Podcasts about Cook County Jail

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 powerful conversation, I'm joined by Dr. Chad Zawitz, a physician who spent over two decades delivering frontline medical care inside one of the largest urban jail systems in the country. Dr. Zawitz pulls back the curtain on carceral healthcare, explaining the critical differences between jail and prison, the constitutional right to medical care for incarcerated individuals, and why many patients actually experience better measurable health outcomes while locked up.We spend significant time unpacking the evolution of HIV treatment, from the early days of fear and stigma to today's extraordinary advances, including long-acting injectable antivirals and the game-changing reality that people with undetectable viral loads cannot transmit HIV. Dr. Zawitz explains why, with proper access and adherence, HIV could be effectively eliminated within a single generation, without a cure or vaccine.This episode also explores stigma, language, trauma, addiction, and the power of treating people like human beings. From stories inside the jail to reflections on COVID, public health messaging, and medical ethics, this conversation is a reminder that healing doesn't begin with protocols, it begins with compassion. Episode Highlights[00:00] – Why HIV could be eliminated in one generation with the tools we already have[03:15] – Dr. Zawitz's path into correctional healthcare and why it matters[05:40] – Jail vs. prison: understanding the difference and why it impacts care[10:30] – The constitutional right to healthcare for incarcerated individuals[14:50] – How HIV care is delivered behind bars[18:30] – The evolution of HIV treatment: from AZT to modern long-acting injectables[22:55] – U = U explained: undetectable equals untransmittable[26:30] – The role of stigma, language, and bias in healthcare outcomes[35:55] – Treating patients as people: why simple kindness changes everything[43:00] – Why health markers often improve during incarceration[48:40] – COVID in jails: fear, access, vaccines, and media narratives[55:35] – “Tales from the jail”: surprising clinical lessons from real life[01:08:50] – Public health, vaccines, and the cost of polarization[01:17:45] – Lessons from Dallas Buyers Club and early HIV innovation Links & ResourcesSilver Biotics: bit.ly/3JnxyDD— 30% off with Code: BEAUTIFULLYBROKENLightPathLED: https://lightpathled.pxf.io/c/3438432/2059835/25794— Code: beautifullybrokenCathcBio https://www.catchbio.com/beautifullybroken— Code: beautifullybrokenStemRegn: https://www.stemregen.co/products/release?_ef_transaction_id=&affid=52&oid=1Beam Minerals: http://beamminerals.com/beautifullybroken— Code: BEAUTIFULLYBROKEN  CONNECT WITH FREDDIEWork with Me: https://www.beautifullybroken.world/biological-blueprintWebsite and Store: (http://www.beautifullybroken.world) Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/beautifullybroken.world/) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@freddiekimmel Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you LOVE the musical Chicago, you'll love this episode. This week, Madigan takes a look at 1920s America through the lens of the murderesses in Cook County Jail who inspired Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart in the show Chicago. How did their femininity and the changing views of women in this time affect the outcome of their trials? You'll have to listen to find out! Do you have a topic that you want the show to take on?    Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠neighborhoodfeminist@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Social media:     Instagram: @angryneighborhoodfeminist Get YANF Merch! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://yanfpodcast.threadless.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ JOIN ME ON PATREON!! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/angryneighborhoodfeminist⁠⁠⁠ Sources: https://northumberlandplayers.ca/the-women-who-inspired-chicago/ https://chicagology.com/notorious-chicago/beaulahandbelva/ https://www.racked.com/2018/1/26/16927682/makeover-death-penalty-sabella-nitti https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/the-real-story-behind-chicagos-merry-murderesses-roxie-hart-and-velma-kelly https://chicagology.com/notorious-chicago/beaulahandbelva/ https://scandalsandsweets.com/beulah-annan-the-real-roxie-hart/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The year 2023 was a deadly one at the Cook County Jail. Eighteen people died in custody, “for many reasons,” said reporter Carlos Ballesteros, who reported on the record year for Injustice Watch. His reporting cited drug overdoses, lapses from jail staff and failed oversight. In our last episode, we learned about a group of volunteers who set up outside Cook County Jail to hand out free supplies to people after they get released. Today, we'll hear about a few people who never were released, the conditions and circumstances that led to some of their deaths, what changes have been made and what changes may still be needed at the Cook County Jail. “Ultimately, it's jail, right?” Ballesteros said. “But the things we hear from people inside and their families is really disturbing.” The number of deaths at the jail has decreased since the 2023 report. We get an update from the Cook County Sheriff's Department, which oversees the jail.

Almost every night, a group of volunteers sets up a table of supplies. Their goal is to assist everyone who is being released; from bottled water to a ride home. But sometimes, it's a challenge when people are released well after midnight.

On this week's episode of The 1 Girl Revolution Podcast, we're celebrating the 5-year anniversary of our Emmy-nominated short documentary The Girl Inside — with two very special guests, Dr. Laura Biagi and Miss. LiLi Queen Motivational. The Girl Inside is 1 Girl Revolution's Emmy-nominated short documentary (available on YouTube), in partnership with BEHOLD, and takes viewers inside Cook County Jail to witness the transformative power of a course called Storytelling as a Healing Art, taught by Dr. Biagi. The short film reunites Dr. Biagi with five of her former students for one unforgettable day of reflection, storytelling, and healing — and among those students was Miss. LiLi Queen Motivational. This short documentary shines a light on the resilience of women, the power of storytelling, and the reminder that every woman has value, purpose, and a voice that matters. Five years later, The Girl Inside continues to inspire audiences around the world — and today's conversation brings that story full circle. In this episode, you'll hear: ✨ The story behind The Girl Inside and how it came to life; ✨ Dr. Biagi's journey with Storytelling as a Healing Art and the power of using story for healing and transformation; ✨ Miss. LiLi Queen Motivational's inspiring personal journey and reflections on being part of The Girl Inside; ✨ The impact this film has had over the past five years — on the women who were featured, on audiences, and beyond; ✨ The importance of listening to and elevating women's stories, especially those too often left unheard; ✨ And so much more! Follow + Learn More: Learn more about Dr. Laura Biagi's work at: https://en.soulsound.it  Follow Dr. Biagi on Instagram. 

Jerry Portnoy grew up in Chicago hearing the blues being played outside his father's rug store on famed Maxwell Street during the late 1940s and early '50s.After dropping out of college, he became immersed in the colorful world of pool hustlers like Cornbread Red, and Minnesota Fats as he managed the largest pool hall in Chicago. During a stint as a paratrooper early in the Vietnam war, he applied for discharge as a conscientious objector, and lived in San Francisco during 1967's "summer of love." While bumming around Europe the following year, Portnoy heard the blues again on a record by Sonny Boy Williamson and instantly became obsessed with mastering blues harmonica.He returned to Chicago and in 1974 he was playing in small Black clubs at night when Muddy Waters plucked him from his day job at Cook County Jail to fill the historic harmonica chair in his fabled band. Eric Clapton followed suit in 1991. In a career that took him from ghetto taverns to the White House and the Royal Albert Hall, he went from the raggedy vans and cheap roadside motels of the blues world to the private jets and five-star hotels of the rock world. Between those two very different gigs was a struggle to survive the vagaries of the music business and the pressures of life on the road. In a remarkable life, he also assisted in surgery, lodged in a Moroccan house of ill repute, and dined at Giorgio Armani's.Dancing with Muddy details the surprising, lively, and sometimes bumpy ride of a blues harmonica legend. Dancing with Muddy: Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, and My Lucky Life In and Out of the Blues is the memoir of Blues harmonica legend Jerry Portnoy, who details the surprising, lively, and sometimes bumpy ride of his life and career. Jerry was discovered and recruited by Muddy for the prestigious role of harmonica player in his band after hearing him play the instrument in clubs on Chicago's South Side. Jerry got to play in the White House, the Royal Albert Hall, and many of the world's stages. He also found himself in shocking and exciting situations, like assisting in surgery, dining at Giorgio Armani's and working at the Cook County jail.With Blues music seeing a renewed interest thanks to the immense success of the movie Sinners, Jerry can be a valuable insider voice to the genre's history and evolution. He lives on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

Jerry Portnoy grew up in Chicago hearing the blues being played outside his father's rug store on famed Maxwell Street during the late 1940s and early '50s.After dropping out of college, he became immersed in the colorful world of pool hustlers like Cornbread Red, and Minnesota Fats as he managed the largest pool hall in Chicago. During a stint as a paratrooper early in the Vietnam war, he applied for discharge as a conscientious objector, and lived in San Francisco during 1967's "summer of love." While bumming around Europe the following year, Portnoy heard the blues again on a record by Sonny Boy Williamson and instantly became obsessed with mastering blues harmonica.He returned to Chicago and in 1974 he was playing in small Black clubs at night when Muddy Waters plucked him from his day job at Cook County Jail to fill the historic harmonica chair in his fabled band. Eric Clapton followed suit in 1991. In a career that took him from ghetto taverns to the White House and the Royal Albert Hall, he went from the raggedy vans and cheap roadside motels of the blues world to the private jets and five-star hotels of the rock world. Between those two very different gigs was a struggle to survive the vagaries of the music business and the pressures of life on the road. In a remarkable life, he also assisted in surgery, lodged in a Moroccan house of ill repute, and dined at Giorgio Armani's.Dancing with Muddy details the surprising, lively, and sometimes bumpy ride of a blues harmonica legend. Dancing with Muddy: Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, and My Lucky Life In and Out of the Blues is the memoir of Blues harmonica legend Jerry Portnoy, who details the surprising, lively, and sometimes bumpy ride of his life and career. Jerry was discovered and recruited by Muddy for the prestigious role of harmonica player in his band after hearing him play the instrument in clubs on Chicago's South Side. Jerry got to play in the White House, the Royal Albert Hall, and many of the world's stages. He also found himself in shocking and exciting situations, like assisting in surgery, dining at Giorgio Armani's and working at the Cook County jail.With Blues music seeing a renewed interest thanks to the immense success of the movie Sinners, Jerry can be a valuable insider voice to the genre's history and evolution. He lives on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

Tim Ryan shares his journey from spending millions on drugs to surviving seven years in prison and the heartbreaking loss of his son. He opens up about addiction, the consequences of his choices, and how he's working to rebuild his life. This is a raw and real story of struggle, survival, and redemption. #AddictionRecovery #PrisonStory #OvercomingAddiction #DrugAddiction #LifeAfterPrison #RedemptionStory #SobrietyJourney #realtalk Thank you to THE PERFECT JEAN & NORDVPN for sponsoring today's episode: The Perfect Jean:  F*%k your khakis and get The Perfect Jean 15% off with the code LOCKEDIN15 at https://theperfectjean.nyc/lockedin15 #theperfectjeanpod NordVPN: To get the best discount off your NordVPN plan - go to https://nordvpn.com/ianbick which will also give you 4 extra months on the 2-year plan. There's no risk with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee! Connect with Tim Ryan: Website: https://dopetohope.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timryandopeman/?hl=en Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Presented by Tyson 2.0 & Wooooo Energy: https://tyson20.com/ https://woooooenergy.com/ Buy Merch: https://convictclothing.net/collections/convict-clothing-x-ian-bick Timestamps: 00:00:00 From Prison to Redemption: Tim's Journey Through Addiction 00:04:14 Overcoming Learning Disabilities: A Personal Story 00:08:36 Overcoming Drug Addiction: A Personal Journey 00:13:05 Discover the Perfect Jean: Comfort & Fit for All 00:17:35 First Experience with Cocaine 00:21:50 The Downfall of Heroin Addiction 00:27:01 Struggles of Addiction and Family Bonding 00:30:52 Smuggling Heroin into Cook County Jail 00:35:15 Life Lessons from Prison 00:39:36 The Dangers of Driving Under the Influence of Drugs 00:43:45 The Double Life of Addiction and Success 00:48:14 Life After Prison: A Turning Point 00:52:22 From Recruiter to Recovery Advocate 00:56:53 Facing the Challenges of Addiction and Loss 01:01:46 The Cop and the Convict Program 01:06:03 Stories of Connection and Redemption in Prisons 01:10:18 Redemption: From Death Row to Giving Back in Chicago Powered by: Just Media House : https://www.justmediahouse.com/ Creative direction, design, assets, support by FWRD: https://www.fwrd.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The King of the Blues (or one of them, anyways) is the focus of this week's episode of EarWax!Hilary and Cody discuss the circumstances that led to B.B. King performing at Cook County Jail in 1971. Along the way, they touch on B.B.'s journey to that point, the infamous reputation that Cook County Jail had (and still has), and what it means to use your voice to shed light on legitimate grievances.A sharp, slow-rolling affair, Live in Cook County Jail shows B.B. King at arguably his most bluesy - playing for inmates who needed a bit of humanity.Thanks for listening! Check out everything we have going on via the info below: Instagram: @earwaxpod TikTok: @earwaxpod Amoeba on Instagram: @amoebahollywood @amoebasf @amoebaberkeley Questions, Suggestions, Corrections (surely we're perfect): earwaxpodcast@amoeba-music.com Credits:Edited by Claudia Rivera-TinsleyAll transition music written and performed by Spencer Belden"EarWax Main Theme" performed by Spencer Belden feat. David Otis

Lux Radio Theatre | The Front Page (Walter Winchell, James Gleason) | Broadcast: June 28, 1937Note: A planned interview with Amelia Earhart was postponed to the next week due to a delay in her soon-to-be doomed attempt of an around-the-world flight.The well-known comedy about the newspaper game and the escaped killer hiding in the roll-top desk. Amelia Earhart's appearance is announced as being postponed. The final half minute has been deleted from the closing, the story is unaffected. The female lead was scheduled to be Joan Bennett, but she could not appear due to illness and Josephine Hutchinson was substituted. . + We take up the story in a newspaper office in the City of Chicago. Walter Burns the managing editor played by James Gleason, is shouting down the phone to one of his staff. He tells him to find Hilde Johnson his ace reporter and tell him that he has to cover the hanging of Earl Williams at Cook County Jail the following morning. But the guy on the other end keeps telling Burns that Johnson has gone on his honeymoon.: : : : :My other podcast channels include: MYSTERY x SUSPENSE -- SCI FI x HORROR -- COMEDY x FUNNY HA HA -- VARIETY X ARMED FORCES -- THE COMPLETE ORSON WELLESSubscribing is free and you'll receive new post notifications. Also, if you have a moment, please give a 4-5 star rating and/or write a 1-2 sentence positive review on your preferred service -- that would help me a lot.Thank you for your support.https://otr.duane.media | Instagram @duane.otr

Also in the news: Police investigating two armed robberies which victims were followed into homes; Warrenville man charged with murdering his wife; Chicago woman charged trying to smuggle paper soaked with illegal drugs into Cook County Jail and more.

Also in the news: Police investigating two armed robberies which victims were followed into homes; Warrenville man charged with murdering his wife; Chicago woman charged trying to smuggle paper soaked with illegal drugs into Cook County Jail and more.

Also in the news: Police investigating two armed robberies which victims were followed into homes; Warrenville man charged with murdering his wife; Chicago woman charged trying to smuggle paper soaked with illegal drugs into Cook County Jail and more.

What happens when you take a beloved sport like pickleball and introduce it to some of the toughest environments in the country? Former financial professional Roger BelAir reveals his unexpected journey to bringing pickleball to prisons in this eye-opening episode. Inspired by a chance viewing of a 60 Minutes segment, Roger found himself proposing the idea to Cook County Jail and, thanks to a fortuitous moment involving Sheriff Tom Dart's daughter, was invited to teach inmates. Roger's story unfolds as he shares his initial apprehensions and the transformative power of the sport. You'll hear about inmates charged with serious crimes, shedding their tough exteriors and embracing the community spirit fostered by pickleball.Music gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen Contact us: Lifelessonsfrompickleball@gmail.comLifelessonsfrompickleballpodcast.comhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557275391316https://www.instagram.com/lifelessonsfrompickleball/https://www.youtube.com/@LifeLessonsFromPickleballPodThanks for listening and you can also watch us on Youtube.

A new Injustice Watch investigation reveals that 18 detainees died at Cook County Jail, the highest number of people in almost a decade. A spokesperson for Sheriff Tom Dart points to an influx of fentanyl-laced paper smuggled into the jail as the “primary driver” for the spike. Advocates say there's more need for oversight. Reset sits down with Injustice Watch reporter Carlos Ballesteros who followed this for over a year. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

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Morning Mixers remembered their best field trip ever, including Cook County Jail. Whip's Hot Take on cicadas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Morning Mixers remembered their best field trip ever, including Cook County Jail. Whip's Hot Take on cicadas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brittany Brown, Acting Assistant to the Administrator of USAID's Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization, joins Mike Shanley to discuss the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI). OTI has been an ongoing effort for 30 years, and Brittany shares some of their successes with working in other countries. Localization is a large aspect of the work that OTI is focused on, by working with local partners and change makers to ensure that everyone has a buy-in on the project a grant is funding. OTI partners with the National Security Council, State Department, and DOD in a variety of ways, and with someone from the OTI team on the Administration this year, they are seeing success with educating the government on impacts of certain decisions.   IN THIS EPISODE: [1:17] Brittany covers some of the key successes and lessons learned across 30 years of OTI.  [4:00] Brittany shares an example of the OTI's work in Libya.  [6:30] Brittany shares about the work that has been done in Columbia. [9:55] How does OTI work with local partners and what lessons can they share with other parts of USAID to best implement localization agendas and engage local partners? [18:22] Brittany explains how OTI engages with the National Security Council. [18:22] How does OTI work together with the State Department and DOD? [20:50] What are some of the innovations and challenges that OTI has come up with?  [23:00] Brittany shares what initiatives and strategies she is excited about looking forward to with OTI.  [28:22] Brittany talks about how impactful it is when everyone works together on a project.  KEY TAKEAWAYS:  [3:30] OTI goes to countries to create a collaborative model, where everyone has buy-in. It isn't only the U.S. Government that determines what they need, instead it is the country requesting what they need, and then everyone working together to make that happen.  [24:00] One of the reasons that OTI is an important organization is because they are limited and can be very targeted in the places they are engaging. They typically only have around 15 programs happening at any moment.  [27:26] None of us are as smart as all of us thinking together. There are a lot of creative ways that can help get things done better and differently than before, and those ideas will come with everyone working together.  QUOTES: [5:00] “We started asking the displaced people, what would it take for you to return? What is it, what do you need to return to Sirte, and then we immediately started doing the things they were asking for. So that meant we were just restoring regular services. It meant just government services, it meant sewage and trash collection, it meant running water, access to running water, it meant schools actually had to be functioning. It meant healthcare systems had to be stood up. We had to start cleaning up graffiti and signage that was left over from the ISIS occupation to make people feel like they actually had a future for themselves and their kids” - Brittany Brown [12:44] “We don't have the brilliant ideas. It's actually the people who live in these communities and understand the local context, the local dynamics about what is happening, and it's using systems that already exist in these countries.” - Brittany Brown [27:25] “I think government bureaucrats get a bad rap for not being innovative and creative in these different ways. Everytime I interact with anyone in this building at the state department, anywhere else, there are these big, brilliant change makers in government that are thinking about how we do things better. They also are very open to ideas from the outside.” - Brittany Brown RESOURCES: Aid Market Podcast Aid Market Podcast YouTube   BIOGRAPHY:  Brittany Brown serves as Deputy Assistant Administrator of USAID's Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization (CPS). She was appointed by the Biden-Harris Administration to also serve as the Director for the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) in CPS. Prior to OTI, Brittany worked as the Chief of Staff at the International Crisis Group after more than a decade in the U.S. Government, working for a range of government agencies, including USAID, the U.S. Departments of Justice, State, and Defense, and both the Obama and Trump White Houses. She served on the staff of the National Security Council as the acting Senior Director for African Affairs under the Trump Administration, and as the National Security Council's Horn of Africa Director under President Obama. Brittany began her government career as a Presidential Management Fellow with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Before joining the U.S. Government, she worked with juvenile detainees and children in the foster care system. She also managed a GED program for women awaiting trial at Chicago's Cook County Jail. She holds a Bachelor's degree in political science and sociology from DePaul University in Chicago and a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University.

In this conversation, Will Wright interviews Stephen Thomas about his book 'Catholic Joe Superhero'. The book is a thriller with a central theme of marriage and is meant to inspire and encourage men to be strong leaders in their families and in the Church. Thomas shares his personal story of growing up in a broken family and his passion for marriage. The book incorporates elements of the Catholic faith and spiritual warfare, and aims to bring people back to God. Wright and Thomas discuss the importance of fathers in the family and the impact they have on their children's faith. They also touch on the corruption within the Church and the need for courageous leaders. Overall, the book is described as a page-turner that appeals to both men and women.“Catholic Joe: Superhero” by Steven S. ThomasBuy the book HEREBook synopsis: “This is the first in the Catholic Joe series. Lieutenant General Joseph Salvatore, husband and father of a large family, is a man's man. At age 48 he is still considered one of the deadliest men on the planet, able to kill an enemy with his bare hands, and with the same hands tenderly caress his wife and children. Joe brings this same lethal intensity as he fights to save his youngest brother Vinny's marriage.In fighting for his brother, Joe, later deemed Catholic Joe by a reporter, uncovers corruption in the government and his church. You will feast on courage while you accompany Joe as he is targeted in a raid on his home by the FBI, secretly placed in Cook County Jail to be “Epsteined,” and targeted by Freemasonic assassins before he can share with the world what he has uncovered.”Who is Steven Thomas?Steven Thomas (no relation to Joseph Salvatore) is a serial entrepreneur, who has started many culture changing companies and apostolates. Steven was given the grace to complete this book after walking across the country with a small group of men. They traversed over 4500 grueling miles in the form of a cross over the US, praying for God's mercy and favor on their country and church. Steven resides in the suburbs of Chicago with his wife, Ginny, and eight living children.keywords: book, Catholic Joe Superhero, marriage, faith, inspiration, leadership, family, Church, fathers, corruption, courage This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.gooddistinctions.com

Look at us, Kimmy! Coz this week we're joined by Aussie comedy legend, Peter Rowsthorn! (Say what?! *faints*) Joining AW and Matt fresh from visiting Roxy at the Cook County Jail, the star of 'Kath and Kim', 'Crackers', and 'Chicago: the Musical' -currently touring Australia- brings his affable charms into our torture chamber for some Murderdolls' 'Women and Children Last', before we queue up to 'Ride the Cyclone' with the cult Canadian smash hit! Plus, we chat the current Chicago tour, Kath and Kim noses, Chicago again, The Comedy Company, Ownership of Characters, Mama Asabi in Chicago, Nike Moccasins, and even MORE Chicago: the Musical!'CHICAGO: the Musical' Tickets: https://chicagomusical.com.au/ - Now Playing in Brisbane, then Melbourne (March), Sydney (June), and Adelaide (August).-SOCIALS-Peter on IG: https://www.instagram.com/peterrowsthorn/Matt: https://www.instagram.com/mattyoungactor/*****Juxtaposing Metal with Musicals - joined by iconic guests from the worlds of Music, Broadway, Hollywood, and more! https://www.thetonastontales.com/listen -- https://www.patreon.com/bloomingtheatricals - https://twitter.com/thrashntreasurehttps://linktr.ee/thrashntreasure*****Help support Thrash 'n Treasure and keep us on-air, PLUS go on a fantastical adventure at the same time!Grab your copy of The Tonaston Tales by AW, and use the code TNT20 when you check out for 20% off eBooks and Paperbacks!https://www.thetonastontales.com/bookstore - TNT20 ***** ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Human rights lawyer Robert L. Herbst: International Court of Justice Orders Israel to Prevent Acts of Genocide in Gaza WarFormer warden of Chicago's Cook County Jail, Chicago Beyond's Managing Director of Justice Initiatives Nneka Jones Tapia: Fighting to Reform U.S. Mass Incarceration from Inside the SystemPrinceton University doctoral candidate in history Pablo Pryluka: Argentina's Unions Respond to President Milei's Extremist Program with General StrikeBob Nixon's Under-reported News SummaryBrutal Sudan paramilitary leader visits Rwanda holocaust memorialUS corporate profit a main driver of consumer inflationThermal energy networks could create union jobsVisit our website at BTLonline.org for more information, in-depth interviews, related links, transcripts and subscribe to our BTL Weekly Summary and/or podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday at 12 noon ET, website updated Wednesdays after 4 p.m. ETProduced by Squeaky Wheel Productions: Scott Harris, Melinda Tuhus, Bob Nixon, Anna Manzo, Susan Bramhall, Jeff Yates and Mary Hunt. Theme music by Richard Hill and Mikata.

* International Court of Justice Orders Israel to Prevent Acts of Genocide in Gaza War; Robert L. Herbst, is a civil rights lawyer in New York; Producer: Scott Harris. * Fighting to Reform U.S. Mass Incarceration from Inside the System; Nneka Jones Tapia, managing dir. of justice initiatives at Chicago Beyond, former warden of Chicago's Cook County Jail; Producer: Melinda Tuhus. * Argentina's Unions Respond to President Milei's Extremist Program with General Strike; Pablo Pryluka, Doctoral Candidate in the Department of History at Princeton University; Producer: Scott Harris.

Chef Bruno Abate, the president and founder of Recipe for Change, joins Lisa Dent to talk about the non-profit program that offers culinary certifications to inmates at Cook County Jail and how he plans to open a food truck, serving pizza made by the inmates. Follow The Lisa Dent Show on Twitter:Follow @LisaDentSpeaksFollow @SteveBertrand Follow […]

Topics 1: Beverly Hills cop 4 2: The American Society of Magical negroes 3: Chicago man freed after 12yrs, case relied on blind man testimony 4: Black 2yr old seen being fingerprinted in role play about Rosa Parks 5: Gervonte Davis buys his old neighborhood 6: TD Jakes is TD CAKES Diddy's POWERBOTTOM 7: Tyrese Gibson Hits Red Carpet Wearing Red Dress ... Showing Off Wide Hips! (Looking Like Oprah) https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/eddie-murphy-reprises-role-as-axel-foley-in-beverly-hil ls-cop-4-watch-the-netflix-trailer/ar-AA1lvLX9?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=926d6d4c2b3141a0a347b301 5be0f67d&ei=56 For the first time in nearly three decades, Eddie Murphy will reprise his role as Axel Foley in a new "Beverly Hills Cop" franchise film. Netflix on Thursday released the trailer for "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley" which is set to be released on the streaming platform next year. https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/the-american-society-of-magical-negroes-takes-a-satir ical-jab-at-the-white-people-are-evil-trope/ar-AA1lIV5f?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=dcff9aba10694172b7f b6bb9704bcb45&ei=30 The American Society of Magical Negroes is a satirical spin on the “White People are bad” tropes, but reactions to the trailer are polarized. The American Society of Magical Negroes stirred controversy with its unapologetic portrayal of 'White People' as "the most dangerous animal on the planet." Kobi Libii's directorial debut, the movie produced under Focus Features has Justice Smith (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) and David Alan Grier leading the cast. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/charges-against-chicago-man-dropped-in-murder-case- that-relied-on-legally-blind-witness-testimony/ar-AA1lL5UG?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=9c38a4732cca4 7308cb4c8bc34f31726&ei=65 A Chicago man's murder conviction was overturned after prosecutors on Tuesday dropped all charges against him in a case that relied primarily on the testimony of a legally blind witness. Darien Harris spent 12 years in prison after he was convicted in the 2011 shooting death of Rondell Moore, 23. He walked free Tuesday night about 6:15 p.m., leaving Cook County Jail, his attorney, Lauren Myerscough-Mueller with the Exoneration Project, said. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/florida-preschool-faces-backlash-2-year-old-allegedly-m ade-participate-rcna130572 NAACP Florida State Conferencesent letters to the Florida Department of Children and Families and Building Brains Academy addressing concerns of racially unethical actions which took place at the academy located in Osceola, Florida. It has been reported that a 2-year-old Black student was handcuffed and fingerprinted by a White peer during a Rosa Parks role-play. https://hip-hopvibe.com/news/gervonta-davis-buys-his-old-baltimore-neighborhood/ Gervonta Davis bought his old block in Baltimore to provide affordable housing https://mediatakeout.com/tyrese-hits-red-carpet-wearing-red-dress-showing-off-wide-hips-lookin g-like-oprah/ Tyrese Gibson hits the red carpet after an Egyption tour wearing what appears to be a lovely red dress for full figured women. #tyrese --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/schwebelroom/message

Host - Jon HansenReporter - Mack LiedermanEditor - Iridian FierroThe Story - HERESpecial Thanks - Mike Lowe's WGN-TV Report on Recipe For Change in 2016. Watch HERE  To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Mitchell Armenteout from the Chicago Sun-Times joins Jon Hansen to talk about new program that will give Cook County Jail detainees a State ID when they are released to help them get on their feet.

Amy Owen is a birth doula, meditation teacher, and yoga instructor in Chicago.  She started her career in the 1980s as a fashion model and began practicing mediation in her early 20s. A few years later she learned yoga and has been teaching yoga since 2008.  She created the outreach prenatal yoga program serving Northwestern Hospital's ambulatory care patients and piloted the Yoga For Recovery BAMS program bringing prenatal yoga to expectant inmates at Cook County Jail. Support the show

There are nearly 2 million people behind bars in the United States. There are also over 6 million family members of the incarcerated additionally affected, creating a huge impact that needs to be addressed. Dick’s guest, Dr. Nneka Jones Tapia is a clinical psychologist and the former warden of the Cook County Jail in Chicago, […]

Mayor Brandon Johnson lists reducing recidivism as part of his community safety plan. In that spirit, his office has launched a collaboration between the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services and community groups to fast track housing and jobs for people getting out of Cook County Jail and state prisons. Reset learns more about this collaboration and how it works. For more conversations about topics impacting Chicagoans, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Legal Briefs are back this week on Gin & Justice and we're talking current events.An Alabama woman was imprisoned for ‘endangering' her fetus. She gave birth in a jail shower:https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/13/alabama-pregnant-woman-jail-lawsuitFL Corrections Secretary says some canteen prices in prisons too high; working on reducing costs:https://apple.news/AaPV_-Q2uTxe6dWWhNNqOsASanta Clara County pilot program aims to stop repeat offenders by keeping them in jail:https://apple.news/ABu8syUH5S4mDN9rXjev66gWith cash bail eliminated in Illinois, Cook County Jail population shrinks:https://apple.news/AdYI_NbfCSaudNzTQk0R4WgPolice Resistance and Politics Undercut the Authority of Prosecutors Trying to Reform the Justice System:https://apple.news/AYO7G3wT-Q3K0ZeQBrRxQigTAMPA, FLORIDA — The 2nd Annual Tampa Bay Criminal Justice Summit, a highly-anticipated event, is set to make its mark on October 20th and 21st, 2023. Hosted at the prestigious Barrymore Hotel and Tampa Preparatory School, this two-day summit promises to be a hub of insightful discussions, featuring an array of distinguished panelists and speakers in the realm of criminal justice reform.Event Details:Date: Friday, October 20th, 2023 (9:00 am - 3:00 pm)Location: Barrymore Hotel 111 W Fortune St, Tampa, FL 33602Saturday, October 21st, 2023 (8:00 am - 4:00 pm) Tampa Preparatory School, 727 W Cass Street, Tampa, Florida 33606Don't forget to leave us a review and follow us on social media!https://www.ginandjusticepodcast.comhttps://www.facebook.com/GinAndJustice/IG: @ginandjusticepodcastTwitter: Gin_JusticePodTikTok: Gin_and_Justice

How is pizza helping to rehabilitate people in jail? Daily Show correspondent Ronny Chieng, segment director Sebastian DiNatale, and Chef Bruno Abate join host Roy Wood Jr. to discuss Recipe for Change, a pizza-making program for people in Chicago's Cook County Jail. The group also delves into America's mass incarceration crisis, and debates why deep dish pizza is trash. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BrownTown talks water access, water solidarity, and abolition as presence with Avalon Betts-Gatson and Tommy Hagan, organizers with the Coalition to Decarcerate Illinois (CDI). From indigenous land back struggles to fighting for clean drinking water for incarcerated peoples, water is the most basic human right. The gang gets meta discussing organizing strategies within coalitions of various ideologies, access points to abolition, and the role of prisons and carceral logics in current campaigns, recent events, and everyday life. Originally recorded September 11, 2023. GUESTSAvalon Betts-Gaston is a Chicago native, non-licensed attorney, ordained minister, and passionate advocate to dismantle, change and build a legal system focused on humane justice and harm reduction, not just punishment.  Avalon made her public debut as an advocate at a young age when she convinced her fellow Congressional pages to protest apartheid outside of the South African embassy in Washington, D.C.  This passion against various societal injustices continued throughout her life and was super-charged and focused on the criminal legal system after she was wrongfully convicted in 2015. She is the first known formerly incarcerated Board Chairperson for Community Renewal Society, and is also on the FreeHer Campaign Advisory Council, a board member of Chicago Votes, a 2022 JLUSA Leading with Conviction Fellow, and is currently the Project Manager at the Illinois Alliance for Reentry & Justice.Tommy Hagan is the Co-Director of the REAL Youth Initiative. He has spent the last 8 years working to build power with currently incarcerated people in the United States. As a student at the University of Chicago, he helped launch the Bridge Writing Workshop, a weekly creative writing workshop at Cook County Jail. Tommy also participated in and co-wrote a published report on Northwestern University's Children and Family Justice Center's Reimagining Youth Justice Project. From this report, Tommy helped launch the Final 5 Campaign - a coalition fighting to close the 5 remaining youth prisons in Illinois. Part of the Irish diaspora, Tommy is dedicated to ending practices of settler colonialism, imperialism, and military occupation.Learn more about CDI on their site and their SoapBox page; follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.--Mentioned in episode:#StopCopCity RICO charges & #NoCopAcademyThe Willie Lynch Letter and the Making of a SlaveRuth Wilson Gilmore - racism definition & "Abolition Geography"Bella BAHHS' January 6th article (TRiiBE)Dylan Rodríguez on Millennials Are Killing Capitalism“We can't have #LandBack without #WaterBack” --Pueblo Action Alliance's #WaterBack campaignWater access struggles (US): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8Water access struggles (Internat'l): Honduras, Palestine, Bangladesh --CREDITS: Intro from the SoapBox-produced Coalition to Decarcerate Illinois press conference video on April 21, 2022. Outro song Wavy by Tobe Nwigwe. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles.--Bourbon 'n BrownTownFacebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | PatreonSoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Linktree | Support

In a harrowing turn of events, a vigilant Lyft driver's quick thinking reportedly prevented what could have been a tragic outcome in Chicago. As distressing details surface about the incident, the importance of following one's instincts, even in seemingly routine situations, comes to the fore. Jeremiah Campbell, 29, found himself in the midst of a controversy when a Lyft driver, transporting him and his two-year-old son to an address on South Shore Drive, dialed 911. The driver had overheard Campbell utter disturbing remarks about intending to drown his son as a sacrifice to Jehovah. On that very night, an anonymous call was made from the South Shore Drive residence, reporting a child having drowned in a bathtub. This led the Chicago Police Department (CPD) to the scene promptly. Upon their arrival, their attempts to get a response by knocking went unanswered. However, a glance through the window revealed a concerning sight: a man, later identified as Campbell, making suspicious movements over the bathtub. Relying on the information from the Lyft driver and the subsequent call, CPD officers believed they were witnessing a potential drowning in progress. Their immediate decision to intervene was pivotal. They forced their way inside, prompting Campbell to hastily remove the child from the water. The toddler, drenched and coughing, was quickly handed over to the paramedics, who transported him to a nearby hospital. Meanwhile, Campbell was detained and also sent for a mental health evaluation. Tonya, a witness to the events that night, described the situation as "awful." The haunting scene reminded her of her own grandson, reinforcing the gravity of what could have been a devastating tragedy. Campbell is no stranger to the law. Court records reveal his previous conviction in a 2021 case where he was found guilty of aggravated battery resulting in significant bodily harm and domestic battery leading to bodily harm. As a result, he was handed a 36-month probation sentence in November 2021. Furthermore, he had violated a protection order which barred him from contacting the victim, his child's mother, and other family members. He is currently being held without bail at the Cook County Jail. Local resident Chris Beasley expressed his shock upon hearing the allegations. As a father, he found it difficult to fathom such a horrifying act. He, along with several others interviewed by WGN-TV, commended the Lyft driver for his timely action. Beasley emphasized the importance of speaking out even if one might be unsure, "It's better to say something and nothing's behind it, than to not say something and something bad happens." Lyft's response to the incident was swift and supportive. In a statement released to WGN-TV, a spokesperson praised the driver's prompt action, saying, "We applaud the quick thinking and courage of the Lyft driver who reported the suspicious rider behavior to the authorities." Lyft has since permanently removed Campbell's account from their platform and has offered their cooperation in the ongoing investigation. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the unforeseen dangers that can lurk in everyday situations. The Lyft driver's instinctive response undeniably saved a young boy from impending danger. As the story unfolds, it underscores the value of vigilance, intuition, and the power of taking swift action when something feels amiss. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com

In a harrowing turn of events, a vigilant Lyft driver's quick thinking reportedly prevented what could have been a tragic outcome in Chicago. As distressing details surface about the incident, the importance of following one's instincts, even in seemingly routine situations, comes to the fore. Jeremiah Campbell, 29, found himself in the midst of a controversy when a Lyft driver, transporting him and his two-year-old son to an address on South Shore Drive, dialed 911. The driver had overheard Campbell utter disturbing remarks about intending to drown his son as a sacrifice to Jehovah. On that very night, an anonymous call was made from the South Shore Drive residence, reporting a child having drowned in a bathtub. This led the Chicago Police Department (CPD) to the scene promptly. Upon their arrival, their attempts to get a response by knocking went unanswered. However, a glance through the window revealed a concerning sight: a man, later identified as Campbell, making suspicious movements over the bathtub. Relying on the information from the Lyft driver and the subsequent call, CPD officers believed they were witnessing a potential drowning in progress. Their immediate decision to intervene was pivotal. They forced their way inside, prompting Campbell to hastily remove the child from the water. The toddler, drenched and coughing, was quickly handed over to the paramedics, who transported him to a nearby hospital. Meanwhile, Campbell was detained and also sent for a mental health evaluation. Tonya, a witness to the events that night, described the situation as "awful." The haunting scene reminded her of her own grandson, reinforcing the gravity of what could have been a devastating tragedy. Campbell is no stranger to the law. Court records reveal his previous conviction in a 2021 case where he was found guilty of aggravated battery resulting in significant bodily harm and domestic battery leading to bodily harm. As a result, he was handed a 36-month probation sentence in November 2021. Furthermore, he had violated a protection order which barred him from contacting the victim, his child's mother, and other family members. He is currently being held without bail at the Cook County Jail. Local resident Chris Beasley expressed his shock upon hearing the allegations. As a father, he found it difficult to fathom such a horrifying act. He, along with several others interviewed by WGN-TV, commended the Lyft driver for his timely action. Beasley emphasized the importance of speaking out even if one might be unsure, "It's better to say something and nothing's behind it, than to not say something and something bad happens." Lyft's response to the incident was swift and supportive. In a statement released to WGN-TV, a spokesperson praised the driver's prompt action, saying, "We applaud the quick thinking and courage of the Lyft driver who reported the suspicious rider behavior to the authorities." Lyft has since permanently removed Campbell's account from their platform and has offered their cooperation in the ongoing investigation. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the unforeseen dangers that can lurk in everyday situations. The Lyft driver's instinctive response undeniably saved a young boy from impending danger. As the story unfolds, it underscores the value of vigilance, intuition, and the power of taking swift action when something feels amiss.

This week, we feature two segments First up, former co-host on the show Scott talks about the upcoming Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair happening the weekend of August 11 – 13th, some of the content and notes on access, as well as mentioning some new projects their involved with. You can learn more about the bookfair by visiting ACABookfair.noblogs.org , the project's instagram, facebook or mastodon. https://traffic.libsyn.com/thefinalstrawradio/tfsrpodcast-20230806-ACABookfairWOS.mp3 Then, Fern from the International Anarchist Defense Fund (AFund.Info) talks about the upcoming International Week of Solidarity with Anarchist Prisoners from August 23-30th, taking place wherever you make it happen. You can find the call-out, materials, supported prisoners, some anti-repression groups involved and info on past actions and events at https://Solidarity.International . Announcement Black Anarchist Hybachi Lamar Support Hybachi Lamar, an incarcerated Black, Kemetic anarchist being held at the Cook County Jail talks about the conditions in the jail in an audio message that is shared alongside links to his writings and info on how to help South Chicago Anarchist Black Cross support him. All of this can be found at https://southchicagoabc.org/helpcompa/ . ... . .. Featured Track: Everything In Its Right Place (by Radiohead) by The String Quartet from Strung Out On Kid A - The String Quartet Tribute To Radiohead

Sherrif is a Chicagoan, father, community builder, and participant in the Chicago Future Fund, a guaranteed income pilot program for formerly incarcerated individuals run by community organization EAT (Equity and Transformation). Also, a small note for our non-Chicago listeners: 26th and California is the intersection where the Cook County Jail is located. SHOW NOTES Get in tune with the Chicago Future Fund - https://www.eatchicago.org/chicago-future-fund-1 Come to the launch party of GUARANTEED on 7/14/23! - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-guaranteed-tickets-658516489547 Learn more about Respair Production & Media - http://respairmedia.com Connect with the Economic Security Project - http://economicsecproj.org/

Sheriff Dart has revolutionized a system that most people don't even want to look at, let alone get into the trenches of & that is prison reform. Something that hit home for us in SOF is that if a person can be rehabilitated, then you should take that time & effort to do so. "When they're back on the street which version do you want to bump into at target?"Sheriff Tom Dart has dedicated his career to challenging injustice, fighting the violence plaguing our communities, & bringing new, thoughtful approaches to public service.After serving as a prosecutor & an IL state legislator, Sheriff Dart was elected by the people of Cook County, & has brought his reformative vision, & his commitment to action, to his role as sheriff. Sheriff Dart has rewritten the book on what a sheriff can accomplish, looking inside & outside of the conventions of LE for nuanced & thoughtful solutions to help people.Sheriff Dart's skills in management, accountability, & forward-thinking leadership was critical in the success of the Cook County Jail being released from almost 40 yrs of oversight by the U.S. Department of Justice's federal consent decree, making it the only large jail to ever complete such a task.Sheriff Dart has instituted extensive programming at the Cook County Jail, seeking to give individuals in custody, skills that help to stop the revolving door of incarceration. The Sheriff has sought out creative programming within the jail in the areas of art, chess, construction, cooking, gardening, parenting, & literacy, all of which help foster social & emotional growth for individuals in custody while they await trial.Sheriff Dart also formed the Cook County Sheriff's Office's Treatment Response Team to provide support & assistance (available 24/7) for those in the community struggling with substance abuse issues.Sheriff Dart has been named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME Magazine, & a Public Official of the Year by Governing Magazine. He & his wife, Patricia, live on Chicago's South Side & are the proud and dedicated parents of five children.There's a reason why we saved this one for our season closer! Tune in to understand why.For more information about All Secure Foundation, visit https://allsecurefoundation.org/

Historic West Side home, built in 1869, catches fire: CFD; Cook County Jail detainees caught with drug-infused paper; Chicago Park District pools set to reopen this month

PART 2: Frizz, Bob, and Kenyon continue the Rosé party we started on the Wine and Crime podcast as we get into round 2 of our most fascinating murder ballads. We jazz it out on the fattest Tuesday with the Mysterious Axeman, learn the deadly truth behind Merry Murderesses of the Cook County Jail, and dive into some CLASSIC Southern gothic with Reba and Momma - and possibly the worst music video ever made.  Note: Part 1 of this episode can be found on the Wine and Crime podcast feed! Go check it out!

In this episode, Roger and Jeffrey discuss Roger's career through banking, motivational speaking, and writing financial books–and how that took him to bringing Pickleball to prisons Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3eXBvHynYM0 Host: Jeffrey M. Zucker Producer: Kait Grey Editor: Nick Case Learn more: Recording date: 4/26/23 Roger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roger-belair-80314111/ https://www.facebook.com/belairr/ BelAirR@gmail.com Conscience VC: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscience-vc/ Bio: A Pickleball Background Like No Other! Years ago Roger BelAir was introduced to to Barney McCallum, the only living founder. They quickly became friends and many of the anecdotes and vignettes Roger shares about the game come directly from Barney. Next Roger came to know the managment of Pickle-Ball, Inc., the company formed by the three founders to promote the game. He learned even more “behind the scenes” stories. As a result, Roger's clinics are uncopyable! With a style that mixes humor, insights, and proper technique, Roger has taught 2,500+ people … from a former Wimbledon tennis pro to Fortune 500 executives to grandmothers who want to stay active and have fun. He is frequently the Guest Teaching Pro at the renowned Rancho La Puerta (one of the “Five Best Destination Spas in the World” according to Travel + Leisure magazine). He has also taught at the JW Marriott Palm Desert, one of the top ten tennis resorts in the country.                                                                       Inspired by a CBS's “60 Minutes” segment on crime, Roger envisioned pickleball as a means of teaching “life skills” in prisons. Since most inmates are eventually released, perhaps pickleball could help make them better people … making it safer for all of us once they return to society. His thinking was correct. He introduced the game to men charged with murder at Chicago's Cook County Jail and his program was hugely successful. Gang members who wouldn't even talk to each other were playing pickleball together. Soon they were even laughing together! Disciplinary problems at the jail were reduced. The success of his program in Chicago led Roger to prisons coast-to-coast, from Rikers Island in New York to Corcoran in California (where Charles Manson served time).  His life-changing efforts have been applauded by NPR, ESPN, and a front-page story in USA TODAY. Even a popular radio station in Dubai found his story newsworthy! Off the court, Roger is a financial expert who has been profiled in a cover story of Money magazine; an acclaimed author of books on finance and investments; and a keynoter at business conventions around the country. He's been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and many other publications.  He knows finance, but pickleball is his passion.

Lindsay Porter is a Chicago based comedian and actress. We talk her days working with Steve Carrell and seeing his butt, Dave Attell dated her friend and she ran the Chicago River boat tour. My dad went to Lake and Cook County Jail and she might have worked at one of those. We talk parenting, adoption and owning a bar in Chicago.    Support The Lobo Den Podcast by joining the Patreon with bonus content and more: https://www.patreon.com/theloboden   The views expressed on the podcast are of The Lobo Den Podcast and do not reflect the views and positions of anyone ever.   I'm back on Roast Battle this Thursday 5/4 against Todd Glover episode 3 & 188 and 6/1 Anthony Fuentes episode 89. Link for the tickets in my Link Tree below.    YouTube: https://youtu.be/zJkgQ0wjSTA   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsay_porter/ https://www.instagram.com/lobo9110/ https://www.instagram.com/thelobodenpodcast/   Best Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/830054804387858   TikTok (aka CCP weaponized social media app): https://www.tiktok.com/@theloboden   Twitter: https://twitter.com/lobodenpodcast https://twitter.com/lobo9110   Donate: https://www.paypal.me/thelobodenpodcast   Links: https://linktr.ee/theloboden    

The first Cook County Jail was a wooden stockade, built in 1833 in Chicago, which was then a town of around 250 people. Today, the Cook County Department of Corrections, which takes up 8 city blocks on the Southwest Side of Chicago, is one of the largest single-site jails in the country and incarcerates nearly 100,000 people a year. The history of the jail's expansion is a story of urban politics and patronage, battles over criminal justice reform, and the racist underpinnings of mass incarceration.  Joining me to help us learn more about the Cook County Jail is Dr. Melanie Newport, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Connecticut and author of This Is My Jail: Local Politics and the Rise of Mass Incarceration. Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-roll audio is “Slow E-Guitar Blues Solo” by JuliusH from Pixabay. The image of the Cook County Department of Corrections is by Stephen Hogan on Flickr and was taken on October 24, 2017; it is used under Creative Commons (CC BY 2.0). Additional Sources: “Learning about American History and Politics through American Jails,” by Elaina Hancock, UConn Today, November 15, 2022. “Jails and Prisons,” by Jess Maghan, Encyclopedia of Chicago. “Cook County Jail's History,” Cook County Sheriff's Office. “A rare glimpse into a transformative time at Cook County Jail,” by Renata Cherlise, Chicago Reader, December 9, 2016. “Blues in the Big House [video]” “When a Psychologist Was in Charge of Jail,” by Melanie Newport, The Marshall Project, May 21, 2015. “The COVID-19 Struggle In Chicago's Cook County Jail,” Cheryl Corley, NPR, April 13, 2020. “Cook County to Proceed With End of Cash Bail in Wake of SAFE-T Act Ruling,” NBC5 Chicago, December 29, 2022. Organizations to support: Chicago Community Jail Support Chicago Community Bond Fund Uptown People's Law Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Eric brings on family... We found out the inner workings of Cook County Jail and what some of the customs are. Did we mention that this is our first interview of the season? Royalty, we hope you enjoy this week's episode Dumb Smart Beyond scared straight Cook County edition. Keep It Lovely.

Over the weekend, a 76-year-old Chicago man was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a teen girl at the beach. A 14-year-old girl and her family went to Montrose Beach on Saturday, Aug. 13, according to court documents cited by NBC Chicago. The prosecutor alleges that Juan Roldon convinced her to visit a bird sanctuary nearby when she was walking toward a public restroom. Roldon reportedly pushed the teen into the bushes where he groped her and forced her to perform oral sex. The teen reportedly escaped and told her father about the incident. Roldon was found within five minutes by the teen's father who confronted him about the alleged assault. When Roldon denied it, the father began punching him. When the teen pointed to a napkin that Roldon was reportedly using to wipe himself off, the girl's father started hitting him, according to NBC Chicago. As a result of his arrest, he was charged with criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual abuse, and unlawful restraint. According to Cook County Jail records, he is being held without bond. If you like TRUE CRIME TODAY - Be sure to search and subscribe wherever you download podcasts! Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-a-true-crime-podcast/id1504280230?uo=4 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0GYshi6nJCf3O0aKEBTOPs Stitcher http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/real-ghost-stories-online-2/dark-side-of-wikipedia-true-crime-disturbing-stories iHeart https://www.iheart.com/podcast/270-Dark-Side-of-Wikipedia-Tru-60800715 Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/565dc51b-d214-4fab-b38b-ae7c723cb79a/Dark-Side-of-Wikipedia-True-Crime-Dark-History Google Podcasts https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzUwMDEyNjAucnNz Or Search "True Crime Today" for the best in True Crime ANYWHERE you get podcasts! Support the show at http://www.patreon.com/truecrimetoday

Today was an historic Freedom Friday! Karl and Crew Mornings broadcasted LIVE from inside the Cook County Jail in Chicago. Guests included Manny Mill (Executive Director and Founder of Koinonia Ministries), Chief David Gomez, and Joe Carlson (Staff Chaplain). The most powerful moments came during our time with those imprisoned and hearing their faith stories...finding freedom in Jesus, even behind bars. Hear the powerful highlights of today's program on the Karl and Crew Showcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ms. Pat hates light, and had another health scare. She has a huge announcement for the Crackdown party. Cook County Jail inmates are spiting in booty holes. - Get the Crack Baby T-Shirt! https://www.mspatcomedy.com/product/crack-baby-t-shirt/ - Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/patdown - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/patdown - Website: https://www.mspatcomedy.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Empire co-star Jussie Smollett is out of jail while attorneys appeal his conviction for lying to police about a hate crime attack against him. Smollett began serving his 150 day sentence last week, even as he steadfastly denies paying two men he knew to stage the attack, as a special prosecutor contends. Days after the actor began his sentence, Smollett was put into protective custody in the Cook County Jail, and then his brother, Jocqui Smollett, and his attorneys claimed that he had been put into the “psyche ward” because of fears of self-harm. Cook County police said the Smollett was being housed in an area for inmates who need extra treatment for mental health issues but said it was also used for “extra monitoring.” Smollett's attorneys asked the court to release the actor pending appeal, arguing that he would complete the sentence by the time the process was completed. They also cited homophobic threats received by the actor in their request for emergency release. The special prosecutor responded to the motion by saying it was “factually incorrect.” Two of the three members of the appellate court agreed with Smollett's attorneys and said he could be released after posting $150,000 personal recognizance bond, which means he won't put up any money but must guarantee he appears in court as required. Appellate Justices Thomas Hoffman and Joy Cunningham signed the order and Maureen Connors dissented. Joining Nancy Grace today: Matthew Mangino - Attorney, Former District Attorney (Lawrence County), Former Parole Board Member, Author: "The Executioner's Toll: The Crimes, Arrests, Trials, Appeals, Last Meals, Final Words and Executions of 46 Persons in the United States"  Dr. Shari Schwartz - Forensic Psychologist (specializing in Capital Mitigation and Victim Advocacy), www.panthermitigation.com, Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrialDoc, Author: "Criminal Behavior" and "Where Law and Psychology Intersect" (Miami Beach, FL) Paul Szych - Former Police Commander (Albuquerque, NM), Author: "StopHimFromKillingThem" on Amazon Kindle, StopHimFromKillingThem.com, Twitter: @WorkplaceThreat Alexis Tereszcuk - CrimeOnline.com Investigative Reporter, Writer/Fact Checker, Lead Stories dot Com, Twitter: @swimmie2009  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

You know Leesa Charlotte from Sweetbitter, and Liv's episode on Sappho, but now she's created a pilot episode of the podcast The Murderesses of Cook Country Jail with Lungowe Zeko and they're up for iHeartRadio's Next Great Podcast. Check out the trailer here, listen to the podcast wherever you're listening to this one, and vote for Leesa and Lungowe here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.