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In Chicago’s Parks, Residents Display Democracy on a Neighborhood Scale

The Garfield Park fieldhouse is pictured on Feb. 9, 2026. (Dan Lambert / WTTW News)

If a public meeting is happening anywhere in Garfield Park, there’s a good chance Gina Jamison will be in attendance.

“I need to know what’s going on in my community,” said the 77-year-old Jamison. “People will tell you, ‘Miss Gina’s everywhere.’”

That kind of visibility is about more than just satisfying her curiosity. For Jamison, it’s all part of the job of being president of the Garfield Park Advisory Council — an unpaid, volunteer position that she couldn’t take more seriously if she were mayor of Chicago.

There are connections to make, partnerships to forge and collaborations to nurture, all in the name of supporting and promoting the 184-acre West Side park.

While there’s only one Miss Gina, like-minded people are similarly rolling up their sleeves all across Chicago, advocating for their parks and representing their community’s voice when it comes to park governance. They serve as the Chicago Park District’s eyes and ears on the ground, Jamison said, while simultaneously holding the district accountable for stewardship of its facilities and natural resources.

“We are the grassroots,” Jamison said of park advisory councils, also known as PACs.

Some backstory: 

At last count, 230 of the Chicago Park District’s 600-plus parks were represented by an elected park advisory council. (Some larger PACs have “adopted” smaller, neighboring parks.)

The oldest PACs — a distinction shared by the advisory councils for Jackson Park, Lincoln Park, Unity Park and Washington Park — date back to the early 1980s, and new PACs are constantly forming, according to Maria Stone, manager of community relations with the Chicago Park District.

In 2025, PACs experienced a mini-surge, with the creation of 10 new ones. And 2026 is starting off strong: One new PAC has already formed and three more are in the midst of the process, according to Stone.

The PAC concept, in Chicago, originated with the nonprofit advocacy organization Friends of the Parks as a mechanism for ensuring the public had a say in the spending of millions of federal dollars allocated for parks, according to Bronwyn Nichols Lodato, board president of Friends of the Parks and president of the Midway Plaisance Advisory Council.

Some 40 years after PACs were introduced, they’ve proven their worth as advocates and watchdogs.

“PACs at their best activate community members around the love of the parks, and that itself deepens civic connections,” said Nichols Lodato.

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"Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning."
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The Poetry Foundation, the publisher of Poetry magazine, welcomes you to experience it for yourself with FREE public programs and resources! On March 12, Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle will perform alongside Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte. Later in the month, straight out of the pages of Poetry, Frank X Walker will read with Affrilachian poets Kelly Norman Ellis, Nikky Finney, and Parneshia Jones.

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Heartland to Close Three Chicago Shelters for Unaccompanied Children, Lay Off About 145 Employees

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is pictured in Washington, D.C. (Greggory DiSalvo / iStock)

Due to federal funding cuts, the nonprofit Heartland Human Care Services is closing three Chicago shelters that have been used to house unaccompanied minors coming to the U.S.

Those cuts come from the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which contracts with Heartland for their “unaccompanied alien children” program. At Heartland, immigrant children who have crossed the U.S. border receive residential and medical care, education and legal services before being connected with permanent homes.

About 145 employees across direct service, management and administrative positions will be laid off, according to Robin Carroll, senior director of marketing and communications for Heartland Human Care Services. 

Michael Brieschke, chairperson for United Human Service Workers, the union representing the impacted employees, said the Bronzeville location will remain open. 

“It will not affect services at all,” Carroll said. “We do have a very strong program … it’s the largest space that we have, and we will be consolidating a lot of services into that particular facility.”

More context: 

Heartland plans to close facilities in Rogers Park, Washington Heights and Uptown by April 1, according to state filings with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

“It’s really heartbreaking to us to see that three of our four sites are going to be closed by the end of March,” Brieschke said, who is also a case manager in the housing department for Heartland.

Community Violence Intervention Investments Have Helped Reverse Chicago’s Shooting, Homicide Trends: Report

(WTTW News)

A new study has found that increased investments in a violence intervention program that targets Chicago communities and hotspots with the highest rates of gun violence have led to continued declines in the number of shootings and homicides.

Those findings were included in a new report from the Government Alliance for Safe Communities (GASC), which included research from Northwestern University’s Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research and Science.

According to the report, areas that received higher levels of public investment in the Community Violence Intervention (CVI) program saw increased services, stronger program participation and the largest public safety gains.

That comes as Chicago closed out 2025 with its fewest homicides recorded in six decades. The city recorded 416 homicides and also saw double-digit declines in the number of shootings, robberies, carjackings, aggravated assaults and total violent crime victimizations compared to 2024.

“This achievement reflects the unwavering dedication, strategic coordination, and strong partnerships among city agencies, community organizations, and residents working together to make our neighborhoods safer,” Garien Gatewood, Chicago’s deputy mayor for Community Safety, said in a statement. “The GASC’s sustained investment and collaboration with local CVI groups have proven to be highly effective, addressing local hot spots and community needs while preventing potential violent incidents before they happen.”

More From WTTW News:

• A push to name one of Chicago’s snowplows “Abolish ICE,” clearly linking the humorous pun to efforts to oppose President Donald Trump’s mass deportation effort, won the city’s annual snowplow naming contest. 

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Back in the Day: February 24, 2001 - Chicago’s XFL Team Debuts at Soldier Field, Loses in First and Only Season 

Twenty-five years ago, wrestling mogul Vince McMahon wanted to capitalize on the NFL’s popularity with a new professional football league that commenced after the Super Bowl. McMahon, the owner of the WWF (now the WWE), would call his rival “the No Fun League,” thanks to its player safety rules and called for a more extreme on-field competition. What resulted was the XFL, which fielded eight teams for its inaugural and only season, including the Chicago Enforcers. On this day 25 years ago, the 0-3 Enforcers made their debut at Chicago’s Soldier Field losing 0-13 to the “New York/New Jersey Hitmen.” The Enforcers would finish out the season with a 5-5 win-loss record. The XFL, citing abysmal ratings and little fan interest, would call it quits within three months. 

This Week’s Staff Recommendations

Every Tuesday, a WTTW News staffer highlights their favorite things in Chicago. This week, it’s newsletter producer Josh Terry on the best bars to watch soccer. 

Josh Terry: 2026 might be soccer’s biggest year in America yet. The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will be hosting the World Cup this June. More than a million fans are expected to travel to the States to watch 48 teams compete across 11 U.S. cities (not to mention the host cities in our neighbors to the north and south). If you can’t wait until the summer, you have a wealth of worldwide soccer options to keep you sated. The many European leagues are in full force and the U.S. league Major League Soccer kicked off its season over the weekend. Below, I’ve compiled my three regular spots to watch the beautiful game. 

A. J. Hudson's Public House: 

Almost 10 years ago, I was living in Roscoe Village and working as a freelance journalist. With my unpredictable schedule, I realized my Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons were usually free. So, I decided to start watching Champions League soccer at the Lakeview pub and sports bar A.J. Hudson’s. Though fans of all kinds gather there, it’s home to the city’s sizable Liverpool F.C. supporters population. I fell in love with the team there, along with Carlsberg beer  and their biscuits and gravy. 3801 N Ashland Ave. 

Cleo's Bar and Grill:  

A 4 a.m. bar by night and an early morning soccer bar by day, Cleo’s is a West Town institution that never sleeps. With a phenomenal menu and an unmatched game day experience, get there as early as you can if you want to grab a table before a big game. 1935 W Chicago Ave. 

The Albion Manor: 

Across the street from the Regal on Webster and around the corner from Pequod’s is this quiet English pub from the owners of A.J. Hudson’s. If you don’t want massive crowds early in the morning, head here for a more relaxed, cozy experience. 1480 W Webster Ave. 

What's your favorite touristy thing to do in Chicago?

Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. 

• Environmental groups sue the U.S. EPA over the repeal of key climate change guardrails. We have local reaction. 

5:30 PM | 10:00 PM

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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry