Dear 43rd Ward Neighbors, The 4th of July weekend has come and passed and our ward is still hopping with block parties, outdoor patios, and events on the lakefront. This past weekend was filled with patriotic festivities for families, young professionals, and seniors alike. As we wrote about last week, I was honored to read the preamble of the Declaration of Independence at the Chicago History Museum’s Civic Weekend. It was great to see so many familiar faces in the crowd! It was hot, as I imagine it was at the Philadelphia Convention in 1776.
Alderman Knudsen speaking at the History Museum on July 4th.
The City was also hit with some historic rains. Many neighbors reached out to our office regarding down trees, clogged sewers, and flooded backyards. City Departments are still working diligently to catch up on the backlog of 3-1-1 requests from the rainfall and holiday weekend. If you are still waiting on a request to be completed, reach out to our office here. We will work to get these problems corrected as quickly as possible. Also, the police are working hard to catch the perpetrators of the robbery spree we’ve seen during June and the beginning of July. They issued an updated community alert you can read below and share with your neighbors. On the 4th of July, I spoke to ABC 7 Chicago about the rise in robberies we’ve experienced in the ward and reiterated my call for additional and consistent patrol to be sent to our ward. We also have several CAPS Beat meetings upcoming for the 18th District that you will see below. These meetings are a great opportunity for neighbors to interface directly with the officers protecting their communities. My office and the 18th District Council are co-hosting a Conversation with Commander Barz on July 27th, 2023 from 6 PM - 7:30 PM at DePaul University.
Commander Barz and I are going to visit locations that have been hard-hit by some of these robberies. If you see him in the neighborhood, feel free to say hello and thank him and his officers for all their hard work. My goal is to have the Commander’s eyes on the ward as much as possible and he has already shown his commitment to being on the ground and in the communities he serves. Commander Barz has just recently been appointed to this position and we look forward to continuing our warm welcome to the 43rd ward. In the coming weeks, we will share more information about events our community groups are hosting and the soon-to-be-announced finalists for the job of Police Superintendent. But, for now, stay safe and enjoy the summer! Sincerely,
Twitter- @AldKnudsen43
Instagram- @AldKnudsen43
43rd Ward Facebook Page
P.S. Bureau of Forestry let us know that 523 trees have been trimmed in the 43rd Ward as of June 30th. Big thanks to the Bureau of Forestry and Streets and Sanitation for their incredible work.
