WhistleStop Campaign

Walk With Me Tonight!

Holiday Office Hours

Dear Neighbors,

We are reinstituting the Whistlestop program, an effort used in our neighborhood in the 1970s to combat crime.

The WhistleStop program follows these rules. If you find yourself in a suspicious situation or witness a crime, blow your whistle. If you hear a whistle, call the police, then move toward the source while blowing your own whistle.

The goal is for people to gather around the scene of suspicious activity. It allows people to come to the victim’s aid, forces the offender to flee, and helps the police pinpoint the location of the crime.

Of course, use common sense. Do not blow your whistle if you think to do so would put yourself in danger, particularly from an armed criminal. But if you see a crime occurring out your window, open your door or window and blow the whistle.

We encourage people to put a whistle on their keychains. We have a limited supply of whistles at our ward office for pick-up. Many thanks to former Alderman Marty Oberman and several long-time neighbors, who still have their whistles on their keychains.

Public Safety Walks Continue

Tonight, I will be walking Montana from Montana and Sheffield to Surrey Ct. at 8:30 p.m. If you come on the safety walk, I'll have postcards and whistles with me to distribute.

After tonight's walk, I'll have walked every block in the 43rd Ward that has had an armed robbery or carjacking since Dec. 6.

I'll be walking next week as well, so stay tuned for updates.

I hope you will join me as you walk your dog or just take a stroll on your own block.

Write to Our Public Officials

Pick Up Some Postcards!

Every citizen and public official needs to work together to stop crime. While CPD does great work, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office and Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans need to increase their efforts to hold criminals accountable.

We were pleased to see Mayor Lightfoot announce that she supports a moratorium on the use of electronic monitoring for violent offenders and that she supports no bail for most violent criminals, including those charged with Felony Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Murder, Armed Vehicular Carjacking, Armed Robbery and more. As you know, I favor mandatory sentences for unlawful gun possession.

All of our neighborhood organizations are joining together with our office to mount a postcard writing campaign to seek accountability. You can pick up postcards now at:

43rd Ward Office, 2523 N Halsted (9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.)
Old Town Triangle Association Office, 1763 N. North Park
Corcoran's Grill & Pub, 1615 N Wells Street
Starbucks, 210 W North Avenue
Milito's Gas Station, 1108 W Fullerton
Lakeshore Sport and Fitness, 1320 W Fullerton
Starbucks, 1001 W Armitage
Chase Bank, 935 W Armitage
Armitage Direct, 925 W Armitage Avenue (entrance on Bissell)

Postcards are pre-addressed. Please write about your personal experience with crime and why the city needs the support of our State's Attorney and judicial system with appropriate prosecutions, sentences, and bail. Click here for sample postcard language, and more information about the campaign.

43rd Ward Holiday Office Closure and Shortened Hours

Due to the Christmas holiday, the 43rd Ward office will maintain the following hours and have the following closures.

Shortened Hours: Thursday, December 23rd, 2021: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tuesday, December 28th, 2021 - Thursday, December 30th, 2021: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Closed On: Friday, December 24th, 2021, Monday, December 27th, 2021, and Friday, December 31st, 2021

We will return to normal operation on Monday, January 3rd, 2022.

Please call 311 with service issues during that time. We hope you all have a healthy and safe holiday season!

New COVID Rules

Vaccinations Required at Venues and Restaurants

Beginning January 3

The Chicago Department of Public Health has announced that effective January 3, proof of vaccination will be required in many indoor public settings, including:

Indoor Dining: Establishments where food or beverages are served, including, but not limited to, restaurants, bars, fast-food establishments, coffee shops, tasting rooms, cafeterias, food courts, dining areas of grocery stores, breweries, wineries, distilleries, banquet halls, and hotel ballrooms; and
Indoor Fitness: Gyms and fitness venues, including, but not limited to, gyms, recreation facilities, fitness centers, yoga, Pilates, cycling, barre, and dance studios, hotel gyms, boxing and kickboxing gyms, fitness boot camps, and other facilities used for conducting indoor group fitness classes; and
Indoor entertainment and recreation venues where food or beverages are served: Including, but not limited to, movie theaters, music and concert venues, live performance venues, adult entertainment venues, commercial event and party venues, sports arenas, performing arts theaters, bowling alleys, arcades, card rooms, family entertainment centers, play areas, pool and billiard halls, and other recreational game centers.

Venues are required to check the vaccination status of all patrons age 5 and older. Entry to anyone 5 and older who has not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless an exception applies. Businesses that do not comply with this policy will be subject to fines. For full details of the public health order, click here.

I am very relieved that the City of Chicago is joining New York City in requiring proof of vaccination. Every person in the City who is eligible should get a vaccine, whether or not you fear getting COVID. This is part of our duty as residents - to protect ourselves, and others.

While breakthrough cases are increasing, the City's data shows that the risk of hospitalization and death is FIVE TIMES higher for unvaccinated individuals.

We express our thanks and our gratitude to the many entertainment venues, restaurants, and other places that support this rule and the only way to finally make it safe for businesses to operate and speed the end of this pandemic.

Please - get a vaccine over the holiday - to support our lives, our community, and our businesses.

Community Events

New Year's Day PJ Brunch at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba

Saturday, January 1, 2022

9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Reserve your spot here.

Wear your favorite pair of cozy pajamas and head into Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! for their annual New Year’s Day Pajama Brunch on Saturday, January 1, 2022, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. You can dine in your pajamas and receive a Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! gift card EQUAL to the price of your meal (minus tax and gratuity) for a future visit.

Reservations recommended. Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba’s! Patio is first come, first serve. Book your reservation now or call us at 773-935-5000.

Park West Co-op Nursery School Prospective Parent Open House

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

7 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Park West Co-Op Preschool is celebrating 50 years this year. Join them for their preschool program for 2022-2023. They are leading experts in early childhood education and resource-rich learning environments. They also have financial aid programs available. To register for the open house, click here.

For more information on Park West Co-Op Nursery School, click here.