Matt McCabe
mmccabe.bsky.social
Matt McCabe
@mmccabe.bsky.social
Working to make things more equitable, peaceful & humane. Nonprofit leader, Prev: AmeriCorps member & teacher, ed leader, Booth MBA Civic Scholar, Obama campaign + appointee.

Usually posting about Chicago education, safe streets / bikes, or #Sixers
Reposted by Matt McCabe
PUBLIC MEETING ALERT: Illinois is updating its Statewide Transit Plan, setting a long term vision for how we fund, expand & improve public transportation across the state. Virtual meeting info:

Nov 15 at 10am
Nov 18 at 12pm
Nov 18 at 7pm

Register & PLEASE SHARE: idot.illinois.gov/transportati...
Next Move Illinois
Public transportation is an essential way for people to travel throughout the state of Illinois. Next Move Illinois is a successor to the 2018 Illinois Statewide Public Transportation Plan. The goal o...
idot.illinois.gov
November 10, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Gonna want to follow along with this one
Ellis is on the bench.
Good morning from Chicago's Dirksen Federal Courthouse.

We're waiting for District Judge Sara Ellis to take the bench in the federal class action urging an injunction against federal immigration agents' violent behavior in Chicagoland.

Ellis will issue an oral ruling on the injuction this morning.
November 6, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
Cargo biking, 99 years ago. Came across this in a photo archive, unfortunately with no info on who or where, just the year, 1926. But it made me think of @lauragmitchell.com and her lovely feed of her commutes to school and around town with her children.
November 6, 2025 at 3:33 PM
National embarrassment, needs to be under 12 hours - max.
New York to Chicago by train:

1905: Pennsylvania Railroad, 18 hours

2025: Amtrak, 19.5 hours
November 6, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
A person I interviewed for this story told me her 8th grader recently read Night by Elie Wiesel in school and observed “it’s sort of like what’s happening here right now” in case you’re wondering how things are going for Chicago’s kids.
On the occasion of Halloween, @newrepublic.com asked me to write about what’s going on in Chicago and I wanted you all to know what randomized terror feels like. And also that as the federal government fails our kids, everyday Chicagoans are showing the courage of trying to protect them.
ICE Is Terrorizing Chicago for Halloween—and Parents Are Fighting Back
Fear and a whiff of tear gas hang over festivities this year. In response, even people who aren’t usually politically engaged are mobilizing.
newrepublic.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Coyote pups playing and howling along the Chicago river as seen and heard from the delightfully quiet Cortland bridge.
October 30, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
it’s beyond comprehension that scenes like this have become routine in chicago.

masked soldiers are carelessly lobbing chemical weapons—that are banned from use during warfare—on random residential streets.

this is the third time feds have tear-gassed residents in chicago *this week!*
Video from witness here from the moment CBP gassed neighbors who had gathered outside after the kidnapping.

Agent rolls a canister at the crowd out of the window of their car as they reverse away from people with whistles and bikes.
October 24, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
Humboldt Park en Solidaridad IG page shared that due to ICE agents in the Wicker Park area Pritzker School has been placed on a soft lockdown.
October 24, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
It's a temporary solution but it would be super cool if neighbors weaponized block party permits around halloween weekend to stop the chilled water from making a quiet getaway
October 22, 2025 at 12:39 PM
October 22, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
Over at A City That Works: Police are far more effective when deployed to the hotspots where violence is most likely to occur. But Chicago's deployments are heavily skewed towards the least-violent parts of the city. (1/4) citythatworks.substack.com/p/put-police...
Put police officers where the violence is
The promise of CPD’s workforce allocation study
citythatworks.substack.com
October 20, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
Happening Now: Thousands out for a “No Kings” protest in Chicago
October 18, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
Thousands of #NoKings marchers are making their way past #Trump Tower in downtown #Chicago. I grabbed this view from NBC5’s helicopter stream a few minutes ago.
October 18, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Don’t mess with Chicago.
October 18, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
Massive crowd as thousands pack downtown Chicago for the No Kings rally and march. I’m here #OnAssignment for @blockclubchi.bsky.social
October 18, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
The No Kings March in Chicago is one of the largest gatherings I’ve seen here. Looking down from by the river, the crowd stretches for blocks down Michigan Ave and wraps around Wacker Dr. This video is from a few minutes ago and the end of the protest is nowhere in sight.
@blockclubchi.bsky.social
October 18, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
There's never been a better time to bike or take public transit.
Average new-vehicle manufacturer’s suggested retail prices hit an all-time high last month, reaching $52k, up 4.2% from last year.

(The best selling vehicle in the U.S. is a ford truck that sells for more than 65k)

All that “freedom” to be stuck in car dependency & traffic sure sounds expensive.
Average U.S. New Car Prices Top $50,000 For The First Time Ever
Prices for new vehicles have risen steadily in the last year as the pace of price increases has sped up in recent months, according to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book.
www.forbes.com
October 14, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
Bored National Guard Goes Door To Door Asking If Chicagoans Have Any Order They Need Restored https://theonion.com/bored-national-guard-goes-door-to-door-asking-if-chicagoans-have-any-order-they-need-restored/
October 9, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
What an unforgettable afternoon with
#BensonBoone on the
#BikeBus!
The energy, the smiles, and the singing made it a ride we'll never forget.
October 8, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
(shared with permission) ICE/CBP has been active on Chicago's northwest side this morning—and also met with rapid responders.

Agents reportedly abducted one man from this Dunkin at Belmont and Milwaukee around 9:30am before speeding off.
October 8, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
9% of roadways in Chicago are managed by @illinoisdot.bsky.social

They account for *44%* of fatalities

There needs to be a reckoning at IDOT
October 8, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
Offbeat bikes in Chicago now offers cargo ebike rentals

www.offbeatbikes.com/pages/rentals
October 7, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
Body-camera video appears to contradict the government’s claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed.
trib.al/9Sxu9IN
Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b-----' before shooting
Body-camera video appears to contradict the government's claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed. A judge ordered Martinez and a co-defendant released pending trial.
trib.al
October 6, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
Today in Cars Ruin Everything:

The Humboldt Park boathouse parking lot was actually designed as a “music court” for outdoor performances, and was used as such until the Parks Department began reconfiguring park space to accommodate the automobile in the late 1920s and 30s.
October 7, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Reposted by Matt McCabe
The northwest side rapid response network has confirmed multiple sightings of ICE and border patrol agents in Humboldt Park, including near Rico Fresh where people were tear gassed just last week.
October 6, 2025 at 6:33 PM