44th Ward Newsletter: October 24, 2025

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Dear Neighbors,

I am sharing this newsletter in light of recent actions by ICE in our Ward including deploying tear gas on the 3300 block of Lakewood and more. I want to make this clear: ICE’s un-American and undemocratic tactics of fear and intimidation in our neighborhoods are a direct attack on everything Chicago stands for—inclusion, compassion and love. We have a proud history of welcoming people of all backgrounds in our community and our commitment to those principles are stronger now than ever. Please document these dangerous and illegal actions, and email your video evidence to our office (noting whether we have your permission to share with media, if possible).

My team and I were on-site speaking to affected residents on Lakewood, and are working closely with community members and authorities across the ward to monitor ICE’s presence. We will continue to update residents as information becomes available. In the meantime, know your rights and visit our Immigration Rights & Resources page here for more information on how to get involved.

I was proud to join No Kings protesters here in Lakeview along Broadway and Sheridan this past Saturday. It was inspiring to see neighbors stand up for what we believe in—and we’ll need to keep showing up in the months and years ahead. See many powerful photos of the day here.

Last Monday, I also joined Congressman Mike Quigley, Alderman Matt Martin, and immigration nonprofits for an emergency Know Your Rights meeting at Lake View High School, where we also condemned the recent ICE detention of the father of an LVHS student who is battling cancer. If you’d like to support this family, you can donate to the daughter’s GoFundMe here and sign the petition demanding her father’s release here.

There will also be a community ICE whistle-packing event at Three Avenues Bookshop at 3009 N Southport on Tuesday, October 28th, 6:00-7:30pm (please bring scissors). If you see license-plate tampering by federal vehicles—missing plates, plate swaps, etc.—Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has launched a hotline at (312) 814-1730 to report it, as this is illegal in Illinois.

Halloween is just around the corner, and the whole neighborhood is getting into the spirit—from porches lined with pumpkins to skeletons climbing balconies. Thank you to everyone who sent in photos of your decorations after last week’s call in the newsletter. You can see some of our favorites below.

We would also like to give a warm welcome to Daeji Dough Company, a new Korean-fusion bakery now open at 1360 W Belmont from Wednesday-Sunday, 8:00am-2:00pm. After building a following at local farmers markets, owner Albert Song has put down roots here in Lakeview. From a savory french onion croissant and smoked brisket roll to creative twists like bulgogi and dill pickle foccacia, everything is packed with bold flavor. It’s a great addition to our growing community of local bakeries, and we hope you’ll stop by to welcome them to the neighborhood. Read an article about their story here.

A reminder that the 44th Ward Free Shredding Event is happening tomorrow, Saturday, October 25th, from 9:00am-12:00pm outside our office (3223 N Sheffield). Join us to safely dispose of your personal documents. Please bring residential papers only (no business materials) and remove staples, clips, or binders in advance. Each household is limited to two bankers boxes.

As we wrap up the month, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the season right here in Lakeview. The Lakeview East Little Monsters Crawl is tomorrow from 11:00am–2:00pm. Dress up and enjoy neighborhood-wide trick-or-treating at participating businesses along Broadway, Belmont, and Clark—just look for the “Official Stop” signs for candy, activities, and photo ops.

Tomorrow also brings Gallagher Way’s Pumpkin Party returns from 1:00-5:00pm with live music from the Old Town School of Folk Music, kids’ crafts by Kidcreate Studio, trick-or-treating, balloon artists, a walking magician, and plenty of pumpkins to take home. Costumes are encouraged for this free, family-friendly afternoon of fun.

Then on Monday, October 27th, Trick or Treat on Southport is back from 4:00-7:00pm from Roscoe to Grace. Families can enjoy trick-or-treating at local businesses, a pumpkin patch outside Coalfire Pizza, live entertainment, bounce houses, crafts, and an iconic Gus Giordano “Thriller” dance performance at 5:00pm near Southport and Cornelia.

Finally, don’t miss one of Lakeview's most legendary Halloween events: the 28th Annual Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade on Thursday, October 31st. Kicking off at 7:30pm at Halsted and Belmont, this nationally recognized parade features dazzling costumes, drag performances, fire dancers, marching bands, and a costume contest with over $4,000 in prizes.

The CTA is once again carrying forward its decades-long tradition of giving back through the 2025 Holiday Food Program, which provides holiday food boxes to Chicago families in need. This employee-led effort has supported thousands of households since 1992, and this year, CTA is inviting nonprofit organizations serving unhoused or low-income residents to apply to receive donations. Interested organizations should submit a request on official letterhead by November 5th, including their mission, who they serve, and a contact person, to [email protected].

As the weather gets chilly, you can still enjoy one of our neighborhood’s green gems from the comfort of your home. Lakeview resident James Mastaler has put together a wonderful virtual tour of the Lakeview Community Garden at Diversey, showcasing its beauty, history, and the volunteers who make it thrive. You can watch the full tour on YouTube here to learn about the garden.

Have a great weekend,

Alderman Bennett Lawson

44th WARD SHREDDING EVENT - TOMORROW

LAKEVIEW EAST LITTLE MONSTERS CRAWL - TOMORROW

CANNED FOOD DRIVE - TOMORROW

GRACELAND GHOSTS & SECRETS - TOMORROW

PAWS & CLAWS COSTUME CRAWL - OCT 29th

TUBMAN ELEMENTARY FUNDRAISER - OCT 30th

LVHS HALLOWEEN CONCERT - OCT 30th

COOK COUNTY PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FUND - DUE OCT 31st

INTER-AMERICAN OPEN HOUSES - NEXT NOV 8th

MOVIE SCREENING - UNITED IN ANGER - NOV 10th

GREELEY ADVANCED ENGLISH PROGRAM - DUE NOV 14th

LITTER CLEANUP COMPETITION VERSUS PHILLY - THRU OCT 31st

FREE VIRTUAL LEGAL SEMINARS (NEXT ON NOV 19th)

OUR LADY OF MT CARMEL WILDCAT DEN - THRU SCHOOL YEAR

LAKEVIEW DOG PARK - DONATION PAGE

NETTELHORST FRENCH MARKET - THRU NOVEMBER

CHICAGO PUMPKIN COMPOSTING

To submit a small business for our weekly shoutout, please complete the form here.

PUBLIC SAFETY & 19th DISTRICT WEEKLY REPORT:
October 13th - October 19th

Upcoming Community Conversation:
The Chicago Police Department has released a new flyer with tips on how to help prevent vehicle theft including guidance on anti-theft devices, safe parking habits, and what to do if your car is stolen. You can click here to view the full flyer here and learn how to keep your vehicle secure.

Upcoming Community Conversation:
Please see here a flyer for an upcoming Community Conversation hosted by our local 19th District CPD officers. It will take place on November 6th, from 6-8:00pm at Clarendon Park (4501 N Clarendon). Click here to register.

Public Safety Statistics:
My office is in regular contact with the 19th Police District about crimes that have occurred recently in our area and that are reflected in the statistics below. The majority of 19th District crimes have occurred outside of our ward. The 19th District also includes the surrounding neighborhoods of Uptown, Lincoln Park, Roscoe Village, Bricktown, Ravenswood, and Lincoln Square.

Please view our website's public safety page here for both proactive measures to stay safe before crimes occur, and also how to respond in the event of a crime.

In order to stay safe, please find the most relevant key safety tips below, and the full list of CPD's safety tips here:

-General
-Personal
-Robbery-specific
-Vehicle-specific

Below you'll find Week 41's CompStat breakdown of crime in the 19th District.

Please note, these statistics are a reflection of the entire 19th District. The boundaries are from Lawrence Ave to Fullerton Ave, from the Chicago River to the Lake.

Here are the key points:

Year to Date, Robberies are down 27%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2024 are down 48%
Year to Date, Aggravated Battery is down 6%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2024 is down 6%
Year to Date, Burglaries are down 23%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2024 they're down 26%
Year to Date, Felony Thefts are down 13%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2024 they're down 22%
Year to Date, Misdemeanor Thefts are down 12%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2024 they're down 30%
Year to Date, Motor Vehicle Thefts are down 39%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2024 they're flat

For a list of crime definitions, please see CPD's website here.

See full report below:

19th DISTRICT COUNCIL MEETING - OCT 29th

MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE RESOURCES

SCOOTER REPORTING

Please click here to submit a scooter removal request and here for Divvy bike removal. We appreciate your assistance in helping keep our neighborhood clean. By contract, shared bike and scooter companies must remove their property within two hours of a 311 removal request.

Please contact our office directly if you see illegal/dangerous activities on green Lime scooters (riding on the sidewalk, two people sharing one scooter, etc). We are able to work with Lime to potentially administer fines, suspensions, or bans if you can include a photo/video of the behavior, and a time and location.

See below for ongoing construction and infrastructure projects in our neighborhood and on our website here!

CTA WORK - WAVELAND & GRACE CLOSURE OCT 24-27

Please be aware of a full closure of Waveland and Grace from Sheffield to Wilton, for CTA overhead rail construction. The closure of Waveland will begin no earlier than 9:00pm today, and end no later than 5:00am Monday. A local detour will be posted for Waveland and Grace traffic. See a flyer here.

CTA WORK - ADDISON TO GRACE THRU SEPT-OCT

Please see a flyer linked here for upcoming work on the Red Line tracks north of the Addison station, on the CTA structure west of the area between 3636-3740 N Wilton.

During work periods, access to under ‘L’ areas will be restricted, particularly for residents who park east of the tracks between 3636 – 3740 N. Wilton. Alternative parking will be provided for those residents who currently have private, dedicated parking on their property. Residents on the west side of the tracks with N. Sheffield addresses between 3709 – 3763 will be able to access their garages/parking spaces via the alley.

To perform this work, there will be temporary street closures on Waveland between Sheffield and Wilton, and Grace St. between Sheffield and Wilton. There will be overnight work during work periods.

UPCOMING STREET RESURFACINGS

Please see below the list of streets that are scheduled to begin resurfacing at the end of the month, weather permitting.

Cornelia from Lakewood to Racine - 10/27
Hawthorne from Lake Shore Drive to Broadway - 10/29
Briar from Broadway to Sheridan - 10/30
Pine Grove from Surf to Diversey - 10/31

ALLEY RECONSTRUCTION ALERT

10/24 update:

We anticipate this project to be completed within several weeks, weather permitting.

Please be aware of noise in the neighborhood due to construction. In accordance with the Chicago Municipal Code, the Public Building Commission (PBC) is granting permission to the Contractor to begin the workday at 6:00AM and to end the workday at 7:00PM, Monday through Friday; 8:00AM to 5:00PM on Saturdays (if needed); and 9:00AM to 5:00PM on Sundays (if needed) for the duration of the project.

If you have any questions on this alley resurfacing, please reach out to our office for more details.

HALSTED ARTERIAL RESURFACING

Halsted Arterial Resurfacing - Halsted from Clark to Waveland Ave.

The resurfacing and restriping has been completed. The rainbow crosswalks are expected to be repainted within the next few weeks.

This work is part of the Chicago Department of Transportation’s Arterial Street Resurfacing - North Area Project, in the 44th Ward. Bigane Paving Co. is the general contractor for this project and Wight & Company is providing resident engineering services for the Chicago Department of Transportation.

The project includes ADA sidewalk improvements, curb and gutter removal and replacement as needed for ADA and drainage compliance, pavement patching, milling and paving the existing asphalt pavement, and striping.

Please be mindful of temporary “No Parking” signs as required for the activity listed above. These temporary signs restrict parking during working hours, while adhering to rush hour restrictions, for the completion of the work.

TREE TRIMMING

Area Grid Tree Trimming – Wednesday, October 29th
Weather and staff permitting, the Bureau of Forestry will be conducting tree trimming in the 44th Ward. The below grid and addresses will have their parkway trees trimmed:

1100 W Barry
3000, 3100 N Racine

As a reminder, in the spring of 2023 the Bureau of Forestry switched to a grid-based system for tree trimmings in place of accepting requests for individual tree trims. This system allows for more of our City's urban canopy to be maintained.

Please be alert of no parking signs posted on the above blocks for this date as the equipment will occupy the public way.

REPORTING POTHOLES

Please report any potholes you see by entering in all requests through the 311.Chicago.Gov website for those in the street or alley. If possible, be sure to upload images as well so crews are able to identify the exact location.

For more severe potholes that may need immediate attention, please reach out to my ward office either by email ([email protected]) and include the location and images of the pothole or by calling the office at (773-525-6034).

If your vehicle was damaged due to a pothole, you may be entitled to a financial claim here.

TIPS FROM TOMMY K - OCTOBER

GARBAGE & RECYCLING

Recycling pick-ups for the 44th Ward are occurring the week of October 27th. You can find your full garbage and recycling pickup schedule .

See below for a list of job fairs, networking events, and more!

THE CITY IS HIRING

Looking for a job? Try working for the City! Click here to see the full list of job openings currently seeking applicants.

Local government employment opportunities:

City
- Assistant Commissioner - Department of Planning and Development
- Dept of Law
- City of Chicago
- Chicago Public Schools
- Chicago Transit Authority
- Park District

County
State/Other
- State of Illinois
- Secretary of State of Illinois
- PACE bus system