Good afternoon. Our recent investigative series into how far-right extremism has infiltrated the Chicago Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies is the result of months of work from reporters who filed more than 200 open records requests and examined thousands of pages of documents. That work could not have been accomplished without the support of WBEZ members. Please consider making a donation to help fund our reporting. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Chicago’s top cop promises ‘thorough investigations’ to root out far-right extremists in the department

Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said there would be “stringent” efforts to remove officers tied to extremist groups following an investigative series from WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times.

But Snelling and other top police officials could not explain the department’s lack of action since a membership list for the far-right Oath Keepers militia was leaked two years ago.

A WBEZ and Sun-Times investigation found the names of 27 current and former Chicago Police officers appeared on the list. Of them, nine officers remain on active duty, some with troubling disciplinary records.

Yolanda Talley, chief of the Bureau of Internal Affairs, signaled that those nine officers are being targeted and promised to close the investigation “in less than six months.” [WBEZ]

The Oath Keepers played a key role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, was convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 18 years in prison earlier this year. [WBEZ]

2. A man is charged with a hate crime after pro-Palestinian protesters were maced

The man, Zevulen Ebert, is accused of macing protesters who gathered outside an Israeli solidarity event in north suburban Skokie over the weekend. Ebert was also charged with aggravated battery.

The news comes after the Cook County state’s attorney’s office declined to charge a man who fired a gun near the pro-Palestinian protesters. Prosecutors said the man had no criminal history and acted in self-defense.

Hatem Abudayyeh, the national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, said county prosecutors were “absolutely wrong” in releasing the man, who he said “endangered hundreds.”

The man’s brother told the Sun-Times he and his brother “were in the wrong place at the wrong time” when they left the Israeli solidarity event and said his brother felt threatened when protesters surrounded him. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. Neighbors push back against a planned migrant camp in Brighton Park

A tense community meeting last night illustrated the divide between residents on the city’s controversial plan to turn a site on the Southwest Side into a tent shelter for asylum-seekers, my colleague Emmanuel Camarillo reports.

The plan would house up to 2,000 migrants at 38th Street and California Avenue, pending an environmental assessment. City officials have not provided an expected move-in date for the new arrivals.

Some residents criticized the city for starting work on the site before getting community input. Others expressed safety concerns, but one longtime neighbor urged compassion.

“We have to have kindness, peace and not be against each other, because we are America, and we want to be treated good,” said Esther Cadena, 92, who has lived in Brighton Park for 35 years. [Chicago Sun-Times]

4. A cyclist’s death puts a spotlight on a dangerous stretch of Damen Avenue in Chicago

Donald Heggemann, a well-liked 59-year-old ceramicist who lived in Edgewater, was riding home in a bike lane in the 5100 block of North Damen Avenue when he was hit by a car Monday night.

Police officers are investigating the crash as a possible DUI. The driver consented to a Breathalyzer test, which registered a 0.20 blood alcohol concentration, according to a police report. That is more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.

Biking advocates say the location of the crash has been plagued by crashes and close calls.

“Damen is supposed to be more relaxed and more inviting for people,” said Christina Whitehouse, founder of the bike safety group Bike Lane Uprising.

“This person was doing what they were supposed to be doing, biking in the bike lane … and they were killed following the rules.” [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. Is the CTA getting better? We asked hundreds of riders.

Officials with the Chicago Transit Authority say the nation’s second-largest transit system is back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“But when WBEZ asked riders in recent weeks if they’ve felt improvements on the ground, a surprising number said, well, no,” my colleague Courtney Kueppers writes.

Out of more than 460 riders who responded to a WBEZ survey in September and October, the majority said their opinion of CTA has either stayed the same (49.1%) or diminished (25.9%) in the last year.

Only 20% of respondents say their opinion has improved.

One survey respondent wrote: “The long delays seem to be better than a year ago; however, the new issue is that it seems like the service levels haven’t kept pace with the increase demand.” [WBEZ]

Here’s what else is happening

• House Republicans elected U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, a little known social conservative from Louisiana, as speaker. [New York Times]

• The ACLU says a judge’s gag order on former President Donald Trump is too broad. [NPR]

• Here’s a look at how El Niño may affect the upcoming winter. [AP]

• The trial of actor Jonathan Majors on domestic abuse charges is set to begin Nov. 29. [Hollywood Reporter]

Oh, and one more thing …

The NHL lifted a controversial ban on rainbow-colored Pride Tape after a player’s defiance.

The player, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott, was seen floating the ban during his team’s home opener.

Dermott said his quiet protest reflected what he has learned about the toxic effects of LGBTQ+ hate on people he is close to, NPR reports.

“I’ve been blessed to have some of those opportunities put in front of me to really change my view of what being a good person means; what being a good father and a good example and role model means going forward,” he said.

“You really see how people are hurting and it’s because of a system that maybe no one’s intentionally trying to be malicious about, but until you’ve really had that first-person experience seeing people hurting from it right in front of you, it’s tough to kind of take steps.” [NPR]

Tell me something good …

Halloween is right around the corner. What’s your costume this year? Or what is one of your favorite Halloween costumes ever?

Alison writes:

“One year I wore a cardboard box decorated to look like a cereal box. Then I glued part of a plastic knife to the back with some red paint so it looked like the box had been stabbed in the back. I was a cereal killer.”

And Laura Strong writes:

“My favorite costume was for my dog Maggie. I dressed her up as Lady Gaga in her meat dress. I found plastic steaks that I tacked to red fabric and wrapped around her. She even had a little meat hat. She was the most fashionable dog that year.”

Feel free to email me and your message might be shared in the newsletter this week.