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Dear Neighbors,
As we recover from another round of severe storms, we encourage you to report any downed branches, debris or standing water to 311. Our Streets & Sanitation crews have been working hard to keep our streets, sidewalks, and public spaces safe and clean. We appreciate everyone's assistance and patience while clean up is underway.
Pride Fest will be returning to Halsted for its 25th year this weekend on June 20th and 21st. Please note that beginning on Friday, June 19th through Monday, June 22nd Halsted between Addison and Grace will be closed, as well as Bradley between Halsted and Fremont and Waveland between Fremont and Broadway. You can fine a map of the festival here. Chicago's 55th Annual Pride Parade will take place the following Sunday, June 28th. You can find information on the parade route, street closures, and CTA reroutes both on my website here and in the Pride Information section below.
I had a great time kicking off the first Dine Out on Broadway of the summer last weekend with my annual Broadway Kids Bike Parade. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this fun tradition!
 
As part of our Court Advocacy Program, my staff and I joined a number of neighbors for Leon Jackson's pre-trial hearing via Zoom this week. The judge ruled that Leon Jackson will remain in detention and will be brought to court appearances as required. Jackson's next court hearing is scheduled for July 2nd at 9:00am. If you are interested in attending via Zoom, please email our office. We have been working closely with the Cook County State's Attorney's office and CPD on this case and on other similar concerning situations in the neighborhood. We encourage you to be mindful and aware of your surroundings and call 911 if you see troubling behavior. For other public safety updates, you can always use our office as a resource and attend your local CAPS beat meetings as well. To find out what beat you live in, and the time & location of the meetings, click here.
The Diversey ComEd substation community meeting will be held on Monday, June 22nd at 6:30pm in the Olson Auditorium at Illinois Masonic (836 Wellington). This will be an opportunity for community members to share their thoughts and feedback with ComEd directly. To learn more about the proposed substation, click here.
 
As work on the Champions Gate continues at Wrigley Field, the Northbound lane of Clark between Addison and Patterson will be closed on Tuesday, June 23rd and Wednesday, June 24th from 6:00am to 6:00pm in order for a crane to be on site. To view impacts to the #22 bus, please click here. Once completed, the gate will honor the championship teams of 1907, 1908, and 2016.
Today is the final day we will be accepting responses to our Camry Lot survey. If you have not already, please review the plans on my website here and share your thoughts on the proposal here. This proposal would increase the number of parking spaces in the Camry Lot by 259 parking spaces, bringing the total from 688 to 947.
 
This week at City Council I was proud to introduce six different resolutions honoring people and places that make our community special. The resolutions include recognitions for 44th Ward resident Josh Moulton celebrating 15 years of his Art Gallery; Jane Neufeld retiring from my alma mater Loyola University Chicago, after 40 years; the 85th birthday of Frank Nussbaum, an original founding member of Or Chadash; and a remembrance of Judge Allan Masters. Additionally, I introduced resolutions congratulating Chicago Pride Fest on 25 years as a cherished celebration of LGTBQ+ joy and resilience and Coda di Volpe for 10 years on Southport.
 
As we recognize Juneteenth tomorrow, we take a day to commemorate this important day in commemorating the end of slavery in the United States and recommit ourselves to the work that remains. Juneteenth also offers a meaningful opportunity to celebrate the contributions of Black Americans in our communities. I encourage residents to review the guide to Juneteenth the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce has put together, highlighting the many incredible Black-owned businesses in our community.
Happy Father's Day to all of the dads, including my dad Bill, a retired teacher and coach, who will beat me in golf on Sunday. The Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce has also put together a great guide for Father's Day with suggestions for the perfect gift or activity for dad.
Please note our office will be closed tomorrow, June 19th, in observation of Juneteenth. We will reopen on Monday, June 22nd at 9am.
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Have a great weekend,
Alderman Bennett Lawson
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Upcoming Alley Resurfacing
Several streets, alleys, and alley aprons will be resurfaced this week.
Streets:
- Pine Grove from Surf to Diversey - Resurfacing date is 6/29
- Hawthorne from Broadway to Lake Shore - Resurfacing date is 6/30
- Cornelia from Lakewood to Racine - Resurfacing date is 7/1
Alleys:
- E/W alley between Belmont, Cambridge, Briar, and Pine Grove - Resurfacing date is 6/29
- E/W alley between Buckingham, Halsted, Aldine, Clark - Resurfacing date is 6/30
- N/S alley between School, Racine, Melrose, and Lakewood - Resurfacing date is 7/1
Alley Aprons: In progress. Estimated repair is 6/25.
- 815 Buckingham
- 1142 Cornelia
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Wellington/Oakdale Greenway
The revised proposal for the Wellington/Oakdale is up for review and we appreciate constructive feedback. You can find a larger version of the flyer provided on my website here.
To submit feedback, you can email [email protected] or call my office at 773-525-6034.
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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 June 22nd. You can find your full garbage and recycling pick up schedule here.
Recycling information is now also available through Chicago's Recycle Coach App. You can learn more about the app 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:
June 8th - June 14th
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 24'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 42%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 are down 48%
- Year to Date, Aggravated Battery is up 11%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 is down 11%
- Year to Date, Burglaries are down 36%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 they're down 51%
- Year to Date, Thefts are up 13%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 they're down 11%
- Year to Date, Motor Vehicle Thefts are up 11%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 they're up 15%
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:
Tuesday, June 30th 6:30 PM
Topic: The role community resources play in creating safer neighborhoods with representatives from Department of Family & Support Services (DFSS) and 211.
Sulzer Library
4455 N Lincoln Ave.
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Other Public Safety Alerts
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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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Illinois Secretary of State & DMV Scam Text Scams:
There continues to be a rise in fraudulent text messages that claim to be from the Illinois Secretary of State or DMV. These texts often use urgent language, threaten license suspension, registration holds, or legal action in an attempt to trick you into clicking a link or paying an alleged fine. Learn more on the Illinois Secretary of State website here.
Vehicle Theft Tactic Alert:
We want to make neighbors aware of a vehicle theft tactic that has been seen in other cities and may become more common here. Thieves are targeting newer “push-to-start” vehicles by using technology to capture and amplify the signal from a key fob—sometimes from outside a home—to unlock and start the car in seconds. From other cities' observations, this is more likely to occur when vehicles are parked close to a residence and when key fobs are stored near doors or windows facing the street. To help protect your vehicle, consider keeping your key fob farther inside your home, using a signal-blocking pouch, or parking further away.
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Mental Health Response Resources
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Pride Fest: June 20th & 21st
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Please note the following streets will be closed from Friday, June 19th through Monday, June 22nd:
- Halsted between Addison and Grace
- Bradley between Halsted and Freemont
- Waveland between Freemont and Broadway
For additional information and a map of the festival, click here.
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The theme for Pride this year is Free to Be Proud.
It is intentional and declarative. Pride has never just been about celebration — it is about visibility, dignity, resilience, and the right to exist safely and authentically. It is a reminder that no one is truly free until everyone is free to be.
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Pride Parade Route
The parade begins at Grace & Broadway at 11 am, and will then travel the 2-mile parade route south on Broadway; then south on Halsted; then east on Belmont; then south on Broadway; then easy on Diversey to Cannon Drive.
For more information, visit the Pride Chicago website here.
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CTA Reroute & Street Closures
You can find a complete list of street closures, a larger version of the CTA reroute map, and additional Pride Parade information on our website here.
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LAKEVIEW EAST CHAMBER - GUIDE TO PRIDE
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TEEN PRIDE SPACE - JUNE 20TH-21ST
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OUT: FAMILY-FREINDLY CELEBRATION - JUNE 27
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BERTHA: GRATEFUL DRAG -
JUNE 27TH
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GRACE GREENWAY BIKE RIDE - JUNE 18TH
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JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION AT NETTELHORST - JUNE 18TH
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COMED SUBSTATION MEETING - JUNE 22ND
(Note: the time has been updated to 6:30pm)
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DINE OUT ON BROADWAY - JUNE 12-14, JULY 10-12, 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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- Film Screening: The SpongeBob Movie (2025) - 6/20, 11:00am-12:30pm (6 years and up)
- Adult Book Discussion: End of Drum-Time - 6/20, 3:00pm-4:0pm (18 years and up)
- Tactile Art Night - 6/22, 4:00pm-6:00pm (13-19 years)
- Film Screening: Milk (2008) - 6/22, 5:00pm-7:00pm (18 years and up)
- Canvas & Conversation - 6/23, 11:00am-1:00pm (13 years and up)
- LEGO Club - 6/23, 3:30pm-4:30p (4-13 years)
- Musical Theater Club - 6/23, 3:30pm-5:30pm (13-19 years)
- Lake View Explorer's Club: Tour Wrigley Field (registration required) - 6/24, 1:30pm-2:30pm (6-13 years)
- Micro-RPG Wednesdays - 6/24 5:00pm-7:00pm (13 years and up)
- Baby Time - 6/25, 10:30am-11:00am (6-23 months)
- Baby Time - 6/25, 11:30am-12:00pm (6-23 months)
- Power Up Thursdays - 6/25, 3:30pm-5:0pm (6-23 months)
- Click for all program details
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Celebrate summer reading with the Chicago Public Library
Click here to view summer reading lists, events, and activities for kids, teens, and adults.
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Click here for a full list of Chicago farmers markets.
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Donation Pages & Volunteer Opportunities
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DIGNITY DINER FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER: JENI'S - JUNE 25TH
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TUBMAN PLAYGROUND
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CHICAGO ANIMAL CARE & CONTROL
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PRIDE Chicago Volunteer Application
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LAKEVIEW EAST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - GUIDE TO JUNETEENTH
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LAKEVIEW EAST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - GUIDE TO FATHER'S DAY
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CYBER SAVVY SENIORS
(Next on: 6/22 covering Device Basics)
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CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP
(Next on: 7/15)
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SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHICAGO YOUTH
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BACP LABOR LAW UPDATES - EFFECTIVE 7/1
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FURNITURE REMOVAL
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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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OEMC - Accepting Applications Through July 31st!
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