What Mayor Johnson and Pope Leo discussed: The Rundown
Good afternoon! It’s Thursday, and in case you missed it, WBEZ’s Theater Club is heading to The Chopin Theatre next month to see “The Targeted.” Here’s what else you need to know today.
Mayor Brandon Johnson said the most memorable thing about his private meeting with Pope Leo XIV was the “real exchange with one of the most influential global religious leaders around how the legacy of slavery has had a devastating impact on our globe.”
Johnson said he and the pope also talked about the mayor’s City Council vote calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, endless wars, conditions people are living through whether in Chicago, Haiti or Venezuela, reparations and why it’s important to repair harm caused by the “brutal legacy of slavery,” and affordability. [WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times]
Johnson and his delegation spent about an hour with Leo during their meeting around 4 p.m. local time in Italy. The delegation presented the pope with about two dozen gifts, including the DePaul University diplomas of Leo’s parents, letters from Englewood parishioners and Frango mints. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Johnson gave the pope a letter inviting him to visit Chicago to deliver Mass in Grant Park next year. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Ahead of the meeting, Johnson discussed his faith, his spirituality and how they shape his life as a father, partner and public servant. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Police made 15 arrests early Sunday after a car veered into five Chicago police officers and injured them as they tried to disperse an unruly crowd of youths gathered on the Near West Side. But those arrests, Johnson said, did not prevent an even bigger crowd from overtaking the 57th Street Beach in Hyde Park and spilling onto Lake Shore Drive on Memorial Day.
That tells the mayor throwing the book at young people and their parents is not the answer to unruly gatherings summoned by social media, my colleague Fran Spielman writes for the Chicago Sun-Times.
“I’ve said multiple times that they should be held accountable, and that happened,” Johnson said. “What I also said was, if you look at other cities where they’ve had more aggressive responses to it, has it stopped it from happening? The answer is no.“
Hyde Park Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th) said the Memorial Day gathering in his ward was the “third event in less than a month,” adding that police confiscated knives, guns, bear spray and tasers.
Public Safety Committee Chair Brian Hopkins (2nd) said there is increasing support for a revised curfew ordinance, additional parental responsibility measures and an attempt to hold social media companies accountable. [Chicago Sun-Times]
The defendants are largely involved in Democratic politics in Chicago. But now that their case has been dismissed, their lawyers say they might apply for relief under President Donald Trump’s new $1.776 billion fund for people targeted through “lawfare” in the nation’s courts.
It’s highly unlikely the six protesters, including progressive Democratic former congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, are the intended targets of what critics are calling a “slush fund” for Trump’s allies.
Still, their application could serve as a test of the fund’s purportedly nonpartisan nature, Sophie Sherry and Jon Seidel report for the Chicago Sun-Times.
It’s also possible that, if they accept money from the Trump fund, they’d be giving up any relief they might secure in a federal courtroom down the road. Anyone who chooses to do so “must forgo all other relief, including judicial relief.” [Chicago Sun-Times]
While Tool, Twenty One Pilots and Alanis Morissette are making their Riot Fest debuts, legends Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Pixies and Elvis Costello are now festival veterans, Selena Fragassi reports for the Chicago Sun-Times. Space aliens GWAR will descend for their annual residency. Then there’s Morrissey, marking his own Riot Fest anniversary 10 years after the infamous meat ban, when the staunch vegan prohibited any carnivorous sales in the hours before and during his set.
In natural Riot Fest fashion, there’s a healthy dose of Chicago acts represented, including punk mainstays Rise Against and Alkaline Trio, as well as Twin Peaks (fresh off its eight-night residency at Thalia Hall), Sincere Engineer (who will release a new album June 26) and up-and-comers Worry Club and Almost There But Not Really.
Organizers are promoting the wide array of 100-plus bands as “a lineup that bridges generations — genre-defining icons alongside a new wave of artists carrying the torch forward.” [Chicago Sun-Times]
5. Here’s why Chicago’s Michelin-starred Atelier in Lincoln Square suddenly shut down
The restaurant, with connections to award-winning chefs Christian Hunter and Iliana Regan, had just relocated in October to a larger space at 4544 N. Western Ave. and added a bar menu with small plates for customers seeking a more casual dining experience. But it struggled to sustain operations, my colleague Erica Thompson reports.
“We weren’t able to get enough people through the door,” owner Tim Lacey said. “The reservations just weren’t coming in.”
Lacey opened Atelier in 2023 at 4835 N. Western Ave., previously home to Regan’s fine-dining restaurant and neighborhood staple Elizabeth. He hired executive chef Christian Hunter, who curated a tasting menu that featured ingredients from Midwestern farms and drew influence from diverse cuisines.
Under Hunter, the restaurant received a Michelin star in its first year. In 2024, Bradyn Kawcak took over as executive chef when Hunter left to start his own restaurant.
The closing comes amid industry-wide economic challenges worsened by inflation. Though the shuttering of Atelier follows the recent closings of two other neighborhood fixtures, Gather and Cafe Selmarie, business leaders say Lincoln Square’s dining scene continues to attract diners and new restaurant operators. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Here’s what else is happening
- The Justice Department referred an investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the longtime advice columnist who accused Trump of sexual assault, to federal prosecutors in Chicago. [Chicago Sun-Times]
- The Trump administration will send Americans exposed to Ebola to Kenya, a departure from past outbreaks. [New York Times]
- Iran agreed to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and start nuclear talks, pending Trump’s signoff. [AP]
- In his farewell address at the Illinois Capitol, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin warned legislators about threats to election integrity. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Oh, and one more thing …
Has Chicago’s ‘za made any mark in the pizza capital of the world, Italy, where mouth-watering, world-renowned pie with a perfect crunch is plentiful? Short answer: not really.
My colleague Mariah Woelfel, in town for the mayor’s meeting with the pope, stopped by a place no one in Rome would go for pizza: Hamerica’s, a restaurant with the slogan “The United Tastes of Hamerica.”
“We had [deep dish] like two months ago. I think we’re gonna have it back next year,” server Elisa Serracini said. “There are a lot of people that ask for it, even when we don’t have it available” because “everyone wants something new,” her co-worker added.
About 15 minutes down the road at the original Bonci Pizzarium, customers devoured their Roman-style pizza al taglio (pizza by the cut). “No, no, no,” said Tony Russo as he looked at a picture of an iconic cheese-pull from a deep dish slice. [WBEZ]
Tell me something good …
What would you tell or ask Pope Leo XIV if you ever had a chance to meet him?
Becky writes:
“I would thank Pope Leo for speaking out about the issues facing the world today and ask him to please continue praying for world peace and restoration of democracy.”
Philip writes:
“I’d tell Pope to keep up the good work! And that the city is incredibly proud of him and his public stands based on religious beliefs!”
Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.
Discussion in the ATmosphere