Streetplus, a national organization providing street cleaning and maintenance services to the City of Evanston, has fired three workers and suspended another without pay after video surveillance cameras captured them physically attacking someone near Fountain Square on Feb. 13.
The company is also now requiring all Evanston employees to undergo “additional enhanced training,” according to an announcement released by the city on Wednesday afternoon.
That extra training will include anger management and strategies for interacting with unhoused or mentally ill individuals.
“Following these actions, and with the support of members of Evanston’s business community, the City has lifted its suspension of the Streetplus Clean Team program, which will resume on Monday, March 13, 2023,” the city’s press release said. “Streetplus will recruit new team members to replace the terminated employees. The City will monitor the company’s performance closely and will consider future contract renewals accordingly.”
City Council last September approved a contract with Streetplus for the remainder of 2022 and for 2023, which pays the company more than half a million dollars.
All witnesses, participants and police detectives involved in the February incident decided not to pursue any criminal charges, the city announced.
“No arrests were made and the investigation is presently closed,” the news release said.