In Chicago's Pottawattomie Park on Indigenous Peoples Day (Oct. 10), a news conference featuring LGBTQ+ Chicago Ald. Maria Hadden and openly gay Illinois state Sen. Mike Simmons as well as state Rep. Will Guzzardi was moved inside after Native American protesters interrupted it, The Chicago Tribune noted.
The Indigenous Peoples Day Coalition-Illinoisa group of 195 organizations and businesses across cultures, faith traditions and neighborhoods aiming to call on city, county and state officials to officially celebrate the history of Indigenous people on the second Monday in Octoberhosted the event. However, three people with the Chi-Nations Youth Council, a local organization for Native youth, interrupted from the start, stating that one of the coalition's founders "does not speak for us."
"I don't know why this is controversial, and I really encourage people to have some courage to do what's right," said Hadden, who has co-sponsored an ordinance in the City Council that would make Indigenous Peoples Day an official city holiday, according to Politico.
Outgoing U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois), one of the most prominent GOP critics of former President Donald Trump, issued bipartisan midterm endorsementsincluding a handful of Democrats seeking to become their states' top election officials, Politico reported.
Kinzinger (R-Ill.) endorsed four Democratic secretary of state candidates: incumbents Steve Simon of Minnesota and Jocelyn Benson of Michigan, along with Arizona's Adrian Fontes and Nevada's Cisco Aguilar, both of whom are running for open seats.
In an interview, Kinzinger said he chose 2022 endorsements partly based on where there are "going to be positions that, frankly, can be bulwarks to defend against a real constitutional crisis in 2024."