About Town

Behind The Scenes: Evanston's West Side

Patch columnist Christine Wolf shares what she learned about efforts to revitalize the corner of Dempster and Dodge after a 2nd ward meeting hosted by Ald. Peter Braithwaite.

After writing a column in February expressing my frustration about the seemingly slow progress of Evanston’s West Side — including a statement that the area’s been plagued by gun violence — 2nd Ward Alderman Peter Braithwaite contacted me. He was not happy. It was clear Braithwaite didn’t appreciate the negative press about his ward. We spoke for over an hour and, by the end of the conversation, he’d invited me to attend a 2nd Ward meeting to learn about the progress and positivity in and around the area. Also invited was Scott Inbinder, principal of Bonnie Investment Group, the company that owns Evanston Plaza at Dempster and Dodge. Before I attended the April 11 2nd Ward meeting, I met with City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz, started an …

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Letter To The Editor: Dominick's Police Outpost

A letter from Chief of Police Richard Eddington.

To The Editor: As promised in my September letter, this is an update regarding the police outpost established recently at Dominick’s Food Store, 1910 Dempster Street. During the outpost’s first two months of operation (August 26 through October 23) the shopping center enjoyed a significant reduction in incidents as compared with the same period last year (down from 26 to 10).  Of particular note is a 66% reduction in alcohol-related thefts, down from 11 to five.  Of 2010’s 11 alcohol-related thefts, five involved juveniles.  Of 2011’s five alcohol-related thefts, three involved juveniles.  This reduction is the first step in achieving the outpost’s primary goal of reducing/eradicating juvenile involvement in alcohol-related thefts at the …

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Evanston Residents Accuse City of Lacking Transparency in Police Outpost Decision

Some Evanston residents are unhappy with the lack of public discussion leading up to the construction of a police outpost at the Evanston Plaza Dominick's.

Whether Evanston residents like it or not, a police outpost has been built in Evanston Plaza’s Dominick’s grocery store, 1910 Dempster St., and will soon be staffed by city police officers. Still, near 50 Evanstonians showed up to a 2nd Ward meeting held at the Robert Crown Center Thursday night, many to voice their opinions on issues surrounding the new outpost. Located on the northeast side of the store, the outpost was built in response to reportedly high rates of juvenile liquor theft and theft-related violence in and around Dominick’s. Evanston Police Chief Richard Eddington has said that his goal in approving the outpost’s construction was to create a sufficient deterrent to prevent local youth from making poor decisions that might …

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Dominick's Police Outpost Met with Opposition from Neighborhood Group

Neighbors have mixed reactions and many questions about an Evanston Police Department outpost being built at the Evanston Plaza Dominick's.

The Evanston Police Department outpost currently being constructed within the Evanston Plaza Dominick’s grocery store was the topic of a heated debate at the Dewey-Darrow and Florence-Crain Neighbors meeting held Thursday night at the Perla Café, 1813 Dempster St. Proposed in response to a rash of juvenile liquor thefts and theft-related violence in and around the store, the outpost has come under heat from local neighborhood groups and business associations, which contend that other preventative methods have not been adequately examined, that taxpayers should not have to fund the staffing of a security center in a private business, and that the outpost would foster a perception that the neighborhood is unsafe, scaring potential home-…

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John Brinkmann

11:40 am on Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Great seeing a post here from Kip---For those who might not be familiar with the name, Kip MacMillan served Evanston with honor and integrity for many years...As for getting better acquainted with our police officers, there was a time when many of the city's cops lived here or nearby, and obviously became more of a well known presence in the community...It would be nice to see more of our cops …   more ›

West Village Neighbors to Discuss Police Outpost

Residents plan to discuss the issue at the city council meeting Monday and again at a community meeting later in the week.

Community activists in the recently rebranded West Village plan to speak out this week about a proposed new police outpost, which would be stationed inside the Dominick's store in the Dempster Plaza strip mall. The Dewey-Darrow and Florence-Crain Neighbors will meet Thursday at Perla Cafe to discuss local issues, including the police outpost. (Read earlier: Residents first discuss pros and cons of the outpost.) Residents also plan on to asking city council Monday to hold public hearings on the issue and refrain from moving forward on the plan until they have received community input. "[Putting the outpost in Dominick's] is an unprecedented action- there is no store in Evanston and not one Dominck's in the entire country which have police …

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Proposed Dominick’s Police Outpost Discussed at Business Association Meeting

The Evanston Plaza Dominick's may get a police outpost to improve employee safety and lower youth theft, but local business owners fear the presence of law enforcement might scare away customers.

In response to recent shoplifting-related violence against security staff and employees, and reportedly increased levels of alcohol theft by juveniles, Dominick's is in talks with the City of Evanston over implementing a police outpost within its Evanston Plaza grocery store, 1910 Dempster St. Members of the Evanston West Village Business Association met with City and Evanston Police Department representatives Wednesday morning at the Heartwood center to discuss the pros and cons of the proposed outpost. According to Evanston Police Chief Richard Eddington, the outpost would serve mainly as a “preventative deployment security strategy” and deterrent to potential incidents of violence and theft. “This is a reaction from a community member…

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Richard Schulte

5:10 am on Wednesday, August 10, 2011

I second the motion for common sense. "The police are not here to create disorder; they are here to preserve disorder." Mayor Richard J. Daley Thank you EPD.   more ›

Neighborhood Groups: Let’s Reinvent This Whole Place

Amid Evanston Plaza losing business and recent violence, several Evanston neighborhood groups gathered with City officials to lay it all on the table.

Several Evanston neighborhood groups and City officials met Tuesday night at the Heartwood center to discuss the troubled Evanston Plaza and issues of crime and safety. More than 80 people, including Ald. Lionel Jean-Baptiste (2nd Ward), Ald. Ann Rainey (8th Ward), Chief of Police Richard Eddington and members of at least four neighborhood associations packed into the building’s small, second-story workout studio to address these problems while envisioning the future of Evanston’s west side. Foremost on the night’s agenda was to address the woes of Evanston Plaza, the shopping center located southwest of the Dempster Street and Dodge Avenue intersection, which during the past year has received considerable news coverage for all the wrong …

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About Town

Here's Your Snack, Honey. Mommy's Just Taking A Little Nap.

The Dominick's on Green Bay Road takes one-stop-shopping to a whole new level.

I usually do my grocery shopping at one of three stores within a mile of my house:  Jewel and Whole Foods on Chicago Avenue, or Dominick's on Dempster. For those times I actually put thought and planning into my shopping, I'll head to Marketplace on Oakton for amazing produce or Costco on Touhy in that no-man's land of strip malls. Today, after stopping at Office Depot on Green Bay Road, I popped into the Dominick's around the corner.  Not my usual grocery store, but one I've gone to many, many times.  How many towns in Illinois can claim they have TWO Dominick's grocery stores?  And, how different can they really be?  Well, let me tell you.  You know how you get accustomed to the layout of your usual grocers' aisles?  I tried my best to …