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MacArthur’s Restaurant hosts First Responders’ Fish Fry,
Vol. 34 No. 27
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July 1, 2020
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Stray thoughts on a potent week, PAGE 6
Black workers say Cicero bakery unsafe Black Workers Matter says Bimbo, employer of many West Siders, has not adequately protected them against COVID-19 By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter
The Black Workers Matter advocacy organization is accusing a Cicero bakery operated by Bimbo Bakeries USA — the U.S. arm of Grupo Bimbo, a Mexico Coy-based manufacturing company — of endangering the safety of its workforce, much of which comes from Austin and North Lawndale. The group also alleges that the racist practices under the plant’s previous owner, Aryzta LLC, still persist. The Cicero plant, which is located at 1540 S. 54th Ave., makes Entenmann brand “Mini-Bite” muffins found in many West Side supermarkets and convenience stores. As a food producer, it was considered an essential business under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order and was allowed to stay open. But while the company announced that it was taking precautions, two workers have passed away and two additional workers were allegedly fired for publicly sharing concerns about health conditions. On the afternoon of June 18, Black Workers Matter organized a press conference in front of the plant, demanding that the company slow down production speed to allow for better social distancing. And they argued that Bimbo Bakeries hasn’t done nearly enough to root out the plant’s culture of racism. They also said that the plant’s leadership should better reflect the demographics of its workforce. Arysta LLC previously owned the Cicero plant and the Galewood plant at 2035 N. Narragansett See BLACK WORKERS on page 5
ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
GIVING BACK: Each week, London Black, an Austin native, organizes a personal care and toiletry products giveaway outside of Taco Bros restaurant on the corner of Chicago Avenue and Austin Boulevard. Read more on page 2.
After children killed, leaders debate police defunding
Both sides say there must be more funding for jobs, schools and mental health in disinvested neighborhoods to stop violence By PASCAL SABINO Block Club Chicago
As the national debate about policing continues, family and neighbors mourned two children fatally shot on the West Side on June 22 — while local leaders sought explanations for one of
the bloodiest weekends in recent history. More than 100 people were shot over Father’s Day weekend, according to police figures. Eleven people were killed, including a toddler and four teenagers. The wave of violence fell especially hard on the West Side, where 3-year-old Mekhi James was shot in his back and killed in South Austin while riding in the car with his father last Saturday evening. Two hours later and less than 2 miles away, three teens were shot in the 1000 block of North Leclaire Avenue. Two survived while Amaria Jones, 13, was hit in her neck inside her home and died. See DEFUNDING DEBATE on page 9
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Austin Weekly News, July 1, 2020
Pop up toiletry stand links Austin and Oak Park
Local social worker and mother sets up ‘shop’ By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
Every Thursday evening for the past four weeks, a group of neighborly Oak Parkers have been passing out personal care and toiletry products to members of the Austin community in need from outside Taco Bros restaurant on the corner of Chicago Avenue and Austin Boulevard. The popup pantry is the brainchild of London Black, a social work graduate student, who saw several Austin businesses looted following the death of George Floyd. “I noticed that a lot of convenience stores had been destroyed,” said Black, who lives in Oak Park but grew up in Austin, where
ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
HELPING HANDS: London Black said she was inspired to start the giveaways after discovering that many convenience stores in Austin had been destroyed. she now works. Without convenience stores,
Black realized, Austin residents had lost access to such necessities as soap, toothpaste, diapers and more. She took to social media
to spread awareness. “I put up a Facebook post, and I said, ‘If you’re in for helping, please let me know,’” she said. Over 90 people responded to the Facebook post alone, offering to donate items and help distribute. Within a few hours, people were dropping supplies off at Black’s home. “People have also sent money, so I’ve been using that money to replenish the things that we run out of,” she said. According to Black, diapers and baby formula go very quickly, as does soap and body wash. “I run out of toiletries every week,” she said. Other popup popular items include cold water and face masks to protect people against contracting COVID-19. The volunteer distributors also wear masks and gloves. Black expected the popup to last only while convenience stores were closed, but the popup maintains a steady flow of partakers each week. “It’s just helpful to have a load taken off, to have your expenses reduced by just a little bit,” she said. Two of the popup’s biggest helpers are Black’s young children; her son and daughter distribute supplies alongside the adults. “They enjoy it and I enjoy having them there,” she said. The popup has accumulated enough supplies to keep it operating at least through the middle of July. While she came up with the idea, Black credits those who gave their time and assistance to support Oak Park’s neighbors to the east. “It’s been a success because so many people have been willing to help and chip in,” she said. “It shows how big of a difference we can make if we all work together.”
Applications open for $60M in grants for West Side businesses
Deadline to apply July 7; priorities given to bars, restaurants, barbershops, salons, gyms, fitness centers By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has launched the first round of Business Interruption Grants (BIG). The BIG program will offer a total of $60 million to up to 3,500 businesses
that have experienced losses or business interruption due to the COVID-19 stay-home order, DCEO explained on its website. The deadline to apply for the first round of funds is 5 p.m. on July 7. For the application page, click here. You can also access the application (available in English and Spanish) from DCEO’s website at: www2.
illinois.gov/dceo/SmallBizAssistance/ Pages/C19DisadvantagedBusGrants.aspx.
Just scroll down to the “WHEN AND WHERE TO APPLY” section. Funds are particularly earmarked for the following business activities: • “Businesses located in DIAs Where There Was Recent Property Damage
from Civil Unrest – $20 million for businesses that are located in a subset of DIAs that have recently experienced significant property damage, providing 1,000 grants of $20,000 each • “Bars and Restaurants – $20 million for bars and restaurants unable to offer outside service, providing 1,000 grants of up to $20,000* • “Barbershops and Salons – $10 million for barbershops and salons, providing 1,000 grants of $10,000 each* • “Gyms and Fitness Centers – $10 million for gyms and fitness centers that have lost significant revenue due to COVID-19,
providing 500 grants of $20,000 each*” Areas in Austin, North Lawndale and West Garfield Park have been designated DIA’s, or Disproportionately Impacted Areas. The first $60 million round of funding “is only the first wave of the BIG program,” DCEO explained. Total BIG funding will “amount to at least $540 million in grants for small businesses, $270 million of which has been set aside for childcare providers.” There will be opportunities to apply for those subsequent rounds of grants in the future. Check DCEO’s website here to apply for first round funds or for updates about future funding. CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com
Austin Weekly News, July 1, 2020
West Side running group logs miles to fuel activism
The Run Your Hood group runs as an act of radical self-care By PASCAL SABINO Block Club Chicago
There’s a new runners community on the West Side, but they’re not just running for exercise: This group is running for the revolution. Run Your Hood was created as a group for Black runners and non-Black allies. They use training as a way to nurture the body, feed the mind and build a supportive community engaged in the struggles faced by Black people. In a world built on systems designed to exploit and diminish Black people, the experience of Black joy itself is a form of resistance in the face of white supremacy, said group founder Dyani Camika Cox. “Just the very act of loving yourself, taking care of yourself, showering love upon yourself is revolutionary,” Cox said. Cox has been running her whole life. She learned to run from her father, a member of the Black Panther Party, who ran 7 miles daily. From him, Cox learned running is a way to take ownership over herself, something so often denied to Black people. Running gave her agency over her body and over her mental health, which became the lynchpin to her recovery from a bout of severe depression in her youth. “He taught me how to be free,” Cox said. “And it’s something that I really want to teach my people, my Black people. That we don’t have to succumb to anything that is put upon us. “We don’t have to succumb to addiction. We don’t have to succumb to mental health issues. We don’t have to succumb to self-hatred. We don’t have to succumb to oppression.” Running through the Garfield Park neighborhood also gives residents a chance
to more intimately know their community. Cox wants to demystify the West Side since so many people assume there is nothing but gang violence and empty lots in the area. Those assumptions become selffulfilling by scaring away commerce and preventing people from being engaged in their neighborhood, Cox said. “I want them to see the beauty of our communities,” Cox said. “Running for me is getting to know my community and my community getting to know me.” Danielle Tate, a new club member, said she isn’t much of a runner, but she joined because she wanted to build relationships with others in Garfield Park. Tate said the community gets overlooked too often, but by
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“The” Friendship BAPTIST CHURCH Rev. Dr. Reginald E. Bachus, Pastor
running through the area she is able to notice new things about the neighborhood she loves that she wouldn’t have seen even if she were driving. David and Josie McKay moved to Garfield Park in 2017 and started training with Run Your Hood as a way to get involved and contribute to the neighborhood. They said they run in solidarity with the longstanding Black community, mindful of the gentrification people fear will change East Garfield Park. Another new member, Chris Kyles, joined the group to run in celebration of Juneteenth. Like Tate, he participated because he wanted to connect with others who were actively invested in bettering Garfield Park. “I was excited when I Pascal Sabino/Block Club Chicago saw the group because I see RUNNING FOR HER LIFE: Run Your Hood founder Dyani running as a great way to Cox running at the Westinghouse track. Below, Dyani build community,” Kyles Cox with her father. said. Self-ownership instilled in Cox a belief that, to create change and show up for each other, for their community build power in the world, she would first or for the social change the world needs, Cox said. have to build the discipline and willpower to Cox said building the solidarity to mobilize herself. overcome the many struggles facing Black “In order to take ownership over a group people is a years-long process. But running of people, you have to first take ownership is perfect practice for the revolution: It over yourself,” Cox said. “Running my hood, is always uncomfortable, and it takes and people seeing me taking care of myself tremendous willpower to keep going each every day is revolutionary. It gives them day. permission to love themselves and take care “Tearing down systemic racism isn’t of themselves, too.” a sprint,” Cox said. “It’s a marathon. It That practice of self-love is infectious, Cox is something that we have to develop the said. It branches out into a deeper love for mental strength to continue to hold the the family, love for the neighbors, a love people around us accountable.” for the community and the will to envision Pascal Sabino is a Report for America corps a world organized around love rather than member covering Austin, North Lawndale and violence. Garfield Park for Block Club Chicago. Read Unless people are able to show up to take more of his work at blockclubchicago.org. care of themselves, they won’t be equipped to CONTACT: pascal@blockclubchi.org.
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Austin Weekly News, July 1, 2020
A change of heart Have you experienced a conversion? It’s an old religious concept, but not limited to religion. I converted from Republican to Democrat in the late 1960s, but converting isn’t the same as experiencing a full conversion. Converting is changing your mind. A conversion is a change of heart. Changing your mind can be temporary. A change of heart is usually permanent. Have you experienced a change of heart about race and racism? My change of heart was a long time coming. Decades of education, consciousnessraising, relationship-building, increasing my comfort level. Preparing the ground, planting seeds. But they didn’t germinate until after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 and the ascendancy of the Black Lives Matter movement, developments that made me realize how far I still had to go on this issue. It took a while, but I came to accept the truth of white privilege; white fragility; unconscious bias; micro-aggressions; structural, institutional or systemic racism (take your pick); and white supremacy. I started uncovering my own biases. It was hard to admit that these lurked inside,
along with uncomfortable memories of disrespecting people of color — and not very subtly — memories that actually made me lose sleep. How could I have done such things? But I was past the point of denial. This is not about guilt or shame, but about clearly seeing our place in a culture founded on inequality, understanding the really raw deal our dominant white culture has imposed on people of color — African Americans in particular. In spite of all the “progress” this country has made, and there has been progress, not much has fundamentally changed. Not nearly enough. From what I’ve seen in the protests following George Floyd’s murder, a lot of other white Americans are experiencing a similar conversion. That’s because we finally felt this one. We felt the knee to the neck. We watched as a murderous cop continued to kneel on Floyd’s neck for a full three minutes after his pulse stopped. We felt the raw, unconscionable injustice of this one act after so many similar acts. We felt just a little of the rage that Black Americans have been feeling for far too long. It finally moved from our head to our hearts.
KEN
TRAINOR
How could anyone watch that knee to the neck and not experience some kind of conversion? Isabel Wilkerson, a former Oak Parker who wrote The Warmth of Other Suns a landmark book about the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the North, said this much better, back in 2017 during an On Being interview: “What is happening in these cases after the person is down? Where is that basic human response to a person in distress? Where is the threat, once they are already near death? The basic human response to take the hand of someone whose life is slipping away from them and to comfort them: That is the essential missing piece, which is empathy — and recognition of the common humanity of another person. We can disagree on the circumstances and the details and the socalled facts of the situation, but after the person is down, where is the humanity? I think it calls upon all of us to recognize the need for radical empathy.” Too many white people still resist the notion of “systemic racism.” Racism is not just limited to “a few bad apples.” It’s baked into the entire system, a system founded on radical inequality. Wilkerson, whose On Being interview was rebroadcast last Sunday, calls it “a caste system, the artificial hierarchy that was put in place before our
great-great-great-grandparents were alive. It’s something that we’ve inherited. It’s not something that we wanted. If you’re on the beneficiary end of it, you didn’t ask to be on the beneficiary end. If you’re on the targeted end of it, you certainly didn’t ask to be on that end. But this is where we are. And I think that it’s calling upon us to reckon with this finally. There’s no point in pointing fingers about it, but recognizing it is the first step toward dismantling it.” Passing legislation, unfortunately, has limited impact. “Laws are necessary,” Wilkerson said, “but they’re not sufficient if hearts have not changed. I view myself as on a mission to change the country, the world, one heart at a time. And it’s a tough thing to do. I feel as if the heart is the last frontier because we have tried so many other things. The laws we’ve passed, that we thought were written in granite, we see can be erased and are in peril if, as a collective, we do not recognize why.” In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, many white Americans have experienced a conversion, but many have not. White Americans need to recognize our common humanity with people of color, especially Black Americans, and not just recognize it in our heads but feel it in our hearts. Because the heart is the last frontier. CONTACT: ktrainor@wjinc.com
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Feds charge 24 in major Austin gang investigation
Defendants facing charges related to firearms, narcotics trafficking and violence on West Side By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Twenty-four people have been charged as part of a federal and state investigation into two streets gangs in Austin, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced on June 26. “During the investigation, dubbed ‘Operation Full Circle,’ federal, state, and local law enforcement officers worked together to seize 34 firearms, more than 6.7
kilograms of heroin, more than 17 kilograms of cocaine, more than a kilogram of fentanyl, approximately 50 grams of crack cocaine, 200 pounds of marijuana, and more than $1.3 million in cash and jewelry allegedly purchased with narcotics trafficking proceeds,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office explained in a statement. The office said that the operation was conducted by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the Chicago High Intensity Drug Task Force (HIDTA), which include local, state and federal law enforcement agencies working together to “identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations.” The office said that many of the defendants were arrested on June 25 and were scheduled to appear in federal court in Chicago for
detention hearings next week. The federal criminal complaint includes a range of federal firearms, narcotics and money laundering charges, the office said. Operation Full Circle also included Operation Wicked Stones, which focused on alleged crimes by high-ranking members of “both the Wicked Town faction of the Traveling Vice Lords and the Black P-Stone Nation street gangs.” In addition to firearms, narcotics and money laundering offenses, the investigation also resulted in “previously filed federal charges against three defendants for their alleged role in a murder-for-hire conspiracy,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The complaint alleges that seven of the individuals charged comprised a “drug trafficking organization in which the defendants worked together to distribute
BLACK WORKERS Voicing concerns from page 1 Ave. As previously reported by Austin Weekly News, Black Workers Matters alleged that the company went out of its way to avoid hiring Black workers, and when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement audit forced them to fire undocumented Hispanic workers, the Black workers that were hired in their place received little training, low pay and were more readily punished. In 2018, Arysta sold the Cicero plant to Bimbo Bakeries and the Galewood plant to Hostess. In an email statement, a spokesperson for Bimbo Bakeries USA insisted that it “continue[d] to exceed all CDC COVID-19 guidelines.” The spokesperson added that Bimbo implemented several measures, including having a nurse on site at the Cicero bakery, facilitating social distancing by “marking locations on floors to indicate six-foot distances at entrances and time clocks” and “staggering shift start times to limit associate interaction.” The company also limited the number of tables and chairs in the break rooms and created “additional break areas.” All employees get face masks, the company insisted, and they can get face shields upon request. The company also stated that they were working with the union to implement “COVID-19 pay and attendance policies that encourage sick associates to stay home.” “Nothing is more important to us than our associates,” the company spokesperson stated. “In addition to fostering an inclusive working environment, we remain committed to the health and safety of our associates and their families as well as the broader Cicero community.”
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CRYING OUT: Members of Black Lives Matter protest outside of Bimbo in June. The workers say the Cicero plant has not kept them safe even as COVID-19 still poses a significant threat. The company acknowledged the Cicero plant’s corporate culture, but insisted that it was working to address that. “Since purchasing the Cicero bakery two years ago, we have invested in this facility and worked to overcome the checkered history of race relations that existed prior to our acquisition,” the spokesperson stated. “We have and will continue to work diligently to create an environment that is safe and equitable for all associates.” Dan Giloth, a community organizer who has been helping Black Workers Matter with community outreach, said that the Cicero plant’s current workforce is about 40 percent African-American — down from 50 percent a few years earlier. “There’s a handful [of African-American workers] that live in Cicero, but the majority live in North Lawndale, they live in Austin,” he said. Giloth estimated that, out of 350 to 400 people who work at the plant, around 150 to 180 workers come from those West Side communities. And he said that, under
Bimbo, the number of Black managers has dropped to one, who is a second-shift supervisor. Giloth said that he doesn’t blame Bimbo for this, since the discriminatory practices go back prior to the company’s ownership, but he wants them to “walk the walk” and address the situation. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in late March, Bimbo Bakeries issued a statement detailing much of what the company spokesperson outlined in the recent email statement. But Black Workers Matter co-founder Anthony Stewart said that the Bimbo statement does not reflect the reality at the Cicero plant. “They failed, truly failed, to provide proper [Personal Protection Equipment] and safe distancing practices among workers who are on the line,” he said. “Bimbo has continuously put profit over people by running their lines at 100 percent production speed rather than reducing speeds to accommodate fewer workers on the line (i.e.
wholesale quantities of heroin and cocaine on the West Side of Chicago,” with two of the defendants also charged with firearms offenses. James Harris, 51, and of Berkeley, and Patrick Turner, 52, of Bellwood, were named among seven federal defendants in United States v. Harris et. al. That complaint alleges that Harris was wearing his Chicago Transit Authority uniform when he met with Turner in April “to acquire 322 grams of heroin,” which was seized from Harris outside of Turner’s house in suburban Bellwood. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that the firearms, narcotics and money laundering charges carry maximum penalties of between 10 years to life in prison. The murder-for-hire charges carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison. CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com
social distancing).” Stewart pointed to the coverage by Cicero Independiente online media outlet, which reported that, as of the end of May, two workers passed away from COVID-19. It withheld the name of the worker who died on April 16 at the family’s request and identified the worker who died on May 4 as Rosa Almanza. The Cicero Independiente also reported that two workers who previously spoke to the paper on record about their concerns about inadequate COVID-19 protections inside the plant - Dennean Paul and Gerardo Mello – were terminated. Bimbo Bakeries gave the reason for Mello’s firing as “making a false statement about the safety measures we have implemented at the Cicero Bakery,” but they denied that Paul’s firing was in retaliation. Paul was reportedly injured a week after speaking to Cicero Independiete, and she couldn’t return to work on a doctor’s advice. Even though she reportedly provided doctors’ notes excusing her from work, Bimbo Bakeries fired her for “repeatedly failing to report to work, failing to report her absences to the company and failing to provide any documentation to support those absences.” “Bimbo has not been a great corporate steward to all the Black and Brown communities, primarily Black communities, by allowing equal hiring from the nearby Black communities,” Stewart added. Giloth said, given that Grupo Bimbo’s safety record was inexcusable, particularly since the company has a plant in Wuhan, where the COVID-19 pandemic reportedly originated and where people knew about COVID-19’s risks earlier than those in the United States. “[We want them] to make distancing a priority,” Giloth said. “Reconfigure the lines, adjust the lines to the point where people don’t have to be unsafe.” CONTACT: igorst3@hotmail.com
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Austin Weekly News, July 1, 2020
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Stray thoughts on a potent week
his is General Order No. 3, issued by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, June 19, 1865 — the date now known as Juneteenth (a portmanteau of June and nineteenth): “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.” Michael Davis, of the National Archives, makes a salient point about the order that has informed my understanding of the many activities I’ve witnessed this week. “While the order was critical to expanding freedom to enslaved people, the racist language used in the last sentences foreshadowed that the fight for equal rights
would continue,” Davis writes. Last week, I learned that the state’s wealthiest man, hedge fund tycoon Kenneth C. Griffin, purchased a painting by JeanMichel Basquiat — perhaps the most valued Black artist in the world — for $100 million. Rest assured, public, Griffin plans to allow you to see it. The painting is the “large-scale 1982 canvas ‘Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump’,” the Chicago Tribune reports. Basquiat, who was often idle when alive, died in 1988 of a heroin overdose. He was 27. Around five years before his death, Basquiat painted “‘Defacement’: The Untold Story,” which was inspired by the death on Sept. 28, 1983, of Michael Stewart, “a twenty-five-year-old art student at Pratt and a frequenter of the time’s impoverished but raucous, creatively booming East Village and Lower East Side bohemia, from injuries incurred while in police custody,” according to the New Yorker. Basquiat “used marker and acrylics to dash off a sketch of two fiendish cops beating an armless, legless figure, rendered in black silhouette.” Basquiat, like Stewart — brilliantly and creatively idle and Black
MICHAEL ROMAIN
—“was distraught” by his contemporary’s murder, saying repeatedly: “It could have been me.” I wonder which wealthy, white person or institution now owns that pain and suffering. Last week, I lit up at the news of a Black Lives Matter Roast, sold at Counter Coffee in Forest Park and Sugar Beet Food Co-op in Oak Park. A portion of the proceeds will go to those two local institutions and to the Black Lives Matter Foundation. Not long after hearing about the new roast, I learned this depressing news from NPR: “Among the recipients of people’s charity - the Black Lives Matter Foundation. It has raised several million dollars in recent weeks in the form of small gifts from individuals, also well-intentioned employees of big corporations, including Apple and Microsoft. Here’s the rub. The Black Lives Matter Foundation is not connected in any way with the Black Lives Matter movement. Reporter Ryan Mac has been trying to untangle this for BuzzFeed News.” I will also try some untangling myself, although I’m heartened, still, by this bit of wisdom: “Everyone is feeling the sentiments of injustice, but the biggest challenge is people don’t know what to do,” Counter Coffee owner Jacques Shalo told Forest Park Review, Wednesday Journal’s sister paper.
“The Black Lives Matter Blend keeps the concept broad but the connection local.” On June 19, local politicians marched down Washington Boulevard, from suburban Broadview through Maywood, through Bellwood, through River Forest into Forest Park, in order to celebrate Juneteenth and to protest the centuries of police abuse condensed into the death, caught on video, of George Floyd, whose unwelcome martyrdom risks becoming like Basquiat’s exquisitely rendered pain and suffering over the death of Michael Stewart — swallowed by the status quo. Swallowed by empty tributes, by hollow calls for police reform made by calculating politicians, by the slick gimmicks of clever capitalists. “Every fury on earth has been absorbed in time….as authority in one form or another,” James Agee writes in Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. “The deadliest blow the enemy of the human soul can strike is to do fury honor … Official acceptance is the one unmistakable symptom that salvation is beaten again.” I hope this world responds to our collective tears by proving their worth in court (through just, meaningful, redistributive laws and ordinances and policies) and not at another Sotheby’s auction. CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com
A fish fry for first responders Introspect, Counting on Chicago Coalition sponsored event at MacArthur’s on June 26
On June 26, the first day restaurants reopened for dine-in customers as the state entered Phase 4 of its COVID-19 recovery plan, Introspect Youth Services, Inc., held a free fish fry for first responders at MacArthur’s Restaurant, 5412 W. Madison St. The event was held so that Insight could “to show their appreciation for the hard work of our first responders,” according to a statement. The event featured music, 2020 Census registration and free meals to first responders who were either in uniform or who showed their official IDs.
Insight is a member of the Counting on Chicago Coalition, an alliance of area organizations designed to boost participation in the 2020 Census. Counting on Chicago also sponsored the event. Throughout its 40 years in existence, Introspect “has placed more than 40,000 young people into post-secondary institutions across the nation.” For more information on the Counting on Chicago Coalition visit: countingonchicagocoalition.org.
— Michael Romain
PUBLIC SERVICE: Two police officers flank (left to right): Mac Alexander, owner of MacArthur’s; Wynona Redmond; Bernard Clay, founder of Introspect; Sheree Bynum; and Karl Brinson, president of the Westside Branch NAACP. Insight was one of the sponsors of a fish fry for first responders held at MacArthur’s on Friday. SHANEL ROMAIN
Austin Weekly News, July 1, 2020
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Austin Weekly News, July 1, 2020
Family of man who fell to death building West Side church sues
OSHA fined Destiny Builders $38,556 for violations, including nearly $20,000 in fines for not reporting Francisco Aguilar’s death. By PASCAL SABINO Block Club Chicago
The family of a construction worker who was killed after falling two stories at a West Side church is suing the construction company, saying it failed to provide adequate safety measures to protect employees from dangerous work conditions. Francisco Aguilar, 57, fell from scaffolding while working for Destiny Builders Construction Services on Nov. 22. He was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was in intensive care until he died Dec. 6. Aguilar left behind a wife and six children. “The family continues to mourn the loss of their father for something that should never have happened,” said the family’s attorney, Michael R. Grieco. Grieco said Aguilar and other workers were not provided with harnesses, safety belts and railings that could have prevented his death. Occupational Safety and Health
Administration rules require construction companies to implement fall protection and safety training to keep workers safe anytime they will be standing higher than 6 feet from the ground. The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, seeks more than $50,000 in restitution for the family. The company did not have workers’ compensation insurance at the time of the accident, the lawsuit claims. Grieco said the family is suing because they want Destiny Builders and any subcontractors responsible for Aguilar’s death to be held accountable. The litigation would include an investigation of others involved in the construction to determine who besides Destiny Builders might have failed to protect workers. “A lot of construction companies feel that they can fly by night under the radar and get away with doing jobs for cheaper and with shortcuts that save costs but put their employees in danger,” Grieco said. The city shut down construction at the church after Aguilar’s death when officials discovered Destiny Builders had never filed the building permits to begin construction at the site, according to the lawsuit and city records. The law requires companies to report a serious injury or death at a workplace to OSHA within eight hours. Destiny Builders failed to notify OSHA of Aguilar’s death
for more than six months, Grieco said. The choice not to report the incident to OSHA was “another way to try to get around or skirt liability,” Grieco said. After learning of the incident, OSHA opened an investigation that found the company had seriously violated worker protection laws by failing to provide a training program to employees exposed to fall hazards that would help workers recognize and minimize risks, according to Provided agency records. OSHA also cited Destiny FIGHTING BACK: Francisco Aguilar with his son Ariel Builders for not using Aguilar. guardrail systems, safety nets or harnesses that could learned that his employer did not follow the have saved Aguilar’s life, records show. The agency fined Destiny Builders $38,556 necessary safety rules and requirements,” for the violations, including nearly $20,000 Ariel Aguilar, Francisco Aguilar’s son, said in fines for not reporting Aguilar’s death. in a statement. “There is no excuse for operating a Destiny Builders contested the citations, according to a U.S. Department of Labor construction company that way, and our family will pay the price forever.” spokesman. Pascal Sabino is a Report for America corps Destiny Builders did not respond to member covering Austin, North Lawndale requests to comment on the lawsuit. “It is very difficult to explain the painful and Garfield Park for Block Club Chicago. loss of our father, and our anger when we CONTACT: pascal@blockclubchi.org
West Side to get trauma task force
Rep. Ford teamed with hospital, health centers on West Side Behavioral Health Task Force By AUSTIN TALKS Partner
On June 29, state Rep. La Shawn Ford was scheduled to announce the formation of the West Side Behavioral Health Task Force. The Monday press conference took place after Austin Weekly News’ print deadline. Citing stressful and uncertain times on Chicago’s West Side, Ford said in a statement the task force will focus on bringing trauma support to the streets and homes, to offer some level of relief for those dealing with trauma, stress and depression. Over Father’s Day weekend, 104 people were shot, 14 fatally. Forty-one people were shot, six of them fatally, this past Monday.
These numbers include innocent children: A “Clearly, violence, as witnessed in the city 3-year-old boy shot while sitting in a vehicle of Chicago last weekend affects the mental with his stepfather, and a 13-year-old girl health of our community,” Saafir said. “If also died after being shot in the neck while we are going to reduce gun violence and watching TV in her home. stop the senseless killing of our “With the level of violence children, then we must find on the West Side, psychological ways to improve the mental/ trauma care is mandatory behavioral health of those who for our families,” Ford said. commit acts of violence and “Violence is a result of poverty heal those who are traumatized and must be addressed with by it.” increased human services and Saafir and Ford say it’s support.” imperative that investments Rashad K. Saafir, president/ are made to improve the CEO of Bobby E. Wright psychological and emotional Comprehensive Behavioral wellbeing of the people LA SHAWN FORD Health Center added: “It is suffering this trauma. State Representative time that we recognize that The West Side Behavioral violence in Black and Brown Health Task Force’s mission communities is deeply rooted in historical will be eradicating the conditions that and cultural factors, including racism and produce violence in our communities (i.e. ethnocultural discrimination. These factors racism, poor mental health and substance have produced social and environmental abuse) and improve the state of wellbeing of conditions that impair the ability of some West Side residents. Black and Brown people to contribute “Trauma and violence in our community productively to the community. should not be the norm,” said Donald Dew,
CEO of Habilitative Systems Inc. (HSI). “We must be vigilant in our efforts to achieve a new norm that lifts mental health and wellness as critical keys to our survival.” George N. Miller Jr., president and CEO of The Loretto Hospital, said, “As a longstanding community hospital in Austin, we see more patients treated on the backend of the violence instead of the frontend, where it can really make a difference.” Miller said the hospital is prepared to offer new behavioral and mental health programs “to ensure that we see a significant reduction in the number of victims of violence that end up in our emergency department week after week.” Ford said he’s calling for immediate support from federal, state, county and city for the work of the task force. “With the level of violence on the West Side, trauma care is mandatory for our families,” the Austin lawmaker said. “Violence is a result of poverty and must be addressed with human services and support. CONTACT: austintalks.org@gmail.com
Austin Weekly News, July 1, 2020
DEFUNDING DEBATE More resources from page 1
Pascal Sabino/Block Club Chicago
who represents Austin. “And it’s unconscionable that we’re not doing better.” The alderman said more city funding must be directed to social services and violence prevention programs to stop shootings from happening. But Taliaferro also said efforts to defund the police are misguided and the city should invest in a multifaceted approach that ensures officers are fully equipped while investing in community resources. “This can be done without taking way resources from our Police Department,” Taliaferro said. “I believe that we do need our police and we need our police to be properly resourced. Taking away resources from our Police Department at a time like this would be a mistake.” On a rainy Monday evening, residents gathered on Central Avenue near where Mekhi was shot to offer support to his and Amaria’s families. “Ain’t no money, ain’t nothing gonna bring my baby back,” Mekhi’s mother said. “Make it matter. Because he mattered.” Many at the vigil said the systemic issues the city attempts to address with police and incarceration are the same problems that create gangs, gun violence and loss of life on the West Side. Oliver, of Root2fruit, said the weekend’s murders are not separate from the lack of affordable Legal Help Firm/Facebook
Top, Aisha Oliver speaks at a vigil for victims of shootings in Austin. Middle, the scene of a shooting that left 3-year-old Mekhi James (top right) dead in Austin. Amaria Jones, 13, was also killed Saturday while sitting inside her own home on the West Side. Bottom, the mother of Mekhi James holds a photo of her son at a vigil for shooting victims in Austin. Pascal Sabino/Block Club Chicago
The violence was staggering, even for a city accustomed to seeing spikes in shootings during the summer months. Debates over what went wrong this weekend are taking place amid massive demonstrations demanding cities overhaul, abolish or reduce funding for police departments. Aisha Oliver of Root2fruit Youth Foundation, who helped coordinate a Central Avenue vigil Monday in honor of Mekhi and Amaria, urged residents not to lose sight of the circumstances that birthed the violence and trauma that so often falls upon Black neighborhoods on the West Side. “This community has been drained of resources for almost 50 years now,” Oliver said. “If you pull everything from people and give them nothing and then this is all we’re left with, then people will start to do things that are desperate.” State Rep. La Shawn Ford is among those who support reducing police funding. He also attributed the rise in gun violence on the West Side to the increase in poverty across the city, which has been exasperated by the coronavirus pandemic. A lack of mental health resources, quality education, employment and longstanding community trauma is at the root of most violent behavior in the area, Ford said. Policing can’t be the only answer to violence, Ford said, noting police clearance rates for homicides are low in many communities. According to a 2019 analysis by WBEZ, less than 22 percent of murders are solved by CPD for Black victims, compared to 47 percent for white victims. Instead of putting more money into police systems, Ford said the government needs to invest in helping communities heal and break the cycles of violence and trauma. “The government is ignoring the needs of the people and forcing a cycle of violence,” Ford said. “We can redirect resources to help deal with the unemployment rate on the West Side, with the mental health crisis on the West Side, deal with the substance use disorder on the West Side.” Other local leaders see it differently. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has rebuffed demands to reduce police funding. Last week, Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th) introduced an ordinance that would lock in Chicago Police’s $1.8 billion budget save for a binding referendum from voters. Police Supt. David Brown offered a common refrain last Monday, saying a key to reducing violent crime is keeping people charged with violent felonies incarcerated. Brown said the issue is not police, who he said are “working hard,” but violent offenders who are not jailed or are put on electronic monitoring — “which no one is really monitoring.” Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th) and Brown also said this weekend’s spike in violence was likely related to gangs and drugs. “That’s unfathomable,” said Taliaferro,
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food in the area, the floundering business corridors and the many closed schools. “The symptoms are attached to the same root cause that leads to police violence,” said Anthony Clark, another organizer who spoke at the vigil. “This is what disinvestment looks like. … When we say defund police, understand where we want these funds to go.” Clark said as police violence is being
addressed, the community must also take the lead in developing systems of accountability that can create peace and justice in their neighborhoods. “If we gonna hold the cops accountable, we gonna hold each other accountable. If you pull the trigger on one of us, you against all of us,” Clark said. Many who spoke at the vigil pleaded with residents to break the longstanding code of silence that persists through Black
communities that grapple with gang violence. Too often, fear of retaliation and mistrust of law enforcement stops people from stepping forward even when they know who was behind an act of violence, they said. “One thing we gotta do as Black people is stop that mantra of ‘snitches get stitches,’” one man said. Community members and local organizations raised $10,000 as a reward for information that leads to the arrest of the shooter who killed Mekhi. Anybody with information can call 312-746-8251 to speak with detectives. Pascal Sabino is a Report for America corps member covering Austin, North Lawndale and Garfield Park for Block Club Chicago. Read more of his coverage at blockclubchicago.org. CONTACT: pascal@blockclubchi.org
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Austin Weekly News, July 1, 2020
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River Forest Public Schools District 90 Student Support Services - Vacancies for the 2020-2021 School Year For detailed qualifications requirements and job duties, please visit our website at https:// www.district90.org/about/ employment for our complete list of employment opportunities. District 90 is seeking qualified and experienced student support educators for the following positions: • Special Education Support Teacher (Willard Elementary School) • Special Education Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Coordinator (All D90 Schools) • Speech and Language Pathologist (Roosevelt Middle School)
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REAL ESTATE FOR SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, AS TRUSTEE OF UPLAND MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST A Plaintiff, -v.PERRICK ROBINSON, DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS CERTIFICATE TRUSTEE ON BEHALF OF BOSCO CREDIT II TRUST SERIES 2010-1, TILA MITCHELL, MIDLAND FUNDING LLC, STATE OF ILLINOIS-DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE Defendants 18 CH 10399 4843 W. KAMERLING AVE CHICAGO, IL 60651 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on July 1, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on July 21, 2020, 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 4843 W. KAMERLING AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60651 Property Index No. 16-04-217-0060000 The real estate is improved with a single family residence. The judgment amount was $139,538.72. 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. 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
Austin Weekly News, July 1, 2020
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AustinWeeklyNews.com | PublicNoticeIllinois.com REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
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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 Condominium 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, HEAVNER, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 111 East Main Street, DECATUR, IL, 62523 (217) 4221719. Please refer to file number 364100. 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. HEAVNER, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC 111 East Main Street DECATUR IL, 62523 217-422-1719 Fax #: 217-422-1754 E-Mail: CookPleadings@hsbattys. com Attorney File No. 364100 Attorney Code. 40387 Case Number: 18 CH 10399
TJSC#: 40-1020 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 # 18 CH 10399 I3151341
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. 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 Condominium 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, Alexander Potestivo, POTESTIVO & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 223 WEST JACKSON BLVD, STE 610, Chicago, IL, 60606 (312) 263-0003. Please refer to file number 114234. 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. POTESTIVO & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 223 WEST JACKSON BLVD, STE 610 Chicago IL, 60606 312-263-0003 E-Mail: ilpleadings@potestivolaw. com Attorney File No. 114234 Attorney Code. 43932 Case Number: 18 CH 11976 TJSC#: 40-1735 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 # 18 CH 11976 I3151666
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION SELECT PORTFOLIO SERVICING INC.; Plaintiff, vs. CECILIA FRANCISCO AKA CECILIA N. FRANCISCO; OIS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND OFELIA FRANCISCO; Defendants, 19 CH 8679 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-04-215-013-0000. Commonly known as 4821 West Hirsch Street, Chicago, IL 60651. The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. For information call Mr. Anthony Porto at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Kluever & Platt, L.L.C., 150 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (312) 236-0077. SPS000215-19FC1 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3151790
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION CITY OF CHICAGO, A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, Plaintiff, vs. TBI URBAN HOLDINGS LLC; METLIFE HOME LOANS; THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; LATISHA VEAL; WANKEE VEAL; CHASE HOME FINANCE, LLC; CURTIS GARRETT; DEMETRIOUS KELLY; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, Defendants, 11 M1 402682 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause on February 18, 2020, Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, July 27, 2020, at the hour of 11 a.m. in its office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell
to the highest bidder for cash, the following described property: P.I.N. 16-09-315-043-0000, 16-09315-044-0000, and 16-09-315-0450000. Commonly known as 125 North Pine Avenue, Units A, B, and C, Chicago, Illinois 60644. The property consists of vacant land. Sale terms: 10% of the purchase price will be required to bid at the sale. The balance of the purchase price required by 12:00 p.m. the following day. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale which will entitle the purchaser to a Deed to the premises after confirmation of the sale. For information call City of Chicago Department of Law/COAL, City Hall 121 North LaSalle Street, Suite 400, Chicago, Illinois 60602 (312) 7420007. INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 Dated: June 10, 2020 I3151759
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR ARGENT SECURITIES INC, ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-W2 Plaintiff, -v.JOANN R. MARSHALL A/K/A JO ANN MARSHALL, ONEMAIN FINANCIAL OF INDIANA, INC, F/K/A AMERICAN GENERAL FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC, CITY OF CHICAGO Defendants 18 CH 11976 5333 W. GLADYS AVENUE CHICAGO, IL 60644 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on May 30, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on July 21, 2020, 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 5333 W. GLADYS AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL 60644 Property Index No. 16-16-115-0680000 The real estate is improved with a single family residence. The judgment amount was $93,393.80.
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