We encourage residents to participate in the CAPS Beat Meetings. This is a virtual webinar via Zoom.  See instructions below.

CAPS meetings offer city residents an  opportunity to address crime and safety issues directly with the beat officers who patrol their neighborhood, as well as to provide ongoing  feedback, which help the police to monitor crime issues.  The beat meeting is a chance to meet your neighbors and come up with strategies that affect the community.

Unsure of your Beat?  To find your District & Beat, click HERE.

Mayor Lightfoot is calling on all Chicagoans to participate in a Census Challenge.

The ward that delivers the highest census response rate in the next 10 days will receive a ward-wide Ice Cream event! Take the census today at My2020census.gov.

Remember each person counted is worth $1400 in federal aid to our city – billions of dollars are at stake.

River North is part of three Wards:  Ward 42 (Alderman Brendan Reilly), Ward 27 (Alderman Walter Burnette Jr), and Ward 02 (Alderman Brian Hopkins).

Not sure of your Ward?  CLICK HERE

Alderman Reilly Reports

July 7, 2020

Dear Neighbor:

I am happy to report that Concrete Cowboy, located at 646 North Franklin Street, has surrendered their business and liquor licenses and is permanently closed.

Concrete Cowboy opened in 2016 after buying the active liquor and late hour licenses from the former operator. Not long after they opened, my office started receiving regular complaints about Concrete Cowboy causing disturbances and operating as a nightclub.

Complaints focused on increased traffic congestion and honking; motorcycle noise; refuse, vomit and urine on the public way; and patrons fighting and making excessive noise outside. As a resident of this block, I witnessed many such incidents first-hand.

I met with the Liquor Commissioner, the Police Department’s 18th District and the Department of Business Affairs (DBACP) to share video footage provided to my office. The footage was clear evidence of the unacceptable mismanagement of the Concrete Cowboy frontage and the significant safety risks caused by the business.

The City Law Department filed a public nuisance case against Concrete Cowboy, which included 50 charges relating to public nuisance.

On June 30, 2020, the City Hearing Officer overseeing the disciplinary case recommended “License Revocation” as a result of the serious charges.

I am pleased to report that, in response to this action, Concrete Cowboy chose to voluntarily surrender their business licenses, effective July 2, 2020. The Business is now closed and there should be no further activity at that location.

It is also important to note that, because I placed a liquor license moratorium on this block, no new Tavern or Late Hour liquor licenses can be approved at this location.

I am grateful to the Department of Business Affairs, the Chicago Law Department and River North neighbors for their efforts that resulted in shutting down Concrete Cowboy.

Sincerely,

Brendan Reilly
President Pro Tempore
Alderman, 42nd Ward

Our sincere thanks to our members, neighbors and friends who registered for our first-ever River North Residents Association Virtual Town Hall Meeting on July 1, 2020. We appreciate those who took the time to submit thoughtful questions in advance.  Thanks, also, to our special guest presenters; 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly and 18th District CPD Sergeant Chris Schenk.

As promised, a recording of the webinar has been prepared for those who were unable to attend. You can access the recording by clicking here.

Some important reminders…

* Make a difference in River North. Bring your talents and a little time to our volunteer ranks  Connect with us here.
* Support businesses that support our mission to advocate for quality of life issues throughout River North and beyond. Connect with them here.
* Download our FREE  My River North mobile app. It provides convenient access to River North news, events and resources, plus special deals at a variety of local businesses  You can download the app from the App Store or Google Play.
* Sign up for our RNRA newsletters, email blasts and alerts here.

We look forward to the time when we can all gather together safely for community events like this, but until then, we will leverage technology to help keep the conversation going.

We value your support.

River North Residents Association

To print a copy, CLICK HERE.