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City reparations are ‘too little, too late’ Black residents left disillusioned by program’s rollout By JESSICA MA
daily senior staffer @jessicama2025
Eva Holland-Switchett still lives in the Evanston childhood home her mother bought in 1961. She associates the house with memories of love. But Holland-Switchett, who is Black, also remembers the redlining practices her mother fought against to buy the house in the first place. For instance, her mother went to the bank to get a loan but couldn’t get it, she recalled. About 60 years later, Holland-Switchett applied for Evanston’s Restorative Housing Program, hoping to use the housing grant to renovate her bathrooms. She said she remains frustrated with the process. “With reparations, it’s hard to say whether it’s really going to happen,” she said. Across Evanston, some Black residents said they are disillusioned by the reparations program, which seeks to compensate them for the city’s
historic discriminatory housing policies and practices. So far, 16 residents have received the $25,000 housing grant, while more than 100 residents are on the waiting list. They ask where their promised money is, as they say the program is moving too slowly. At least five people passed away before receiving their promised grants. Recipients can use the grant to renovate their homes, assist with mortgage payments or contribute to a down payment on a new home. To qualify for the program, applicants must fall within one of three categories: Black residents who lived in Evanston between 1919 and 1969 (referred to as “Ancestors”); direct descendants of an Ancestor; or residents who submitted evidence of experiencing housing discrimination after 1969. However, only those in the Ancestor category are receiving money in the current stage of the program. “The thing is — when are they going to distribute (the money)?” Holland-Switchett said. “I feel the city is just taking people’s private information.” In January 2022, the Reparations Committee used a
» See ELDERS, page 6
Illustration by Emily Lichty
Phishing emails are often denoted by odd email addresses and fonts, poor grammar and an urgent tone, according to Cofense, an email security company.
Phishing emails hook NU students Scams remain one of Information Technology’s greatest issues By LEXI GOLDSTEIN
the daily northwestern @lexipgoldstein
Prof. Sara Broaders probably did not recruit you for a
position as a student assistant in the Northwestern Department of Psychology. That was likely a phishing email. On Jan. 17, Undergraduate Program Assistant Jillian Sifuentes sent an email to
students affiliated with the Psychology Department warning of a message which claimed to offer employment opportunities. The phishing emails were sent with Broaders’ name, but were not from her.
Odd email addresses, poor grammar and an urgent tone are all warning signs that an email is deceptive, according to Cofense, an email security
» See CATFISH, page 6
Highland Park mayor talks gun laws Safe Ride demand Rotering advocates national weapon regulation after Illinois passes ban By PAVAN ACHARYA and AVIVA BECHKY
daily senior staffers @pavanacharya02, @avivabechky
Content warning: This article contains discussions of gun violence. On July 11, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering stood in the Oval Office and spoke with President Joe Biden about the need for a federal assault weapons ban. It was just a week after the mass shooting at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade. “This kind of carnage, this kind of devastation, lands in America’s front yard,” Rotering said. “It’s easy to be in Washington going, ‘Boy, that’s a terrible thing for that community.’ But it is the mayor, and it’s the local representatives and the school boards who are faced with this fear and faced with this violence and then deal with this horrific aftermath.” Rotering has advocated for gun reform throughout her political career. As Highland Park’s mayor, she signed a citywide assault weapons ban in 2013 and teaches about gun
Recycle Me
control and political advocacy at Northwestern as an adjunct lecturer. On Jan. 10, she and other gun reform advocates celebrated when Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a statewide ban on assault weapon sales and distribution. Though an appellate court upheld a temporary restraining order against the Illinois ban Tuesday, Rotering and Gun Violence Prevention PAC CEO Kathleen Sances said the ban still represented a significant stride forward. Sances said the ban couldn’t have passed one year ago. It only became possible, she said, because of heavily covered mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas; Buffalo, New York; and Highland Park. “This conflation of national things happening, and in our state, that it just created a really good public outcry,” Sances said. “It forced our governor to come out immediately and say he supported an assault weapons ban.” But Rotering said the statewide ban doesn’t go far enough to prevent gun violence in Illinois. According to an ABC News investigation, more than half of guns used in crimes in Illinois
drives discussions Drivers call for more shifts, students face rideshare struggles By ZOEY SOH
the daily northwestern @zzoeysoh
Esther Lim/The Daily Northwestern
Mayor Nancy Rotering. Rotering has advocated for gun control for more than 10 years.
came from out of state, including 16.7% from Indiana and 5.4% from Missouri. While Rotering acknowledged that increased mental health services help prevent gun violence, she said limiting access to dangerous weapons is the key goal. Rotering said she tries to bring gun control advocates to her classroom. She has taught Special Topics in Social Policy 351: Women and American Political Leadership, a class SESP junior Mary Slowinski said
helped many students decide they wanted to run for political office. “I definitely got a lot more comfortable with the idea of using my voice for particular policy issues,” Slowinski said. “(The class was) really demystifying what it looks like to be a public official and the work that goes into it.” Slowinski also said Rotering helped connect NU students with local advocates, such as Tender
» See ROTERING, page 6
Some students face competition trying to get a Safe Ride on late nights. But inside the car, some drivers say they are struggling to get shifts at all. Northwestern’s Safe Ride service began partnering with TransitTech software provider Via in 2019 to provide students with free and safe transportation at night. Rides completed nightly have increased by 60% since the partnership began, according to University spokespeople. Some Safe Ride drivers prefer working for the service over companies like Uber because they are paid hourly, rather than for each ride. Driver Joe Powell has been working for Safe Ride for two years. In addition to the consistent pay, he said he enjoys the
range drivers operate in. “Driving for Safe Ride is actually perfect,” Powell said. “The best part about it is it’s a small area, so it’s safe for me to drive in (the coverage area) at night.” Though Powell enjoys working for Safe Ride, he said it’s sometimes difficult to find shifts. According to a University spokesperson, drivers sign up for shifts through Via. “There’s times when I would like to work, but I can’t because there’s no available slots.” Powell said. “It’s almost like fighting for shifts.” While Powell also works for other rideshare and delivery services like DoorDash, Safe Ride is the only source of income for some drivers, like Elmo Elyoussoufi. Elyoussoufi also said he hopes to see an increase in Safe Ride shifts available. Not only would this result in increased income and less competition, it would also make it easier for drivers to take breaks, he said. “Sometimes in the list, I have seven to eight students,” said Elyoussoufi. “I’m meant to finish the list, then I get (a) break.” Elyoussoufi said he has worked
» See SAFERIDE, page 6
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