Something extremely divisive happened in Oak Park a few weeks ago. Several OPRF High School parents organized a rally on Dec. 4, following an announcement of new COVID mitigation measures at the school. Whatever the intent of that rally was, it turned into a personal attack on a member of our community, Theresa Chapple-McGruder, the director of the Department of Public Health.
After some parents and students spoke at the rally, Dr. Chapple-McGruder was invited to the microphone. Almost immediately, she was interrupted by heckling that continued throughout the time she spoke. There was a sign that said, “Get rid of Chapple.” One woman interrupted to yell, “If you wanna pay for everyone’s Lexapro, you let me know.” Another man just yelled out “Idiot.” There was a woman walking around telling students the village needed to “revoke her authority” (referring to the health director). There were shouts of “Defund the Health Department!” When she was leaving, a reporter asked to interview the director away from the crowd so the reporter could actually hear what she had to say, and people tried to get in the background of the interview to disrupt it. There was discussion in social media of showing up at her house. Afterward, people who organized and attended the rally thought it was great. On social media, attendees discussed how they felt good about showing their anger.
Sometimes in Oak Park, we think it is important to discuss issues with civility, we criticize people we think are divisive, and we find it abhorrent to label anyone. But for some reason, people in our community, did not think any of that was a problem on Dec. 4. Why did people think it was OK to heckle and name-call? And for the organizers and others in the crowd, even if they weren’t heckling or name-calling, why didn’t they take back the microphone and remind people it is important to be civil and that the way they were acting was divisive?
We didn’t get here in a day either. Since Dr. Chapple-McGruder took her position, people have directed attacks on her credentials, claimed her job requires no expertise, and accused her of being power hungry.
If people truly care about civility, if they are concerned about divisiveness, there are some apologies that need to be made, some acknowledgment of what happened. Absent some reconciliation, we are just left to wonder why sometimes people in our community value civility and criticize divisiveness, and sometimes they don’t.
Scott Sakiyama is a resident of Oak Park.