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Kankakee leaders urge residents to report public drinking after police meeting; visitors say they were misdirected to city for shelter
Summary
Council members and the mayor discussed ongoing enforcement of drinking on public property and reports that people arriving in Kankakee were told there was shelter here, prompting officials to tell residents to call police when they see extreme or unsafe behavior.
Kankakee City leaders discussed persistent enforcement challenges related to drinking on public property and said residents should call police when they see extreme or unsafe behavior.
The issue matters because officials say some people arriving in Kankakee have been told there is shelter available here and then find there is not, creating strain on local responders and concern among residents and businesses.
Alderman Michael O'Brien said enforcement “continues to be a challenge citywide,” including downtown and in the second ward, and that he and Alderman Barron met with the police chief and deputy chief about the problem. “People should call if they see something that seems extreme or inappropriate or out of place or just doesn't feel right,” O'Brien said, and reported that was the advice police gave during their meeting.
A resident who spoke to council members recounted that several people came to his workplace believing the city offered shelter. “They had taken a bus here and . . . had been instructed that there was shelter here,” the resident said. Council members and the mayor said they had heard similar accounts, including instances where people from out of state arrived after being told to come to Kankakee for services.
Officials said the local police department is “challenged” by how to respond and that encounters with regular individuals are familiar to officers, but new arrivals can complicate the response. “When we see new faces, I think it'd be an interesting inquiry to see . . . where they're from and how they ended up here,” the mayor said.
Council members noted confusion about local facilities. One council member said some visitors went to the YMCA expecting shelter; speakers stressed that the YMCA is not a shelter and that there is limited space locally.
The discussion produced no ordinance or formal vote. Council members said they will monitor the situation, continue communication with police, and encourage residents to report incidents so officers can respond.
