I love the Westside of Chicago.

Preview:

Dr. King's Funeral on Vinyl | Charles Collects Ep. 5 YouTube video by Charles Preston

Had some time to go over MLK’s Funeral Services on vinyl.
Full video here: youtu.be/bITSJ4fxQwI

♦️Maybe you know a building that’s an eyesore in your community and want to find out who owns it.
♦️Maybe you’re trying to “buy the block”.
♦️Maybe you’re looking to rent and want to research a potential new home.
♦️Maybe you’re just nosy like me.

This is the workshop for you:

Africville? An album and history | Charles Collects Ep. 4 YouTube video by Charles Preston

Good morning from Chicago! As I was crate digging in Hyde Park Records, my eyes met a bright reddish album with the title "Africville" emblazoned on the cover. I immediately purchased it, took it home, and gave it a listen. This 14 minute video is the outcome:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-vw...

Chicago Public Library calling me about overdo books.

I think they should come get it back in blood.

Wait, people talk around the dinner table?

Food must be mid.

A graphic reads: "We’re hiring a senior immigration reporter. Role: Investigate topics at the intersection of immigration and the court system in Cook County and Illinois Responsibilities: Lead investigative projects in collaboration with other reporters and community partners Experience: Strong investigative reporting skills, experience covering immigration, and a commitment to racial equity Compensation: $85k–$100k with benefits Location: Full-time, based in Chicago"

📣 We’re hiring a senior reporter to investigate topics at the intersection of immigration and the court system in Cook County and Illinois. Salary range is $85-100k. Deadline to apply is Jan. 5. Learn more and apply here: www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/40...

a line chart showing police budget appropriations per capita, in the mid 1960s it was about $250, and now its over $600.

police appropriations per capita, 2023 dollars

here's historic data on the size of the police force, police budget, and index crime going back to the 1960s.

Just had a potato soup that felt perfect in this weather.

At the age where I order the soup of the day.

Found this ad for a mobile telephone in an old newspaper.

The Chicago Metro News
Saturday, December 12, 1987

I love that damn near all of Al Green’s love songs sound like gospel.

Romantic love is a spiritual act. It’s choirs singing and organs squealing.

O’Malley loses retention, becoming third judge in 6 years to be ousted by voters For the third time in the past four elections, voters removed a Cook County judge from the bench — something which hadn’t happened in the previous three

BREAKING: O’Malley loses retention, becoming 3rd judge in 6 years to be ousted by voters. Voters rejected the judge after Injustice Watch reported he claimed a Will County home as his primary residence and bar associations unanimously recommended against him.

www.injusticewatch.org/judges/judic...

Yes, my brother.

We need a Nia Long in Love Jones lookalike contest too…

In my all time!

Chicago, where’s the Kerry Washington lookalike contest so I can find my wife?

She was in a great Chicago movie called “Save The Last Dance” 😂

The McMahons are horrible people.

OMG

just so we’re clear: it’s free palestine over here too. 🇵🇸

Black folks in Chicago Ski? | Charles Collects Ep. 3 YouTube video by Charles Preston

Love the fact that I can embed YouTube videos into Bluesky!

This is me diving into the past with this 1970s ski patch from Wendell Phillips High School! The history of this patch, the school, and the namesake represent a story worth telling. 🌲⛷️ #Chicago #ChicagoHistory

youtu.be/Ko8TGFYm_38?...

Shoutout Littlefinger for the quote. 😂

Also, “Chaos is a ladder.”

We can’t dismiss the fact some of us have raised social capital in a polarizing and vitriolic atmosphere. I think it can be much more difficult for some to command attention or engagement when there isn’t an enemy present, or when the environment is calmer.

Saying "I worked my ass to build an online following and I don't want to lose it," is a bit weird and too honest to say. 😂

It's simpler to just bash the new thing that you haven't given a month, the new thing that requires a lot of labor to duplicate what you have grown accustomed to.

I'm still on there...for now. But only using it for promotional purposes. It doesn't get my banter and brain dump. Retweets and promo. I'm going to leave for good some time in the next year.

36K. I lost like 2K.

I believe some of the Twitter complaining about echo-chambers on Bluesky is simply because people don't want to lose their following and start from scratch, which is understandable.

@injusticewatch.org has a starter pack! Click here to follow our team of journalists investigating issues of equity and justice in the Cook County court system go.bsky.app/JhFRDwe