W E D N E S D A Y
September 24, 2025 Vol. 46, No. 13
1980 - 2025
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J URNAL WJ45
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of Oak Park and River Forest
Oak Park limits village hall parking lot access after ICE visits Oak Park has closed two entrances to village hall’s parking lot to deter ICE presence on property By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
Oak Park’s village government has limited access to Village Hall’s parking lot after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents accessed the site. The village confirmed to Wednesday Journal this week that on Friday, Sept. 12 at approximately 10:45 a.m., multiple ICE agents were in the parking lot of Village Hall, where members of the Oak Park Police Department approached and briefly spoke with the ICE agents present in the parking lot. The federal agents left the property after about 15 minutes “without issue,” according to village staff. The village announced Friday, Sept. 19 that the village was restricting access to the parking lot. “In order to ensure that the Village Hall parking lot is used only by Village of Oak Park staff and those community members requiring services from Village Hall, beginning today and until further
Jane Hamilton chronicles coming of age in Oak Park in the ‘70s Page 11
Hispanic arts festival cancelled with ICE efforts intensifying locally Oak Park also cancels its Hispanic Heritage event By LEAH SCHROEDER Contributing Reporter
TODD BANNOR
Jersey Barrier and traffic cones block an entrance to the Oak Park Village Hall parking lot in response to federal activities on immigration, Sept. 19. notice, the two southern-most entrances into the Village Hall parking lot closest to Adams Street will be closed,” the village said in a statement. “The parking lot at 123 Madison St. is restricted for use only by vehicles of village employees and per-
sons with business within Village Hall. Permitted vehicles must use the northernmost entrances closest to Village Hall to both enter and exit the parking See PARKING LOT on page 18
In April, Pilgrim Congregational Church of Oak Park partnered with the Oak Park Area Arts Council to begin planning for a multicultural arts festival to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month in October. The event was slated to feature a variety of Hispanic artists, musicians and dancers and raise money for the arts council’s Off the Wall fund, designed to support young adult artists of color impacted by reduced arts funding. See ARTS FESTIVAL on page 14
SEPT. 26-27 / FREE LIVE MUSIC * CRAFT BEER & WINE * FAMILY FUN * LOCAL FOOD