Walking with the victims of Chicago’s gun violence
In the face of the city’s violence, Cecilia Mannion refuses to give up hope. The former gang member relentlessly pursues peace and healing.

Chicago gangs: Real people. Real stories. A way forward. The new season of Motive explores violence on the streets of Chicago and the former gang members working to stop it.
Want an all-access pass to Motive? Check out our Motive Newsletter so we can let you know when the latest episode drops and share more behind-the-scenes stories, additional content and updates on events. We’ll also alert you of ongoing investigations and topics covered by WBEZ’s criminal justice team. Sign up now.
In the face of the city’s violence, Cecilia Mannion refuses to give up hope. The former gang member relentlessly pursues peace and healing.
He wants to help catch the person who shot him. First he has to get police to work with him — then he has to pick the right guy.
Jontae Adams just wanted to be a good dad and take his daughter to McDonald’s. He continues to struggle with the guilt of putting her at risk.
Over the last six years, support for community-based violence prevention has swelled in Chicago. It started with a “really shocking and enormous” increase in shootings.
Chicago gangs: Real people. Real stories. A way forward. The newest season of WBEZ’s ‘Motive’
Former gang members are out on Chicago’s streets trying to slow the relentless violence. A man shot 11 times hides with his kids at home.
A teenaged boy is threatened by a rival gang inside a Chicago grocery store and finds himself holding a gun to his best friend’s chest.
A lack of money means a worker who recently negotiated peace after a triple shooting is facing a potential layoff.
When a 7-year-old is murdered, her father faces judgment for gang ties that put her at risk. His gang turns on him when he helps police.
A 14-year-old boy whose father was wounded in a gang shooting faces down threats of violence and the temptations of joining a gang.
Anti-violence worker Cecilia Mannion confronts her desire for revenge after the car her kids are riding in is shot up 20 times.
Small towns. Big walls. A good place to hide things. Stories and scandals from prisons in rural America.
Men in an Illinois prison said they were beaten in a spot with no security cameras. But no one took action, until someone died.
Two Black women took mental health jobs at one of Illinois’ toughest prisons. What happened when they reported what they saw behind the wall.
State investigators interrogate a high-ranking prison guard, who is accused of coordinating attacks on prisoners.
A man goes into prison with a 7 year sentence. But ends up getting 97 more years. How does that happen? And what do small town politics have to do with it?
Two Illinois prison guards were tried for beating Larry Earvin to death. We try to make sense of the trial and what it says about prisons.
In the 1980s Illinois leaders held a competition, where rural towns competed to “win” prisons and the jobs that come with them.
Prisons helped rural towns, while Black communities in Chicago paid a heavy price. Now, rumors swirl that parts of Pontiac prison may close.
A chance to hear parts of a special broadcast we created for people in Illinois prisons and their families.
To understand today’s white supremacist movement, look at the last time hate pulled in young Americans. Preview WBEZ’s new season of Motive.
In the 1980s, it seemed organized white supremacy was declining. But a generation of racist skinheads breathed new life into the movement.
It was the ‘80s. Reagan was president. And for angry teens, the punk scene provided a family and expression. Until the Nazis showed up.
The Chicago Area Skinheads were among the first racist skinhead crews to organize in the U.S. How one brutal event brought them down.
Daytime TV discovered neo-Nazi skinheads, and it was a ratings bonanza. But it also helped to grow the hate movement across America.
Christian Picciolini grew a violent hate movement for eight years. After he left, it continued to grow. What’s his role in fixing the harm?
When Brendan Sweeney marched with white supremacists in Charlottesville, he thought he was part of something new. And then he was doxed.
Atomwaffen was the most extreme white supremacist group, pushing for societal collapse. Today, their ideas are on the streets.
Clark Martell led neo-Nazi skinheads. Then, he disappeared. His trail reveals how sex, money and blood have kept the movement alive.
An investigative series that follows a group of young women seeking justice abroad and examines why there was silence for almost a decade.
A student dies on her 21st birthday in Spain. Years later, questions arise after a TV segment airs about someone she was with that night.
Gabrielle Vega alleges her tour guide raped her in 2013. Years later, she learns she’s not the only one. So she does something about it.
A look at the double-standard often applied in cases of sexual assault.
Why is sexual assault still so underreported?
While studying abroad in Spain, two students reported to police and their school they had been sexually assaulted. It didn’t go as expected.
Support Motive and join the producers for a virtual Q&A about the second season of the podcast.
A prosecutor opened a criminal investigation almost two years ago. We go to Spain to see what’s happening.
How “The Wolfpack” verdict in 2016 ignited mass protests in Spain, kicking off the country’s #MeToo movement.
In the final episode, the Motive team looks at everything after an assault, including the emotional toll and the decision to pursue justice.
New from WBEZ Chicago, ‘Motive’ is a true crime podcast hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frank Main of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Motive is a true crime podcast hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frank Main, with original reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Motive is a true crime podcast hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frank Main, with original reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Motive is a true crime podcast hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frank Main, with original reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Motive is a true crime podcast hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frank Main, with original reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Motive is a true crime podcast hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frank Main, with original reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Motive is a true crime podcast hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frank Main, with original reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Motive is a true crime podcast hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frank Main, with original reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Motive is a true crime podcast hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frank Main, with original reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Motive is a true crime podcast hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frank Main, with original reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Motive is a true crime podcast hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frank Main, with original reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times.