Tag: Oak Park Illinois

Sen. Harmon of Oak Park an uber-loyal Democrat

It’s this Madigan budget. If party loyalty is Sen. Don Harmon’s (D-Oak Park) strong suit, as in his voting to short-change Oak Park schools, then it’s no surprise that he voted for the Madigan budget, with its absurd $7-billion deficit. On the minority side of a 17-31 vote, no less!

You dance with the one who brought you, of course. Harmon knows (and endorses) that. Where would he be without the party? So he went with the leadership, such as it is, and let the devil take the hindmost.

You can read more about Harmon, Rep. Camille Lilly, and others of the Ruling Party in my new book, Illinois Blues: How the Ruling Party Talks to Voters, available also in Kindle format.

Oak Park hate crime not out of poverty

Image representing Zillow as depicted in Crunc...
Image via CrunchBase All about addresses.

The black-on-white hate crime with which an Oak Park man is charged was committed in the village’s NW quadrant, its most affluent, and the offender has a NW quadrant address, Fox-Chicago reports, using a fuller, updated Sun-Times Media account that gives this info:

Alton L. Hayes III, of 1233 N. Woodbine Ave., was allegedly one of two people who attacked a man walking on the 600 block of North Kenilworth Avenue at 12:45 a.m. Tuesday.

The address is for a single family home, 2195 square feet, with 2 1/2 baths, price estimated by Zillow at $487,000. Nice digs.

Angels on the job in Oak Park

Oak Leaves star Bill Dwyer has this about Guardian Angels in Oak Park:

The Guardian Angels have begun citizen patrols along the CTA Green Line after five women have been choked or beaten and robbed in Oak Park.

Oak Park police are warning women to use caution when out alone following two more violent robberies on April 19. One victim was taken to the hospital for treatment of facial injuries.

Five robbery attacks have targeted lone women since March 30. Police increased area patrols following the third attack, and they are circulating a sketch of the assailant based on the third victim’s detailed description.

Had it four days ago, in fact, but nothing yet from Wednesday Journal, which has been otherwise keeping up with the one-man crime wave.

I just passed two of them, by the way, walking north on Grove having turned off Washington. Looked up as I strolled 8:15 or so in the gloaming and saw them coming in white sweat shirts and red berets. Good for them.

Citizen comments on the latest Journal story include call for citizen night patrols by which to “take back Oak Park.” There’s also a computer-generated composite picture of the attacker based on a description given by the third victim. He was described as black, about 5-foot 9 inches tall, 200 pounds, medium build.

Comments also inevitably included complaints about police inability so far to do anything about this. One commenter, “Brad from Oak Park” called it

Very interesting – last night I saw a guy walking on the East Side of Oak Park Avenue, northbound, just sound of the Green Line. He passed the Green Line entrance and continued under the viaduct. His facial features resembled this composite sketch, but he had dred-locked hair, about chin length. I guess I’m profiling now, but he looked out of place and like he had a menacing/up-to-no-good look about him. Bottom line, this guy is not going to get caught unless the police start to profile.

Notice the semi-apology for “profiling” followed by his “bottom line” assessment that the guy won’t be caught unless the police “start to profile.” Like for getting terrorists. There’s dumb profiling and smart profiling, as in any human endeavor.  Why not do it the smart way with black muggers?

You know, like with serial killers on the TV shows.

Oak Park item: Mary Anne Brown a lady

The RC Knights of the Holy Sepulchre are in Chi this year for initiation of new members. 

This year’s Investiture Mass will take place at Holy Name Cathedral on Sunday, September 18 and will be celebrated by our Grand Prior, Francis Cardinal George, KGCHS.

And Oak Park’s own Mary Anne Brown, head lady at Hephzibah Home, and her husband Max are heading up arrangements.

Your hosts Sir Max and Lady Mary Anne Brown are working with many of your fellow knights and ladies to make this a truly memorable event. . . .  If you have any questions feel free to email Max at dr.tort@comcast.net.

May our Lady of Palestine bless you.

— Charles H. Foos, KC*HS, Lieutenant

The knights are a 900–year-old fraternal and benevolent organization that raises money for the church in the Holy Land:

This past year, members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem sent almost €8 million ($10.7 million) in donations to the Holy Land.

Cardinal John Foley, grand master of the order, reported this Saturday in London at a lieutenancy meeting regarding the projects the organization is supporting.

He noted the commitment of the order “to the continued existence of a Christian presence in the Holy Land, defined as Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories and Cyprus.”

Part of this funding went to support Benedict XVI’s visit to Cyprus earlier this year, and another is going to help in the construction of a Latin Catholic church in Aqaba, Jordan.

Members are nominated by the local bishop, in this case Cardinal George.

Rumbles of discontent about Oak Park referendum

Heard in YMCA locker room Monday morning: Even in Oak Park people are sick of irresponsible spending. If the referendum wins? “On with the irresponsible spending!” said one.

Two guys in early 30s talking, I suspect teachers because of reference to coming off spring break but also because talk was of reading and writing, as the book that one said would help his own writing.

One pool-rat conversation doth not a referendum defeat, of course, but the argument is there: the national unease with taxes and spending is a truism by now, in which respect one cannot imagine a worse time for this District 97 vote tomorrow.

Wis. Dems have Dem Socialist leader

Dem Socialists exposed among Wisconsin senators who fled.

They are very vocal in Oak Park, where they tried for a “living wage” ordinance and failed.

It’s one of them I heard at a meeting of Oak Park lefties that in his speech the night before, Obama had given them “permission to hate insurance companies,” about which questioned, he specified “health insurance.” Gotta get those things straight.

“Be happy, not gay” can be said in school!

Be happy, be vocal. Get it off your chest by putting it on your chest. Now it can be done at (Dist. 204, Neuqua) Valley High, thanks to pursuit of the matter in the courts by an inadequately celebrated free-speech protector, Alliance Defense Fund.

Very yucky business, this quelling of dissent. Rampant among us, as in (liberal) Oak Park, where gays & lesbians squelched the reverend who wanted to discuss changing from g&l to straight. Gays & L’s, feeling their oats in our fair village, put their feet down, and the guy lost his venue. Fascist behavior, I say.