Village Free Press_April 2017

the village free press Vol. I No. II | APRIL 2017

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ELECTION RESULTS | PAGE 10

The Anatomy of a murder in broad daylight

During an interview, a driveby shooting took place

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

B.J. McKinney Jr., 24, of Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, was pronounced dead at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood last Friday afternoon. He was one of countless shooting victims from around the Chicago area that the hospital takes in each yearWe often read about how victims were in good, stable, serious or critical condition at Loyola; or how, in too many cases, they were pronounced dead there. Rarely do we read the circumstances leading up to their presence at the hospital, one of Maywood’s largest employers.

This is a first-person account of how McKinney died in the middle of the afternoon and how a community responded the next day.

At around 1:25 p.m. on April 7, inside of Corcoran Grocery, on the corner of Central Avenue and West Corcoran Place, a native West Sider was asked about WILLIAM CAMARGO his experience growAFTERMATH: A shattered ing up in window after a fatal shooting Austin.

BEAUTY TAKES WORK

Alvin Ailey dance instructor Christopher Jackson and Maywood Fine Arts dancers during a rehearsal for ‘Sleeping Beauty’ last month inside of Stairway of the Stars in Maywood. See more photos, in addition to great arts and culture happenings around town, on page 8

Melrose Park strikes down sanctuary city proposal The board unanimously voted against the proposed measure at an April 10 meeting

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

During an April 10 regular board meeting, the Melrose Park Board of Trustees unanimously struck down a decision to direct the village’s attorneys to prepare an ordinance that would make Melrose Park a sanctuary city. Trustee Jaime Anguiano was not in attendance.

The board did, however, unanimously pass what Mayor Ron Serpico called Resolution 1217, which “reaffirms” the village’s welcoming policy. The board didn’t detail what that welcoming policy is.

Serpico has argued that his village has already enacted policies that are welcoming to immigrants, once mentioning a decision the village made several years ago to stop its Click It or Ticket campaign because of

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WILLIAM CAMARGO

deportation fears it aroused in the village’s immigrant community.

After the vote on the sanctuary city ordinance was over, someone in the audience vowed that more protests would follow the board’s decision.

For roughly four months, members of the Melrose Park-based social justice nonprofit PASO-West Suburban Action Project — a nonprofit that advocates for immigrants See SANCTUARY CITY on page 6

On April 6, the District 89 school board heard the presentation of Dr. Elaine Lee D89 psychologist who has been trying to start Mastery Academy Charter School for the last several years.

Lee is seeking funding to open the school this year, but district officials found numerous problems and inconsistencies with Lee's proposal.

Chicago recently named Melrose On AprilMagazine 6, the District 89 school board heardPark the among Lee area D89 psychologist has thepresentation best placesofinDr.theElaine Chicago for first-timewho home been trying to startspread, Masterytitled Academy Charter School buyers.

The feature “Where to Buy Now,” forappear the lastinseveral years.

Lee is seeking funding to open will the April issue. the school this year, but district officials found numerous problems and inconsistencies with Lee's proposal.

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Village Free Press | April 2017

the village free press Editor & Publisher Michael Romain Editorial Designer Shanel Romain Strategic Consultant Kamil Brady Advertising Director Dawn Ferencak Advertising Design Support Andrew Mead Publisher Dan Haley

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An incomplete listing of Village Free Press Drop-off Maywood: drop-offlocations* locations ininMaywood Maywood Fine Arts | 25 N. 5th Ave. || Stairway of the Stars | 20 N. 5th Ave.

Maywood Ave. ||Public Stairway the Stars OperationFine UpliftArts | 104 |S.25 5th N. Ave.5th || Maywood Library of | 121 S. 5th Ave. | 20 N. 5th Ave.Banquet || Operation | 104 S. 5thPolice Ave.Station || Maywood Mariella’s Hall | 124 Uplift S 5th Ave. || Maywood | 125 S. 5th Public Ave. LibraryDadds | 121Tax S. Service 5th Ave. Banquet Hall 124 S 5th Ave. | 906||S.Mariella’s 5th Ave. || Citgo Gas Station | 15| N. 1st Ave. || Maywood Police| 100 Station S. 5thGasAve. || |Dadds Walgreen’s Lake St.| ||125 Marathon Station 204 LakeTax St. Service | 906 S. Belleza 5th Ave. || Beauty CitgoSalon Gas| Station | 15 1st Ave.| 402|| Walgreen’s | Latina 319 Lake St. || ElN. Duranguito Lake St. 100 Lake St.Wash || Marathon GasSt.Station 204 Lake || Ave. Belleza Latina Land | 406 Lake || BP Gas|Station | 1001St. S. 1st BeautyMaywood Salon | Village 319 Lake St.Madison || El Duranguito | 402 St.St.|| Wash Hall | 40 St. || Al’s Drive-In | 80 Lake Madison Land | 406Super LakeSaveSt.Mart || BP Gas Station 1001 1stMadison Ave. ||St.Maywood | 101 Madison St. || |U.S. BankS. | 400 Village Hall | 40 Madison St. ||| Al’s | 80 Madison St. || Super AfriWare Books 1701 Drive-In S. 1st Ave. (Suite 503) Save 101CafeMadison St.Ave.|| U.S. | 400 Cafe Madison AfriMealMart of the|Day | 1701 S. 1st (Suite Bank 410) || Kathy’s | 1008 S.St. 17th||Ave. Ware Books | 1701Global S. 1st Ave.Center (Suite| 840 503) || Meal Business S. 17th Ave. of the Day Cafe | 1701 S. 1st Ave. (Suite 410) Childcare || Kathy’s 1008 Cradle to Classroom Inc.Cafe | 35 S.|19th Ave.S. 17th Ave. || Global Business Center | 840 S. 17th Ave. || Cradle to Classroom *ourChildcare drop off locations areS.increasing weekly Inc. | 35 19th Ave. Email thevillagefreepress@gmail.com to have your business added to our locations.

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VILLAGE people Bernard Headley, 45, the interpreter Last December, I interviewed Bellwood resident Bernard Headley — a former community lending specialist and mortgage banker who now works as a community justice coordinator with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Headley talked about what it will take for an economic renaissance to happen in blighted neighborhoods.

One of the ways to turn things around is to have money coming back into our community and for our money to be spent here. Our dollars have to turnover at a higher rate here in the neighborhood.

[West Side entrepreneurs] Malcolm Crawford and Charmaine Rickett of [an organization called] AAABNA [the Austin African American Business Networking Association] have been trying to make sure people understand that.

Their methods of talking about utilizing Chicago Avenue [on Chicago’s West Side] as an economic driver within the community really got me going. Austin is full of potential, full of potential — from the housing end to the business end.

On doing it right I had a client who [owns properties]. He was young, 27 at the time, when he bought his first piece of property. He wanted to get into real estate and I gave him the same sermon [I give others]. You know, ‘This is how you do it.’ I talked to him about how to get money from the bank, how you have to keep your credit up and have your ducks in a row.

I’ve watched him grow his portfolio to over 20 properties over a three-year span.

He has properties throughout the West Side of Chicago, now. And he did it the right way.

When he refinanced one property, he took the cash out but he didn’t go spend it; he went and put it back into the building he

had. He sold the building, took that money and he kept, literally, stacking money on top of money.

Then he started stacking units. Instead of buying and flipping them, like a lot of people do, he bought, held and rented units out. Now, he’s renting to people in the community. He fixes properties up, real solid properties, and gives people a good place to stay.

Sherry Okonmah, 66, loves Maywood I ran into Sherry Okonmah, 66, during a Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony last year that was sponsored by the Maywood Environmental and Beautification Commission and held at the corner of 5th Ave. and St. Charles Rd. Okonmah, a longtime resident of the village, shared some of her memories of the place where she raised her children.

I’ve been living in Maywood for 40 years.

Back in 1975, I was looking for a home for my son and I. The first place I started looking was in the Austin area [on Chicago’s West Side], but I didn’t find what I wanted. My sister told me to come to Maywood and it was here where I found my house.

Back then, it was nice. Still is. The neighbors welcomed me when I came and told me that, if I needed anything, to just let them know. I never bothered them, but it was just great knowing that.

I really valued the personal contact, especially with the schools and in the neighborhood. My sons grew up with policemen as their neighbors. That really made a difference.

I remember one incident where the police brought my son home after something had happened. I told him, ‘You know, if you were in Chicago, the police would’ve killed you.’

[Laughing]. That friendly atmosphere, that neighborhood atmosphere — I love that.

CONTACT: thevillagefreepress@gmail.com

Advertise with Village Free Press When you advertise or sponsor with Village Free Press, you make an investment — in Maywood, in local democracy, in high-quality information and analysis, in life-affirming events and in yourself or the entity you represent. You also tap into a growing community of influence.

So plant a seed and let us help you grow.

Call Dawn at (708) 613-3329 or email dawn@oakpark.com for more information.

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Village Free Press | April 2017

VILLAGE people

M.C. Robinson, 79, proud son of sharecroppers “I’d say, ‘Mom, it’s a lot of people walking around here, they hard of speaking but they dead. They done stripped them of all their dignity. They ain’t got nothing — nothing but the physical ability to live.’””

I met M.C. Robinson, a 14-year Bellwood trustee, while passing out newspapers in front of the Bellwood Village Hall on Wednesday.

Robinson, 79, was outside in the cold with a group of other people who were working the polls.

He eventually followed me inside and said that he remembers a time when blacks who wanted to vote had to pass impossible ‘tests,’ like guessing how many marbles were in a jar, in order to prove that they were fit for their enfranchisement.

He then started talking about his parents, who were sharecroppers, and his life growing up in the Jim Crow South.

I came from Arkansas. I saw my first lynching, or a place where a lynching was, when I was 9 years old. My mother was taking me fishing with her and I was trying to figure out why anybody would build a fire around a telegram pole. I saw the sling up there, but you know, being 9 years old, you don’t know why a sling would be hanging down from a telegram pole. The fire had charred the pole.

So I asked my mother. My mother said, ‘You don’t need to know that.’

I came to Chicago when I was about 27 years old. Back then, my thinking was, ‘I’m a boy from Down South, I got to be a little

M.C. ROBINSON

Bellwood trustee

SHANEL ROMAIN/VFP

M.C. Robinson, 79, reflects on his life growing up in the south. better than the average guy.’ So I look in the newspaper and see how much these tool and die people made. I said, ‘Boy that’s a lot of money.’

At the time, I didn’t know the skill that

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Maybe 10 years ago, when I went back went into that, so I went to trade school — the American Institute of Engineering and Down South, my father was dying from canTechnology on Racine and Fullerton [in cer. He told me, ‘MC, you know I used to call Chicago]. I went there for two years. When I the people on my farm colored people, but I graduated, I went to work for FMC Link-Belt, see on TV now they don’t want to be called colored. They want to be called black.’ where I took a four-year apprenticeship.

I told him, it really don’t make no differWhen I went back Down South, I was thinking about [the lynchence what you call a person as ing place]. I asked my mom. long as you’re calling them out of I said, ‘Mom, was that a respect. I said, ‘I say mister to you lynching?’ She said, ‘Yeah.’ now because of your age.’ In those She said, ‘C’ (she called me days we were taught to say mis‘C’), you were having trouter to everybody, black or white. ble sleeping as it is.’ She If they were 10 years older than said, ‘If I had a told you that you, you said mister — except the …’ whites.

See, I used to have these A white person could be 3 years reoccurring nightmares. [I old and my daddy 50 years old and would dream] of guys like he had to say ‘Mr. Tim’ or ‘Mr. the Ku Klux Klan coming Walter’ or whatever. I used to tell and taking my brother out my mother this. She used to say, and I’m screaming and hol‘Be careful MC, you could lose SHANEL ROMAIN/VFP your life.’ I’d say, ‘Mom, it’s a lot lering and they dragging him out. This was way AT WORK: Robinson outside of people walking around here, before Emmett Till, you of a polling station in Bellwood. they hard of speaking but they know. I was born in 1937. dead. They done stripped them The 79-year-old has been a of all their dignity. They ain’t got trustee in the village for more On his father and the nothing — nothing but the physithan a decade. word ‘mister’ cal ability to live.’

How would you like to be treatMy father and mother were sharecroppers. ed like you a boy and you raisin’ a boy?

When I went to school, the sun would come I used to feel sorry for my dad but he did an out and they’d come and get us, the big kids, excellent job. My dad had no education but put us on the truck and take us to the fields. he went to France in World War I. He was a This white guy whose place we lived on hog butcher, a farmer, an electrician, a carwould bring my dad home sometimes and I’d penter — all of that. You had to do that in be sitting on the porch teaching myself how order to survive on the farm. to type. My dad would say, ‘MC,’ you ain’t got that book written yet?’ But see, I wasn’t — Michael Romain writing a book. I was going to correspondent school. On the porch, I was studying my work.

CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com

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Village Free Press | April 2017

5

MURDER Five injured from page 1 Corcoran Grocery, on the corner of Central Avenue and West Corcoran Place, a native West Sider was asked about his experience growing up in Austin.

“I’ve been here all of my life,” he said. “I grew up here.”

Was he proud of being from the West Side?

“Yeah. I’ve made it here all my life,” he said. “This is all I know. I moved away and wound up coming back. Back to my roots.”

As this conversation was happening, a young, African-American man who appeared to be in his 20s came inside of the store, shopped for a few minutes and left out, music from portable speakers blaring in his wake.

How has the neighborhood changed over time?

“It’s changed a lot,” the older man said.

“Different things done changed. I was here before cell phones and computers and cameras and all that stuff. Social media changed the whole area.”

The man didn’t appear entirely comfortable with this random moment of introspection. He had been thrown off by the request for an interview, which started with President Trump, about whom, the man said, he didn’t have an opinion.

So he was asked to talk about life on the West Side. Although uncomfortable, he labored for a language to articulate his home and what it means to be born and to live in Austin.

To live through it.

He wanted to have the words and seemed to be fighting to lift his thoughts above the gravity of the mundane — an elderly black woman sitting by a window, near an ice cream freezer, waiting for someone to ask her to scoop out a serving; the infectious bump of the rapper and producer Future decibels away, just outside of Corcoran’s concrete walls.

What made him return home after having left so many years ago?

Before the Austin native could answer, a barrage of bullets assaulted the senses. At least a dozen rounds were fired in quick, random succession like kernels popping.

Within microseconds, bodies inside of the store were crouched, shaking, prostrate, standing paralytic. Several seconds later, the piercing sound stopped and, after a moment of silence, someone near the store’s entrance asked, “Am I shot?”

“If you was shot, you wouldn’t be walking!?” said someone else, before a voice further in the distance, just a few feet south of Corcoran, yelled, “B.J. shot!

“Who?!”

“B.J.!”

“S—t! No! No! No!” “He dead.”

A crowd of at least a dozen people gathered around the 20-something-year old who had not long ago walked out of Corcoran’s, taking the sound of his music with him.

WILLIAM CAMARGO

MURDER IN THE AFTERNOON: Police officers work to clear the scene of a murder in Chicago on April 7. One man was killed and several bystanders wounded when the occupants of a van drove by Corcoan Grocery and began shooting in the middle of the day.

Apparently, the shooting started as soon as he stepped out of the store, with the shooter — assuming there was only one — aiming at B.J. as he ran south on Central Avenue. Not long into his attempt to escape, the young man dropped on the sidewalk, his body limp near a CTA bus stop, where shards of glass met blood.

He was not yet dead. He was gasping for air, fighting as he lay still. On the ground, he may have heard sounds, textured with dread, coming from a shrill chorus crowded around his body — shouts to stay awake, to pray.

“Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!” one woman shouted.

“You see what the f—k we go through? Every f—ing day!” said another woman to no one in particular, and to everyone, as she walked away from the malaise.

“Talk to him! Talk to him!” instructed a man who, along with several other bystanders, hovered over the victim. B.J. may have heard the blare of traffic, police sirens, car horns, the admonition of cops clearing the scene — the gravity of the mundane.

The police arrived shouting and mad, bulldozing their way through the crowd, yelling commands, taping off the perimeter, turning people who claimed to have known the young man or to have seen the shooting, into mumbling spectators.

The first-responding officers seemed more focused on shoving potential witnesses away than asking about details of the shooting.

What was seen and heard and experienced came out piecemeal and almost by happenstance.

There was more passion in the confrontations between the civilians and the cops, who did not still the chaos as much as shift its focus. So the scene of a daytime shooting and, as later news reports would have it, a murder (of one young black man by, it is likely, another), became an arena pregnant with the possibility of another conflagration

of violence.

An African American man, a few dozen feet away from B.J., had apparently hauled off and punched another African American man before being restrained by an officer.

Two bodies now lay in the street. Another officer, yelling and pointing, rushed over to where B.J. lay. A few people were still administering CPR. Ruby Humphrey, 56, said that she was standing next to B.J., near the entrance to Corcoran, when the shots rang out. Witnesses say the gunfire came from a gray or white van. Humphrey confirmed that the shots were coming from a vehicle, but said that she couldn’t identify it.

Humphrey may have been the last person to speak with the victim, who she said was nicknamed “B.J.” by those in the neighborhood. No one could give his real name.

“I said, ‘Where you living at now? You used to live over here.’ Soon as I walked away, they was shooting,” she said. “They shot all in that doorway [of Corcoran]. They shot in the store. I haven’t been in nothing like this before.”

Humphrey, who said that she’s homeless, added that she didn’t know B.J. to have been involved with gangs, “but you know how these people are around here. They try to force you into that stuff.”

According to a report published hours after the shooting by the Chicago Tribune, “four other men and a teenage boy” were shot along with B.J. They were taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, where they’re in good condition.

B.J. was rushed to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was pronounced dead. A relative told Chicago Tribune reporters that the victim was 23 and that “Facebook killed him.” “[T]hat’s what did it,” the man said. “They boxing over Facebook. It’s so stupid.”

The cousin told the reporters that B.J.

was seen by people inside of a “gray vehicle traveling east” as the young man walked out of Corcoran. The cousin said that the other people who were wounded were bystanders.

They ranged in age from 17 to 46 and were all shot in the lower extremities.

Police found at least 27 shell casings at the scene. They were marked by “little yellow police cards,” Chicago Tribune reporters wrote.

Before those markers were placed, police had urged bystanders not to accidentally kick any of the casings as they were backing away from B.J.’s body.

“Papa you ain’t got no pennies do you?”

Humphrey asked a reporter as she was walking across the street in order to get outside of the taped-off crime scene. When she got to the “L” station entrance, she was asked whether or not she would be willing to be photographed.

“What’s this for?” she said while striking a pose.

Someone asked her about the vehicle.

“I didn’t see it,” Humphrey said. “Baby, I was so busy running I hit the ground. God take care of us fools.”

Read about the next day at thevillagefreepress.org.

6

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Village Free Press | April 2017

SANCTUARY CITY Nixed

from page 1 andother vulnerable populations in areas such as Melrose Park, Stone Park, Maywood and Bellwood — have been trying to get Melrose Park’s Board of Trustees to pass a welcoming ordinance.

The proposed ordinance, as PASO envisions it, would “draw a firm line between police and [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement], disentangling the criminal and immigration system,” according to a flyer the organization has circulated.

In addition to packing Melrose Park board meetings since at least January, PASO members and other supporters of the proposed ordinance have protested in front of Melrose Park’s village hall.

And for roughly four months, the Melrose Park board has coyly resisted, cancelling a February 13 board meeting where the proposed ordinance was supposed to be discussed and holding very limited discussion about the proposal. At a March 13 regular meeting, Serpico refused to let trustees respond after a resident asked them for their opinions on the proposal.

Serpico has argued that enacting a sanctuary city ordinance would be unwise, given President Donald Trump’s threats to withhold federal funds from municipalities that

NOT DONE FIGHTING: Melrose Park residents showing their support for a sanctuary city ordinance in the village during a regular board meeting in February. won’t collaborate with federal efforts to deport individuals suspected of being in the country illegally.

Serpico has also argued that a welcoming ordinance measure would only be symbolic and would give a false sense of hope to immigrants who think that the proposal might prevent deportations in Melrose Park.

“So we’re going to keep out the federal government if they decide to come in? There’s a false sense of expectations,” the mayor said at a March 14 regular meeting. “I don’t

understand [the argument that the ordinance would provide an additional layer of security].”

Officials with PASO, however, have said that the local immigrant community doesn’t believe that a welcoming ordinance would be a panacea. It will, they argue, act as an added layer of protection against the federal government’s efforts to deputize local law enforcement agencies so that they might carry out Trump’s orders nationally and on a comprehensive basis.

“Without debate or discussion, [Melrose Park village officials] fumbled through a vote to deny the village attorney to draft a welcoming village ordinance [sic],” a PASO statement released shortly after the April 10 meeting read.

PASO officials said that village board members heard testimony from “faith leaders, community members, institutions and from a family who was targeted by [Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials] days after a no license arrest in Melrose Park.”

“The mayor and the village are on the wrong side of history and justice,” said PASO’s executive director, Mony RuizVelasco. “This vote ignored the needs of the community. It enables President Trump’s efforts to deport immigrants and tear families apart and it will erode trust in city officials, including the Melrose Park police.”

Oak Park and, most recently, Berwyn, have both passed sanctuary city ordinances, which effectively bar local employees and officials from collaborating with the federal government in attempts to deport individuals solely on the basis of their immigration status.

CONTACT: thevillagefreepress@gmail.com

Maywood passes resolution supporting immigrants Weeks after voting for the measure, some trustees have withdrawn their support

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

During a March 21 regular meeting, the Maywood Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution calling for the state and federal government to “support immigrants in the United States of America.”

The vote came roughly a month after Trustee Isiah Brandon introduced during a Feb. 15 meeting a welcoming village ordinance similar to one passed by the village of Oak Park last month.

Oak Park’s ordinance would prohibit village employees from cooperating with the federal government to identify, apprehend or detain undocumented individuals without a court-ordered criminal warrant.

The resolution passed by Maywood, however, is more of a show of support than a legally binding policy measure prohibiting collaboration with the federal government.

In the past, Trustee Michael Rogers has said that Maywood should be careful not to pass any policies that might possibly hurt the village financially, since it’s not in the same position to absorb significant financial losses as well as Oak Park and other, wealthier communities.

Recently, President Donald Trump has issued a series of executive orders calling for ramped up immigration enforcement measures and has threatened to withdraw federal funds from local governments that refuse to collaborate with those orders. Many legal experts say Trump’s demands are in viola-

tion of the U.S. Constitution.

Rogers said that village officials should allow lawmakers at the county, state and federal levels an opportunity to vet Trump’s actions on immigration before passing an ordinance at the local level.

Both Rogers and Brandon, who attended the annual National League of Cities Conference in Washington, D.C. earlier this month, referenced information they gleaned from other lawmakers and experts around the country.

“This is a complicated issue,” Rogers said.

“The only thing that’s clear is that it isn’t clear. [So, it’s not] prudent to act as if [the issue is] some cut and dry thing. I would suggest that since all the legislators I’ve heard from really didn’t have a clear answer on these things, I’d suggest we not be on the frontline but absolutely in the game.”

Brandon said that he learned from meeting with different experts at the conference that Trump’s executive actions go against the U.S. Constitution. He specifically referenced Trump’s threats to withhold funding from local governments that don’t cooperate with federal authorities in carrying out his immigration-related orders.

“That threat doesn’t hold any weight,” Brandon said. “The president doesn’t have the authority to withhold funds from a village or municipality. That is not how that works. It’s actually Congress who has the power to fund different organizations and communities.”

Michael Marrs, an attorney with Klein,

Thorpe and Jenkins, the village’s contracted law firm, said that the constitutionality of Trump’s executive orders hasn’t been adjudicated.

Brandon nonetheless advocated for the village to “stand with communities …. that have stood up in the face of fear,” emphasizing his desire for the village to pass a legally binding welcoming ordinance similar to Oak Park’s.

Rogers said that he would only vote for a largely symbolic resolution while waiting for more information and clarity to materialize wwwwith respect to Trump’s executive orders. He didn’t rule out supporting a welcoming resolution ordinance but said that the village should be careful not to connect itself with rhetoric, such as the term “sanctuary city,” that might expose it to potential financial and legal harm.

The village board directed Maywood Village Manager Willie Norfleet, Jr. to send a copy of the resolution to the White House, members of Congress and Gov. Bruce Rauner.

But at a March 29, Legal, License and Ordinance Committee meeting, Trustee Ron Rivers asked his board colleagues if they could rescind their support of the resolution that they unanimously passed on March 21.

Rivers referenced a March 27 announcement by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that doubled down on previous threats made by President Donald Trump to withhold federal funds from cities who go against the president’s mass deportation orders. Ses-

sions threatened that the justice department would deny cities that adopt sanctuary ordinances federal law enforcement grants.

According to Village Manager Willie Norfleet, a certified copy of the resolution had already been mailed to President Trump and other state and federal officials by the time Rivers told his board colleagues about his change of heart.

“With this notification, I wouldn’t want to put a bull’s eye on our back,” said Rivers, adding that the board hasn’t “asked our citizens how they feel about this.”

Trustee Melvin Lightford seemed to agree.

“In combat, I have enough sense not to put a target at my back,” said Lightford. “Why shake the bush? Just leave it alone.”

“I was careful not to put forward a motion that could be construed as not being in compliance,” Rogers said. “We sent a resolution that urged federal officials up the line to think about what they’re doing and how it affects [people]. It is not a feel-good thing. It is a thing you should do. You should tell your president how you feel about something.

“There is no penalty for expressing your opinion,” Rogers said. “The penalty that the Attorney General is talking about is being in defiance of the law or executive order that was passed.”

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THE BEST OF PROVISO TOWNSHIP GLAM SQUAD ORGANIZED ITS FIRST ANNUAL PROM DRESS GIVEAWAY, WHICH WAS HELD OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL WEEKENDS BETWEEN MARCH AND APRIL. THE GLAM SQUAD, HELMED BY PROVISO EAST ALUM AND LOCAL FASHIONISTA RAJESKA JACKSON, INCLUDES PROVISO EAST, PROVISO WEST AND PROVISO MATH AND SCIENCE ACADEMY ALUM WHO HAIL FROM ATLANTA, PHOENIX, ARIZONA AND THROUGHOUT THE CHICAGO AREA. JACKSON SAID THAT FUNDS FOR THE GIVEAWAY CAME FROM ORGANIZATIONS LIKE PINGA. LOCAL STYLE ARTISTS LIKE DENNIS ALSO OFFERED TO RAFFLE OFF FREE NAIL AND HAIR STYLING SESSIONS FOR THE GIRLS WHO CAME TO GET THEIR DRESSES, MANY OF WHICH WERE ONLY SLIGHTLY WORN. READ A PHOTO ESSAY ON THE EVENT AT THEVILLAGEFREEPRESS.ORG (TYPE ‘PROM’ INTO THE SEARCH BOX ON THE WEBSITE).

Photos by Sebastian Hidalgo

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Village Free Press | April 2017

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‘Tendu, Plié, Voilà!’

WILLIAM CAMARGO/ Photographer

Christopher Jackson, an instructor with the famed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Maywood Fine Arts dancers during a rehearsal for ‘Sleeping Beauty’ on Saturday inside of Stairway of the Stars in Maywood

the Cox Auditorium of the Fine Arts Building (J Building), located on the west side of Triton’s campus, 2000 Fifth Ave. in River Grove. Shows begin Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at the door and are $10 for the general public and $5 for seniors (credit/debit cards are not accepted).

For more information, call (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3506, or visit www.triton.edu/entertainment.

Photo District 209

Enjoy the Museum of Contemporary Art

Bike for the arts Registration for the 2017 Le Tour de Shore ride — a 2-day, 100-mile charity recreational bike ride from Chicago to New Buffalo, Michigan benefiting arts for kids at Maywood Fine Arts.

To register for this June charity event, visit http://www.letourdeshore.com/options/.

Experience the Battle of the Bands Proviso East High School, 807 S. First Ave. in Maywood, will host the annual Battle of the Bands competition and parade on Saturday, May 13 inside of the football stadium.

The parade will take place at 9 a.m. and the

WILLIAM CAMARGO/Photographer

battle will take place at 12 p.m. For more information, call (708) 202-3026.

Witness a Greek play Stories of difficult choices, consequences, oppression, love and redemption will be on display during the first-ever Tritonysia Play Festival at Triton College in May. The Trytonisia features original short

plays written by Triton College students, faculty and community members that will whisk audiences away to every corner of the globe and introduce them to fascinating characters from all walks of life.

The festival was created by Triton College Visual, Performing and Communication Arts Department faculty member and Chicago theatre veteran Sommer Austin.

The Tritonysia Play Festival performances are May 5 to May 7 and May 12 to May 14 in

According to the Chicago Tribune, beginning on June 1, admission to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago will increase for adults but it will be free for teenagers younger than 18 years old.

Currently, admission to MCA is $12 for adults (over 18) and $7 for students and seniors. Admission is free for MCA members, members of the military, members of police and fire departments, veterans and children under age 12. All residents of Illinois can enter the museum free of charge on Tuesdays, year-round.

Starting June 1, tickets for adults will go up to $15 while students and seniors will pay $8.

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Park Dist. searching for new executive director

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

The Maywood Park District has started the process of looking for a new executive director. A vacancy announcement for the position was released by the Illinois Association of Park Districts, which is facilitating the search.

The district’s current executive director, Maywood Trustee Antonette “Toni” Dorris, said that she’s decided not to seek an extension of her one-year contract, which is set to end in July.

According to park district officials, the district is offering to pay a new executive director between $50,000 and $65,000. According to the IAPD vacancy announcement, “benefits are commensurate with experience and will be negotiated with the Board of Commissioners.”

The deadline for applications is May 5. The board is scheduled to begin interviewing candidates on May 29 and plans to hire someone by early July.

Dorris, who recently ran unsuccessfully for mayor, said that she decided against asking the board to renew her contract

because she wants employment that offers medical and other benefits, unlike the executive director position, and due to what she described as “political antics.”

“The majority of my decision was based on [the job’s lack of benefits],” Dorris said during a phone interview on Thursday night. “I’m going to be 50 in August.”

She declined to go into details about the “political antics” she referenced but noted that “prior to me fully announcing [my candidacy for mayor], there was no problem.

All the board members had seen what I had done for a year for that park district and as soon as I came out publicly, that’s when thing started.”

Dorris is a former member of the Maywood United Party, helmed by mayoral candidate Henderson Yarbrough, whose wife is Proviso Township Democratic Committeeman and Cook County Recorder of Deeds Karen Yarbrough.

Dorris, whose four-year term as a trustee will end next month, ran for mayor on the Maywood Visionary Party ticket with three candidates for trustee and a candidate for clerk. When Dorris announced, it was widely speculated that she could possibly cut into Yarbrough’s base of support.

Leagues and camps cropping up around town

Maywood and the surrounding suburbs may be experiencing something of a renaissance when it comes to organized sports.

Recently, three different sports organizations have conducted spring camps and/or are gearing for summer seasons. Below are a few. There may still be time to get your children involved.

Maywood-Bellwood Little League Baseball

[By the Maywood-Bellwood Little League] Over the years the cities of Maywood and Bellwood, have provided a foundation for many generations of boys and girls. The development of Maywood-Bellwood Little League Baseball (MBLLB) will help to

The Maywood BUCS athletic organization is still going strong. From April 4 until June 1, the organization will be facilitating a strength and agility camp within the drill court at Proviso East High School, 807 S. 1st Ave. in Maywood.

The camp is held Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and is open to young people ages 4 to 15 years old. For more information, call (708) 344-4740.

Proviso Township Bills Cheer/Dance Program

Residents can vote for Maywood until April 30

The Proviso Township Bills Cheer/Dance program is a new football organization for young people, ages 5 to 14 years old. The fee to participate is $275, which includes the cost of bags, shoes, warm-ups, jogging suits and insurance coverage. For more information, contact (630) 344-3419 or (708) 466-5304.

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

help in shaping many of our lives,” Noted park district officials in the March 29 release.

“This Earth Month, help the Maywood Park District show what Maywood’s parks mean to our community by nominating our great city. Encourage your friends to nominate Maywood by taking a selfie in your favorite park and using the hashtags #MeetMeAtThePark, #Parkies and #BeInspired.”

The $20,000 grant funding, which is in its third year, is a result of a collaboration between the National Recreation and Park Association, and the Walt Disney Company.

bring the game of baseball back to our area parks.

Although we would love to have the kids come out and play, this league comes at a cost. We are starting from the very beginning and we have to pay for lots of stuff such as helmets, bats, baseballs, umpires, among other things.

The #MatchMy25 campaign is to help our program to get off to the right start and insure that we can continue to grow for years to come.

So #MBLLB is calling out all baseball lovers, former Maywood/Bellwood ballplayers and simply anyone who wants to see kids have the opportunity to be kids.

All we ask is that you match $25. Anything more is greatly appreciated. To give, go online and type in: https://www. gofundme.com/mbllb2017 into your web browser. Thank you for all of your support, and we hope to see you at a game.

If you are also interested in sponsoring a player, the cost per player is $80. Get ready, because opening day is May 1. See you then.

Maywood B.U.C.S. conducting strength and agility training

Maywood Park District competing for $20K grant The Maywood Park District is trying to receive enough nominations to acquire a $20,000 grant to improve local parks, according to a press release issued by the district last month.

For the duration of April, which is Earth Month, residents will be able to nominate Maywood for the grant by going to NRPA.org/BeInspired.

By the end of Earth Month, the city that receives the most nominations will receive the funding. Everyone who nominates a city will automatically be entered into a drawing for an outdoor-capable tablet.

“Not only do our local parks make Maywood a better place to live, they also

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SHANEL ROMAIN/VFP

CONDITIONING: Young athletes with the newly formed Proviso Township Bills Cheer/Dance program during a camp held on April 3 at Burton Park in Maywood.

10 Village Free Press | April 2017

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April 4 election results

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

The April 4 election yielded historic results in more ways than one. Below is a summary of the consequential night.

Bellwood’s, Broadview’s and Maywood’s historic mayoral outcomes In 1981, Maywood elected its first African-American mayor, Joe Freelon Sr., and in 2009, Broadview followed suit with the election of Sherman Jones. In 2017, three towns flirted with history.

Four years after voters in Maywood elected Edwenna Perkins to become the village’s first African-American female mayor, they returned her to office, giving Perkins the distinction of being the village’s first two-term African American female mayor.

Voters in Bellwood elected Andre Harvey to become that village’s first African American mayor. Incidentally, Harvey is also the village’s first black firefighter and its first black fire chief.

And in Broadview, four years after electing Jones as its first black mayor, residents there elected Katrina Thompson to become that village’s first black female mayor.

This election cycle was one of firsts.

Message from the grassroots It was also one for the grassroots, as numerous local governing bodies were flooded with a wave of independent candidate victories. The Bellwood District 88 school board and the Bellwood library district board may see some major changes with the elections of Dorothy C. Smith and Deborah L. Giles to both of those boards.

Candidates Constance Riales, who won a seat on the library board, and Maria D. Perez, who won a seat on the D88 board, round out a wave of independent, grassroots candidates who aligned with the Bellwood Education Dream Party ticket.

The biggest wave of them all was Proviso Together’s clean sweep of the Proviso Township High Schools District 209 board race. Amanda J. Grant, Samuel Valtierrez, Arbdell “Della” Patterson and Rodney Alexander defeated three the Proviso First slate, comprising three incumbent board members and a challenger.

Proviso Together now has all seven seats on the D209 school board and a ton of pressure to fulfill their campaign promises. Read more of their story on page 13.

In Maywood, incumbent mayor Edwenna Perkins, ever the independent,

WILLIAM CAMARGO/Staff

ELECTION NIGHT ANXIETY: A Proviso Together campaign volunteer tracks the results of the election on April 4. coasted to reelection despite a significant fundraising disadvantage and the lack of full slate of clerk and trustee candidates.

In the sidebar, you’ll see a list of successful candidates who ran in the April 4 Consolidated General Election for seats on local boards in Bellwood, Broadview, Maywood, Melrose Park and Stone Park.

To get more details on voting percentage breakdowns and a full list of other candidates in board races in those communities, go online and type the following into your browser: thevillagefreepress.org/2017/04/05/ election-results-from-april-4-2017/.

For a complete breakdown of election night results, go online and type the following into your browser: http:// electionnightresults.cookcountyclerk. com/.

Voter turnout varies across communities Voter turnout in Bellwood, Broadview, Maywood, Melrose Park and Stone Park ranged from a high of 30 percent in Broadview to a low of around 19 percent in Bellwood, Maywood and Melrose Park.

Below is a rundown of voting statistics from the Cook County Clerk’s office.

Bellwood Registered Voters: 12,764 Ballots Cast: 2,397 Turnout: 19% Mayor: Andrey Harvey Clerk: Janel Moreland Trustees: Michael J. Ciavattone, Annie N. Delgado and Ronald Nightengale Library: Dorothy C. Smith, Deborah L. Giles, Constance Riales and Janice

English District 88: Dorothy C. Smith, Deborah L. Giles, Maria D. Perez and and Marilyn Thurman Memorial Park District: Charles J. “Charlie” Miller Broadview Registered Voters: 5,803 Ballots Cast: 1,739 Turnout: 30% Mayor: Katrina Thompson Clerk: Kevin McGrier Trustees: Sherman C. Jones, Verina Horne and Judy Abraham Library: Katrina Arnold, Robert Jones and Eric Cummings Broadview Park District: Joyce Prowell and Maurice Richardson Lindop School District 92: Penny Williams-Wolford, Tonya D. Taylor and Victoria L. Arrington Maywood Registered Voters: 14,711 Ballots Cast: 2,849 Turnout: 19% Mayor: Edwenna Perkins Clerk: Viola Mims Trustees: Kimyada Wellington, Antonio Sanchez and Melvin L. Lightford Library: John Rice Maywood Park District: Sinaria Lee, Connie Tapia and John Rice Melrose Park Registered Voters: 11,578 Ballots Cast: 2,163

Turnout: 19% Mayor: Ronald M. Serpico Clerk: Mary Ann Paolantonio Trustees: Anthony J. “Tony” Prignano, Arturo J. Mota, Anthony M. Abruzzo, Mary Ramirez Taconi, Louis T. “Sonny” Nicotera and Jaime Anguiano Library: Carla Modugno, Teri J. Cervone and Veronica Bonilla-Lopez Memorial Park District: Charles J. “Charlie” Miller Stone Park Registered Voters: 2,769 Ballots Cast: 633 Turnout: 23% Mayor: Beniamino Mazzulla Clerk: Laura Ann Cassidy-Hatchet Trustees: Marco A. Gutierrez, Nazario Garcia and Loretta J. Teets Maywood-Broadview-Melrose Park District 89 Board members: Regina Rivers, Veronica Bonilla-Lopez and Sally Alondra Casillas Proviso Township High Schools District 89 Board members: Amanda J. Grant, Samuel Valtierrez, Arbdell “Della” Patterson and Rodney Alexander

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Maywood poised to get a wine club A wine club could be coming to Maywood, according to Mayor Edwenna Perkins. The possibility was brought up after Maywood resident Loretta Robinson said during an April 5 regular meeting that she discovered a mailer in her mail slot advertising a wine club.

“It’s a young lady in the 1600 block of 15th who wants to start a wine club,” Robinson said.

Perkins said that the young lady recently got her idea for a wine club approved by the village’s liquor commission, which recommended that the Board of Trustees approve a license for the club.

The Board of Trustees has the final say-so on whether or not the young lady will be granted the license necessary to operate the club, which would be the village’s first, Perkins said.

The name on the license application is Monique Smith-Iclezan, the owner of Niques Wineporium.

“She’ll be going to different homes and selling the wine,” Perkins said.

“It’s like operating a Tupperware club. You know how you have a Tupperware party and you demonstrate [with the product]? That’s what she’ll be doing.”

BUSINESS roundup Melrose Park Meijer to close this summer According to numerous media reports, Meijer plans to close two of its Chicago area locations this summer due to low sales, according to company officials, who announced the closures yesterday.

One of those stores is located in Melrose Park at 950 Winston Plaza. The other location is in Berwyn.

The Melrose Park store, which opened in 2011, will close on June 17, according to a Chicago Tribune report, which references a Meijer news release.

“About 300 employees will be affected by the store closings, though some will find employment at other Meijer stores in the area. Employees were notified Tuesday.”

The Tribune reports that a company spokesman referenced both stores’ “underperforming” sales volume when explaining the closures, “but declined to provide any additional details on why the sites will close. Meijer, headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., is a privately held company.”

With ridership decreasing, Blue Cab looking to be more like Uber Forest Park-based Blue Cab is reeling from the competition brought by ridesharing behemoths like Uber and Lyft,

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writes Wednesday Journal’s Brett McNeil in a March column: “Blue Cab’s ridership is down and the company lost 20 percent of its fleet between 2016 and 2017, according to Vice President Jim Bennett. They’re now operating 120 cabs versus 150 a year ago. “‘It’s very hard to compete,’ Bennett said, ticking off a list of issues faced by cab operators but, for him and others in the taxi business, frustratingly avoided by rideshare firms like Uber. ‘It’s a really unfair playing field. “‘The biggest issue is the licensing,’ he said. “We have to pay fees, the drivers have to pay fees, the vehicles and business have to pay fees to all of the towns we operate in and it’s thousands of dollars.’”

McNeil quotes Bennett, who says that Lyft and Uber don’t pay the same fees as Blue Cab, which has been family owned by at least three generations.

“Blue Cab also pays for state-mandated inspections, which the rideshares similarly avoid, he noted. Insurance costs are different, too.” McNeil writes.

Bennett said he recognizes the problem — owner-driven cars tend to be cleaner and better maintained, he said — and thinks he might have a solution.

“We’re looking at changing our model,” Bennett told McNeil. “If we can’t compete, we are thinking of becoming a shared-ride model. This is something we are looking seriously at, possibly by 2018.”

— Michael Romain

GOVERNING roundup Maywood to demolish 12 hazardous properties Last month, the Maywood Board of Trustees voted unanimously to authorize village staff to demolish 12 vacant properties, most of them single-family homes, that village officials have deemed unsalvageable and threats to public safety.

The village will utilize a process called “fast-track” demolition, which allows municipalities to bypass the courts and demolish properties, no higher than three stories, that are “open and vacant and determined by the Village to be continuing hazard to the community,” according to a recent memo drafted by the village’s contract law firm, Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins. The board approved the process last July.

Attorneys with KTJ have stated in the past that they “do not generally recommend the use of the fast-track demolition process due to concerns about due process and its general constitutionality,” the memo adds.

There are, however, some exceptions in which the legal risk of using fast-track demolition is relatively small and the process is appropriate; particularly, in cases where the owners of properties that are “demonstrably dangerous or unsafe” appear to have abandoned them.

“These properties have been an eyesore and create an immediate danger,” said Assistant Village Manager David Myers.

ably be subject to fast-track demolition in the future.

The properties include: 1304 S. 21st Ave. | 2108 S. 8th Ave. | 440 S. 14th Ave. | 1205 S. 16th Ave. | 1242 S. 16th Ave. | 1142 S. 17th Ave. | 1817 S. 20th Ave. | 419 S. 21st Ave. | 1248 S. 21st Ave. | 1420 S. 21st Ave. | 1821 S. 21st Ave. | 1825 S. 22nd Ave. Myers said that the village has budgeted $15,000 for demolitions and was recently awarded $75,000 in grant money to use for demolitions. In addition, Myers said, Cook County will assist during the demolition of the 12 selected properties.

Myers added that the first priority of village staff with respect to vacant and abandoned properties is to determine whether or not the properties can be salvaged and, ultimately, restored. In the case of the 12 listed for demolition, he said, that wasn’t a possibility. Myers said the village had tried contacting owners and had spent money maintain the properties.

The fast-track process requires the village to notify the owners that the properties need repairing. That notification is then followed up by a letter to each owner warning them that, if they don’t repair the properties, then the structures will face demolition. The owners have 30 days to respond and, if they don’t respond with that time, the village has 120 days to demolish the properties, Myers explained.

Myers added that there are more properties throughout the village that could prob-

Maywood won’t pass Chicago’s 2 percent water rate increase onto residents Starting on June 1, the City of Chicago will raise water rates by 1.83 percent. Since the Village of Maywood purchases its own water from Chicago, the city’s rate increase will automatically be passed onto village residents in the form of higher water bills unless the board takes explicit action to set a different rate for residents.

During an April 12 Legal, License and Ordinance Committee (LLOC) meeting, Village Manager Willie Norfleet Jr. recommended against charging residents more for water despite Chicago’s rate increase.

“I would hope that we don’t pass the cost onto residents and use efficiency to recoup that [increased cost],” Norfleet said. No member of the board objected.

Norfleet said that the village purchases close to $3.6 million in water from Chicago each year. A 2 percent increase in the current rate would amount to an approximately

$72,000 increase.

Since the village’s water fund is an enterprise fund, meaning that it needs to be selfsustaining — and expenditures must be balanced with revenues that the fund generates on its own — the city’s rate increase would either have to be balanced with new revenue (mainly in the form of higher water rates for residents) or cuts in spending.

Norfleet said that the village will focus on reducing the amount of delinquent water payments that are outstanding by “getting people who haven’t been paying [their water bills to pay],” fixing numerous water leaks that lead to wasted water and by “getting a better handle on meters” that aren’t reading properly.

Norfleet said that he’s confident the village can find enough cost-savings to offset the city’s rate increase. In June 2015, Norfleet estimated that the village collected around $333,000 within several days after he ordered that shutoff notices be sent to residents more than 60 days behind on their water payments.

Norfleet said that the board could still raise residents’ water rates at a later date if the village can’t find enough cost-savings to offset Chicago’s increase.

— Michael Romain

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12 Village Free Press | April 2017

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One year in, we’re still committed to all generations Empowerment Church recently celebrated our one-year anniversary

By TEDDY MATTHEWS Pastor, Empowerment Church

Starting a church is no easy task. In the beginning, we had no members, no facility, no budget. What we did have, however, is a call and the understanding that it was time to act on that call.

My wife, daughter, mom, and a few close friends and family began a local Bible study in the fall of 2015 at the River Forest Public Library. That’s when the vision was cast and the need for a church became clearer than ever to me.

Despite reports stating that churchgoing was declining nationally and that young people were turning away from the church, our Bible study proved that people of all ages have a desire to grow and learn.

In early 2016, I shared publically for the first time that we were starting a new church in order to reach people, restore lives, and impact generations — which remains the mission of Empowerment Church.

In our short existence, we’re proud to say that we serve five different generations— from our babies to our seasoned saints.

We’re living out our commitment to impact

SHANEL ROMAIN/VFP

A YEAR STRONG: Rev. Teddy Matthews, left, the pastor of Empowerment Church, which holds Sunday services in a Melrose Park movie theater, celebrates along with congregants during the church’s 1-year anniversary celebration last month. generations.

We recently celebrated our church anniversary with record-breaking attendance, which indicates clearly that we’re going in the right direction. In just one year of existence, we’ve executed a range of outreach initiatives.

Some of those initiatives include partnering with District 89 to provide backpacks and school supplies in the fall, hosting a coat drive in the winter and serving over 100 kids in the community during our first Easter egg hunt. The list could go on and on. We’ve seen God do amazing works

through the hands of those committed to serving his church.

We host our weekly services at the Cinemark Theater in Melrose Park, where we have seen growth and life transformation take place. Our E-Kids children’s ministry meets weekly during the same time as our adult service. It is an experience where children under 12 are provided the opportunity to learn and grow on their level.

Our online platform and social media allow us to serve those all over the world.

Our street team goes out weekly to provide outreach and evangelism in some of the

local community hotspots, including the malls and restaurants.

Suffice it to say, I’m excited about what is happening and consider it a great privilege to serve our church and the community at-large. I’m excited to see what God will continue to do as we stay focused on His purpose and mission of reaching people, restoring lives and impacting generations.

For more information about Empowerment Church, you can visit www. empowerment.church or Facebook.com/ empowermentchurchchicago.

Mental health center offers free service to Proviso Township NAMI’s The Living Room is a respite space for mental health sufferers over 18 years old

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Metro Suburban, an Oak Park-based affiliate of the national NAMI organization, is marking its 25th year in existence by getting the word out about a new community wellness and respite center it opened last October in La Grange, which will serve residents in Lyons and Proviso Townships primarily.

The Oak Park institution is well-known for its drop-in center, the first “freestanding, consumer operated” drop-in center in Illinois, according to NAMI Metro Suburban’s website. The center is designed to give individuals suffering from mental illness a safe, stigma-free zone where they can socialize and get numerous support services.

“This is actually two different programs in one building,” said Kimberly Knake, NAMI-Metro Suburban’s executive director, during an information session and tour of the facility held for local law enforcement and elected officials last month.

One portion of the facility, the community wellness center, offers mental health

departments in Lyons and Proviso Township. education that’s geared toward parents.

“We educate them on everything from the They found that those departments fielded an average of 150 mental health crisis calls neuroscience behind the development of the teenage brain and its relationship with a year.

“The police officers we heard from mental illness to yoga and meditation,” would tell us that Knake said. “We they’d go out on a really want to mental health crisis empower parents call and someone’s to understand loved one wasn’t a more about harm to themselves mental health or others but were and give them experiencing an the skills to bring increase in their back to their symptoms and families.” psychoses,” she said.

A n o t h e r “The police really portion of the couldn’t do anything building, called with them. Then, 45 the Living Room, MICHAEL ROMAIN/VFP to 60 days later, the is a respite space police would be called for individuals, A SAFE SPACE: Jeffrey Shapiro, a recovery back to the home age 18 and up, support specialist with NAMI, during a tour when the person was who suffer from of NAMI’s Living Room facility. experiencing a full mental illness psychotic episode and symptoms. The goal of the room, Knake said, is to reduce that person would have to be transported to “costly hospitalizations for people feeling an the hospital.” increase in their mental health symptoms.”

Shelly Lustrup, a licensed clinical social Before opening the center, Knake said, worker and director of recovery support NAMI officials researched 30 different police services for NAMI Metro Suburban, said

that the Living Room — so called in order to shake the stigma that comes with the NAMI name — takes in the individuals who police can’t do anything with.

The service is free of charge, with numerous private foundations footing the bill, and the carpeted interior — replete with a plush leather sofa and subtle, stressreducing atmospherics like a synthetic waterfall — are designed to put clients at ease when they arrive.

“Anybody feeling an increase in their symptoms should come to us,” Lustrupe said, “whether they’re having a panic attack or an increase in anxiety, depression or bipolar symptoms. When someone comes in and are in such a psychotic state that they’re not [in touch with reality or are suicidal], then we’re not a good fit. We’ll transport them to a hospital.”

Lustrup said NAMI will order Uber or cab rides to and from the facility for individuals who need transportation.

She added that the center is open seven days a week, 365 days a year and is staffed with five recovery support specialists. The specialists, who have experienced mental illness themselves, help individuals identify obstacles to recovery and any triggers that might prompt episodes.

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Village Free Press | April 2017

A new board majority for D209

Proviso Together swept all four open seats, now holds all seven board seats

By THOMAS VOGEL Forest Park Review

Amanda J. Grant of Westchester was the top vote-getter with 7,401 (15.05%). Samuel Valtierrez of Melrose Park was second, with 6,878 (13.99%). Arbdella “Della” Patterson of Maywood was third with 6,875 (13.98%) and Rodney Alexander of Bellwood finished fourth with 6,455 (13.13%).

The four other candidates, who ran as the Proviso First slate, included three incumbents. Brian M. Cross of Westchester, Daniel J. Adams of Melrose Park and Teresa D. McKelvy of Berkeley were all current board members who failed to secure reelection.

Voters could choose four candidates, each for a four-year term, among the eightcandidate field.

Jacqueline M. Walton of Bellwood, Proviso First’s fourth member, placed seventh with 5,111 votes (10.39%). Adams was fifth with 6,031 votes (12.27%). McKelvy was sixth with 5,679 votes (11.55%). Cross was eighth with 4,742 votes (9.64%).

“The voters have spoken. They’ve asked for a change,” Cross said when reached by phone the morning after the election. “I wish the board members-elect the very best in their future endeavors.”

A total of 14,504 votes were cast in the April 4 election, an increase of 2,352 votes from the last election in 2015.

Ned Wagner and Claudia Medina of Forest Park and Theresa Kelly of Maywood, current board members elected in 2015, supported Proviso Together in this election.

“We give [D209 Superintendent Jesse] Rodriguez carte blanche to focus on education, empowerment and excellence for

Rebuilding our Community One House at a Time WILLIAM CAMARGO/Staff Photographer

CLEAN SWEEP: A crowd of jubilant Proviso Together supporters gathers at McGaffer’s Saloon in Forest Park on April 4. all children in the district. Not crazy politics, or politicians,” Medina said in an email to the Review on April 5. “The community wants schools to be focused on advancing children for a great tomorrow. And that is what we are going to do.”

Dozens of Proviso Together supporters packed an enclosed outdoor patio at McGaffer’s to celebrate the campaign, cheering and chanting enthusiastically throughout the night as returns were announced.

“The amount of time, energy and passion from hundreds of people across 10 towns, it’s incredible,” said Connie Brown, Proviso Together’s political committee chairperson, Tuesday night. “We finally have a board without politicians on it. These guys have been fighting for so long to make that happen.”

The assembled supporters were geographically diverse with Forest Parkers, including Village Administrator Tim Gillian, mingling with voters from

Maywood, Melrose Park and Bellwood.

“Basic training, pledging my fraternity, and campaigning,” said Alexander, a former Marine. “Those are the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life.”

Valtierrez was tired from a 14-hour day of hopping between polling places, but he remained positive.

“I’m very excited. It was a tough day,” he said. “I’m very emotional right now.”

Supporters repeatedly mentioned the fact that Proviso Together’s candidates were all former, future or current parents of D209 children as a top reason for their support.

Still, others cautioned that change for the troubled district will take time.

“This gave us control of the board,” said Gary Woll, a retired Elmwood Park High School teacher and a longtime resident of Maywood. “Now we have to prove ourselves.

It’s gonna be incremental. But I believe in these folks.”

District 209 board chooses Perkins + Will for architectural plan

By THOMAS VOGEL Forest Park Review

With D209 Supt. Jesse Rodriguez set to begin negotiations on an agreement with the Chicago-based firm, the district is one step closer to dissolving the statemandated Financial Oversight Panel.

Developing a long-term facilities plan and a viable way to pay for necessary upkeep to the district’s buildings is the most significant remaining hurdle toward the FOP’s exit.

“That’s the number one thing that has to happen,” Craig Shilling, the panel’s chairman, said March 14. “It is primarily getting the facilities piece into something

that is sustainable.”

Completing a master facilities plan, however, could take several months to finish. Firms audit current facilities, conduct demographic surveys, and look at enrollment projections, among other things. And after a plan is presented, there will be discussions by Rodriguez, the FOP and the high school board to find a way to pay for the plan. So even with this latest board approval, a possible FOP exit is still many months away.

The board first appealed to the Illinois State Board of Education in December 2008 for the creation of a Financial Oversight Panel. At the time, D209 was running a large budget deficit. The district has since improved its financial

situation. For the last few years, the State Board of Education has given Proviso 209 “financial recognition,” the highest available designation the state has for rating the financial health of school districts.

Still, Schilling demurred on setting a timeline for an FOP exit, saying the last time he tried, he was wrong. In summer 2014, there were discussions of ending the panel’s oversight by June 2016. However, with the significant leadership change — Dr. Rodriguez began his tenure on July 1, 2016 — along with the continued absence of a long-term, comprehensive facilities plan, those discussions did not lead anywhere.

Read more at forestparkreview.com.

Established in 1990, Housing Helpers Inc. is a local non-profit organization with a strategic and sustainable plan that focuses on the restoration of Maywood’s single-family housing stock, our most valuable asset.

By redeveloping vacant, foreclosed homes, Housing Helpers stabilizes neighborhoods and increases property values while preserving affordable housing.

www.housinghelpersinc.org 708.707.4008

13

14 Village Free Press | April 2017

Welcoming village policies are on the right side of history

At a moment when immigrants, Muslims and communities of color are under unprecedented attack, local municipalities have a responsibility to enact strong policies that defend and protect vulnerable communities.

Immigrants are living in fear, workers are afraid to go to work, parents fear taking their children to school and children worry their parents may be taken away while they are at school.

Those who argue that welcoming policies are symbolic or create false protection are misinformed.

Immigrant communities know that “welcoming” or “sanctuary” policies do not create absolute protections from deportation. However, these policies create a layer of protection by requiring immigration agents MONY RUIZ-VELASCO to obtain court-issued warrants, a Exec. dir., PASO practice they rarely employ.

Some are concerned that the President will remove federal funds from cities that stand with immigrant communities. Those concerns are misguided.

V I L L A G E P E R S P E C T I V E S The Supreme Court and hundreds of legal experts agree that the federal government cannot withhold federal funds to coerce local governments to implement mandates.

Communities are stronger and safer when they access city services without fear and when local laws clearly prohibit city officials, police included, from becoming de facto deportation officers.

The president is threatening to deport 2 million to 3 million immigrants in his first year by deputizing local police.

Communities must pass ordinances that make clear their commitment to support immigrant communities by not aiding and abetting in deportations and family separation.

There is no more time to waste. Cities and villages like Melrose Park must demonstrate that they will stand with immigrant communities; they will not participate in racist, anti-immigrant initiatives; they will be on the right side of history and justice by passing strong, inclusive welcoming city policies without deportation loopholes; and they will uphold 4th Amendment Constitutional protections for all of their residents.

It’s not too late to sign-up for veggie box delivery

relationship between a farmer and the people who eats his food. It’s more than just a box of vegetables! You’ll receive crop descriptions, recipes, and newsletters about life on the farm. Through a CSA, you become a “member” of the farm, not just a customer.

Kings Hill Farm, a certified organic farm from Wisconsin, will be providing 10- or 20-week veggie boxes (CSA), from June 8 through Oct 19, in Maywood.

You can select either a large or small share and you may select either size every week (20 weeks) or every other week (10 weeks).

There will be two Maywood pickup locations on Thursdays at Quinn Center and at St. Eulalia (1845 S. 9th Ave.) and PLCCA, 411 Madison St. Costs for a seasons’ worth of organic veggies range from $255 to $615.

A Link card can be used to pay for membership and, through a generous grant, Link CSA members will receive additional monthly coupons to help cover approximately 25 percent of the cost. Link payments and pick-ups will be at PLCCA. Any questions? Call (708) 370-8017 or email robin.l.schirmer@gmail.com. You can sign up online at www.kingshillfarm.com for any of the shares.

-Robin Schirmer, project coordinator

It’s not too late to sign up for a veggie box (CSA) for pickup in Maywood this summer. Deliveries begin on Thursday, June 8.

Here’s a recap of the program: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) creates a direct

My experience at the National League of Cities council

By Anahi Soto

Proviso East High School sophomore

My experience at the National League of Cities Conference The Maywood Youth Council has once again made their appearance in the National League of Cities Conference in Washington D.C., which was held from March 11 to March 15.

Keyanna Turner and myself, who are both sophomores from Proviso East High School; Jeramia Sowell, a junior at Proviso East; John Michael Dawson, a junior at Proviso Math and Science Academy; and Reena Murphy, a senior at Walter Lutheran Christian Academy.

We are five brilliant students with impressive GPAs well above 3.0 and a desire to improve their beloved village. Trustee Isiah Brandon took on the responsibility to bring us to Washington D.C. yet again in hopes that more resources could be utilized.

This year, the conference events taught us about the importance of networking. Many of us received contact information from people like Scot Carter, the chief of the Department of Agriculture; Star Wilbraham, a small business analyst; and Diane Delaware, the mayor of Yazoo, Mississippi.

Upon our arrival to the conference, we went through workshops that gave us a foundation for future networking. We also attended congressional meetings on issues like clean water preservation.

We also learned how lobbyists lobby, how policies function and how to be leaders. For instance, at one workshop, we had to write a policy that implemented a plan to give an area free internet. During these meetings, we were conversationstarts and deep-thinking participants.

As a returning member of the council, I was very im-

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Why volunteering is important If you want to make a difference in the Village of Maywood, serve as a volunteer. Volunteering shows a commitment to your community and it shows that you care about others. Employees from local businesses have built relationships with residents in the Village through volunteering, and we are blessed to have them. However, more volunteers are needed for our youth, adult and senior populations.

The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. If you’re willing to work to build a better Maywood, give back to your community and watch positive things begin to happen.

WILLIAM CAMARGO/Staff Photographer

BEST AND BRIGHTEST: Maywood trustee Isiah Brandon with John Michael Dawson, Reena Murphy, Jeramiah Sowell, Anahi Soto and Keyanna Turner (far right) in Washington D.C. last month. pressed by these individuals who knew that they attended this conference with a greater purpose: to make Maywood prosper — and not just for themselves.

I want to thank everyone who made this available to the youth: the trustees, the mayor, the teachers and the residents of our fine village. We’ve done well as community members to raise such open-minded individuals. The village of the eternal flame shines on!

Read more exclusive content, online at: thevillagefreepress.org

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