Crime

PARADE

First of many

from page 6

tion culminating in the West Villages Juneteenth Parade.

The parade commenced at Randolph and Brown in Forest Park, coursing west on Washington Boulevard. A float carrying a host of elected officials, including the mayors of the host suburbs — joined by Congressman Danny K. Davis and Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi — led the procession.

The Proviso East Marching Band played music while young dancers from area suburbs strutted in the streets. The parade terminated at Proviso East High School in Maywood, where numerous vendors were staged.

“This has been a great opportunity for the four villages to get together and plan this event to bring more awareness and education to the communities,” said LaSondra Banks, Maywood’s community engagement manager who was on the parade’s planning committee.

Banks said the parade is the “first of many we’ll do annually,” adding that volunteering with the committee was a “labor of love.”

Michelle Major, of Oak Park, volunteered to help put together the history exposition on the grounds of Proviso East, which helped frame Juneteenth’s historic importance.

The holiday marks the June 19, 1865 announcement of Union Army Gen. Gordon Granger’s General Order No. 3, which proclaimed emancipation for the enslaved people in Texas.

“I think the traveling museum was a great way to center the narrative about today,” Major said. “It not only tells the story that’s often known, but some little known facts and the Illinois connection, and the way white people can celebrate Juneteenth in an authentic way.”

Jewliza Hill, a Forest Park resident, said she felt a responsibility to attend Saturday’s parade, if only for her daughter Laila Johnson’s sake.

“Before this, I had not participated in a Juneteenth parade or festivities,” Hill said. “With everything that happened during the pandemic, I wanted to make sure I was present for this. I want my daughter to be able to know what’s going on in the world and to see our people and our culture.”

Shanel Romain contributed to the reporting.

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

ASSISTED LIVING • SHELTERED CARE • MEMORY CARE • SKILLED NURSING

ASSISTED LIVING • SHELTERED CARE • MEMORY CARE • SKILLED NURSING

Now safely moving Now safely moving new residents to our small, wooded campus.Now safely moving new residents to our new residents to our small, wooded campus.

A safe & A safe & small, wooded campus. smart choice. smart choice. A safe & Choosing a community you can trust has never been Choosing a community you can trust has never been more smart choice. more difficult. important. Choosing a community you Our community has an impeccable record of safety during the COVID-19 crisis Our community has an impeccable record of safety can trust has never been more difficult. and we will stop at nothing to make sure it continues. during the COVID-19 crisis and we will stop at nothing to make sure it continues. Our community has an impeccable record of safety We would be honored for your during the COVID-19 crisis family to be part of ours. We would be honored for your and we will stop at nothing family to be part of ours. to make sure it continues. We would be honored for your family to be part of ours.

Immediate availability in our Memory Care Assisted Living Small House

99% OF OUR CALEDONIA STAFF IS VACCINATED

CRIME

ATM machine stolen from McGa er’s Saloon

An ATM was stolen from McGaffer’s Saloon, 7737 Roosevelt Rd., sometime in the morning of June 19.

Two witnesses who called police reported they drove by the tavern at around 7:15 a.m. and didn’t notice anything amiss, but when they drove back at around 8:20 a.m., they saw the front door broken. They stopped by to take a closer look, and neither of them saw anyone inside.

The police report indicated police believe the theft may have occurred earlier than the aforementioned time frame.

After working with the Oak Park police department to make sure the suspect wasn’t still in the building, the Forest Park police confirmed that the ATM was stolen.

Officers attempted to access the security cameras of the 7-Eleven location directly west of the property, at 7749 Roosevelt Rd, but the employee said that they wouldn’t be able to get access until the following morning. Officers also tried to access footage from the cameras mounted on the west side of the McGaffer’s building, and at the Portillo’s Hot Dogs location at 7740 Roosevelt Rd., but they weren’t able to get the footage from either source at the time of the report. The tavern doesn’t have internal security cameras. The review of the area traffic cameras didn’t give any leads.

The officers also questioned people living in the residential units above the tavern, but they reportedly didn’t see or hear anything.

McGaffer’s employees didn’t know how much cash was inside the ATM at the time of the burglary.

Man tries to stop air-conditioner theft

A man attempted to steal a window airconditioning unit from an apartment on the 1200 block of Elgin Avenue while the tenant was inside.

The victim told police that on June 13 at 2:32 p.m., he heard a pounding noise on his unit’s back door. He went to check it out and saw a man trying to remove his window air-conditioning unit. The victim confronted the suspect, causing the suspect to drop the AC unit on the ground and run north through the alley, then across Harlem Avenue. The victim said he caught up to the suspect, but the suspect took out a knife and told the victim not to come any closer. The victim gave up the chase. He said he last saw the suspect running east in the alley near the Harlem Avenue/Roosevelt Road intersection.

Subsequent investigation revealed that the rear screen door was torn and the door regulator connecting the screen door to the door frame was ripped up. There was no sign that the suspect ever made his way inside.

Retail theft

A customer attempted to scam the Bed, Bath and Beyond location at 215 Harlem Ave. by trying to pass off a few items she took off the shelf as returns and ran off with the items when the scam didn’t work.

On June 16 at 5:12 p.m., the security cameras captured the suspect enter the store with a shopping cart that reportedly only contained her belongings. She was then captured taking a pressure cooker and a comforter off the shelf, put them in the shopping cart and went to customer service, saying she was returning the items for a refund. The employee refused and the woman left the store.

The suspect then left the store with the items, and a man helped her load them into a 2007 Grey Hyundai Sonata. The pair got into the car and drove off, but the security camera captured the license plate. They were last seen heading south on Harlem Avenue.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, June 13-19, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.