r/evanston

My family is moving to the area (just bought a place on Chicago near Main) and I've been getting a littler nervous about some of the posts I've seen about living in the area. Between the shooting down at the Howard red line station and the post about "aggressive men" on Main St today, I'm not really sure what to make of it all. We haven't moved in yet and I want to be excited about our new neighborhood but the way people on here are talking about it freaks me out.

I've lived in cities my whole life so seeing an occasional homeless person isn't really a concern for me, my main worry is if the area is meaningfully dangerous for a couple and their young child. I don't know if it's just adjusting to the different way online communities act in different areas or what but I feel like there's been a lot of sensationalized posts about the south side of Evanston and I'm just wondering if anyone who actually lives in the area can enlighten me on whether or not crime is an actual problem there.

Snippet:

Walker-Aguilar said she believed Heartwood had promised to assist in building out the restaurant, including purchasing equipment for the restaurant, which would be paid back as part of the restaurant’s rent.

On Tuesday, Heartwood Center’s Larry Akey told Evanston Now that Heartwood had never agreed to those terms, and shared a statement that Walker-Aguilar “asked if [they] could terminate the lease,” adding that the fact “they were even considering not moving forward with the project was unexpected and shocking to Heartwood.”

But in text messages and emails reviewed by Evanston Now, Floy contacted Walker-Aguilar and Glapion last Tuesday, May 11, and demanded they remove equipment they had stored in the vacant building at 1828-1830 Dempster St., threatening to remove the restaurant equipment and place it into the alleyway, despite Walker-Aguilar and Glapion having a lease agreement and key to the building.

“No one has permission to have anything in the space, so we are moving it all out to the alley,” Floy wrote in a message on May 11, before writing later that day, “This is not working. Let me know when you want to talk about whether we will move forward with your business or not.”

The next day, May 12, Floy wrote in a message that Heartwood was “willing to terminate your lease if you want to move on,” which Walker-Aguilar said she decided to accept as she felt things were heading downhill.

“She strong-armed us into requesting to terminate the lease,” Walker-Aguilar said Tuesday in a phone interview, adding she was asked to send a formal request to terminate the lease, which she did on May 12. That request was included in Heartwood’s statement of the events as well.

“It’s just unfortunate that we were used to help gridlock the Popeyes situation,” Walker-Aguilar added, saying she felt like she was used as the public face of the opposition campaign last fall.

Is anyone else confused by Dr. Pinkard's statement at Monday's board meeting: "Do we need to think about closing, um hate to say it, a school in every feeder pattern"?

Hi,

With the news constantly reporting about tick season being way bigger in the country it has me a bit worried. Are ticks common in Evanston? Like on the beach or the small parks next to the beach? Or does the city spray again them? Sorry, I'm just worried and really don't like bugs of any form, so any knowledge would be great.

I’m new to the area and new to motorcycle riding. I’m looking for large lots (parking or otherwise) that might be good practice spots. Thanks in advance!

I want to be as sensitive and understanding as possible when I write this, as I understand that many of these people are dealing with very serious mental and addiction struggles and deserve care, however, I need general advice on awareness and safety. Grew up around central street area, family moved when I left for college and now live right off Main street near Albany Care. As I'm new to this specific area, I'm not sure if this is a regular occurance, or if it's gotten worse, however, it's rare for me to even be able to walk down Main st without having uncomfortable experiences with men who are clearly dealing with mental illness or addiction, and I believe are in the care of the facilities in that area. One of them I see almost every day, I gave him some money once and he reacted like it wasn't enough, and always asks when he sees me. I also like to do daily walks on Main to the Northwestern area and back, and I often pass by a group of these men on the street and they stare and make uncomfortable remarks as I pass. In the past month I've been home from college for break, I have witnessed the police being called (by other people), to deal with these men for sometimes harassing people, usually outside the Jewel or Walgreens on Main multiple times. A few days ago, I was by the Trader Joes and some guy was screaming at the man who stands in front of the Trader Joes, saying "you're lucky I don't have my knife". I went to a restaurant near Northwestern around 9 pm last week, and there was this guy standing outside the door muttering to himself and calling me and every other woman who passed "sexy". As I sat inside waiting for me food he would come in and out of the store harassing the women inside, including the girl working at the counter. There's more stories over the past month but this post would be too long. I know that they have women in their care, but I've only seen this issue with men, and as I explained, I am empathetic to what they might be going through but as a young woman I can't really afford to give benefit of the doubt. As I've grown up in Evanston, I have experienced harassment and sometimes being followed by random men on the street since I was young, but never in this way or capacity. I'm not necessarily scared or looking to report anything, however I just want to know others experiences or advice for staying alert and avoiding an issue, or some more background information on why these men are here since I'm new to the area and don't know the history. I have read some threads here about how the conditions at Albany Care aren't the best, and I definitely take that into consideration. Thanks and any input is appreciated. Also, feel free to tell me if I am being an a**hole.

We’re looking to move the Chicago area to be closer to family, and Evanston is ticking a lot boxes for us. I’ve been following the whole D65 situation, so I know it’s in a period of transition.

That being said, we’re interested in experiences of families with autistic/2e kids.

Our oldest is in preschool and diagnosed with autism. She’s too young to say anything about being 2e, but it’s on our radar because she’s a lot like my husband and I when we were that age, and we turned out to be very academically inclined oddballs.

I mostly want my kids to enjoy going to school because they can find their niche and be supported. I want them to have an opportunity to be pushed to excel, but I don’t want them in a pressure cooker situation where they burn out.

Anyways, wondering if there are any families who can talk about their experiences with the schools in Evanston on this front.

Any suggestions for a yoga studio?

Anywhere trying to declutter their house and get rid of a few boxes?

Anyone have any experience with them since they opened?

It looks like Pat will not be continuing in her role as board president. Nichole and Andrew are putting themselves forward for President while Chris and Mya (lol) are running for VP.

I think Nichole is the right person for the job, and I hope she gets elected. Pat is likely to be the swing vote, but given that her and Nichole seemingly have a good relationship and have worked closely together, I would be surprised if it is anything but 4-3 in favor of Nichole and 4-3 in favor of Chris.

So thankful for the volunteer time, energy and effort this team puts in!

On Mother's Day, we had to take our cat Brisket into the ER for a urinary blockage. This is the second time in his short life we've had to do this. Unfortunately, the bill tore a hole in our bank account, and we had no choice but to create a GoFundMe. We totally understand that times are tough and we're all feeling it, but if you could at least share the GFM amongst your network, that would be extremely helpful. Thank you!

After all that no smoothie bar

Not surprising in the slightest, to be honest.