W E D N E S D A Y
August 29, 2018 Vol. 39, No. 4 ONE DOLLAR
@oakpark @wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
SAY Connects
Special pullout section
‘AMERICA TO ME’ EPISODE 1
Board votes in favor of Lake and Lathrop proposal
Approval in spite of outcry over parking, building height, traffic safety By NONA TEPPER Staff Reporter
A majority of Development Review Board (DRB) members voted to approve development of Lake and Lathrop at long last, provided the developer agree to a few conditions. DRB members David Crosby and Therese “Tagger” O’Brien voted against the development, while Mary Ann Fishman, Gerry Dombrowski and chairman Frank Martin voted in favor. Members Lisa Ryan and Michael Ruehle were absent. “I don’t trust these people; they’ve changed the plans too many times,” Martin said, noting that the final project must be in accordance with the plans presented at the Aug. 23 DRB meeting. Developer Lake and Lathrop LLC, comprising Sedgwick Development and Keystone Ventures, plans to build a five-story, mixed-use building at the southwest corner of Lake Street and Lathrop Avenue, from 7601 to 7621 Lake St. The parcel also includes 423 Ashland Avenue. The plan is to have parking and commercial spaces on the ground floor — which they’re See LAKE AND LATHROP on page 13
File photo
REALITY TV: Steve James and members of his production team shot for a year at OPRF during the 2015-16 school year for their 10part documentary series, “America to Me.” The result is a fascinating, metaphorical, non-judgmental exploration of race in America.
Watching ‘America to Me’
By MICHAEL ROMAIN
Staff Reporter | Opinion
This is the first in a series of reaction pieces to each episode in the 10-part docuseries, “America to Me,” currently airing each Sunday at 8 p.m. on the Starz channel. ‘The room numbers — that’s deep’ The first scene of the first episode shows an African-American male student negotiating the terms of an interview
Wednesday Journal Wednesday Journal
about the explosive Black Lives Matter assembly that happened at OPRF during Black History Month in 2015. The assembly was held exclusively for African-American students — the school’s auditorium, at least for that day, transformed into a protected space where black students could vent on their own terms about the way they are treated at the high school. At the time, the assembly provoked a harsh reaction from some community
Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker (Hoop Dreams, Life Itself)
Director of STARZ® Documentary
CONVERSATIONS
“America To Me”
members and students (many if not most of them, presumably, white). James includes those voices later in the episode, but only as disembodied internet commenters. “It sounds like treason,” one comment reads, referencing the assembly. “#BlackRacismMatters” reads another. “Did you go to the Black Lives Matter assembly?” someone behind the camera See ‘AMERICA TO ME’ on page 12
Steve James Tuesday, Sept 11 7pm n
Dominican University Performing Arts Center Tickets: $15 • oakpark.com/conversations
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