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AUSTINWEEKLY news ■
Vol. 33 No. 14
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April 3, 2019
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West Siders talk community gardens,
austinweeklynews.com
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Also serving Garfield Park
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PAGE 6
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Westt Siders W Sid mourn Mildred Wiley, page 7
Comedian hosts tech pop-up event on West Side
Hannibal Buress said event is to engage residents, get sense of what to put in community center he’s developing on West Side By IGOR STUDENKOV
Tuning for the soul
Contributing Reporter
Comedian Hannibal Buress is trying to redevelop a vacant Galewood office building into a community arts center. But before actual construction starts, he wants to engage with residents about his proposal, offer activities for them to get interested in technology and get their ideas for the community space. On March 30, at the Bethel New Life complex, 4950 W. Thomas Street, Buress held a popup event designed to accomplish those goals. During the event, local young people and their families got an opportunity to experience virtual reality and augmented reality technology. The next event is scheduled to take place sometime this summer, but exact times, dates and locations weren’t finalized by press time. Two years ago, Buress purchased the Monumental Office building, 6120-6114 W. North Ave., in order to turn it into the Melvina Masterminds Community Arts Center. Buress See BURESS on page 9
ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer
The El Sistema Orchestra performs on March 28, during the Chicago mayoral runoff forum in the Kehrein Center for the Arts at Catalyst Circle Rock School in Austin. More photos on page 4.
Cops, residents brainstorm community policing Districts are devising their own community policing strategies
By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter
Chicago police districts throughout the city held public meetings in March to gather resident input on their various community policing plans. Each district will hold two meetings — one to get the initial input from residents and one, scheduled some time in April, to get resident feedback on the proposed
plans. During the first meeting, residents were asked what they wanted the police to focus on and how the relationship between the police and the community can be improved. The plans are part of a series of reforms outlined in the 2017 Chicago Police Superintendent’s Community Policing Advisory Panel. Among other things, it recommended that each police district develop its own local community policing strategies.
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Those strategies should work to achieve six overarching goals: Getting the police to engage with the community in ways that residents see as “constructive and beneficial” to them; building “relationships of trust” between police and the minority communities; encouraging community members to work with the police and the city to address quality of life and crime isSee COMMUNITY POLICING on page 11
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