Investigative Project on Race and Equity

09/16/2026

HAPPENING TOMORROW: Our second of two free workshops offering practical guidance on how to protect your home from property tax foreclosure takes place tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 17.

There is still time to register, and we encourage you to share the event with anyone in your network who might be interested.

REGISTER HERE: tinyurl.com/2dykjkma

09/08/2026

IPRE Exclusive: A new report estimates that Cook County retail and restaurant businesses have lost roughly $1.26 billion in commercial activity and the county missed out on $107 million in tax revenue since ICE enforcement increased last year, according to the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago.

The Investigative Project talked to more than a dozen business owners, workers and residents about the economic fallout in the weeks leading up to now, the one-year anniversary of Operation Midway Blitz.

You can read the story here and at our publishing partner Block Club Chicago.

A new report from UIC says immigration enforcement discourages Cook County shoppers from spending money.

09/03/2026

The Investigative Project on Race and Equity was among the winners announced in the 2026 Online Journalism Awards for Excellence in Social Justice Reporting.

Thanks to for recognizing our Taken by Taxes series, a joint investigation with Injustice Watch into Illinois’ tax foreclosure system, the loss of home equity, and the court rulings lawmakers have failed to address.

Check out the series here: tinyurl.com/3zt6hbws

08/31/2026

Reporters Emeline Posner (Investigative Project on Race and Equity) and Carlos Ballesteros (Injustice Watch) are bringing their "Taken by Taxes" reporting straight to homeowners. Free workshops next month featuring real answers and practical guidance.

RSVP: https://airtable.com/appxuo0SNj05v8jS6/pagGnYsh4RTFJjhs5/form

08/26/2026

If you live in Illinois and noticed what seemed like a trend — Black drivers being pulled over more often than white drivers in 2025 — your hunch was correct. Black drivers in Illinois remained much more likely than white drivers to be pulled over and, once stopped, more likely to have their vehicles searched, according to the latest report from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The state began tracking traffic enforcement data in 2003 to curb racial profiling, but independent monitoring remains critical.

Read why here →

The state started tracking traffic enforcement data in 2003 to curb racial profiling, but independent monitoring remains critical.

08/11/2026

The Investigative Project spent the past few weeks visiting South Side beaches to talk with teens and hear their opinions on what adults are calling teen takeovers and the city officials’ response to them.

“Y’all are closing staples of the community — take Ford City Mall, for example,” said Caleb Stinson-White, 17, a student at Kenwood Academy High School. “That’s a place where young African Americans can go. They can shop. They can just have a sense of community. And we are running out of that. So what can we really do?”

Still, others said some teens do get a bit too rowdy when it comes to youth gatherings.

“I also feel like us, as youth, we need to do better because we had a lot of hangout spots, but (teen) trends ruined it,” said Taniyah Causay, 17, who lives in Chicago Lawn. “People don’t know how to act while they’re out in public.”

Here’s what else the teens had to say:

A summer of viral Chicago gatherings, arrests and City Council debate has renewed old questions about race, public space and who gets to be young in public.

07/06/2026

At IPRE, we believe great journalism starts with great training. As part of our commitment to supporting emerging and early-career journalists, we’ve rounded up three upcoming learning opportunities from organizations doing important work in the field. Have a training opportunity to add to our list? Send an email to [email protected].

RTDNA Center for Health Journalism City Bureau

06/24/2026

In the first 15 months of President Donald Trump’s second term, 274 immigration habeas cases were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, compared with 10 during the four years of the Biden administration.

The spike in immigration habeas cases follows the Trump administration’s nationwide enforcement campaign and mandatory detention policy that have left immigrants with little opportunity to be released on bond.

A review of the 274 immigration habeas cases by the Investigative Project on Race and Equity and Injustice Watch shows that immigrants have been finding sympathetic ears at the court.

Jose Abonce and Naisha Roy report —

Hundreds of wrongful detention lawsuits have been filed by immigrants in Illinois since the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz began in September.

06/22/2026

We’re excited to welcome Farrah Anderson to the Investigative Project as a Local Investigations Fellow with The New York Times!

Farrah joins the 2026-27 class of The New York Times' Local Investigations Fellowship and will report on Chicago beginning in October with the Investigative Project, a member of the Field Foundation's Journalism & Storytelling Multi-Year Cohort.

We’re especially grateful to the Field Foundation and Maudlyne Ihejirika, director of journalism and storytelling, for making this fellowship possible and for being an exceptional partner in advancing local investigative journalism.

Learn more about Farrah and the fellowship: tinyurl.com/33szsvsy

06/05/2026

After months of negotiations and mounting legal pressure, the Illinois General Assembly voted last week to overhaul the state's property tax sale laws.

The vote comes a year after an investigation by Injustice Watch and the Investigative Project on Race and Equity found that Illinois' tax sale system siphoned generational wealth from homeowners across Cook County — especially in majority-Black communities — and into the pockets of tax buyers.

State legislators passed historic reforms to Illinois’ controversial tax sales, which had led to thousands losing their homes and all of their home equity.