UPDATED December 6th

FIRST – Thank You To Everyone Who’s Taken The Time To Contact The 48th Ward Office And The Chicago Park District.

We are aware MANY residents sent e-mails and made phone calls regarding the conditions in the park which became extraordinarily intolerable over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. We greatly appreciate those of you who copied our office on your e-mail messages.

We believe this team work paid off, because early morning Wednesday, the cleaned up most of the mess, such as what you see in the cover photo here.

Originally the City was only planning the clean up work following the fires on December 12, which we believe was a mistake. Here in the office, we were beating the drums as much as we could and sent multiple messages to the 48^th Ward Office, CPD and the Park District on Tuesday. We warned that with the coming weather, and in particular the window storm we experienced on Wednesday evening, the debris could present a danger to vehicles on Lakeshore Drive, and much would end up in bushes, trees and polluting the lake.

I believe they were getting enough e-mails and phone calls that they had no choice but to escalate this work.

Hopefully they are starting to see that the current governing policies with the tent dwellers are overly problematic and a new long term approach is needed.

ORIGINAL POST December 3rd

We Are Aware Residents With Views Of The Park Have Been Greeted With Sometimes Multiple Fires Daily And Nightly

The aftermath is a patchwork of debris and grizzled grass and trees, where one eyesore and set of dangers has been replaced by others.

The growing concern and alarm is understandable. We’ve received countless e-mails and messages about this. I’ve received so many, it is actually taking up most of my post-holiday time just reviewing them all. Some requesting we do something about it, some asking what to do about it, and some sharing pictures and messages they’ve sent to the 48th Ward Office. AND, always feel free to write us anytime to share any questions, concerns and your messages to the City at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.

We have met with the 48th Ward, the CPD and Park District twice this fall, and intend to continue doing so going forward. I’ve written them myself on behalf of the Association more than a dozen times in the past several months. In fact, I wrote the Alderwoman and Park District again – this week – about the worsening conditions, fires and the aftermath. Sometimes multiple fires at the same time have been observed. I received the following response from the 48th Ward:

“Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concerns, including the details about the recent fire. We understand how alarming and intolerable this situation has become, and we are actively addressing it.

City crews will be on-site tomorrow morning to clean up the debris, including remnants from fires, abandoned tents, and trash. We are also working closely with the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) to engage individuals in the park, offering them shelter and support services to address these issues more sustainably.

We recognize that the situation is escalating and requires immediate attention. Beyond the daily outreach efforts, we are advocating for increased resources and planning for Accelerated Moving Events (AMEs) to help transition individuals into stable housing and clear encampments. We are also collaborating with local police and city departments to ensure the safety of nearby residents while addressing these fires and debris. We now have daily park crews out there to see if we can get on top of the debris once it comes. December 12th is our next major cleanup.

Thank you for your patience and vigilance. We will keep you updated as we continue to push for solutions.”

Hopefully most residents have followed our posts regarding the park conditions and matters revolving around the building’s security. We will keep these updated as often as possible and continue communicating as regularly as we can as it relates to all security issues.

However, the park dwellers are a concern for everyone and it appears they are not going anywhere anytime soon. So, we encourage everyone to contact the 48th Ward Office and the Chicago Park District. Send them your pictures, share your concerns, demand action. The more voices, the better:

48th Ward Office – info@the48thward.org

Phone – 773-784-5277

Tony Fitzgerald/Chicago Park District – tony.fitzgerald@chicagoparkdistrict.com

Phone – 312-742-7522

I believe documenting is always the best, but phone calls can’t hurt either.

Also, if you observe problems in real time, you can use 911 and 311 when appropriate. For example, for active fires, please call 911. If you see a fire in the park, out your window…call 911. For garbage and debris in the park, we believe it is appropriate to call 311. For more on using 911 versus 311, visit here:

911 Versus 311 – Making The Right Call