>> Hello and thanks for joining us on Chicago tonight.

Black voices, I'm Brandis Friedman.

Here's what we're looking at.

We're trying to get information.

Local officials and community leaders are preparing for the arrival of federal troops in Chicago.

How a phase out of the city's minimum wage for tipped workers is impacting local businesses and employees.

>> even going to an HBCU is different from going too.

Predominantly white school?

I don't know.

I mean, think it's all about what you make you.

>> a new documentary dives into the history changes and misconceptions of historically black colleges and universities.

>> First off tonight, a strike team of federal immigration agents accompanied by National Guard troops or other armed military personnel could hit Chicago streets in just 48 hours.

That's according to Governor JB Pritzker.

It comes as President Donald Trump sent confusing messages about whether he would send the National Guard Chicago over the governor's objections.

>> making a determination now.

Do we go to Chicago or are we doing go to a place like New Orleans where we have a great Governor, Jeff Landry, who watch us to come in and straighten out a very nice section of this country that's become quite, you know, quite tough, quite bad.

>> Now, despite those comments, Governor JB Pritzker said the arrival of hundreds of federal agents is imminent.

>> What we're hearing is that they'll be assembled ready to go on Friday and that they would begin actions on Saturday.

>> All right.

Our Heather Sharon joins us now with more.

Heather, do we know what these federal agents will be asked to do in Chicago?

We believe that will they will be charged with carrying out in carrying out immigration enforcement operations.

But we don't know where or when or sort of what the scope of those operations will We also don't know whether they will be accompanied by any other federal military personnel because as you heard Governor JB Pritzker weeks into this sort of debate about what the president is doing still is flying blind with very little information and he has acknowledged that that has created a lot of tension in Chicago.

So the governor said yesterday that he believes the Trump administration plans to send Texas National Guard troops to Chicago.

Do we have any more details on We don't.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott told me and other reporters that that is incorrect that there is no plan to federalize the Texas National Guard and send it to Illinois.

>> However, today, Governor JB Pritzker said he had his sources.

He believed them to be credible and that Governor Abbott has not been a good friend or a straight shooter with Illinois.

You'll remember he sent.

>> 50,000 migrants from the southern border to Chicago ripping apart the city's social safety net and exacerbating tensions between black and Latino Chicagoans.

Ok?

So one day the president says he's sending in the National Guard the next day.

He says he's considering his options as we heard him say, what does the governor make of these confusing messages coming from the president?

He sort of just threw up his hands and said, look, it's clear that the president wants Governor Pritzker to ask him to send in the National Guard, which would give him the legal authority to do so.

Pritzker says he will refuse.

I think there's also a little bit of the confusion over exactly what we're talking about here.

The president has the right to send federal immigration agents to Chicago.

He has done it before.

He did it in January.

The question is whether those immigration raids will be so much larger than the ones that we saw here in the city in January, whether they touch off an rest and whether that will allow the president the authority or the need to call out the National Guard.

That's the playbook he followed in Los Angeles.

Will he do it in Chicago?

We'll have to wait and Certainly inciting fear in the immigration community.

In the meantime, the governor have any advice for Chicagoans as they brace for the arrival of these agents.

He said to get your iPhone's ready and to be ready to record immigration agents as they operate in Chicago so that he said everybody can see what they're doing on Chicago streets.

The city has also ramped up efforts to educate people about their rights and what they should do when confronted with immigration agents and whether they have to allow them into their home only if they have assigned judicial warrant.

As a reminder tonight and Android phones, you sure those headed thrown.

Stand on top.

Of course.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Brandis.

And you can full story on our website.

It's all at W T Tw dot com Slash news.

Now to some of the more of today's top stories as the Trump in Pritzker Administration is continue to trade barbs over that troop deployment.

Chicago police say the city's decline in crime continued throughout the month of August.

New data shows homicides are down.

24% compared to August 2024, the lowest monthly total for any August since the 48 homicides that happened in August 2014 and CPD says shooting incidents are down.

24% comparing August of last year to this year year to date, there have been 278 homicides, but that's down.

31% from last year and the lowest since 2014.

The families of 2 teens shot by a former Chicago Park district lifeguard are suing him and the park district.

The lawsuit says 14 year-old Jeremy Hurt pictured here is now a quadriplegic.

While 15 year-old merge, a Dotson was killed in the shooting.

Charles Lee do is accused of shooting the 2 boys in Douglas Park in Chicago's North Lawndale community.

Police say Lee do claims he was attacked and acting in self-defense.

The lawsuit filed today claims the boys were unarmed and never threat.

do it also claims we do has a violent past.

>> Why was someone with a violent background?

We just shot and killed dogs a few months earlier.

A shooting that required a SWAT team response that had to search his apartment to find.

Why was this man not a rest?

>> We do remains in custody at Cook County Jail pending trial.

The Chicago Stars Football Club is moving to the north suburbs next season.

The team is set to play at Northwestern University's Martin Stadium along the Lakefront.

The Stars announced the move today ahead of Sunday's game, which we played at the Evanston venue.

The 12,000 seat stadium was built as the interim home for Northwestern's football team until the new Ryan field construction is completed.

The team will wrap their lease at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview at the end of this year.

Up next, when a pay bump for Chicago service workers means for local businesses.

>> Chicago tonight black voices he's made possible in part by the support of these donors.

>> Chicago's tipped workers may have noticed a little more in their paycheck this summer.

It's part of the one fair wage ordinance that took effect last year.

The ordinance phases out the tipped minimum wage in 5 years so that it matches the citywide minimum wage by July 2028. last year wages went up to $11.02 this year.

It increased again to $12 and $0.62 an hour.

Well, Mayor Johnson advocates say the move helps the city's lowest paid workers.

Critics worry about the higher labor costs facing restaurants.

Joining us to discuss the move are the talk erodes, the national organizer with one fair wage.

And Scott Wiener board chairman for the Illinois Restaurant Association.

Thanks to both for joining us.

We appreciate it.

Thank you for evidence being that hockey starting with you first.

This is the second year of the phase out of this minimum wage or the phase.

And I should say the minimum wage increase for tipped workers.

What do you think this is needed?

>> Because the impact of workers putting more money in pocket that helps the economy that has helped Chicago with the economy to boost the economy and to put more money into workers packet.

That means that workers can be able to put food on the table be able to do the things that they need to do.

>> What's been the response from workers so far have been earning tweet.

It's been over when Lee great like workers are great.

Glad that they're getting receiving a to wage increase.

>> And it's really not about getting tip.

It's really about the wage increase.

And so workers always happy and excited.

talked to thousands of the workers this past Labor Day.

This is Labor Day weekend and very happy that they feel wage increase in paychecks.

>> I'm Scott Wiener was in the impact on runs so far.

Well.

I'm seeing something different.

I we've been hosting town halls over the city and from what we've been hearing from workers and what from what thinks picks Prince in our own restaurant says that workers are actually losing hours.

>> Since last year, 5200 jobs have been lost alone in the Chicago service industry.

So while the intention is good, we want to get bigger paychecks to people.

The unintended consequences is that our servers are losing their jobs.

Our back of the House employees.

They're not getting wage increases and that restaurants are closing their doors currently over 100 restaurants close their doors from last year.

And we just started the next phase in.

The expectation is many more restaurants will close and well, everybody wants to see people make more money.

Unfortunately, the consumers on able currently to handle higher price increases.

So their dining out less, which is just exasperating this issue, a restaurant having to pass that additional costs on to their consumer customer ideally in a great economy, you could.

But right now what we're seeing, especially in the neighborhood 79th Street 53rd Street Clark weekend is that these neighborhoods spots, they just don't have anything left to pass on to the consumer.

That's already cash strapped.

So what ends up happening here is that restaurants are cutting hours.

They're cutting shifts and ultimately there's nothing left to pass on.

And there's a restaurant tour and just speaking in general for this industry right now, the margins are so tight as it is.

If you think about it, you know, one to 3% profit.

If you do a million dollars in sales, you might be taking 10 to 10,000 maybe 30,000.

The bottom line.

So that is if you're doing that.

So right now, unfortunately, we're seeing the opposite.

We're seeing restaurants just unable to do this, which means that we're turning to technology, QR codes for ordering and while some servers may be making more per hour, they're actually making less overall.

And that's what the Department of Labor shows Are they making less overall because it was hours within hours of the jobs yet.

So restaurants Chicago.

>> It was over 859 new restaurant that apply for their restaurant to open a license.

Every day.

Chicago has new restaurants open up.

>> They are making money.

the tour is in the concerts and everything.

>> Are making money in bring in money into Chicago, Chicago restaurants.

I'm not closing due to >> just that wage increase that just took place this year.

That's not why they're closing their closing due to mismanagement of their profits.

And on 79 in Keene Drive it just a phase restaurants than so full.

They have to raise their prices.

They already raising their not prices but their wages due to they can really get anyone to come and work for low wages.

And the restaurant industry has always been a part and a formative work myself.

I worked here all my life.

This polling place that work in Chicago around Chicago outside of Chicago.

And so it's a role to say that Chicago is business is gonna hurt when the restaurant association is over.

The taste Chicago of the James Beard Award.

over a lot of things in.

But most of the restaurants that he's talking about, the 55th the so I love them.

I'm making my okay.

So Scott, you 100 restaurants had had to close in the last year since this went into effect.

Are you hearing from member restaurants that this a result of the increased minimum wage for tipped workers?

>> Well, I let's first off, let's just a 50, 50, 50, 50 close the doors.

And pretty sure that I didn't miss manage that place over 17 years to 50 your restaurant for us my first restaurant when I was in cases from what I I would say, though, is when we start really looking at facts, right?

859 new licenses.

Business licenses, right?

We're talking about quick-service.

We're talking about concessions.

We're talking about a food license in a grocery store.

So we're not talking about full-service restaurants with servers.

Ultimately.

And in that sort of brings me back to one for which if you just go to the website right now on on their Web site, the first thing lead with is that 50% of restaurant workers are thinking about leaving.

They the restaurant 73% 7 to percentage.

They want to tips.

>> one in interest no way to leaving because the tip Mitt Romney or a it's on their website now for 2 if that were to be the case, we have no restaurant industry to go a step further of the facts.

The data set that one for wage presented to city council to the mayor.

23 27 of those facts were actually internal.

Studies cited that one for which did themselves actually call.

So I want to bring in some facts that we got from the Bureau of Labor Statistics serve as an Illinois make an average wage of $16.68 per hour.

And average annual salary of 34,700.

>> Scott, first of all, what do you make of those numbers and what do you say to those who are concerned that workers aren't making enough to support themselves?

Well, I mean, to that point, right, that that is higher than the minimum wage in Chicago and those numbers do not cite the fact that in Chicago most servers are making between $28 and $0.50 per hour.

And as it is.

The people that really need get the wage increases the most are in the back of the House.

In what restaurants provide when we start talking about are back at how some plays where the anchors of these communities, when we really start falling into.

>> Our Hispanic employees, the ones that are not English-speaking, those people don't have the opportunity to be a server where as has often where they have the opportunity earn more in the 16 62 per hour.

At the end of the day, that is more.

Then the with minimum wage.

But this home low $34,000 is living on the move in on property.

>> On property and calm in Seoul today talk how does that, how does how does that has this this wage model right of a sub-minimum wage?

Plus tips.

Way to model.

How does that impact?

>> Black and Latino workers in particular and so how does it impact?

Well, first of all, to have the wage increase.

>> That impact of having a wage increase means that families can take care.

They sales.

That means that families can go probably not go give gold to Italy France, but they can get the things that they need at what they need and what they would like to have maybe get extra shoes for children.

>> Take care a rain on me.

I am a victim.

I am myself with the victim of of evictions and I had to work 2, 3, jobs just say because, okay, always.

So we've got 30 seconds left.

that's where I come back to is ultimately.

>> This didn't work in others.

It didn't work in D C didn't work anywhere else.

A stain on the way.

So what's happened in Chicago?

Well, it just stayed here on the ways that we've got wrap it up.

But DC did make a similar wage attempt to phase out their tip credit an increase, a sub-minimum wage.

They ended up partially repealing part of because claim was that restaurants closed due to higher expenses there.

But viewers are going go to our Web site.

They want to more about that because we're gonna have to Put a pause on this conversation.

The talking roads and Scott Weiner.

Thanks to both for joining Thank you.

Up next, a new documentary explores the state of historically black colleges and universities are Joanna Hernandez joins us next.

>> They've been around for over 188 years, HBCU or historically black colleges.

Universities were founded out of necessity when predominantly white institutions or pw barred black students from attending.

Since then, the institutions have experienced significant changes and challenges to say the least.

new documentary explores the current state of these institutions by profiling 5 students.

It's called opportunity Axis and uplift the law living legacy of HBC use.

Joining us now with more is a familiar face, the what all Iran to scream homes producer of this new documentary.

I have you in the hot seat.

Now got is if we are not alike.

Let's talk about your documentary.

You in a team.

A coal producers worked on this project for 2 years long time.

What was a passion behind?

>> making this documentary honestly, I'm so my co-producer, David Duncan, he came to me with the he had found some research and he had gotten interested in it and >> I got really excited about it.

You know, once we got the idea, like, yes, we should do a documentary about HBC use.

you know, the station has been very generous to allow me to do this as a side passion project.

So it is not a W t tw production.

But, you know, I attended an HBCU, my parents who grew up in the Jim Crow South, my aunts and uncles.

They all attended HBC use.

It was very familiar to me, but I knew that sort of the mainstream higher at conversation didn't give HBC use quite as much love.

not like they were unheard of.

But people tend to have only heard of the same handful Howard Morehouse Spelman.

So when I told people that I went to college in New Orleans, they're always like to go to Tulane.

I want to do when I would have said I went to 2 so that I have to follow up with I went to Dillard University.

It's an HBCU.

Oh, what's that?

And it's a whole other conversation.

So we're putting that conversation into this documentary and tell me about the students a little bit about the students that you follow.

Yeah.

So we spoke we tried to get as diverse a cast of students as we can considering that we're going to especially black schools, but with in especially black schools, you'll see you know, you learn in the documentary that a quarter of the student enrollment across HBC use is non-black, right?

So we talked to adopt a student in Delaware on, you know, we talked to a Latino students in New Orleans and we talked to many students who maybe hadn't heard of HBC use being that they are first generation to attend college or family are immigrants.

And so we got the diversity of students.

In addition Chicago, high schooler who decided to do trying to figure it out.

We go through his process with him and his family a little bit.

And then at the end is the surprise when you when you get to find out where he went, you know, the documentary offers an interesting perspective on the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color.

>> You know what was important?

Why was it important to address and what connection did to bring to students at HBCU schools?

So, you know, when interviewing Dr Michael Lomax, he's now the president of Uncf United College Fund formally and was also the president of Dillard University.

When I was a student in college.

>> There he he made the point that, you know, when America gets a cold, black America gets the flu and I think he was making the point that it is something similar with HBC use, right?

If if you know schools where the country struggling with something it is.

It's going to be a little bit worse for black America or black students.

And so I think the same might be argued now as universities are sort of in the hot seat and experiencing losing funding those funding cuts, hurt black schools just that much more because their funding is already a little bit smaller than what a typical pwr I are comparable pw.

I might be able to use your dog.

Also talk touches on the comparison between HBC use pw eyes which you mentioned.

They're predominantly white institutions.

Let's take a listen.

>> I really know that much about HBC because I lived in a more of a predominantly white areas, but never the HBCU conversation with every spoken to me because, you know, let it be season.

I looked up on the same way as the pw rights are.

>> What was it like for you be the students?

Well, I will be honest with the Delaware State students.

My partner, Mario, one of our co-producers.

He actually went to Delaware State.

Couldn't do it all.

But I went to Dillard University.

And so it was a lot of fun to talk to them about their experience.

I know why I went to an HBCU.

I have a sense of why my family members and my friends went to an HBCU, but today is different, right?

You know, they're choosing HBC.

Use in a different And so I really curious about why they chose an HBCU and what their experience was like wasn't much different from mine.

Were their reasons much different from mine.

And I think everybody's obviously you've got your own reasons for choosing where you go to school.

But some of us are going to have some things in comments till like to go back there.

So much back to campus very much until I went back for the at Dillard.

And so it was it was a lot of fun.

It was also very interesting to see some of the changes that have happened on campus over the years.

And then some of the parts that were still there that, you know, that we're just like when I was there people right Now community was a common theme in the dock.

Students attended these institutions because they wanted to feel a sense of belonging.

But you also get personal talk about the common trope that it still prevalent in the black >> community today defining your blackness.

Did you ever feel out of place because of that stigma?

I'm not sure that I felt out of but I think, you know, going from, you know, I grew up in Vicksburg, Mississippi and my high school was very much white and black right to the it's in its Mississippi.

So they worked hard to make sure that our classes where >> fifty-fifty that, you know, our enrollment was 50% white, 15% black were 49.

49 and 2% And so and that's what the real world is, right?

It is diverse.

And so there was a little bit of culture shock arriving on a campus that is pretty much all black students at the time when I enrolled in the late And so I never felt out of place.

But I did love getting to meet.

Also at the black people write like people from varying experiences because that's that's what it is, right.

We're all going to have different experiences in life.

And that is the case for for anyone, right?

Not just black people.

Did you feel the same time to meet with the You did interview a dealer that.

>> They had that pride or are they were feeling like all is somewhere where I can thrive?

Yes, yes, absolutely.

And that that's the case for anyone.

Not just not just the black students that were on campus there.

You know, I know this is a question that we always ask.

But you know, what do you hope that people take away from this documentary that you work so hard Yes, thank you.

I hope that, you know, for my fellow HBCU alumni, I hope that they see themselves and that they recognize their own experiences in the film.

And for folks who maybe aren't so familiar with that, I hope that they come away with a familiarity and an understanding and appreciation.

>> For the schools and also be a little bit of recognition that they like while they have educated so many black people over the years, they are not just for black people than ever have been.

They were started people in mind, obviously, but not just for black people that that HBCU is for anyone congrats on press putting this documentary together.

I'm sure there was so much.

>> Sweat, blood and tears into ways that you can't.

You can watch the documentary Sunday at 5 p N and W t Tw or right now online at W. >> Tw Dot com Slash HBCU special.

>> And we're back to wrap things up right after this.

>> And >> that's our show for this Wednesday night.

Join us tomorrow night at 5, 30 10 now for all of us here at Chicago tonight, Black Voices.

I'm Brandis Friedman, thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.

>> Closed captioning is made possible.

I Robert and deferred law offices, personal