April 16--A minister wants the Joliet Park District to abandon its plans to renovate a local children's playground because of its proximity to a property used by the Outlaws motorcycle club.
Leona Tichenor, who has been the minister at Ingalls Park United Methodist Church in Joliet for three years, said the district is wasting its money on Barr Park because the motorcycle club scares parents away from bringing their young children there.
"It's not that there's a record of (the Outlaws) engaging in bad behavior, it's more that it's an intimidating presence that people have to walk past when they enter the park," Tichenor said.
The Outlaws' logo of a skull and crossed pistons, along with the slogan "God forgives, Outlaws don't," are posted on the exterior of the clubhouse.
The issue, Tichenor said, is coming to the forefront now because Barr Park is included on a list of Joliet Park District properties that will receive improvements in 2016.
New playground equipment will replace the decades-old equipment already in place at Barr Park, and special padding will be installed under the equipment to provide some cushion for children who fall.
Glen Marcum, president of the district's board of commissioners, said Barr Park upgrades are overdue and contracts for the work are out for bid. "We're turning it into a modern park for the kids," he said.
In letters to Joliet Park District officials, Tichenor suggested that the district encourage the Outlaws to move by buying the club's property. Marcum said the district does not have the money to do so.
He said the best that could be done would be to reconfigure the entrance to the playground so people wouldn't walk past the Outlaws' clubhouse when they enter the park.
But Marcum also said he thinks Tichenor's concerns about the Outlaws are not shared by the neighborhood. He said the clubhouse, which used to be a store where kids could buy candy, often sits empty and padlocked.
He said Outlaws members often are seen during the summer months but not at other times of the year. He also said there is no record of incidents between the motorcycle club and local residents in the three years the clubhouse has been present.
The Outlaws' website lists dozens of chapters across the country, including 15 in Illinois. The site includes the statement: "We may not live by the rules of society, but we do live by its laws." The site also discouraged people from trying to contact the group. "Do not write us asking how to join. Find an Outlaw and ask him," the website said.
Asked if the club had a comment on the pastor's concerns, Outlaws attorney Joel Rabb said, "I doubt it."
Rabb has represented the Outlaws in the club's attempt to reclaim leather vests and badges that were confiscated by authorities after a 2012 bar fight in McHenry County. A judge there likened the Outlaws to a "street gang." Rabb described the club as a civic organization. Appeals judges ruled this year that the vests and badges do not have to be returned to the Outlaws.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Joliet clubhouse was empty. Local residents who were in the park did not want to be named, but said Outlaws members usually stood off by themselves and didn't interact with the Ingalls Park neighbors.
"They mind their own business," one man said.
Even Tichenor admits the group, which according to its website dates back to 1935, cannot legally be chased away. "They have the freedom of speech to post their logo on the clubhouse, no matter how ominous it is," she said.
Tichenor said she believes any money spent on Barr Park is misguided. She'd rather see it diverted to a larger-scale upgrade being proposed for the nearby, more frequently visited Pilcher Park, which includes hiking paths.
Marcum said Barr Park serves a purpose in the overall Joliet Park District system, providing a place for young children who live nearby to play outdoors.
"It's not a full-service park, there's no basketball court or anything like that," he said. "It's meant for the neighborhood."
Gregory Tejeda is a freelance reporter.
