There was a full house Monday September 8th at the city council chambers where dozens of people showed up largely in response to an online Post-Tribune article shared by the Chicago Tribune. The article titled, “Tensions heating up at Valparaiso protests; NWI Activists seek ‘separate but equal’ spaces,” which goes on to explain, “The liberal protesters themselves are now protesting the treatment they’re getting from conservative counter protesters and the police.” The article ended with “The group is encouraging sympathizers to show up at Monday’s City Council meeting.” And show up they did with over a dozen public comments.
Before the hour of public comments there was an hour long council meeting, the majority of that time was spent discussing the only new business on the agenda, Jack Pupillo’s Resolution No. 11. The resolution, which was tabled to allow more time for dialogue between council, schools, and police, was a resolution to ensure sufficient school resource officer coverage and school security improvements. Pupillo said the resolution was to increase the
number of school resource officers from 4 to 5, with an outlook of one for each school. Also claiming the process was working smoothly over the years increasing the number of officers up to 4 but has been “gummed up” in getting to 5 officers. Mayor Costas disagreed with the use of the term “gummed up” saying it is more a matter of where to put resources, saying “To Just assume that the SRO (School Resource Officer) in every school is the right answer, I don’t know if we can make that assumption at this point.” The Resolution was tabled but brought forth a bipartisan agreement of covering an area that needed more public dialogue.
The next hour was public comment, predominantly from NWI Activists, the group organizing the larger protests downtown. Their use in the Post-Tribune article of the term “separate but equal” goes back to the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson where the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was constitutional as long as the facilities were “separate but equal,” and wasn’t overturned until 1954 with Brown v. Board of Education declaring that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.
A dozen protesters talked about the need to keep the protesters and the counter protesters separate. There were several stories of five individuals: one dressed up as Trump; one carrying a boom box; and three Mexican Americans they assume are from East Chicago. The protesters described in detail all the mean things said, the man dressed up as trump air grinding next to women, and the young Mexican woman with a megaphone who goes “blah blah blah,” they claim all of these actions are solely to incite violence and the police will not stop it.
The Mayor, Police Chief, County Prosecutor, and Sheriff have been meeting and discussing a solution. The issue is that some of the counter protesters want to walk freely down the sidewalks through the original protest and there isn’t a law that the city or county has that can prevent them from doing that. There is another meeting this Wednesday to discuss remedies, either enforced separation or how best to prevent any sort of violence that would result from protesters and counter protesters mixing.
There were four individuals who spoke who were not members of the NWI Activists. One was a Valparaiso Precinct committeeman who said he had over ten phone calls this week from constituents expressing concern that the protests are disrupting the downtown and inhibiting enjoyment during them. Suggesting that the protests would be better for Old Fairgrounds Park along Calumet. Councilman Robert Cotton responded by saying “the Civil Rights movement wouldn’t have gotten anywhere if they had asked those guys not to protest in places that people wouldn’t be activated and conscious. So I take exception to that remark.” Another was a Valpo citizen supporting the awareness Jack Pupillo’s Resolution brings to school safety and the other two were counter protesters. The man who stands segregated from the protesters with a large sign with illiberal slogans said it was interesting the group who wants to “disrupt and protest” downtown is upset they are getting “disrupted and protested,” then quoted his mother “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Also a man who doesn’t segregate but mixes with the protesters spoke and said basically he is not inciting violence, just enjoying the trolling. The Mayor asked him to consider separating to prevent people from getting upset.
There was mention throughout the meeting for appreciation to all involved in another great Popcorn Fest and everybody involved in the clean up.
Valparaiso City Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.
Meeting Time: The meetings begin at 6:00 PM.
Location: The meetings are held in the City Council chambers at City Hall.
Public Access: The meetings are open to the public, and citizens can attend in person.
Meetings are Recorded: Watch City Council Meetings Online here
Recent Meeting Highlights:
A recent meeting included discussions about opioid grant recipients and the impact of the funds.
Another meeting focused on a resolution recommending a downtown liquor license for Cafe Farina.
One meeting in 2025 regarding a proposed Data Center meeting saw a large public turnout regarding a specific issue, leading to a crowded chamber and locked doors.
Public Participation: Citizens can address the council during designated periods, often with time limits and specific protocols.
On Monday August 11th, the Council Overrode the Mayor’s Veto, read the full story here.
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Susie Young Baxter, CEO, has published PanoramaNOW Magazine for 31 years. Her hobbies are Camping, Boating, Hiking, Nature, Gardening and Outdoor Activities. She is an Artist, Graphic Designer, an Avid Seamstress, Dabbles in Homemade Crafts and Landscaping. Since her Father was a Health Teacher, she also likes homeopathic Health Solutions. Since blogging started over 10 years ago, PanoramaNow has been added to Newsbreak – a national news affiliate.
