Village Free Press_033121

MARCH 31, 2021

Vol. V No. 13 Proviso native stages clean up, PAGE 6

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Police raid Bellwood man’s home, lawsuit filed

Mark Younger, 63, gets vaccinated in his car outside the Maywood Park District on Saturday, March 27. Younger was one of thousands who got vaccinated at sites in Proviso Township last week. Village Free Press was at sites in Maywood and Hillside.

Read more on page 2.

Tactical unit raids home of George Soto, candidate for trustee and advocate for police reform, after prank phone call

Shanel Romain

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

A Bellwood trustee candidate has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the village and 10 police officers from a suburban SWAT team after a prank call resulted in officers raiding his home and inflicting emotional and physical trauma on him and his family.

Andrew Martin Stroth, the Soto family’s attorney, announced the lawsuit during a press conference held March 25 outside of Bellwood Village Hall, 3200 Washington Blvd. in Bellwood.

“On March 17, at approximately 1:30 a.m., a heavily armed task force from the western suburbs stormed into the Sotos’ residence,” Stroth said.

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Hillside mayoral candidate running to ‘bridge divide’

Gwen Amber, likely Hillside’s first Black mayoral candidate, says she wants to represent all Hillside residents regardless of race

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

Gwen Amber said during a recent interview that she’s running for mayor of Hillside against 40-year incumbent Joe Tamburino in order to represent a wider swath of Hillside’s residents,

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many of whom, she says, feel that their interests aren’t reflected in the current administration.

“One of the reasons I’m running for mayor of Hillside is to bridge a gap that’s existed in Hillside since I moved here 25 years ago,” Amber said. “There appears to be a divide, where some people have a very

positive experience living in the community while others are not as fortunate — and for some, it’s through no fault of their own.”

Amber, who by many accounts is the first African-American to run for mayor in Hillside’s history, is also just the second opponent that Tamburino has had. The See GWEN AMBER on page 5

WHEN YOU OPEN OUR MOST POPULAR CHECKING ACCOUNT enroll in online banking, activate e-statements, and have at least monthly occurring direct deposits totaling $500 or more for the 2 consecutive calendar months following the month of account opening.2

Stop by our two Proviso Township branches, or make an appointment with a banker today at 708-483-0030.

1759 N. Mannheim Rd. | Stone Park 1111 W. Madison St. | Maywood 708-483-0030 | provisobank.com

Proviso Community Bank is a branch of Hinsdale Bank & Trust Company, N.A. 1. Total Access Checking Bonus Information. This Total Access Checking account bonus offer is valid for new accounts opened January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021. This Total Access Checking account bonus offer is not available to existing or closed checking account customers of WTFC and its subsidiaries or its active employees. Limit 1 bonus payment per customer, regardless of the number of accounts opened. If you qualify for this Total Access Checking account bonus offer, you are ineligible to receive this Total Access Checking account bonus offer from any other Wintrust Financial Corporation (‘WTFC’) location. If you qualify for any other WTFC savings offer it may be combined with this Total Access Checking account bonus offer. Your new account must be open, in the same product, and have a balance greater than zero to receive the bonus payment. Balance is determined as of the end of each Business Day as the funds currently in your account including deposits and withdrawals made in the Business Day. The $300.00 bonus payment is subject to IRS 1099-INT reporting and may be considered income for tax purposes for the tax year in which the bonus was paid. 2. Total Access Checking Bonus Qualifications. (i) Open a new Total Access Checking account; (ii) tell us you are aware of this Total Access Checking account bonus offer at account opening; (iii) have at least monthly occurring direct deposits totaling $500.00 or more each month made to your new account for 2 consecutive calendar months after the calendar month your new account was opened (‘Qualification Period’). For example, if you open your new account in January, you would need to have “Direct Deposits” made to your new account in February totaling $500 or more and in March totaling $500 or more; and (iv) enroll in online banking and activate e-statements within the Qualification Period.

A direct deposit is defined as any payment made by a government agency, employer, or other third-party organization that is made via an electronic deposit. A direct deposit does not include teller/ATM/mobile or remote deposits, wire transfers, online banking/telephone transfers between accounts at WTFC, external transfers from other accounts at other financial institutions or ATM/debit card transfers and deposits. After you have completed all the above bonus qualifications, we will deposit the bonus payment into your new account within 30 calendar days after the Qualification Period. BANKER INSTRUCTIONS: Enter offer code WFC00DMAP300 during account opening.

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Village Free Press | March 31, 2021

OUT and ABOUT the village free press Editor & Publisher Michael Romain Senior Sales & Strategic Consultant Kamil Brady Editorial Designer Andrew Mead Advertising Design Support Debbie Becker, Mark Moroney HOW TO REACH US Village Free Press c/o Wednesday Journal 141 S. Oak Park Ave. Oak Park, IL 60302 PHONE: 773-626-6332 FAX: (708) 467-9066 vfpress.news Twitter: @village_free Facebook: @maywoodnews The Village Free Press is published weekly

by Michael Romain. It is distributed free of charge at locations throughout Maywood.

Hundreds get vaccinated at sites in Maywood, Hillside Hundreds of people got vaccinated across Proviso Township last week and Village Free Press was at two of those sites.

On Saturday, March 27, 440 people got vaccinated at the Maywood Park District, 921 S. 9th Ave. in Maywood, according to Maywood Park District Executive Director Lonette Hall.

Ayetta Wheeler-Rice, 68, of Maywood, was one of those residents who got a shot.

“I’ve had Covid and after hearing about today’s event, I don’t want to go through COVID again,” she said. “It took me four months to recover. I had the cough and was hospitalized for 10 days and in my home for three months. It affected my heart and brought up asthma, so I was on oxygen for two months,” Wheeler-Rice said.

And on Monday, March 29, Hillside District 93 partnered with the village of Hillside and Jewel-Osco to give out 1,400 Pfizer vaccinations to

community members, said D93 Supt. Kevin Suchinski. The vaccination took place at the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 73, 4550 Roosevelt Rd. in Hillside.

Hillside Joe Tamburino said the vaccine event was open to all Proviso Township residents.

“This is not just for Hillslide,” Tamburino said.

“Last week we took care of our seniors,” Suchinski said.

“We called them personally and the village did a great job registering our seniors. They didn’t have to worry about technology. We were able to also vaccinate some existing educators, but the majority were seniors last week.”

Tamburino said the village contacted the seniors by doing a robo-call.

“We put a call center inside of Village Hall,” Tamburino said. “We took all of the seniors’ names. We had a list of the ones we knew and called them to make sure they were covered. So, all of that was with Dr. Suchinski’s help.”

CONTACT: info@vfpress.news

© 2021 Village Free Press We’re proud to partner with Growing Community Media, NFP. Publisher Dan Haley

Maywood man gives back On Monday, March 15, John Olsen, a resident of the Garden House Apartments, 515 S. 2nd Ave. in Maywood, won a $100 grocery gift card in a lottery sponsored by Jenn Care. John said he donated the gift card to a single mother of two daughters.

“To learn to be human is to develop through the give and take of communication an effective sense of being an individually distinctive member of a community.”

—John Dewey

People Cab Company hosts Get Out the Vote parade On Sunday, March 28, Bellwood-based People Cab Company sponsored a Get Out the Vote Drive Thru Parade.

The route started at 4400

Frontage Road in Hillside before taking participants along Mannheim Road, Madison and Roosevelt Road. It ended on 25h Avenue in Broadview.

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Village Free Press | March 31, 2021

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Village Free Press | March 31, 2021

RAID

Calls for transparency from page 1 According to the lawsuit, the officers were members of the West Suburban Taskforce, which includes police officers from Bellwood, Maywood, Hillside, Westchester, and the Cook County Sheriff ’s Department.

“At that moment, everything changed for the family,” he added. “Without cause or provocation, Mr. Soto was violently slammed, a knee in his back for several minutes, fracturing his back, injuring his shoulder. Mrs. Soto was taken to the next room in trauma, believing her husband was about to be shot by the officers.”

Stroth said the couple’s 15-year-old grandson was “taken out of the home without a parent or guardian, handcuffed, taken into a squad car and out of the house on a drive and asked questions for 20 minutes. Two other grandchildren thought their grandparents would be shot and killed.”

According to the lawsuit, police received a report of a murder occurring at the Soto home. That report turned out to be a prank call by someone named Daniel Garcia. The Sotos said they don’t know anyone by that name and their attorney believes that the individual is possibly fictitious.

In a statement released after the raid, the Bellwood Police Department said that they

received a 911 call about a man who had murdered someone in the Soto residence and who was heavily armed, which prompted them to dispatch the task force.

“Pursuant to the department’s standard operating procedure, and given the seriousness of the allegations, police personnel were required to search the house to ensure that there was no imminent threat to the community or occupants,” said the Bellwood Police Department, which explained that it is investigating the matter and trying to identify the person who made the prank call.

“The way they stormed into our house, with those AR-15s, demanding we put our hands up — we were shocked,” said Margarita Soto, George Soto’s wife, during the March 25 press conference.

“It was something that we did not expect.

I kept begging them, ‘Please, tell us what we did wrong,’” and their response was, ‘We can’t tell you. We’ll tell you later.’ And I kept demanding for them to tell me now. They wouldn’t respond.

“Then I see them take my 15-year-old grandson out of the house. I knew he was scared. I knew he was scared, because we trained him to obey officers, because of his color. And he did. But we weren’t aware that he was taken away. He was being interrogated by the officers in the car without an adult, without our consent. My 10-year-old grandson had to sit on the sofa in the living room where my husband was handcuffed with the officer’s knee on his

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“What happened to me and my family was unbelievable,” said George Soto. “It’s a nightmare. We suffer. I don’t wish this on anybody. I’m still getting flashbacks of what happened. How they treated my wife and grandchildren like we’re criminals. Like we were animals. Shame on them. We need police reform here in Bellwood. This is one of the reasons why I’m running for trustee in Bellwood. My family is suffering right now from seeing the video clips.”

Soto said that during the raid, an officer had his knee on his back for several minutes while he suffered on the ground wearing just a pair of boxers. Soto said when he told the officer that he couldn’t breathe, the officer asked him if he had asthma and refused to relent.

Soto said that the officers should have known who he was, since he’s running for trustee. He and his running-mates on the Bellwood Peoples Choice slate have been vocal critics of the Bellwood Police Department and have put police reform at the center of their campaign platform.

The slate includes John Wicks, who is running for Bellwood mayor against incumbent Mayor Andre Harvey. Soto said he believes the raid was politically motivated, considering his very public opposition to the department.

“I did notice a couple police officers recognized me and I recognized them,” Soto said. “They saw my signs in front of my house, everybody in the village can see the

posts on the ground. They knew who I was.”

Stroth said that, so far, the Bellwood Police Department has not released body cam footage of the raid, but the Sotos have released video footage taken from their home’s surveillance system. Stroth said the department should release its footage, despite the pending investigation.

Eric Russell, an activist and president of the Tree of Life Justice League, said on March 25 that the incident that happened at the Soto home is part of a troubling pattern in the United States called swatting, which is when someone makes a prank call to 911 in order to induce police to respond with heavily armed officers.

“We take this very seriously, because the last prank phone call in Wichita, Kansas had two victims,” Russell said, referencing a 2017 raid in which police killed a man during a raid prompted by a prank call.

Earlier this month, a Virginia man was sentenced to 33 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy involving swatting attacks that targeted journalists, a university, a church, an Islamic Center and a former U.S. cabinet member, according to a Department of Justice statement.

And last year, the New York Times reported that pranksters are even targeting the homes of tech company executives, particularly high-ranking employees of Facebook.

“Like any other type of crime, when the See RAID on page 10

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Village Free Press | March 31, 2021

GWEN AMBER Explains candidacy from page 1 veteran incumbent said during an interview earlier this year that the one other time he’s faced a challenger was during his first bid for mayor.

“In my opinion, politics plays a role in every element of this community, which means if you do not agree with the status quo, then you may become a target and I think that is the reason that, out of 40 years, no one has challenged the current administration,” said Amber, 59.

Amber is running with the Hillside Neighbors slate, which is an extension of a group of residents who have been critical of the current mayor and his administration.

In addition to Amber, the slate includes trustee candidates Dan Adams, Roger Romanelli and Amy Woodrick; and clerk candidate LaTonya Williams.

Members of the larger group have been vocal about everything from speeding vehicles and the lack of stop signs on village streets to what they consider to be the village’s high property taxes.

In December, the village announced that it would start holding its regular board meetings via Zoom — nearly a year after the pandemic restrictions were put in place in March 2020. The decision happened after

Romanelli and Woodrick complained about the village not having any way for residents to watch meetings remotely.

Amber said, if elected, she and her running-mates will go a step further.

“We want total transparency and accountability,” she said, adding that this means regularly uploading village meetings on YouTube and Facebook, so residents can watch meetings “from the comfort of our homes.”

Amber said the slate would also reform the village’s tax levy process. Typically, the board only discusses the proposed tax levy during board meetings that, until recently, residents had to attend in person. If she and her running-mates are elected, she said, there will be special meetings held prior to the board voting on the tax levy and “some type of outreach where people know that this is what we’re proposing and this is why.”

Amber is a social services program planner with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), where she’s worked for 35 years. She’s also been a member of Hillside’s Community Relations Commission and is a licensed minister.

She said that she’s also been president of PUSH Excel’s parent advisory board. PUSH Excel is the educational arm of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the social justice nonprofit founded by Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. Amber said, if elected, she and her slate will leverage the local government to

support young people and families who feel marginalized by the current administration.

“Throughout the decades living in Hillside, I have noticed in talking to families that there is support that is needed,” she said, adding that the village should regularly provide residents information in critical areas like rental assistance and employment. She said, if elected, she and her team will make sure that openings for village jobs are posted prominently on the village’s website and that more residents know about them.

Amber said that she also wants the Hillside Police Department to be more responsive to residents, particularly young people. She said the village should maintain regular collaborations with other taxing bodies, such as the park districts, libraries and public elementary and high school districts.

Amber said Hillside Neighbors has worked with the park district to improve equipment and to make the parks more inclusive for children.

“We want to have a relationship with the parks so the needs of seniors and children are being met,” she said. “We want to have ongoing relationships with the schools.

If there’s a problem with the elementary schools, there should be a problem with the village.”

Responding to Mayor Tamburino’s claims in a recent interview in which he touted the racial diversity of his board, along with the police and fire departments, Amber said,

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“You can say that you’re diverse on paper, but what happens when you talk to the people and they say, ‘I can’t take it anymore.’

You should be able to go to your job without walking on eggshells.”

Amber was referencing conversations she said she’s had with Hillside employees who have been intimidated out of speaking up against mistreatment and misconduct.

“Minorities who worked for the district would call me saying they can’t take it,” she said. “And [the problems were] deeper than cross-cultural competency or specific incidents of racism.”

Amber and her running-mates have been particularly vocal critics of the police department. In February, Romanelli and Woodcock wrote a complaint on behalf of a group of Hillside residents to Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.

The letter referenced Hillside Police Chief Joseph Lukaszek’s appearance last summer on the Dianna Ploss Radio Show, a New Hampshire-based right-wing radio program.

Last year, the radio station severed ties with the host, Dianna Ploss, after Ploss “berated landscape workers for speaking Spanish in a widely shared video,” according to the New York Times.

In his appearance, Chief Lukaszek lambasts a “vendetta against all police officers,” derided various Democratic politicians, including Foxx and former See GWEN AMBER on page 10

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Village Free Press | March 31, 2021

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Frustrated with highway trash, woman organizes cleanup Verneka Smith, Maywood native and Berkeley cosmetologist, galvanized a crew to clean Eisenhower Expressway ramps March 27

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

Verneka Smith had reached her breaking point.

“Whenever I get on the expressway to go work in Berkeley, this is all I see,” she said on March 27, pointing to the unsightly litter along the expressway ramp on 1st and Harrison in Maywood.

“Even when I’m driving back to go home, it just looks really bad,” Smith said of the trash along the ramps.

Smith said she reached out to a Maywood trustee, but the official told her about plans to do something that were too far-off, too distant. The trash needed to be removed now.

So Smith, who works as a cosmetologist, took things into her own hands. She called some of her clients and offered to pay

them to join her in the Saturday cleanup.

She also invited a few people experiencing homelessness to join the cleanup, providing them a meal in exchange for their efforts.

And then Smith called Barbara Cole, the founder of Maywood Youth Mentoring and a ubiquitous community advocate.

Cole offered Smith rakes and brooms and garbage bags.

By noon on Saturday, the crew of roughly nine had filled at least a dozen large black garbage bags with litter. They had been working since 10 a.m., Smith said.

Tyrone Bell, a Maywood resident and one of Smith’s clients, said he brought his three step-children to help Smith with her cleanup effort in order to teach the kids some responsibility.

“They’re not doing nothing — it’s Saturday, so they might as well learn some responsibility and morals,” Bell said. “And this is a good way for them to learn them.”

As Bell spoke, his children — Paige Perry, 14, Antonio Perry, 13, and Darnell Johnson, 12, donned mesh safety vests while doing work that’s the responsibility of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the state agency that maintains the Eisenhower Expressway and its entrance and exit ramps.

Smith isn’t the only person frustrated at the unsightly litter along the state’s expressways.

“I get aggravated when I see trash and stuff like that,” one driver told CBS Local in 2019. “I get aggravated.”

Although IDOT could not be reached immediately on March 27, spokesman Guy Tridgell told CBS that the crews “responsible for litter removal are the same crews who fill potholes, plow and repair guard rails.”

“When we’re spending so much time doing the litter-picking, it’s taking away from other maintenance issues up and down CHIPPING IN: Tyrone Bell cleans up along the the highways,” IDOT Operations Eisenhower Expressway with his three stepManager Hiram White told ABC 7 children and Navarro Godfrey, middle, on in 2018.

So that leaves the job of cleaning Saturday.

Michael Romain the highway trash to residents like Smith, who grew up in Maywood “I’m trying to get used to waking up in and still owns an apartment in the village. the morning,” said Godfrey during a break She currently resides in Chicago, she said. from picking up trash. “I had to wake up at Smith said she hopes the village of Maywood does more to maintain the 9 a.m. to get out here. I’m trying to get a job entrance and exit ramps, even though they and I see this as a fresh start for me.”

“Saturdays are like video game days for may not be the village’s responsibility.

Perhaps, mused Smith and Cole, the them,” said Bell. “So, instead of them sitting local government can initiate a volunteer in front of the game all day, they can come effort or pay residents to pick up the trash out here and do something. A couple hours regularly. There are young people, such as out the day ain’t gonna hurt ‘em.”

16-year-old Navarro Godfrey, willing to do CONTACT: info@vfpress.news the work.

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Village Free Press | March 31, 2021

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Village Free Press | March 31, 2021

Elect Nathaniel George Booker, then hold him accountable Village Free Press endorses Booker for mayor; Olivier, Peppers and Sanchez for trustee; and Ousley for clerk

By VILLAGE FREE PRESS The Editorial Board

Village Free Press endorses Trustee Nathaniel George Booker for Maywood mayor; Eileen Olivier, Aaron Peppers and Antonio Sanchez for trustee; and Asia Ousley for clerk.

We initially communicated that we would only be endorsing a mayoral candidate, but unfortunately the four people in the running for the mayoral office leave too much to be desired.

Booker is the most capable candidate among the four, but he’s also the most dangerous, according to most people we interviewed ahead of this process.

He is controlling. He has the tendency to work against stakeholders rather than collaboratively with them, many interviewees said.

In the few years he’s been in public office in Maywood, Booker has created a rather loyal group of followers who constitute something of his personal brain trust.

His slate, Maywood Together, may preach unity and wholeness, but in reality, those we interviewed said, the slate, along with its various initiatives and activities, often function as an extension of Booker’s personal brand.

The slate and the loyalty Booker engenders reflects for many potential voters we interviewed what they’ve despised about Maywood politics for years — its penchant for clannishness, for prioritizing the interests of a narrow band of residents over the interests of the village as a whole.

At their worst, Booker’s ambition, hunger for control and his penchant for micromanaging — revealed most clearly in the litany of organizations with which he’s affiliated and the many interpersonal rifts his associations have caused — work to divide his energy and those he’s allied to his many causes. Booker’s ambition, apparent need to control and his busy-ness also present some serious conflicts of interest.

For instance, there are some credible questions to be asked about whether or not Booker’s Census work last year for Proviso Township conflicted with his role as a sitting Maywood trustee. And, if elected mayor, he will face questions in the future about whether his role as a chamber of commerce director conflicts with his role as village board president.

But at his best, Booker’s aggressiveness and dynamism have worked to shock the village out of its traditional state of dysfunction and mismanagement.

Booker translated the anger and

frustration of many Maywood taxpayers, who have for decades suffered from some of the highest property taxes in the state, into a 0 percent tax levy for the first time in years. Those comfortable with the status quo — meaning years of the village simply passing onto voters millions of dollars in barely thought out departmental increases with little to no financial oversight and budget discipline — might scare some into believing that a flat levy is inherently bad, because it starves the village of revenue.

That’s like telling a person who is bloated after gorging on a bad diet that their most immediate need is food. And besides, more factors than the tax levy go into determining what a person pays in taxes. If denying itself a levy increase shocks the village into being more discerning with people’s money, we’re all for it.

Hopefully, Booker brings the board along in his efforts to make actual financial oversight and disciplined budgeting a sustainable reality in the village.

Let’s just hope his aggression is not selective and he brings the board along with him to exert some accountability across village departments, particularly the police department — the site of multiple sexual harassment allegations, claims of employee mistreatment, possible shady financial activity and outright malfeasance.

Booker was also at his best when he initiated conversations with Amy Luke, a Loyola researcher and longtime Maywood resident — talks that turned into the creation of the Covid Equity Research Collaborative: Loyola (CERCL). Since March 2020, the Collaborative has administered COVID-19 tests, vital references for social services and other resources to hundreds of Proviso residents.

And finally, Booker was alone among the four candidates for mayor who returned his candidate questionnaire in on time — a telling sign of anyone’s ability to effectively campaign, yet alone govern.

We believe that our picks for the open trustee seats on the board bring muchneeded moderation and balance to the board.

Among sitting trustees, Antonio Sanchez is one of the few who has shown restraint and respectfulness during board meetings that too often devolve into unintelligible shouting matches. And he’s done yeoman’s work chairing the board’s finance committee.

And we believe that Eileen Olivier and Aaron Peppers have exhibited a dedication to Maywood based on their actions. Olivier’s extensive fieldwork besides Rose O’Campo during last year’s Census outreach efforts were commendable while Peppers has garnered almost ubiquitous respect in and outside Maywood for his work as a former Maywood police officer and a beloved football coach.

We think Asia Ousley will bring fresh ideas to the clerk’s office. We believe her

articulateness and strong organizational skills, particularly apparent through her work with the Danka Basketball League and the Maywood-Proviso Rotary Club, will translate seamlessly into her role as clerk.

As to the three other candidates for mayor, we value the strengths of incumbent Mayor Edwenna Perkins and Trustee Isiah Brandon.

Perkins is, by far, the most trustworthy and authentic candidate in the race, according to those we interviewed. Her genuineness and rich background in community work are why she’s been elected twice and, quite frankly, has to be considered the frontrunner in this race.

But after two terms, voters have become intimate with Perkins’s considerable liabilities, perhaps most notable among them is her refusal to take responsibility for her role as mayor. Perkins also lacks either the willingness or the ability to cultivate governing allies.

In addition, Perkins lacks the temperament for running smooth board meetings.

Unfortunately, temperament is not a strong suit of any of the four candidates.

Brandon has a long personal history of activism in Maywood and has exhibited a unique ability to draw people into the local political process, which is why we would not be shocked if he won this race. He’s one of the village’s biggest boosters and champions. But it is not clear that Brandon, who considers himself a Perkins mentee and has been on the board for six years, will govern that much differently than the current mayor.

For instance, he joined Perkins in voting against the 0 percent levy. More telling than the actual vote, however, was what neither Perkins nor Brandon said during the discussion of the levy.

They brought up valid observations about the impact of a 0 percent tax levy on the village’s budget, particularly its ability to meet its pension fund obligations. But they have not adequately challenged the village’s undisciplined and poorly maintained fiscal status quo beyond offering empty campaign rhetoric. They were right to point out criticisms of the flat levy during board discussions, but they should have presented fresh ideas for holding staffers accountable for annual spending, as well.

And we’ve yet to consider Brandon’s tendency throughout his time on the board to overspend the several-thousand-dollar slush funds that trustees got each year to spend on community concerns, but that were more often spent on their own concerns. If he can’t discipline the line-item he personally controls, we doubt he’ll be able to discipline a multi-million-dollar budget.

Perkins and Brandon have both conceded that the board’s process of evaluating its sole employee, the village manager, is deeply flawed; however, their thoughts and past actions on overhauling the flawed process have been tepid, at best.

That said, we would have liked more restraint and better judgment on this matter from Booker, who perhaps unwisely forecast his intentions to fire current Manager Willie Norfleet while also admitting that the board barely holds the manager accountable or gives him measurable goals, targets and benchmarks. That’s putting the cart before the horse. Booker also knows that the mayor can’t unilaterally terminate the manager and must understand that, if elected, he won’t be governing by dictate but through compromise.

Regardless of who is elected, we hope this person prioritizes systemic reform of the village’s governing processes before head rolling and headhunting.

In the critical area of COVID-19, Perkins and Brandon have also shown a lack of leadership in comparison to Booker. The mayor has been largely missing in action amid the multiple virus outbreaks among village employees and she conceded that only public pressure made her call for a local mask mandate — a year after the pandemic restrictions were put in place.

Meanwhile, Brandon touts his role in convening a COVID-19 task force early in the pandemic, but bumbles when questioned about what effect, if any, such a task force has had, and whether he should be held accountable for its deep imperfections since he’s also seeking credit for having convened the group.

In addition, Brandon was roughly two weeks late submitting his candidate questionnaire, one of the factors that went into this endorsement process. As of March 29, the mayor had not submitted one at all.

See ENDORESEMENTS on page 10

About VFP’s endorsement process A variety of factors went into this endorsement, including endorsement interviews with the mayoral candidates that Village Free Press held specifically for this purpose and a questionnaire we sent to candidates that was posted to activisttoolkit.org. We also considered the candidates’ responses in other platforms that were unrelated to this endorsement process, such as public forums.

In addition to those platforms, Village Free Press Publisher Michael Romain conducted interviews with roughly a dozen nonpartisan Maywood stakeholders who agreed to give us candid insight on the candidates in exchange for remaining anonymous. We tallied their preferences and this tally was the most heavily weighted factor that went into the endorsement. The other factor was our extensive reporting on the candidates.

All of these factors resulted in the endorsement statement you just read. Candidates can submit letters to the editor (which should meet our editorial guidelines and 700-word length requirement) to: info@vfpress.news.

vfpress.news

Village Free Press | March 31, 2021

9

Maywood organizers hold first bilingual candidates forum The Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership held forum on March 25

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

On March 25, the nonprofit Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) hosted what may well be the first bilingual candidates forum in Maywood’s history.

The virtual forum, which took place on Zoom and was streamed live on CSPL’s Facebook page, allowed representatives from three of the four slates with candidates for village board seats, to share their thoughts on a range of issues in the village.

Candidates running with the Peoples Choice Party, the Maywood Strong Party and the Maywood Together Party participated in the forum. The My Maywood Party responded too late to CSPL’s invitation, the organizers said.

Slide shows with text were presented on the screen in English and Spanish, and the forum was also translated into Spanish.

Members of CSPL also asked the candidates to make a range of commitments once they’re in office. The members said the

“asks were carefully developed” through surveys, listening sessions with residents and committee meetings that took place over the last year.

Among the requests was that “all communications from village offices [be] bilingual and official village meetings … provide Spanish language translation.”

During an interview on March 26, CSPL member Maria Franco said she and her fellow organizers were happy to have pulled the forum off.

“I am tremendously happy and proud for us to have done this public meeting,” she said. “This was put on for the people and by the people. We live here. We are the ones who will face the consequences of whatever choices are made.”

Sandra Gates, a CSPL member, said the meeting “was a great show of solidarity,” before estimating that the meeting garnered about 150 participants.

“Grassroots community organizations are super important, because they are on the ground with the rest of the residents and CSPL’s work has been critical to really addressing the real issues in Maywood,” said CSPL member Rose O’Campo.

O’Campo said the social justice nonprofit, which is based in Maywood, has also been active in other areas.

In 2019, CSPL implemented a “Smart

A FIRST: The public forum, hosted by the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership, may well be Maywood’s first bilingual candidates forum.

Screenshot

Routes to School” program that was funded

by Maywood, Proviso Township and District 89. The program was designed to make it safe for students at Irving Middle School to get to and from school.

Last year, the nonprofit helped to persuade people in Maywood to take the Census while also working on COVID-19 testing initiatives.

Franco said she hopes the bilingual public

meeting CSPL hosted will allow voters to elect officials who will be more responsive to community needs.

“We are tired of the dysfunction, the fighting, the disagreements and the disunity,” she said. “One of our goals was to create unity. We want to look at Maywood as a diverse, thriving community.”

CONTACT: info@vfpress.news

10

vfpress.news

Village Free Press | March 31, 2021

RAID

GWEN AMBER

from page 4

from page 5

cost is zero and the deterrent is very low, you’ve created a perfect opportunity for people to pour time and resources into that crime,” Brian Krebs, a swatting victim who writes a widely read blog, Krebs on Security, told the Times.

Russell said that police departments that are militarized and already hostile to residents only make things that much easier for pranksters, before calling out the Bellwood Police Department, in particular.

“The Bellwood Police Department has a history of engaging Black and Brown residents like some damn Nazi Gestapo — being judge, jury and executioner,” he said. “They operate like some sovereign nation.”

This is the second major controversy involving the Bellwood Police Department in roughly two months. In February, Bellwood Police Commander John Trevarthen resigned from the department after he was arrested and charged with three counts of child pornography.

president Barack Obama, and agreed with Ploss’s claim that “Islamists and Communists in office is a big problem.”

Romanelli, Woodcock and others demanded that Lukaszek be terminated for the remarks.

In the area of economic development, Amber commended Tamburino’s job performance in attracting large businesses to Hillside, but she said not enough attention has been paid to small business owners.

“Our small business owners don’t feel they’re getting support,” she said. “The

“Swatting” defined

CONTACT: info@vfpress.news

Makes her case

ENDORSEMENTS Our view from page 8 A tardy or absent questionnaire only underscores deeper flaws in both Brandon and Perkins, namely their inability to effectively communicate for themselves their vision, plans and dreams for Maywood in a way that makes people believe that they’ll turn them into reality.

As for Mary “May” Larry, she barely

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current administration is not in tune to their needs. The phrase I hear on a regular basis is, ‘They don’t care.’ We cannot continue to ignore them.”

As likely the first Black candidate to run for mayor in Hillside, Amber’s candidacy may be historic, but she was careful to emphasize that she’s running to address issues facing Hillside residents regardless of their race or ethnicity.

“The concern I have is not just a Black concern, it’s a human concern,” she said.

“My concern is comprehensive. It’s for the wellbeing of the entire community. We have too many people who are being left behind and that cannot happen. We all deserve a certain level of respect, a certain level of care.”

CONTACT: info@vfpress.news

makes herself available to voters; and when she does, it’s often on her terms — behavior that is an insult to the local democratic process. We have nothing more to say on her or her actions.

Maywood deserves better, but it’s up to the residents to force these candidates to be the public officials for all of Maywood that this village deserves. We have hope that Booker, Peppers, Sanchez, Olivier and Ousely will rise to this challenge, which is why we offer them our endorsement.

If they don’t, then vote them out.

CONTACT: info@vfpress.news

vfpress.news

Village Free Press | March 31, 2021

LEGAL NOTICE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING, LLC Plaintiff, -v.RODERICK MOSS, STANFORD MOSS, DESDEMONA Q. MOSS, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF YVONNE PITCHFORD, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS, WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., JOHN LYDON, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR YVONNE PITCHFORD (DECEASED) Defendants 2020CH00150 910 S 6TH AVE MAYWOOD, IL 60153 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 25, 2021, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on April 27, 2021, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 910 S 6TH AVE, MAYWOOD, IL 60153 Property Index No. 15-11-358-0100000 The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/ or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be

paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition.

The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

Where a sale of real estate is made to satisfy a lien prior to that of the United States, the United States shall have one year from the date of sale within which to redeem, except that with respect to a lien arising under the internal revenue laws the period shall be 120 days or the period allowable for redemption under State law, whichever is longer, and in any case in which, under the provisions of section 505 of the Housing Act of 1950, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1701k), and subsection (d) of section 3720 of title 38 of the United States Code, the right to redeem does not arise, there shall be no right of redemption.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Con-

dominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-19-09832 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2020CH00150 TJSC#: 41-114 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2020CH00150 I3166007

CORRECTED OFFICIAL NOTICE OF ELECTION CORRECCIÓN AVISO OFICIAL DE ELECCIONES OFFICIAL NOTICE: IS HERBY GIVEN, by

Karen A. Yarbrough, Cook County Clerk that the Consolidated Election will be held in Suburban Cook County on:

Tuesday, April 6, 2021 Martes 6 de Abril 2021

(Correcting the date of the Election in Spanish) (Corregir la fecha de la Elección en español) The Consolidated Election will be held in election precincts under the jurisdiction of the Election Division of the Cook County Clerk's Office.

La Elección consolidada se llevará a cabo en distritos electorales dentro de la jurisdicción de la División de Elecciones de la Oficina del Secretario del Condado de Cook.

The Polls for said Consolidated Election will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

En dicha Elección consolidada se podrá votar entre las 6 a.m. y las 7 p.m

Dated at Chicago, Illinois this 31st day of March 2021

Karen A. Yarbrough Cook County Clerk cookcountyclerk.com

11

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Village Free Press | March 31, 2021

MAYOR EDWENNA PERKINS & THE VILLAGE OF MAYWOOD TRUSTEES FOR THE COMMUNITIES OF HILLSIDE-BERKELEY • WESTCHESTER • BROADVIEW • MAYWOOD • BELLWOOD

PRESENTS

COMMUNITY COVID-19 SUPPLY DISTRIBUTION AND TESTING

BY MEDSTAR TO REGISTER, E-MAIL: NAME • PHONE • E-MAIL TO: omonroe@themonroefoundation.org Or Call Jonette Greenhow Executive Assistant Village of Maywood Office of the President & Board of Trustees email: jgreenhow@maywood-il.org Ph:(708)450-4492

WHEN: SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 2021 WHERE:VILLAGE OF MAYWOOD MULTI-PURPOSE CENTER 200 South 5th AVENUE • Maywood, Illinois TIME: 1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. 1. ONSITE CREDIT COUNSELING AND CREDIT REPORT REVIEW 2. INFORMATION ON RENTAL ASSISTANCE Offered By West Cook Homeownership Center, a program of Oak Park Regional Housing Center

FUNDING PROVIDED BY

hektoen Institute Of Medicine

SUPPORTED BY GRANTS FROM HEKTOEN, ILLINOIS CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION AUTHORITY AND PNC COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. THIS PROJECT WAS SUPPORTED BY FUNDS AWARDED BY THE ILLINOIS CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION AUTHORITY. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS IN THIS DOCUMENT ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE OFFICIAL POSITION OR POLICIES OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS OR THE ILLINOIS CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION AUTHORITY.