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Dear Neighbors,
Last weekend, I joined Funny You Should Care at Second City as part of their Steps to Better Housing: A Comedy Show On Why We Should Modernize Our Housing Codes series. As a city, we need to look closely at how we can create more housing opportunities across Chicago, including updating outdated policies that make it harder to build the kinds of homes people are looking for today. We the impact of this work last year with the expansion of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), and are now continuing the conversation through with single-stair reform. Whether it's expanding ADUs, creating more missing-middle housing or modernizing our building code, practical reforms can help more Chicagoans afford to stay in the city, strengthen our neighborhoods, and support Chicago's continued growth. A big thank you to Funny You Should Care for putting together a thoughtful and entertaining show — and for making building code reform fun!
I'm excited to welcome FARE (614 W Diversey) to the neighborhood. FARE is a cafe and restaurant built on the belief that fast food can also be real food. With quality ingredients, thoughtful preparation, and plenty of flavor. Be sure to stop by and check them out!
 
This week, there was an important community discussion about the expansion of the Crisis Assistance & Response Engagement (CARE) Program. I have been a longtime supporter of CARE and was glad to see the program citywide this past spring. CARE offers an important alternative to a traditional 911 response for people experiencing a mental health crisis by dispatching a behavioral health professional and an EMT to eligible calls. CARE teams are trained to conduct on-site mental health assessments, provide crisis de-escalation and brief counseling, and connect residents to ongoing mental health care and social services. As budget season approaches, I will continue advocating for the investments needed to strengthen and sustain this critical program.
  
This weekend, there are two free, family-friendly movie screenings in the ward. On Saturday, August 8, ELIO will be shown at Margaret Donahue Park as part of the Chicago Park District's Movies in the Parks series, and on Sunday, August 9 Central Lake View Neighbors' Movies in the Park returns with Zootopia 2 at Hawthorne School.
We are partnering with State Rep. Croke and State Sen. Feigenholtz's offices on a back-to-school supply drive. Donations of new or gently used school supplies can be dropped off at the 44th Ward office through August 14. Collected items will be distributed to children in need by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. For questions or additional information, contact [email protected] or call 773-348-8974.
 
The City's Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights (CIRR) is hosting several virtual events to discuss recent ICE activity and changes to immigration policy. On Tuesday, August 11 from 1-2 p.m. CIRR will host a virtual immigration briefing on recent legal and policy changes and their impact on Chicagoans. You can register for the briefing here. CIRR will also host two additional information sessions on the recent increase in ICE activity, what residents should expect, and how families can prepare. The sessions will cover recent enforcement trends, the importance of knowing your rights during traffic stops, and how to plan for short-term guardianship of your children in event of detention or deportation. The first information session will be held in English on Tuesday, August 11 from 6-7:30 p.m. The second will be held in Spanish on Tuesday, August 18 from 6-7:30 p.m. Register for the information session here. Our Ward Office also has whistles, signs, and additional Know Your Rights information available.
 
Last weekend, the annual Southport Ikebana Walk brough art and culture to the neighborhood. Organized by SSA #17 and the Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber, the event featured Ikenobo and Ohara Ryu floral arrangements, avant-garde calligraphy, ink paintings, and origami across 20 Southport Corridor venues with support from the Japanese Culture Center and the Japanese Arts Foundation. The walk also honored Lakeview’s rich history as the historic epicenter of Chicago’s Japanese and Japanese American community. Dōmo arigatō gozaimasu to everyone who attended, supported local businesses, and helped celebrate this vibrant cultural tradition in the ward.
As a reminder, Market Days returns next weekend on August 7-9. Halsted will be closed to vehicle traffic, with no access to surface parking lots or parking garages from 7 a.m. on Friday, August 7 until 8 a.m. on Monday, August 10. For more information about street closures and parking restrictions, you can visit the Northalsted Business Alliance's website here.
The Cubs will be home for two back-to-back series taking on the Yankees and the Dodgers from Friday, July 31 through Thursday, August 6. Please note that the Cubs vs. Yankees game scheduled for August 1st has been moved to 6:15 p.m. for a national FOX broadcast.
Lollapalooza is underway downtown and runs through Sunday, August 2. You can stay up to date on public safety alerts, transit disruptions, and other important information by texting 'CHIBIZ' to 67283 or signing up for City alerts here.
As we head into the weekend, another round of storms is possible. While the ward was spared widespread downed branches during the storms earlier this week, several streets experienced drainage issues. The following day, I joined our Ward Superintendent to help clear debris blocking drains. If you see any downed branches or debris affecting streets or sidewalks this weekend, please report them to 311 so we can help keep our public spaces clean and safe.
Next Friday, August 7, my office will be closing at 1 p.m. for a staff development day. We will reopen at 9 a.m. on Monday, August 10.
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Have a great weekend,
Alderman Bennett Lawson
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Upcoming Alley Resurfacing
Street and alley grinding and resurfacing work is ongoing throughout the ward. Please note that schedules are subject to change, and delays may occur due to weather conditions or equipment availability. We appreciate your patience and understanding as this work is completed. We will continue to communicate any changes as we receive information from CDOT.
Streets:
- Buckingham from Broadway to Halsted - Completed!
Alleys:
- E/W alley between Buckingham, Halsted, Aldine, Clark - Completed!
- N/S alley between School, Racine, Melrose, and Lakewood - Resurfacing date is 7/30
- E/W alley between Wellington, Mildred, Halsted, and Oakdale - Completed!
Sidewalks:
- 850 Fletcher - In progress
Alley Corrective Work:
- Phase 1: Wednesday, July 22, 2026 to Monday, July 27, 2026, for an approximate duration of 1 week, weather permitting. The entrance from N. Halsted St. will be closed. Traffic will be able to enter from N. Broadway and W. Melrose St.
- Phase 1 will primarily impact 657-667 W. Melrose, 3219 N. Halsted
- Phase 2: Monday, July 27, 2026 to Monday, August 10, 2026, for an approximate duration of 2 weeks weather permitting. The entrance on N. Broadway and W. Melrose St. will be closed. Traffic will be able to enter from N. Halsted St
- Phase 2 will primarily impact 617-625 W. Melrose, 3212 N. Broadway, North/ South alley behind 751-781 W. Melrose
- Due to construction, the following changes will occur:
- Residential garbage pickup will be curbside and we ask that the homeowner relocate cans to the front of the property. If you have private refuse, please contact your service to make special arrangements for pickup.
- Barricades will block sections of the alley.
- Homeowners are advised to seek alternative parking.
- Barricades will be moved by the contractor to indicate access has been restored to garages.
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Wellington/Oakdale Greenway
You can find the updated proposal for the Wellington/Oakdale Greenway below and on our website here.
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Divvy Bikes & E-Scooters
We are excited to share that we now have a total of 26 E-Scooter & Divvy Bike docking stations in the 44th Ward!
Reporting Scooter & Divvy Bike Removals
If you see Divvy Bikes or E-Scooters that are not properly returned to a docking station, please report this to 311 here. By contract, shared bike and scooter companies must remove their property within two hours of a 311 removal request. We appreciate your assistance in helping keep our neighborhood clean.
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Chi Street Work Portal
Have questions about street work happening in your area?
The Department of Transportation has a tool called the Chi Street Work Portal where you can input an address and see all surrounding permits for projects on that street.
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Garbage & Recycling
The next recycling pick-up for the 44th Ward is the week of August 3rd. You can find your full garbage and recycling pick up schedule here.
Recycling information is now also available through Chicago's Recycle Coach App. To learn more about the app, click here.
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To submit a small business for our weekly shoutout, please complete the form here.
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19th District Weekly Report:
July 20th- July 26th
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 the full list of CPD's safety tips here, as well as tips for personal safety, robberies, and vehicles.
Below you'll find Week 30'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 44%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 are down 59%
- Year to Date, Aggravated Battery is up 4%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 is up 8%
- Year to Date, Burglaries are down 43%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 they're down 74%
- Year to Date, Thefts are up 5%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 they're down 30%
- Year to Date, Motor Vehicle Thefts are up 16%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 they're up 10%
For a list of crime definitions, please see CPD's website here.
See full report below:
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Upcoming Meetings
Community Meetings With CPD (‘Beat Meetings’):
Beat meetings are part of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) and are an opportunity to speak directly with CPD officers about your neighborhood. The officers review incidents that have occurred as well as an overview of crime statistics. Find your beat here and view the beat meeting schedule below or in our ward calendar.
19th Police District Council
The 19th Police District Council holds monthly meetings. To view all upcoming meetings, you can visit the 19th Police District Council website here.
The next meeting is:
Wednesday, August 26th 6:30 PM
Topic: TBD
Uptown Church
1134 W. Wilson Ave.
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Other Public Safety Alerts
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Charity Scam Alert:
The Chicago Police Department has seen an increase of "charity scams" in the area. In these cases, scammers utilize emotional pressure and fake urgency to persuade you to donate for a cause such as youth sports or gun violence victims. These individuals will offer to set up a small donation on your phone, but then take thousands of dollars.
It is important to never hand your phone to someone you don't know. If you believe that you are witnessing concerning behavior, call 911.
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Honda Air Bag Thefts:
The Chicago Police Department continues to see reports of air bag thefts from Hondas in the area.
CPD officers have noted, however, that visible anti-theft devices such as steering wheel clubs have proven to be an effective deterrent, with many of the protected vehicles often being passed over even when neighboring cars were targeted.
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Mental Health Response Resources
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If someone is in a mental health crisis, NAMI, Thresholds, and Trilogy provide resources and mobile crisis response in which a mental health professional can be dispatched.
This can be done instead of, or in conjunction with calling 911. If calling 911, you can ask for a CIT officer to be dispatched as they have additional mental health response training.
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Cook County State's Attorney's Office Resources
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CCPSA MEETING -
JULY 30
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NATIONAL NIGHT OUT -
AUGUST 4
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BLOOD DRIVE -
AUGUST 4
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CLVN MOVIE NIGHTS - AUGUST 9 & 23
8/23 rain date from 6/5
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DINE OUT ON BROADWAY -
AUGUST 21-23
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Merlo Library - Upcoming Programs
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Merlo Library (644 W Belmont) has a wide range of events each week for babies, kids, teens, and adults.
Click here to view all of Merlo's upcoming events, and see below for events this coming week.
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Click here for a full list of Chicago farmers markets.
Wrigleyville Night Market at Gallagher Way
The Night Market at Gallagher Way is back on select Thursdays from 4-8pm in July and August. To view the full schedule, click here.
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Nourishing Hope (3945 N Sheridan), formerly known as Lakeview Pantry, is a robust Chicago nonprofit providing food, mental wellness counseling and other social services, such as job and housing assistance, to our neighbors in need.
To learn more about their programs, click here.
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Deliver fresh groceries to your neighbors!
- Sign up for a Home Delivery Driving shift with Nourishing Hope to deliver 8-10 orders. Driving shifts begin at their Hub warehouse at 5151 N. Ravenswood at 10:30am.
- You can learn more and register for shifts here.
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Donation Pages & Volunteer Opportunities
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TUBMAN PLAYGROUND
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CHICAGO ANIMAL CARE & CONTROL
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EMRS & OEMC STORM DAMAGE ASSESSMENT
Cook County’s Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security (EMRS) and the City of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) are reviewing damage from the severe thunderstorms and tornadoes that occurred July 27 and asking that residents who have been impacted by these storms submit an initial damage assessment.
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IMMIGRATION BRIEFING - AUG 11
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ICE SURGE WORKSHOP - AUG 11
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PARK DISTRICT PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING
(voting open from 7/27-8/27)
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Voting is now live for the Park District's Participatory Budgeting. Community members have the opportunity to help determine how $500,000 in capital improvement funding will be invested in parks across Chicago by ranking the project categories in order of preference. All community members ages 13 and older are encouraged to participate.
Click here to cast your ballot.
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MAKE YOUR BUILDING
BIRD-FRIENDLY
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CCPSA District Councilor Information Sesstions
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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:
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