Events:
missing in chicago

“The Beacon of Light” mural in North Lawndale was painted by Local artist Rahmaan Statik Barnes in 2006 with the help of local youth. It depicts intergenerational unity among the Lawndale community. (Photo: Sebastián Hidalgo)
"Missing in Chicago" - Chicago ARt Department

Join us on Tuesday, April 30th at 6:30pm at Chicago Art Department to explore and discuss our investigation “Missing in Chicago”. There will be opportunity to explore the images and video created alongside the investigation, to read police complaint narratives, discuss together solutions, and to hear from co-reporters trina and Sarah on updates since the release of the investigation.

Please register in advance. 

Missing Persons Reading Groups

We are excited to offer two 4-week reading groups for folks to intentionally dive deep into our reporting and discuss together Chicago’s missing persons crisis. 

We invite those interested to sign-up for either the in-person series (Pilsen, Bronzeville, and Woodlawn) or the virtual series. Because we are aiming to keep these reading groups more intimate to invite full participation, we ask that participants only sign up for one or the other. Both reading groups will cover the same material. 

We strongly encourage folks to attend all four sessions, but understand that may not be possible. Please indicate on the sign-up form which sessions you plan to attend. Should your plans change, please let us know as soon as possible so we can open the space to those waitlisted where possible. 

Reading group sessions will cover all seven sections of our reporting and will be led by reporters Sarah Conway and trina reynolds-tyler. These groups are meant to be interactive – we invite your voice and full participation throughout the conversations. Please be prepared to take notes, share your thoughts, participate in brainstorming activities and more. Full breakdown of each session can be found below. 

Taking in information about human rights abuses can bring up physical, emotional, and mental responses within your body. Take time to journal your reflections, your own experiences with police neglect, or other things that come up for you from this conversation. This material is heavy. Before and after each reading group, we will take time to debrief and reground together and we encourage you to take additional time as you need.

Virtual Reading Group Sessions

Session One
Tuesday, March 12 6:30 – 7:30 pm CST
Reading: Sections 1 & 2 of reporting – What We Found & Who Goes Missing

Session Two
Tuesday, March 26 6:30 – 7:30 pm CST
Reading: Sections 3 & 4 of reporting – Delayed Cases & Nobody Cares

Session Three
Tuesday, April 9 6:30 – 7:30 pm CST
Reading: Sections 5 & 6 of reporting – Hidden in Data & What Can Be Done

Session Four
Tuesday, April 23 6:30 – 7:30 pm CST
Reading: Section 7 of reporting & viewing accompanying short videos and photos – Families’ Voices

In-Person Reading Group Sessions

Session One
Tuesday, March 19 6:30 – 8:00 pm CST
Location: Pilsen Community Books, 1102 W 18th St. 
Reading: Sections 1 & 2 of reporting – What We Found & Who Goes Missing

Session Two
Tuesday, April 2 6:30 – 8:00 pm CST
Location: Build Coffee, 6100 S Blackstone Ave. 
Reading: Sections 3 & 4 of reporting – Delayed Cases & Nobody Cares

Session Three
Tuesday, April 16 6:30 – 8:00 pm CST
Location: City Bureau Offices, 3619 S State St. Suite 400
Reading: Sections 5 & 6 of reporting – Hidden in Data & What Can Be Done

Session Four

Tuesday, April 30 6:30 – 8:00 pm CST
Location: Chicago Art Department, 1926 S Halsted St. 
Reading: Section 7 of reporting & viewing accompanying short videos and photos – Families’ Voices

*15 minute buffer is built into the front and back of in-person reading groups to allow folks to settle into the space and to clear the space after* We strongly encourage masking at in-person groups & will follow protocols when required for reading group spaces. 

An audio version of the reporting is forthcoming, should that be a more accessible way for you to tap into the investigation.

PAST EVENTS

Instagram Live with Trina and Sarah
Wednesday, November 15, 6:15 p.m.

Join the Invisible Institute and City Bureau for a digital launch of our Chicago Missing Persons investigation. Go behind the scenes with the project’s creators, Trina Reynolds-Tyler and Sarah Conway, who will discuss their two-year investigation into patterns of how police respond to missing Black women and girls in Chicago and share updates on how legislators in Illinois are handling the crisis.

Follow the Invisible Institute on Instagram to set a notification for our live-stream conversation!

(Keep watching this space for more information about future events!)

City Bureau Public Newsroom 151: Black, Young and Missing
Thursday, August 17, 6 to 8 p.m.
3619 S. State St, Suite 400

Who goes missing in Chicago? And what happens next to help families find their loved ones? Missing person cases have drawn both local and national attention to how police handle these cases. Reporters Trina Reynolds-Tyler, Invisible Institute, and Sarah Conway, City Bureau, found that Black people have made up two-thirds of all missing person cases reported to the Chicago Police Department over the last 20 years. 57% of these cases are for Black children under the age of 21. Join City Bureau and the Invisible Institute to learn more about the prevalence of missing Black teens and short and long-term solutions for this systemic problem, including resources, prevention, and the decriminalization of survival work.

Missed this event? Check out the event recap and video.