Mick Dumke
Mick Dumke was a reporter for ProPublica. His work focused on politics and government, including investigations of local and federal gun policies, secret police databases and corruption at Chicago City Hall.
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Mick Dumke was a reporter for ProPublica. His work focused on politics and government, including investigations of local and federal gun policies, secret police databases and corruption at Chicago City Hall. Mick came to ProPublica after two years on the Watchdogs team at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he reported on civil liberties, the war on drugs and the dismantling of public housing. Before that, he spent almost a decade as a politics writer and editor for the Chicago Reader. He has also worked as a reporter and editor at the Chicago Reporter, taught social studies at an alternative high school, and studied religion at Northwestern University and McCormick Theological Seminary.
Chicago Claims Its 22-Year “Transformation” Plan Revitalized 25,000 Homes. The Math Doesn't Add Up.
Despite the padded figures it gave to federal regulators, the Chicago Housing Authority is not finished fulfilling its obligations to build homes and redevelop communities where its high-rises once stood.
A Billionaire Got the Chicago Mayor’s Support to Lease Public Land. Then He Wrote Her Campaign a $25,000 Check.
After the donation from Joseph Mansueto, owner of the Chicago Fire soccer team, a city alderman asked for an independent investigation.
City Officials Withhold Key Information on Deal to Lease Public Housing Land to Pro Soccer Team
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has pushed a plan to lease public housing land to the Chicago Fire soccer team. But as the deal awaits federal approval, the Chicago Housing Authority has kept key details hidden from the public and other officials.
The Chicago Housing Authority Keeps Giving Up Valuable Land While HUD Rubber-Stamps the Deals
Despite being years behind on obligations to build more homes, the city’s public housing agency gets permission to sell, lease and swap its property in gentrifying neighborhoods.
A Land Deal Benefiting a Billionaire’s Soccer Team Is Muscled Through Despite Objections
A zoning committee initially rejected the mayor’s plan to lease public housing property to the Chicago Fire. Less than 24 hours later, a new vote reversed a rare mayoral defeat.
Ken Griffin Spent $54 Million Fighting a Tax Increase for the Rich. Secret IRS Data Shows It Paid Off for Him.
The ultrawealthy poured money into a successful campaign to defeat a graduated state income tax. For the first time, we can reveal the scale of their return on this investment.
This Land Was Promised for Housing. Instead It’s Going to a Pro Soccer Team Owned by a Billionaire.
More than 30,000 people wait for homes from the Chicago Housing Authority. Meanwhile, a site that’s gone undeveloped for two decades is set to become a Chicago Fire practice facility.
Chicago’s Last Black-Owned Bank Got Millions in Government Deposits — Then Had to Give Them Back
As Black-owned banks disappear, politicians are under increasing pressure to save them. Big deposits are a ready solution, but sometimes they burden the banks more than they help.
What’s Gone Wrong at Chicago’s Last Black-Owned Bank?
Despite government intervention and new owners, GN Bank fights for survival while customers worry about losing their homes.
The Murder Chicago Didn’t Want to Solve
In 1963, a Black politician named Ben Lewis was shot to death in Chicago. Clues suggest the murder was a professional hit. Decades later, it remains no accident authorities never solved the crime.