[0:03] Well, they give me they gave me a concentrated

[0:08] » massage that area >> and it felt better that day, but

[0:14] » now >> and then I went to a doctor who gave me

[0:17] shot >> it felt good for a day again.

[0:23] » It's tough to find out where to put the shot.

[0:27] » Not anymore. You did that.

[0:41] » You see Terry? >> I love it.

[0:51] » I think we have as many police here as demonstrators.

[1:01] No,

[1:10] it's all good.

[1:28] Okay, first

[2:00] » [clears throat]

[2:05] » All right. Good evening everybody and welcome to the village of Oklahoma board

[2:09] of trustees regular meeting. This is the amended agenda and we are meeting at the

[2:14] Village Hall Auditorium, 9446 South Raymond Avenue. This is meeting number

[2:19] 2026-14. Of course, it's Tuesday, August 25th,

[2:24] 2:20, 2026, and it is 7:30 p.m. Roll call,

[2:29] please.

[2:36] » Mayor Border, >> present. Trusty Olanichek.

[2:40] » Trusty Melo >> here.

[2:42] » Trusty Stalker >> here.

[2:44] » Trusty Warren >> here.

[2:45] » Trusty Sack >> here.

[2:47] » Trusty Penrook >> here.

[2:49] » We have a quorum. Please join me in the pledge allegiance. Veterans may salute.

[2:54] » I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the

[2:59] republic for it stands. One nation under God indivisibley

[3:05] and justice for all.

[3:11] Amen. >> All right. Public comments. Madame

[3:13] clerk. First, >> Fia.

[3:24] » Uh, good evening. Are you an Oklahoma resident?

[3:28] » Good evening, Mr. Mayor. I um don't believe you recall who I am. Well, I do

[3:33] recognize your face and I know I know of you, but

[3:37] » I've been an Oakwan resident for about 30 years.

[3:40] » Thank you. >> My name is Fia Muhammad.

[3:43] » Hi. >> The mother of Morad Kurtie.

[3:45] » Okay. >> Who was struck and killed by Leanne

[3:47] Cuzak >> June 5th.

[3:49] » And I went to that wake. >> You did come to the wake. And I

[3:52] appreciate your presence for that. I I >> appreciate your uh coming to pay your

[3:57] respects. >> Thank you.

[3:59] » Unfortunately, Mr. Mr. Mayor, I'm still here asking for Justin.

[4:04] I'm hoping that uh you would help out with that. So,

[4:09] I know that you don't want us here as much as we

[4:14] don't want to be. This is unfortunate

[4:18] and I'm here speaking in front of you all tonight

[4:23] because I need answers and I need accountability.

[4:29] For those of you who don't know, my son at the age of 20 years, 28 years

[4:36] old was killed by a woman named Leanne Cuz

[4:42] what happened on June 5th, 2023 was not an accident. It was a choice

[4:48] that she decided when she drank and got behind the wheel that

[4:53] she killed my son with that choice she made.

[5:00] I will never see him or hear his voice again.

[5:05] The police officers on scene that day obviously didn't think my son's life

[5:09] mattered. She rire of alcohol

[5:15] which the Oakan police officer smelled. He smelled it on her. He then asked her

[5:21] if she had been drinking. And guess what?

[5:25] She admitted that she had just left the bar.

[5:31] Despite a confession from the the offender herself, they still didn't test

[5:36] her nor detain her. How do you all expect me to make any

[5:43] sense of it and justify their actions? How?

[5:48] How? She admitted. They smelled it. She

[5:53] confessed that she just left the bar. my son is dead on the ground and they let

[5:58] her go without a test. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to to

[6:03] know that if someone smells of alcohol and they strike and kill a pedestrian,

[6:10] you take them in for testing force. I I'm assuming that your police officers

[6:16] are trained to do this kind of stuff. And if not,

[6:20] I demand that someone be held accountable, perhaps further testing.

[6:30] The police officers on scene that day should have done their job

[6:38] along with Detective Hollingsworth who needs to be held accountable. If it was

[6:43] one of your children, >> your 30 minutes are up. I will extend

[6:46] you for another 30 seconds out of court. >> If it was one of your children, what

[6:50] would you do? What would you do if it was one of your children?

[6:56] Would you give him a pat on the back or perhaps request a promotion? I don't

[7:01] think so. I'm going to ask you again. I'm going to ask you again and I'm

[7:06] addressing all of you. If it was your son,

[7:11] how would you feel? Let that sink in. How would you feel?

[7:17] » Thank you,

[7:26] [applause] >> Bill.

[7:32] Bill, I'm sorry I can't catch the last name.

[7:40] » Thank you. You've been in my garden.

[7:44] » I I remember. >> I'm here and I'm not going to assign

[7:49] blame. I'm not going to call names. I don't do that. I was a union rep for 33

[7:52] years. I would never accuse anybody if I don't have evidence. So, I've heard a

[7:58] lot of people talking about racism. Does it exist in our society? Yes, it does.

[8:02] But am I going to accuse any individual officer here or elected official? No.

[8:08] Not unless I can prove it. And it's difficult to prove motivation speaking

[8:13] as a steward for 33 years and dealt with arbitrators, administrative law judges

[8:18] and other agencies, but

[8:22] there is a lot of disturbing things that have happened in the past few years. and

[8:28] the fact that all three instances intersect at the Muslim resident, people

[8:35] are going to draw conclusions. People are going to get angry

[8:40] at the I was not at the last meeting. I saw video, but video doesn't tell the

[8:43] whole story. comment on that other than if the chairperson of the fire and

[8:49] police commission can't take being called a name, he should probably

[8:53] consider resigning, possibly getting some help because he might have

[8:56] self-esteem issues. Um,

[9:00] getting upset because someone calls you a name, that isn't a violation of the

[9:04] Open Meetings Act and is not cause dismissal. If I made an overt or direct

[9:08] threat, that is definitely cause for dismissal. But if I call somebody an

[9:12] or any other name, many of which I've been called in my job as a union

[9:18] rep, you move on. Unless, of course, it's your boss and then maybe you have

[9:23] to deal with a little bit. But my own personal opinion on this is people have

[9:30] to be accountable. A couple times when we've been at

[9:34] events, I've seen some officers, I'm not going to name,

[9:38] get a little bit in the moment. At the June meeting, somebody that has

[9:44] done this a couple times got in the moment and one of his officers at the

[9:47] rear rank reached up, grabbed him, and pulled him back and said, "Back up." And

[9:52] he stood in the back. And you could see him

[9:56] calming down because he was a little bit in that

[10:00] moment. And I understand that you're in a stressful situation, it's very

[10:04] difficult. But when you're wearing a uniform and you have a weapon, you have

[10:08] to have discipline. You have to have force discipline. Otherwise, you are not

[10:12] a force. You are a mob. And I think that's something that has to be

[10:16] addressed here because some people may not like it, but the Muslim and minority

[10:21] population in Oakland is growing. Personally, I like it because I like

[10:25] going to Little Palestine to get really good food and great coffee. That's it.

[10:29] Thank you, [applause]

[10:37] » Yousef.

[10:40] » Hi. Are you an Oaklan resident? >> I'm not. In fact, I traveled all the way

[10:44] from Chicago to come here. Uh, and to echo the demands to demand justice for

[10:50] Kurtie. I came after a long day of school. Um, and I'm going to echo the

[10:55] sentiments of the community members here, uh, of the concern over concerns

[10:59] over police safety and brutality. Um, it was only three weeks ago that the

[11:04] Oakland police have once again shown how violent and racist they are. While

[11:08] communities like the one in Oaklan in the broader Chicago area have

[11:12] experienced surge in anti-Arab hate crimes and experience experiences, Oakan

[11:17] police continue to sink lower and lower in their despicable conduct. now

[11:21] assaulting a 14-year-old Arab-American minor. Many will call the Oakan police

[11:26] incompetent. While this is clearly true, incompetency can only go so far. What we

[11:30] are witnessing is a pattern of racism from the Oaklan Police Department. They

[11:35] know what they are doing. You don't accidentally assault a 14-year-old child

[11:39] and arrest the mother. You don't dis accidentally disproportionately pull

[11:43] over more black and brown drivers. The police department has shown that they

[11:48] intentionally train hire and protect violent racists. Remember how the same

[11:54] police department let Murad's Cury's killer walk away from the scene of the

[11:58] uh hit and run murder while there was still alcohol in the white driver's

[12:03] bloodstream. And while Murad's body was on the pavement warm, she was sent home.

[12:09] We will still we still have not received justice for this misconduct.

[12:14] It should have been at this point that the department faced an accountability

[12:17] crisis. There should have been an account uh bit been accountability to

[12:20] address how this could have happened. But the city failed us. Now a

[12:24] 14-year-old Arab child has been assaulted by the same police department.

[12:29] Will this board of trustees whose names preside over these criminal acts by

[12:33] their police department in their appointed fire and police board stand

[12:37] utterly while anti-Arab sentiment which is plaguing the nation is perpetuated by

[12:41] their own police department? Will [clears throat] this board let a town

[12:45] with a significant Arab population be subject to discrimination and violence?

[12:49] Or will this body act and take the appropriate measures to reign in these

[12:54] races? Police accountability is necessary. It

[12:58] is not only appropriate for this town or any other to have a police force that is

[13:02] so committed to anti-Arab sentiments that it is now emboldened enough to

[13:06] assault children. The fact that this happened proves that they think they can

[13:10] get away with it. It proves that once again you all need to hold your cops and

[13:15] the appointed board accountable. I would like to end with echoing the

[13:21] demands for the immediate firing Patrick O'Donnell, Mark Haulingwards

[13:26] and Brandon Brandon Collins. We demand the immediate firing of Benjamin Towski

[13:33] who allowed Lyon to go free after striking and ultimately killing Mad

[13:36] Curry. We demandwame Raul to do a full investigation of every single criminal

[13:41] act and violation committed by this bo by this board and the OP. Thank you.

[13:47] » Thank you.

[13:53] » Abdala,

[13:58] » good evening. Are you an Oaklan resident? I was an Oakland resident for

[14:02] most of my life and I've recently moved away. Unfortunately, I'm very thankful

[14:05] to be out of Oklahoma at this point. I no longer feel that this community is

[14:11] what little veneer of welcoming that existed here.

[14:15] » Sorry. What little veneer of welcoming that I felt or hoped for growing up here

[14:20] in Oaklan has completely and it's just standing up here. I'm really struck

[14:25] because you all am not as acquainted with you as I am with uh your appointed

[14:29] and fire board commission. Um I just was sitting in my seat and was aruck at the

[14:34] fact that you're all looking at this. That that is something that we have

[14:38] grown accustomed to not expecting in this room. Um we come in here month

[14:42] after month and I'm sure you've heard the narratives and I'm sure you've heard

[14:45] your appointees trying to spin the story to make it seem that really violent or

[14:50] that we are coming here raving at the mouth demanding that you change your

[14:53] ideology or that you see the world the way that we see it. And that is not at

[14:57] all the case. I am not here to convince you of my political opinions. I'm not

[15:00] here to convince you of a stance. I am here to say that as a resident of Oakan,

[15:05] former resident of Oklahoma. Um, similarly to what Bill said, who

[15:10] others have said, there comes a responsibility with working with the

[15:13] public that I feel that this police department has completely abandoned, not

[15:17] even failed, but completely abandoned as a non-priority.

[15:21] The disrespect that has become so routine, the emboldening of your police

[15:25] officers to act however they see fit in the moment. And the way that even the

[15:29] police board that sits where you're sitting right now, the way they wave

[15:32] their hand like emperors, get them out of the room, they forfeited their right.

[15:37] And then a swarm of police officers descends on a 14-year-old. That is

[15:40] unacceptable. That is absolutely You don't need to agree with me. You don't

[15:44] need to see things the way I see things to know that that is not the village

[15:47] that any of us want to be part of. I'm again very thankful to be out of. I do

[15:52] not have faith in this uh board. I do not have faith in any of you frankly

[15:57] because you appointed them. These people have sat there and more or less spat in

[16:00] our face month after month. And it's gotten so escalatory month after month

[16:06] that now it's it's like they don't even really question it. And now after what

[16:11] happened on August 5th, instead of turning around and saying we went too

[16:14] far, we have let a culture of unaccountability go too far. We have led

[16:18] our officers off the leash too far. We have invited misbehavior into this

[16:23] department by showing that we accept it and allow it and will coddle it. In

[16:27] doing that, it led to a 14-year-old getting brutalized in here. Instead of

[16:31] turning around and saying, "We have gone too far. this township, this village,

[16:37] this department have dug their heels in more and more, even releasing statements

[16:42] where they pretend that they don't know the association of the people that

[16:46] stepped up to try to protect that for. The idea similarly to what has been said

[16:51] before, your personal feelings do not come in front of the safety of any

[16:57] member of our community, let alone a teenager. And if you whether it's the

[17:01] police officer, whether it's the police and fire commission, whether it's any of

[17:04] you feel that you cannot hold your temper, that you cannot show restraint

[17:09] in the >> time is up, sir. Thank you very much.

[17:12] » Then you should all

[17:25] » good evening. Are you an Oakland resident?

[17:29] No, I'm not. But Oaklan is an epicenter in my life. Um, a lot of my family was

[17:34] born at Christ. A lot of my family has gone to Oakan Public High School. Um,

[17:39] where we are right now is about 10 minutes away from where I live now. And,

[17:44] uh, it's a shame. Um, but I'm shamed to be here for this reason

[17:49] as you are those who represent Oaklan. The surrounding suburbs are flourishing,

[17:57] thriving. on their multiculturalism and also respect and love of thy neighbor.

[18:02] But why is Oaklan being held back? There is a foundation in this village,

[18:10] our village of racism. You might not see it because you are on the beneficial.

[18:18] You benefit. Um, and it's not your fault, but it is your fault if we don't

[18:22] change it. you know we have to change it. Um it is also

[18:30] going to go [clears throat] down in history.

[18:33] Will you because who keeps us safe right we keep us safe. Will you guys be part

[18:40] of that we or no? Will you let these cops just on the way someone's going to

[18:47] the going to the hospital they fallen ill. Cops sees a skin color. Oh, let me

[18:53] stop him. Okay. You have a hospital down the street and your police force is not

[18:59] making it any safer for those to seek or care at that hospital.

[19:04] Hospital is supposed to serve all people just like you are supposed to serve

[19:08] those that the residents of Oaklan and not as a non-resident

[19:14] telling you at least serve your residents.

[19:17] And so with that though, you know, the pledge of allegiance ended for justice

[19:21] for all, right? You heard that because you say it often every second Thursday

[19:26] and four what? Third th fourth Thursday of the month. So let me just start with

[19:31] the bill of rights. So you guys just know. Okay.

[19:35] All men are by nature free and independent have certain inherent and

[19:40] inalienable rights among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

[19:45] To secure these rights and the protection of property, governments are

[19:48] instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the

[19:53] govern consent of the governed. Okay. No person shall be deprived of

[19:59] life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal

[20:06] protection of the laws.

[20:11] Are are we registering that right?

[20:17] Three, the free exercise and enjoyment of

[20:20] religious professionalism worship without discrimination shall forever be

[20:24] guaranteed and no person shall be denied any civil or political right, privilege

[20:29] or capacity on account of his religious opinions.

[20:34] Freedom of speech. All persons may speak, write and publish freely.

[20:38] » Sir, your time >> being responsible for the abuse of that

[20:40] liberty. >> Sir, your time is up. Thank

[20:43] » you. Thank you. Follow the law.

[20:54] » Yara, am I pronouncing it?

[21:01] » Good evening. Are you an Oaklan resident?

[21:03] » No. I am a 17-year-old youth from the suburbs of Chicago and I am here to tell

[21:08] the mayor and the village board of Oaklan that you have a responsibility

[21:11] for the behavior of the police and fire commission board and the conduct of the

[21:16] Oaklan Police Department. On August 5th, during the public comment portion of the

[21:20] monthly Oakan and Fire Police Commission meeting, Jim Baker called up a

[21:25] 14-year-old Arab American, purposely mispronouncing his name in the process.

[21:29] When the teenager corrected him, Baker decided the child had forfeited his

[21:33] right to speak because he was being, and I quote, aggressive. I was present at

[21:38] this meeting and I watched the boy turn around peacefully and begin walking away

[21:41] from the microphone. Even though he was leaving on his own, he was surrounded by

[21:45] multiple police officers and was being pushed around forcefully. Video evidence

[21:49] shows this, and it also shows officers slamming the child in the counter and

[21:53] placing him in a chokeold, a tactic that is illegal. Your cops essentially beat

[21:57] up a child for saying a swear word. I would label this as really embarrassing

[22:01] for this board as you have the you have a responsibility to oversee what is

[22:04] happening with your appointed officials. And if the fire and police commission

[22:09] board is so unequipped to actually sit down in their seats and listen to the

[22:13] public during a public comment portion, maybe it is in your best interest to

[22:17] advise them to not take the positions that they are in. I would also like to

[22:21] raise that on that day when questioned if it was normal to put a child in a cho

[22:26] in a choke [clears throat] hold your officer said of course it is. Is this a

[22:29] reputation you want to uphold? You have shown the youth in this community that

[22:33] Oaklan police are violent and will resort to violence in every situation.

[22:38] Not only did your cops abuse a child, but they also assaulted the child's

[22:41] mother as she was violently grabbed and her arm her arm was twisted and was

[22:46] forced out of the room. This recent assault of another Arab child by

[22:50] multiple white officers again proved that there is a deep-seated culture of

[22:53] racism, violence, and brutality in the Oaklan Police Department. This isn't the

[22:58] first time your cops abused a youth. Your cops brutally beat up 17-year-old

[23:02] Hedi Abuatila after he was already in handcuffs to the point where he was

[23:05] hospitalized and almost died. When does it stop? How many kids do you guys have

[23:10] to beat up until it's enough? Again, this village board has the ability to do

[23:14] something and the youth here are waiting for you to take a take a stand.

[23:18] » Thank you very much. [applause]

[23:26] » Gina,

[23:31] » good evening. Are you an Oaklan resident?

[23:34] » Yes. I I am a youth member of this community

[23:39] and I was there on Wednesday, August 5th when I witnessed the Oakland police

[23:42] officer extreme force against my peer who was a 14.

[23:47] His so his socalled crime was correcting his name after I was mispronounced and

[23:51] using a swear word while doing in that moment. Fire and police commissioner Jim

[23:56] Baker said this child was forbidded his right to speak. Let's be clear. There's

[24:02] a clear difference between maintaining order and silencing a member of the

[24:05] public. This 14-year-old kid did not threaten anyone. He did not disrupt the

[24:09] meeting. He did not prevent another speaker from the speaking. All he did

[24:13] was correct his own name. I am in high school, so I feel like I know a bit

[24:17] about my rights in this meeting through my government classes. What I know for

[24:21] sure is that the first amendment does not disappear when a person comes up to

[24:25] the microphone at a public meeting. And I know that from the Illinois's Open

[24:30] Meetings Act. clearly protects the public's opportunity to address public

[24:35] officials. He had three minutes to say what he wanted to say and Jim Baker

[24:38] decided that he did not deserve the rest of his time. So, I'm here in this

[24:42] meeting to ask the village why was this allowed to happen on on top of that he

[24:48] was assaulted and put in a chokeold in front of everyone including the

[24:52] community. Again, that was my peer and I witnessed him getting assaulted for his

[24:56] right to free speech at a public meeting where officials are there to listen to

[25:00] the public's concerns. We're coming here because members of our community already

[25:05] have concerns that some officers have acted unjust unfairly and violated

[25:10] members of our community and documented incidents. And then at a public meeting

[25:15] where people came to voice these concerns, public police officers used

[25:19] force against a 14-year-old kid and held him against in a chokeold. Regardless of

[25:24] what words were exchanged, the officers should have never done that. How can

[25:27] officers do that to a 14-year-old and face no consequences? When if a regular

[25:32] auto man put another person in a chokeold, we all know how seriously that

[25:36] would get be treated and how quickly charges would follow. His mother was

[25:41] also subjected to the voice to the force when she attempted to stand up and

[25:45] protect her son. Again, regardless of what words were exchanged, a 14-year-old

[25:50] child should not be put in a chokeold. As a young person in this community,

[25:54] Oaklan Police Department's trainment of OBS and people of color really makes

[26:00] us question whether we can truly feel safe and protected by the very officer

[26:04] supposed to serve us. >> Thank you. [applause]

[26:12] Dina.

[26:17] » Hi. Are you an Oakland resident? >> Yes.

[26:21] July 27, 2022. A 17-year-old Arab boy is restrained and beaten up almost to death

[26:27] by three Oak. June 5th, 2023. A 28-year-old Arab man

[26:33] is run over by a drunk white woman. This woman is then let go. scot-free without

[26:38] any serious charges. Again, the work of Oaklan Police Department.

[26:43] August 5th, 2026. A 14-year-old boy says one word and an entire room of police

[26:47] officers suddenly slams a boy into a counter and puts him in a chokeold. By

[26:52] who? Oaklan Police Department. Are we all seeing a pattern? Because I am

[26:57] definitely. I'm seeing repeated attacks, disregard, and pure disrespect towards

[27:02] the community that you're supposed to be protecting. Yet, we're left with a

[27:05] corrupted police department that knows it won't face any consequences or

[27:09] repercussions for the horrific actions against its own community. Be honest.

[27:13] Your police department isn't made of public servants. It's made of corrupted

[27:17] individuals who get off on the power they feel when they oppress their own

[27:20] community. And the police and fire commission board are members are no

[27:24] different. And you I will name names. Just a couple weeks ago, Jim Baker's

[27:29] anger issues led to my close friend being slammed by a handful of police

[27:33] officers. All because he cussed. All because Baker's ego cracked when he

[27:37] couldn't pronounce my name's friend correct, my friend's name correctly.

[27:41] Is this a so-called justice you stand beside? Are you proud of the board

[27:45] members that you appointed? Are you happy they're doing your dirty work? If

[27:49] I threaten to cuss at you, will you send your officers to choke them as well?

[27:53] Corruption is a nasty thing. It prevents your board members to take

[27:57] accountability for the actions, for the refusal to acknowledge the citizens

[28:00] they've harmed, to cleanse their police department of the filth that it

[28:03] contains. That's why demands you leash your police officers and discipline them

[28:08] to actually do their job. Their first instinct shouldn't be to chase and tase

[28:13] a frail 17-year-old on suspicion of a crime. The community should be able to

[28:18] attend a public meeting without being attacked. We shouldn't have to be

[28:21] threatened by the officers that disguise as our protector. Accountability will

[28:26] not come from OOLPD own investigation because we all know messes won't clean

[28:30] themselves. Accountability will only be won when the OOLPD is cleaned up which

[28:35] starts with the truth about why Cusack was allowed to come home after killing

[28:40] Murad. And I want to end off by reiterating our demand towame Raul to do

[28:44] a full independent and comprehensive investigation to all into all the

[28:49] violations of the rights of Arabs and people of color by the Oaklan Police

[28:54] Department. Thank you. >> Thank you,

[28:59] [applause]

[29:01] » Suzanne.

[29:05] » Good evening, ma'am. Are you an Oakan resident?

[29:09] I am not um I am a therapist who actually works with youth like the ones

[29:16] that you are hearing from today who experience discrimination

[29:20] and um help them work through how it compromises their mental health.

[29:28] I am here today to express in the loudest terms possible how utterly

[29:34] appalled I am with the Oaklan Police Department, the Village Board, and the

[29:39] Police and Fire Commission. I attended the meeting three weeks ago and

[29:45] immediately felt the tension when I entered the boardroom. the intimidating

[29:49] and hostile environment coupled with systemic issues we have been addressing

[29:54] here for the for the past few years and the biased narratives you all hold

[30:00] directly influences the abusive and violent behavior toward our community

[30:06] members including the recent incident where one of our young people was

[30:10] slammed into a counter and placed in a chokeold. Instead of accommodating our

[30:16] youth who feel the need to participate in this process, especially as a means

[30:22] to persevere through their experiences of discrimination and racism, your

[30:27] bodies chose a violent response. This is not the first time they have

[30:34] acted this way. In the past three years, we've witnessed board members insult

[30:39] community members, including Fadia, Murad Kurdi's mother, set arbitrary

[30:44] rules and enforce them only against members of our community, such as

[30:48] prohibiting the showing of the video to the board. Most horrifyingly, you place

[30:54] snipers snipers on top of buildings. Like, what

[30:59] is that? while we are rallying outside.

[31:04] I mean, is isn't that ridiculous? Like absolutely absurd.

[31:09] Your actions reinforce the community's serious concerns regarding institutional

[31:15] racism within the Oaklan Police Department. As an Arab mother, mental

[31:21] health professional, and educator who counsels ArabAmerican youth like the

[31:25] ones you're hearing from today, I see the heavy burden these young people

[31:29] carry as they navigate both typical adolescent challenges while

[31:34] simultaneously enduring anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, and police

[31:39] violence. I refuse to stand by. The behavior of Oaklan Police Department and

[31:45] this body is absolutely egregious. Clearly, we are not the ones who need

[31:50] special monitoring. You all do. And just like you're

[31:55] watching us, we're watching all of you. We will not allow these violations to go

[32:02] unnotice and will continue to demand accountability for Hadi Murad and the

[32:07] young person you attacked here three weeks ago. You are in the public

[32:11] spotlight. and we will continue to show up and we deserve transparency.

[32:18] We are calling for a public scrutinies of these racist institutions

[32:24] and a fundamental shift of how you all operate.

[32:27] » Thank you, ma'am. [applause]

[32:35] » Lamese,

[32:40] » good evening. Are you an Oaklan resident?

[32:42] » I live six minutes away from here. >> Good.

[32:46] » I stand here today to express my absolute disgust with the Oaklan Police

[32:51] Department, the Police and Fire Commission, and the Village Board of

[32:55] Trustees and the mayor. Just under three weeks ago, the Oaklan Police viciously

[33:01] assaulted a 14-year-old child after denying him his right to speak during

[33:06] public comment. All because the commission chair, Jim

[33:10] Baker, was upset about the content of a speech. Baker falsely accused the child

[33:16] of being aggressive and thereby forfeiting his right to speech to speak,

[33:22] which I remind you is a violation of the First Amendment. A government official

[33:27] cannot refuse someone the right to speak because they don't like the content of

[33:31] their speech. This is an eighth grade civics.

[33:34] But clearly the basics of the law are not strong points for the village and

[33:38] its police department. Baker then called the police to remove

[33:42] the child and they immediately escalated situation,

[33:47] dragging him backwards, lifting him off the ground, slamming him into a counter

[33:52] in the back and then putting him in an illegal chokeo chokeold. Again, perhaps

[33:57] the the Oaklan Village and the Oaklan Police Department need to be given a law

[34:03] 101 lesson be- because choke holds are illegal under Illinois law. And so this

[34:09] child was illegally denied his right to speak, put in a chokeold, and viciously

[34:15] assaulted because the Oaklan Fire and Police Commission did not like what he

[34:19] said. The Oak Oaklan Police then sent six officers to the mother's home. six

[34:26] to harass the family. When her attorney did the courtesy to reach out to try to

[34:31] schedule a time to for her to voluntarily be processed, the police

[34:36] went back and harassed her family once again.

[34:40] This is nothing short of a thinly veiled attempt to scare the mother after

[34:44] assaulting her child and tr to try to scare our community off.

[34:49] In fact, while she was being processed, an Oak Lawn Police Department detective

[34:54] said to her attorney, "Well, you know, this has been going on for over three

[34:58] years, and it's just getting to be too much." And there it is, the real reason

[35:03] exposed for harassing this mother, a cheap attempt to intimidate us. But

[35:08] guess what? We won't be intimidated. We won't be silenced as long as justice

[35:14] continues to be denied by the Oaklan Police Department and village to the

[35:18] numerous families in our community who have had their rights denied and

[35:22] trampled on by this village and its police.

[35:26] The extreme use of force by this police department proves again that we have

[35:30] said for years now, racism runs deep in [clears throat] Oak Lawn and if it's not

[35:35] rooted out, then no one is safe and none of our children are safe. So, we will

[35:40] continue to to demand that the attorney general's office launch an independent

[35:44] investigation Oklahoma Police Department.

[35:47] » Thank you, ma'am. >> We will.

[35:49] » Thank you. >> Thank you.

[35:54] [applause]

[35:57] » Mo,

[36:00] » don't worry. I'm not a >> Good evening. Are you an Oaklan

[36:04] resident? >> No.

[36:05] » Oh, good. [clears throat]

[36:09] Good afternoon. I am a youth member of the I honestly had a feeling that

[36:14] something like this would happen. This police department attacked a 14-year-old

[36:18] kid, choked him, lifted him up, and injured his arm, neck, chest, and ankle.

[36:25] The police and the board members that day had so much pride after a minor

[36:30] called them out for mispronouncing the easiest name in the room. The result of

[36:34] that pride was the removal of the 14-year-old kid by chokeold.

[36:40] And at the end, the police department was exposed once more [clears throat]

[36:44] for their crimes against Arabs in the community. Not only the crimes against

[36:49] the Arabs, but we know the response of your officers. When a child is in their

[36:53] presence, they get assaulted. What kind of department is this? The

[36:57] [clears throat] officers beat a 17-year-old kid nearly to death. And

[37:01] those three same cops are happily living their life. No charges, no

[37:06] accountability, nothing. On the mor case, [clears throat and snorts]

[37:11] your officers let a drunk lady run over a man and let her go off with a slap on

[37:16] the wrist. Like seriously, is a life worth $750 nowadays? And then your

[37:21] officers put their hands on a minor once more after he said something that the

[37:25] board didn't like. Even the mother of the minor was also attacked. They

[37:29] violently grabbed her arm and twisted it. They then forced her out of the room

[37:34] as they did with many others. Then Oaklan police proceeded to file bogus

[37:38] charges against the parent to pay against the parents to pay them against

[37:44] the parents to pay themsel at the as the victim. We we have been showing up year

[37:49] after year to demand justice for our community. We are peaceful in these

[37:53] meetings. Even when we do disrupt, it is still peaceful. The fire and police

[37:57] board you appointed escalates the situation. Never have I ever witnessed a

[38:02] department more ill equipped in handling than a situation.

[38:06] I was there the day the assault happened. If you think if you think that

[38:10] those officers put fear in our community, you thought wrong. In fact,

[38:14] we will keep showing up because we know we keep us safe, not the cops.

[38:18] » Thank you. [applause]

[38:26] Nadia,

[38:30] » good evening. Nadia, are you an Oklahoma president?

[38:33] » Uh, I live super close by. >> Okay, good.

[38:36] » I'm going to start off with quoting Illinois law under 720 ILCS 57-5.5.

[38:46] It reads, "A peace officer or any other person acting under the color of law

[38:55] shall not use a chokehold or restraint above the shoulders with with risk of

[39:03] asphix asphixiation in the performance of his or her duties

[39:10] unless deadly force is justified under this article.

[39:16] August 5th, 14-year-old ArabAmerican stood up during the public comment

[39:23] portion of the monthly Oaklan Police and Fire Commission board meeting. Um, the

[39:28] same microphone that I am speaking in, corrected his name after Commissioner

[39:34] Chair Jim Baker mispronounced it. And of course, that 14-year-old,

[39:41] as any youth in the community might use language, called him a jackass.

[39:47] 20 seconds later, genuinely 20 seconds after that happened, we witnessed the

[39:53] child being grabbed by multiple officers in a circle right here in the middle of

[39:59] the room. He then was lifted up, slammed down on that counter,

[40:06] and then we saw him placed in a chokeold before being pushed out of the room and

[40:13] forced to exit down the stairs. In all honesty, in that moment and right

[40:19] now, I am questioning what it takes to be on not only the police and fire board

[40:25] commissioner meeting, but also an officer in Oaklan. Because if that's the

[40:30] response that you give the community that these officers have been giving the

[40:35] community years after years genuinely, what does it take to be an officer? What

[40:41] does it take to sit on a board and demand that people that are speaking in

[40:45] public comments? I don't like what they say and I I'm going to kick all all of

[40:49] them out of the room.

[40:53] On the weekend following the assault of the teenager, six Oaklan Police

[40:58] Department cops showed up to the family's home in an attempt to

[41:00] intimidate and arrest the mother. In addition, cops have targeted a staff

[41:06] organizer at the ArabAmerican Action Network, leaving a note for them at a

[41:10] residence in Oaklan and even harassed a teacher who had attended the police

[41:16] board meetings in which the teenager was assaulted, egregoriously showing up at a

[41:21] Chicago school to ask to speak to them. The assault of a minor comes five years

[41:29] about five years after the assault of Hadi, a 17-year-old Arab-American teen

[41:34] who was restrained then beaten by three Oaklan officers by the name of Patrick

[41:38] O'Donnell, Mark Collingsworth, and Brandon Cullen.

[41:41] » Your time is up. Thank you,

[41:49] [applause] >> Barry.

[41:57] Good [clears throat] evening. Protocol, are you an Oakan resident?

[42:02] » I am not an Oaklan resident. >> But the decisions made in this city,

[42:07] especially pertaining to the police brutality and double standards regarding

[42:11] the killing of Murad Kurie has ripple effects on minority groups all over

[42:16] Illinois. I am here demanding a full investigation of the actions of police

[42:21] following the death of Marad Kurie. The officers allowed the individual who hit

[42:26] and killed him, a white woman named Leanne Cusack, go free with a traffic

[42:32] ticket after he confessed to drinking and driving. May I remind you that the

[42:37] officers smelled alcohol on Leanne Cusac. This incident along with the

[42:43] blatant lack of accountability and consequences for the police officers who

[42:47] let Leanne tra Leanne Kusac go without so much as a traffic ticket highlight

[42:53] the corruption innate in the Oaklan Police Department.

[42:57] Morad Cert's killer is free because of the actions of an officer from your

[43:02] department that you appointed. the same department that assaulted a 14-year-old

[43:08] Arab American who was just coming up here to express his First Amendment

[43:14] right and correct his name, a name that um Jim Baker purposefully mispronounced

[43:22] and assaulted his mother and sent six officers

[43:27] again from the department that you appointed

[43:32] to his mother's home to intimidate and harass her. The officers responsible

[43:39] need to be investigated fully and independently like the violent criminals

[43:44] are. Thank you. >> Thank you.

[43:53] » Nick,

[43:58] » good evening. Nick, are you an Oaklan resident?

[44:01] » I have to answer that question with a question. Would you take the honor of

[44:05] answering Fedia's question of what you would do in her position?

[44:10] » This is public comments. It's not a question and answer.

[44:13] » If this isn't a question and answer, I have no reason to answer your question.

[44:16] You can have Oakan. >> You don't have to answer it, sir. I

[44:18] » You can have Oakan police come up to my house the same way they have

[44:21] » protocol protocol. Ask their residents. You don't have to answer, sir.

[44:26] » Appreciate it. If you you can ask Chief Vtorio, who's the first time I've seen

[44:30] him since Hadi was beaten >> in public, or any of the cops to come

[44:34] find my address. They they know plenty about us.

[44:38] To start, I've come here today like many others to demand justice, not for one

[44:45] person, not for two people, for three people.

[44:51] In just as almost just as many years, three people from our community have

[44:58] seen the injustice of the police department.

[45:01] And everyone on this board of trustees has a responsibility.

[45:06] You play a role in everything that has happened since the beating of Hadi

[45:11] Abata. You play a role by having a board for

[45:16] police and the police and fire commission board that you appoint

[45:21] that have a responsibility and the ability to report to you guys at least

[45:27] once a year a recommendation on what actions can take place to quote unquote

[45:31] better the police department. You have a responsibility

[45:36] for a for a chief who won't even who never even looked Fadia in the eye after

[45:41] her son was murdered. And we're going to call it what it is. It was a murder. It

[45:45] wasn't a failure to reduce speed. It wasn't worth a $750 ticket. It took

[45:51] Chief Ptorio's police and every single cop in his department

[45:56] who played a role in those investigations in beating a child and

[46:00] putting him into a concussion, in allowing a murderer to get away and not

[46:05] get a blood draw. That comes from your responsibility, too. your

[46:11] responsibilities to the people of this village. Whether or not they are in this

[46:15] village and live in this village, whether they are visiting this village,

[46:18] whether they're in coming to visit their dying mother in the hospital, whether

[46:22] they're coming to visit their son, whether they go to school here or not,

[46:25] you have a responsibility to the people within this jurisdiction to take action.

[46:29] You have a responsibility to make clear that when a child is put in a chokeold,

[46:37] an independent investigation is called on. We've been calling Illinois Attorney

[46:42] General Rowell to investigate Oaklan's police department. You too, as the board

[46:47] of trustees can do us that favor and call for that investigation the same way

[46:53] we've been demanding from the police and fire commission who continue to ignore

[46:56] us. It's been three years and there have been at least three opportunities unless

[47:00] you the village president and board of trustees choose to ask them for a

[47:04] recommendation on this issue. They have that power to do that and they've

[47:07] ignored us. You have the power to do it. Will you ignore us? That's a question I

[47:12] want to ask. You're not going to answer in the same way I'm not going to answer

[47:15] you from where I whether or not I'm a resident. [clears throat]

[47:19] But to make it clear, we have continuously

[47:23] been at these meetings. And for the woman who was taken into custody and

[47:27] charged to be told by the same pigs that are in this room, by the leadership of

[47:33] Chief Vtorio, who won't even have the courage to even face the police board

[47:37] when giving proposals to hire people. >> Your time is up, sir. Thank you.

[47:40] » I did not hear it ring. >> He heard pe He won't even show his face.

[47:43] » Your three minutes are up, sir. >> To have to face accountability. Your

[47:46] three minutes are up >> and you won't even take any action on

[47:49] it, sir. >> Your three minutes are up.

[47:50] » Mark is the next speaker.

[47:55] [applause]

[47:59] » Good evening, sir. Are you an Oakan resident?

[48:04] » No, but the stench of this police department reaches the Blue Island where

[48:09] I live. For decades,

[48:14] this village has had a reputation well-earned for having violent, racist

[48:20] thugs as police officers.

[48:24] For decades, this has been going. And all of you are in a position to put

[48:30] an end to it. All of you, each one of you is responsible to put an end to

[48:36] this. You know, we've inherited this culture

[48:40] of racism and white supremacy, but we can take action to do something about

[48:45] it. And you folks are in a position to do that here in Oaklan.

[48:50] Your police officers are violent, racist thugs. They beat Hottie up so bad he

[48:57] ended up in the hospital. That was just a few years ago.

[49:03] Then on top of that, when somebody runs down Marad Kurie, you let the man go.

[49:10] You let the woman go. So when people come to these village

[49:14] meetings to protest, to call for justice, you're you people ignore them

[49:21] and brutalize them. All of these meetings end up in cops shoving people

[49:26] around. I'm tired of this. Also, when people

[49:31] show up for meetings, they're searched. They're wandered down with a metal

[49:35] detector. Like there's some kind of terrorists or

[49:39] some militia come to kill people. That's ridiculous. These are members of the

[49:44] public coming to a public meeting. That is just incredibly disgraceful.

[49:49] And then last meeting we had here, it went way over the top where people the

[49:56] the chairman told people they weren't allowed to speak during public comment.

[50:01] That is so ridiculous, so disgraceful, so undemocratic.

[50:06] You folks are responsible for fixing this And you better get ready and

[50:10] you better get on it because it's your responsibility.

[50:14] [applause] >> Thank you.

[50:20] Alec.

[50:25] Alec.

[50:33] » Good evening, Alex. Are you an Oakan resident?

[50:36] » No, I'm not, but I live on the southwest side of Chicago.

[50:39] » Thank you. >> And I do have a lot of people in Oaklan.

[50:42] A lot of people that I love, a lot of people that I grew up with and did spend

[50:45] a lot of my youth out here in the Uh, I just want to say tonight that I've

[50:50] been coming here to the police and fire commission meetings for three years. Uh,

[50:54] first demanding justice for Hedi Abotella who was brutalized by the

[50:57] Oaklan police.

[51:01] Absolutely

[51:04] unethical. any of the things that the Oaklan police do to Arab and minority

[51:10] communities in Oaklan. Um it was just absolutely outrageous that that was the

[51:15] first thing that happened. A year later, Marad Kurtie being

[51:20] murdered by a drunk driver and receiving no justice, no

[51:24] acknowledgement from the commission that's tasked with public safety in

[51:28] Oaklan, disrespecting the mother of Morad, disrespecting the community than

[51:34] escalating their attacks against the people that come here using their

[51:37] democratic rights, including myself. I am a journalist. I am a documentarian.

[51:43] and your police department has thrown me out of this room for doing nothing but

[51:47] exercising my constitutional rights to document what they are doing to people

[51:52] that are here today in the way they have brutalized teenagers and other people in

[51:55] this. So, the fact that they don't know what the law is and they're tasked with

[51:59] law enforcement makes me think that Oaklan is not safe for anyone. And as a

[52:04] person of color and someone that works out here on the south side around Cook

[52:08] County throughout Chicago, it's known that this is not safe for people that

[52:12] look like me. People that might be driving with a broken out tail light.

[52:16] People that might just be trying to go home from work and get hit by a drunk

[52:19] driver. People that might get brutalized by the police in a pretextual stop. So

[52:23] this is why you need to on your own as the village, you need to put a look into

[52:30] your police department. You need to look at the fire commission that's supposed

[52:34] to be hiring these police officers and putting in discipline and you need to

[52:38] remove them. And if you care about public safety and you care about your

[52:41] police, clean it up because you got a lot of racists there. You got a lot of

[52:46] people that don't look like me, that don't look like all the people in this

[52:48] room out there doing whatever they want without accountability.

[52:53] So we want justice from Rod. We want justice for Hattie. We don't want to see

[52:56] any other teenagers. We don't want to see any other people being choke,

[53:00] slammed, and violated by your police on your taxpayers dimes. That's all I got.

[53:05] Thank you. [applause]

[53:11] » Ra.

[53:15] » Hi, Natty. Are you a Oakan resident? >> No, I'm not. I'm a resident of Orland

[53:20] Park. >> All right.

[53:22] After four years of consistent community presence at the police and fireboard

[53:26] meetings, we continue to witness and experience firsthand OLPD's abuse and

[53:31] violent nature against our community. Police officers lock the front doors as

[53:36] soon as it hits 5:00 p.m. and unlock them only minutes before the meeting

[53:39] start time. We are forced to stand in file line in order to go through a

[53:45] security process where elders and minors are wanted and patted down. a process

[53:49] implemented only after our community started showing up to public meetings.

[53:54] The board on multiple occasions has closed the meeting and ended public

[53:58] comment without allowing those listened to speak even if they have not

[54:02] disrupted. The board has policed removed community members based on the content

[54:06] of their speeches, violating our right to free speech or even targeting and

[54:11] removing community members without due justification.

[54:14] We have been disrespected, mocked, taunted, and laughed at with

[54:18] inappropriate remarks by the entire board. It's not just the current chair.

[54:23] It's also the former chair, Roland, who's also guilty of this.

[54:28] By the entire board. And we have been violently handled as cops aggressively

[54:32] put their hands on us as they quite literally throw us out when we exercise

[54:36] our right to free speech and demand justice often resulting in physical

[54:41] bruising and marks and or mental and emotional harm. You cannot expect an

[54:48] entire community to stay silent and give zero response when police beat a

[54:52] 17-year-old Arab-American boy named Hadi almost to death and then a year later

[54:57] allow a white woman named Leanne Cust to hit and kill a 28-year-old Arab-American

[55:03] man named Murad Kurie and then go home without following proper pro protocol or

[55:08] law after she admits to drinking before getting behind the wheel. This police

[55:13] department has a horrific violence and racism problem. At the last fire and

[55:19] police board meeting, officers grabbed a 14-year-old Arab child, slammed him

[55:24] against a a counter, and choked him out of the room. This is not only absolutely

[55:29] horrific, it is unacceptable that this has to be unacceptable by the board

[55:33] here. This is something that the board here has to state that this is

[55:37] unacceptable. It is the responsibility of the mayor

[55:42] and the entire village board for the nonsensical sick behavior and actions of

[55:48] both the police and fire commission and also Oaklan Police Department. It is

[55:52] your responsibility to act. Mayor, you've given your sympathy once before,

[55:58] but will you and your board actually do something about this? We do not want

[56:03] sympathy. We want justice for our community. It is your police who

[56:07] violently assaulted a 14-year-old child while he was exercising his right to

[56:12] free speech. Your police officers act with imputiny and commit atrocious

[56:17] crimes because they know that they will be protected. By protecting them, you

[56:22] are normalizing violence as acceptable behavior in order to uphold OOLPD's

[56:27] racist system that only harms us. >> Thank you. Your time is up. Thank you.

[56:39] Muhammad,

[56:43] » good evening, Muhammad. Are you an Oakland resident?

[56:47] » Good evening. >> Good evening.

[56:51] » How interesting to be here again. Uh, you know, I have a long memory. I've

[56:55] been coming here for a few years to every single police fire commission

[56:59] board meeting. I also came to the first village board meeting in which uh

[57:05] yourself [snorts] and the other trustees I assume organized a bunch of supporters

[57:11] to stitch together a 36-inute propaganda video of police officers around the

[57:16] country getting shot at at dut on duty or something and one after the other

[57:21] came up and gave the rest of their time to the video. And then after we demanded

[57:25] that we be allowed to show video in the police and uh fire commission meeting um

[57:31] they came out with rules that video can't be shown. You can't pass time for

[57:35] other people. You can't do any of these other things. Um I remember when Chief

[57:40] Vtorio stood up and said talked about the uh Arabics in Oaklan.

[57:47] I remember when uh Veter who used to be on the department said that Fedya Miss

[57:53] Muhammad was exploiting her son's death for money.

[58:00] » I remember when WBEZ in 2023 dropped a report that said 36.3%

[58:05] of all traffic stops in Oaklan were against black drivers.

[58:12] I think we can probably assume that 36.3%

[58:16] of Oaklan's population is not black. And I remember when officer Patrick

[58:22] O'Donnell was charged with the brutal assault of Hadi Abuila and almost every

[58:28] single officer in this department showed up in uniform at Cook County on 26th in

[58:34] California as a show of force in support of a man who beat a child almost to

[58:39] death. And so, no, I'm not surprised that the

[58:43] Oaklan police just 20 days ago used an illegal chokeold against a small boy.

[58:50] And no, I'm not surprised that you all spent more resources going after his

[58:55] mother than you did in investigating the death of Murad Kurie. I remind you, no

[59:01] Oaklan officers even went to the bar that Leanne Cusack had been drinking at

[59:06] until her private attorney began to investigate it.

[59:10] And so, no, I'm not surprised that I'm here again. And you all shouldn't be

[59:14] surprised that we're going to continue to be here again and again because you

[59:19] have made it very clear and the Oakan Police Department has made it very clear

[59:24] that you are not interested in any kind of justice. You are not interested in

[59:27] any kind of accountability and very clearly you believe in a system of might

[59:32] makes right in which a 14-year-old can be slammed into a counter, put into an

[59:38] illegal chokeold and the result of that is not hey maybe we should figure out

[59:42] what went wrong and instead hey here's a shitty AI generated police um comm's

[59:49] report that we sent out to the press today

[59:52] and these people at the ArabAmerican Action Network are organizing juveniles

[59:57] to act illegally inside of our police commission board meetings. It's

[1:00:00] ridiculous. >> Time is up, sir.

[1:00:02] » And so what I will SAY IS, HEY, OAKLAND, [screaming]

[1:00:05] WHAT DO YOU KNOW? >> HEY OAKLAND, WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

[1:00:08] » THESE COPS LET A KILLER GO. >> THESE COPS LET A KILLER GO.

[1:00:12] » HEY [screaming] OAKLAND, WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

[1:00:15] » HEY OAKLAND, WHAT DO YOU KNOW? >> THESE COPS LET A KILLER GO.

[1:00:19] » THESE COPS LET A KILLER GO. JUSTICE FOR >> JUSTICE FOR TURKEY.

[1:00:26] » JUSTICE FOR [screaming] TURKEY. >> JUSTICE FOR TURKEY.

[1:00:31] » SAY HIS NAME. >> TURKEY.

[1:00:33] » Say his name. >> Turkey.

[1:00:35] » Say his name. >> Turkey.

[1:00:38] » Say his name. >> Turkey.

[1:00:40] » Justice for who? >> JUSTICE FOR WHO?

[1:00:45] » TURKEY. >> JUSTICE FOR WHO?

[1:00:48] » Say his name.

[1:00:59] » [cough]

[1:01:05] » Mayor, there are no public no more public comments.

[1:01:10] » All right, this is the end of public comment. Would you please officer shut

[1:01:13] the door so we can continue with village business?

[1:01:24] You can you can leave that one open, guys.

[1:01:26] » Yeah, leave that one open. That one can stay open. Close this one.

[1:01:30] » They're not making any noise. I leave the door open.

[1:01:32] » Okay. >> As long as they're not making any noise,

[1:01:36] we can leave the doors open. If they're disruptive, we'll close them.

[1:01:42] » All right. Conflict of interest. Does any trustee have any conflict with any

[1:01:46] item on this agenda? Hearing none, we'll move on to new

[1:01:50] business by village trustee that we will start in district six. Trusty Sach,

[1:01:55] » no new business. >> Uh district five,

[1:01:58] » nothing at this time. Thank you. district.

[1:02:01] » Uh ju just one item is um in my district, District 4, the one of the

[1:02:06] local churches, the World Society Church of God is partnering with the American

[1:02:10] Red Cross for a blood drive uh on August. No, March 16th.

[1:02:15] » March. >> Yep. The 2020

[1:02:19] of 2027. No. >> Yeah, that would be 20. It's a long

[1:02:22] date. >> Yeah, I got the wrong date, but it's

[1:02:24] coming up. I got I got to look. >> All right. It's I I'll have it for the

[1:02:29] next meeting. I think it's in September. >> Yeah, they they invited me, too, but I I

[1:02:33] I never noted the date. >> Yeah, you know, I

[1:02:40] » It's a very good church. They do a lot of good public work for the community.

[1:02:44] Anything else, trustee? >> Uh that's the only thing. [snorts]

[1:02:47] » All right. District three. >> Thank you, mayor. Um I do have uh just

[1:02:52] things from the events commission. Um this Sunday, August 30th, will be the

[1:02:57] last uh Sunday concert. Um that will be starting at 6 o'clock. Um then, uh three

[1:03:04] weeks away, we are fall music festival. Um that starts on September 11th and

[1:03:10] 12th. And so um you know, like to invite the village of Oklahoma out. Um it's uh

[1:03:16] usually a good time for friends and family come by. So thank you. Look

[1:03:19] forward to that. Thank you. >> All right. District one. None at this

[1:03:22] time. >> Thank you. Okay, we'll move on to the

[1:03:24] village manager. >> Uh, no new business.

[1:03:26] » All right, we'll move on to consent agenda. All items on the consent agenda

[1:03:29] are routine and brought forward at the direction of the board of trustees,

[1:03:33] village manager, village committees and will be enacted in one motion. If

[1:03:36] discussion is desired, that item will be removed from the consent agenda and

[1:03:41] considered separately. A, approval of the regular meeting

[1:03:45] minutes of 2026-13 dated July 28th, 2026

[1:03:51] B. Ordinance 26-14-42, an ordinance amending title 2, Board of

[1:03:57] Commissioners, Chapter 2, Appeals and Review Board, section 2-25.

[1:04:04] This is reference to meetings of the Oklahoma Village Code relative to the

[1:04:08] regular meeting dates of the Appeals and Review Board. C. Ordinance 26-14-43,

[1:04:16] an ordinance amending title 3 business and license regulations and title 4

[1:04:21] zoning regulations of the village of Oklahoma code to establish a class GFT,

[1:04:27] that's a gun smithing and firearm transfer license. D. Ordinance 2614-44.

[1:04:36] an ordinance amending chapter 6-9 of the Oakan Village Code renaming the Ulanon

[1:04:43] affordable keystone known as Oak O residential construction and sales

[1:04:49] program as a special homestead exemption building program and adopting purchase

[1:04:55] and owner occupancy requirements and form permanent owner occupancy and no

[1:05:01] rental restrictive covenant. E. Ordinance 26-14-45,

[1:05:08] an ordinance amending the village of Oklahoma Village Code relative to

[1:05:11] nonowner occupied residential dwellings unit permit year. F ordinance 26-14-46

[1:05:21] an ordinance amending title 3 business and license regulations and title 8

[1:05:27] health and sanitation of the village of Oklahoma village code relative to

[1:05:31] business registration requirements exemptions and fee

[1:05:37] G resolution 26-14-64

[1:05:42] a resolution waving competitive bidding and approving a proposal from William

[1:05:46] Quinn and Son Incorporated to restore Commonwealth

[1:05:49] Edison corridor landscaping areas associated with bid package number six

[1:05:55] of the regional water project in the amount not to exceed $90,679.96.

[1:06:04] H resolution 26-14-65

[1:06:09] a resolution authorizing the release of certain executive session minutes. I

[1:06:14] resolution 26-14-66,

[1:06:18] a resolution approving a proposal from Strand Associates Incorporated for

[1:06:23] engineering services for the community development block grant cured in place

[1:06:28] pipe sanitary sewer rehabilitation project in the amount not to exceed

[1:06:33] $44,000. J resolution 26-14-67

[1:06:39] a resolution approving a proposal from Strand Associates Incorporated for

[1:06:44] engineering services for the community development block grant cured in place

[1:06:49] sanitary sewer rehabilitation project in the amount not to exceed $48,000.

[1:06:56] K. Resolution 26-14-68,

[1:07:00] a resolution approving change order number five in the amount of $7,715

[1:07:09] for water main emergency repairs related to the Polaris Water Detention Project.

[1:07:14] L resolution 26-14-68, a resolution approving a proposal from

[1:07:21] Strand Associates Incorporation for the NPDC

[1:07:25] ECMS MS4 storm water management planning engineering services in the amount not

[1:07:32] to exceed $39,500. M res resolution 26-14-69

[1:07:41] a resolution prop uh approving a proposal from RJN Group Incorporated for

[1:07:47] the 2026 sanitary sewer system smoke testing and data analysis services in

[1:07:54] the amount not to exceed $99,400 and resolution 26-14-70

[1:08:03] a resolution approving current ownership disclosure of Fair Play Incorporated and

[1:08:09] authorizing interference of a replacement business class liquor P1

[1:08:15] liquor license for Fair Play Foods at 8700 South Cicero Avenue.

[1:08:21] » Motion to approve. >> Second.

[1:08:23] » Second. >> Any discussion?

[1:08:25] Any discussion? Hearing none. Call the vote, please.

[1:08:29] » Trusty Melo. >> Yes.

[1:08:31] » Trusty Stalker. >> Yes.

[1:08:32] » Trusty Warren. >> Yes. Trusty Sock.

[1:08:35] » Yes. >> Trusty Penrook.

[1:08:37] » Yes. Motions pass. A village clerk's report.

[1:08:41] » We have dispersement resolution number 2026-15D

[1:08:45] dated August 11th, 2026 in the amount of 8,763,964.77.

[1:08:55] » Motion, please. >> Motion approve.

[1:08:56] » Second. >> Second. Roll call.

[1:08:59] » Trusty Melo. >> Yes.

[1:09:00] » Trusty Stalker. >> Yes.

[1:09:02] » Trusty Warren. Yes. >> Trusty Sock.

[1:09:04] » Yes. >> Trusty Penrook.

[1:09:06] » Yes. >> Motion passes.

[1:09:08] » First resolution number 2026-16D dated August 25th, 2026 in the amount of

[1:09:16] 7,330,96929.

[1:09:21] » Motion, please. >> Motion to approve.

[1:09:23] » Second. >> Second.

[1:09:24] » Roll call. >> Trusty Malo.

[1:09:26] » Yes. >> Trusty Stalker.

[1:09:28] » Yes. >> Trusty Warren.

[1:09:29] » Yes. >> Trusty Sack.

[1:09:31] » Yes. >> Trusty Penrook. All right, madame clerk

[1:09:34] pillage president's report. A, we'll take each

[1:09:37] one of these at a time. A ordinance 26-14-47,

[1:09:43] an ordinance amending ordinance number 26-09-23

[1:09:48] to clarify licensed premises increasing the number of class LIQ-

[1:09:55] C liquor licenses by one and authorizing the issuance of an additional class LIQ-

[1:10:04] liquor license by the village of Oaklaw. That's for Zo Sports Bar and Grill LLC.

[1:10:11] Doing business is Uncle Buds Bar and Grill. 9708 9710 Cisero Avenue,

[1:10:18] Oklahoma, Illinois. Motion. >> Motion approve.

[1:10:21] » We [snorts] got first and second. >> Yes.

[1:10:23] » Okay. Roll call. >> Trusty Melo.

[1:10:25] » Yes. >> Trusty Stalker.

[1:10:27] » Yes. >> Trusty Warren.

[1:10:29] » Yes. >> Trusty Sock.

[1:10:30] » Yes. >> Trusty Penrook.

[1:10:32] » Yes. >> Motion passes. Ordinance 26-14-48,

[1:10:36] an ordinance authorizing the issuance of a class 2 tobacco retailer license by

[1:10:41] the village of Oklahoma due to a change in ownership. Uh that's Blaze Hayes

[1:10:47] Incorporating doing business as Bla1 Hayes, 9241

[1:10:52] South Cicero Avenue, Oklahoma. Motion, please.

[1:10:56] » Motion to approve. >> Second.

[1:10:58] » Second. >> Roll call.

[1:10:59] » Trusty Mow. >> Yes.

[1:11:01] » Trusty Stalker. >> Yes. Trusty Warren,

[1:11:03] » yes. >> Trusty Sock,

[1:11:05] » yes. >> Trusty Penrook,

[1:11:06] » yes. >> Motion passes. C is ordinance 26-14-49,

[1:11:11] an ordinance authorizing the issuance of a class one tobacco retailer license by

[1:11:17] the village of Oklahoma due to a change in ownership. Uh that's Oklahoma LLC

[1:11:22] doing business at the Shell Gas at 9800 South Cro Avenue, Oklahoma, Illinois.

[1:11:28] Motion >> approve.

[1:11:30] » Second. Roll call. >> Trusty Malow.

[1:11:33] » Yes. >> Trusty Stalker.

[1:11:35] » Yes. >> Trusty Warren.

[1:11:37] » Yes. >> Trusty Sack.

[1:11:38] » Yes. >> Trusty Pemrook.

[1:11:40] » All right. We need a motion to go into executive session number 20 26-06

[1:11:45] for the purpose of discussing one the close meeting minutes 2026-05

[1:11:50] dated July 25th 2026 and a settlement claim. Motion please.

[1:11:57] » Motion to approve. >> Second.

[1:11:58] » Roll call. >> Trusty Melo. Yes.

[1:12:01] » Trusty Stalker. >> Yes.

[1:12:03] » Trusty Warren. >> Yes.

[1:12:04] » Trusty Sack. >> Yes.

[1:12:05] » Trusty Penrook. >> Thank you. This ends our public portion

[1:12:08] of the meeting. Thanks for sticking around.

Board of Trustees Meeting (2026-14) August 25th, 2026

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