Judeah reads. “We cannot stop it from happening. All we can do is tell what happened." Stephen Maturen for MPR News Judeah Reynolds reads from her book before an audience of young children at Legacy of Dr. Josie R. Johnson Montessori School. Judeah was the youngest bystander at the scene. Her presence was noted repeatedly by judges and attorneys as four ex-cops stood trial in state and federal court in Floyd's killing. All four former officers are currently serving federal prison sentences. Two of the former officers, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, are set to go on trial later this month in Hennepin County District Court on charges of aiding and abetting Floyd's murder. As told to Sheletta Brundidge and Lily Coyle, Judeah's story was inspired by a book by Brundidge's daughter that Judeah read called “Cameron Goes to School'' in the Urban Ventures reading program. Brundidge said Judeah's book purposely doesn't dwell on the horrific details of Floyd's murder. There are no images of Derek Chauvin or of Floyd pinned to the ground. "I didn't want to relive that trauma for Judeah,” said Brundidge, who has authored three other children's books. “George Floyd died but the world moved. We moved in the right direction with racial equity and breaking down barriers and systemic things that have been in place for generations. We all moved. I didn't want her stuck in that spot." Stephen Maturen for MPR News A copy of the book “A Walk to the Store” sits on a table during an assembly at Legacy of Dr. Josie R. Johnson Montessori School on Friday in Minneapolis. Instead, Judeah's story follows her path, from sadness to starting to understand the power she had as a witness of this event. That's why Brundidge felt it was important for the book to also include a list of ways that parents can help kids through trauma. "As parents we're having to explain school shootings [at] football games, and why we've got to be careful or what we've got to look out for. These kids are going through a lot of trauma,” Brundidge said. “This little girl who people were wondering about, who was in the video, 'I wonder how she's doing? I think about her all the time.' Well, she's doing fine." The drawings by Darcy Bell-Myers of Stillwater show Judeah and her family in bright colors. Judeah wears a blue shirt that says “Love.” Judeah's book release was held at Legacy of Dr. Josie R. Johnson Montessori School in north Minneapolis. It's named for the pioneering Minnesota civil rights advocate, active since the 1950s, who helped pass anti-discrimination laws in the state. Painting symbolized a movement Bringing the ‘Icon of a Revolution' to George Floyd Square A movement memorialized Plywood art honoring George Floyd goes on display Johnson said it broke her heart when she heard Judeah witnessed Floyd's killing. But she was hopeful seeing Judeah read to a gym full of children. “To see her today be able to say she saw and she's still alive and awake as to what's going on, and to feel safe and secure, is what our struggle as Black adults is all about,” Johnson said. Judeah's father Ronnie Reynolds remembers some hard days after Floyd's killing. She couldn't sleep, she was crying all the time. The family moved to Chicago to get some distance. The book release was the first time they'd been back. "Me and my family left Minneapolis because the tragedy was too much for my little daughter to bear. She didn't want to go to school, she was scared of police and stuff,” Reynolds said. “And I was like, ‘OK, it's time to just move away for a while.'" Stephen Maturen for MPR News A balloon honoring the 49th birthday of George Floyd is prepared for release. But Reynolds has watched his daughter grow, get better and gain strength. When he read her book, he said it brought tears to his eyes to see how far she'd come. Judeah's book was released on what would have been George Floyd's 49th birthday. After hearing the book, dozens of children tramped into the parking lot behind the school. They sang "happy birthday," shouted George Floyd's name, and released a big red balloon. Brundidge told the kids it would float all the way to Floyd in heaven. Judeah said most kids she went to school with don't understand all that happened to her. She wants to share her story with other kids to help make positive change. “I'm too little to walk alone to the store,” Judeah's story closes. “But I'm big enough and brave enough to make things better in a very big way.” The book is published by Beaver's Pond Press and is available at AWalkToTheStore.com.  Stephen Maturen for MPR News Students watch as a balloon honoring the 49th birthday of George Floyd is released during an assembly to celebrate the book “A Walk to the Store” at Legacy of Dr. Josie R. Johnson Montessori School on Friday in Minneapolis.

For this car-based episode, I'm joined by music curator Denis Buckley (of 88 Fingers Louie fame) and Dante's owner Tim Murphy.. Denis is going to be “DJ-ing” at Dante's (1938 W. Chicago Ave) this Thursday night (3/24/22). We talk about a lot of music, as well as some exciting changes coming to Dante's Chicago Avenue location.

We're re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in May 2021.A year after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, residents near the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue—now dubbed George Floyd Square—continue to keep the area closed off. The city wants to reopen the intersection, but activists say they aren't giving in until the community's demands for justice are met.Guest: Marcia Howard, security volunteer and organizer in George Floyd Square.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you'll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in May 2021. A year after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, residents near the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue—now dubbed George Floyd Square—continue to keep the area closed off. The city wants to reopen the intersection, but activists say they aren't giving in until the community's demands for justice are met. Guest: Marcia Howard, security volunteer and organizer in George Floyd Square. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you'll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in May 2021. A year after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, residents near the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue—now dubbed George Floyd Square—continue to keep the area closed off. The city wants to reopen the intersection, but activists say they aren't giving in until the community's demands for justice are met. Guest: Marcia Howard, security volunteer and organizer in George Floyd Square. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you'll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in May 2021. A year after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, residents near the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue—now dubbed George Floyd Square—continue to keep the area closed off. The city wants to reopen the intersection, but activists say they aren't giving in until the community's demands for justice are met. Guest: Marcia Howard, security volunteer and organizer in George Floyd Square. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you'll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats are moving forward with HRI, which will be unlikely to pass the Senate. Dr. Fauci finally had to admit that the Coronavirus was developed in a Chinese laboratory. President Trump saved a recent speech and for congress in 2022. More riots heat up in Minneapolis after another police shooting, and the city attempts to reopen 38th and Chicago Avenue. Also, on the program; Texas is going to start arresting illegals. Republicans push "Old Glory Act." Oregon counties want to become Idaho. Democratic Texas town turns Republican. Democrat's push to make crash test dummies "Gender Neutral." Liberal school boards push their liberal agenda on conservative students. -Thank you for listening!-

City workers on Thursday cleared barricades at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis, the site transformed a year ago into an occupied protest and memorial following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Mayor Jacob Frey said the work was the start of a reopening of the area, and he vowed to spend money to boost local businesses and improve the streetscape. This is an MPR News morning update for Friday, June 4, 2021. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

A year after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, residents near the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue - now dubbed George Floyd Square - continue to keep the area closed off. The city wants to reopen the intersection, but activists say they aren't giving in until the community's demands for justice are met. Guest: Marcia Howard, security volunteer and organizer in George Floyd Square. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you'll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One year after the murder of George Floyd, Maria and Julio are joined by Mel Reeves, political organizer and community editor of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, and Hibah Ansari, immigration reporter at Sahan Journal, to reflect on policing in the United States. They break down what has been missing from mainstream media coverage and discuss the radical transformations needed on the local and national level. SAVE THE DATE: Our next virtual LIVE ITT show is tomorrow Wednesday, May 26th at 7pm ET! Maria and Julio will be joined by Georgia Fort, award winning independent journalist and Tarkor Zehn, journalist and audio producer to discuss police violence, racial justice and healing in Minneapolis during the week that marks one year since the police murder of George Floyd. For more info and to RSVP, click here.This episode is sponsored by Ground News - The world's first news comparison platform. Download Ground News for free: http://ground.news/thickITT Staff Picks:Read Mel Reeves’ latest in his blog, Fight The Power Journal, where he writes: “Internecine community violence (so-called Black on Black violence) and police violence spring from the same source, they are rooted in White Supremacy and the social/ political/ economic system: capitalism.”For the Sahan Journal, Hibah Ansari writes about the families that are still seeking justice for their loved ones who were killed by police in the Twin Cities area.The Star Tribune’s photo essay, “The Crossroads of Minneapolis,” documents the intersection between 38th and Chicago Avenue, where George Floyd has been memorialized.Photo credit: AP Photo/Morry Gash See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A year after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, residents near the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue - now dubbed George Floyd Square - continue to keep the area closed off. The city wants to reopen the intersection, but activists say they aren’t giving in until the community’s demands for justice are met.  Guest: Marcia Howard, security volunteer and organizer in George Floyd Square.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A year after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, residents near the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue - now dubbed George Floyd Square - continue to keep the area closed off. The city wants to reopen the intersection, but activists say they aren’t giving in until the community’s demands for justice are met.  Guest: Marcia Howard, security volunteer and organizer in George Floyd Square.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Il 25 maggio 2020, alle 20:20, è andato in scena il triste episodio che ha cambiato ancora una volta l’animo degli Stati Uniti. È trascorso quasi un anno da quella sera in cui George Floyd perse la vita durante un intervento della polizia tra la 38esima e Chicago Avenue, a Minneapolis in Minnesota. Da quel giorno l’America non è più la stessa. Donald Trump ha abbandonato, non senza resistenze, la Casa Bianca in favore di Joe Biden che prende in mano un Paese in crisi con se stesso, tra razzismo e pandemia, e da ricostruire. Una missione che il Presidente democratico ha cercato subito di adempiere nei primi cento giorni con manovre di rooseveltiana memoria per risollevare, e far risorgere ancora una volta, gli Stati Uniti che ricominciano quasi da capo per scrivere nuovamente la storia. “La versione di Greco” è il podcast di HuffPost scritto da Gerardo Greco e Luca Piras. Ogni giovedì, alle 7:30, venti minuti di informazione accurata e approfondita sull’argomento di cui tutti parlano. In un formato podcast che vuole essere un “esperimento a cavallo tra inchiesta e attualità da un lato, e racconto e romanzo popolare dall’altro”. Questa è “La versione di Greco”, un prodotto pensato per essere condiviso sui social e “goduto” nei tempi più lenti che la pandemia ci ha consegnato.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There was quiet, just for a moment, as hundreds of people standing in the intersection at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue crowded in to listen to the news.“They're announcing the verdict!” someone shouted, calling for silence.Then thunderous cheering filled the place where George Floyd was pinned beneath a police officer's knee nearly a year ago, begging for air and his mother. Many people wept. Some sobbed.They were cheering the first guilty verdict for the fired officer, Derek Chauvin, who was charged with murder and manslaughter. Moments later, another wave of cheers swept the crowd as the other two verdicts — both guilty — were announced. Moments after that, Chauvin put his hands behind his back and was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs.In the place now known as George Floyd Square, a spot that millions around the world have seen in videos shot by bystanders during Floyd's arrest, there was relief.Venisha Johnson jumped for joy when she heard the verdicts. Minutes later she could barely speak, she was weeping so hard.“It means so much to me,” said Johnson, who was wearing a mask that memorialized some of Floyd's final words: “I can't breathe.”“I've been praying for George every day, every morning at 6 a.m. I'm just so happy. The way he was murdered was terrible, but thank you, Jesus,” she said.Some 300 people gathered in the intersection, home to Cup Foods, the corner convenience store where employees had called police on the evening of May 25, saying Floyd had paid for cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. It was Memorial Day.Since then, thousands have come to lay flowers, poems, photos and letters at the site where Floyd had the air choked out of him. They came to stand beside the sculpture that now fills the middle of the street, a huge metal fist raised as a cry for justice. They came to look at the now-closed gas station, where the sign had been covered long ago with a demand: “Justice for George Floyd.”On Tuesday, a protester climbed onto the sign to add two more words: “Justice Served?”For those gathered on Tuesday, they had seen at least the beginning of justice.“Let the healing work begin,” said Jennifer Starr Dodd, a Minneapolis woman, speaking through her tears. “Repentance, accountability, respect. You can't have healing without repentance.”By early evening, the square was a scene of celebration, prayer and community relief. More and more people streamed in. Someone played a tuba. There were occasional chants of “Say his name! George Floyd!” People danced to “We Gon' Be Alright” by Tye Tribbet and DMX's “Party Up.” Parents brought children, showing them that, at least sometimes, a Black man could get justice.Chris Gober, 17, brought his younger brother to talk about how Black men can face dangers from the police.“Watch your back. Watch everything you do,” he told the 7-year-old. But Gober also said the verdict was “a start to a change” for a movement to racial justice.Criminal convictions of police officers are exceedingly rare. There have been thousands of police shootings in the U.S. since 2005, but fewer than 140 officers have been charged with murder or manslaughter, according to criminologist Phil Stinson. Before Tuesday, only seven were convicted of murder.Toni Hamilton, who brought her daughters to the intersection to hear the verdict, was deeply relieved at the news.“I feel like for this whole time we've all been breathing with half of our breath,” she said. “Now there's opportunity for the future. ... There's power when we all come together.”It remains unclear what will happen to the square, which sprang up organically in the days after Floyd's death, when community members put up homemade barricades to close it off. The city later replaced them with concrete barriers. It has been a place of pilgrimage and picnics, with people painting slogans and portraits on walls and the streets, leaving flowers and sometimes just hanging out and grilling hot dogs.But neighborhood re...

Health officials are upping their concern about another COVID surge, as the UK variant gains speed. And paramedics say George Floyd was already dead when they found him on Chicago Avenue last May. This is an evening up date from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.

Walking in her south Minneapolis neighborhood last May, off-duty firefighter Genevieve Hansen said she was drawn to the sound of agitated voices near 38th Street and Chicago Avenue and went to see if anyone needed help. She found an active police scene outside Cup Foods, and officer Derek Chauvin’s knee pressed against the neck of George Floyd as the man lay handcuffed and face down on the street, pleading for air. This is an MPR News morning update for Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

Nur-D is a Twin Cities hip-hop artist. He tells Yia and David the origin story of his stage name Nur-D, how he got into music, and his reflections on the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis that led him to record his latest two albums "38th" and "Chicago Avenue." They talk activism, church music, COVID survival, and do a deep dive into Marvel's "Wandavision."The White on Rice podcast is hosted and produced by Yia Vang and David Crabb. For more information, please visit us at whiteonricepodcast.com.

This episode is featuring my multi-talented friend Ryan Hayes AKA DJ Hayes. Hayes is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, emcee, and DJ. This episode was recorded in late December of 2020. In this episode we talk about everything from his artistry, being a DJ for Nur-D, struggles/triumphs of 2020. and the work that he's done with Justice Frontline Aid. To learn more and to donate to Justice Frontline Aid, please go to their website: https://www.justicefrontlineaid.org/support.html To check out the latest albums Hayes has been a part of as a recording/mix engineer, check out the albums "38th" as well as "Chicago Avenue" by Nur-D.

Dedicated to George Floyd .... I. every precinct an autozone II. a new world from the ashes of the old III. fuck12 IV. minnesota nice V. this aint a riot VI. 8'46" ---- I lived in South Minneapolis for 4 years, most of that time in an apartment building on Chicago Avenue and 39th St, just a block from the intersection where police murdered George Floyd. Music for Insurrection is a sound collage, blending field-recordings I made in South Minneapolis, livestream audio from the Uprising in May 2020, samples, and improvised instrumentation (flute, practice soprano sax, sampler, fx). Livestream samples from Unicorn Riot, friends' Instagram stories, and Youtube, including a sample of Mel Reeves speaking to protesters. Excerpt from Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower (1993) read by me. Big Floyd samples from DJ Screw. Any proceeds will be donated to South Minneapolis-based community charities, including a community library we have been supporting at the George Floyd Memorial Intersection. Purchase available PWYC at Bandcamp. https://lostchildren.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-insurrection

Minneapolis Police arrive at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in response to a call about a counterfeit $20 bill… You're going into Minneapolis during the week following the murder of George Floyd. You're about to take a unique journey through the heart of a city on fire. You're going to hear anguished voices on the front lines of the protests, voices from the riots as they happen, voices from those who've fought the system of racism, voices from businesses owners whose stores got burnt to the ground, and you'll get it straight from city leaders about their radical plans for ending the police. And ultimately you're going to 38th & Chicago, where the voices say: this is the place that will change our country forever. This is American Refugee. Written, Engineered & Produced: Sam Graber Music: Rare Medium Recorded: Minneapolis, MN Original Release: June 2020

Up until two weeks ago, 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis was an intersection that most people had never heard of. Now that street corner is being used as a place to share a message of hope. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was taken into police custody at that intersection and died after a police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Last week, Christophe Ulysse who serves with YWAM in Kona, Hawaii as a leader in a ministry called Messengers, had the opportunity to travel to Minneapolis to that exact street corner to preach.

A group of ministers from across the country gathered in Minneapolis, Minnesota last week to preach at the street corner where George Floyd was taken into police custody and died after a police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Up until two weeks ago, 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis was an intersection that most people had never heard of. Now that street corner is being used as a place to share a message of hope. Christophe Ulysse who serves with YWAM in Kona, Hawaii as a leader in a ministry called Messengers, was one of the preachers who had the opportunity to share God's word at that street corner.

On this week's episode, we address what is happening in Minneapolis, the nation, and around the world. We talk with Chris Roth, a Cross View member who spent time on Lake Street and Chicago Avenue documenting the aftermath of George Floyd's murder.Cross View Voices is the official podcast of Cross View Lutheran Church, Edina, MN. Connect with us at cvvoices@crossview.net.Show Notes:"Racism is not getting worse, it's getting filmed." - Will Smith (Actor)Chris Roth's Lake Street and Chicago Ave. Photoshttps://www.chrisrothart.com/Photo-Website/2People/George-Floyd/ What the World Needs Now - Burt Bacharachhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSBrn6wTZSATrinity First Lutheran Schoolhttp://trinityfirstschool.org"While serving at Trinity First in Minneapolis today I had the honor of talking with George Floyd’s cousin. At one point I just asked her, “what do we (anyone) do????” She said ‘You, the Church, keep coming in....keep showing up’ We will show up for the long haul on every level, Jamie. I don’t know what it will all look like but Jesus does and we are to just take it one step at a time." - Traci Kohls

Minneapolis, Minnesota. Date: the 25th of May 2020, Location: the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. Miranda Strong is "sheltering in," protecting herself from the COVID-19 virus. All of America and most of the world are in a state of lockdown leaving home only for the basic needs. Across the street George Floyd is apprehended by then police officer Derek Chauvin. As onlookers witness a horror on display they see this peace officer ruthlessly strangling an African American man with his knee.

The FBI and the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are investigating the death of a man as he was taken into custody by Minneapolis police. Video posted on Facebook, apparently shot by a bystander, shows an officer holding the man down beside a police vehicle on the northbound side of Chicago Avenue, near 38th Street. “I cannot breathe. I cannot breathe,” the man says as the officer apparently kneels on his neck. MPR News morning update for May 26, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Music in this episode from Blue Dot Sessions -- Open Flames & Li Fonte

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Lena Kim from niceLena & Friends. niceLena & Friends is a crafts shop located at 1235 Chicago Avenue in Evanston, in the Main Dempster Mile. Lena makes incredibly innovative and custom crafts including prints, candles, mugs, cards and so much more. We talk about her innovative and engaging marketing efforts including the fairy door project, crafting parties in the store and her fun social media posts. We also talk about Lena’s background as moving to America as a 10 year old from South Korea and how that has taught her to be so creative.This episode was recorded prior to the stay at home order being put in place. The physical store is closed to the public but the online store is open and Lena is offering curbside pickup, delivery or shipping. Please support her!Inside the Skev is a one stop shop for all things Skokie and Evanston hosted by Aaron Masliansky. Be the first to know about local events, new podcast episodes, real estate and the latest stories about the great people in these towns by going tohttp://www.skevanston.com. Sign up for the newsletter and reach out to Aaron Masliansky at aaron@skevanston.com with any questions or suggestions. Be sure to also follow Inside the Skev on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates. 

I'm joined tonight by Paul Hletko, owner of FEW Spirits, makers of excellent whiskey, bourbon, rye and gin. Located in Evanston (918 Chicago Avenue), FEW is a true local distiller, sourcing its ingredients from local midwestern farms. We talk about FEW's history, the choice to put the distillery in Evanston, and the need to experiment.   Car Con Carne is sponsored by C&H Financial Services.

I'm joined tonight by Paul Hletko, owner of FEW Spirits, makers of excellent whiskey, bourbon, rye and gin. Located in Evanston (918 Chicago Avenue), FEW is a true local distiller, sourcing its ingredients from local midwestern farms. We talk about FEW's history, the choice to put the distillery in Evanston, and the need to experiment.   Car Con Carne is sponsored by C&H Financial Services.

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Paul Hletko, the Founder and Master Distiller at FEW Spirits in Evanston. In this episode we talk about why Paul decided to open up FEW Spirits in 2011 after a career in the law and music industry and used his creativity to make award winning craft whiskey and gin that is now sold in 4 continents. FEW Spirits is located at 918 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, IL 60202. They have a public tasting room are open for tours on the weekends. More information can be found by clicking here. FEW is sold at most major retailers that sell fine spirits. You can learn more about FEW and follow them on social media by going to http://www.fewspirits.com/. Enjoy and drink responsibly. Inside the Skev is a one stop shop for all things Skokie and Evanston hosted by Aaron Masliansky. Be the first to know about local events, new podcast episodes, real estate and the latest stories about the great people in these towns by going tohttp://www.skevanston.com. Make sure to sign up for the newsletter and reach out to Aaron at aaron@skevanston.com with any questions or suggestions. 

Join Cathryn Taylor today for our show that features the vendors from Echo Bodine’s Aurapalooza. Held on the third Saturday of every month at Echo’s Center for Intuitive Living which is located at 5356 Chicago Avenue, South in Minneapolis, the Aurapalooza is a gathering of about 20-30 vendors. Each offers his or her talents which include Psychic, Intuitive and Akashic Records readings, bodywork; energy and shamanic healings, astrology, numerology, EFt for your Inner Child, and much more. Today Cathryn shares her recent conversations with Rubem Lima, who offers Shamanic Healings, Peruvian leaf readings, and Afro-Brazillian tarot, and Vicki Green an astrologer, healer, psychic and medical intuitive. To contact Rubem please call 612.595.0944 and to contact Vicki call 612.437.7800. Thank you for your interest in the Edge! Please go to edgemagazine.net to view the latest issue of the Edge.  For information on advertising in the Edge please contact Cathy Jacobsen at 763.433.9291. Or via email at Cathy@edgemagazine.net For article submission please contact Tim Miejan at 651.578.8969. Or via email at editor@edgemagazine.net Or for further information regarding the Edge Talk Radio contact Cathryn at via email at Cathryn@EFTForYourInnerChild.com

Blood People are back on the podcast after a couple years away! We recorded at the fantastic River North restaurant Good Measure (226 W. Chicago Avenue), and Chef Matt joined us for the show! We sampled the limited-time-only Blood People burger (Beyond Burger, CBD cashew butter, jalapeno and black grape jelly, Fritos, and an onion bun). Singer Aly Jados describes it as "kindergarten chic." We also ended our meal with "Fried Pun'kin Pie." It's amazing. Discussed this week: The ferociousness of Blood People live. I love a cool concert poster. I'm number 69. We "unbox" the Blood People burger. The secret to eating the burger can be found in "The Breakfast Club." Why CBD cashew butter? "We're rock and rollers, James." Blood People is *right there*. Blood People's Riot Fest strategy was amazing. The fries were "fresh adjacent." Blood People offer a full-bodied cathartic release. The weird request Mickey made of me the last time I did a stage intro for them. This episode is sponsored by C&H Financial Services!

Blood People are back on the podcast after a couple years away! We recorded at the fantastic River North restaurant Good Measure (226 W. Chicago Avenue), and Chef Matt joined us for the show! We sampled the limited-time-only Blood People burger (Beyond Burger, CBD cashew butter, jalapeno and black grape jelly, Fritos, and an onion bun). Singer Aly Jados describes it as "kindergarten chic." We also ended our meal with "Fried Pun'kin Pie." It's amazing. Discussed this week: The ferociousness of Blood People live. I love a cool concert poster. I'm number 69. We "unbox" the Blood People burger. The secret to eating the burger can be found in "The Breakfast Club." Why CBD cashew butter? "We're rock and rollers, James." Blood People is *right there*. Blood People's Riot Fest strategy was amazing. The fries were "fresh adjacent." Blood People offer a full-bodied cathartic release. The weird request Mickey made of me the last time I did a stage intro for them. This episode is sponsored by C&H Financial Services!

Join Cathryn Taylor, your host for this monthly broadcast featuring the vendors from Echo Bodine’s monthly Aurapalooza. Located at 5356 Chicago Avenue, South in Minneapolis, the doors are open from 10 to 5 the third Saturday of every month. In this series, Cathryn brings to you conversations with two of the over thirty vendors who offer their gifts and talents. Today Cathryn’s featured guests are Don Marlette who is known as the "The Metro Monk" and Kris Harper, an illuminator of miracles. Don is a former Benedictine monk, who holds degrees in Philosophy and Theology and has over 20 years of experience as a meditation teacher, spiritual educator, and intuitive advisor.  More information can be found on his website: readings.themetromonk.com Cathryn’s second guest is Kris Harper who invites you to find your way back to your soul … Through life readings, truth mappings, and intuitive sessions, Kris helps you rediscover the answers already in you. For more information please visit her website which is http://www.heartfulltransformations.com/ Thank you for your interest in the Edge! Please go to edgemagazine.net to view the latest issue of the Edge.  For information on advertising in the Edge please contact Cathy Jacobsen at 763.433.9291. Or via email at Cathy@edgemagazine.net For article submission please contact Tim Miejan at 651,578.8969. Or via email at editor@edgemagazine.net Or for further information regarding the Edge Talk Radio contact Cathryn at via email at Cathryn@EFTForYourInnerChild.com  

This week on, “Inside the Skev,” with Cesar Maron and Shawn Decker from Sketchbook Brewery. Sketchbook Brewery is located at 821 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, IL 60202 and are building a second facility at 4901 Main Street, Skokie, IL 60077. First opened to the public on November 15, 2014, Sketchbook has come a long way from its early days filling growlers from an alley. Fueled by fierce customer loyalty and a passion for brewing excellence, this Evanston success story is expanding its distribution of cans and kegs quickly.Sketchbook Brewing Company is the brainchild of two home-brew heroes, Shawn Decker & Cesar Marron, who met through Evanston’s Homebrew Club – a mighty throng of beer enthusiasts. Cesar’s brewing skills have earned him a dozen medals, and he was the Samuel Adams Longshot American Homebrew Contest 2013 winner: his grätzer was selected from over 1,000 entries nationwide. Shawn brings a solid home-brewing practice to the partnership and decades of experience as a musician, artist, and teacher working on big projects where quality was important.Sketchbook opened its Tap Room in April of 2016 at 821 Chicago Ave. in spring of 2016, and this intimate space has become a favorite with locals and beer connoisseurs. They recently held a Kickstarter to raise funds for an expansion of their facility and tap room, and more recently announced their expansion of a second brewery and tap room in Skokie.We talk with Cesar and Shawn about their history and passion for beer, their incredible success in getting community buy-in, and the transformation of Chicago Avenue in Evanston. We discuss their success in business, and their hopes for the future.Sketchbook Brewery can be found online in the following places:Web- http://www.sketchbookbrewing.com/Instagram- @sketchbookbrewFacebook- @sketchbookbrewTwitter-@SketchbookbrewPlease share this episode, get some of their beer and tag #maindempstermile #evanston #skevanston #skokie #shopskokie #beer #brewery #smallbusiness #entrepreneur #illinoisbusiness #aaronmaslianskyrealestate and #insidetheskev.I’d like to thank several people for help with today’s show. This includes my real estate brokerage, Dreamtown Realty in Evanston for helping me with my graphics for the show. I’d like to thank Industrious in Evanston for use of their space to record follow them on Instagram at @industriousevanston. And if listening to this podcast gave you the bug to buy or sell real estate, email me at aaron@skevanston.com or go to my real estate website at http://www.aaronmasliansky.com And don’t forget to subscribe! Thank you.

A stretch of Chicago Avenue in West Town having a culinary moment. Food journalist Ari Bendersky talks about the neighborhood vibes and his new podcast, Overserved. Plus: Ford is filling 450 new jobs here, Quad/Graphics and LSC scrap their buyout deal, Equifax is paying $700 million to settle a massive hacking probe, architect Patrick FitzGerald plans a 20-story Fulton Market hotel, and home sales plummet in June for the 12th straight month. Follow Amy Guth on Twitter @AmyGuth, and continue the conversation with #CrainsDailyGist.

In this episode, we sit down Katherine Gotsick, the executive director of the Main Dempster Mile. The Main Dempster Mile is a Special Service Area for the commercial districts that currently make up the Chicago/Dempster business district and the Main Street business district. A Special Service Area (SSA) is defined by Illinois State Statute as a contiguous area within a municipality or county in which special services are provided in addition to those services provided generally throughout the municipality or county. Special services include things like landscaping, advertising, public art, and extra garbage collections. The special services are paid from revenues collected from taxes levied or imposed upon property within that area. We discuss the amazing businesses in the area which Katherine describes as thriving unicorns, the schools, the events that take place in the area and the drive she has to promote these amazing businesses. We talk about the community and how it is such a great neighborhood. One example is how the citizens re-opened a private library when a branch library was closed, and eventually made the city take it over again. People take ownership of their neighborhood. We also discuss the changes in property taxes for commercial business in the area. Several business owners own their property, and the increased fees are adding additional stress to their bottom lines. The Main Dempster Mile’s office is at the Co-Lab co-working space located at 900 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, IL 60202. You can find more information about events and the businesses in the area at http://www.maindempstermile.com/. I’d like to thank several people for help with today’s show. This includes my real estate brokerage, Dreamtown Realty in Evanston for helping me with my graphics for the show. I’d like to thank Industrious in Evanston for use of their space to record follow them on Instagram at @industriousevanston. And if listening to this podcast gave you the bug to buy or sell real estate, give me a call or go to my real estate website at http://www.aaronmasliansky.com And don’t forget to subscribe! Thank you.

How great is this... AM Taxi (Adam, Chris and Jay) jump in the Mazda (courtesy of the Autobarn Mazda of Evanston, 1015 Chicago Avenue) for an interview and in-car performance! The band's new album, "Shiver By Me," is an easy album to fall in love with. I'm playing it as I type this description, in fact. Making this episode even better is the presence of Lou Malnati's pizza. I've been eating Lou's since childhood, and I've enjoyed every single pizza I've ever had from there. We took our food to-go from the Wicker Park carry out location (1520 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622). Great, friendly service to match the food! Discussed this week: AM Taxi had to "sing for their supper," performing before receiving the glorious reward of pizza from Lou Malnati's. The band plays "Movie About Your Life," a favorite from the new album. The song is great, and this exclusive Car Con Carne version is amazing. AM Taxi totally earned their Lou Malnati's pizza. We got two amazing, iconic pizzas from Lou's: Cheese and "The Lou" (Spinach mix (enhanced with garlic, basil & onion), mushrooms and sliced Roma tomatoes covered with three cheeses, on a garlic Buttercrust™). We basically go song-by-song through "Shiver By Me," from the personal nature of some of the songs to the obvious inspiration of "L'Patron." Deep dish eating strategy. Is "Fed Up" AM Taxi's "Stairway to Heaven?" After being in the scene as long as Adam has (including his time and long-running and wonderful Lucky Boys Confusion), what's different today? My problem remembering names: Can't we all agree to remind people who we are after meeting them a long time ago? I went record shopping at Reckless before recording. Was it to impress AM Taxi? Should Wicker Park pizza places offer free beards as a gift with purchase? Car Con Carne is presented by The Autobarn Mazda of Evanston.

How great is this... AM Taxi (Adam, Chris and Jay) jump in the Mazda (courtesy of the Autobarn Mazda of Evanston, 1015 Chicago Avenue) for an interview and in-car performance! The band's new album, "Shiver By Me," is an easy album to fall in love with. I'm playing it as I type this description, in fact. Making this episode even better is the presence of Lou Malnati's pizza. I've been eating Lou's since childhood, and I've enjoyed every single pizza I've ever had from there. We took our food to-go from the Wicker Park carry out location (1520 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622). Great, friendly service to match the food! Discussed this week: AM Taxi had to "sing for their supper," performing before receiving the glorious reward of pizza from Lou Malnati's. The band plays "Movie About Your Life," a favorite from the new album. The song is great, and this exclusive Car Con Carne version is amazing. AM Taxi totally earned their Lou Malnati's pizza. We got two amazing, iconic pizzas from Lou's: Cheese and "The Lou" (Spinach mix (enhanced with garlic, basil & onion), mushrooms and sliced Roma tomatoes covered with three cheeses, on a garlic Buttercrust™). We basically go song-by-song through "Shiver By Me," from the personal nature of some of the songs to the obvious inspiration of "L'Patron." Deep dish eating strategy. Is "Fed Up" AM Taxi's "Stairway to Heaven?" After being in the scene as long as Adam has (including his time and long-running and wonderful Lucky Boys Confusion), what's different today? My problem remembering names: Can't we all agree to remind people who we are after meeting them a long time ago? I went record shopping at Reckless before recording. Was it to impress AM Taxi? Should Wicker Park pizza places offer free beards as a gift with purchase? Car Con Carne is presented by The Autobarn Mazda of Evanston.

SPONSORED BY BOOST MOBILE Kristina Cottone (along with Honey & the 45s guitarist Jon Gould) joins the show for a stunning in-car performance and a magnificent Mexican dinner from El Metro Cantina (1959 Chicago Avenue, Chicago). Kristina and Jon play two songs in the Mazda 3: A solo Kristina song ("Ukelele Summer Love Song") and a Honey and the 45s song ("Come Back"). We're then joined by El Metro Cantina co-owner Dan Andrews, who fills the car with El Metro menu items that the band and I will be talking about for months to come. Please visit El Metro, and see Kristina live. She's doing a solo show on April 21 at Gman Tavern, and playing with Honey and the 45s April 28 at Subterranean. In this episode, we discuss: Honey and the 45s' history, starting as a folk acoustic trio and winding its way through its current sound ("it's bluesy, it's soulful... "). The new Honey and the 45s song "Speak," which took shape when Kristina jumped in an Uber. El Metro co-owner Dan jumped in the car with a TON of delicious food. His story about meeting one of the future co-owners is like something out of a storybook. How authentic are El Metro's recipes? They flew two people in to ensure the food's authenticity. The tacos were gorgeous: A gigantic tilapia taco ("it's really a popular taco for us"), a rajas taco (poblanos & cotija cheese), the El Metro taco (bacon, dates and ribeye steak), the picadillo taco (ground beef, cotija cheese and bacon), Alambre (chicken, turkey ham, peppers, beets and carrots). El Metro's version of elotes which I want to go back for RIGHT NOW. The parking meter-reader comes by and I have to reload my app. Veggie soy chorizo flautas: Awesome. El Metro proudly provides napkins with every meal. The merits of a good horchata.

This episode stars Giano Cromley (The Last Good Halloween, What We Build Upon the Ruins*). It was recorded walking through West Town on Chicago Avenue in Chicago, IL in January 2018. *Or What We Build Upon the Something, Something as some know it.  

The light near Chicago Avenue causes mile-long backups. City officials are proposing a solution, but you might be in traffic for a while.

Although different industries run the city now, and different groups of people live in this neighborhood; as I approach my destination – which is across the street from a concrete mixing facility and the Chicago Tribune newspaper printing warehouse – I am reminded that old Chicago is still here…at least for now.The first sign that I was in for a quality experience appeared in the middle of Chicago Avenue, in the crosswalk that led to my destination. There were two millennial-aged people serving as crossing guards, equipped with hand-held stop signs and pausing the traffic for the streams of people walking towards a building set back from the street.I was warmly greeted by two more young people as I walked through the front door. The best way to describe my immediate impression is that it felt like I walked into a really dope underground silent party, film screening, or art show. This is a young and diverse crowd. The tables in the middle of the lobby remind me of the first week of college, where the campus is full of organizations promoting their work.It is 9:30am on a cool November weekend morning, and there are 350-400 people packed into this intimate theater-like venue, and they are mostly younger. College students, 20 and 30-somethings…and they are very much present, engaged, and enthusiastic. This was an inclusive atmosphere with the cool aesthetic of an exclusive setting.As the event began, the 12-person band on the stage began to perform a song with the chorus, “You Got Me.” As they sang, stage lights beamed concert like rays of light across the audience, and seven high-definition projection screens displayed the song lyrics overlaid on video clips of nature scenes and abstract light animations.I looked around and thought about the capital and resources that must have gone into this space. It was so clearly and intentionally created for the audience assembled here. Faith communities are often portrayed in popular media as people operating in physical spaces created by earlier generations. Yet this space was clearly designed by and for this current generation.The journey continues in River West, at the corner of Chicago Avenue and Green.Intro Theme Music: Victory Lap by QSTN ft. Mecca:83Background Music: www.bensound.com/Register to receive an advance copy of the companion book at https://godinchicago.com/Join the conversation! Follow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Y94abI and on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2z6q5W4

Please join me for this conversation with our beloved Echo Bodine who berings us up to date on everythig that is happening at her Center for Intuitive Living located at 5356 N. Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis.  But Echo also shares with us her insights for the ending of 2017 and what we have to look forward to in 2018. This is a broadcast you do not want to miss.  For more information on Echo and her  center please visit her website which is www.EchoBodine.com  Thank you for your interest in the Edge! Please go to edgemagazine.net to view the latest issue of the Edge.  For information on advertising in the Edge please contact Cathy Jacobsen at 763.433.9291. Or via email at Cathy@edgemagazine.net For article submission please contact Tim Miejan at 651,578.8969. Or via email at editor@edgemagazine.net Or for further information regarding the Edge Talk Radio contact Cathryn at via email at EFTForYourInnerChild@gmail.com  

Lucky Episode 13 is my Special V Day edition on Owning HER Health  where we celebrate true BODY LOVE with lawyer and women's health advocate Erin Jackson. I reached out to Erin after hearing her story on another podcast and connecting through social media and found her to be truly a mission driven goddess. In this episode we speak of personal empowerment and the sensitivity needs in Health care. She has a few tips from personal struggles when encountering people with persistent and chronic pain.  In fact, Erin is so giving and open about her struggles with her pelvic health that you should make sure to scroll down for how to enjoy her blog and connect with her professionally.  If you are a health provider needing to set up a safe practice, her law practice consults are also on her impressive resume!  Oh and do not forget to grab your Valentine's gifts by my sponsors MindBodyBrandAcademy.com and Audible.com below in the show notes.  Guest Bio Erin Jackson definitely exhibits the Guru Goddess Tribe Vibe. As a healthcare attorney at Jackson LLP, she is the Managing Partner and spearheads the firm's regulatory compliance practice. She is also president of a non profit looking to start many pain care conversations around the country and I was truly inspired with what Erin has done with #HERpain and #HERstory about it. #HERstory With a personal history of pelvic pain that began in her teens, Erin speaks nationally about her experience and the importance of patient-centered care.  Erin was raised in the Chicago suburbs and attended Elmhurst College. She went on to earn a master's degree and then to graduate as the top-ranked member of her law school class. She is a published author whose scholarship focuses on the intersection of the law with women’s health issues. Erin also serves as the President of the nonprofit Inspire Santé, which broadens awareness of pelvic pain, and she is involved with the US National Committee for UN Women's Chicago Chapter and NARAL's Illinois Choice Action Team.  Go Erin Go! Shine that Light.  In this episode we spoke about ... The hidden taboos of pelvic pain in body parts no one talks to young girls about having, let alone getting care for.  How the path to the care she needed was not the most linear line What she wishes her younger, ambitious self knew of #HERwisdom now How she exposes patient vulnerability on HER blog on InspireSante.com What her Non profit, Inspire Sante' is all about and what they are doing to advocate for better pain care What is next on her horizon as she blossoms her business and takes her care advocacy conversations to as many health care providers she can and her blog and social media feeds #StartHERconversation. To learn more about Erin or get in touch with her as a healthy lawyer or chat with her as an advocate friend Contact Erin via ..... Email:              erin@inspiresante.com Blog:                www.inspiresante.com Twitter:           @healthy_lawyer Phone:             (847) 440-5028 / office                          Address:          Inspire Santé, NFP                         900 Chicago Avenue, Suite 104                         Evanston, IL 60202   WAIT BEFORE YOU GO!!!!!  Some Valentine's Day Love!  This episode is sponsored by the Mind Body Brand Academy, your 90 day female health entrepreneur online solution for figuring out your vision, your audience and start up needs to have your first private paying client in 12 weeks. Visit www.MindBodyBrandAcademy.com to DOWNLOAD YOUR 1st ACTION STEP 4 FREE. for a limited time, get the MBBA inside my Guru Goddess Gold Membership for a HUGE discount HERE  This episode of Owning HER Health is also sponsored by Audible.com.  Click HERE to get my free gift of a 30 FREE TRIAL and FREE BOOK for healing your body mind or soul or just loving on yourself for Valentine's day this year!  http://www.audibletrial.com/OwningHERHealth Audible.com is the premier provider of digital audiobooks. Audible has over 180,000 titles to choose from in every genre: thrillers, business, romance, comedy, sci-fi and more. Audible titles play on iPhone, Kindle, Android and more than 500 devices for listening anytime, anywhere    

Join Cathryn Taylor for the live conversation with our new Edge Talk Radio Host, Tina McGee.  Tina is a Licensed Practical Nurse currently attending St Catherine's University earning her Masters degree in Holistic Health Studies. Tina is a "healer of healers" who gives your body what it needs for healing through Reiki massage, Healing Touch, life coaching, past life regressions and other techniques.. Tina offers Junior Spiritual Development Reiki ! and !! classes in the Twin cities, Her office at the Center for Intuitive Living is located at 5356 S. Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis,  And she can be reached at 715-456-0677 or feel free to visit her at her website which is mcgeemassage.com You will be also able to join Tina on the fourth Monday of each Month beginning Feb. 22nd. Thank you for your interest in the Edge! Please go to edgemagazine.net to view the latest issue of the Edge.  For information on advertising in the Edge please contact Cathy Jacobsen at 763.433.9291. Or via email at Cathy@edgemagazine.net For article submission please contact Tim Miejan at 651.578.8969. Or via email at editor@edgemagazine.net Or for further information regarding the Edge Talk Radio contact Cathryn at via email at Cathryn@EFTForYourInnerChild.com