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Katie Prout

@katieprout.bsky.social
2.3K followers 531 following 587 posts

features writer, Chicago Reader: harm reduction, homelessness, and chicago/rust belt history. proud member, Reader Union kprout@chicagoreader.com; signal katie.507 www.katieprout.com

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Reposted by Katie Prout
Lake Michigan! Live! @lake-michigan.live · 13h
Current* conditions near Chicago, IL:
View looking SE from 2800 N Lake Shore Drive as the Chicago shoreline meets Lake Michigan. // Image captured at (local time): 2026-09-30 20:06:04 CDT (about 1 min. prior to this post) // Image sourced from: 2800lsd.com // Current Temp in Chicago: 64 F | 18 C // Precip: overcast clouds // Wind: S at 7 mph | 11 kph // Humidity: 94%
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shawn @mulchy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
new: federal authorities tapped into a network of flock license plate readers and surveillance cameras owned by chicagoland police during their failed attempts to prosecute marimar martinez and anthony ruiz for following immigration agents last october.
chicagoreader.com
Feds tapped local surveillance networks in botched Chicago prosecutions - Chicago Reader
During their failed efforts to prosecute Marimar Martinez and Anthony Ruiz, federal authorities accessed a network of Chicagoland license plate readers and surveillance cameras.
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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 29/09/2026
We spoke with that observer, who said ICE agents held her for hours. By the time they released her, her car had been towed. She also said she saw Chicago cops glad-handing with ICE. Hard to confirm, as the surveillance video file we obtained via FOIA request is missing nearly two hours of footage.
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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 29/09/2026
Witnesses then again recorded ICE agents in 17th District parking lots on Sept 2 and 3. According to a report to Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) we obtained, the family of one detained man was able to track his phone to the 17th District lot on Sept 3:
chicago.suntimes.com
Northwest Side residents blast use of Chicago police lot for ICE operations
At an Albany Park Police District council meeting Saturday, residents called on the Chicago Police Department to “end the collaboration” with federal immigration agents.
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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 29/09/2026
After elected officials joined community members in protest over the 17th District incidents, ICE still returned. A witness sent us a photo they captured of masked agents yet again using police property for their operations on Sept 10 in Logan Square:
a black chevy tahoe with its door open behind a fence. a man in a baseball cap and a hoodie walks beside it to another black SUV
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Layne Morgan @laynemorgan.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Local restaurant listing this menu item as "girl dinner" speaks to me in the craziest way
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Lady Topham Catt @ladytophamcatt.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This year I returned to this Black, modernist enclave in Chatham to write about the late Jolyn Robichaux. After the death of her husband, she took over Baldwin Ice Cream, transforming that venerable, small operation into a major corporation, all the while keeping her community centered.
southsideweekly.com
Best Historical Home for Community Empowerment: Robichaux Home
Best of Chatham
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UFO Sighting Bot @ufoskies.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
What WAS that?
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Katie Prout @katieprout.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Today, my toddler tried & failed to steal my grandmother’s rosary. Her memory is slipping (she’s 96 for crying out loud), so after that, whenever she couldn’t remember his name, she just called him “the Holy Terror.”
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Lu @rendernev.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Welcome, Autumnal Equinox. The King of Autumn greets thee.🍂
My painting of a pumpkin rider on a black horse surrounded by autumn leaves and mushrooms.
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dmercer.bsky.social @dmercer.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I'm going on vacation, so this one is for #TurretTuesday and #FormerTavernFriday. 4558 S. Marshfield, Chicago, 1905.
Two-story brick and frame apartment building that has seen better days. The brick on the first story is covered with beige siding that has been painted white in a couple of spots. The first floor windows have peeling paint and broken screens. There is a polygonal turret on the corner of the second floor on the left side that is covered in beige siding. Dark brown brick is visible to the right of the turret and there is a fancy little dormer poking out of the roof. The dormer has an arched copper pediment with a green patina and a large flower inside the arch. The pediment is topped with a 3-tiered finial also with a green patina.
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Lake Michigan! Live! @lake-michigan.live · 22/09/2026
Current* conditions near Manistee, MI:
Western view of 5th Avenue Beach in Manistee and the inlet to the Manistee River in the foreground and Lake Michigan beyond. // Image captured at (local time): 2026-09-22 07:36:02 EDT (about 1 min. prior to this post) // Image sourced from: manisteemi.gov // Current Temp in Manistee: 45 F | 7 C // Precip: overcast clouds // Wind: NNE at 1 mph | 2 kph // Humidity: 63%
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Spencer Ackerman @attackerman.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
It’s not “third-country deportation,” it’s an extraordinary rendition, complete with torture and enforced silence by the “host” country’s thugs. And it’s a direct consequence of never imposing punishment on the CIA for doing this during the War on Terror.
nytimes.com
A Central African Hotel Has Become a Nightmare Prison for U.S. Deportees
Witnesses say men were hooded and beaten in Equatorial Guinea. The autocratic government there is a partner in President Trump’s deportation program.
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Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 18/09/2026
This guy who assaulted a sitting member of Congress got 28 years and 10 months less jail time than a Texas resident who transported a box of zines that contained constitutionally protected content opposing ICE reason.com/2026/06/25/t...
reason.com
Texas man gets 30 years in prison for transporting 'anti-government' pamphlets
The case stems from a violent anti-ICE protest, but critics say the government's prosecution threatens First Amendment rights.
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Brian Goldstone @brian-goldstone.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Earlier this week, I met the head of a nonprofit whose funding to help families stay housed has been sharply cut under this administration. Meanwhile, the U.S. is preparing a $2.8 billion arms package for Israel—including *forty thousand* 2,000-pound bombs—financed by American taxpayers.
theguardian.com
US set to deliver 2,000lb bombs to Israel as part of vast arms deal
Powerful bombs prompted such concern about mass deaths in Gaza that Biden officials paused delivery two years ago
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Katie Prout @katieprout.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Does anyone want to give me a beautiful and highly comfortable office chair for free. I would like it delivered. Also it has to be perfect.
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Katie Prout @katieprout.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
RIP to one of the best to ever do it. If you haven't read Annie Dillard before, might I recommend you start with her essay Total Eclipse? It's been seared into my startled brain since I first read it a decade ago. home.ubalt.edu/ntygfit/ai_0...
home.ubalt.edu
gb19s title
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Katie Prout @katieprout.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The carpenter working on a new stairwell for the apartment across the alleyway is listening to Al Green: Greatest Hits while he hammers and measures and it lightly rains.
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columbo screenshots @columboscreens.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
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the Mountain Goats @themountaingoats.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Yo. This is the union calling for a boycott. Here in America people like to say "Well I was already boycotting Starbucks!" No you were not. You were just choosing not to buy their stuff. That is not a boycott. A boycott is an organized, collective activity. "I" don't boycott: we do.
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Katie Prout @katieprout.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
THIS IS TONIGHT
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Katie Prout @katieprout.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This is tomorrow! Reception + food at 6:30, convo starting around 7:30. I'll be facilitating a conversation between Chicagoans who have experienced homelessness, housing workers, & anyone else who has questions (that means you!) about homeless encampments & the real impact of city-led closures.
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Tammy @tbobrowsky.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Good morning
Window with dog looking out and sky reflected from the outside
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Denali @denali.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
"In over a third of Illinois counties, at least one police department, sheriff’s office, or state’s attorney’s office collaborated with federal agents. At least 150 people in Illinois were swept into the immigration system this way, in a state that presented itself as a shield against it."
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Democracy Now! @democracynow.org · 02/09/2026
Officials in Iran say at least 11 people are dead and dozens more wounded after the U.S. launched a new wave of attacks Tuesday. Among the victims are five people killed when a U.S. bomb fell on a house during a wedding celebration in the southern county of Sirik. One child was among the dead.
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Katie Prout @katieprout.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
For @chicagoreader.com, I reviewed City of Lights, an eloquent addition to the growing Chicagoland podcast genre ft. youth death, violence, the systems and politicians at fault, and the survivors who try, in the aftermath of their loss, to make sense and make change.
chicagoreader.com
City of Lights is a true crime podcast that tells the truth - Chicago Reader
Willy Nast’s podcast—which centers on the unsolved murder of Chicagoland teen Jeff Signorelli—feels distinct within a crowded genre.
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Jared Rutecki @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Incarcerated Illinoisans admitted to solitary confinement appear to no longer have access to outside communication, legal materials and educational programming through tablets, according to advocates. (via @blairpaddock.bsky.social)
news.wttw.com
Illinois Prisons Move to Restrict Access to Electronic Tablets for Those in Solitary Confinement
Incarcerated Illinoisans admitted to solitary confinement appear to no longer have access to outside communication, legal materials and educational programming through tablets, according to advocates.
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🏳️‍⚧️ UNBAN LINK @biancamack.co · 30/08/2026
Love a direct, to the point queen. Say it plainly and leave no space for bad-faith bullshit.
Asked why the WNBA continues to experience these heightened distractions, Cloud said, "Men."
"The men now that are like 'Oh, we need to protect the WNBA,’ y'all were the same ones saying we shouldn't be paid," Cloud continued. "Y'all were the same ones saying we shouldn't have been invested in, saying we're a joke, the same ones that don't respect Black women. So, if you're going to protect women, that means all women. That includes Black women, trans women and the list goes on."
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MisterJayEm @misterjayem.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Me, explaining Chicago's TIF districts:
static.klipy.com
Tim Robinson Performs 'Cash Grab' Sketch
Alt: Tim Robinson Performs 'Cash Grab' Sketch
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Jordan Starkweather ✨ @jackal27.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
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Katie Prout @katieprout.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The first time I saw this mural I was so distracted by how pretty she is I ran my bike straight into some broken glass on the street and popped my tire.
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Katie Prout @katieprout.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
If you have a podcast related to Chicago specifically, Illinois generally, that has recently come out or is on the horizon, I'm interested in knowing about it: kprout@chicagoreader.com.
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Brandy Zadrozny @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
If Dolly's passing leaves a final lesson for these times, I think it's that you can and should live your life in a way that makes people sad when you leave the world.
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shawn @mulchy.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
tonight!
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Vivian McCall @vivmccall.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Dolly Parton will be eulogized for her songwriting, her acting, her kindness, and her charity, but like many, many gifted women, her fantastic guitar playing is rarely celebrated. Keep an ear out as you listen to her music today. She ripped </3.
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🌈Tyranny🫧Sparkles🏳️‍🌈 @tyranny.sparklenoise.com · 25/08/2026
Dolly Parton with Keith Haring in 1985, incredible woman and supporter of LGBTQ people for decades going back to a time when few others dared.
Black and white photo of Dolly Parton with gay artist Keith Haring.
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Katie Prout @katieprout.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
My son gets books through the Imagination Library. Long live the Queen.
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Katie Prout @katieprout.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Chicago! Come out to @pilsencommbooks.bsky.social tomorrow for a discussion about surveillance, public space, & whether or not jails & encampment sweeps can be "trauma-informed." Panelists include folks from Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, the IL Network for Pretrial Justice, & more.
btt.boldtypetickets.com
The Politics of Public Space Tickets | Pilsen Community Books | Chicago, IL | Tue, Aug 25 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm | Bold Type Tickets
Join us for a live event on Tuesday, August 25 to talk about the politics of public space. We'll be discussing who gets to use "public" spaces and what kinds of spaces get built for the public.
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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 24/08/2026
At 11:40 am rapid responders reported that a vehicle allegedly driven by federal immigration agents was involved in a crash eastbound on I-55 near the Damen Exit. Photos of the crash show a blue pickup truck pinned between the highway cement barrier and a black SUV with police lights.
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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 24/08/2026
Happening now: A crowd is gathering outside a Target parking lot off 33rd and Damen on Chicago's south side, in reaponse to ICE agents who appear to have been involved with some kind of car collision earlier today. Press, elected officials also on scene.
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molly conger @socialistdogmom.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
michael wolff’s hard drives should be seized by a guerrilla army of journalists who will actually write the fucking stories that need to be written instead of waiting for a personally advantageous moment to trickle them out
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Katie Prout @katieprout.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I just know that somewhere in my future is the haircut that will Fix Me
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francis @dilfkink.kindboys.online · 18/08/2026
why don't you open the window and take a little kitten nap in a sunbeam you piece of shit
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Katie Prout @katieprout.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Picking up my kid from daycare is the best part of my day.
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Whitney Curry Wimbish @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
More than 140 people have joined the hunger strike at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, WA, @laresistencianw.bsky.social announced just now. The hunger strikers' only demands are the bare necessities to live: edible food, meals on time, hygiene items and medical care.
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Embroidered book covers, fashionable in the 16th and 17th century, the art of embroidering unique covers for books saw a comeback in late 19th-century England, via the Arts and Crafts movement #womensart
Embroidered book cover with stylised flowering plant design on a white background
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Laurie! Live! @laurie-merrell.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Michigan's haunted, always has been
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shawn @mulchy.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
chicago! come out to pilsen community books on 8/25 from 6:30-8:30 pm to discuss the politics of public space. @katieprout.bsky.social will be talking about encampment sweeps in public parks. and i’ll be unpacking the cook county jail’s new “trauma-informed” visitors center.
chicagoreader.com
Join us at The Politics of Public Space - Chicago Reader
A moderated panel and group discussion. Tuesday, August 25th at Pilsen Books, 6:30-8:30 PM.
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shawn @mulchy.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
katie will be joined by judah venturi and the chicago coalition for the homeless’s ali simmons for a convo about her recent piece on encampment cleanings in city parks.
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Katie Prout @katieprout.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I had a little cry!
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