• Recent LCA News •

The LCA Annual Meeting is Happening Tonight!

The Lincoln Central Association 2023 Annual Meeting & Election is scheduled for TONIGHT, January 26 at 6:30 PM at Belmont Village. Parking is free and light snacks and refreshments will be served. You can access the free parking garage on Fullerton just west of the entrance.

We encourage all Lincoln Central Association members and community members to attend this fun, social and informational event!

Learn more about the annual meeting here.

43rd Ward Candidate Forum and Voting on Feb. 28

Earlier this week, Lincoln Central Association was honored to participate in the 43rd Ward Candidate Forum where neighbors learned more about the six candidates for 43rd Ward Alderman.

Now that you know more about the candidates, it is time to make a plan to vote. First of all, the Chicago Municipal Election will take place on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. The election will cover the 43rd Ward Alderman, but also the Chicago Mayoral Election, the Chicago Police Department District Council Member Election (more details on that in our feature below) and more. See the full list of candidates and referenda here.

Here is some key information for you on where and how to vote on February 28:

Voter Registration

Are you registered to vote? Get information about registering to vote for this election here. Note that you must be registered to vote by February 12 to vote in this election.

Vote By Mail

You can apply online to vote by mail for the upcoming election here. Note that the deadline to apply to vote by mail is February 23. Make sure to follow all of the instructions on the ballot that you receive.

Voting Early

Early voting for this election starts today, January 26! If you choose to vote early, here is a list of early voting locations, along with dates and times they are open.

Voting on Election Day

Enter your voter information here to find your local place to vote.

It doesn’t matter how you choose to vote, please just get out there and vote!!

Thank You LCA Sponsors!

LCA is dedicated to inspiring people to join together for the social, cultural, and physical enrichment of our neighborhood, and our local businesses are a critical part of that! LCA is honored to work with local businesses to improve our neighborhood and promote their business.

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

Become an LCA Sponsor Today!

We promote our businesses through our signature events, in “From the Heart,” our award-winning email newsletter, on our website, and through word of mouth.

Why Should Your Company Be Involved?

• Engaging with LCA events gives you the opportunity to engage directly with local potential customers.
• More than 90% of attendees at LCA events walk to the events from their homes in the surrounding neighborhoods. That means they can walk to your business, too!
• LCA’s events are promoted in in LCA’s award winning newsletter, From the Heart.

All LCA sponsorships are annual and include promotions at all LCA events throughout the year. Sponsorship opportunities are outlined below. Do you have another idea on how to partner? Contact us and we can discuss ways to collaborate. 

• Neighborhood News •

Support Local Eats at Chicago Restaurant Week

Chicago Restaurant Week is happening NOW through February 5!

The highly anticipated event will feature more than 335 participants representing 34 distinct Chicago neighborhoods, including 37 suburban restaurants. Of the participants, 55 are women, minority and/or Black-owned enterprises.

Chicago Restaurant Week offers local foodies a meaningful opportunity to experience some of the area’s most sought-after restaurants. For 17 consecutive, dining-packed days, participating dining establishments will showcase specially curated prix fixe menus with prices set at $25 for brunch or lunch, and $42 and/or $59 for dinner (excluding beverages, tax and gratuity). Lending an ideal reason to explore Chicago’s nationally lauded culinary scene, diners can experience new, showstopping restaurants and familiar favorites alike daily.

The list of participating restaurants is available at eatitupchicago.com. Please get out and support our amazing Lincoln Park Restaurants!

Cook County Searching for Unsung Heroines!

The Cook County Commission on Women’s Issues is looking for superstar women to nominate for Cook County's Unsung Heroine award. Every year, the Cook County Commission on Women's Issues awards 18 women from across the County with the Peggy A. Montes Unsung Heroine Award, to recognize women who have either in a professional or volunteer capacity, made significant contributions to their community. Learn more and nominate exceptional women at https://cookcountygov.info/nominate.

Fusion Academy Lincoln Park Hosting Open House

Fusion Academy in Lincoln Park is hosting Early Enrollment Open Houses in early February! See the details below:

Event Name: Fusion Academy Lincoln Park - Afternoon Session

Date: February 9th, 2023

Time: 1:30pm - 3:00pm

Learn more about this event here.

Event Name: Fusion Academy Lincoln Park - Evening Session

Date: February 9th, 2023

Time: 5:30pm - 7:00pm

Learn more about this event here.

• FEATURE •

Why We should Care About the New CCPSA

By Larry Sachs

Feeling less safe, anguish over violent crime and calls for police reform are not new or unique to Chicago. According to the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, there are at least 200 police oversight agencies in the country, and most large cities have one of some kind. Discussions about police reform and allied governmental and community-based efforts to reduce crime have spanned decades and focused, typically, on giving "community" a voice in and “appropriate” authority over law enforcement policy and practice to reduce crime and to help prevent and improve response to police misconduct and discriminatory practices.

Below is a very brief and abbreviated history of recent police reform efforts in Chicago:

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA): Mayor Rahm Emanuel created a Police Accountability Task Force in December 2015 whose April 2016 report listed over 100 CPD reform recommendations, including creation of a “Community Safety Oversight Board.” In October 2016, the City Council passed an ordinance to establish COPA, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (Home - Civilian Office of Police Accountability (chicagocopa.org) as the civilian CPD oversight agency of the Chicago Police Department. COPA’s primary mission: investigate allegations of police misconduct, identify and address patterns of police misconduct, and make policy recommendations to reduce police misconduct. 

The Chicago Police Consent Decree: After months of negotiations, the Illinois Attorney General and the City of Chicago announced a draft consent decree in July 2018. After inviting and reviewing community input, a revised federal consent decree was finalized in January 2019 that mandated comprehensive and federally enforced police reforms. The Chicago Police Consent Decree website (CPCD - Homepage (chicagopoliceconsentdecree.org) states that “A consent decree can set a high bar for police accountability and the protection of civil rights. It will also help ensure that Chicago police officers get the training resources and support they need to perform their jobs professionally and safely . . .” Key consent decree requirements: a federally appointed independent monitor to evaluate and report on CPD’s implementation of comprehensive reform efforts; and the consent decree must stay in place until a federal judge determines that CPD has implemented and maintained the mandated reforms.

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA): In July 2021, a Chicago ordinance created a new model for police oversight and accountability consisting of a seven-member citywide Community Commission appointed by the Mayor and three-member elected District Councils in each of Chicago’s 22 police districts (City of Chicago: Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability). Unlike COPA’s investigative mission and the Consent Decree’s court-driven and wide-ranging CPD reform mission, the CCPSA mission is to increase public safety by ensuring that CPD policies and practices are rooted in community needs and public input, and are not harmful to people in Chicago, and to build trust and improve interactions between CPD and the people it serves. CCPSA will use its many “powers and duties” to accomplish this mission, including but not limited to: assessing the performance of and setting goals for the CPD Superintendent, COPA Administrator and Police Board President; identifying CPD Superintendent replacement candidates for mayoral consideration; and overseeing and delegating powers and duties to the District Councils. For an illuminating read, check out: CCPSA Report on Proposed 2023 CPD Budget.pdf (chicago.gov).

According to a recent Chicago Tribune article, Elected police district councils are key to civilian oversight and reform, District Councils will “serve as CCPSA’s eyes and ears” and “how useful these councils become will depend on who voters elect, and how committed to reform those individuals will be.” District Councils duties will include but not be limited to: holding at least monthly meetings to discuss policing issues; encouraging CPD to facilitate access to community resources; helping CPD develop and implement community policing initiatives; working to develop and expand restorative justice and similar programs; making policy recommendations to the Commission; and nominating CCPSA candidates. 

So you know, the CCPSA interim Commissioner representing our local communities is Rev. Dr. Ruth Brown, pastor of the Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church - and we have an opportunity to vote on February 28 to elect three of six candidates running for CPD’s 18th District Council seats: Kimberly Lynn Bowman, Amy Cross, Robert Johnson, Karen Kane, Brad Kessler, and Lisa Seigneur. Please research these candidates (review their endorsements, qualifications, and positions on topics of interests here: 2023 Chicago Police District Councils Voter Guide - Chicago Reader) and please vote for three 18th District Council Members on February 28!

Please stay safe, get to know your neighbors, and take good care of each other!

From the Heart is an award-winning newsletter published by Lincoln Central Association.

We welcome your feedback and story ideas.