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Dear Neighbors,
I am horrified by the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old native of Park Ridge, just northwest of Chicago, who was shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis last weekend. Alex served his country as a registered nurse with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, caring for veterans and living a life rooted in service. This senseless tragedy follows a deeply troubling pattern of dangerous and undemocratic conduct by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and it demands accountability.
Earlier this month, I attended Chicago City Council's hearing with elected leaders from Minneapolis, who testified about their firsthand experiences with ICE operations. I have also signed on to legislation allowing Civilian Office of Police Accountability to investigate CPD for potential violations of Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance and assisting ICE—because transparency, the rule of law, and the safety of our communities must come first.
As we continue through another stretch of winter weather, we hope you’re staying warm and finding ways to make the most of the season. Even in the cold, our neighborhood has plenty to offer, and we wanted to highlight a few events in Lakeview over the coming weeks.
This weekend, there will be live ice sculpting hosted by the Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce, bringing a bit of winter magic to the neighborhood with a free, family-friendly event on Saturday and Sunday. See here for details. Looking ahead, the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce has also put together two great neighborhood guides—one for Super Bowl Sunday and another for Valentine’s Day—spotlighting local bars, restaurants, and specials so you can celebrate close to home. Whether you’re braving the cold or planning a night in the neighborhood, there’s no shortage of reasons to shop, dine, and celebrate locally.
  
In public safety news, while overall crime trends continue to move in the right direction, our office met earlier this week with CPD's 19th District command staff, who shared two specific rising trends they are closely monitoring: bike thefts and thefts of airbags from Honda Civic and Honda Accord models. To help protect against bike thefts, residents are encouraged to register their bikes here with CPD using the serial number and other identifying information so they can be returned if recovered.
You can also consider using nonprofit bike registration services such as BikeIndex.org, that flag stolen bikes for shops nationwide. You can find the City’s bike theft prevention tips here. For vehicle owners, CPD has shared reminders on how to reduce the risk of vehicle thefts and break-ins. See CPD’s flyer here for more details on vehicle safety tips, and their community alert here for these incidents, which have occurred in other nearby neighborhoods.
With the March 17th Midterm Primary Election approaching, now is a great time to make a plan to vote by mail if that’s the option that works best for you. Chicago voters can apply now to receive a Vote By Mail ballot for this election, or sign up for the Vote By Mail Permanent Roster to automatically receive a ballot for all future elections. Ballots will begin going out as early as February 5th, and the deadline to apply for Vote By Mail is Thursday, March 12th at 5:00pm, but applying as soon as possible is recommended.
All Vote By Mail ballots come with prepaid return envelopes, and voters can track their ballot every step of the way with email updates when it’s mailed, received, and counted. Completed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, March 17th, and received by March 31st to be counted. You can read more guidance on how to apply online, in-person, or via mail through the Chicago Board of Elections website here. See a full timeline of Midterm Primary Election-related dates here.
Chicago is also still looking for Election Judges and High School Student Judges to help staff polling places. Serving as an Election Judge is a great way to support our democracy, help your neighbors vote, and earn up to $230 for the day. High school juniors and seniors can also apply to serve as Student Judges—an excellent hands-on civics opportunity for students who are interested in government. The deadline for High School Student Judge applications is February 3rd. Learn more and apply here.
 
We are glad to share a draft of the 44th Ward Design Guidelines, one of the key action items that came out of last year’s Community Plan. These guidelines are intended to bring the most common themes we hear from residents into the beginning of the development process—helping set clearer expectations early and making conversations more productive for neighbors, developers, and the City alike. We’re now seeking your feedback on this 16-page draft and welcome ideas for additional design principles, as well as suggestions for how existing ones could be improved. This document is not meant to be a rigid set of rules, but rather flexible guidance to help make development discussions more constructive, efficient, and closely aligned with our community’s needs and values.
Our office has recently been presented with a petition calling for our portion of Inner Lake Shore Drive—from Belmont to Grace—to be included in a traffic study, following a series of crashes, injuries, and close calls in this corridor. We share residents’ concerns about safety and have formally requested that CDOT conduct a traffic study for this stretch of Inner Lake Shore Drive to better understand conditions and identify potential improvements. We know how critical this roadway is for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers alike, especially for accessing the lakefront. We will keep you updated as we receive more information from CDOT, and if you’re interested, you can view the petition and learn more about the concerns here.
The City of Chicago has released a draft five-year plan to prevent and end homelessness, and your voice is an important part of shaping what comes next. The draft 2026 Five-Year Blueprint on Homelessness lays out a citywide strategy focused on emergency services, housing, health, education, employment, community cohesion, and better coordination across systems. You can read the draft plan and submit public comments here, and we encourage anyone interested to review the proposal and share feedback today.
Please note that our office will be closed on Thursday, February 12th due to Lincoln's Birthday, a State holiday.
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Have a great weekend,
Alderman Bennett Lawson
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LAKEVIEW DOG PARK - DONATION PAGE
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APPLY FOR CHICAGO FARMER'S MARKETS - DUE TODAY
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LAKESHORE FITNESS STUDENT ART CONTEST - DUE TOMORROW
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OLMCA OPEN HOUSE FEB 13th, PLAYGROUP
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ST ANDREW FISH FRY - FEB 20th
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ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL ADOPTION EVENT - FEB 21st
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RESTAURANT WEEK IN LAKEVIEW - THRU FEB 8th
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LAKEVIEW EAST DIVE BAR CLASSIC - FEB 9th-MAR 1st
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FRIENDS OF TUBMAN PLEDGE DRIVE - THRU FEB 13th
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FREE VIRTUAL LEGAL SEMINARS (NEXT ON Feb 18th)
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ART INSTITUTE FREE ADMISSION - WEEKDAYS THRU FEB 27th
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ST ANDREW EARLY LEARNERS PROGRAM - THRU MAR 13th
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ANNOYANCE THEATER LIVE PODCAST - EVERY SUNDAY
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NETTELHORST 2D RESTAURANT FUNDRAISER - EVERY THURS
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MERLO LIBRARY - JANUARY & FEBRUARY PROGRAMS, ALL AGES
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- Tummy Time - Tuesdays 1/6-2/17, 10:30am (0-5 months)
- Baby Time - Thursdays 1/8-2/26 Except 2/12, 10:30am & 11:30am (6-23 months)
- Family Story Time - 2/14, 10:00am (0-5 years)
- Lego Club - Tuesdays 1/6-2/24, 3:30-4:30pm (4-13 years)
- Uno Tournament - 2/7, 2-4:30pm (11+)
- Crafts - 2/1, 2/9 various times
- Monthly Book Club - 2/21, 3:00pm
- Painting - 2/24, 11:00am
- Click for all program details
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EXPANDED REAL ID SATURDAY SERVICES
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FRIENDS OF TUBMAN ELEMENTARY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
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City Webinar: Financial Management for Small Business | 2/6 9:30am-11:00am
To submit a small business for our weekly shoutout, please complete the form here.
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PUBLIC SAFETY & 19th DISTRICT WEEKLY REPORT:
January 19th - January 25th
Local 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 4'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 26%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 are down 30%
- Year to Date, Aggravated Battery is flat, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 is down 17%
- Year to Date, Burglaries are down 60%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 they're down 60%
- Year to Date, Thefts are down 32%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 they're down 32%
- Year to Date, Motor Vehicle Thefts are down 3%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 they're down 3%
For a list of crime definitions, please see CPD's website here.
See full report below:
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MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE RESOURCES
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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.
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See below for ongoing construction and infrastructure projects in our neighborhood and on our website here!
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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.
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TIPS FROM TOMMY K - JANUARY
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GARBAGE & RECYCLING
Recycling pick-ups for the 44th Ward are occurring the week of February 2nd. You can find your full garbage and recycling pickup schedule here.
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See below for a list of job fairs, networking events, and more!
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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:
- City
- City of Chicago
- Chicago Public Schools
- Chicago Transit Authority
- Park District
- County
- All - Cook County
- Cook County State's Attorney
- Cook County Sheriff's Office
- State/Other
- State of Illinois
- Secretary of State of Illinois
- PACE bus system
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44th WARD 2026 COMMUNITY MEETINGS
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