[in person] 1st Police District Council - Loop/River West/Near South Side

Criminal Justice

Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023
5:30 p.m. — 7:00 p.m. CST

337 E Randolph St, Chicago, Illinois 60602 Chicago, IL 60602 (Directions)

Maggie Daley Fieldhouse

This is an in-person assignment and will include an additional hour of pay. PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK the meeting details and agenda 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”

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Note-taking by Erin McGinnis

1st Police District Council still in search of third council member.

View notes

Live reporting by Arieon Whittsey

1st Police District Council still in search of third council member.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey

Hi Chicago! I'll be live-tweeting the 1st police district council meeting (Loop/River West/Near South Side) at 5:30 p.m. today. @CHIdocumenters #CHIdocumentershello

12:27 PM Dec 5, 2023 CST

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 2/21

@CHIdocumenters This district only has two of three council member spots filled by Sarah Kammerer and Jamie Brown. In July the two members recommended a third candidate, Marcel Bright, chief of staff to Ald Pat Dowell, and Chicago Police Officer.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 3/21

@CHIdocumenters Mayor Johnson's administration rejected Bright's application in early November. The vacancy for a third council member still remains unfilled.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 4/21

@CHIdocumenters #CHIdocumenters

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 5/21

@CHIdocumenters Today's meeting will include a review of 2023 and Goals for 2024.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 6/21

@CHIdocumenters Donna Goodman began the meeting's public comment by asking how this council will be working to make officers more accountable. She was told that this could be answered during the Q&A Portion.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 7/21

@CHIdocumenters Ann Cibulskis commented that the south loop is quiet and the residents' main interaction with the police is witnessing police lights, but never interacting directly with officers. She remarked that interacting with the police may lead to them working together better.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 8/21

@CHIdocumenters She also commented that she knows a security guard in the area who has trouble getting responses from the police. She said people don't seem to know what to do with the lack of police response.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 9/21

@CHIdocumenters In regards to the issue of lacking police presence she was speaking specifically about Deerfield and Roosevelt park

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 10/21

@CHIdocumenters Sarah Kammerer began with an overview of the role of the police district council. She said that the role of the council is to facilitate dialogue between citizens and the police.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 11/21

@CHIdocumenters Kammerer spoke of the vacancy search giving an overview of the process and the declined appointment. This means that if Krammerer or Jamie is unable to make a meeting at the same time, then they cannot call a quorum and the meeting will be canceled.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 12/21

@CHIdocumenters Jamie Brown spoke about the 14 nominations for the commission. She will be interviewing applicants once the application opens in January.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 13/21

@CHIdocumenters She also spoke about having volunteer mutual aid, translators, and others to obtain temporary status for migrants. Two people have been granted temporary legal status.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 14/21

@CHIdocumenters Kammerer talked about looking back at their time on the council since May of 2023. She expressed that they are seeking to learn from residents to better advocate for them and encouraged attendees to email her and Jamie.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 15/21

@CHIdocumenters Brown gave an update on the goals of the council. One of them is bringing in speakers to educate the public on certain topics.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 16/21

@CHIdocumenters Topics could include 911 vs 311 and other avenues for resources.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 17/21

@CHIdocumenters The official business of the meeting closed. and public questions began.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 18/21

@CHIdocumenters A resident expressed frustration because she is the only person from her building who attended the meeting and worried that people do not know about the meeting.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 19/21

@CHIdocumenters Kammerer expressed that the council is still trying to understand the challenges of the district and asked participants to keep speaking with them.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 20/21

@CHIdocumenters Ann Cibulskis talked about getting students from colleges nearby to attend meetings. Kammerer responded that the central district has a unique experience because of the number of people who are within the district every day but don't live here.

THEM @ArieonWhittsey 21/21

@CHIdocumenters Official meeting business ended at 5:52

View thread

Attachments

Agenda

By Grace Del Vecchio 12/5/2023

001st Police District Council Fact Sheet

By Erin McGinnis 12/5/2023

How It All Works

By Erin McGinnis 12/5/2023

Meeting Details

By India Daniels 12/5/2023

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.