The village has finally decided to crack down on panhandling just weeks before the election. Previously the professional panhandlers and drug addicted and mentally ill people that were inundating our downtown area. I have been verbally abused by some of them, and the public garbage were experienced by too many residents.
The residents of Oak Park have rights, too, and are entitled to a safe community to raise their families in and to age out in. In October of 2024, I sent two separate letters to the Oak Park Village Board pleading for action. I cc’d many downtown retailers and provided them with an address to air their complaints. Only one board member replied both by email and a phone call. That was Ravi Parakkat. He cares about Oak Park residents and businesses and takes action to do so.
We Oak Parkers have worked long and hard to make downtown Oak Park vibrant, successful and family-friendly. I believe that Ravi cares enough to do so. Please vote for Ravi for village president on April 1.
Clare Heskett
Oak Park