River Foresters come out in force for welcoming resolution

Dozens of River Forest residents, including business owners, faith leaders, elected officials and children, packed the village board’s June 19 meeting in a show of support for the village’s proposed welcoming resolution.

The June 19 meeting at Village Hall was only to discuss the language of the resolution and hear from the public. No formal vote was taken. Trustees seemed to agree a resolution was worthwhile but had different suggestions on the strength and specificity of the document’s language. 

A draft resolution will be on the board’s July agenda, Village President Catherine Adduci said, and if there is consensus on a final draft, the resolution could be adopted by August or September. 

“We’re here to do the right thing,” Adduci said. “I am going to work really hard, and I think I’ve got the confidence of this board, to work really hard on River Forest’s behalf to come to a resolution, a welcoming resolution, that I think we all can stand by and be proud of.”

The push for a resolution follows a trend in neighboring communities. Oak Park passed its own ordinance in February. Forest Park passed a welcoming resolution June 12. 

Public comment from community members made clear they overwhelmingly supported a resolution. But, the speakers did diverge in their reasoning. 

Some told personal anecdotes about the value of diversity; others said it would help public safety, citing statistics from California that uncertainty about immigration policies and fear of deportation can cause immigrant communities to refrain from reporting crimes like domestic violence or sexual assault. 

Other speakers, particularly religious leaders from the village’s Catholic and Jewish communities, made the moral case, citing scripture and invoking historical references, like the Holocaust.  

“I’m here because of my conscience as a believer,” Father Tom McDermott, a Dominican Friar and pastor at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, said. “Jesus said, ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me.'”

Officials from River Forest institutions were also on hand to offer support.

“Thank you for your attention to this important issue,” Dominican University President Donna Carroll said. 

“I ask only that you, as our village leadership, respond with kindness and welcome, that you take this opportunity to affirm the beauty in spirit and openness of mind that are hallmarks of a healthy, democratic community,” Carroll said. 

Other elected officials, including from Elementary School District 90, were there, too. District 90 passed its own welcoming resolution in early June.

“We actually have our own board meeting in 15 minutes, but we wanted to be here because this means so much to us,” District 90 board member Stacey Williams, said. “Immigrants are part of the backbone of our society, a part of the diversity that makes this country stronger.” 

One parent, Mark Carroll, who grew up in River Forest and moved away before returning to raise a family in 2010, said he hopes the community would continue to change for the better.  

“Since my childhood, River Forest has responded to the evolving needs and concerns of its stakeholders and its residents,” Carroll, said. “The resolution is based on River Forest values and it sends a message that in River Forest all are welcome, all are safe here and nobody has to be afraid.” 

Some residents mistakenly signed the public comment sign-up sheet thinking it was just an attendance list, not a request to formally speak. Nevertheless, when their names were called, some got up and gave off-the-cuff remarks in a spontaneous show of support.  

“I think the arguments that were made were compelling,” Trustee Thomas Cargie said, after thanking community members for coming to the meeting. “I appreciated that there were different perspectives that were brought, especially [from] the members of the religious community that spoke. I think this does sort of fundamentally address our morality as a society. I favor the welcoming resolution.”

Cargie said the recently passed Forest Park resolution was a good model, but some of the language should be tweaked. Trustee Mike Gibbs agreed and cautioned community members about the process. 

“Please don’t think that by not voting tonight we’re not making progress.” Gibbs said. “This issue, this resolution, this topic made incredible progress tonight.”

At least one trustee preferred a different model. 

“I don’t think the Forest Park [resolution] goes as deep as it should,” Trustee Respicio Vazquez said, adding he prefers Oak Park’s ordinance as a baseline.  “I would like something a little stronger.”

All the trustees, while split on the resolution’s final language, thanked community members for their input.

“The success of our village is based on the activity level of our residents,” Trustee Patty Henek said. “It’s great that so many of you came out tonight to voice your opinions.”