[in person] 14th Police District Council - Logan Square/Humboldt Park/Wicker Park

Criminal Justice

Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023
1:00 p.m. — 2:30 p.m. CST

3009 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60618 Chicago, IL 60618 (Directions)

VFW Post 2978, Event Hall

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. As of this writing, this meeting is listed in the 2023 meeting schedule but an agenda has not yet been posted.

Pre-Research Resources

The TRiiBE: “ECPS coalition wins a wide majority of Chicago’s new Police District Council seats”
City of Chicago: Official District Council webpage
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

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Note-taking by Mona Tong

There have been numerous reports of inappropriate behavior from police in the 14th District, including an instance in which an officer showed up to a home with a gun and told migrants staying there to go to the police station with their belongings.

View notes

Live reporting by Sonal Soni

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_

Happy Saturday Chicago! I'm livetweeting today's 14th Police District Council meeting at 1 PM - held in person at the Humboldt Park Library - for @CHIdocumenters #CHIdocumenters. Stay tuned to this thread for updates!

11:57 AM Dec 2, 2023 CST

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 2/24

@CHIdocumenters This meeting will not be livestreamed, according to the notice posted online. Access that information including today's agenda items, past meeting minutes and more about Chicago's police district councils.

chicago.gov/city/en/depts/…

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 3/24

Council elections occurred in February 2023. For the first time, Chicagoans voted for up to 3 people to serve on their respective councils, similar to voting for mayor or local alderperson. An explainer by @city_bureau @delvecchiograce takes a deeper look:

citybureau.org/newswire/were-…

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 4/24

The 14th district council members include Christopher Laurent (chair), Ashley Vargas (nominating committee) and David Orlikoff (community engagement).
Community members continue to trickle in to the meeting room at 1 PM and the council waits to start.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 5/24

A notable agenda item includes updates and a discussion over the Treatment Not Trauma initiative.
The meeting is called to order at 1:10pm and roll call is underway, starting with public comments.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 6/24

One meeting attendee asks about the purpose of the council. Members introduce themselves and their rolls and responsibilities.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 7/24

The council helps hold police more accountable and promotes public safety through community engagement, says Laurent.
"Broadly speaking, I find our role in three ways: Police accountability, restorative justice and public safety," Orlikoff adds.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 8/24

Members of the public bring up a common issue - concerns over the current arbitration process announced earlier this Oct.
"Police officers accused of misconduct can go through an arbitration process away from the public, essentially," explains one community organizer.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 9/24

Read more about the agreement between the Mayor's office and Fraternal Order of Police:

chicago.gov/city/en/depts/…

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 10/24

The public comment portion comes to an end.
Vargas talks about one incident involving a 14th district police officer who attempted to intimidate a migrant with firearms. That has been brought to the attention of the Inspector General's Office, Vargas says.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 11/24

Orlikoff brings up another incident impacting folks in the area.
"I've been told by multiple community members that there's a pattern of targeting and harassment that drove a huge group out of [a local] charity network," Orlikoff says.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 12/24

Orlikoff expands on the community-faced impacts that result when central spaces are targeted. Outreach organizations often provide resources for primarily marginalized residents. Obstructing access from donations and community events disproportionately affects those folks.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 13/24

According to Orlikoff, the 14th district police commander didn't have direct knowledge of this incident - where officers raided a local community event that featured poetry readings.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 14/24

"What seems [to be the] obvious situation was that there was an expectation that there would have been illegal alcohol sales or ticket sales...none of which was the case," Orlikoff says.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 15/24

Orlikoff describes his efforts to assure community spaces, like the poetry event, operate free of police harassment.
"Unfortunately, I did not get a formative response to that," Orlikoff says.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 16/24

"There were no violations, no need for further licensing or permits - even though that's not the jurisdiction of the police," Orlikoff says, adding that the police department's legal counsel declines to meet despite requests to discuss the situation, and the issue is ongoing.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 17/24

The meeting moves on to a presentation over the Treatment not Trauma initiative.
"How we can go about having a preventative approach to mental health?" the presenter asks. "How do we decrease the number of mental health crises that happen globally? And really for us?"

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 18/24

Police are often the first to respond to medical crisis, including mental health related ones, despite a lack of training.
Another question for the audience:
"How do we have intervention when there is an actual crisis...that doesn't seek to criminalize the individual?"

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 19/24

There are better suited folks to respond instead of police. These individuals receive specialized training on de-escalation, which is an extension of trauma-informed care.
The Treatment not Trauma initiative notes the city's limited mental health and related services.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 20/24

Read about how Rahm Emanuel closed half of Chicago's mental health clinics.
Despite promises from the Lightfoot administration to increase funding for mental health services, issues persist.

chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-me…

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 21/24

Mental health crises can stem from root causes like housing insecurity or food deserts. Treatment not Trauma follows the lead of other cities with similar initiatives like Portland and Denver.
Their non police crises response efforts decreased crime rates and the police budget.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 22/24

Ultimately, these types of programs aim to address the structural issues that contribute to mental health distress.
Read about expanded mental health services in the 14th ward area and city.

lsahmentalhealth.org/service-provid…

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 23/24

The next meeting will take place on Jan 6 in the Logan Square library at 1 PM, council members announce as the meeting nears its end.
The meeting adjourns at 2:35 pm.

Sonal Soni (They/Them) @sonal_soni_ 24/24

That concludes this thread over today's 14th police district council meeting. Thanks for following along!
Follow @CHIdocumenters for more coverage like this, and keep an eye out for meeting notes from today by Mona Tong.
Respond here with any questions and comments⤵️

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.