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Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Oak Park trustee urges fast action in response to racial equity report
From afar, many view Oak Park as a place of racial harmony where integration and equity are strong community values. But a recent 66-page racial equity assessment commissioned by the village of Oak Park and performed by scholars from the University of Illinois at Chicago Great Cities Institute indicates there remains much work to do for Oak Park to make its citizens feel included and valued. The assessment, which was conducted mostly in 2023 was presented to the Oak Park Village Board on July 1, a timeline that frustrated at least one Village Board member. 'I think we are probably leading the nation in discussing these things,' said Corey Wesley, one of two Black trustees. 'What I want to know is, what are we doing about these things?' The assessment was based on interviews with village staff, members of municipal boards and commissions and a survey that was answered by 557 people. It did not include interviews with Village Board members other than village President Vicki Scaman, an omission that irked Wesley. Many people interviewed for the survey stated that the reality in Oak Park does not match the village's image. 'Racism exists every single day in the village of Oak Park,' Scaman said as the results of the assessment were presented. 'What the brochure looks like and the reality don't always match. We have work to do.' The assessment states many Black people in Oak Park don't feel included in the village and don't feel as much of a sense of belonging as white residents. Black residents also are underrepresented on village commissions. 'The ultimate goal here is that more people here in Oak Park have a sense of ownership in our community,' Scaman said. 'We're launching a whole other way of governing. This report starts from a place of truth.' The assessment indicates white residents of Oak Park are, on average, wealthier than the village's Black and Hispanic residents. The median annual household income for white households in Oak Park is $124,609 compared to $85,506 for Hispanic households and $62,320 for Black households. Among households in Oak Park that are considered poor, 36% are classified as white, 34% are Black, 11% are Asian and 10% are Hispanic. According to the assessment, approximately 60% of the residents of Oak Park are white, 18% are Black, 10% are Hispanic, 6% are mixed race and 5% are Asian. The assessment also noted class differences in Oak Park, with homeowners having a median annual income of $141,471 compared to $56,810 for renters. It also noted a divide between north Oak Park, where homes and lots are larger, and south Oak Park, where homes are more modest and lot sizes significantly smaller. Wesley and village board Brian Straw, who is white, have argued that Oak Park should encourage increased housing density and making housing in Oak Park more affordable, which would encourage more racial diversity. 'We should find the things that are broken and fix it,' Wesley said. The assessment noted that a municipal reparations program, which has been studied, would likely not survive a legal challenge. A preliminary investigation indicated there is not sufficient evidence of racial discrimination by the village to survive the strict legal standard that courts apply in cases where government treats people differently on the basis of race. It noted when the village put out a request for proposal for someone to research historical evidence of racial discrimination by the village that could justify a reparations program, the village did not get a single response. Oak Park officials still are considering whether to issue a formal apology as part of recognizing harms caused by past practices and still may consider reparations. The village is conducting a racial equity policy audit to consider the racial impact of all village policies. The audit is expected to be completed in about six months. When that is complete village staff will create a Racial Action Plan which the Village Board would then review. Wesley, however, pressed for faster action. 'If we want to build trust for our community let's show that we're actually moving on these things quickly, as quickly as they come up versus a year from now,' Wesley said. 'I want to move quicker and I want to have more impact than we're having.'
Chicago Tribune
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Oak Park officials mull adding protections for gender affirming care
The Oak Park Village Board is poised next month to add an article to its Human Rights Ordinance that would protect gender affirming care. The proposal comes in the wake of a Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of a Tennessee law that outlaws gender affirming care for minors in that state. After reviewing a draft ordinance during its first reading at the July 1 Oak Park Village Board meeting and hearing public comment from three Oak Park residents, the board will likely vote Aug. 5 on adding protections for gender affirming care, which is care that supports gender transitions or sex changes, to the village's Human Rights Ordinance, though officials said they are gathering further input. Language in the draft ordinance indicates more than 20 states, but not Illinois, have 'banned or severely limited health care to align a young person's body with their gender identity.' No board members expressed any opposition to the draft ordinance at the July meeting. 'I think it's a good ordinance and I support it,' said board member Jim Taglia. Resident Aaron McManus, said that the ordinance was good but wanted it to go further. He asked the board for further protections, including making Oak Park a sanctuary city for trans people and adding privacy protections. 'So great start — thanks again — but you've still got some work to do,' McManus said. 'And again I'd like to advocate for a public declaration of the sanctuary status.' Board members were open to adding sanctuary status in the future. 'This is a great first step,' said board member Brian Straw. 'I do want to see us go further on the path to being a sanctuary village for trans and queer individuals.' Village Board member Cory Wesley wanted to know if there are any communities in the United States that have declared themselves to be trans sanctuaries. Village President Vicki Scaman said that she wanted to reach out to groups such as Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or PFLAG, for input and also reach out other units of local government such as Oak Park Township and area school districts before voting on the ordinance. Village manager Kevin Jackson said he would also solicit views from the village's Community Relations Commission before bringing back the proposed ordinance for a vote. One person who made a public comment, who asked Pioneer Press not to name her because of safety concerns, said she supported the ordinance but worried that the ordinance could increase the visibility of the issue and thus put trans individuals at risk. 'I worry that we are inviting unwanted attention,' she said during her public comment. That was a concern that board members took seriously. 'The last thing we want to do in crafting protections is to put people at risk,' Wesley said. Assistant village manager Kira Tchang said the push for the ordinance came about because the LGBTQ community is under attack. The draft ordinance would prohibit any village agent or agency from providing information about or investigating or aiding in any investigation of a person or entity providing or receiving gender affirming care obtained in conformance with the laws of the state of Illinois. The immediate impact of the ordinance would be mostly symbolic because Illinois already has a law, passed in 2023, that protects medical providers who perform gender affirming care and protects access to gender affirming care. The draft ordinance also requires the village of Oak Park to object to any subpoena or request for records for information from any out of state person or entity for the purposes of investigating a law criminalizing gender affirming care or creating civil liability for gender affirming care. This also largely mirrors existing state law.
Chicago Tribune
03-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Oak Park cop who arrested Allan Reddins killing suspect awarded Medal of Valor
Oak Park police Sgt. Derrick Verge received the Police Medal of Valor from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police for shooting and arresting the man who is charged with killing Oak Park police Det. Allan Reddins last November. Verge, a 21 year veteran of the Oak Park Police Department received the award at the July 1 meeting of the Oak Park Village Board. On Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving last year, Verge was responding to a domestic incident when he heard of a report of a shooting in downtown Oak Park. Verge ran through Scoville Park and found the shooter still armed and taking cover behind a concrete pillar by the main branch of the Oak Park Public Library. 'Recognizing the immediate deadly threat posed to the public and his fellow officers, Sgt. Verge fired two rounds striking and downing the shooter from a distance of 40 yards,' said Vernon Hills Police Chief Patrick Kreis, the vice president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, while presenting Verge with a medal. 'Sgt. Verge and other officers approached the downed suspect, secured the nine millimeter pistol he had used, placed him under arrest and administered first aid to treat his wounds.' The suspect, Jerrell Thomas of Chicago, is facing multiple charges including first degree murder, attempted murder, possession of a stolen firearm and unlawful use of a weapon. His case is still pending. Verge grew up in Oak Park and previously served as a school resource officer as well as in many other roles in the Oak Park Police Department. 'He has dedicated himself to a life of service,' said Oak Park police Chief Shatonya Johnson.
Chicago Tribune
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Oak Park trustee Susan Buchanan once targeted by InfoWars resigns, citing burnout
Susan Buchanan, a leading advocate of climate action and sustainability, has resigned from the Oak Park Village Board, leaving the board with a vacancy until a replacement is appointed. Buchanan unexpectedly resigned her position on the Village Board on May 9 with two years left on her term, saying she was burned out and no longer had the bandwidth to serve. The recent death of her two parents within seven months brought things to a head, and she felt that she no longer could serve. 'I think I was kind of burned out for the whole last year,' Buchanan said in a telephone interview. 'Just feeling less interested. The leaf ban was an especially annoying time and I got to the point of sending my siblings copies of the angry letters I would get just for the entertainment value because it all seemed so silly.' Last year the Village Board voted to require Oak Park homeowners residents to bag their leaves instead of just raking their leaves into the street as they had been accustomed to doing. The change was controversial and generated strong opposition. Buchanan said she got tired of dealing with the vitriolic emails that came to her and other board members on that and a host of other issues. She got her first and perhaps worse taste of that vitriol in the fall of 2019, less than six months into her first term on the Village Board. Buchanan received threats that caused her and her family to leave their home for a couple days after she had what she described in retrospect as a 'hissy fit' when she told two white male Village Board members, Deno Andrews and Dan Moroney, to 'shut up' when they asked for the term 'systems of oppression' to be clarified during a discussion of the village's diversity statement. Despite apologizing for the comment after the meeting, her 'shut up' comment went viral when a video of her comment was posted on Infowars, the website hosted by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. That was a difficult time but did not dissuade Buchanan from running for reelection in 2023. After finishing first in a field of 11 candidates in 2019 Buchanan finished third in a five candidate field in 2023, but was reelected. Other issues, such as the debate over how to handle the migrant crisis and the Village Board's refusal to adopt a resolution calling for a cease fire in the Gaza War, also generated a stream of angry emails that wore Buchanan down. 'We would get these waves of template emails where one particular activist group would write a template email and we would get dozens of the exact same email,' Buchanan said. Buchanan, a physician and a professor for UI Health, was known for her advocacy for sustainability and climate issues and for stronger police oversight. She was proud of her role in passing the village's climate action plan. And she said that was proud of getting a COVID-19 vaccine skeptic removed from the village's Board of Health. Looking back Buchanan said that she just gradually lost her zest for the job. 'I can't really explain it,' Buchanan said. 'I'm not sure why I went from finding it really stimulating and exciting to go to meetings to actually not wanting to go to meetings or do the prep work that was required.' At the May 13 Village Board meeting, the first meeting since Buchanan resigned, current board members who served with Buchanan praised her. 'She was a great mentor and always championed the right causes,' said Trustee Chibuike Enyia. Trustee Cory Wesley said Buchanan will be missed. 'She's been a great ally on this board table — even when we disagree, and she's always given me a different view and perspective on a number of different things,' Wesley said. 'I'll miss having her here to talk things through and also a lot of those jokes that don't make it on the microphone.' Recently reelected Village President Vicki Scaman also praised Buchanan, who endorsed her in the recent village president election. 'Susan pushed us outside of our comfort zone in the right direction on several topics,' Scaman said, highlighting Buchanan's advocacy on sustainability and police reform. 'She really reminded us, at every opportunity, our obligation, from her perspective, to move forward, to make progress on those things that were, as she perceived them, most important. Scaman has 60 days to appoint a replacement to serve out the remaining two years of Buchanan's term and then the Village Board has 30 days to approve Scaman's nominee. Because Buchanan's resignation came as a surprise, Scaman is just beginning to think about how to go about finding a replacement. Scaman said that she has not yet decided whether to have a formal application process to fill the vacancy as she did in 2022 when then board member Arti Walker-Peddakotia resigned from the board, but is leaning against it. In 2022 Scaman ended up appointing Wesley who had finished fourth in 2019 village board election, just 51 votes behind Walker-Peddakotia. Such a process is not required by law. In the April election, Lucia Robinson, who was running for a second term on the board, finished fourth receiving 5,116 votes but finished 1,099 votes behind third place finisher Jim Taglia. 'She's definitely somebody that I have enjoyed working with immensely,' Scaman said, adding that Robinson was a hard worker and came to every board meeting very prepared. But Scaman said that she will consider a variety of factors and is not yet focused on anyone in particular because she has been processing Buchanan's departure from the board. Scaman said she will be looking for someone who cares about the same issues as Buchanan did, but she will also look at the skill set of those currently on the board and think about what the board needs in terms of skills, perspectives and representation. 'I'm starting with a bit of a listening tour with my colleagues,' Scaman said. Scaman said that she would prefer to make her appointment fairly quickly, noting that the board is about to begin a goal setting process. 'If at all possible I would want to land on a decision much sooner than the 60 days,' Scaman said.
Chicago Tribune
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Village Hall plans among Oak Park issues in Village Board race
Five candidates are running for three seats on the Oak Park Village Board in the April 1 election. Incumbents Chibuike Enyia and Lucia Robinson are running for second terms while former Village Board member James Taglia is seeking to return to the board. First time candidates Jenna Leving Jacobson and Joshua Vanderberg round out the field. At candidate forums, there have been no huge disagreements among the candidates but differences in tone and emphasis have become apparent. Leving Jacobson and Enyia are the favorites of progressive activists while Robinson seems to be in the middle with Taglia and Vanderberg promoting a business friendly approach and emphasizing the need to control costs and limit taxes. Leving Jacobson is a leader of the local Moms Demand Action gun control group. She is an adjunct professor of Spanish at Dominican University and earned a doctorate in Romance Languages and Literature from the University of Chicago. Enyia works as the manager of community engagement at the Oak Park Public Library. Robinson is a corporate lawyer. Taglia is a business owner who is an accountant by trade and Vanderberg describes himself as a serial entrepreneur. All the candidates agree that Oak Park needs a standalone police station — the current police station is located in the basement of the Oak Park Village Hall. They also agree the current village hall should not be demolished, but are concerned about the costs of an extensive renovation of the building. 'The police station is something that has to happen,' Enyia said at a recent candidate forum noting that the current police station is dark and not an inviting place to work and hurts Oak Park's ability to attract and retain police officers. Enyia also said Village Hall must be made more accessible. 'You want to walk into a building with dignity no matter how old you are,' Enyia said. Taglia said at a recent campaign forum some improvements need to be made at Village Hall but he is not in favor of extensive changes. 'I think cooler heads need to prevail,' Taglia said. Leving Jacobson agreed. 'I think it's gotten out of hand,' said Leving Jacobson of some of the proposals to redo Village Hall. 'I think the current proposal is too big and too expensive.' Taglia was appointed to the Village Board in 2017 and served until 2023 when his reelection bid was defeated, finishing fourth in a five candidate race. But Taglia's effort in 2023 was hindered by a back injury and infection which limited his ability to campaign. He is now fully healthy again and said he loves public service and is anxious to serve again. Taglia was an Oak Park Township Trustee for seven years before being appointed to the Village Board. Vanderberg questioned the need for a Village Hall as large as the current one because young people use technology to pay bills and access government while many employees now work from home. 'If they're going to be paying a water bill they're going to be looking for an app,' Vanderberg said. 'I come from the tech space. We need to build a Village Hall for the next generation. I'm really worried that we're going to build a Village Hall for the last generation and not the next generation of workers and citizens.' How to increase affordable housing in Oak Park is an issue where differences were apparent. 'The main problem with affordable housing in Oak Park is we just haven't built enough,' said Vanderberg before saying that he thinks the village's zoning ordinance should be streamlined to allow more density. Robinson, who grew up in Oak Park, said the village's housing trust fund should be used to promote home ownership as well as to support affordable rental units. She said existing affordable housing must be protected and also promoted the adaptive reuse of buildings.
