Good Friday morning, Evanston.
Thursday morning’s YWCA Stand Against Racism demonstration was the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic at which residents were able to participate in person.
Hundreds of people, including members of more than a dozen community organizations and schools, held up signs along Ridge Avenue with slogans like “Honk for Equality,” “Dismantle Racism, Transphobia and Homophobia” and “No Racists,” encouraging a cacophony of honks of support from passing traffic.
“Each year more and more people are really coming out for visible demonstrations,” said Karen Singer, CEO of YWCA Evanston/North Shore
After raising concerns about the standard used by a proposed ordinance and its enforceability, Evanston City Council members bounced back to committee a colleague’s proposal to place a decibel limit on loud music or amplified sounds.
Human Services Committee members had voted April 4 in support of Seventh Ward Council Member Eleanor Revelle’s proposal to extend to 750 feet the required distance between the source of certain sounds and private property lines. The current required distance from property lines for music and amplified sound from loudspeakers, paging systems and the like is 150 feet.
In discussion at the April 25 City Council meeting, though, one speaker and a number of council members expressed concerns about the proposed changes, several taking issue with the 55-decibel level limit.
Have a beer on us and support local journalism
We’re kicking off our Spring Membership Drive with News and Brews, a celebration of local journalism featuring live music and free beer!
Join us from 7 to 9 p.m. on Monday, May 9, at Sketchbook Brewing Co., 821 Chicago Ave. All attendees will receive two free beers, and we’ll have some light refreshments provided by our friends at Firehouse Grill.
RoundTable editors, writers and other contributors will be on hand for the evening, along with members of our board and advisory committee. We’ll also have a short music program featuring performances by RoundTable Racial Justice Fellow Debbie-Marie Brown, and Steel String Highway, the alt-country/rock band led by RoundTable VP Mark Miller and friends.
Here’s a huge thanks to our friends at Sketchbook and Firehouse Grill, our event sponsors! Attendance is limited, so RSVP today to reserve your spot!
Elsewhere on the RoundTable website
At This Time: Thursday at 10:56 a.m. Willie Shaw, of the Evanston branch of the NAACP, proudly joins the YWCA’s Stand Against Racism along Ridge Avenue. Shaw, who has lived in Evanston since 1972, says this is a critical moment for the Black community. “The census will show our population is dwindling,” she says. “The major problem is housing. It is just unaffordable in terms of purchasing and rental, even more challenging for families with children.” Shaw says some friends who love Evanston have had to move. “It has a lot to offer, but they get more for their money somewhere else.” (Photo by Richard Cahan)
‘All of us are carrying these burdens’: Evanston firefighter helps colleagues cope with stress. A 2021 study found that firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians had “significantly higher” rates of suicide compared with the general U.S. population, but Tom Howard, a firefighter assigned to Station 3 on Central Street, is committed to leading cultural change around mental health and peer support.
COVID-19 update: Seven-day average of new cases puts Evanston in ‘medium’ risk category. New COVID-19 cases in suburban Cook County, Chicago and the state increased again in the past week. New cases in Evanston declined slightly. Cook County remains in the “low” risk level, but Evanston is in the “medium” risk level.
‘Ghost gun’ found during traffic stop, police say. Evanston police said that a so-called ghost gun, an unregulated and untraceable weapon that can be bought in pieces online and assembled at home, was found on an 18-year-old man during an April 25 traffic stop near Harrison Street and Crawford Avenue.
The Weekender: The RoundTable Roundup. Happy Friday! The forecast looks wet this weekend. But rain or shine, there’s plenty going on around town to keep us all entertained, so check out this list of events in around Evanston over the next few days.
Commission begins discussion of anti-gentrification proposals. The Evanston Equity and Empowerment Commission is in the early stages of formulating what is likely to be a series of proposals in a bid to protect the city’s most vulnerable residents from gentrification amid a red-hot housing market
Letter to the editor: Community must play a role in city manager search. “It’s so important that the process to find a new city manager include community priorities and input. Experience shows that our community can play a role in recruiting the best candidates, and perhaps also in deterring them,” former Seventh Ward council member Jane Grover writes.
Sam Llanas to perform at Meals on Wheels 2022 Gala, May 6. Former BoDean guitarist and singer Sam Llanas and his band will Let The Good Times Roll at the 2022 gala for Meals on Wheels on Friday, May 6, at Double Clutch Brewing Co., 2121 Ashland Ave.
The Salvation Army’s Senior Program returns to Evanston. The program has returned after a two-year hiatus to offer seniors social activities and support services. The no-cost social events take place Tuesdays and Thursdays and include activities such as painting, movie days, jewelry making, scrapbooking and Bible study.
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Around the web
The price kids pay: Schools and police punish students with costly tickets for minor misbehavior. This Chicago Tribune and ProPublica investigation reveals a trend of Illinois schools calling the police on students for minor conduct violations, and police departments then issuing expensive fines.
Citizens’ Network of Protection discusses proposed police oversight board, police chief appointment process. Evanston has been without a permanent police chief for almost a year, and the grassroots group calls for a citizen oversight board to appoint a chief and approve the department budget.
Moderna seeks to be 1st with COVID shots for littlest kids. The drugmaker has asked the FDA to approve low-dose shots for children younger than six, the only population in the U.S. yet to receive any vaccinations.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs bills addressing statewide teacher shortage, here’s how they help. The legislation primarily seeks to make it easier for schools to hire and retain substitute teachers.
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