Public Safety Meeting
New Police Cameras
Airbnb Reform Passes
Francis Parker Community Meeting
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Dear Neighbors,
We are using ward menu funds to place additional police cameras in our community.
Several new cameras will be installed in the coming days in Old Town, the Gold Coast, and Lincoln Park. The locations were determined in conjunction with our 18th and 19th District Police commanders.
As we said in a previous newsletter, this is part of our ongoing effort to ensure that our community members are safe and that our law enforcement personnel have the best available tools to solve and prevent crimes.
Additionally, we learned this week that more than 500 arrests have been made in last six weeks as a result of cooperation between federal agencies and the Chicago Police Department. The Sun-Times reported 90 federal gun charges and 30 federal drug charges have been filed thus far, with the rest of the arrests being charged at the County level. |
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43rd Ward Public Safety Forum
Wednesday, September 23
6:00 p.m.
I am hosting a public safety forum to discuss our heightened concerns about crime in our Ward and on the Near North Side. Commanders Jill Stevens (18th District) Chris Papaioannou (19th) and other speakers will discuss the current state of affairs, progress under the City's new public safety strategy, crime statistics, and safety advice for our community.
Please join us at this important conversation to ask your questions and concerns addressed. Please email us questions at yourvoice@ward43.org. We would like to collect as many questions as possible in advance to make sure we have answers at the meeting. |
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Short-Term Rental Reforms Passed
We have fought hard to put a stop to "party houses," and by unanimous vote at this week's City Council meeting, we passed an ordinance further regulating short-term rentals.
Residents will now have the right to ban short-term rentals in their precinct by collecting a petition with 25% of the registered voters.
As mentioned in our earlier newsletter, It also requires those applying to host short-term rentals to submit their applications directly to the city, rather than through companies like Airbnb and HomeAway.
This ordinance will make it easier for the city to locate, fine and put bad hosts out of business for crimes, illegal parties and overcrowding, while lowering the threshold for revocation for other nuisance conditions.
The ordinance also bans one-night stays, which can be lifted after the police and Commissioner of Business Affairs believe it is safe to do so in light of the safety issues that have surrounded short-term rentals during the pandemic.
CBS2 covered the story, which featured our Old Town resident Diane Fitzgerald. I said,
“This ordinance is a needed change; for too long, communities have suffered from out of control ‘party houses,’ in my ward and throughout the city. Now Chicago residents who want to restrict short term rentals in their community will be able to petition to keep them out of their precinct.”
If you are interested in starting a petition in your precinct, look over this link, and please contact our office. This provision will take effect in about 40 days, so we will let you know when this process can begin.
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District 18 Armed Robberies
Chicago Police have issued an alert about a pattern of armed robberies in the 18th District. One of these incidents took place in the 43rd Ward.
According to the alert, the offenders approach the victim and engage in conversation. The offenders will then produce a firearm and announce a robbery. The offenders take property from the victim before fleeing the area.
Times and locations:
• 1800 block of North Dayton St., Monday, August 24, 2020 in the morning.
• 800 block of North Michigan Ave., Thursday, August 27, 2020 in the evening.
• 600 block of North Kingsbury St., Thursday, August 27, 2020 in the evening.
• 400 block of North New St., Saturday, September 5, 2020 in the morning.
About the Offenders:
Two Male, African Americans, 5'08"-6'01", 140-165 lbs., 17-25 years of age,
If you have any information, contact Bureau of Detectives – Area 3 (312) 744-8263.
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Francis Parker Community Meeting
Wednesday, September 16
6:00 p.m.
Please join my office at a meeting to receive information on proposed plans to expand the Francis W. Parker school. In a letter dated August 24th, Parker informed the community that they had recently acquired the property located at 317-325 West Belden Avenue and that their plan is to incorporate the existing building into their campus while preserving the building’s façade. As a result of this announcement, I am requiring Parker to present their plans to the community.
The school’s team and their representatives will provide an overview of their concepts to redevelop the property and will answer questions from the audience. My office will conduct the discussion, take notes and record your comments.
You can sign up here to participate in this virtual Zoom meeting. Here is our full announcement, and here is Parker's letter to the community for your information. |
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Remote Learning Assistance
JCC Chicago, a nonprofit community organization, is offering seven hours of care for children from grades K-8 at 1535 N. Dayton, the Drucker Center at Menomonee Club.
Learning pods consisting of 8-15 students and two staff members to support e-learning. Pods will not intermingle and mask wearing, hand washing, health surveys, and daily temperature checks will all be part of our daily health measures.
Two and three day options are also available.
To learn more and to register, visit here.
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Walk the Pond
Please join the Lincoln Park Conservancy 2020 Walk the Pond virtual event.
The outdoors can be a wonderful resource to de-stress and center ourselves and our families! Get outside and post a pic of your nature exploration, tagging the Conservancy #walkthepond.
Register here for access to fun and educational nature activities, which can also serve as a break from screen time for kids or adults alike. Earn virtual badges weekly for posting your pictures or trying downloadable nature activities. Your fourth and final badge earns you a physical prize of your choosing: Conservancy water bottle, Conservancy picnic blanket, Walk the Pond youth t-shirt, or canvas bag.
Walk the Pond will run September 26th - October 31st. Register today! It's free to participate, with a $20 donation encouraged for each family or group. Proceeds benefit the Conservancy’s restoration of North Pond.
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Report Stray Divvy Bikes
If you see Divvy Bikes in the community that are not docked, please report them to 311 or Tweet @DivvyBikes to have them picked up.
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Chicago Police Seeking To Identify
The Area 3 Looting Task Force is seeking to identify these individuals related to the burglary/looting of Luxury Eyesight located at 1457 N Halsted Street on August 10th, 2020 at 3:30 a.m. - 4:45 a.m.
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Outdoor Dining Options This Weekend
Feast on Lincoln
Saturday 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Extended Through Sept. 30!
Catch a great meal evenings and brunch in a socially-distanced and safe setting at these restaurants:
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Patio on Schubert
Friday 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Saturday 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sunday 3:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Neighborhood favorites Sapori Trattoria, Tandoor Charhouse, and Mayan Palace have a spot reserved for you on Schubert this weekend.
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What's Open for Business?
With a slow and steady return to business, we wanted to highlight businesses that are up and running. Please send us an email at yourvoice@ward43.org and let us know you're open for business!
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Support our Neighborhood Restaurants
New Restaurants
Division Street Dining
Opening a restaurant during a pandemic is a challenge, so please check out these new restaurants which you might be unfamiliar:
Brown Bag Seafood just opened at 746 W Webster (in the Toast space) - with free delivery!
Stray Hen Cafe, 2423 N Clark Street, offering daily breakfast and lunch
And in the Gold Coast, Division Street between Dearborn and State will be open 7 days a week, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. with favorites like Shennanigan's and Butch McGuire's.
Please patronize our neighborhood businesses as much as possible and try to order directly from the restaurant. Thanks to all you who are writing to us to include your favorite restaurants. Keep it coming!
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Enjoy the summer weather - and wear a mask. |
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