Survey should include Forest Park’s best
I find it interesting in this week’s Review that you take time to discuss a Forest Park property that the Tribune decided was ugly. Yes, it’s interesting that the Trib said this as I can think of several sites of the city and surrounding ‘burbs that make this building look like roses. However, the little blurb at the bottom of the page is disappointing. “The FP Review is looking for your nominations in our search for the most unsightly buildings….”
Great, take the idea from the Trib and use it, but wouldn’t it be a bit more creative to spin that idea to find the best looking properties in FP rather than the worst? How about both?
My family and I have enjoyed FP since moving here six years ago. Everyone can agree that we’ve gone from lots of unsightliness to a lot less of it. Let’s bring some focus to the good of what we’re doing around town as well. As for 1215 S. Harlem, yes, there are better facades around town…and worse.
Alex Kiefer
Forest Park
Reader finds miracle in local paper
I just wanted to share my little story that I call the “Forest Park Review Miracle” that happened through your newspaper printed this week.
First of all I really want to thank you all for creating this paper. This week starting on Sunday (9-3-06) was a bad week for me. On Sunday my car broke down after church in Naperville, Ill. My son and I were the only passengers. We were approaching a big descending hill near Route 53 and the brakes went totally out. I barely had enough money to make it home back to Forest Park. So I made several calls back to the church and after calling four times, a lady answered and came and picked us up and left us at the church.
Well moments later we were the only ones at the church and once again stranded. To make a long story short, I had to use all the money I had to get us back home, which left me in a huge crisis. I ran out of money and food and no one helped. Even people I have known for years kicked me while I was down.
Well on Thursday (9-7-06) my son told me that he was in the newspaper. I was so excited when I heard this news. When I picked him up after school we stopped by the 7-Eleven on Roosevelt and with my very last dollar I purchased a Forest Park Review with a picture of my son with the biggest smile on his face. This picture was taken at the Howard Mohr Community Center Forest.
While I was driving home I was happy and sad at the same time, because I used my last dollar to purchase a copy of this paper, but I didn’t have enough money to make it to work in Oak Brook on Friday. So this morning (9-8-06) I asked my son for some change and he gave me just enough to make it the train. Well, I walked from 14th & Harlem and took a blue line train to Forest Park and then it hit me that I didn’t have enough money to make it home.
Then I looked into the Forest Park Review paper and saw 10 passes for the bus. Well this was a miracle, because had you not put a photo of my son and other children from the Howard Mohr Community Center in the paper I would have been stranded trying to get back home.
So, thank you so much and you just don’t know how many miracles are worked through the use of your newspaper. Today and for the rest of the week your newspaper sent me a wonderful blessing, which was bus fare to and from work. Praise God Almighty. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Anita Norman
Forest Park
Jackson seeks mayor’s office
As a Forest Parker who happens to be a political activist, civil-rights activist, international human rights advocate, community organizer and an entrepreneur, my life has lead me to move into Forest Park whereas I have experienced many governmental institutional obstacles for inclusion of equitability and fairness for community involvement and facilitating social structure. Since my arrival such governmental institutional resistance to change has forced me into announcing my candidate for mayor for Forest Park for the February 2007 election.
I have been alarmed at the proclivity of the present administration that is functioning under both overt and covert institutional public policies of resistance to be inclusive, equitable and fair to all Forest Park residents in the make up of this administration. The quintessence of this present administration is one that reflects governmental public policies shaping where visibility of specific undesirables, like for instance low- and medium-income residents who are struggling to maintain their family lifestyles includes children that have parents who have visitation rights that lives outside of Forest Park is considered a strain on the tax expenditure of Forest Park. For instance, grandparents raising grandchildren, foster parents raising children, and all parents raising children. These specific categorizations of families are not the traditional families of the 1950s; there have been many environmental factors that have contributed to the changing norms of family lifestyles of today.
The tragedy of today is that the categorization of families in Forest Park whereas the economic stratification so happen to be from low and medium incomes are considered targeted residents that are problematic to the quintessence administration and in fact this quintessence administration is operating under a shade of institutional resistance to change and is creating a quid pro quo of being concerned about tax dollars being allocated on those who appear to be non-residents in Forest Park when these deceptive governmental institutional public policies are one of eugenic; cleaning the community of law abiding Forest Park residents who dare to fight, work and live the American dream of wanting the best for their families. In fact, as mayor of Forest Park my administration will be one that advocates and practices values of fairness, an all-inclusive administration, equity for people who have been left out, establishing a policy framework that emphasizes the role of neighborhoods and their organization (establish legal architect to halt all rezoning and misplacement of homeowners), sensibility to racial tension, focus on working on developing community outreach programs to curtail gangs and the perpetuation of crime, the Roos building will be Forest Park Community High School which is critically needed, develop an expansive library facility and community center to address the increase in Forest Parkers through grant writing, legislative bills and writing grant proposals for philanthropists to alleviate the taxpayers burden on the village of Forest Park for the 21st century.
In addition, my administration will establish a legal advisory board that directly monitors the administrative law judge hearing held monthly at the village of Forest Park City Hall in order to ensure every citizen constitutional rights under the equal protection clause has been affronted. These goals and objectives can be achieved with collective involvement of all residents of Forest Park for the 21st century and we need an innovator who has the skills to move this community forward without dishonesty, mismanagement and corruption. My academic background includes the following: I have several advance degrees like for instance a Ph.D in international law from National Conference of Black Lawyer Community College of Law, doctor of jurisprudence from La Salle University, a master of arts in urban development from Northeastern Illinois University, a master of science in criminal justice and corrections from Chicago State University, a bachelor of arts in criminal justice from Northeastern Illinois University and an associate of arts from Triton College in liberal arts.
In conclusion, I will approach this noble endeavor with the hallmark of not withholding information about the functions and impact of government policies and decisions from the public. The key is that the residents of Forest Park are those who hire the mayor to represent them and this is what democracy is supposed to inculcate.
Dr. Negale T. Jackson
Forest Park
