Community
Austin group to hold open house Saturday
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A House in Austin, which builds connections and supports families with small children on the West Side, will hold a ribbon-cutting at 1:15 p.m. Sept. 12 at 533 N. Pine Ave.
Community
Sign up for Austin bike ride for justice
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Register for the sunrise bike ride, which starts at 7 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 27 at Columbus Park, 500 S. Central Ave. Don’t worry if you don’t have a bike; free Divvy bikes will be available.
Community
Free COVID-19 testing Wednesday
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Testing will take place Sept. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at La Follette Park, 1333 N. Laramie. Get free masks, hand sanitizers and youth bike helmets.
News
Opioids-related overdoses, deaths continue to climb
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Starting at noon Monday at 4000 W. Jackson, state Rep. La Shawn Ford and representatives from several community groups – including Prevention Partnership, Thresholds, The Night Ministry, Fathers Who Care, Rush Hospital, Heartland Alliance and Healthcare Alternative Services – will provide overdose reversal training; distribute Narcan/naloxone and PPE; make referrals to medication-assisted recovery for addiction treatment; and help with housing.
Community
Complete the census today
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With just one month left to participate in the 2020 Census, local officials are urging every West Side resident to get counted. You can respond online at my2020census.gov or call (844) 330-2020. Billions of dollars in federal and state aid is distributed based on the once-every-decade census.
News
Arts in Austin: Stop by Saturday
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Feed your soul Aug. 29 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Austin Arts Council’s “mini art explosion” event. There will be free art kits. Children and adults welcome. It will be held at 316 N. Mayfield (near Mayfield and Fulton).
Community
Food giveaway on Thursday
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Austin residents can get free produce, dried goods and meat from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 27 at the corner of Leamington and Kinzie. Food will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. The event is being organized by Austin Coming Together and the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
Opinion
Youth call on Chicago Board of Education to remove police from schools
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VOYCE – a youth organizing collaborative led by students of color from six community groups – says the school resource officer (SRO) program criminalizes Black students. Instead, the youth want CPS to invest in a trauma-informed public health approach to safety. The board of education is expected to vote Aug. 26th on the issue.
history
A house in Austin
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Former West Sider Jacquelyn Dortch has fond memories of growing up in Austin. She devoted a chapter in her memoir to living in the community, which AustinTalks is republishing here.
Community
Backpack, school supply giveaway on Saturday
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There will also be free food at the Aug. 22 event, which starts at 2 p.m. The West Side location is at Madison and Central. The giveaway is in memory of Mary Lane and in association with the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Illinois and Alexandria Lodge #148.