It’s no secret that Chicago politics have long thrived on backroom deals between aldermen and the city’s rich and powerful. Journalists David Bernstein and Noah Isackson have been teasing out another surprising connection on and off for about the past two years–between lawmakers and lawbreakers. In an article for Chicago magazine, they report on summits between gang leaders and aldermanic candidates and attempted to track what, if anything, actually changed hands between the two camps-–votes, cash, influence? The reporters joined Eight Forty-Eight to share more about what they found.

“Lawbreakers, Lawmakers,” their article on the connections between aldermen and gang members will appear in the latest issue of Chicago magazine – which is out Thursday. 

Music Button: Zone 12, “Moody Pan Pipes”, from the album Trip To The Andes, (Ark 21)