W E D N E S D A Y
SAY Connects Page 17
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
June 27, 2018 Vol. 38, No. 49 ONE DOLLAR
@oakpark @wednesdayjournal
Lawmakers push Safe Zones bill Immigration law wins OK in general assembly By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter
As the Trump Administration continues to ramp up arrests and deportation of undocumented immigrants across the nation, two local state lawmakers have advanced a proposal aimed at creating safe zones for them in public spaces. Illinois Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) and Rep. Chris Welch (D-Westchester), who represents parts of River Forest, Forest Park and Maywood, recently received legislative approval for their “Safe Zones Act” and now await approval from Gov. Bruce Rauner. The proposed bill would direct the state attorney general’s office to establish guidelines for how state law enforcement agents can assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in state-funded buildings. Those so-called safe zones include: schools; daycare centers; hospitals; health clinics; emergency and urgent care facilities; nursing homes; group homes; mental health facilities; libraries; courthouses and facilities run by the secretary of state. The bill was approved in the Illinois Senate in a 31-16 votes and in the House by a vote of 62-53. Harmon said in a telephone interview that the proposal grew out of the Illinois See SAFE ZONES on page 13
Submitted photo by Charles King
OUT FRONT: Boy Scouts from Oak Park march as the color guard, during the 49th annual Chicago Pride Parade in the Boystown neighborhood in Chicago on June 24.
Local scouts in vanguard of change Pack 16, color guard for Pride Parade, is out ahead in more ways than one
By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter
For the fourth year in a row, the Oak Park chapter of Scouts for Equality, an organi-
zation that advocates for equal treatment within Boy Scouts of America, formed part of the official color guard for the Chicago Pride Parade, held this past Sunday. This year, however, was particularly spe-
cial, said Cate Readling, the chapter’s cofounder who was recently appointed vice president of membership for the executive committee of the Pathway to Adventure See SCOUTS on page 15