School Children walk a safe passage route along 63rd Street Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, in Chicago. Chicago children returned to school Tuesday walking past even more guards than last year, when concerns about safety prompted the city to line the streets with 1,200 adults every day. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
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Chicago Public Schools implemented the “Safe Passage Program” a few years ago to help kids navigate gang-infested streets to and from their schools each day. The program, according to CPS, provides positive, trusted adults to help escort school children. While that sounds nice on paper, the program has bigger programs including a staffer with a murder conviction, dealing drugs and selling at least one stolen gun to an undercover cop.

What is “Safe Passage?” From Chicago Public Schools website . . .

Safe Passage Program

The Chicago Public Schools Safe Passage program is offered to select schools to provide a positive, trusted adult presence for students as they travel to and from school.

Safe Passage workers are posted on Safe Passage routes to support children traveling to and from school during arrival and dismissal bell times. You can identify them by their neon-colored Safe Passage vests. Safe Passage workers are employed by community-based organizations that are situated in the school communities that they serve.

Meet Miguel Morales. Until a week or so ago he worked as a “Safe Passage” guardian for Chicago Public School children navigating the mean streets of Chicago to and from their schools.

Sergio Gomez, left and Miguel Morales

In 1993, Mr. Morales was convicted of murder and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Of course in Illinois, prison sentences work a lot like dog years in reverse so Mr. Morales was released from prison early. Morales then applied for and received a part-time job as a Chicago Public Schools “Safe Passage” guardian.

In his spare time since last November, according to Chicago Police, he sold cocaine on the side and who knows what else to an undercover cop. Oh yeah, he sold the cop a gun too, for good measure.

So a convicted murderer — and current drug and weapon dealer — who spent a couple of decades in prison now serves as a positive, trusted adult presence for students who live in some of Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods.

Image via Facebook (Chicago Public Schools)

On Monday, I called the communications people at CPS. I asked them if they could provide me with the total number of convicted murderers, sex offenders and drug dealers currently employed as Safe Passage workers or elsewhere for the Chicago Public Schools. They refused to comment on the phone and asked that I email an inquiry. I did that, sending the request to [email protected] as well as to the three senior members of the school system’s management listed on the communications webpage.

They did not furnish a reply.

So, how many drug dealers, killers, and sex offenders does Chicago Public Schools employ either directly or through “community-based organizations?” How many are they hiding from parents and members of the public? That’s a good question, one the CPS isn’t anxious to answer.

CWB Chicago has the gory details or Mr. Morales . . .

Two gang intervention workers, one of whom is also a Safe Passage worker, sold a gun to an undercover Chicago police officer during a long-term narcotics investigation, prosecutors said Saturday. Both men are also convicted murderers.

Assistant State’s Attorney Zachary Peasall said that the arrests were part of a “complex” drug investigation that has been going on since November.

On December 7, 49-year-old Miguel Morales sold about 30 grams of cocaine to an undercover officer for $1,200 and then reported for work as a Safe Passage employee in the 6300 block of South Rockwell, Peasall said. The officer allegedly bought cocaine from Morales “several” other times during the course of the investigation.

On December 7, 49-year-old Miguel Morales sold about 30 grams of cocaine to an undercover officer for $1,200 and then reported for work as a Safe Passage employee in the 6300 block of South Rockwell, Peasall said. The officer allegedly bought cocaine from Morales “several” other times during the course of the investigation.

Then, on January 20, Morales allegedly went with an undercover officer to the illegal gun sale. According to Peasall, Morales remained on the phone with the officer while the officer entered another car to purchase the weapon from Sergio Gomez, 52, for $1,000 cash.

Gomez was convicted of murder in 1994 and received a 40-year sentence. Morales was convicted of murder in 1993 and received a 45-year sentence.

You can only imagine how thorough the CPS’s background check process must be. If you’re not paying attention to who works around your kids or grandkids, you should be.

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49 COMMENTS

  1. Why should anyone be surprised with anything Chirack does, especially with respect to known criminals?
    They turn them loose, why not hire them to escort ( and what else) children?

  2. Three strikes laws. Build more prisons.

    Alternatively …

    Remove all infringements from the exercise of the Second Amendment, defund the police, and let the chips fall where they may.

    I would take either.

    • This^^^

      To be able to enforce the laws you need a place to keep people locked up for their crimes. Illinois prisons were at 150% of capacity but these poor murderous souls sued for over crowding.

      It all trickles down. The cops catch these people, they get I bonds or electronic monitoring, they go to court and even though there are minimum sentencing laws Kim Foxx pleas these cases down. The end with light sentences and on top of that get out early.

      Illinois built a brand new prison which former governor Blagojevich sold to the federal government for under cost so he could make that years state budget.

      JB Pritzker, the new “governor”s answer is to have his lackeys make more laws that affect law abiding citizens while the animals run the zoo.

      If we had a place to lock these people up then the judges could impose minimum sentences and no two days for a day nonsense. Murder used mean the death penalty and then life w/o parole and now with no space to keep career criminals it means 15 years or less for MURDER.

      Don’t think for a second that either one of these guys did 30 years, they have been out for a long time. The 6300 block of South Rockwell means these “Safe Passage” workers were watching kids go to Nightingale elementary or Gage Park high school.

      Ask me how I know.

      • Build prisons in each Central/South American country, hire locals to run them, and deport the guilty illegals to serve their (Heavy) time in these new hellholes.

        • They are convicted MURDERERS and IMO they should be put to death, plain and simple. Since we live in a woke society my opinion is to buy a decommissioned aircraft carrier, anchor it out in Lake Michigan, put some ships about a mile away from it with big guns and .50 cal, 20 and 30mm then fly these animals out in helicopters. Do a food drop once a week and let them fend for themselves. If you try and escape you get shot in the water and that’s that. If sentenced for murder you live on the aircraft carrier until you die.

          Sort of like Escape from New York but surrounded by water. These people get convicted and it’s a vacation to them. They are convicted murders which used to be a big thing, you sat on death row until you were executed and now you get to pretty much go on vacation.

          A prison would cost a billion but I think my way would be much cheaper. (The USS Kitty Hawk was sold for ONE CENT) As of now they all have to go through Stateville until they are transported to whatever prison they end up in so that offsets the helicopters transportation costs. No bunch of prison guards to watch over the babies, just guys in the ships. Let them fend for themselves and see how they like it. I bet the murder rate would go way down. Live like an animal, die like an animal.

      • The way I see it – all Leftists are criminals. When they take over a country, they nationalize energy and agriculture. Then it goes to shit, and a bunch of folks die. They assess that as good, because because killing off 30-40% of the population is part of the plan anyway.

        So we should go full Left on crime, and nationalize it. All production and distribution of currently banned items is done by the government, on an at-cost, non-profit basis.

        Opiates (<1$/day), coke (<3$/day), sex (worker sets the prices).

        Cartels, gangs, pimps, ect go broke, no more turf wars.

        Sober folks get to live in a free society, addiction is tolerated and handled on a scientific basis, criminal types are mostly too stoned to leave the house.

        l doubt that more than 30-40% of the population would OD, and that should make the commies happy…

        And lots of room in the prisons for those who require incarceration.

    • Strange, you would like to defund the police, yet you are for the 3 strikes law and building more prisons? Who the hell are going to arrest these 3rd strikers? You are not making much sense.

      • “Remove all infringements from the exercise of the Second Amendment, defund the police, and let the chips fall where they may.”
        I think what is saying is let society as a whole deal with criminals w/o fear of the police getting involved.
        3 strikes and you are locked up for life or let the people kill the criminals but I could be wrong.

        • Well, the way things are going in this country, it may come to that. I hope not, but for sure if the citizens can’t be protected by the government, they have to be able to protect themselves. That’s exactly why I am armed in public, whenever I’m in the public! And I actually live in a pretty much crime free state and a 99% crime free county.

        • Well if you would bother to READ the US Cnstitution you would understand that the original intent IS that THE PEOPLE are responsibilr for the security of a free state” and THAT is hy the People must retain their right to arms. See how simple that is? WE are responsible. Thus WE must be allowed the free use of arms.

    • Murderers, drug dealers, and sex offenders. They have to stop recruiting from the local antifa chapter.

      • Southern Cross February 14, 2023 At 19:16

        “Murderers, drug dealers, and sex offenders oh my!”

        Datz wut u git for hire-rim frum Thugz-r-us website sponserd by dat uptight witch May-ur bettle-juice. She b dancin’in da streetz in ‘nuther muzik videeeoo ovr hur suckces rate

  3. Isn’t is a forgone conclusion by now that all these “safe passage” and “interrupter” type programs are just racketeering fronts staffed by felons?

    I thought that funneling tax and NGO dollars to a bunch of crooks was the whole point of the scam. At least that’s how they’ve always been. Did anyone actually believe these clowns were legit?

  4. “the officer entered another car to purchase the weapon from Sergio Gomez, 52, for $1,000 cash.”

    “Gomez was convicted of murder in 1994 and received a 40-year sentence. Morales was convicted of murder in 1993 and received a 45-year sentence.”

    So that Illinois FOID thingy doesn’t really work?

    • Ah no…dumbazzes think banning gats in ILLANNOY will lower crime. It only affects the law abiding. Carry on!

    • “So that Illinois FOID thingy doesn’t really work?”

      Never has, never will. The FOID is an unconstitutional joke.
      Two times the supposed magic background card has failed recently.
      The result was two “mass” shootings and more stupid laws.

      The ISP dropped the ball in Aurora and that guy was VERY dumb.
      He was a violent ex con who applied for a FOID and got it.
      He was incarcerated in a different state but then:
      The guy applies for a CCL and gives prints, FBI, BUSTED!
      But not in this case, the ISP sent him a letter that he was a prohibited person.
      “Turn in your FOID and surrender your guns, you have 48 hours to comply.”
      Instead he killed 5 people he worked with and shot 5 Aurora cops.
      The whole thing could have been avoided if the ISP did their job.

      Plus the whole animal house parade thing in Highland Park.
      That 19-year-old was on the radar, a “clear and present danger report”
      was filed with the Illinois State Police and that follows you.
      His father vouched for his FOID even after he said he planned to “kill everyone”.
      The whole thing could have been avoided if the ISP did their job.

      There is a woman named Ashbey Beasly who THINKS she is Shannon Watts.
      She gets on the news all the time because she was an unemployed bum.
      Now she THINKS she is an activist but is just a public nuisance.
      She was on the news yesterday babbling about the MSU shooting.
      She wasn’t shot or even injured and just runs her mouth like David Hogg.
      I could understand if she was family of one the people killed or 48 injured.
      To me she is the new David Hogg. She ducked into the back of a store.
      I think Bloomberg is paying her to bring up Highland Park every time she can.
      Once again: The whole thing could have been avoided if the ISP did their job.

  5. Mr. John Boch did a really fine job with this article. He is a very fine writer. I laugh at the part where they say that they help navigate the children through the “gang infested streets”. The word “infested” usually refers to a concentration of extremely undesirable living things, such as rats, ants, flies, snakes, termites and cockroaches. All of those aforementioned things are usually exterminated by professionals who specialize in those areas. But at the top of the list are the unlawful human gangs. Where are the professional organizations who deal with them? I can deal with them on an individual basis, but I am armed legally, but the children are not!

  6. Man I like living in the country. Sorry for all my urban brothers and sisters, I love living out here in the stix. Shoot my guns out in the yard, piss in the yard, gotta tractor and a truck up on blocks. Go fishing in the spring and fall, hunting in the winter.

  7. Chicago absolutely needs to be excommunicated from the USA. This is absolutely ridicules. I can’t believe this so called city, it really needs to belong to Cuba. It certainly does not belong in the USA.

  8. I lived in Chicago for a couple years in the long ago. When a chance for employment in another state came up I was gone. Never to look back. Back then the Police didn’t play. The DA got convictions and it was still a craphole of a place.
    The best thing that could happen to Chicago at this point is another great fire.

  9. If it takes a thug to keep other thugs away from the kids and the program really works then I am fine with it.

  10. Sorry Bill, I don’t buy it for a second. What it really takes is armed school security or local police (on overtime if necessary) to prevent the thugs from comitting the crimes. Yea, there may a few crooks who have learned their lesson and gone straight, it is a real minority of them.

  11. Wow TTAGats…really? Moderation Hell again????

    Guy’s I made a slight reference to our distinguished mayor Lori chickenfoot riding that weapom down to annihilate that bastion of civility, that toddelin’towne, like Slim Pickins did so wonderfully in Dr. Strangelove and a muzak quote from The album “Days Go By” (2012) by The Offspring features the song “Slim Pickens Does the Right Thing and Rides the Bomb to Hell” (12, 2:36) Great Guy (Slim)long time Gunm supporter,NRA’er, The Offspring (great band, real tongue in cheek-sarc band and Lori Lightfoot a real…….
    I just….can’t…..
    I have nothing good to say…. All would be moderated.
    I am just so disappointed in TTAG sometimes…words fail.
    And THAT’s just unbelievable for me…
    I know this probably made zero sense to most but with the world going to shite, common sense slipping away and I get moderated time and time again by these worthless moderators, there is just no hope sometimes. Humanity is in serious trouble.
    Moderate that MF’er’s

    • Click the box: Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
      You might avoid moderation hell.

    • Take a big chill pill, man. Your “moderated post” was posted an hour twelve minutes before this rant.
      Some things flag the mods, they review, and clear almost everything. Yours was cleared jus fine.

      Maybe they neeed more volunteers to hekp moderate. Don’t knw where to sigh up, but someone does….

  12. He served decades for the murder conviction. Once out he should have all the rights we do. Guns and drugs shouldn’t be illegal in the first place. I see nothing wrong here except the law itself.

    • why should anyone get out after a murder conviction? a murderer-life is more important than a dead-victim life?

    • Tori B.

      His release and subsequent rearrest is just further proof that the Death Penalty is the only suitable sentence for murderers, once dead there is no chance of reoffending.

  13. He possibly served six years which is a bit low for Murder.
    You have no idea how much time he served but Illinois is known for it’s light sentences.
    The bar is pretty high to be charged with Murder, that is usually pled down.
    It’s Cook county, Murder is usually pled down to Man 2.
    If you gave facts that the guy did “decades” then please post it.
    He “served” nothing, he was incarcerated and should not be around children.
    He is what they call a habitual offender.

    • Tori B is trolling. its probably really Miner49er though under yet another different name. notice the telling lack of intelligent context and overall ignorance on the subject expressed.

  14. I didn’t need the mugshots nor the names to guess which “community(s)” spawned these recidivists. Is that “racist”, of course not, “statistics” don’t lie.

  15. I remember when the movie “Escape From New York” came out years ago. Though mildly entertaining, the whole plot of in a Dystopian Future, a major city being turned into a Penal Colony and walled off from the rest of society seemed a real stretch to me at the time.
    Now, I no longer believe it’s Dystopian. In fact, it may be the only solution to the crime problems in these major cities.
    Remove the Law Abiding population (of which the Politicians are not members of), and Wall the city off.

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