The Adam Toledo tragedy is no reason to abandon ShotSpotter

... and a Picayune Sentinel poll on Joe Biden's acuity

2-15-2024 (issue No. 128)

This week:

• Where the Adam Toledo story fits and doesn’t fit into the ShotSpotter debate

• Last week’s winning tweet

• The Tribune shows the Tribune how properly to cover a protest against the Tribune

• Who qualifies as a “senior citizen”? — And what do “penis-flavored popsicles” have to do with it?

• Five choices: How do you feel about Joe Biden’s fitness for office?

• Land of Linkin’ — Where I tell readers where to go

• Squaring up the news — Where Charlie Meyerson tells readers where to go

• Mary Schmich — My life with Joe Montana

• What’s on “The Mincing Rascals” podcast this week — The panelists recall their first kisses

• Quotables

• Re:Tweets — The winning visual tweet and this week’s contest finalists

• Tune of the Week — A Super Bowl commercial for chocolate inspires a revival of “Round and Round,” a 1957 pop hit

Eric Zorn is a former opinion columnist for the Chicago Tribune. Find a longer bio and contact information here. This issue exceeds in size the maximum length for a standard email. To read the entire issue in your browser, click on the headline link above. Paid subscribers receive each Picayune Plus in their email inbox each Tuesday, are part of our civil and productive commenting community and enjoy the sublime satisfaction of supporting this enterprise.

ShotSpotter and the killing of Adam Toledo

Not to poke this bear again, but the news stories and analysis of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s decision to phase out the city’s contract with the controversial gunfire detection program formerly known as ShotSpotter always seem to contain mentions like this:

Sun-Times:

The campaign to get rid of ShotSpotter gained political steam after the police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo in March 2021.

Chicago Police Officer Eric Stillman was responding to a ShotSpotter alert when he chased Toledo into an alley in Little Village and shot the boy in the chest just a split-second after body-cam video showed the teenager dropping a handgun and raising both hands in the air.

In the political furor that followed Toledo’s death, two reports publicly questioned the efficacy and crime-fighting value of ShotSpotter’s alerts.

Tribune:

ShotSpotter gained special notoriety among Chicago activists in 2021, when a gunshot alert from a street in Little Village sent responding police running after 13-year-old Adam Toledo. An officer fatally shot Toledo during the chase.

What’s odd about this — what’s seldom mentioned — is that this incident was an example of ShotSpotter doing just what it was supposed to do. At 2:35 a.m. on March 29, 2021, ShotSpotter sensors picked up audio of approximately nine gunshots being fired in Little Village, and surveillance video later showed a 21-year-old man, accompanied by young Adam Toledo, firing at a passing car.

Adam had a gun in his hand when police, first alerted by ShotSpotter, arrived three minutes later to confront the two.

Isn’t this what law-abiding citizens want? A rapid response to the scene of street gunfire? ShotSpotter — the company now goes by SoundThinking — may not be dramatically effective and seems to be prone to false positives, but here it worked as intended, identifying the location of gunfire.

Even though what happened next was tragic, does anyone think it would be better in general for police not to attempt to apprehend people firing guns in the streets?

Adam took off down an alley running, and Officer Eric Stillman pursued him.

When video from the police officer’s body cam was released a little more than a week later, it seemed to show that Adam attempted to discreetly discard the gun he was carrying behind a fence as he stopped running and quickly wheeled around with his empty hands up. In a fraction of a second, Stillman fired one fatal shot. At best, it was a terrible mistake, the result of Stillman’s self-defense reflex in the heat of the moment.

At worst, it was a cold-blooded murder, possibly even also a hate crime, though after months of consideration, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office declined to charge Stillman. This suggested that investigators and experts in police use of force concluded that the shooting was legally justified, even though hindsight revealed it to be wholly unnecessary.

Justified or not, the loss of such a young life under such circumstances is a multifaceted tragedy.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability — the city agency that investigates excessive force allegations against Chicago Police Department officers — has recommended that Stillman be fired, and a hearing on that recommendation is on hold along with other hearings pending the resolution of a dispute over whether such proceedings should be public.

They should be public, of course. This incident in particular demands a full airing of the evidence and testimony from all the living witnesses in order to generate confidence in the ultimate ruling and help us answer critical questions.

Do we want police to chase after people who are holding guns that have apparently been recently illegally discharged? Or do we want to let them run off?

Did Stillman violate his training or department policy when he fired his gun? If not, should those policies be changed?

Meanwhile, Johnson’s decision to end the city’s relationship with ShotSpotter in mid-September seems based on a desire to please his progressive base, not on the views of police — Superintendent Larry Snelling has spoken in favor of the technology — or perhaps not on the views of the majority of residents in high-crimes areas.

The mayor who preens about how collaborative he is doesn’t appear to have collaborated with the stakeholders here.

Fran Spielman and Tom Schuba had a pointed question in their Sun-Times analysis:

(If Johnson) was so determined to shore up his far left political base by delivering for the activists who view ShotSpotter as an overreaching surveillance tool, why keep it around through the summer, when violent crime typically spikes and Chicago plays host to the Democratic National Convention?

The contract expires Friday, but senior Johnson adviser Jason Lee told the paper that Johnson asked for an extension to facilitate an “orderly transition” because “ShotSpotter is integrated into certain police activities.”

Late Wednesday came a report that SoundThinking (ShotSpotter) is rejecting the request for an extension through the summer, perhaps as a poker play to get the City Council to override the mayor and keep the technology in place.

Last week’s winning tweet

Feb 14 is for lovers. Feb 15 is for lovers of hаlf-price cаndy. — @sarahedwig

Here are this week’s nominees and the winner of the Tuesday visual-tweets poll. Here is the direct link to the new poll.

The Tribune shows the Tribune how properly to cover a protest against the Tribune

Last week, I wrote about the Tribune’s weird, cowardly refusal to give any coverage to the one-day strike by unionized members of its newsroom. Then came this article:

It was a well-done summary of the complaints of the protesters and the response from the head of the Editorial Board. Trib investigative reporter Gregory Royal Pratt took note on social media of the obvious incongruity:

It’s sad and disappointing that newsroom leaders can’t even be bothered to explain themselves for this seemingly egregious journalistic lapse.

Senioritis

Speaking of social media and errors, I reported Tuesday on how I got crosswise with the crime blog CWBChicago and its readers when I complained on Twitter about a headline that described a 61-year-old crime victim as a “senior citizen.” As a matter of law, I was wrong, and commenters quickly pointed this out:

But as a matter of common understanding, the results of my click survey suggest I was onto something:

Ninety-five percent of 652 respondents think “senior citizen” properly describes only those of us who are 65 and up.

Which of these statements best reflects how you feel about Biden’s fitness for office?

Speaking of seniors and polls, here’s my interpretation of several views of 81-year-old President Joe Biden as he runs for reelection, likely against former President Donald Trump:

1. No, never. I don’t care if Biden is mentally firing on all cylinders or addled by age. I don’t like his Democratic Party policies and will not vote for him.

2. Sadly, no. I’d vote for Biden if I thought he was mentally fit to continue as president, but if he’s on the ballot, I’ll vote for another candidate or sit out the election.

3. Reluctantly, yes. Biden has been a darn good president, and I’m grateful he’s been in the White House these last three years. I’d vote for him over Trump or Nikki Haley even if he were in a coma. But he ought to retire and make way for the next generation of Democratic leadership. His halting delivery and seemingly porous memory are inauspicious and seem likely to tamp down the voter enthusiasm his party will need to defeat the frightening Trump. A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 73% of Democrats think Biden is too old to continue as president, and his spokespeople and surrogates should stop gaslighting the public with assurances that this suffocating majority is wrong and that Biden is all there mentally — sharp, focused, on the ball. If that is actually the case, then blanket the damn airwaves with illustrative video and have him sit down for some challenging interviews. Show, don’t tell!

4. Shhhh! Yeah, obviously Biden slips a few gears now and then, but talking about that instead of his legislative priorities and the issues that matter risks eroding his support among independent, persuadable voters. Focus instead on the arguably far greater mental deterioration of Trump, 77, who not only mangles his facts all the time but also says utterly appalling, traitorous things, such as that the United States should not help defend from hostile invaders any NATO nation that isn’t sufficiently investing in its own military. And 62% of those polled by ABC News/Ipsos think he’s too old to be president again.

5. Relax! Biden is fine! He has a stammer, and his voice is weak with age, but he’s all there and more than up to continuing doing the job he’s done well since January 2021. Everyone forgets things now and then. And as the spring and summer lead to the fall election, we’ll see that he’s cognitively miles ahead of Trump and both mentally and physically vigorous enough to serve until he’s 86.

I’m a 3.

Land of Linkin’

• I thought I’d take the opportunity to point out again that, in 2010, I predicted that, in 2020, “entertainment industry observers will agree: The top star of the decade was Taylor Swift.” Well, she won the artist of the decade award from theAmerican Music Awards and was named Billboard’s woman of the decade, and, as the Super Bowl-related coverage illustrated, she’s on track to be the top star of the 2020s as well.

• “The $20 million ‘He Gets Us’ campaign about Jesus is funded by an influential donor to some of the most active and litigious shadow network groups working to undermine church-state separation.” — Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

• What 12 of The World’s Biggest Websites Looked Like at the Beginning -- a trip back in time and just a trip in general.

• ‘As You Wish’: 10 Perfect Facts We Learned About ‘The Princess Bride’ From Rob Reiner -- including how a bit of "Spinal Tap" made it into one scene.

• The heavy metal band Drowning Pool provides the soundtrack to a super-cut compilation of train crashes from "Thomas the Tank Engine."

• Here is Google's ImageFX a new AI image generator so good that it shocked ZDNet editor Sabrina Ortiz. Compare it to Open AI’s DALL-E3, also shockingly good.

• Ages of Revolution: How Old Were They on July 4, 1776? It turns out that many Founding Fathers were less than 40 years old in 1776, with several qualifying as Founding Teenagers and Twentysomethings.

• “ Since the media refuses to report on it, let me share what happens at a typical Trump speech.” By Ben Meiselas.

• The Picayune Sentinel on the Air:  Joan Esposito of WCPT AM-820 and I will chat from 4-5 p.m. central time Thursday.  Here is your listen live link.

• These reunion videos always bring a tear to my eye.

Squaring up the news

This is a bonus supplement to the Land of Linkin’ from veteran radio, internet and newspaper journalist Charlie Meyerson. Each week, he offers a selection of intriguing links from his daily email news briefing Chicago Public Square:

■ “It’s a mistake to visit these dying places again.” But Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg did return to “the still-grand Marshall Field’s box with crumbs of Macy’s rattling around inside.”

■ “The economics of recycling aren’t just busted—they’re preposterous.” Science journalist Matt Simon turns a harsh spotlight on the plastics industry’s impact in an excerpt from his new book, “A Poison Like No Other,” which explains “how microplastics have corrupted our planet and our bodies.”

■ Do Not Drive: Carfax reports the number of vehicles still on the road nationwide despite urgent recalls has increased dramatically since last May. And you can check your wheels by entering your license plate here.

■ Historian Heather Cox Richardson perceives “a disturbing pattern” in Republicans’ meltdown.

■ Last week on Jimmy Kimmel Live: LeVar Burton hosted “Banned Book Rainbow.”

■ Chalkbeat’s thrilled at a shoutout in last week’s season premiere of the ABC school-set comedy “Abbott Elementary.”

You can (and should) subscribe to Chicago Public Square free here.

Mary Schmich: My life with Joe Montana

My former colleague Mary Schmich posts occasional column-like entries on Facebook. Here, reprinted with permission, is her most recent offering:

I know almost nothing about football. I knew even less on the day that Dave Burgin, the editor of my first newspaper, came to me and said, “There’s a hot young quarterback at the San Francisco 49ers. Go write a profile of him.”

So there I was not long afterward—a fledgling reporter at the little Peninsula Times Tribune, a girl who knew nothing about football— sitting in Joe Montana’s living room.

Not long after that, Joe and the 49ers went to the Super Bowl. Joe went on to become one of the great quarterbacks of all time.

Sunday, the 49ers were back in the Super Bowl. I still know nothing about football. But to my amazement I still have the pocket paperback published by the Peninsula Times Tribune that includes that story on Joe.

The thing I remember most about that story? After I came back from the interview, Burgin hustled over to my newsroom desk and said, "Did you get good details?" I said, "Um, yeah, I think so." And he said, "What's his shoe size?" I stared at him, blank. Stammered, "I..I..don't know." He walked away, barking, "Find out!"

I found out. It's 11.

Here is the whole story from the pages of the pocket paperback it appeared in after it was in the Peninsula Times Tribune.

I'd forgotten until I pulled the book out Sunday that his then-wife, Cass, made us a pot roast dinner.

And that she told me how they'd met.

Joe and the Notre Dame football team were flying home from a game. Cass was a flight attendant.

"I got on the plane thinking, 'Oh wow, a bunch of college kids. And it was a bunch of college kids. I saw this little boy in the back and we struck up a conversation. I had no idea who he was and what had just happened. He didn't bother to tell me and I didn't bother to ask."

And then, dear reader, they were married.

Minced Words

Brandon Pope, Austin Berg, Cate Plys and I joined host John Williams for this week’s episode of “The Mincing Rascals,” an award-winning news-chat podcast. In the pre-roll, above, we discussed our first kisses (it was Valentine’s Day, after all). On the show itself, we discussed ShotSpotter, President Joe Biden’s fitness for a second term and a proposal in Illinois to allow terminally ill patients to end their lives.

Subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Or bookmark this page. If you’re not a podcast listener, you can hear an edited version of the show at 8 p.m. most Saturday evenings on WGN-AM 720.

Quotables

I was asked “You’re willing to lose friends over politics?” Me: “I’m willing to lose friends over morals. Huge difference.” — unknown source on a social media post.

Northwest Indiana is Chicago’s Tijuana, an unregulated land of cheap cigarettes, fireworks, 200-proof alcohol, titty bars … and steel mills. — Edward Robert McClelland

If the GOP cared about illegal immigration they'd start locking up the Americans who do the hiring. They won't, because they don't. They just need you angry, so you won't notice they have no policies to improve the lives of non-millionaires. — John Fugelsang

Every time you see a TurboTax ad, remember: they’ve spent millions of dollars lobbying to make the tax-filing process as difficult and time-consuming as possible. All to protect their bottom line. — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

I hope all the people who find themselves hungry, poor, sick, or unclothed today realize that Jesus needed to spend all those millions on a Super Bowl ad for himself last night instead of helping them. But, in the meantime, invisible dump trucks full of thoughts and prayers. — Mrs. Betty Bowers

Trump clearly can't be controlled by anyone or anything else. He has absorbed the entire party into himself. … He is now a symbol of lawlessness, and voting for him is essentially a vote to abolish the rule of law for your chief executive, which is, in fact, the abolition of the United States. The entire point of the founding of the United States was to restrain the executive. And now we have someone who's claiming that he is the sole executive, that he should be … above the law. — Andrew Sullivan

When it comes to Biden, this is the truth that no one until very recently wants to say out loud: … Joe Biden should have run on a firm promise that he would be a one-term president. The only reason he is president is that he's not Donald Trump. Then the Dems could have gotten a lot of people up in the bullpen and they could have sorted through those people. If Biden's hubris is such that he doesn't understand the best interests of his party and, more important, his country, then he has to be shown the door. Period. If Trump is a threat to democracy — and in many ways he is — so too are the Dems, who are in danger of being as feckless as the Republicans have long been shameless if they're going to send this guy out there. If Trump is a monster — and in many ways he is — you're gonna send this guy out to slay the dragon? I don't think so. — Bob Costas

Sometimes people mistakenly believe newspaper coverage is allotted based on importance — were that the case, half the stories would be about global warming, and we'd never cover another baseball game. — Neil Steinberg

We should be less concerned about minor things politicians do accidentally than major things they do on purpose. — Mark Jacob

After Trump is gone, one of the things I’m going to remember is the cowardice of people who went along. — Richard Primus

Re: Tweets

In Tuesday’s paid-subscriber editions, I present my favorite tweets that rely on visual humor. Subscribers vote for their favorite, and I post the winner here every Thursday:

The new nominees for Tweet of the Week:

• Life is not a fairy tale. If you lose your shoe at midnight, you're drunk. — @BobGolen

• They should dump Gatorade on the losing coach instead of the winning coach. Go cry about it, you sticky bitch. — @DrakeGatsby

• Thank you calling the Tortured Poets Department. Press 1 for Walt Whippedman. Press 2 for Elizabeth Barrett Drowning. Press 3 for Ezra Bound. — @RickAaron

• Dr. Frankenstein: I'm just saying, it's a very misleading flyer. Body-building competition judge: Again, we can only apologize. — unknown

• I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name, and I’ve been through the desert on a horse named Dave. And, honestly, there’s no difference. — @PopeAwesomeXIII

• I’ve started amusing myself in work meetings by adding "No pun intended" after comments I make with absolutely no pun or double meaning in them. Then I spend the next five minutes watching people's faces as they are clearly trying to work out what the "pun" was. — @fesshole

• Them: Go big or go home Me, 30 minutes later in my bed: This is nice. — @SocialOutcast82

• The supermarket cashier asked me “Did you find everything today?” To which I answered, “Why, are you hiding things?” She looked confused. I laughed awkwardly. We packed everything away in silence. — @drhingram

• On the whole, people are getting smarter. I remember when they had to put "The End" on the screen, so people would know the movie was over. — @WilliamAder

• Me: I just want two minutes of privacy in the bathroom. My kid: Best I can do is a paleontology lecture. — @deloisivete

We’ll see how many Swifties I have among my readers by how well Rick Aaron’s tweet does. Here’s the allusion.

Vote here and check the current results in the poll.

Usage note: To me, “tweet” has become a generic term for a short post on social media.

For instructions and guidelines regarding the poll, click here.

Tune of the Week

Did “Life is a Ball,” the 30-second Super Bowl ad for Lindt premium chocolates, set your toe tapping as it did mine? The song in the commercial is the No. 1 1957 Perry Como hit “Round and Round,” with the song’s lyrics appearing on the screen over images of attractive people popping Lindt’s bonbons.

The lyrics are delightfully, purely sappy.

Find a wheel, and it goes round, round, round
As it skims along with a happy sound
As it goes, along the ground, ground, ground
'Till it leads you to the one you love.

Then your love, will hold you round, round, round
And your heart's a song with a brand new sound
And your head, goes spinnin' round, round, round
'Cause you found what you've been dreamin' of.

There have been several covers over the years, but Como — a famed crooner who died in 2001 at age 88 — had the perfect voice for it.

Consult the complete Tune of the Week archive!

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