By Jeff Vorva
More than 80 people crowded Orland Park’s Village Hall Monday night with many there to protest the village board’s decision not to draw up a resolution asking for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Unlike a Feb. 5 meeting, in which there was yelling and chants and Mayor Keith Pekau having police clear the room, the Feb. 20 meeting was calmer as board members and citizens alike were able to exchange views civilly.
But don’t get the idea that the handful of protesters who talked didn’t get their verbal punches in. Pekau was a target of criticism for his Feb. 5 comments of, “If you are an American citizen and you don’t feel that way, in my opinion, you are entitled to that opinion, but you can certainly go. You can go to another country and support that country and all power to you, if you choose to do that.”
That angered some members of the community, and a few let him have it Monday night.
Mary Chamberlain called his comments “tone deaf.”
Attorney Tarek Khalil said Pekau and the board should consider the “minimal gesture” of support.
“That would be an affirmation of your stance against genocide, ethnic cleansing and oppression,” he said. “Your unwillingness to do so will mean the opposite. And if that is so, shame on you.”
Yousif Zegar referred to Pekau and the board as “self-serving politicians” and that groups will be organizing in the community.
“We are an asset, and you are a liability,” he said.
He added his grandfather served in the U.S. military. He said the community will be heard on this issue.
“The Palestinian-American and Arab-American communities of Orland Park, Muslims and Christians are organizing,” he said. “You will hear from us when and where it matters.
“Yes, we have an agenda and I want to declare it loud and clear to friend and foe and make no mistake about it, this is not Democratic or Republican…our agenda is to bring kindness to politics and respect inclusion in all of our great residents to let them know that they all belong.”
Resident Fawzy Hassan said members of his family served in the United States military during World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and Desert Storm.
“I challenge anyone who is pompous enough to question our patriotism coming from a family with almost a 100-year history of defending the freedom of this country and who thinks that their Palestinian-American voters aren’t watching,” he said.
Pekau, who thanked Hassan’s family for its service, continued to say the resolution will not happen because it has “no bearing on the management, operation or governess of the Village of Orland Park.”
He reiterated that he stood by his statements from Feb. 5 and would not repeat them.
Pekau said residents could go above the board’s head and contact election attorneys to try to get a ballot referendum on this resolution.
“You can get this issue on the ballot of Orland Park, Orland Township, Cook County, Will Country or even the state of Illinois and let the voters of those various jurisdictions decide,” Pekau said.
At the Feb. 5 meeting, only Trustee William Healy spoke on the topic and other trustees remained silent, which bothered some of the speakers on Feb. 19.
But this time, each trustee present gave heartfelt speeches regarding the Gaza situation. Brian Riordan was absent.
Most of the trustees were thanked by the crowd after giving their speeches, including Sean Kampas, who offered up a prayer.
Prior to the well-received prayer, Kampas said he took abuse on social media.
“There was pain, anger and, yes, some hatred,” Kampas said. “I had not spoken one word and I was labelled an idiot, a dropout, a racist, a Nazi and much worse. I never expected that.
“I am not your enemy.”
He said he can’t truly understand the pain Palestinians are going through but that he is showing empathy toward them.
Pekau said that the war is horrible and “we all pray for a quick end to it.”
