Chicago Park District has created office to rebuild trust after abuse scandals, but critics say it's not enough
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Park District has been plagued by years of sex scandals, criminal assaults, and cover-ups, and we have tracked the continued fallout at CBS 2 closely.
Both Park District General Supt. and Chief Executive Officer Mike Kelly and Park District Board President Avis Lavelle are now out in the wake of the scandals, among other officials. Meanwhile, a new Office of Prevention and Accountability aims to rebuild trust and create a better environment for those working in the district.
Townhall meetings for the public are on the books and start up early next week - meant to give residents a chance to weigh in on necessary changes in the district. This all comes while the criminal investigations into former parks employees continue.
But is it enough? Some tell CBS 2's Tara Molina it's not.
The tide in turning in the Chicago Park District, from what investigators called a "code of silence" to a new office prioritizing accountability and transparency.
According to the district, the new Office of Prevention and Accountability is meant to stop future misconduct through independent investigations of all allegations of misconduct - while rebuilding trust with employees and the community.
Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) is among those who do not find the new effort sufficient.
"I think when you have culture that's been so deep-seated with issues of abuse and harassment for both men and women that goes back decades, I think you need to do more than just that," Waguespack said.
He calls the prevention and accountability office a step in the right direction, but says many more steps need to be taken - more than the district's trainings held for their aquatics department and internal policy and leadership review.
"People that I've talked to from different organizations, the mental health side of things and women's issues and rights, they should all be at the table and there should be continual training. But there also needs to be a continual check, especially on the people who were a part of the culture there," Waguespack said. A lot of people say things have to start from the bottom and go to the top, but frankly, I think it needs to go from all across the top – and not just the aquatics department, but across the entire department."
He noted that Park District patrons have suffered as a result of the abuse crisis too.
In November, a quarterly report by the Chicago Park District Office of the Inspector General and an independent report by the Arnold & Porter Law Firm detailed years of sexual and other abuse in the aquatics division of the parks, describing a "code of silence" within the district.
According to an independent investigator's report, Kelly took no action until six months after he had received a complaint about abuse from the parents of a female lifeguard.
One report by the Arnold & Porter Law Firm and a separate report by the district's inspector general detailed multiple sexual assault claims by Park District lifeguards and what the Park District called "egregious mishandling of complaints" by management – as well as organizational failures that made it so the victims were not protected.
Read The Reports Below (Warning: Reports contain offensive language and detailed descriptions of assault and abuse)
Report by Park District Office of the Inspector General
Report by Arnold & Porter Law Firm
Months after those bombshell reports dropped, only one former employee has been criminally charged. Former lifeguard supervisor Mauricio Ramirez is facing felony charges in two separate criminal sexual assault cases involving underage girls. He is due to appear in Criminal Court for a status hearing on April 13.
Despite more than 20 other active investigations, a spokesperson for the Cook County State's Attorney's office said they continue their investigation of the district - but didn't have any updates to share.
"There's no way that with the amount of abuse they had that just one person had been charged," Waguespack said.
He said he hopes to see the State's Attorney's office follow through on the Inspector General's reports.
"Unless we change the culture across the board, it can still affect patrons across the city," Waguespack said.
Interim Park District CEO Rosa Escareño calling the office and upcoming town hall meetings on it "vital" to their success and the process.
The town hall meeting schedule is as follows:
- In-person: Monday, March 21, 6 p.m. at Horner Park, 2741 W. Montrose Ave.;
- In-person: Thursday, March 24, 6 p.m. at Fosco Park, 1312 S. Racine Ave.;
- Virtual: Monday, March 29, 6 p.m. (Virtual Meeting link available on this website.)
We're told input from the three meetings will be taken into account as the District moves to finalize plans before the Park District Board of Commissioners vote in April.
There was no additional comment from Park District on the issue Friday.
