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
Building a bridge at Daley College
Spread the love‘After 22’ program to help adults with disabilities By Tim Hadac For Chicagoans with developmental disabilities, their 22nd birthday can feel like falling off a cliff. That’s when they become ineligible for the special education transition services they’ve received all their lives. That ineligibility can last for up to seven years, until they…
Society failed Melissa, Chuy says
Spread the loveCalls for more gov’t funds to fight violence From staff reports Hours after police announced the arrest of two suspects in the slaying of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega, U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4th) issued the following statement. “Since the tragic death of Melissa Ortega, we have seen the resilience and strength of Little…
Charge Brighton Pk. man with child’s murder
Spread the loveDrove getaway vehicle, police say By Tim Hadac A 27-year-old Brighton Park man and a 16-year-old boy have been charged with murder in the Jan. 22 slaying of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega in the Little Village neighborhood. Xavier Guzman, 27, of the 4600 block of South Fairfield, and the teen are in custody. Bond…
Think before you answer a Facebook quiz, BBB says
Spread the loveBy Better Business Bureau staff Social media is used as a fun distraction for some people, and taking a Facebook quiz may seem like a harmless way to pass the time. But are you giving away more information than you think? How the scam works A fun quiz pops up on your Facebook…
Thank you, Karen Sala
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac GSWNH Columnist At-Large As we all know, longtime Gage Park correspondent Karen Sala has decided to conclude her time with this column. Like every Greater Southwest News-Herald correspondent, Karen made the neighborhoods she served a better place. Thank you, Karen! That said, the search now begins for a new Gage…
Crime prevention starts with each of us
Spread the loveBy Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 Hi neighbors! Before I say another thing, I want to wish my fellow columnist Karen Sala well. As you know, she wrote her final column last week. I love Karen’s style of writing. It’s conversational and natural. I always felt like she…
Plenty to celebrate in February
Spread the loveBy Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394 “February is the month when days start to get long and gloomy nights to shrink.” –Anonymous. Thank goodness there are only 28 days this year. We are getting closer to March. But it’s silly to…
Storm scrambles waste pickup in Palos Park
Spread the loveOn Wednesday afternoon, the Village of Palos Park was informed by Republic Services that waste pickup is cancelled in the village, and all other communities they serve, for Thursday, February 3, due to the continued closure of landfill sites from the hazardous winter conditions. Thursday waste service customers will need to hold their…
Archer Avenue may go green
Spread the loveSt. Patrick’s Day parade planned By Tim Hadac Organizers of Garfield Ridge’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade are hoping the Lightfoot Administration will give a green thumbs-up to the small but festive celebration of all things Irish. For each of the last two years, City Hall withdrew its support and denied permits based…
Neighbors
Boys Volleyball | Sandburg seeks 26th regional title
Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent Coming off the worst season in program history in 2023, Sandburg was not going to settle for anything less than better results this year. Past the midway point of this season, however, the Eagles had a record of 11-8. But they closed the regular season strong, winning 11 of…
Baseball | Red-hot Reavis looks to make noise in postseason
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Reavis is determined to send their head coach Don Erickson into retirement on a high note and will head into the postseason red hot and as South Suburban Red champions. The Rams defeated Oak Lawn 3-0 for the second straight day on May 15 to clinch the conference title.…
Sports Bits | Rice boats at Carlyle Lake, Hawkeye DB and Do It Stevie’s Way
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Noteworthy sports briefs from May 12-19 • Brother Rice’s No. 1 boat of Joe Hall and Joe Judeh took 31st in the state bass fishing tournament, which wrapped up on May 18 at Carlyle Lake. The Crusaders had a two-day haul of 7 pounds, 12 ounces. The Crusaders’ No.…
Nothing NU at SeatGeek
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent There was speculation that because of the renovations being done at Ryan Field, Northwestern would schedule a few football games at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview this fall. The Wildcats announced their schedule and no home games are listed at SeatGeek, but the situation is still fluid. They are opting…
College Softball | Close losses at nationals end Saint Xavier’s season
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Saint Xavier softball team played three nailbiters in the opening round of the NAIA Tournament. But the end result was a 1-2 record to eliminate the Cougars from advancing. SXU (28-14) opened the tournament by nipping Bellevue (Nebraska), 5-4, in Sioux City, Iowa on May 13. Alexus Reese…
Red Stars’ Naeher misses loss to Gotham
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The world’s best kept secret is still a mystery. The Chicago Red Stars are not releasing information to the public about the severity of a thigh injury or the status of world-class goalie Alyssa Naeher. What is known is that she did not play in a 2-1 loss to…
Summer calendar filling up quickly
Spread the love. By Patti Tyznik Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • ptyznik@gmail.com . Summer is rapidly approaching, and the neighborhood is geared up for lots of great summer fun and activities. The Midway Chamber of Commerce’s farmer’s market will be opening on Wednesdays at the end of May through September…
Shepard’s Kyla Motley cruises to two medals at girls state track finals
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Shepard junior Kyla Motley medaled in two events in the Class 3A girls state track and field meet, the finals for which were held May 18 at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Motley finished fourth in the long jump with a leap of 18 feet, 4 inches. She finished…
Boys Tennis | Lyons’ Jack McLane and Mason Mazzone win sectional doubles title
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The area produced a handful of boys tennis state qualifiers, but only one entry is headed to state as a sectional champion. At the Class 2A Lyons Sectional, the Lions’ Jack McLane and Mason Mazzone were doubles champs. The state meet opens May 23 at various sites in the…
Water Polo | Lyons boys win third state title; girls finish 3rd
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The best matchup of the IHSA boys water polo state tournament was arguably in the quarterfinals. That battle between Lyons and New Trier could have been considered the real state championship match. But no matter what, the Lions are state champions. Heading into the postseason, Lyons had just three…