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A Chicagoland fashion staple to close
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FREE Vol. 36 No. 11
March 16, 2022
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Also serving Garfield Park
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Hampton House nearing landmark status, page 4
New COPA chief, faith leaders discuss police accountability
Andrea Kersten told members of The Leaders Network that she’s committed to increasing transparency By FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ AustinTalks
Andrea Kersten, the newly confirmed chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), says she’s committed to increasing transparency and improving the timeliness of COPA’s investigations. “There are two very strong themes that come across clearly when we talk to impacted parties in the communities that we serve, and the police department, frankly,” Kersten said at this month’s meeting of the Leaders Network. Those two things are “the timeliness of our investigations as well as increased transparency.” On average, it takes COPA 18 months to complete a police misconduct investigation. In comparison, the Independent Police Review Authority, COPA’s predecessor agency, took an average of 30 months. But there is still room for improvement, Kersten said. “We need to continue to create the kind of operational efficiencies that will allow us to reduce our caseload so that we can deliver justice in a quick and timely manner but, of course, without ever eroding investigative integrity,” she said. Leaders Network President David Cherry agreed that timeliness of COPA’s investigations is a priority for his group and asked what would be a reasonable standard. Kersten said she would like to lower the average to six months, and she wants an even shorter timeframe for cases that can be resolved faster. The Chicago City Council confirmed Kersten as COPA’s new leader last month after her nomination was initially rejected because several alderpersons were upset about how the agency had disclosed information about Chicago Police Officer Ella French after she was killed in the line of duty. See COPA on page 11
Endangered
House of Prayer Church of God in Christ, Tom Harris
The Central Park Theater in North Lawndale retains most original details from its construction in 1917. See story on page 3.
West Sub about to be sold again Pipeline Health finds buyer that specializes in healthcare turnarounds By STACEY SHERIDAN Wednesday Journal
West Suburban Medical Center is changing ownership once again. Pipeline Health announced March 10 its plans to sell the Oak Park hospital to the Michigan-based healthcare management group Resilience Healthcare. The acquisition, worth $92 million, also includes Weiss Memorial Hospital in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. Resilience Healthcare is led by Manoj Prasad, “a health executive with over two decades in healthcare turnaround,”
according to a statement released by Pipeline announcing the impending sale. “This is a wonderful opportunity to serve the patients and communities of Oak Park and residents of the West Side as well as Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood and beyond. We’re excited to secure state approval and get to work,” Prasad said in a statement released by Pipeline. Wednesday Journal has reached out to Pipeline for comment, as well as to former Oak Park mayor Anan Abu-Taleb, See WEST SUB on page 8
FREDRICK R.
CHI.GOV/REALSTORIES