[in person] 24th Police District Council - Rogers Park/West Ridge/Edgewater Glen

Criminal Justice

Sunday, March 10, 2024
3:00 p.m. — 4:30 p.m. CDT

6000 N Broadway, Chicago, Illinois 60660 Chicago, IL 60660 (Directions)

Edgewater Branch Library

This is an in-person assignment and will include an additional hour of pay. PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK the meeting details on the day of your assignment, as dates and locations sometimes change.

Pre-Research Resources

City Bureau: “Can the Neighbors We Elect to Police District Councils Redefine Public Safety?”
City Bureau” “Chicago’s New Police District Councils, 4 Months In”
Find My Beat and District: Interactive map of police district boundaries
Chicago Reader/Block Club Chicago: Information about the candidates who ran for this council in the municipal elections
The TRiiBE: “ECPS coalition wins a wide majority of Chicago’s new Police District Council seats”

Check the source website for additional information

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Note-taking by Erwin Lopez Rada

The community showed concerns about the interactions between Chicago Police officers and migrants asking for help next to neighborhood businesses.

View notes

Live reporting by Eliza Grady

The community also showed concerns about the interactions between Chicago Police officers and migrants asking for help next to neighborhood businesses.

Twitter author @unknown

Hello! I’ll be covering today's 24th Police District Council, hosted by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), taking place at A Just Harvest, 7649 N Paulina.
@CHIdocumenters
#CHIDocumenters

03:34 PM Mar 10, 2024 CDT

Twitter author @unknown 2/17

Find the meeting agenda here -

chicago.gov/city/en/depts/…

Twitter author @unknown 3/17

The meeting is now open to public comment. Public commentors have 2mins to address the council.

Twitter author @unknown 4/17

The first commentor is sharing -
"What is the 24th district opinion on block clubs?"
This commentor is interested in implementing a block club in their neighborhood and wanted to know what the council views on these community groups.

Twitter author @unknown 5/17

In response -
Council members shared that they are still in the process of getting to know these community groups. They "encourage" block clubs to contact the council, especially if they want to add an agenda item.

Twitter author @unknown 6/17

Another council members response - "it's complicated"
This member spoke to the racist history of block clubs. "When they are weaponized, I don't like them".
"Let's make sure they are done in a way that is more neighborly than aggressive"

Twitter author @unknown 7/17

The last council member responded -
"Block clubs should be about community building"

Twitter author @unknown 8/17

Overall, it seems like the council is aware of how these tools and groups can be abused to further police and implement racist beliefs. Their seem focused on safety through community building over enforcement.

Twitter author @unknown 9/17

Here's a great quote from a council member -
"clubs can become exclusive"

Twitter author @unknown 10/17

A second commentor is addressing the council -
They shared unique feedback The Policing Project gathered in response to the question "What makes you feel safe?"
Chicago responses indicated that people felt alone - meaning they didn't have a group to go to for safety.

Twitter author @unknown 11/17

A zoom question for the commander is being addressed -
This community member is asking what the protocol on addressing loitering outside of grocery stores.

Twitter author @unknown 12/17

In response, the commander shared -
"Retail loitering is different from public way. It should be considered more a public assist, than police action"

Twitter author @unknown 13/17

In relation to this concern, another community member is asking "what effort is needed to address organized crime?"
This is refence to the belief that organized robberies are very common in the area.

Twitter author @unknown 14/17

In response, the commander shared -
When an organized crime group acts, information is shared amongst the council districts. With this info, councils try to provide a more "visible presence".

Twitter author @unknown 15/17

The meeting is being called. The next meeting is at 1545 W Morris @ 630pm, Wednesday April 17th

Twitter author @unknown 16/17

This meeting ended at 3:55pm today. Overall, the environment was relaxed, honest and collaborative.

Twitter author @unknown 17/17

An important meeting update:
Edvette W. Jones, the Community Engagement council member for District 24 is leaving the council.
This was their last meeting. For those interested in applying to #DC024 should email Veronica I. Arreola Veronica.Arreola@cityofchicago.org

View thread

Agency Information

Chicago Police District Councils

See meeting notes for details

www.chicago.gov

See Documenters reporting

Each of the 22 District Councils is made up of three people elected by residents of the police district in regular municipal elections every four years, though anyone can participate in District Council work, and the more people who participate, the more effective the District Councils can be. The first District Council elections occurred in February 2023. Just as Chicagoans vote for a mayor and a local ward Alderperson, they also vote for up to three people to serve on the District Council.

The District Councils have several key roles:

Building stronger connections between the police and the community at the district level, where the community is a true partner in making the neighborhood safer. They can work with the police to address problems and set priorities.
Collaborating in the development and implementation of community policing initiatives.
Holding monthly public meetings, where residents can work on local initiatives rooted in community concerns and priorities. They can also raise and work to address concerns about policing in the district, and increase accountability.
Working with the community to get input on police department policies and practices. Working to develop and expand restorative justice and similar programs in the police district.
Ensuring that the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability gets input from the community, so that the Commission’s work will be based on what people in neighborhoods across the city are concerned about.
Nominating members of the Community Commission. Anyone who serves on the Community Commission must first have the support of elected District Council members.

(Source: Municipal Code of Chicago, 2-80-070(a) and (e))

For a map of police districts, visit https://www.chicagocityscape.com/maps/index.php#/?places_type=chipolicedistrict.