What it feels like to love a Black man through the worst of times: the life of Nickolas Lee

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Content WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO LOVE A BLACK MAN THROUGH THE WORST OF TIMES:
THE LIFE OF NICKOLAS LEE
by
Hannah Joy Shareef
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(SPECIALIZED JOURNALISM)
August 2023
Copyright 2023 Hannah Joy Shareef
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Figures......................................................................................................................................iii
Abstract……........................................................................................................................................iv
Introduction: Why did I tell this story?……................……...………………………..….…...….......1
Chapter One: What happened to Nickolas Lee?..................……….….…………………..…............5
Chapter Two: The Death of Nickolas Lee……..……………...…………….……….……..…..........7
Chapter Three: Conditions of Cook County Jail………...………………………………….......…...9
Chapter Four: Daily calls for help in regards to conditions in Cook County Jail …….…................10
Chapter Five: The love story between Nickolas Lee and Cassandra Greer……….…......................11
Chapter Six: Shortcomings of the local government officials……….…..……………….…...........13
Chapter Seven: Impacts the mayoral election in Chicago……….………………..……..................15
Chapter Eight: The advocacy work of Cassandra Greer………...….…………………....................17
References..........................................................................................................................................18
iii
List of Figures
Figure 1. Olivia Shareef as Sister of Hannah Joy Shareef....................................................................1
Figure 2. Omar Shareef as Father of Hannah Joy Shareef...................................................................1
Figure 3. Erika Hammond as Mother of Hannah Joy Shareef.............................................................1
Figure 4. Joseph Hammond as Uncle of Hannah Joy Shareef ............................................................1
Figure 5. Christopher Hammond as Uncle of Hannah Joy Shareef.....................................................2
Figure 2. Nickolas Lee third person to die in Cook County Jail.........................................................5
Figure 3. Cassandra Greer wife of Nickolas Lee................................................................................5
Figure 5. Brandon Johnson Chicago Mayor.......................................................................................5
Figure 4. Lori Lightfoot Former Chicago Mayor..............................................................................5
Figure 4. Jesse Jackson as Founder and President of the Rainbow Push Coalition...........................6
Figure 5. Tom Dart Cook County Sheriff..........................................................................................7
Figure 2. Toni Preckwinkle Cook County Board President..............................................................7
Figure 3. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly..............................................................................9
Figure 5. Paul Vallas Chicago Mayoral candidate...........................................................................15
Figure 2. David Moore 17th ward alderman ..................................................................................15
Figure 3. Marlon Dixon Chicago Police Officer.............................................................................15
iv
ABSTRACT
Nickolas Lee was the third person to die at Cook County Jail from Covid on April 12, 2020. Lee
contracted Covid while he was incarcerated in Chicago's Cook County Jail. According to the
New York Times on April 8, 2020, the publication deemed Cook County jail “the top U.S. hot
spot for COVID.” This work will show how elected officials responded to Covid in regard to
detainees. It will also highlight the advocacy of Lee’s wife, Cassandra Greer and the aftermath of
Chicago’s mayoral election between Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson. Due to the fact, that many
detainees died in Cook County Jail, Lee’s wife has pushing for Lori Lightfoot to not seek re-
election, so much so, she has been on the frontlines helping Brandon Johnson to get elected. This
story is one of love, anger, grief, and resilience. The piece puts a magnifying glass on local issues
in Chicago such as Covid and jail detainees, while showing that this issues is also happening
nationally. It examines the love a Black woman has for a Black man. It also questions whether the
life of a Black man is valuable to this country.
1
Introduction: Why did I tell this story?
My life began to change when I received a phone call from my younger sister, Olivia.
Her voice was loud, bold, and powerful. Every time we talked I could count on us to laugh
hysterically or to roll my eyes waiting for the conversation to be over. But, she had an aura that
automatically drew people her way. You could always count on her to have long weave down to
her butt whether the color was black, blonde, brown, or red. And don’t get me started with her
nails; they would have some crazy design that would make you ask, “What the heck is that?”
But, this phone call was different. We didn’t argue or laugh. Through her whimpers and
sniffles, she gave me one command. “Hannah, you need to come home now. It’s Dad. He’s in the
hospital,” Olivia said. I started calling my dad nonstop. I didn’t know what to expect because my
dad had never been in the hospital for anything. My stomach got queasy and my palms began to
sweat because I needed to talk to my dad. Minutes later, I finally reached him. “Hannah listen to
me,” he said. “Be safe. This Covid shit is no joke. I love you.” Before we could hang up, tears
drenched my face and traveled all the way to the
corner of my lips.
I could tell he was helpless and weak. My
dad, Omar Shareef, struggled with any type of
emotions that made him seem vulnerable. This was
because of his upbringing in South Shore.
“As I grew up in South Shore with nine
siblings and a single-parent household, we were
always ready to hustle and work for somebody. The
only man figure I had were my brothers and the
more I started to learn the more things started to
evolve. People wanted to start dealing drugs,
robbing, stealing, prostituting, and doing other
things in the community. I honestly didn’t want that
life for myself so I decided to start my own
business with only $100. I wanted better for myself
and my family,” said my dad, a proud owner of a construction company.
He showed up for nearly every accomplishment and celebration whether it was big or
small. He taught me important life lessons. He kept every photo, art piece, and award in a file
folder. Sometimes he would hang one up at the entrance of his house or business so people knew
about his daughters. I never questioned whether he was a proud dad; I knew he was. But, when
he told me he loved me that day, it was different. I couldn’t recall the last time my dad said those
three words to me.
It never crossed my mind that my life was never going to be the same after I went back
to college. I returned home and I saw my mom serving my “Uncle Joe” soup as he stretched out
on the recliner chair. “You betta eat that soup, Joe. There’s a lot of things I don’t wanna do,” said
Erika Hammond, my mom, the younger sister of Joseph Hammond. I asked, “What’s wrong with
him?” My mom said: “Girl, he just gotta cold.” Uncle Joe stopped eating the soup and sat up and
said to me: “Hey bookie boo! It’s so good to see you.” I couldn’t help but smile and say “Hey,
2

Joe!” Every time he spoke, I cracked a smirk when I saw his bright pink gums with not one
single tooth.
The next morning what my mom thought was just a cold had worsened. She screamed for
me. “Hannah, help I can’t do this by myself.” Immediately, my uncle broke into a sweat and
collapsed in his room. My fingers trembled as I called 9-1-1. The paramedics came and asked
one question: “Has he been around anyone with Covid?”
When Uncle Joe arrived at the hospital, the doctors called my mom and informed her that
he had Covid and that they would keep her posted on his well-being.
With my uncle sick, I was still carrying the burden that my dad was also sick. I couldn’t
see him because of the Covid protocols that did not
allow hospital visitors. But, I did receive another
call from Olivia. This time she was yelling and
gasping for air. “Hannah I don’t know what to do.
They want to put dad on a ventilator. They said we
have to make a decision quickly. What should we
do?” My mind went blank because I knew that the
word ventilator was just another word for “life
support.” All I could utter at the moment was “I’m
scared. I can’t make that decision at the moment
and especially by myself. Call Uncle Michael (my
dad’s older brother) and let’s make the decision as
a family.” The decision was made. My dad was on
a ventilator that same day.
Meanwhile, my mother’s older brother,
Christopher Hammond, contracted Covid and was
put on a ventilator. A day later on March 31, 2020,
he died at the age of 66.
As for Uncle Joe, the doctor informed my
mom that he was improving and would go home
soon. A day later the doctor told her that his
oxygen levels were declining. My mom decided
not to tell Uncle Joe that their other brother had
passed away because she wanted him to get better first and she knew his body couldn’t handle
bad news. We spoke to Uncle Joe and he wanted us to play the gospel song, “I wanna say thank
you.” His voice grew faint as he began to sing the lyrics: “If I never see another day, If I never
see another smiling face, If I never breathe another breath or take another step, I wanna say
thank you.”
My mom stopped him from singing and told him, “We not gonna talk so much because
we want you to save your breath.” She thought that would help bring his oxygen levels back up
if he didn’t talk so much. I instantly grabbed the phone away from her and had a private
conversation with him. I asked him one question “How is it in there?” All he told me was “I’m
scared.”
3
Well, to make him feel better I called some of his friends and put them on three-way so he
wouldn’t feel so alone. The next morning on April 7, 2020, my mom received a phone call from
the doctor. “Ms. Hammond, I’m so sorry but your brother, Joseph Hammond, has expired early
this morning.” My Uncle Joe was just 64.

My mom screamed from the pit of her stomach. She sobbed until she almost couldn’t
breathe. She began to pull and tug at her clothes as if she wanted to come out of her body. She
repeated over and over again: “I don’t know what to do. What am I going to do? I don’t know
what to do. What am I going to do?”
I knew my mom was having a hard time with this news because back in 2017 her parents
died a week apart. Now, it was her older brothers who died a week apart from Covid. My mom
was experiencing heartache because everyone
she knew had left her. Because my mom was
sitting with feelings of shock and grief, I
didn’t have time to fully cry and be upset. I
had to take charge.
Uncle Joe and I had a special
relationship. It almost felt like we were
inseparable. When I was younger, he would
walk me to school every day and made sure I
actually walked in the door because by this
time my parents were divorced and my mom
was working overnight shifts just to provide.
Then, when I was in high school he would
drive me to school and pick me up. Every time
I got out of the car he would say, “I love you,
have a great day!” And it was routine that
when I got back in the car from school he
would ask me about my day and I would say, “I’m fine. Now, I’m hungry. What are we going to
eat?”
Uncle Joe didn’t have a lot of money, but the money that he did have he spent on taking
care of me. I enjoyed the first of every
month with Uncle Joe because he got his
Social Security check around that time and I
was ready to spend it. I always set my palate
on eating well for a few weeks, but before
we could grub he would drag me to the
department store, Carson Pirie Scott, to
smell an overdose of colognes until I got a
throbbing headache. In typical Uncle Joe
fashion he was particular about his
appearance and had to have the best. Even if
he had to sacrifice what he wanted, he made
sure I had the best. I can recall if my days
4
weren’t the best I could depend on him to always make me laugh. Especially when driving
because he had such a potty mouth. Everyone couldn’t help but gravitate to him because of his
infectious spirit. He was just a guy who enjoyed playing spades, making others laugh, singing in
church, and showing his love for his family and friends.
He basically raised me, laughed with me, cried with me, and even celebrated with me; I
can never repay him. And the part that stings the most is having a hole in my heart of not getting
a chance to say goodbye. Because of the Covid protocols, we didn’t have a proper funeral or
service. I never had closure. I’m just left with a memory that I’m stuck with forever.

So, I often ask myself the ultimate question, “Why do bad things happen to good
people?” My dad was on a ventilator for three months. During those three months, my mom,
sister, and I lost sleep, didn’t eat, and prayed for a favorable outcome even though what we had
already experienced was bleak.
Then, the doctor told my family, “He’s going to have to wake up on his own, or we are
going to have to let nature take its course and cut the cord. We have other people that need
ventilators.” For my family, it was a matter of life or death. By this point, all I was familiar with
was death. When the doctors took my dad off the ventilator, my sister Olivia gave them
instructions, “Take his phone and go to Apple Music and play Stevie Wonder, These Three
Words.”
Stevie Wonder’s words saved my dad’s life.

5
Chapter One: What happened to Nickolas Lee?
The Covid pandemic was like a thief. It crept into the world without warning. It stole
school from kids, canceled graduation ceremonies, delayed trips, and postponed weddings
all over the world. Covid quickly spiraled out of
control, killing Black people at a rate1.4 times
that of white people. The deadly virus robbed
people of normalcy, sanity, livelihood, and loved
ones. All the things that money and power
couldn’t buy.
If money could have saved Nickolas Lee,
a 42-year-old Black man from the south side of
Chicago, his wife, Cassandra Greer would have
gone broke. “Nickolas, I love you so much. I kept
encouraging him. Lee said, ‘Cassandra, are people
beating this?’ I said, Baby, thousands are, and
you’re going to be one of them. That was my
prayer.’”
On April 11, 2020, Greer’s prayer went
unanswered. It was the last day she would hear
the voice of her husband. A voice that once
commanded attention and shook the atmosphere
of any room.
Greer shared her recollections of that
heartbreaking time in a series of interviews over
the past eight months. While Greer shared her
story, she reflected on how Former Chicago Mayor
Lori Lightfoot played a vital role in the death of
thousands of residents in Chicago and Cook County
jail detainees, which led to the death of Lee.
According to New York Times on April 8, 2020, the
publication deemed Cook County jail “the top U.S.
hot spot for COVID.” Greer believes that if
Lightfoot took proper safety precautions during
Covid, her husband would still be alive today.
“Lori
Lightfoot is a piece of shit. She let thousands of
Chicagoans and many detainees die because of her
lack of response, and lack of resources to the south side of Chicago. That is why I have worked
day and
night to get her ass out of the office. Telling all voters to vote for Brandon Johnson for mayor,”
said Greer.
6
Greer even partnered with the founder/president of the Rainbow Push Coalition and
Presidential Candidate, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, to weigh in on the climate of Chicago politics
and the prison crisis during Covid.
“What has happened in Chicago is a reflection of our country as a whole. We neglect the
sick, the impoverished, the Blacks, the Browns, the single mothers, and especially the ones
behind prison bars. Lightfoot’s inaction played a role in her defeat. I had to be on the right side
of history to elect Brandon Johnson for the city,” said Jackson.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times Lightfoot said, “We have resources to support these
individuals, but we cannot be on the sidelines.” “Public health considerations post-release are
also relevant in this time of crisis, and must inform the individualized release determinations.
As Greer continues to fight for justice for her husband, she is reminded that her pain and loss of
her husband will never be etched out of her mind.

7

Chapter Two: The Death of Nickolas Lee
The second week of March in 2020 was like a bad dream, she remembers. Greer was
carrying doubt and faith at the same time as she thought about the outcome of Lee beating or
succumbing to the virus.
For the couple, it was their routine to speak every day, maybe two to three times a day.
There was not a day that went by that Lee did not remind Greer that she was his safe space. But,
during one of their many conversations, Lee informed Greer that in Cook County jail, the largest
single-site jail in the U.S., two inmates were sick on the dormitory-style tier which he shared
with 55 other people. Because Covid was a new and unfamiliar virus, Lee would listen to
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to stay abreast of the virus so
she could tell Lee how to protect himself.
In a phone call Lee said: “Cassandra, some men possess these symptoms, I think they
have this virus.” I said, “Nick, do not worry. What I need you to do is to cover your nose and
your mouth throughout the entire day with your T-shirt because they say it’s airborne and when
you call me, you need to take a separate T-shirt and wrap it around the phone.”
As time progressed, the men on the tier got sicker and Greer grew concerned as she tried
to contact Sheriff Tom Dart’s office to inform him of jail conditions. “I’m not saying make the
jail a hotel or a Holiday Inn but come on Tom Dart, they did not have soap, hand sanitizer,
cleaning supplies, and face masks. Those inmates did not have a fair chance to beat Covid in that
hellhole,” Greer said.
Jefferey Pendleton was the first detainee to die of Covid on April 5, 2020. When Cook
County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was contacted on her personal cell phone about the
Cook County jail system she remained defensive and hostile. She said, “You need to talk to my
chief of staff. People died everywhere. In Cook County jail, we got the number of deaths down
to the thousands.”
Lee ended up in jail in February in connection with a 2018 armed robbery case.
According to Dart, Lee was facing charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault, and unlawful
use of a weapon. Lee, however, was never convicted. He remained in jail for 3
1/2
years and was
still awaiting trial at the time of his death. He was still on probation for an old bank robbery case.
He was convicted of stealing more than $400,000 from four banks during a 14-month span in
2006-2007. People reading about Lee and his convictions might dismiss him as nothing more
than a criminal. Lee was a Black man who made a mistake, just like many other people in the
world.
Moreover, he violated his probation and left the federal institution before being
transferred to Cook County Jail. “He was a federal detainee. He was supposed to go for a regular
court date and then go back to the federal facility,” said Greer.
But before Lee left the federal institution, they gave him a Covid test, which was
negative. Then, officials gave him a physical, to show that he was healthy enough to go over to
Cook County Jail. Covid was on the rise with high numbers and Lee was forced to stay at the
county jail during the time the government issued a national lockdown.
8
The jail was like a college dorm where everyone sleeps in one common space. His unit
normally holds 40 to 45 people. But when Lee arrived, “It was 55 people, so there was no room
for him to socially distance,” said Greer.
Due to the pandemic and events that transpired, Lee never made it to his court date on
April 22. And even though Greer knew her husband had made a bad choice, she had one
question lingering in her mind: “Did he deserve to die?”

9

Chapter Three: Conditions of Cook County Jail
In reality, one death is one too many. The conditions at the Cook County jail and the
outbreak of Covid prompted civil rights groups to file a class-action lawsuit against Dart,
alleging his negligence turned the jail into one of the nation’s hot spots for Covid.
Greer and others said Dart failed inmates and did not advocate for safer and cleaner jails
during the Covid pandemic. At the height of the pandemic, detainees went without basic needs,
putting put them at risk to contract the virus from other detainees, according to Greer.
Due to these conditions, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly issued a preliminary
injunction ordering Dart to keep people socially distanced.
Saying Dart failed to change the conditions of the jail, 13 detainees filed a federal lawsuit
against him on April 3, 2020. The detainees’ affidavits describe conditions in late March-early
April:
• People were not receiving soap, hand sanitizer, cleaning products, or masks (self-made
masks were confiscated)
• Little if any access to testing, even for those who had acute symptoms or had contacts
with others who tested positive
• Total shutdown of non-covid-related medical services: diabetics couldn’t
• get blood sugar checked, chemotherapy appointments have been canceled, and other
requests for medical care went unanswered
• People were being held at intake in so-called bullpens, with detainees held together for
extended periods in a crowded cell
• Many people were living in dormitory-style housing (some with over 50 people)
Detainees were being housed in bunks or beds only 2 to 4 feet apart.
After this lawsuit was filed, two days later the first person in Cook County Jail, Pendleton, died
on April 5 from Covid. By then the next injunction from Kennelly was filed on April 27 and Lee
was already dead.
According to Matthew Walberg, the press secretary for the sheriff’s office: “The Cook
County Sheriff’s Office works very hard to protect the health and safety of individuals ordered
into its custody. “We operate one of the largest jails in the United States, and while every death is
tragic, we have for years recorded fewer deaths in custody than comparable jails.”
As Greer continues to protest, hold press conferences, and fundraisers for detainees, the thought
looms on whether Lee would be alive today if precautions had been taken.

10
Chapter Four: Daily calls for help in regards to conditions in Cook County Jail
While sickness and death surrounded Lee, all he wanted to do was move from the
dormitory-style tier to try and socially distance himself. How do you isolate yourself when you
are in a room with 50 men? It became hard for Lee.“I started calling trying to get Nickolas
moved from the tier. So I’m calling, calling. Nickolas asked me daily on our calls, “Did anybody
answer?” I’m like, no.” In total, Greer said she made 132 calls to the sheriff’s office, a jail
sergeant’s desk line, and the jail hospital to explain to them how the virus was spreading rapidly
in Lee’s tier.
On March 28, 2020, Greer finally spoke with someone who explained that the jail was
short-staffed. However, on the next day, Lee showed his first symptom. When Lee got sick with
a sore throat, Greer called Division 8 (the inmate information helpline), Dart, and Cermak Health
Services, but no one answered. The more Greer called, Lee’s health began to decline even more.
“It went from a sore throat to a fever, from a fever to a loss of sense of taste and smell to chills,
from chills to total weakness,” Greer said.
While Greer was encouraging Lee on their daily phone call, she began to panic on the
inside. Lee asked: “Did you speak to anybody?” Greer replied, “Baby, I am trying. I’m trying.
This was one of the worst things that could happen to any human being; to cry out for help and
to just feel silence.”
A week after Lee’s symptoms got worse, he was admitted to Stroger Hospital ICU on
April 6 in a severe stage of Covid and his lungs were already collapsing when he arrived,
according to Greer. Cook County jail never called Greer to inform her that Lee had gone to the
hospital; someone on his tier told her, she said. Greer called around the clock when she found out
that Lee was at the hospital. “I’m talking about, I would call at 2:30 a.m. or 4 a.m.”

Stretched out in a 36-inch-by-80-inch hospital bed, Lee’s eyes glazed in space as he took
his last breath on April 12, 2020, Easter Sunday morning at 4:28 a.m. Lee was the third person in
Cook County jail to die from Covid. On April 13, Dart ordered all inmates to wear masks, but for
Greer, it was too late for him to make amends on how to properly protect detainees from Covid.
“So basically it took three people to die before Tom Dart decided to distribute masks in this
facility,” Greer said.

11
Chapter Five: The love story between Nickolas Lee and Cassandra Greer
To describe the relationship between Lee and Greer, it was almost like a puzzle with a
million pieces. It just so happened that Lee was the missing piece for Greer. He was her person.
Lee was the one who made her laugh, cry, smile, dream, and even made her feel comfortable
enough to share her deepest secrets and greatest fears. For Greer, Lee was more than just a
husband.
“Man, that guy was my best friend. You don’t even understand.”
Lee was a big guy, but when you got to know him, he was a teddy bear. He was 6-foot-5,
weighing 400 pounds with smooth chocolate skin, that would almost melt your heart.
“Nick was really perfect for me. He was absolutely wonderful. He had a heart of gold. I
knew his love was unconditional. And he only wanted the best for me. He was my number-one
cheerleader. He wanted me to do anything that my heart desired. He always made a way, made it
possible,” said Greer.
Greer and Lee were inseparable. It didn’t take much for Lee to have a good time when he
had Greer by his side. One of his favorite things to do was watch the warmest hues of the
rainbow from the sunrise spread bountifully among the branches of the trees. The colors of the
sunrise were a party of both chaos and order. Early in the morning, he would wake Greer up and
say “Come on let’s go.” It was their routine to watch the sunrise at La Rabida Children’s
Hospital in Jackson Park where the lakefront peninsula was surrounded by Chicago bedrock and
a remnant of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.
Lee was the light in Greer’s life. While sitting at the lakefront with Lee, life felt beautiful
for Greer. As the water, swooshed back and forth with a sharp glisten from the sun where you
could almost see your reflection, Greer was at peace. It seemed as though everything in Greer’s
life made sense when Lee was around. Lee was her world. But, without Lee, Greer is unsure
whether or not the precious memories at the lakefront would still feel the same.
“I look now at the things that I really loved to see, like the skyline, and it all feels so dark.
It reminds me, oh my god, I have a lifetime to go without him.”
The couple’s life together began in the hood of South Shore where they both were born
and raised. In the community of South Shore, there were always young men in hoodies and
lowriding jeans, staring down strangers on the corner of 71st Street, cat-calling, whistling, and
fighting up and down the block. It never failed. Sometimes, the SUV of the Chicago Police
Department would come to break up the fights and then other times they would just let them
“have at it,” according to a Chicago police officer. However, when the fights were broken up,
they would just move to the next block to take care of the unfinished business that happened on
71st Street.
The neighborhoods of Chicago always have a main street, like 71st Street, that was an
area of crossing between residential and commercial buildings. If you were riding in your car,
down 71st Street, people would be running errands, yelling “loose squares,” selling bootleg CDs
and DVDs, getting high, or hanging out until something happened. The hood was bleak, exposed,
and grim. It had a way of luring you in if you weren’t careful.
At the age of 17, Greer found her match, when she met Lee for the first time. Greer’s
brother and Lee were friends, but as time progressed Lee began to like her a lot. Greer wasn’t
able to date because of her overprotective brother but that didn’t stop Lee from being persistent
with Cassandra, so much so, one day he told her: “You’re going to be my wife.”
Sure enough, Lee was a man of his word. Lee and Greer were together for 20 years and
married for four years. Nick’s incarceration did not stop their love from growing. Lee would call
12
Greer every morning on her way to work to tell her how much he loved her and to discuss their
future.
“We had so many plans. He had so many plans, things that he wanted to do differently
and helping to give back because, you know, he was in the system for quite a while.”
Lee was raised in South Shore and was one of the fortunate ones to have a two-parent
household. He learned the value of being a husband and father.
“He was a provider,” Greer said. “And I think that that's one of the things that took them
down a dark path,” said Greer.

13

Chapter Six: Shortcomings of the local government officials
Greer began to replay scenarios in her mind of what “woulda, coulda, shoulda” happened
to save Lee’s life. For Greer, the scenarios revealed that government officials like Lightfoot and
Dart were responsible for the indecencies experienced within the Cook County Jail system.
It all started back in 2019 when Lightfoot made history as the first Black female and
openly gay mayor of the nation’s third-largest city, Chicago. As Lightfoot struggled to navigate
crime in the city, her term took some unexpected twists and turns when she wrestled with the
effects of how to properly protect people during the pandemic, which played a role in her
reelection defeat.
On April 19, 2021, the pressure was on when over 10,000 emails from Chicago city
officials were posted online by Distributed Denial of Secrets. One of those emails was from
Lightfoot to her staff regarding the spread of Covid at Cook County Jail. The email revealed that
Lightfoot was aware of the conditions in Cook County Jail and stalled the release of inmates
during the early stages of the pandemic. “Lori Lightfoot is not shit. She's a horrible person. Lee
left out of the Cook County system in a body bag and came in a healthy man. The fact that he’s
not here today, that’s a problem,” said Greer.
The email was sent on April 8, 2020. “Plaintiffs are attacking the sheriff regarding the
conditions in the jail that have led to the spread of Covid. The detainees are city residents and the
burden of release will fall on us and Cook County Hospital and releasing sick patients makes no
sense,” the email read. April 8 also became the day the New York Times warned Americans of
the outbreak of the virus in Cook County Jail. This outbreak was confirmed by health officials
who feared the jail was overcrowded and unsanitary which was the leading cause of the virus
spreading.
Before the outbreak and the death of Lee, Lightfoot was aware of Cook County Public
Defender Amy Campellini filing a petition for the immediate release of vulnerable detained
people on March 13, 2020. The document states, “If prisoners and detainees incarcerated in the
County Jail were to become infected with Covid and, as must be anticipated, the virus were to
spread rapidly within the Jail, many prisoners and detainees would require urgent care. The
capacity of Cermak Health Services to provide such care is limited and could be exceeded,
exacerbating the death toll and risks to all involved.”
This petition from Campellini led to the public defender’s office filing an emergency
motion for the release of detainees on March 21 and receiving support from NurseUnited and
SEIU Local 72 on March 27. A clerk from Kennelly’s office said “He will not be able to
comment because the case is still pending.” Kennelly’s preliminary injunction ordered the
county to take action to keep jails sanitary and safe and demanded:“
• Testing detainees who show symptoms or have been exposed to Covid;
• Establishing a policy requiring prompt coronavirus testing of detained persons
with symptoms consistent with coronavirus disease;
• Eliminating the use of "bullpens" to hold groups of new detainees during the
intake process;
14
• Providing inmates and staff soap and/or hand sanitizer sufficient to enable them to
frequently clean their hands, and sanitation supplies sufficient to enable them to
regularly sanitize surfaces in areas used in common;
• Distributing facemasks to all detained persons quarantined due to their exposure
to a person exhibiting symptoms consistent with coronavirus disease.
However, this injunction was not enough to protect Lee and the other detainees who died
from the virus in Cook County Jail. With Lightfoot stalling the release of detainees and Dart
refusing to make Cook County Jail safe, sanitary, and secure it left Greer to say, “My husband
died of pure negligence.”
According to ABCNews, Lightfoot discusses how before letting detainees out of jail,
neighborhoods need more funding and the police cannot handle issues independently. This
highlights how crime would rise once detainees are released out of jail during Covid.
"I think, fundamentally, what it comes down to is show us equality, show us equity, give
us funding -- make sure that our neighborhoods are invested in and not just by the police,"
Lightfoot said. "The police are not equipped to be the drug counselors, the domestic violence
interrupters, the mental health counselors. And yet they're called upon to serve over and over
again in those roles. And in some ways, we're setting them up with an impossible task that
people don't want," said Lightfoot.

15
Chapter Seven: Impacts the mayoral election in Chicago
In the Chicago mayoral election, Lightfoot lost her reelection bid in a nine-person race on
Feb. 28. Lightfoot is the first incumbent to lose reelection since 1983, when the city’s first
female mayor, Jane Byrne, lost her primary. Chicagoans made it clear that they did not want
Lightfoot in the runoff Leading up to Lightfoot’s loss she said, “Regardless of tonight’s outcome,
we fought the right fights and we put this city on a better path.”
However, during election night she expressed how serving as Chicago's mayor was "the
honor of a lifetime.” That night Lightfoot even tried to address why she lost the election. “And,
look, also, I am a Black woman—let’s not forget. Certain folks, frankly, don’t support us in
leadership roles.” Lightfoot alluded to how the opposition is racist. “The same forces that didn’t
want Harold Washington, the first Black mayor of Chicago,(who died of a heart attack at his
desk in City Hall) to succeed, they’re still here.” The question that looms is: Did Chicagoans
give Lightfoot a fair shot as mayor due to there being a new and unfamiliar pandemic?
“The reason Mayor Lori Lightfoot did not get re-elected is because she was not
collaborative. It was my way or the highway. Everything was a fight, everything was a battle
even the good things that she did. But, I must say this mayor has done more than any other
Mayor in the city of Chicago for the South and West side, specifically for the Black and Brown
communities than any other Mayor including Harold Washington,” said David Moore, alderman
of the 17th Ward in the city of Chicago.
“She was not a people person. And she didn't get along well with people and she made a
lot of enemies. So it was more so ‘do as I tell you to do and not as I do.’ So when it came down
to elections, people remembered that,” said Marlon Dixon, a Chicago Police officer since 2008.
With Chicagoans kicking Lightfoot to the curb, they opted for Brandon Johnson, a Cook County
commissioner, and Paul Vallas, a former CEO of Chicago schools to make the run-off,. This
intense race has created a racial divide among people. “I am voting for Brandon Johnson just
because he’s Black. Point blank period. We have to support our own. As soon as Vallas get in
there he gon forget about us,” said Willam C. Salaam, a local business owner on the South side
of Chicago.
According to the results, Lightfoot didn’t stand a chance. With more than 98% of the
votes counted, Lightfoot came in third place with 16.89% of the vote behind Vallas, who won
33.95%, and Johnson, who ended up with 20.32%. The results marked a divide between
Chicagoans and the candidates.
“The divide came from people who know history and people that didn’t. But, it was also
race-based. There were people that I even talk to that only voted for Johnson because he’s a
Black man. People have done that with white candidates, as well. Saying ‘I’m voting for him
because he’s white.’ So that racial divide is nothing new,” Moore said.
Moore even expressed why people didn’t vote for Vallas. He noted that it was mainly
because of distrust and people not knowing the history of Vallas. He also pointed out how the
other campaign pushed negative and untrue messaging about Vallas like him taking Black history
out of schools when instead he put the first Afro-centric school on the south side of Chicago. The
purpose of the negative messaging was to persuade voters in Johnson’s favor.
As for Lightfoot, experts because she lost because she not only triggered Chicagoans with
unsanitary and indecent jail conditions but her lack of control over the rise in crime which has
led to high-profile businesses leaving the community and steady economic recovery from the
pandemic.
16
“I can’t put all the blame on her for the simple fact that people took handled Covid as a
time to commit crimes. So it was not just here in Chicago, it was across the board,” Dixon said.
Dixon said Lightfoot didn’t really have a relationship with the Chicago police and she
didn’t seem to like the police. This relationship between the police and Lightfoot lacked trust
which led to her trying to control the department. “Lori Lightfoot tried to run the police
department. What you have to do is trust the leadership and make sure that they have the right
resources that they need. Then give them your vision and tell them to carry out the plan based on
your vision. You cannot run and operate the police department,” Moore said.
The Chicago Tribune reported homicides spiked dramatically to 776 and 804 in 2020 and
2021, compared to 500 in 2019. The murders, according to the newspaper, were mostly from
gun violence. Shootings and carjackings, the Tribune pointed out, also went up.” Furthermore,
the city saw more than 20,000 cases of theft in 2022, nearly double the amount of theft incidents
in 2021, according to the Chicago Police Department’s end-of-year report. Through Lightfoot’s
lack of leadership, the crime rate in Chicago increased by 61% in the first three weeks of 2023,
according to the Chicago police.
Moore noted: “We came to such high numbers in crime because during her term she lost
all the institutional knowledge like Superintendent Johnson and Chief Waller. That’s what got us
to the place where we are with crime now. You had no people in place. You lost the respect of the
people so much so people weren’t giving you there all. She really didn’t understand that these
men and women have to want to work for you.”
When Lightfoot conceded, she called Vallas at his victory party to congratulate him.
Vallas then proceeded to address his campaign promises and how he plans to improve crime and
public safety issues. “We will have a safe Chicago. We will make Chicago the safest city in
America," Vallas said. Vallas critiques leadership by discussing how he plans to add hundreds of
police officers to patrol the city because of how the crime and morale of officers have stooped to
a new low during Lightfoot’s term.
Johnson, who is a former teacher and union organizer, received close to $1 million from
the Chicago Teachers Union. Johnson disagrees with Vallas that the city needs more money to
fund the police; he believes that people should be investing in mental health care, education,
jobs, and affordable housing. “But, in order for the new Mayor to be successful I think Brandon
Johnson has to understand what the police really do first and foremost and if he understands what
we do and how it works I think it would be a decent relationship. At the end of the day, we all
have to work together. The police department has to work with the Mayor’s office and
the mayor’s office has to work with the police department. We have to work hand and hand in
order to see results,” said Dixon.
With Mayor Brandon Johnson in charge, Chicagoans will see whether he can reduce
crime and address the next health crisis.

17
Chapter Eight: The advocacy work of Cassandra Greer
Greer vowed to herself that Lee’s life will not be in vain. She believes the fight is not
over until justice is served. “And every time I think about that day Lee died, that's why I get up
and continue to fight. Because he didn't deserve to suffer that way,” Greer said.
After Lee passed away, she sat on her living room couch and remained stuck in silence
and stillness about everything that had transpired. “It went from confusion to pain. I just felt like
I was dying inside.” I just kept saying over and over to myself ‘Cassandra, what else could you
have done?’”
Today, Greer does not live in regret. She is now on the frontlines protesting and chanting
“No justice, No peace” for the Pretrial Fairness Act. The Pretrial Fairness Act was passed by the
Illinois legislature on Jan. 13, 2021 as part of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’ criminal
justice reform bill, HB 3653 SFA2 (bill text). Advocates in the Coalition to End Money Bond
and the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice wrote this act to “restore the presumption of
innocence and make Illinois safer by ending money bond and the unconstitutional practice of
caging people pretrial simply because they cannot
afford to buy their freedom.”
As an advocate, Greer is hoping for safer jail
conditions and continuously fighting for a person’s
innocence until they are proven guilty. “Even if a
person is guilty they shouldn’t be treated like a slave
in jail,” she said. Although, Greer is still puzzled
and heartbroken as to why Lee had to be an example
of poor leadership and negligence; she’s aware that
the system failed him. When Lee was released his
main goal was to one day motivate and inspire other
young Black men from the city of Chicago. “He had
so many plans, things that he wanted to do
differently and helping to give back because, you
know, he was in the system for quite a while. And
he would talk about things and the reason why he
was in the system. And now one of my main goals
is to upstart the Nicholas Foundation to help juveniles because I remember something Lee said
that has stuck with me and is going to stick with me. If someone would have helped me as a
juvenile offender. I would have never become an adult offender,” she said. Greer is even telling
her story of what happened to Lee more frequently, so it will not happen to another family.
She still reflects on the possibilities, “Had one person, just one person just answered,
heard my cries, heard my pleas, and just helped my husband, he would still be here today. He
would be here

18
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20
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Abstract (if available)

Abstract Nickolas Lee was the third person to die at Cook County Jail from COVID on April 12, 2020. Lee contracted COVID while he was incarcerated in Chicago's Cook County Jail. According to the New York Times on April 8, 2020, the publication deemed Cook County jail “the top U.S. hot spot for COVID.” This work will show how elected officials responded to COVID in regard to detainees. It will also highlight the advocacy of Lee’s wife, Cassandra Greer and the aftermath of Chicago’s mayoral election between Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson. Due to the fact, that many detainees died in Cook County Jail, Lee’s wife has pushing for Lori Lightfoot to not seek reelection, so much so, she has been on the frontlines helping Brandon Johnson to get elected. This story is one of love, anger, grief, and resilience. The piece puts a magnifying glass on local issues in Chicago such as COVID and jail detainees, while showing that this issues is also happening nationally. It examines the love a Black woman has for a Black man. It also questions whether the life of a Black man is valuable to this country.

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A study of diversification In the outdoor recreation industry and its connection to the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) urban health equity gap

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Creator Shareef, Hannah Joy (author)

Core Title What it feels like to love a Black man through the worst of times: the life of Nickolas Lee

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Specialized Journalism

Degree Conferral Date 2023-08

Publication Date 07/11/2023

Defense Date 07/10/2023

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag advocacy,Brandon Johnson,Cassandra Greer,Chicago,Chicago Police Department,cities,Cook County Jail,COVID,COVID-19,Death,Hospitals,incarceration,Jail,jail detainees,Lori Lightfoot,mayoral race,Nickolas Lee,OAI-PMH Harvest,Paul Vallas,South Shore,ventilators

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