New grocery store opens in Melrose Park
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Cash Bail ends in Illinois Public defenders anticipate major workload increases
SEPTEMBER 20, 2023
Vol. VIII No. 38
Bellwood’s Kopy Kat Printing under new ownership Page 9
Former NFL player Sergio Brown missing, mother’s body found in Maywood
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois
On Sept. 18, Illinois became the first state to On Sept. 18, Illinois became the first state to fully abolish cash bail through an act of the legislature — a major criminal justice overhaul spurred by the advocacy of a progressive faction of the Democratic Party that’s grown increasingly powerful in recent years. The reform goes into effect after nearly three years of brutal legislative and political fights over the SAFE-T Act, one of several massive pieces of equity-focused legislation pushed by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus in the wake of nationwide protests in 2020 over injustices faced by Black Americans and systemic racism more broadly. Criminal justice reform advocates had been working toward Monday’s rollout for years, beginning with the premise that an arrestee’s ability to post bond does not equate with the danger he or she poses to the community. While some charged with violent crimes like domestic battery were able to buy their way out of jail under the old system, others were left sitting in jail for weeks or months because they couldn’t afford bail, sometimes for low-level offenses. This cost some their jobs, homes or even parental rights in the process. “As a defender, one of the hardest things I have to do is have conversations with mothers, sisters…how are they gonna pull together the money to get their person out of jail?” Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell, who was heavily involved in crafting the law in his previous job at the Illinois Justice Project, said at a recent media briefing about the end of cash bail. See CASH BAIL on page 5
Michael Romain
Police officers search Addison Creek on Saturday afternoon after discovering the body of Maywood resident Myrtle SimmonsBrown, the mother of former NFL player and Proviso East football standout Sergio Brown..
Myrtle SimmonsBrown’s death was ruled a homicide By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
When this article went to print on Sept.
17, a former NFL player and Proviso East High School football star was still missing and police were still investigating. His mother’s body was found in a creek behind her home on Sept. 16. Authorities have ruled her death a homicide. The relatives of Sergio Brown, 35, and his mother, Myrtle Simmons-Brown, 73, told media outlets they informed the police on Sept. 16 that the two had been missing.
Myrtle’s body was discovered in Addison Creek behind her North Maywood home on Saturday. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office ruled her death a homicide and reported that she died from multiple injuries during an assault. Sheila Simmons, the sister of Myrtle Simmons-Brown, told WGN News that she last spoke with her sister on Sept. 14. See SERGIO BROWN on page 2