Vandalized Library, Burned Grocery, God and Grass: Feedback Friday

We've reached a wonderful 527 likes on the Chicago Heights Patch Facebook fanpage, and we can't thank you enough for the support and news tips.

As we try to be an avenue for conversation in the community, let's call attention to some of the interesting conversations that have gone on this week.

Library Vandalism

Thanks to a news tip from a Chicago Heights resident, we were able to quickly inform the community that McConathy Public Library in Sauk Village was severely vandalized and will be closed until further notice.

Here's what our Facebook fans had to say about the reported criminal act:

Annette Baker-Foster: Omg people are just freaking ignorant why on earth would someone vanalize a library come on now.... What could they not read or something...... People just need to keep their hands off of stuff htat does not belong to them and they need to grow up and act like human beiings instead of a bunch of WILD ANIMALS!

Tia Nichols: Isn’t that sad. People take from the place that offers everything for free.

Anyone who normally uses Sauk Village's library can also use ,  or .

Owner of Destroyed Grocery Speaks Out

After we reported that Parkway Foods in Chicago Heights has been destroyed in a fire, the owner of the store logged on and told the community just how he felt:

: This is Omar Husein the owner of Parkway Food Mart. last night on 8/16/11 , the people attacked the store they break the locks and stole the rest of the merchandise ,stole the compressors , the electric wires , allot of pops ,land moor ,and the police didn't catch nobody even after somebody called the police for 2 times, I want to know as a citizen what is the job of the police because I have tens of reports in the police station.

Husein's comments were met with support from the community and sympathies:

: I feel for you. That is a tough neighborhood. As many people that live there, and that truly care about the neighborhood, It seem there are the same amount that do not care. I hope you are able to re-establish in a community that holistically can appreciate the service you offer. I believe the police are out numbered in that area. I sincerely believe the police in Chicago Heights try to do their job as best as they can.

: I'm sorry for your loss i hope that you can re-establish your store you did alot for us in the community...

We even got a comment about the neighborhood on Facebook.

Teena Long: That store is in a bad neighborhood. I know the family that owned it before Omar. Nothing has changed. They were always getting robbed 20 years ago. The police in Chicago Heights do the best they can with what they have. They are over worked and understaffed. Maybe he should invest in video surveillance if he reopens the store. That store is needed in that area. There is no place else for people to go close by. Omar needs to help himself but adding more security. Does his store not have an alarm linked to an alarm company??? That would bring the police. As far as catching the people.... that is does not always happen.

From Grass to God

One of our Local Voices, Christopher Zillman, recently wrote an entertaining and enlightening post examining the reasons we care about the mundane and futile acts of life.

As usual, it sparked conversation. Here are just a couple of the comments on his post.

: Tired of the lawn too. I want a prairie with tall local plants. We should be allowed to do that in Homewood without risking the Code enforcement officer proudly driving her white pick-up truck on the streets of Homewood to give you a citation for chipped paint or a rusty fence. Lawns are out, they use too much water and care is a pain. Let the prairie grow.

: I think you've got it backwards. You already believe in god, and so you are using that fact to explain something completely unrelated. I don't believe in a god (or the supernatural in general), but I still take care of my yard, try to keep a clean house, etc. The way a person's house, clothes, body, etc. looks says a lot about him or her. It is often the first and sometimes the only criteria people use to form an opinion about another person, so there are social rewards and punishments that go along with taking care of ourselves and our property. It is important to provide that example to our children, so it makes sense that we would teach them to keep their rooms clean, etc...

There were plenty of other comments, and the author responded to some of them. This was just a great example of how Patch can be an avenue of dialogue.