First Stop: Coronavirus and COVID-19

Data: Virus Overwhelming Illinois, Chicago

City and state approaching peak for coronavirus cases and COVID-19 deaths. Data show minorities, nursing homes and prisoners among the hardest hit. Full coverage

• Safety: Illinois,works to slow spread | Testing | Prevention | Safety tips
• Chicago: Small business | Food safety | Pet adoption | Search trends
• Crime: Chicago rates hold steady during pandemic | Domestic violence
• Recovery: Illinois' post-pandemic plan | Chicago by the numbers

Photo: National Institutes of Health

Second Stop: George Floyd Protests

Data: Over 1,900 Black People Killed by Cops Since 2013 in Metros

Mapping Police Violence data show Chicago, Houston, New York and St. Louis have the highest number of Black people killed by police. A study by the organization also showed that 99% of officers are not charged with crimes in those shootings.  

• StoryMap: Find cities with protests, police violence
• Timeline: Chicago Black Lives Matter protests

Photo: Protests in Minneapolis. (Wikimedia Commons)

Third Stop: Census 2020

Avoiding the Undercount: New Census Strategies in Illinois

At least 439 Illinois organizations or government entities have received grants for Census 2020. Instead of hiring many short-term workers as the census traditionally has, Illinois committed $29 million of state money to existing community orgs to engage in census outreach.  

• Database: Who receives census grants?

Photo: Brody Ford

Fourth Stop: Election 2020

Homeless Struggle with Voter Registration

Many homeless people cannot register in person, which leaves them with the option of registering by mail. But when registering by mail, identification is required in order to be counted. 

• What to expect: Voting during a pandemic? You have options 
• Primary: Only 6% of Chicago polling places fully accessible 
• Data: Is your polling place ADA compliant?
• COVID-19 impact: Illinois primary polls stayed open, others closed