RETRIEVING DOCUMENT
Mrs. Adaeze Mbeki's city assistance ended on Monday.
I know this because I was there.
Not inside the gymnasium — I was not allowed inside the gymnasium. I waited on the sidewalk outside the facility on East 35th Street from seven in the morning until nine-forty, when she came out with her daughter and two bags. Her sister drove up in a tan Nissan Altima. The daughter got in first. Mrs. Mbeki put the bags in the trunk and stood by the car for a moment and looked up at the gymnasium and then got in.
The Nissan drove south.
Her sister lives in Roseland. The apartment is a two-bedroom with her sister, her sister's husband, and their three children. Mrs. Mbeki and her daughter are on an air mattress in the living room. She told me this Tuesday afternoon, speaking in a low voice so no one in the other rooms would hear. She said her sister told her she could stay through the committee meeting on July sixteenth. She said her daughter asked if they were going to have to move again after that.
She did not know what to answer.
Today is the Fourth of July.
I called four phone numbers this morning. The Department of Housing: closed, holiday. The Office of Emergency Management and Communications: recorded message, holiday hours. The shelter intake line for the city's Region 2 coordinator: rang eleven times, no answer. The UIAP line in Reston, Virginia: rang three times and disconnected.
I documented all four calls.
The fake Chicago Housing Transition Office man has not returned. The last documented contact was June 11th, when he visited the gymnasium, left a handwritten phone number, and gave no name. That number has not been active since. I have a photograph of the handwriting. I have shown it to a handwriting examiner I know from a prior story. She said the pen pressure and letter formation were consistent with someone trained to print legibly under time pressure. She said that was not very useful and I agreed.
Thirteen rental rejections. The unit in Englewood that relisted at $875 with no Section 8 is still on the market.
On the audio.
I want to return to what Darius's drive showed, because I have been sitting with it since last week.
Two individuals arrived at the Wacker and Michigan impact zone eleven minutes after the shockwave. Before the GDA grey vehicles. Before anyone in an official capacity I can identify. Black SUV, Illinois plates — partial number only, Darius was on the ground when the recording started. The individuals walked toward the impact zone with purpose. They did not help anyone.
I sent the relevant frames to three people. Two have not responded. The third said the equipment the individuals were carrying looked consistent with what they called field signal collection. I asked them to define field signal collection. They said to look up SIGINT forward deployment doctrine and ended the call.
I looked it up.
I am not in a position to draw conclusions from what I found. I am in a position to note that eleven minutes is a very short time, if you were not already positioned nearby.
I will also note, without accusation, that the GDA has three documented offices in Reston, Virginia.
I will also note that the UIAP VoIP line that rang twice last month traces to a Reston, Virginia address.
I will also note that I have submitted a FOIA request for records related to the July sixteenth extension committee meeting. Average response time is thirty business days. The committee meets in twelve days.
Terri Walcott in Columbus has not returned my last two messages. Her small claims case against MURI was dismissed in January 2025, when she was listed at a public library address. I do not know where she is now. I am still trying.
The Baltimore source — CRIF — I still do not have one.
The Wilmington law firm parent structure: I have sent two letters requesting public records. No response.
The committee meets July sixteenth.
Mrs. Mbeki is on an air mattress in Roseland. Her daughter has a library card and no school until September. She asked her mother if fireworks were the same as the shockwave.
Mrs. Mbeki said no. She said fireworks were much smaller.
I am still counting.