This is the case of the incredible shrinking federal prosecution of Oak Park Village Trustee Brian Straw and what’s left of the “Broadview Six.”
Let’s set the scene for this ill-starred prosecution, the remnants of which go to trial soon. Think back to last September when ICE was ascendant, cruising the streets of Oak Park, River Forest and Home Depot parking lots, detaining anyone who looked Hispanic, whether gardener, roofer or pedestrian.
Hair-jelled and jolly ICE “commandant” Greg Bovino would stop for morning coffee in a Forest Park gas station relishing another day of social media photo ops. And maybe end his day tossing tear gas at assembling crowds of nonviolent protesters on Chicago streets. Or lying about the toss (which was videoed) under oath in court to a federal judge.
Kristi Noem, then director of Homeland Security and Rolex-wearing cowboy fashion icon, flew into Chicago for a video mashup, including a visit to the roof of the Broadview ICE detention center. Drone footage showed her looking tough.
To protest ICE doing God-knows-what to detainees inside the detention center, protesters assembled outside each Friday, sang songs, and expressed their displeasure with how far our nation has fallen.
In addition to pastors, rabbis and imams praying, there were young people (some using bad language!). And old people, greying churchgoers like me who remembered something from our childhood Catechesis about welcoming the stranger and doing unto others, etc.
That is the background to Straw and several others getting arrested and charged with a felony for …? Near as I can tell, standing in front of an ICE vehicle.
This felony charge was — how can I say this as a retired lawyer? — BS.
Its premise was that six people, none of whom had ever met, entered into a “flash” conspiracy, to derail federal action, with serious (though ill-defined) implications. The charge had the markings of a political show trial that you might have seen in Chile in the 1980s under General Augusto Pinochet, where 3,000 political opponents disappeared.
Enter 40-year (and controversial) true believer Assistant U.S. Attorney William Hogan. If you remember his name, it’s because years ago Hogan ran the prosecution of the El Rukyn gang and faced charges of prosecutorial misconduct including, I’m not making this up, conjugal visits for imprisoned government witnesses. (Ooh la la!)
Hogan’s style in court in the Broadview Six case was — how should I put this? — Histrionic!
When Straw’s defense team demanded grand jury transcripts to see if the prosecutor had fudged the law in convincing the Grand Jury to indict, and also for documents about whether the once-respected U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago had received political directions from the White House, Hogan was not happy.
The prosecutors accused the defense of “fevered paranoia,” and “delusional speculation.” (https://www.oakpark.com/2026/04/02/doj-calls-broadview-6-defense-paranoid-delusional)
Like Queen Gertrude in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hogan “doth protest too much, methinks.” When I was a litigator years ago, if my opposing counsel used over-the-top language like this, that’s when I knew I was on to something.
But Hogan knows the law, and must have convinced his political bosses at the Department of Justice (and I do mean political) that the felony conspiracy charge was a loser. So he caved and, rather than reveal the Grand Jury transcripts, dismissed the felony charge against Straw and others.
So what’s left? Straw is scheduled to go to trial on misdemeanor charges for the day of protest. No one was hurt (other than the feelings of some ICE agents) but Justice (the D.C. office, not the concept) must be served.
Hogan has scheduled two weeks of a busy federal judge’s time to try what was once a felony elephant for what is now a misdemeanor mosquito.
This is why I have contributed to Straw’s legal defense fund.