The Hyde Park Herald reported on December 20th that the City of Chicago had dropped its lawsuit against local journalist and community organizer Jamie Kalven. Kalven was being subpoenaed by the City for his notes and materials regarding a police brutality case on the South Side of the city.

Kalven wrote about and interviewed Diane Bond, a Stateway Gardens resident, who was repeatedly sexually assaulted and harassed by police in what the lawsuit against the City calls a “pattern of abuse” that started sometime in April 2003 and ended sometime in March 2004. His writing is featured on a website that documents life in Chicago’s public housing called The View from the Ground and his story about Bond can be found in a 17-part series called “Kicking the Pigeon”.

On December 15th, City lawyers and Bond’s lawyer, Craig Futterman, reached a tentative settlement that awarded Bond $150,000 in damages and subsequently ended the City’s lawsuit against Kalven.

Chicago Indymedia Coverage: Journalist Resists City Subpoena | Chicago Community Journalism Project Returns, Faces Subpoena

Additional Information: From the Invisible Institute: Bond Case Settled | Hyde Park Herald .pdf: City Drops Lawsuit Against Local Journalist | Restoring the View | Chicago Reader: He Walks the Line