Some People.

Norman Rockwell - 'Freedom of Speech'

There's nothing the PRU Crew loves more than free speech except seeing it being practiced! Today's guest essay is an email which was forwarded to us. It is published here with permission of the author.


GUEST ESSAY

Email from Dan Knight

To: Park Ridge Mayor Howard Frimark
Park Ridge City Council

Bcc: St. Mary’s neighbors and community email list

Gentlemen,

I hope you will indulge me once again. As I learn more and more about this matter I feel compelled to continue to ask questions.

As FYI, I have blind copied my many neighbors and others on this to keep them informed as well.

On Wednesday, April 17th, Mayor Frimark and I discussed options to the proposed PADS shelter at St. Mary's. This discussion, of course, was in line with the Mayor's stated position that St. Mary's is probably not the best location for a PADS site. The Mayor told me that the Our Lady of Ransom facility on Greenwood would be a better site for a PADS shelter, except that it isn't in Park Ridge .

I stopped the Mayor and asked him a question I have been asking for weeks and to which I have yet to get an answer: all other things being equal, is it so important that there be a shelter in Park Ridge? The Mayor's response was: "Not to me... but it is to some people." Some people?

How surprising is it that the neighbors to St. Mary's and much of the citizenry of Park Ridge are upset, critical, anxious, and even plain "anti" this proposed PADS shelter? Let me tell you why you should not be surprised...

> We were not "in the loop" on this decision in any way, shape or form until after this was decided - after far more than a year of contemplation, discussion and planning by PADS, Park Ridge , St. Mary's and, apparently, "some people."

> We have gotten no actual facts or communication of value from PADS aside from their brochures. What we have gathered and what we have learned, we have had to gather and learn on our own.

> We know that while St. Mary's volunteered to be the Park Ridge PADS site their interim Pastor Carrubba hadn't even visited one herself. And up until very recently, neither had more that just a few other members of the PRMA.

> We know that some PRMA mermbers voiced their own concern about "starting slowly" since they were "not sure about what they were getting into" in opening a PADS shelter.

> We know that, when asked, the PRMA could not provide any details or background information about how it was decided that Park Ridge needed a PADS or how it was decided to locate it specifically at St. Mary's.

> We know that the Mayor and our own 5th ward alderman now think that St. Mary's is the wrong place for a PADS shelter, or so they each have said on more than one occasion.

> We know that the majority of the alderman have gone on record with us as being opposed to the shelter at St. Mary's.

> We know that even many of the members of the PRMA have gone on record as saying that St. Mary's is probably not the best spot for a PADS shelter.

So why are we expected to just go with the flow and say yes - we need a PADS shelter in Park Ridge; and, yes - St. Mary's is exactly the right location for that shelter? In the face of how this was decided, the lack of any real due diligence and the reports that many of our city leaders and members of the PRMA now think St. Mary's is the wrong place for a PADS shelter, how are we expected to react?

I would suggest that it would be unnatural for us to simply say: "Go ahead, we're really confident in all you have done to launch this PADS shelter here in Park Ridge and at St. Mary's church."

Two weeks ago a neighbor lamented the fact that we are called "un-Christian," "uncaring" and "unsympathetic" to the plight of the homeless. I recently had someone tell me that they felt "sorry" for me. Well, we are not un-Christian, uncaring or unsympathetic to the plight of the homeless. And, frankly, we don't need anyone to feel sorry for us. What we are is troubled and disturbed at how all of this has unfolded, especially given the facts available. Why are we being branded the "heavies" in this docu-drama?

Yet things keep moving ahead. The original plans are apparently still in the works and we are still being told October is set for the opening of the St. Mary's PADS. We yet may get some “dialog” but it looks like it will be more of a monologue - with St. Mary’s and PADS telling us about how and why they will continue to move ahead with their plans.

Who exactly is deciding all of this? "Some people," as the Mayor related to me. And who are these "some people" ?? Are they Park Ridge residents? Are they our elected officials? Are they PADS representatives?

And who is PADS? Where is PADS? The controversy surrounding this PADS shelter at St. Mary’s has now been brewing for weeks without real people from PADS showing up to give us their bonafides. That's not very comforting to any of us who are expected to receive these homeless "guests" into our neighborhood.

I will end by saying what I said at the last city council meeting and what I will continue to say: The opening of a PADS shelter anywhere in Park Ridge deserves far more due diligence and public debate than we have seen or received to date on the current proposal. I say go back to square one, get that due diligence done, hold a thorough public debate of the issue, and then decide if we need a PADS shelter in Park Ridge and, if so, what the ideal location would be.

To forge ahead with the current mistake of placing a PADS shelter at St. Mary’s in the face of so many now acknowledging the problems with that location is flat out wrong and an affront to the neighbors and community.