Oak Lawn trustees back police, complain about threats from protesters
By Joe Boyle
Oak Lawn officials spoke out in unison on Tuesday night, proclaiming their support for the village’s police department.
Trustee Alex Olejniczak (2nd) served as mayor pro tempore because Mayor Terry Vorderer was unable to attend the village board meeting. Olejniczak began the meeting by requesting a moment of silence in memory of Chicago Police Officer Andres Mauricio Vasquez Lasso, who was shot and killed as he responded to a domestic violence incident on March 1.
“May he always be remembered for the job that he did,” Olejniczak said.
Board members have refrained from speaking publicly about the incident that occurred last July 27 in which Oak Lawn police officers pulled over a vehicle because they said the smell of marijuana came from the car.
The driver complied to a pat down but a passenger in the back seat, who had an accessory bag draped across his shoulder, exited the vehicle but then ran away. The officers minutes later wrestled Hadi Abuatelah, 17, to the ground at 95th and McVicker.
The police had dash-cam video of the incident and a citizen also took video. One of the officers, Patrick O’Donnell, 32, was indicted for two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of official misconduct. O’Donnell is accused of punching Abuatelah at least 10 times in the head, according to court documents.
O’Donnell pled not guilty and was ordered to pay a $75,000 I-Bond in Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on March 1, ironically on the same day that Vasquez Lasso was killed. O’Donnell was released on his own recognizance.
Protesters from various organizations, including the Arab American Action Network, have held rallies outside Village Hall calling for O’Donnell to be fired. They also demand that the two other officers be charged and fired.
The protesters claim the officers focused on Abuatelah because he is of Arab descent. Oak Lawn Police Chief Daniel Vittorio denied that, stating that the police were in fear of their lives because Abuatelah had a gun in his accessory bag.
Groups have continued to protest and have been attending several police and fire commission board meetings. The trustees said that at a previous meeting, protesters were yelling and screaming at board members.
“I want to thank the police department,” Olejniczak said. “This is not a glorious job. It is very difficult.”
Olejniczak then shared an email that was directed to Vittorio from a mother of a woman whose daughter was addicted to heroin and was arrested by Oak Lawn Officer Bob Carroll.
The mother was initially upset with Carroll for arresting her daughter. However, years later she was thankful that Carroll did make that arrest. The daughter wrote to Vittorio and said it was due to Carroll that her life turned around.
“It was because of him that I’m alive today,” the daughter wrote about Carroll’s actions.
“This is a good story,” Olejniczak said. “Officer Vasquez is a bad story. Officer Carroll, thank you.”
Olejniczak said in reference to the recent police and fire commission meeting, that people have a right to protest.
“The village will allow people to speak their minds,” Olejniczak said. “But they don’t have the right to threaten or abuse people.”
Olejniczak pointed out that after that meeting, he and Village Manager Tom Phelan have been threatened.
“I had to walk through protesters, some of them young girls, who were shouting at me, calling me a devil and a racist,” Phelan said. “I hope they don’t mean it and that they learned this from their parents. You can’t threaten people. You should not spew vulgarities.”
Phelan said that some people were visibly shaken as they left the meeting. Some elderly people were in tears, he said.
The village manager said that usually that the police and fire commission meetings are sparsely attended and quite calm. But that has not been the case recently, he added.
However, he said the last commission meeting was much better. Phelan added that he and the rest of the village board will not be intimidated.
Alleviate flooding in District 6
An agreement has been reached through the village, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and School District 218 to alleviate flooding in District 6. This includes the athletic fields for School District 218.
Trustee Ralph Soch (6th) was delighted with the agreement that he said will not only keep these fields in good shape, but provide relief for homeowners.
Olejniczak said that when the village was first developed, there were no plans to curb flooding. But with the assistance and funding by the MWRD this has become possible for District 218.
“This will not only alleviate flooding in the 6th District but the 5th and 4th districts, too,” Phelan said. “District 218 recognized the importance to the community. A lot of people had their hands in this.”
Local News
Justice swears in new police officer
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan The Justice Village Board approved the recommendation of the Justice Fire and Police Commission to hire Police Officer Kady Sassenger at its January 10 meeting. Her move from the Coal City Police Department to Justice is considered a lateral move, which means the officer transfers from one department to another…
Medeisis promoted to fire battalion chief in Bridgeview
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch The Bridgeview Fire Department has a new battalion chief. Michael Medeisis, 55, was promoted from the rank of lieutenant at the Jan. 5 meeting of the Bridgeview Village Board. “Hey, hot diggity dog, we’ve got a great guy (promoted),” village Trustee Michael Pticek said. Trustee James Cecott said the promotion…
Retired village employee appointed to Lyons ZBA
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch The Karasek family has a long history of working for the village of Lyons dating back decades. And that history is getting a new chapter. Steven Karasek, 60, who two years ago retired after 36 years in the public works department, has been appointed by Mayor Christopher Getty to serve…
Walker teacher Eva Manzke honored by farm bureau
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan School District 104 teacher Eva Manzke was recently honored by the Cook County Farm Bureau for her work with teaching students about agriculture. Students at Walker Elementary in Bedford Park, and Manzke herself were surprised when Principal Amanda Venegonia said they were gathered to honor Manzke, as she had been…
Moraine Valley’s Tom Diaz earns All-Conference honors
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Tom Diaz is a freshman at Moraine Valley Community College, and is making big strides with their cross country team. Diaz is also a 2021 graduate of Argo Community High School, and is the first Argonaut to earn All Region honors while pursuing his cross country career. MVCC’s Men’s an&…
Summit native marks decade with the Harlem Globetrotters
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Saul White Jr., better known as Flip White to basketball fans, has been with the famed Harlem Globetrotters for just over 10 years, and has no intention of stopping the entertainment he provides for his fans. White, who grew up in Summit, attended Wharton School and Graves Junior High (now…
A heavenly sound
Spread the love In what is arguably the most ornate and beautiful house of worship on the Southwest Side—St. Joseph Church in Back of the Yards–the Polonijna Orkiestra Chicago played liturgical music selections last Sunday. Founded in 2011, the orchestra is designed to teach young musicians Polish music and culture. St. Joseph parishioner Konrad Pawelek…
Crime images spark outrage in Gage Park
Spread the loveRobbed at gunpoint in his own garage By Tim Hadac Home-security camera images of a 48-year-old Gage Park man being robbed at gunpoint in his own garage outraged a number of Southwest Siders this week. Images showed the man driving his car down the alley in the 5500 block of South Richmond at…
Here’s the skinny: Trimmed-down Lawrence helps Oak Lawn top Evergreen
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Oak Lawn senior basketball player Davion Lawrence is 45 pounds lighter than he was last season, but insists his eating habits are the same. He has, however, changed up his training habits. Heading into football last fall, Lawrence and a few fellow seniors wanted to get in the…
College Report: McAuley grad Swiatek plays hero for St. Francis
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Hannah Swiatek comes off the bench for the University of St. Francis and is averaging 3.1 points per game. But when called on for the biggest shot of her college career, the 5-foot-8 junior guard from Oak Lawn delivered. Swiatek scored the winning basket in a wild 99-97…
Neighbors
Softball | Jocelyn Hovanec scores two runs, Ks 12 in Chicago Christian win
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Chicago Christian is working to find its footing in the inaugural season of the Chicagoland Christian Conference. The Knights entered this week 6-8 overall and 4-6 in the CCC, putting them in fifth place with just two conference games to play among their final seven regular-season contests. The Knights…
Boys Volleyball | Chicago Christian finishes April strong, takes second at Ridgewood Invitational
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent A busy and largely successful final seven days of April saw Chicago Christian briefly climb back to the .500 mark after a tough first month of the season. The Knights (11-12, 4-4 Chicagoland Christian Conference) have won seven of their past 10 matches, all of which were played over…
Work moving forward at Marquette Park
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . In the March 29 edition of the Greater Southwest News-Herald, I wrote a story about a town hall meeting at Marquette Park, we learned of some of the upcoming plans the Park District has for…
Sophia Smith’s brace sinks Red Stars
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Home has not been that sweet lately for the Chicago Red Stars. The team lost its second straight game at SeatGeek Stadium with a 2-0 setback to Portland in front of an announced crowd of 4,443 on April 27. Portland star Sophia Smith scored in the 10th and 26th…
Nazareth Academy celebrates ‘special talent’ J.J. McCarthy in NFL Draft
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Dennis Moran has no doubts that J.J. McCarthy – the former Nazareth Academy quarterback who is now with the Minnesota Vikings – will succeed in the National Football League. Moran was among about 60 or so Nazareth Academy fans, friends and coaches who gathered Thursday night at The Stadium Club…
Brother Rice names Al Perez next soccer coach
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A few new coaches are dotting the area high school athletic scene. One of the more notable hires was Brother Rice bringing Al Perez aboard as the soccer coach. Perez led Chicago Public League power Washington to a Class 2A state championship in 2013, a fourth-place finish in 2015…
Police Council rallies to save ShotSpotter
Spread the love. By Alexis Bocanegra Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (773) 949-1509 • grcl.alex23@gmail.com . Chicago Lawn (8th) District Police Council members Mark Hamberlin, Al Cacciottolo and Jason Huff have created an online petition to save ShotSpotter. As you may have read in the Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound back in March, Mayor…
Capacity crowd speaks out against Evergreen Park dispensary
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Additional chairs had to be brought out to seat an overflow crowd of Evergreen Park residents who attended a meeting April 15 regarding a proposed cannabis dispensary for the village. And many who were in attendance voiced their opposition to having a dispensary in Evergreen Park. Most of the people cited…
Countryside puts dog park on hold, will require leashes in two parks
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch The city of Countryside has put on hold building a dog park, but canines and their owners are still in store for a treat. The city council has unanimously approved a plan to permit dogs in City Park and Countryside Park this year. Previously, they were not allowed in the…