Community Relations Commission - Carolyn Drblik 1
| Tracking # |
21-658 |
| Submitted | Dec. 10, 2021 |
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Communications
From: Niles Coalition
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act., I hereby request the following records:
All emails sent to the official Village of Niles Community Relations Commission email address <communityrelations@vniles.com> between the dates of 9/1/2021 & the date this request is finally processed (inclusive of those dates). Please redact names, email addresses, and any other personal identifying information.
All emails and communications between Village of Niles Community Relations Commission commissioners between the dates of 9/1/2021 & the date this request is finally processed (inclusive of those dates).
Zoom call video recordings and minutes of the following Community Relations Commission meetings:
-December 10, 2020
-September 23, 2021
-December 7, 2021
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Current commissioners of the Community Relations Commission include[1]:
Joe Kuffel, Chair
Carolyn Drblik
Vicky Duka
Jovan Marinac
Jeffrey Kash
Ex-officio members:
John Jekot, Village of Niles Board Trustee
Darren Brown, Village of Niles Family Services Director (or their designee)
Luis C. Tigera, Village of Niles Chief of Police (or their designee)
The stated purpose of the Community Relations Commission is as follows[1]:
“The purpose of the Community Relations Commission shall be to foster, encourage and stimulate the improvement of relations among and between citizens of all races, creeds, national origins and economic and educational levels; and to provide all individuals with an equal opportunity to grow and participate to the best of their ability in the economic, educational, social and cultural activities available in the community. The Commission will also assist in the development of public information and related communication programs to enhance the quality of life for all Village residents.”
The Niles-Maine District library is in crisis due to a newly elected board with an anti-library agenda. Media pieces reporting on this include:
-Truthout : Right-Wingers Are Taking Over Library Boards to Remove Books on Racism <https://truthout.org/articles/right-wingers-are-taking-over-library-boards-to-remove-books-on-racism/>
-BookRiot : Demolishing Public Libraries From The Inside: Niles Public Library Is A Warning <https://bookriot.com/niles-public-library/>
-Journal of Oak Park : Palaces for the plunderers <https://www.oakpark.com/2021/07/21/palaces-for-the-plunderers/>
-Prism : Libraries aren’t neutral ground in the fight for anti-racist education <https://prismreports.org/2021/09/21/libraries-arent-neutral-ground-in-the-fight-for-anti-racist-education/>
-American Libraries : A Conflict of Values <https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2021/11/01/library-trustees-conflict-of-values/>
-ALA Intellectual Freedom Blog : #SaveNilesLibrary <https://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=26621>
-As well as many articles published locally in the Chicago Tribune, Pioneer Press <https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/niles/>
Carolyn Drblik is also the president of the Niles-Maine District Library which is in crisis due to an attack by a faction of hostile library board members[2].
On September 23, 2021 and December 7th, 2021, organizers and allies of the Niles Coalition, in support of the #SaveNilesLibrary campaign, attended Community Relations Commission meetings to make public complaints. Several emails were sent in to the official Community Relations Commission email address likewise. There has been no response or followup to most of these concerns brought up by community members.
[1] *As posted on the public website current of this FOIA request: <https://web.archive.org/web/20211208065810/https://www.vniles.com/560/Community-Relations-Commission>
[2] More info at: #SaveNilesLibrary campaign <https://savenileslibrary.org/> by the Niles Coalition <https://www.nilescoalition.org/>
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Niles Coalition
From: Village Of Niles Illinois
Village of Niles
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Hi there
Your first Village of Niles record request (request number #21-658) has been submitted.
It is currently unpublished and is not available for the general public to view.
Thank you for filing a Freedom of Information Act Request with Village of Niles. This request will be processed accordingly.
Village of Niles FOIA Officer
As the requester, you can always see the status of your
request by signing into the Village of Niles Public Records
portal here.
If you haven't already activated your account,
click here to get started.
Once your account is activated, your request will be visible at the following link:
Request #21-658.
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<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at Village of Niles.<br></br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href='https://help.nextrequest.com/knowledge/requester-resources'>help page</a>
From: Village Of Niles Illinois
Village of Niles
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Hi there
Documents have been released for record request #21-658 along with the following message:
Dear Niles Coalition:
Thank you for writing to Village of Niles with your request for information pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.
On December 13, 2021 you requested the following documents:
All emails sent to the official Village of Niles Community Relations Commission email address <communityrelations@vniles.com> between the dates of 9/1/2021 & the date this request is finally processed (inclusive of those dates). Please redact names, email addresses, and any other personal identifying information. All emails and communications between Village of Niles Community Relations Commission commissioners between the dates of 9/1/2021 & the date this request is finally processed (inclusive of those dates). Zoom call video recordings and minutes of the following Community Relations Commission meetings: -December 10, 2020 -September 23, 2021 December 7, 2021. Your request is granted.
We have enclosed copies of the documents that you requested. The minutes to the meetings are posted on the village website at: https://www.vniles.com/AgendaCenter/Community-Relations-Commission-15, please note the December 7 Meeting Minutes have not been approved and are not yet available for review, per the Open Meetings Act. Additionally, we have redacted the names and email addresses sent to the communityrelations@vniles.com per your request.
Sincerely,
Margaret Keating
FOIA Officer
* Community Relations Commission 12-7-2021 Meeting_playback.mp4
* Community Relations Commission_9-23-2021 Meeting_playback.mp4
* Community Relations Commission_12-10-2020 Meeting_playback.m3u
* FOIA - 21-658 - community relations members - for release.pdf
* FOIA - 21-658 - communityrelations.pdf-redacted - for release.pdf-redacted.pdf
Document links are valid for one month.
After January 20, you will need to sign in to view the document(s).
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<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at Village of Niles.<br></br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href='https://help.nextrequest.com/knowledge/requester-resources'>help page</a>
From: Village Of Niles Illinois
Village of Niles
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Hi there
Record request #21-658 has been closed. The closure reason supplied was:
All document have been released pursuant to your request.
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<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at Village of Niles.<br></br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href='https://help.nextrequest.com/knowledge/requester-resources'>help page</a>
From: Niles Coalition
Hello Margaret,
The responsive record: "Community_Relations_Commission_12-10-2020_Meeting_playback.m3u" is a file that is 111 bytes making it illegible. Could you please resend as an .mp4 file?
Thank you.
From: Village Of Niles Illinois
Village of Niles
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Hi there
A document has been released for record request #21-658 along with the following message:
Dear Niles Coalition:
Thank you for writing to Village of Niles with your request for information pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.
We have enclosed copies of the documents that you requested in the additional format.
Sincerely,
Margaret Keating
FOIA Officer
* Community Relations Commission 12-10-2020 Meeting_playback.mp4
Document links are valid for one month.
After January 22, you will need to sign in to view the document(s).
************************************************************************
<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at Village of Niles.<br></br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href='https://help.nextrequest.com/knowledge/requester-resources'>help page</a>
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Community_Relations_Commission_12-10-2020_Meeting_playback
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