Morgan Hancock

[Morgan Hancock @morganrhancock]

First time at @ChiCritMass! Happy Friday indeed! #BikeCHI

[Zak Yudhishthu @zyudhishthu]

I sympathize for this renter, but there is a structural imbalance: we will likely never get a Block Club article about the Chicagoans that benefit from these new 26 units of housing. It's easy to note legitimate externalities, but hard to tell a news-y story about the benefits...

[Ricardo @Ric_RTP]

Amazon just got caught running a secret price manipulation operation with Levi's, Home Depot, Walmart, and many more.

Every time you "comparison shopped" online, you were looking at prices that were already rigged.

Here's what happened:

Amazon would monitor prices on Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Chewy in real time. The second a competitor listed a product cheaper than Amazon, they'd contact the brand directly and tell them to "fix it."

And the exact emails are now PUBLIC.

Amazon sent Levi's links to two Walmart listings with the subject line "styles of concern." They basically said the prices on Walmart are too low and we have a problem.

The next day, Levi's responded: "I talked to Walmart and they have partnered with us to take Easy Khaki Classic fit back up to ladder SPP price, $29.99 immediately."

Levi's literally called Walmart and told them to raise the price. Because Amazon told Levi's to make the call.

Walmart complied. Then Amazon matched the HIGHER price.

Both retailers ended up charging more. The customer paid extra. Nobody competed.

Same playbook with Hanes:

Amazon sent them links showing Target and Walmart prices were lower. Hanes confirmed they "reached out to Target and Walmart to have the prices increased."

Target increased the prices. Walmart increased the prices. Amazon kept their margins.

But it gets even worse...

Amazon told Allergan (the company that makes eye drops) that their product was "suppressed" on Amazon because it was cheaper on another site.

Allergan responded: "Walmart got their price back up to $16.99." Amazon then unsuppressed the listing.

They did this with pet treats on Chewy. Furniture on Home Depot. Products across dozens of categories spanning YEARS.

The mechanism is simple but terrifying:

If you're a brand and you sell cheaper on Walmart than on Amazon, Amazon suppresses your product, removes you from the Buy Box, buries you in search results, and effectively makes you invisible to 300 million customers.

Brands can't afford that. So they call Walmart and Target and say "raise your prices or we'll lose our Amazon listings."

Walmart and Target comply because they need the brand's products.

Amazon captures 40 cents of every dollar spent online in America. That gives them the leverage to set prices across THE ENTIRE internet. Not just their own platform.

So turns out, you were never comparison shopping.

You were looking at a coordinated price floor set by Amazon through backroom phone calls between brands and their competitors.

"Amazon is working to make your life more unaffordable."

3 separate antitrust trials are now scheduled for 2027. The FTC has its own case. 18 states plus the DOJ are piling on.

This is literally happening during the WORST affordability crisis in a generation. Groceries up 25% since 2020. Housing unaffordable. Wages flat.

And the largest ecommerce company on Earth has been secretly coordinating with brands to make sure you can't find a cheaper price ANYWHERE.

"Competition" in retail is just a fantasy.

[taylr @taylr]

they showed us an example of a legal, judicial warrant vs an ICE administrative warrant

[Acyn @Acyn]

Sanders: That is a totally meaningless gesture. You can get 100 votes here and it won't mean anything because the House is not going to take it up.

[Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan]

This is exactly the right response from Warren.

Democrats: listen to @SenWarren

[Joe Ward @JayDubWard]

Timelapse video of the start of the No Kings protest in Chicago.

This is the first 10 minutes of the march. The stream of protesters passed through Michigan & Wacker for another hour. @BlockClubCHI

[Joe Ward @JayDubWard]

Massive, massive crowd marching in Chicago for the No Kings protest.

The group has been marching past the Trump Tower for nearly 40 minutes. Easily the biggest protest I’ve seen.

[Molly @mollyfleck]

Please write to your Illinois state representatives and ask them to support the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act (MMA) if you don't want this outcome for Chicagoland's transit system.

[Michael McLean @cornoisseur]

Alderman Matt Martin has introduced an ordinance that would allow new residential buildings to have one stairwell!

This would lower the cost of new housing, and create better floorplans with windows on two or three sides of a dwelling unit.

What this would change: Chicago would permit single stair buildings for residential developments up to 6 stories with a maximum of 8 units per floor. This brings Chicago in line with Seattle, New York, and other cities addressing their housing shortages.

Why This Matters for Affordability: Traditional dual-stair requirements often force developers to build larger, more expensive buildings with hotel-like floorplans. Single stair buildings can be constructed on smaller lots with lower construction costs - savings that can be passed to residents.

Livability: Dual and Triple Aspect Floor Plans
This ordinance unlocks the ability to design apartments with windows on multiple sides.
• Corner units with wraparound windows and cross-ventilation
• Better natural light and airflow throughout units
• Elimination of dark, single-aspect "shoebox" apartments

Safety: An analysis of fire death rates in New York City from 2012 to 2024 revealed no higher fatality rates in modern single-stair buildings compared to other residential structures, with no deaths directly attributed to the lack of a second exit. In fact, single-stair designs can actually mitigate smoke spread issues prevalent in the long, horizontal corridors of traditional dual-stair buildings.

Here's the ordinance: https://t.co/PQdBM3qQ91

[Morgan Hancock @morganrhancock]

Woah, Chicago should have these!

[Westminster Cycling Campaign @Westminster_LCC]

Just when you thought London couldn't feel any more glorious, up pops this fantastic bit of cycling infrastructure - TULIP WANDS 🌷🚴‍♂️🌷🚴‍♂️! They’re being installed on Sussex Gardens and are an absolute joy to behold and causing all sorts of delight, as we discovered…

[Midwest Antiquarian @Eric_Erins]

Chicago Politicians. Can we atleast try this one? We have entire spokes of our transit system surrounded by neighborhoods well under half their peak populations could be worth looking into idk

[Morgan Hancock @morganrhancock]

@ajonirving @BlockClubCHI I tried to shop there this weekend but didn’t realize they are closed on Sundays.

[Midwest Antiquarian @Eric_Erins]

48th Ward residents. The Broadway plan commission is on the agenda for the Chicago Plan Commission this upcoming Thursday. If you have time shoot an email in support of the plan! The cpc needs to hear from residents who support the plan! Shoot them an email noting your support to [email protected]

[Michael McLean @cornoisseur]

If you live in Chicago, please email the Plan Commission in support of the proposal to increase the housing capacity on Broadway by 18,000 new homes!

They are getting a lot of pushback from a small cohort of wealthy white homeowners. Defeat them!
[email protected]

[Ryan Grim @ryangrim]

So @elonmusk says he’s looking for waste and fraud but the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau costs less than $1B/year and has returned $20B and counting to consumers in roughly a decade.

[Michael McLean @cornoisseur]

🏘️ The 'Missing Middle Housing Act' has been filed in Illinois to legalize middle housing on all residential-zoned land in cities with >25,000 population!

This would mean the following types of housing would be allowed by-right

2️⃣ Duplexes
3️⃣ Three flats
4️⃣ Four flats!

[Morgan Hancock @morganrhancock]

@Andrefor40th @Chicago_Reader Wow! Congrats!!

[Morgan Hancock @morganrhancock]

NIMBYs at it again… Upzone Broadway now!!

[Michael McLean @cornoisseur]

Alderman Hopkins has announced his decision to block a proposed development that would have brought 500 new apartments and a grocery store to Old Town Chicago.

The tower was projected to bring in $2.5 million per year of property taxes for the City of Chicago.

It would have 400 market rate apartments, and 100 affordable units as mandated by the Affordable Requirements Ordinance.

There are many towers in the area with the same height. The proposal fits the 'neighborhood character'.

The city just had its credit rating lowered, and elected officials in wards where new housing can pencil out are busy restricting investment into the city. The inmates are running the asylum.

Actions speak louder than words @AldermanHopkins. You have forfeited your ability to complain about rising property taxes ever again.

[Joshua Reed Eakle 🗽 @JoshEakle]

Don't let anyone gaslight you.

Everyone saw what happened.