Residents press Broadview board over protests, police conduct and proposed home-rule bill

Multiple residents used the public-comment period at Broadview’s May 4 board meeting to criticize local responses to protests, call for help for people affected by immigration enforcement and urge the board to oppose a state bill they said would impose home rule without local consent.

Roberta McGill, a Broadview resident, told trustees she opposes Senate Bill 4065 and urged the board to pass a resolution opposing it. "This bill will give our village board the power to raise taxes and impose fees at their discretion," McGill said, and she asked the board to inform Senator Kimberly Ann Lightford that Broadview voters’ prior referendum results should be respected.

Several speakers described confrontations between protesters and Broadview police. Quinn Wall, who identified himself as a recent mover and protest participant, alleged officers used excessive force during demonstrations and said protesters would prefer Cook County or state police to handle those events. "The street breaking of cops of giving a peaceful protester a concussion... and myself as I watched them punch a female friend of mine in the face," he said, describing injuries sustained during demonstrations.

Allison Galvin, executive director of Greater Latino Addison, said residents and volunteers helping families at the Broadview Detention Center have faced intimidation and that promises of safety and accountability have not matched actions. Another resident, Wendy, asked what the village is doing to help people affected by ICE operations and criticized what she said were blocking actions on the mayor’s Facebook page.

Mayor Katrina Thompson responded that village leaders have worked privately to connect affected residents with attorneys and other assistance and defended the police department’s role in preserving public safety. She told the room she has taken 2 a.m. phone calls to seek legal help for families and said, "We have an obligation to the entire public to protect public interest... The protesters do not control the streets." She also urged anyone with complaints about officer conduct to file them with the police department so they can be investigated.

On the state bill, the mayor said she will convene a meeting to explain the differences between home rule and non–home rule and to discuss the bill’s implications for Broadview.

The board did not take immediate formal action on the public requests during the meeting.