A fight in Fountain Square Monday has led to suspension of the Streetplus “Clean Team” program designed to clean up Evanston’s business districts.
The City of Evanston Tuesday afternoon announced the program’s suspension and released security camera video that shows the “Clean Team” crew pulling up in a pickup truck as a man appeared to be urinating on a utility box in the square.
In the video, the team members, in blue jackets, are seen confronting the man, who was wearing a dark coat and a green shirt with the number 12 on it.
After a few moments the confrontation turns into a fist fight and moves out into the middle of Orrington Avenue where the “Clean Team” members can be seen punching and kicking the man before they eventually get back into their truck and drive off.
In a news release, city spokesman Patrick Deignan said, “The actions captured in the footage of this incident are disturbing and entirely unacceptable, and are not in line with the city’s values.”
The City Council approved a one-year $500,000 contract with New York City-based Streetplus to run the program last fall. It’s being paid for with federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Deignan says the program will remain suspended pending further investigation of the incident.
In a news release, city spokesman Patrick Deignan said, “The actions captured in the footage of this incident are disturbing and entirely unacceptable, and are not in line with the city’s values.”
But obviously Mr. Deignan, people pissing and shitting all over our downtown has been normal practice for nearly a decade now, so that obviously goes without comment.
Maybe he was just trying to put the “fountain” back in Fountain Square.
Hmmm… maybe this is what is called “tough love” … or perhaps a “social worker” might have been summoned to “de – escalate”..???
Not so many years ago relieving oneself on the public way might very well have lead to a stint in the hoosegow…
” It’s a funny old world… ”
– Margaret Thatcher
Respectfully,
Gregory Morrow – Evanston 4th Ward resident
They deserve a raise. Good job clean team. Thank you for your service.
Whoever was peeing in fountain square is going to cash out big time! Big lawsuit here
People defacate and urinate regularly in Fountain Square and the city is A OK with that. Not condoning Streetplus’ actions but the city is turning a blind eye to this issue and and leaving to up to others. Most people know not to go downtown these days…. so basically… they’ve given up.
Every person in that video was out of line and no one was a victim. However, I highly doubt the employees of Streetplus did any of that with the company’s blessing. Why suspend service? Just talk with the company’s leaders and have them replace the workers with better ones who have gone through more training including emotional intelligence. Additionally, the company should show Evanston their employee handbook and training to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Stop with this cancel culture and try to work out a solution. And as far as Mr. Urinater – he should receive a citation for that. Every one of those individuals should be held accountable. The employees to their employer and the urinater to Evanstons laws.
This is not a tough problem to remedy.
Not an expert by any means, but after watching the video footage a couple of times it looks as if the ‘alleged urinator’ threw the first punch at the StreetPlus ‘Clean Team’. As a result, it appears the alleged victim drew the resulting conflict onto himself.
Moreover, it appears the urinator took a highly aggressive stance with the Clean Team crew. If he would have simply walked away, I highly doubt they would have pursued him out of Fountain Square or acted aggressively.
Worst part is the urine is undoubtedly still there, and probably something the Clean Team is responsible for under the contract with city, but now it remains for everyone to experience.
For the residents and businesses in downtown Evanston, it will be months before funding is available to investigate and the matter is resolved altogether.
In the meantime a handful of debased individuals will continue to run roughshod over Fountain Square and everywhere else Evanstonian’s used to enjoy.
I’m getting really tired of this ‘victim’ mentality for bad actors.
Evanston leaders: stop taking on the problems of the entire region. We shouldn’t offer more shelter than Chicago! I have lived here my entire life and hate to move away but we have become a mecca for the homeless and beggars.
I think NU should seriously consider giving much more money towards public safety to improve things. Last year I saw potential students and parents who were here for a tour scatter when a man on the sidewalk started hollering and waving his arms.
“ I think NU should seriously consider giving much more money towards public safety to improve things. Last year I saw potential students and parents who were here for a tour scatter when a man on the sidewalk started hollering and waving his arms.”
Why should they if the city cannot manage the homeless problem?
“not in line with the city’s values.” – I hear this a lot from city government recently. They love to talk and make decisions based on “our values” rather than actually doing the work to look at how policies will actually have impact and making decisions based on those. I am sad to say that this city is stuck with a mayor who doesn’t have any interest in doing anything that would actually help evanston rather then just academically make headlines with policy while he waits for Jan Shakowsky to retire. Can we please make sure that he never gets another chance at government? Mark my words when that happens Nieuwsma will run for mayor. The arrogance of them both! They have zero interest in representing their constituents.
100 percent agreement. Biss fancies himself garnering a national platform. Nieusma, possibly wants a different job, but they certainly have a couple of things in common: they have zero experience working with at risk populations, they are destroying the beauty, safety, property values, and the former draw of Evanston, and they have ZERO interest in listening to the residential majority.
Rafael said: “ In the meantime a handful of debased individuals will continue to run roughshod over Fountain Square and everywhere else Evanstonian’s used to enjoy.”
Agree with your entire statement with one exception, it’s no longer a handful of debased individuals, it’s a steady and rapidly increasing stream of “debased” vagrants coming from all over Cook County and beyond to take, take, take from our generous and plentiful “City values”motivated social services and naive residents welcoming them all here.
Violence didn’t have to be the answer here but all should take notice of how quickly the urinator was triggered and chose that route.
Everyone should think of that next time you give the urinator or any vagrant food or money as they aggressively panhandle you outside of Bennisons, Target, CVS, Starbucks, Whole Foods, Jewel, Trader Joe’s, Walgreens, and on and on and on.
Evanstonians need to start making these bad actors feel unwelcome and threatened in our City versus the other way around which has become the case.
When the Clean Team contract was awarded, a City Council member told me the City was requiring the contractor to hire marginalized, underprivileged, or disenfranchised employees.
Ms. B, I think you are on to something regarding proper training for their employees. Perhaps they also need to add background checks to their onboarding if not already part of their process?
So many of the comments hold the city counsel and mayor responsible here. In my opinion those comments are right on but I wonder, how many will choose to vote to reelect those same officials at the next election. Seems to me it’s time to throw the bums out. We all should be pushing our alderwhatevers for recall elections now!
First, it’s sad, shocking and unfortunate that this is happening in our downtown center in broad daylight on a weekday. While none of us condone physical altercations, this incident is a testament to the state of lawlessness and apathy out there. But in this instance it starts with the urinator and he is 100% the problem here. What disrespect for our property, in our downtown city square. Watch the video and he is TOTALLY the aggressor. Continually in the team’s faces and doesn’t back down even with bystanders trying to de-escalate the situation. Let’s support these kids who are the one’s cleaning our streets and our mess they have a right to be “pissed” off and confront the perp verbally. Of course they can’t be vigilantes and lead to violence but they were not the escalators!!! These kids were just doing their job– look at that truck! It’s loaded with garbage. They deserve the benefit of the doubt here for sure.
Joe. It’s not shocking or unfortunate that this incident happened. We are making Evanston a safe haven for the mentally Ill and addicted who stay at either Albany Care, Greenwood Care or The Margarita Inn Or it’s entirely possible they come from Chicago They do not receive treatment. And regarding the “clean team “ they are essentially thugs who don’t hesitate to use violence in responding to a problem. Please don’t refer to them as “kids” These are grown men who aren’t about to read a handbook It’s. easy to live in a bubble but there is a world out there that isn’t pretty
Way to go Joe, I’m with you. I have witnessed the crap, literally, that the clean team deals with. They are doing a great job.
Unfortunately, they took to violence, and were suckered into defending themselves from what appears to be a bad actor. One can understand, however, their anger.
It’s like just finishing washing the kitchen floor and your child comes in with muddy shoes. Scold but don’t hit.
The pinhead who thinks that this doesn’t represent our city’s values should have to spend a week working where someone has taken a fresh piss just before he arrives.
Sadly it seems that the city value at issue here is that people who put in a day’s work must be left to wallow in the piss of the unhoused, the unbanked, and uncivilized.
Exactly! They work for likely minimum wage to have to cleanup human excrement and then dodge punches. I don’t condone beating anyone, but I guarantee this isn’t what they signed up for.
Yet Another Haven Parent, I think I love you! Ok, that is too strong and don’t mean to scare you, but I certainly do love your messaging. Thank you.
What is being played out is the mounting demise of Evanston before our eyes, largely due to Mayor Biss and 99% of our council members.
Very easy for all to research what happened in San Fran and Portland over the past 5 years, largely attributed to elected officials.
This may be where we, in Evanston are headed.
Thanks for the memories.
Public urination during the middle of the day in the downtown business district.
Why would he think that was acceptable?
City Employees beating up civilians.
Why would they think that was the right way to solve the issue?
Seems like a lot of things are going in the wrong direction.
Appreciate & agree w/ the comments above.
Everyone, Please vote OUT most, if not all, of the current crop of elected officials, including & starting w/ Biss.
People w/ some COMMON SENSE (& the above commenters), please, please run for office! And everyone else, please vote them in…