Village manager uses inflammatory language in community email

OAK LAWN, IL — On March 7, an email was sent from the Village of Oak Lawn Manager Tom Phelan (through his official Oak Lawn email) to the citizens of Oak Lawn with the subject line “EMERGENCY SAFETY ALERT - Menacing Protestors at Village Meetings.”

In this email, Mr. Phelan stated, “A recent meeting of our Police & Fire Commission ended abruptly after a group of protestors grew increasingly hostile, vulgar and threatening.” Mr. Phelan attached two video clips from the meeting itself, as well as a third video which was presented at the meeting during public comments and which Mr. Phelan indicates is “worth watching.”

Mr. Phelan goes on to ask people NOT to attend the next meeting of the Police and Fire Commission “for your own safety.” He states that the protestors “are largely NOT from Oak Lawn and certainly do not represent the values of our community.”

I am appalled that a Village of Oak Lawn employee would send, through official email, a message with such inflammatory language and under the guise of “EMERGENCY.” The meeting to which he refers was held days before this “emergency” email, so there was clearly no immediate threat to the Oak Lawn community.

I am additionally concerned that the same Village official is telling residents to stay away from a public meeting—a clear infringement on First Amendment rights to free speech and the right to peaceably assemble.

How does Mr. Phelan know that the protestors are not from Oak Lawn? Did all attendees at the meeting sign in and prove residency? Do the “values” of Oak Lawn not include the First Amendment right to free speech and the right to assemble? I know I value those rights, and am certain that others do as well.

The email also shows a clear political agenda with the inclusion of the video montage from the public comment. The video attachment is, perhaps, the most inflammatory part of this email, as it begins with the foot chase of Hati Abuatelah and officers from the Oak Lawn Police Department and then includes a montage of police chases and shootings which did not take place in Oak Lawn. How this montage was relevant to the Commission and its agenda is unclear, but it certainly served to provoke a response from the audience, a response for which the Commission was clearly unprepared.

Open meetings are just that–open. Those open meetings do allow for public comment within specific parameters. The fact that the Police and Fire Commission allowed those signed up for public comment to air video (and to attempt to “stitch together” the 3-minute time limit for multiple speakers) is a failure on the part of the leadership of the Commission. Procedure was clearly not followed, rules of order were not clarified, and the meeting devolved into a screaming match, obscenities included.

Were some in attendance at this meeting out of line with their behaviors? Absolutely. Setting the parameters of behavior, especially for those who are in heated disagreements, allows us to keep the democratic processes transparent and the dialogue open. Citizens have the right to attend public meetings and to “petition the Government for redress of grievances.”

The use of inflammatory language by any party causes a breakdown in open communication. The use of inflammatory language by a Village of Oak Lawn employee using official Village of Oak Lawn email is unacceptable and is an overreach of his role as a government employee.