Friday, March 17, 2023 | View in browser
Over the last several months, I have been working with the Evanston Police Department, City outreach staff, ETHS school officials and members of our business community to address recurring after-school issues and youth conflicts that have taken place at Dempster/Dodge businesses, specifically around the Starbucks and McDonald's.
Actions to Date
The Evanston Police Department and the City of Evanston are aware of these issues, and have deployed ETHS School Resource Officers, Community Policing Unit (CPU), and a Youth and Young Adult (YYA) Outreach Worker in and around area businesses to prevent and deter conflicts, and to quickly respond to any issues that arise.
In addition, a new Evanston Police Department Community Relations Unit (CRU) will begin operating on Monday, April 3. This unit will consist of a Commander and two Community Relations Officers who will be deployed to different areas of the city, with a focus on prevention, intervention, enforcement, reentry, and support. This unit was created to help develop a stronger police-community partnership and increased trust.
Police Chief Schenita Stewart and I have been meeting with adjacent businesses that expressed concern about these issues, and invited them to take part in a collective effort to find solutions.
Next Steps
On Friday, March 10, 2023, I convened a meeting with stakeholders, including Chief Stewart, Deputy Chief Jody Wright, Sergeant Chelsea Brown, Officers Otha Brooks and Cesar Galindo, ETHS Superintendent Dr. Marcus Campbell and Associate Principal Dr. Keith A. Robinson, Parks & Recreation Youth and Family Services Manager Jermey McCray, and Starbucks managers Cloteal LaBroi Esq. and Parissa Boston.
Together, we discussed concerns for this area, and established a solutions-based action plan to ensure fairness and compassionate enforcement, build trust between law enforcement and the community, promote positive outcomes, and create a safer Evanston for everyone.
Below is the action plan developed during the meeting:
EPD and City Outreach Staff
- CPU Officers will closely monitor area businesses from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., when issues have typically occurred, and will rotate from store to store.
- Trespassing violations will be issued by EPD for repeat violations only. Any fines issued will not be reflected on juveniles’ records.
- Students will be arrested or charged criminally only when an ordinance violation or crime has been committed.
- Alternatives to arrest, such as community service, restorative actions, and anger management training, will be preferred. Offenders’ parents may be fined through the City’s Youth and Young Adult Outreach Worker.
Starbucks
- Starbucks staff will file police reports if threatened, and will document all incidents.
- Starbucks staff will communicate with CPU Officers about issues, and officers will follow up as necessary.
- For non-emergency situations, Starbucks will call Youth and Young Adult Community Outreach staff before calling EPD. In emergencies, businesses will call 911.
- Starbucks staff will speak with its internal Partner Asset & Protection Support to add additional cameras outside to help identify those involved.
ETHS and Community Leaders
- Superintendent Campbell and Associate Principal Robinson will be present at Starbucks to monitor behavior.
- Community leaders, in partnership with area businesses, will establish a campaign to “Respect the Space” in this area.
- Community leaders, including myself, ETHS and EPD, will collectively send out letters to parents notifying them of issues involving their child.
- Community leaders and Starbucks staff will meet again in approximately two weeks to follow up on these issues with all stakeholders in the area.
I, Councilmember Harris, am committed to establishing a Dempster-Dodge Business Collective to support our businesses in the Dempster-Dodge corridor. We will continue to explore solutions that directly support the affected constituents, businesses and community.
Evanston, let’s all pull together and work on corrective measures to ensure all residents can enjoy ALL that Evanston has to offer.
Krissie Harris Councilmember, 2nd Ward 847-448-0986 kharris@cityofevanston.org cityofevanston.org
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