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■ How the Chicago Avenue Corridor is coming along PAGE 4

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February 21, 2024 ■ Also serving Garfield Park ■ austinweeklynews.com

Black-owned electrical contractor builds up Austin

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PRIMARY ELECTIONS

Calvin Payne and his family are ‘looking at making us a household name and hiring individuals in the Austin community’

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

PROVIDED

Rep. Danny Davis

Melissa Conyears-Ervin

PROVIDED

Endorsements are rolling in for the Chicago-area’s most interesting race

Calvin Payne, a third-generation Austin native, was working as a foreman for Ron Jones Electric in 2019. He was at a job site in Chicago when his customer approached him.

“You know you’re black, right?” he asked Payne. “You’re really good at your work. Become a contractor looking for [other] minority contractors.”

The comment stuck with Payne. He told his parents and brothers about it, and they began discussing what it would look like to become an electrical union contractor.

In 2021, Payne co-founded Simply E&C with

Rep. Danny Davis, Melissa Conyears-Ervin pick up backing in the contested March 19 primary for the 7th Congressional District race

See CONTRACTOR on page 5

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2 Austin Weekly News, February 21, 2024

PRIMARY ELECTIONS

Melissa Conyears-Ervin picks up CTU, union endorsements Amid accusations of ethical misconduct, these organizations have endorsed the Chicago City Treasurer in her Congressional bid so far

By JESSICA MORDACQ

that she was “proud” of the union’s endorsement.

“There are few fighters on behalf of Despite running against more progres- our kids and our communities like the sive candidates and allegations of ethical Chicago Teachers Union,” she said.

The support comes on top of backing misconduct, Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin has picked up several from two other unions, the Chicago Firefighters Local 2 and the Illinois Nurses citywide endorsements with clout.

Association.

She is running for “We’re committed to Congress in Illinois’ supporting champions of 7th District in the prithe labor movement and mary election March 9, healthcare in the state on a Democratic ballot of Illinois, and Melissa that includes incumbent Conyears-Ervin has demDanny Davis, activist onstrated that she’s comKina Collins, principal mitted to the same goals Nikhil Bhatia and former as the INA and its memObama campaign staffer bers,” said the Illinois Kouri Marshall.

Nurses Association in a On Feb. 14, heavyweight statement.

Chicago Teachers Union Also, earlier this announced it was endorsmonth, Ald. Jeanette Taying her.

MELISSA lor of the 20th Ward on “As a union that is overthe South Side and West whelmingly made up of CONYEARS-ERVIN Side Ald. Chris Taliaferro women who see the challenges families face every day, we believe of the 29th Ward announced their enit’s time to send a working mom to Con- dorsements.

“It’s time for change in the 7th Congresgress,” said Stacy Davis Gates, president of the Chicago Teachers Union, in a state- sional District. Melissa Conyears-Ervin ment. “For too long now, Washington has is a working mom who will get a Congress failed to prioritize working families and that isn’t working for our community our communities. If we are going to have back on track,” Taylor and Taliaferro equitable and sustainable investment in said in a joint statement. “She has the enthe neighborhoods that need it most, then ergy and vision to bring a new focus and commitment to lowering costs, building we need leadership we can trust.”

“We know that she’ll prioritize our pub- up our neighborhoods and investing in lic schools, affordable housing, lowering our children’s education. We’re proud to costs for working families and making endorse her.” the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes,” Davis Gates added.

See CONYEARS-ERVIN on page 10 Conyears-Ervin said in a statement Staff Reporter

Rep. Danny Davis receives Clergy Coalition endorsement

The Congressional incumbent of nearly 3 decades is backed based on his tenure and stance on community issues

By JESSICA MORDACQ

have a cross-section of clergy representing diverse groups across the 7th Congressional District,” Jakes said in a statement.

This coalition has worked with Davis on The Clergy Coalition — a group of faithbased organizations and religious leader- several of his initiatives, Eaddy said.

“One in particular that would probably ship that supports Congressman Danny K. Davis — announced their endorsement coalesce all of us at an early point was somelast week for Davis in his 7th District con- thing called the Second Chance Act,” Eaddy gressional run for the primary election on said, which “was about giving the re-entry population the kind of supMarch 19. port they need when they Davis is running against are returning from the variorganizer Kina Collins, ous correctional institutions who has challenged his back into the community.” tenure in the last two conBut the coalition’s engressional elections, and dorsement of Davis is about against Chicago City Treamuch more than any specifsurer Melissa Conyearsic initiative.

Ervin. This is the first year “A congressman brings that two other competitors, back to a community a numprincipal Nikhil Bhatia ber of things — in areas of and former Obama camcommunity and economic paign staffer Kouri Mardevelopment, in areas of afshall are running for the fordable housing, in areas of 7th District. education, in terms of the REP. DANNY DAVIS The Clergy Coalition has re-entry initiatives,” Eaddy supported the incumbent said. “We’re talking about a in the congressional election, which hapholistic perspective.” pens every two years, since Davis first ran The coalition’s endorsement follows a in 1996. complaint submitted by constituent Tellis “Every time that he comes up for re-elecParnell Sr. to the House Ethics Committee tion, we come together and support him in in January. The complaint claims that Dathose re-election efforts,” said Rev. Michael vis used congressional funds to buy camEaddy, pastor at People’s Church of the paign advertising, according to a story by Harvest on West 5th Avenue.

The Intercept. The Davis campaign has deThe Clergy Coalition unanimously sup- nied the allegations in the past, but did not ported Davis with 89 letters from the local respond for comment. church community. Other clergy backing Delmarie Cobb, owner of The Publicity Davis include Mildred Harris — commis- Works, a political consulting and media sioner of the Chicago Housing Authority relations firm in Chicago, said she underand founder of God First Church and Min- stands why the coalition has endorsed Daistries — and Rev. Paul Jakes, a Clergy Co- vis, despite these accusations. alition organizer.

See DAVIS on page 10 “The Clergy Coalition is fortunate to Staff Reporter

Austin Weekly News, February 21, 2024

Chicago’s police scanners could be reopened to news media under new bill Rep. La Shawn Ford’s statewide bill would give media renewed access to scanners that have been publicly blocked and delayed for 30 minutes

By ERIKA HOBBS Editor

A new bill from state Rep. La Shawn Ford would give back police-scanner access to the news media across Illinois.

His House bill amends the Public Records Act, a law that regulates how the public accesses government information, to require any law enforcement agency that encrypts scanners to give real-time access to FCC-licensed broadcasters and accredited newspapers. That could be by license, digital key or other means.

“Police don’t have the ability to get the word out on their own,” Ford, a Democrat from the 8th District, said. “They need the press, and the press needs real-time information to do that.”

Media members could long listen to the scanners as activity happened. And for some groups, such as violence-prevention organizations or hospitals, scanners are critical tools. Violence interrupters use them to try to arrive on a scene to diffuse a violent situation, which can save lives.

Trauma-level hospitals also use them to supplement information from paramedics to prepare for emergency arrivals.

In 2022, under former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the Emergency Management and Communications department

encrypted police and fire scanners across the expressway.”

During those 30 minutes, Mandell added, the city after they switched from an analog to digital format. The transmissions police can also edit the transmission, like are archived on Broadcastify, a live, public an email forwarded to him recently that online platform. That creates a 30-minute showed the Chicago Lawn district disabled the archive feed so no one could access it. delay to access the information.

So, in some cases, events may “Even though in the George not make it to the public at all.

Floyd case, it wasn’t reporters At the time, Lightfoot and defilming, can you imagine what fenders of the move said that would have happened 30 minthe lack of encryption could utes after citizens were listenallow criminals to access coming? You wouldn’t see the bad munications, putting officers s--- going on,” said Steven Manin danger. dell, an attorney with Chicago“It’s about officer safety,” based Mandell Menkes.

ABC7 reported Lightfoot say“Or what if there is a case ing. “If it’s unencrypted and that involves a shooting on the there’s access, there’s no way to expressway, they drive off a control criminals who are also ramp and into a neighborhood. gonna get access, listen in and If a scanner signal is not availadjust their criminal behavior able, the media wouldn’t be in response to the information able to report to the neighborthat’s being communicated.” hood to tell everyone what’s goBut Ford disagreed. ing on.”

“Media’s been doing it that A similar incident happened way since the beginning of in November 2022, according time in radio and now all of to anecdotes Mandell has cola sudden it’s a safety issue?” lected. A Chicago TV news station reported that police were REP. LA SHAWN FORD Ford said. “There are bad actors and we should root them 8th District investigating a shooting out, but never in our history near 111th Street and Ellis has it put police in danger.”

Avenue in the Pullman neigh“You know,” he added, “when borhood when the gunman I think about the fact that the sprayed fire across from the police support ShotSpotter benearby Cook County Circuit cause it’s real time for them and they want Court, Branch 38 and 35. Witnesses reto know real time so they can help fight ported more than 40 shots were fired. The crime – this is an opportunity for the press getaway car escaped on the Bishop Ford to know in real time crime is happening to Freeway just blocks away.

Because the police scanner information get the word out for safety for both the comwas on the 30-minute delay, Mandell said, munity and police. It just makes sense.”

ShotSpotter was Chicago’s beleaguered “the news media had no way of alerting surveillance system for real-time gun activthe immediate danger to the hundreds of people inside the area or the thousands in ity that has been heavily criticized for being ineffective, inaccurate and biased. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson campaigned on promises to end that relationship and to restore public access to scanners. Last week, he announced he was extending the ShotSpotter contract through September with a phase-out period. His office did not respond to a request for comment about encrypted police scanners.

SCREENSHOT

An error message showing how a police scanner item was not sent to archives.

“They need the press, and the press needs real-time information to do that.”

See POLICE SCANNERS on page 6

AUSTIN WEEKLY

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Editor Erika Hobbs Staff Reporters Jessica Mordacq Amaris Rodriguez Special projects reporter Delaney Nelson Digital Manager Stacy Coleman Digital Media Coordinator Brooke Duncan Reporting Partners Block Club, Austin Talks Columnists Arlene Jones, Aisha Oliver Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea Designer Susan McKelvey Sales & Marketing Representatives Lourdes Nicholls, Ben Stumpe Business & Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Publisher Dan Haley Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

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4 Austin Weekly News, February 21, 2024

Chicago Avenue corridor development underway The African American Businesses Networking Association presented updates to Austin’s revitalization

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

The African American Businesses Networking Association last week presented updates on the progress to the Chicago Avenue corridor project.

“This is a true representation of our community,” said Malcom Crawford, executive director of the African American Business Networking Association.

Morris Reed, CEO of Westside Health Authority, agreed, “We should all be proud of this black leadership on Chicago Avenue.”

After experiencing decades of disinvestment, Austin community members have helped their neighborhood undergo significant development in recent years.

In 2021, the Chicago Department of Transportation started holding public meetings and focus groups to discuss how Austin locals wanted to revitalize Chicago Avenue, one of the main economic and cultural hubs in their neighborhood.

With construction completed on the west end of the 1.6-mile-long Chicago Avenue, efforts are now moving east, in the hopes to re-activate infrastructure, pedestrian activity, services and public spaces on the rest of the street, finishing at Cicero Avenue by the end of 2025.

The project’s updates include the following: ■ Twenty one- and two-bedroom apartments at 5246 West Chicago Avenue will become available on April 1.

■ Construction broke ground on Forty

COLIN BOYLE, BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO

Chicago Avenue in the Austin neighborhood looking toward the downtown skyline on May 24, 2021.

Acres Fresh Market, 5713 West Chicago Avenue, in November. Although there’s no opening date yet, the grocery store aims to provide fresh produce and other food in a neighborhood that has long experienced food insecurity.

■ Last month, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the recipients of more than $8 million in grants from Chicago’s Adopt-ALandmark fund. Around $2 million will go toward the renovation of the Laramie State Bank, 5200 West Chicago Avenue. The nearly century-old building requires repairs to its windows, doors and historic terra cotta.

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Construction will start around the end of March. The building will still house a bank and hold free financial classes. Additionally, the Laramie State Bank building will have an incubator for emerging entrepreneurs and businesses, plus a museum that honors Chicago blues artists. Property to the west of the old bank will be developed into one-, two- and five-bedroom mixedincome housing. The six-story apartment building will house both affordable housing and market-rate units.

■ At 5046 West Chicago Avenue, a previously vacant plot will become the Austin

Community Health Hub with services offered by Lurie Children’s and Stone CDC. The hub will include a pediatric floor for specialty physical and behavioral healthcare services, a section for health education and training, plus a gathering space for community organizations. Chicagobased, Black-owned design firms Gregory Ramón Design Studios and TnS Studio are nearing the end of the Austin Community Health Hub’s design phase. After construction starts this spring, the Austin Community Health Hub has an estimated grand opening of Summer 2025.

■ On a smaller scale, the African American Businesses Networking Association said it’s preparing for spring cleaning, including planting flower beds and removing litter from Chicago Avenue.

The African American Business Networking Association also has high hopes for the new Aspire Center at the corner of Central Avenue and Madison Street.

Although not on Chicago Avenue, the Aspire Center is part of similar community efforts to revitalize the Central Avenue corridor. The Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation will replace the former Emmet Elementary School to offer workforce training that addresses issues of unemployment and low education in Austin and the surrounding areas. Construction is scheduled to begin in late May. “We want to see people grow with home ownership and business ownership,” Reed said of hopes for the Aspire Center and other developments on Central and Chicago Avenue. “If we’re not wealth building as a community, what are we doing?”

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Austin Weekly News, February 21, 2024

CONTRACTOR Household name from page 1 his brothers as a Black-owned, local 134 union electrical contractor. He and his family wanted not only a better work-life balance for themselves, but also to address the lack of minority-owned electrical contracting businesses — though Payne said he didn’t initially help start Simply E&C to address that gap on the West Side.

“I didn’t necessarily think about affecting the area,” Payne said. “I was more thinking of, ‘Can I possibly do this?’”

But since starting Simply E&C, the contractor has been a part of numerous projects in the Austin neighborhood.

In addition to participating in several remodels and residential projects in Austin, as well as on the South Side of Chicago and north of the city, Simply E&C is helping with the electrical work on the Barack Obama Presidential Center’s library. Simply E&C is also subcontracted to work on Forty Acres Fresh Market, the grocery store being built at 5713 West Chicago Avenue.

To help land some of these projects, Simply E&C worked with Hire360, a nonprofit that helps connect minority businesses to jobs in trade industries, as well as invest capital and mentorships into those businesses.

“It’s easy to say, ‘I know how to put a piece of pipe in with wire,’ but the business side of it is a different beast,” said Payne, who’s worked as a union electrical engineer for over 18 years.

Hire360 helped Simply E&C get into the solar construction space, where the contractor signed its first multimilliondollar contract for three, two-megawatt solar systems.

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“If you’re thinking about it, it’s two football fields long [per] project of solar panels and electrical infrastructure,” Payne said.

Hire360 also helped Simply E&C get a line of credit with Allies for Community Business, its East Garfield Park-based funding partner. And on Feb. 12, Hire360 announced a $650,000 philanthropic commitment from JPMorgan Chase. Over the past three years, this brings the bank’s contributions to Hire360 to $1.85 million — which supports businesses like Simply E&C. “This investment will play a pivotal role in advancing our mission to engage youth to consider the trades as a viable and inspiring career path,” said Jay Rowell, executive director of Hire360, in a statement.

“Hire360’s mission to promote business development and pre-apprenticeship workforce development is work at the community level that can be so impactful and transformational,” said Phylicia Manley, vice president of global philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase, in a statement. “This investment reflects our ongoing commitment to provide more access to opportunity and the chance to move up the economic ladder while strengthening the talent pipeline employers need to compete.”

“That helped us get us through all those projects that we had established,” Payne said about Hire360 and its funding sources.

And this year, Payne has many more projects on the docket, including the Laramie State Bank redevelopment project in Austin. He said he also hopes to be a part of the University of Chicago Medical hospital that will be built on Chicago’s South Side.

“We’re looking at a lot more bigger projects, looking at making us a household name and hiring individuals in the Austin community to work with us to help us grow,” Payne said.

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6 Austin Weekly News, February 21, 2024

POLICE SCANNER Opening access from page 3 The problems don’t have to be as traumatic as a shooting, said Don Craven, president of the Illinois Press Association. Blocked access impeded the ability to get any fire- or police-related activity to the public.

“For instance,” he said, “if there is an accident on a street and traffic is blocked, the longer it takes to get the information out, the bigger backlog of traffic there will be.”

Ford’s legislation would apply across the state, not just Chicago. Several suburban and downstate police departments also encrypt their transmissions.

Nearby Oak Park’s scanners are not encrypted. Neither are Forest Park’s. Chief Ken Gross said the village is part of the West Suburban Consolidated Dispatch Center, a 911 hub responsible for more than one municipality.

“Our radio dispatches are currently analog and are not encrypted,” he said.

“If they were encrypted, they would still be available to the public and the media via the Freedom of Information Act, but the encrypted transmission could not be listened to via a scanner or scanner application in real time.”

Proponents say that open-access scanners do cause more problems than one might guess, and increasing numbers of cities are locking down their transmissions: New York City; Denver, Colorado; Las Vegas, Nevada and Baltimore, Maryland all encrypt police and fire scanners.

Minneapolis, Minnesota will begin next year. In an interview with The New York Times, police Chief Brian O’Hara pointed to two incidents that he said argued for encryption: a murder-suspect search was tracked and relayed on social media in real time, and a false report of an abducted college student went viral, stirring panic among students.

But those incidents do not involve the press. Ford said the Illinois model is similar to one the city of Las Vegas began in 2018, when it gave media access to its encrypted channels. The city of Decatur, too, gives the news media access to its encrypted channels, Mandell said.

“It’s working,” Ford added.

Way Back Inn, a local nonprofit organization treating individuals seeking recovery from gambling and substance use disorders, is seeking potential bids for a backup generator for our Oak Park recovery home located at 412 Wesley Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302.

Please contact Anita Pindiur, Executive Director 708-345-8422 ext. 125 • anitap@waybackinn.org

This is a Federally funded project, with the money coming from Oak Park Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and thus is subject to all applicable Federal rules, regulations, and guidelines, including Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. Preference is given to qualifying Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE).

Our straws will break our back

T

he dumbing down of America is real. Because we, as citizens, have become so politically correct, nothing that is wrong is ever seen as wrong.

Thus opinions and being opinionated when it is against the party line is akin to being a bully, a racist, a hater, or anything else. Sadly, when there isn’t any public discourse on subjects, people literally believe whatever is being promoted, and very few stray from the preferred mindset.

For a moment I thought the tide was turning. The threats to take away a local park to shelter migrants had many people agitated. Those same folks are believing they’ve won the battle. But I feel the battle has only been temporarily postponed for the election season. Once that is over and everybody is safe for the next couple of years, the plans are definitely going to come back. Politicians know that Black folks do a lot of screaming, but as a group, Black folks don’t follow up with consistent action.

There’s an upcoming primary as to who will be on the November ballot for the 7th congressional district. There are five candidates. Visiting their websites is instructive as to their priorities. Interestingly, immigration doesn’t seem to be any of their top priorities. Yet it is drastically changing the face of America. We have become a bilingual country over the last 30 years. And even though certain government agencies are trying to pro-

fess that immigration is the solution for economic progress in the future, how much money is going to be spent on immigrants and how much money will we get in return? I doubt that the latter will never supersede the former.

Here’s another dumbingdown situation. Last August, Ald. Ray Lopez proposed an ordinance to use deportation to deal with the criminal lawbreakers among those who are here claiming asylum. He said if we have the looming threat of deportation for anyone who engages in gang, drug, prostitution, or anything else egregious, hopefully that will deter any bad behavior. That legislation has yet to pass although the city did vote down the opportunity to put the sanctuary city question on the ballot. Westside Aldermen Walter Burnett (27th) and Jason Ervin (28th) voted to prevent the sanctuary city question from being on the ballot while Emma Mitts (37th) was absent.

Recently, the 5-year-old boy who died at the Pilsen shelter has been ruled a “natural” death. The autopsy report said he died because of sepsis, COVID-19, adenovirus, and rhinovirus/enterovirus. Our politicians are not dealing with health-related issues that are entering into America unchecked.

There’s a reason old folks had a saying: “It’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

America has plenty of straws.

ARLENE JONES

AUSTIN WEEKLY NEWS Email your letter to the editor to: erika@growingcommunitymedia.org Or mail to: Austin Weekly News, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302

Austin Weekly News, February 21, 2024

Spring

Special Advertising Section

2024

PerformingArts

A

re you looking for your next weekend adventure or something to do in your spare time? The Austin Weekly News’ Spring Performing Arts section is a guide for you to find upcoming performances to attend or new performing arts groups to explore!

With a 900-seat storytelling theater, art gallery, and community gathering spaces, the Kehrein Center for the Arts is a great place to engage with the community and attend local events.

Some upcoming events at Kehrein Center include the Black History Chicago Reparations Celebration on February 24 with live music, food, and giveaways and the 2024 Black History Month Community Movie Night on February 26.

Guide

Are you looking to attend a concert? In April, Voices of Hope, a welcoming, non-audition chorus created to harness the joy of music for those affected by breast cancer, will present “And the Oscar Goes to ... Great Songs from the Movies” at Pilgrim Congregational Church. The Oak Park Concert Chorale will perform Canticles for the Soul on April 28 at St John Lutheran Church in Forest Park.

We hope this new section immerses you into the local performing arts scene and allows you to discover new artists, shows, and events.

Enjoy, Lourdes Nicholls & Ben Stumpe Austin Weekly News Advertising

Choral group fosters love for classical music, local composers and music education

F

ounded in 1981, Oak Park Concert Chorale is a classical choral ensemble that specializes in both a cappella and accompanied performances as well as strengthening music education through free vocal technique and musicianship classes.

Led by Director Paul Lindblad, the Chorale is comprised of a diverse group of individuals who embrace their differences of age, ethnicity and culture.

And the Oscar Goes to …

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Group Tickets (10+) $22 Tickets at the door $30 Breast Cancer Survivors $20

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A concert supporting breast cancer survivorship A portion of our proceeds goes to support breast cancer research.

If you love to sing, consider auditioning to join us for our fall semester and Christmas concert.

• Visit www.oakparkconcertchorale.org/audition • Contact us at info@oakparkconcertchorale.org

Come to our spring concert, Canticles for the Soul, on April 28 at 4pm, St John Lutheran Church, Forest Park. Hear music to sooth and embrace your soul. We will premiere O Taste and See by our conductor Paul Lindblad, and, from the archives of Carl Schalk, the first performance of a lovely Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis.

Highlights of the program will be spirituals, canticles, and psalm settings by Norman Luboff, Richard Hillert, Larry Fleming, Ernst Pepping; and the stunning Three Prophecies from Isaiah by John Ness Beck.

It is our pleasure to have Michael Costello as our guest organist. We look forward to having you join us for a memorable concert. Tickets will be available through Eventbrite mid-March.

OPCC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and a grant from Oak Park Area Arts Council, in partnership with the Village of Oak Park, the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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8 Austin Weekly News, February 21, 2024

South, West Side 911 calls ignored while ‘rapid response’ cops make traffic stops instead As bullets riddled a Homan Square woman’s home, she called 911 for help.

No one came

By PASCAL SABINO Block Club Chicago

When Lashonda Tart desperately needed the police on a summer evening in 2019, they never showed up.

A gunman had fired a hail of bullets that shattered the windows of her Homan Square house while she and her children were inside, she said.

Tart hid her kids in a closet and dialed 911.

They waited.

After 10 minutes, she called 911 again.

Then she called her neighborhood police station and reported the shooting to the sergeants’ desk.

Fearing for their lives, Tart and her children waited another hour.

“Nobody ever came,” Tart said.

It wasn’t the first time Tart’s calls for help had gone unanswered. But she felt she had hit a breaking point, her faith in police destroyed.

“It was very demeaning, degrading,” Tart said. “There was no help, no respite.

No nothing.

Many Chicagoans, especially those living in Black and Latino neighborhoods, have similar experiences of being left to fend for

COLIN BOYLE/Block Club Chicago

Lashonda Tart in front of the 11th District Chicago police station in East Garfield Park. In 2019, Tart called 911 after a shooting, but police never showed up. themselves in times of crisis.

Police leadership has blamed inadequate 911 responses on a shortage of officers and resources. But the police department’s own records suggest the problem isn’t the number of officers — it’s what those officers are doing on their shifts.

Hundreds of Chicago police officers daily are assigned to what the department calls rapid response duty, with the stated mission

of responding to emergencies. But a Block Club analysis of police data shows those officers are rarely dispatched to 911 calls.

In the first half of 2023, only one-tenth of the activity reported by rapid response officers was dedicated to 911 calls — a steep drop from 2020, when 911 responses accounted for nearly half of their activity, according to data from the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

Instead of servicing 911 calls, rapid response officers spent the majority of their time conducting traffic stops, the dispatch data shows.

Rapid response officers conducted at least 36,000 traffic stops in the first half of 2023, accounting for nearly two-thirds of their logged activity. That’s nearly double the portion that traffic stops made up in 2019.

Besides traffic stops, the rapid response officers reported thousands of other activities, including community interactions, domestic disturbance checks, burglary responses, emergencies at CTA stations and wellness checks. But these other activities have made up a smaller and smaller share of rapid response officers’ documented work in recent years, the dispatch data shows.

The wait times for emergency assistance show the police department needs to reexamine how it uses its officers, say public safety advocates and the city’s own inspector general.

“This is not a resource shortage problem,” said Inspector General Deborah Witzburg.

“This is about resource allocation.”

‘Hollowed out‘ Officers were first assigned specifically to rapid response duties in 1993 as part of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy, widely known as CAPS. That first-of-itskind community policing initiative was aimed at strengthening partnerships between police and residents.

The program hinged on empowering beat cops to get to know the neighborhoods they patrol so they could build consistent, reliable relationships with residents. Meanwhile, each district’s rapid response officers would deal with the lion’s share of 911 calls.

But the structure crumbled over the years, said Wesley Skogan, a professor emeritus at Northwestern University who has studied CAPS. As the program was “hollowed out,” the rapid response officers remained, but their duties no longer resembled their original mission, Skogan said. Rather than dealing with 911 backlogs, rapid response officers were deployed to other department priorities — such as traffic stops.

“They were created for something that has disappeared,” Skogan said. Now those

Austin Weekly News, February 21, 2024

‘It felt like forever’

COLIN BOYLE/BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO

Chicago police offi cers respond to a shooting at Fulton Boulevard and Central Park Avenue in East Garfield Park on July 12, 2023. officers are “doing a lot of traffic stops.

They don’t do that many traffic stops without it being an organizational priority.”

As many as 600 officers are still technically assigned to rapid response duty, according to police data. But those officers are no longer organized into a formal rapid response unit, and the bulk of officers assigned to rapid response are not actually tasked with focusing on 911 calls, according to police spokesman Thomas Ahern.

Instead, just one squad car per shift in each district is dedicated to the 911 duties the rapid response officers were originally created for, Ahern said.

‘It makes you wonder, why even bother?’

The ACLU sued Chicago police in 2011 on behalf of the Central Austin Neighborhood Association, alleging that calls for help during life-threatening emergencies in Black neighborhoods were repeatedly ignored. The city settled the lawsuit in 2021 by agreeing to publish district-level data on how long it takes police to respond to 911 calls. So far, that data has been incomplete and inconclusive.

The response times are even longer for 911 calls that are not life-threatening, said Eric Russell, a member of the civilian oversight council for the 6th Police District, which includes much of Auburn Gresham and Chatham.

In 2022, Austin resident Bertha Purnell called police about the theft of her car. Even though her life wasn’t in danger, she expected the police would show up to talk to her.

“We waited, we waited, we waited, and they never came,” Purnell said. “It’s really disheartening. It makes you wonder, why even bother?”

As Purnell waited, her mind raced and she thought about how many people could get hurt while the thief took her car on a joyride, Purnell said. Several friends and neighbors called to tell her they’d seen her car in the area. But since the police didn’t follow up, she didn’t know how to share the tips.

“Even if it’s not a shooting, we still deserve some type of response in a reasonable time,” Purnell said. “It might not seem like an emergency to you. But to the person that it’s happening to, it’s an emergency to them, and they deserve to be seen about it.”

In 2023, after repeatedly hearing stories like Purnell’s, the inspector general’s office completed an investigation into delays and disparities in police responses to 911 calls.

The investigation found that for half of all 911 calls, responding officers failed to document their time of arrival at the crime scenes — an oversight so routine that the inspector general’s office couldn’t track response times or hold the Police Department accountable for delays.

PROVIDED/ERIC RUSSELL

Eric Russell, a member of the civilian oversight council for the 6th police district.

Tart’s frustrations with police began years before the bullets came through the windows of her home.

Tart is a Navy veteran with disabilities, and when she retired from service she chose to “come home to my community to help turn it around,” she said. But she was shaken when police failed to respond quickly to a deadly shooting she witnessed on her block.

It was an early morning in spring 2016 when Tart saw a man shoot a teenager to death in the street just outside her home.

“I heard gunshots,” Tart said. “I looked out the window and I could literally see the man aiming at his head.”

The man drove away in a Chevrolet Impala.

“I immediately started thinking about my children’s life and my life, and I crawled to the phone,” Tart said.

“It felt like forever” waiting for first responders to arrive. While an ambulance did pull up not long after Tart’s 911 call, it was six hours before Chicago police knocked on her door to ask for a description of the shooter and the car he was driving, Tart said.

For years after that, drug organizations conducted deals on Tart’s block, carjackings became more frequent and gang violence broke out regularly. Tart made herself known to local police by regularly calling to report the problems, especially when she noticed the sellers were stashing their drugs in her neighbors’ trash cans.

Tart drew the sellers’ ire when she reported the issues to police. The drug organizations began to harass her. They slashed the tires on her truck. Eventually, they threatened to blow up her house and murder her family if she kept interfering, she said.

After one of Tart’s calls, police arrested one of the people harassing her. But the threats continued, and even though she’d made herself vulnerable by cooperating with police, the police seldom responded to her calls for help, she said.

Tart filed complaints against officers for berating her and telling her to stop calling 911 and “make peace” with the drug sellers on her block. But those complaints never resulted in disciplinary action, an investigation report shows.

Tart believes the 2019 shooting at her house was an act of revenge from the disgruntled dealers who wanted her to stop disturbing their business. Her outrage led to one of the rare instances when police are investigated and reprimanded for failing to respond to an emergency.

After Tart filed a complaint, the Police Department’s internal affairs division opened an investigation. It found that officers sent to

9

help after the shooting never arrived at her home. Instead, while the officers were driving to respond to the shooting, they stopped to assist a different investigation into a stolen car, the investigation report shows.

“It’s like they care more about property than about human lives,” Tart said.

The officers never notified dispatchers they went somewhere else, according to the report.

The new plan Since Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed him in August, police Supt. Larry Snelling has deflected criticism of high crime rates and slow responses by pointing to the net loss of about 1,500 officers the past few years. At an October budget meeting, he promised to “put more officers back on the street” by using civilian staff to manage non-criminal calls for assistance.

Despite the recent dip in staffing, Chicago still has more officers per capita than practically all other major cities, including New York and Los Angeles, which “suggests the problem isn’t that we don’t have enough officers,” Witzburg said.

COLIN BOYLE/Block Club Chicago

Police Supt. Larry Snelling sits down for an interview with Block Club Chicago in 2023.

Meanwhile, Snelling recently created a unit to help address the rapid response issues and the outcry over long 911 wait times, Ahern told Block Club.

“There’s an evaluation of the areas that have the highest propensity for violence, and that’s where their focus is,” Ahern said. “Each area has their unique needs, and that’s how it is strategized.”

Snelling’s new team is a reboot of his predecessor’s signature initiative, the Community Safety Team, Ahern said. The department previously relied on the Community Safety Team to help respond to 911 calls and saturate high-crime areas with police, Ahern said.

10 Austin Weekly News, February 21, 2024

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New energy from page 2

Still, whether Conyears-Ervin can weather the storm over her ethics allegations remains to be seen.

“It depends on the other campaigns, if they’re going to elevate that issue or ignore it,” said Delmarie Cobb, owner of The Publicity Works, a political consulting and media relations firm in Chicago.

“There’s some fodder there for them and, if they decide to make that an issue, it’s there and it’s documented. It’s not negative campaigning necessarily because it’s actual facts.”

Last November, the city released a letter that showed that two of Conyears-Ervin’s ex-employees were reportedly fired for questioning the treasurer’s unethical be-

DAVIS

Tenure wins from page 2

Local firms are sales offices of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), and are not subsidiaries of MassMutual or its affiliated companies. CRN202506-2640816

“If the perception is — and I do think he has this perception — that Danny’s a good guy and that he’s right on the issues, they may be willing to overlook that, versus someone else who they don’t really know,” Cobb said. “There are many people, because of that and because of the issues, who support him and are going to support him no matter what.”

Davis’ legislative record is tough to beat.

He has served on the Cook County Board of Commissioner and was alderman of the

havior. Such conduct included hiring an assistant who lacked the required financial training and approaching BMO Harris Bank to give a mortgage to the building where her husband, Ald. Jason Ervin, used to work.

Conyears-Ervin admitted approaching the bank, although she said she didn’t know it was wrong.

The letter also mentioned that ConyearsErvin had staff run her personal errands and plan her daughter’s birthday party.

Although Conyears-Ervin wasn’t named in a report released last month by the city’s Office of Inspector General, Inspector General Deborah Witzburg decided that the treasurer violated the city’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance.

But Conyears-Ervin still has a moment to bounce back.

“She certainly has time,” Cobb said, since these accusations “came out early enough that she could correct it and change the perception.”

29th Ward before representing the 7th District for nearly three decades.

“Ranked 24th [in seniority] out of 435 members in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Davis is a demonstrated leader,” Eaddy said in a statement.

“Seniority and tenure is critical,” he told Austin Weekly News. “A part of what we are doing is maintaining our gains. That’s our rally cry: Maintain the gains.”

“He is considered one of the most progressive congressmen in Congress, no matter what age,” Cobb said. She added that she thinks the Clergy Coalition has endorsed Davis because of “his legislative record and the perception that he’s a good guy and he’s going to do right by the community, working families, and definitely right by the black community.”

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AustinWeekly News, February 21, 2024 11 Let the sun shine in...

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PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y24011407 on January 31, 2024 Under the Assumed Business Name of D.W. DIGITAL with the business located at: 111 S. PARKSIDE AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60644. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: DEARRA BRIANNA WILLIAMS, 111 S. PARKSIDE AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60644, USA. Published in Austin Weekly News February 7, 14, 21, 2024

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT Bouncing Boy A.R. arrived on the 8th day of September 2006 to the parents Rashad and Angelea Rhodes.

Weighing 8pounds and 18inches long at 10:15pm Advocate Hospital.

Published in Austin Weekly News January 31, February 7, 14, 21, 2024

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT Beautiful baby Girl E.R. arrived on the 20th day of November 2009 to the parents Rashad and Angelea Rhodes. Weighing 7 pounds and 61 inches long at 8:37pm. Trinity Hospital.

Published in Austin Weekly News January 31, February 7, 14, 21, 2024

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT Baby Girl L.R. arrived on the 27th day of February 2008 to the parents Rashad and Angelea Rhodes.

Weighing 6 pounds and 15 inches long at 6:30pm Trinity Hospital.

Published in Austin Weekly News January 31, February 7, 14, 21, 2024

LEGAL NOTICE STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division.

In re the marriage of JAHAIRA ESCAMILLA, Petitioner and ANTHONY CLAUDIO, Respondent, Case No. 2023 D 9170.

The requisite affidavit for publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, the above named Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, for Dissolution of Marriage and for other relief; and that said suit is now pending.

Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your response to said Petition or otherwise make your appearance therein, in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Room 802, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, in the City of Chicago, Illinois, on or before April 1, 2024, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a judgment for Dissolution of Marriage entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition.

DOROTHY A. BROWN, Clerk.

Published in Austin Weekly News February 21, 28, March 6, 2024

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO BANK OF AMERICA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR LEHMAN XS TRUST MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-1 Plaintiff, -v.OMAR D STOVER A/K/A OMAR STOVER, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF OMAR D. STOVER, IF ANY, CITY OF CHICAGO Defendants 09 CH 44139 1534 NORTH LAVERGNE AVE CHICAGO, IL 60651 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on December 21, 2022, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on March 15, 2024, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 1534 NORTH LAVERGNE AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60651 Property Index No. 16-04-203-0240000 The real estate is improved with a two-story single family house with white siding and a detached garage.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay

the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602 312-346-9088 E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com Attorney File No. 20-05240IL_615260 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 09 CH 44139 TJSC#: 43-3139 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 09 CH 44139 I3237510

GLADYS AVE., CHICAGO, IL 60644 Property Index No. 16-16-113-0320000 The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

The judgment amount was $202,393.12.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition.

The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, contact Luke P Wiley, Wiley Law Group, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 53 W. Jackson Blvd. Suite 1510, Chicago, IL, 60604 (815) 685-4203.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

Luke P Wiley Wiley Law Group, LLC 53 W. Jackson Blvd. Suite 1510 Chicago IL, 60604 815-685-4203 Fax #: 815-390-1643 E-Mail: lukewiley@wileylaw.net

Attorney Code. 64541 Case Number: 2023 CH 9054 TJSC#: 44-183 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2023 CH 9054 I3237695

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION F STREET INVESTMENTS, LLC, A WISCONSIN LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY Plaintiff, -v.BURNETT INVESTMENT GROUP, LLC, AN ILLINOIS LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, LASHAWN BURNETT, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 2023 CH 9054 5430 WEST GLADYS AVE. CHICAGO, IL 60644 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 17, 2024, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on March 6, 2024, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 5430 WEST

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BY SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR RCF 2 ACQUISITION TRUST Plaintiff, -v.GINA CRUMBLE-JONES AKA GINA A CRUMBLE AKA GINA CRUMBLE, PRESTON JONES, JR., FIRST AMERICAN BANK, BUSEY BANK SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO MAIN STREET BANK & TRUST Defendants 18 CH 15536 1214 HAYES AVE. OAK PARK, IL 60302 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on December 12, 2023, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on March 13, 2024, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 1214 HAYES AVE., OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-05-104-0140000 The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

The judgment amount was $580,274.47.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, contact HEAVNER, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 601 E. William St., DECATUR, IL, 62523 (217) 422-

1719. Please refer to file number 347621.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

HEAVNER, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC 601 E. William St. DECATUR IL, 62523 217-422-1719 Fax #: 217-422-1754 E-Mail: CookPleadings@hsbattys. com Attorney File No. 347621 Attorney Code. 40387 Case Number: 18 CH 15536 TJSC#: 43-4526 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 18 CH 15536 I3238324

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12 Austin Weekly News, February 21, 2024