Oak Lawn, IL – On Wednesday, March 30, the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) led a disruption of the Oak Lawn Fire & Police Commission meeting to demand justice for Murod Kurdi, a young Arab man struck and killed outside his home in June 2023 by white drunk driver Leanne Cusack.

Cusack was released by Oak Lawn Police Department (OLPD) officers without a breathalyzer or blood test despite telling officers that she was driving drunk, leaving only with a traffic ticket that she nevertheless contested in court. After three years of monthly protests by Kurdi’s family, AAAN and other organizations and community members, the Oak Lawn Fire & Police Commissioners still refuse to hold Cusack truly accountable for killing Kurdi, or the OLPD officers for neglecting their duty.

As with past meetings, OLPD officers surrounded meeting attendees, ready to contain and remove anyone challenging the commission. The commissioners did not mention Kurdi or acknowledge those present and began to move the unusually short meeting to a close – despite the entirety of the non-commissioner participants were there to call for justice and police accountability.

In response, several meeting attendees stood up to reveal their shirts, each with the name of a commissioner, and put on pig masks. The protesters called out the racist practices and history of Oak Lawn towards the Arab community and other oppressed nationality residents until OLPD officers removed them from the building. One of the protesters repeatedly mocked one of the commissioners, saying, “My name is Jim Baker and I am a racist! I don’t care about what happens to the Arab residents in Oak Lawn.”

Another incident of racist violence involved three OLPD officers ganging up on 17-year-old teenager Hadi Abuatelah in 2022, breaking several of his ribs and putting him in a coma for weeks. Only in 2025, after consistent mobilization to commission meetings, did the Abuatelah family finally secure a partial victory in their struggle in the form of a settlement from Oak Lawn.

The family’s demand to charge the three officers with aggravated battery and official misconduct was denied when Cook County Prosecutor Eileen Burke dropped the charges a single day into taking office, signaling her intention to operate in political alignment with Oak Lawn in tolerating or encouraging police crimes directed at its nationally oppressed residents.

Burke has since become more infamous for her refusal to criminally charge Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, especially after their brutal attacks on immigrants in the Chicagoland area, such as the vicious murder of beloved community member Silverio Villegas Gonzales, and revenge shooting of Marimar Martinez for speaking out against ICE.

After the meeting, AAAN organizer Rania Salem called on attendees to continue showing up at the Oak Lawn Fire & Police Commission meetings on the first Wednesday of every month at 9446 Raymond Avenue, Oak Lawn, 60453, with the next one on Wednesday, May 6 at 5 p.m.

Salem said, “We will keep coming, month after month, to every Fire & Police Commission meeting until we get the justice Murod’s beloved family and our community deserves. So next month, it’ll hopefully be warm out again, bring your family and your friends, and we will see you soon again!”

In addition to organizing monthly protests, AAAN is gathering organizational and individual signatures calling on Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to launch an investigation into the racist practices of Oak Lawn. Please sign on to the letter and its demands here.

#OakLawnIL #IL #AAAN #MurodKurdi #OppressedNationalities #InjusticeSystem

Oak Lawn, IL – On February 4, organizers from the Arab-American Action Network (AAAN) and members of the community gathered in Oak Lawn village in the Chicago suburbs. AAAN organizers handed out brightly colored whistles to everyone standing outside of the Village Hall building ahead of the monthly Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission meeting.

Rania Salem of AAAN explained the choice, “Whistles have become a tool in our fight against ICE, and so we’re bringing them here to say ‘The bad guys are here and we’re going to get them out of our neighborhoods!’”

“We’ve been coming here nearly every month for about three years now, demanding justice for Murod Kurdi,” said Muhammad Sankari, a lead organizer within AAAN. Murod Kurdi was a young Palestinian American man who was killed in 2023 by Leanne Cusack, a white woman who struck him with her car outside of his home.

Cusack told police on the scene that she had been drinking, saying she’d just had a beer and a shot of alcohol. Astoundingly, the white officers chose not to administer a breathalyzer test and instead let her off with a minor traffic ticket, which she later contested in court.

AAAN, backed by the broader Palestinian and Arab community, demand that Cusack be held accountable, as well as the officers who let her walk free, and that state Attorney General Kwame Raoul open an investigation into the racism of the Oak Lawn Police Department.

The fight for justice for Kurdi is connected with the fight for justice for Hadi Abuatelah, who was beaten nearly to death by three Oak Lawn police officers in 2022, when he was just 17 years old, simply for running from a traffic stop.

The movement recently achieved a partial victory in the form of a near million dollar settlement for the Abuatelah family, but the Village of Oak Lawn and Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen Burke have still failed to meet AAAN’s demand that all three officers be fired and charged for their crimes.

The Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission has refused to hold any officer accountable in the Kurdi and Abuatelah cases and has been stonewalling the community and limiting attendance at their public meetings.

During the most recent meeting, organizers and community members stood outside in the freezing cold for nearly an hour because the front door was locked and guarded by a dozen Oak Lawn police officers who watched the crowd from inside.

OLPD placed a speaker outside by the front entrance which they sometimes use to project the commission’s meetings after the community is removed from the building – a loophole to an Oak Lawn village law that requires Police and Fire Commission meetings to be open to the public.

One commissioner, Al Moyzis, heckled the protesters while waiting to be let into the building. “You have a big mouth”, he said to Salem of AAAN. “Well maybe you should be more vocal and do the right thing,” she shot back.

After a long wait, the doors were unlocked and community members filed into the building. Once it became clear that the commission had no intention of discussing Kurdi, the community did what they’ve done at every commission meeting for the last three years: they shut it down.

AAAN organizer Husam Marajda blew his whistle, stood up and shouted over the commission, “You have been sitting on your behinds for three years doing nothing. We will continue to demand justice for Murod Kurdi until you do something about it!” He blew on the whistle and chanted “Justice for Murod Kurdi!” as officers pushed him out of the room.

Salem stood up and continued the chanting and whistling. This time the crowd joined in, creating a deafening sound that continued as officers struggled to clear the room.

Even from the hallway, the whistles and chants of protesters were loud enough to disrupt the meeting. “Justice for Murod Kurdi!” and “Lazy racist crooked cops, get your ass a real job!” echoed through the building as the meeting room and hallways were slowly cleared. Even after everyone was pushed outside, protesters held the front door open and continued to chant into the building.

Salem closed out the evening with an invitation to keep the fight growing.

“See you next month,” Salam said. “bring your friends and family. We’re gonna keep coming back month after month until these guys are out of a job!”

#OakLawnIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #OppressedNationalities #AAAN #MurodKurdi #InjusticeSystem

Oak Lawn, IL- 30 people shut down the monthly meeting of the Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission on Wednesday night, August 6. They demanded an independent investigation into the racism of the Oak Lawn Police Department.

“None of you are fit to serve and protect our community,” Rania Salem, with the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) said to the commissioners, who have ignored the community's demands to fire the officers who assaulted 17-year-old Hadi Abuatelah in 2022 and let the killer of Murod Kurdi go with a ticket in 2023. Protesters turned their seats to face their backs to the commission.

Salem called for a moment of silence for Murod Kurdi shortly after the beginning of the meeting. Commissioner John Rolence spoke over her, then told police to remove her when she confronted him in particular for his disrespect of Kurdi’s family.

“Last meeting, Commissioner John Rolence called for a moment of silence, then laughed in the face of Fadia Muhammad, the mother of Murod Kurdi,” explained Nadiah Alyafai with the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) after the meeting.

Oak Lawn officers shoved Salem out of the building and nearly pushed her down the stairs. Alyafai and other protesters disrupted with chants of “Justice for Murod Kurdi!” and left the building.

“We know this board will never change its ways. That's why we're demanding an independent investigation from Attorney General Kwame Raoul,” Alyafai said before encouraging people to confront the commissioners at their next meeting on Wednesday September 3.

“No matter how long it takes, we always have to fight for justice,” said USPCN member Rima Najia. “Our power is in our voices and our numbers. We have to be consistent.”

#OakLawnIL #IL #InJusticeSystem #USPCN #AAAN

Oak Lawn, IL – 50 people rallied outside the Oak Lawn Village Hall on Wednesday evening, July 2, before the monthly meeting of the Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission. The Arab community and allies have shown up at every meeting for three years to challenge the racism of the Oak Lawn Police Department (OLPD).

“In July 2022 we showed up after Hadi Abuateleh, a 17-year-old Palestinian American boy was beaten almost to death by three Oak Lawn cops, Patrick O'Donnell, Brandon Collins and Mark Hollingsworth,” explained Nadiah Alyafai, a youth organizer with the Arab American Action Network (AAAN).

“Today we are also here to stand up and call for justice for our brother Murod Kurdi, who was tragically killed in 2023,” Alyafai added, and recounted how the same police department that beat Hadi Abuatelah for allegedly driving under the influence let Leanne Cusack, a white woman, get away with a ticket after killing Murod Kurdi while driving drunk.

One of the officers involved in the assault of Abuatelah, Mark Hollingsworth, was also implicated in letting Murod’s killer go.

These two cases show a clear pattern of racist policing, and the Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission’s refusal to fire the officers shows how deeply embedded the racist discrimination is.

The crowd entered the Village Hall and shut the meeting down soon after it started with chants of “Justice for Murod Kurdi!” and “No justice, no peace! No racist police!”

The protesters were removed from the building by police and continued chanting outside. They ended with a message of love for Murod's mother, Fadia Muhammad, whose family has consistently kept up the fight for justice, and resolved to be back at the next meeting on August 6 at 5 p.m.

Rania Salem with the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) concluded the protest by saying “we will keep coming here month after month until the attorney general conducts an independent investigation into the OLPD and all the cops who assaulted Hadi are fired and charged!”

#OakLawnIL #IL #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #ArabAmerican #USPCN #PoliceBrutality #AAAN

Oak Lawn, IL – Over 130 protesters shut down the Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission meeting on July 5 in response to the killing of Murod Kurdi and the beating of Hadi Abuatelah. “We need to clean out the Oak Lawn Police from top to bottom. That's why we're demanding an independent investigation into the Oak Lawn Police Department,” declared Mohamed Sunkari, a leader of the Arab American Action Network (AAAN).

AAAN and the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) have been rallying outside and filling the public comments of the Oak Lawn Commission meetings every month for a year. “Last year in July of 2022 we showed up here after a 17-year-old Palestinian American boy, Hadi Abuateleh, was beaten almost to death by three police officers. Those officers' names are Patrick O'Donnell, Brandon Collins, and Mark Hollingsworth,” said Nadiah Alyafai, a AAAN youth organizer.

“We continue to demand that those three officers are held accountable for their crimes by being indicted, convicted and fired,” Alyafai continued.

For the second time in two weeks, protesters also called for justice for Murod Kurdi, who was killed by a driver who had been drinking on June 5. The driver, who was white, was let go with a ticket by Oak Lawn Police. “We are also demanding that the officer who let the woman leave the scene, and any officers who were involved in covering up this crime be fired from the police department,” Alyafai explained.

Speakers emphasized the need for unity between different communities to stop police crimes and racism. “Nobody can do this by themselves. It’s important that we stand together on these issues,” said Mark Kuehner from Southsiders for Peace.

“We need an independent investigation because the police will not investigate themselves. That's why we have to do it. Black people, Arabs, Latinos, immigrants and everyone impacted by police violence needs to come together to hold the police accountable,” said Kobi Guillory, co-chair of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR).

After the rally, protesters filled the meeting to its capacity of 130 people. Several protesters voiced their anger at the Oak Lawn Police in the public comments section of the meeting, including Murod Kurdi’s cousin, Tayseer Abuhamdeh. “Oak Lawn police officer Mark Hollingsworth looked my aunt, Murod’s mother, in the eye and said that he could see from the dash cam video that the woman was not drunk, and they were no longer pursuing this as an accident involving alcohol,” Abuhamdeh said. Hollingsworth was one of the three officers who assaulted Hadi Abuateleh.

“Oak Lawn Police need to answer for what they have done. They need to answer for the abuse of power, the lies and deception, and the continued racism and racial profiling against our community,” Abuhamdeh added.

After Abuhamdeh spoke, community members forced an end to the meeting by chanting “Justice for Murod” and “If we don't get it, shut it down!”

The Oak Lawn Commissioners filed out of the room. Police shoved the chanting protesters, a crowd which included children and elders, out of the building over the next 45 minutes.

Before exiting the building, protesters chanted “We'll be back!”

The next Oak Lawn Police and Fire Commission meeting is scheduled for Wednesday August 2. AAAN will rally outside the Commission building at 5 p.m.

“These police officers understand one thing only. They don’t care about begging, pleading, praying, or asking nicely. The only thing they understand is power. The power that we have is standing right here today. It’s the power in our community and the communities standing with us. It’s the number of people who are coming and standing for justice,” Sunkari said after the protest.

#OakLawnIL #Palestine #antipolicebrutality #MiddleEast

Oak Lawn, IL – Hadi Abuatelah is a 17-year-old Palestinian youth in Oak Lawn, Illinois. On Thursday, July 28, a cell phone video taken by a Black woman captured the savage beating of Hadi by three white police officers. The video went viral, and the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) immediately called for a protest.

300 Arab community members and their supporters held a militant rally in front of the Village of Oak Lawn Police Department (OLPD) building that afternoon. OLPD responded by brandishing assault rifles and deploying rooftop snipers to intimidate the protestors.

Hadi suffered serious injuries from the attack and spent the next five days in the hospital. Chief of Police Daniel Vittorio defended the actions of the three racist officers. He even went on to add that they would have been justified in using “deadly force.” Later on, the Village of Oak Lawn doubled down its support of their officers by saying “compliance with, and respect to law enforcement is the only way we will stop these incidents.”

In the following days of the protests, and while working with the family, AAAN organized a call-in campaign asking Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to file charges against the officers who assaulted Hadi and violated his civil rights. Calls were also made to Vittorio to fire the officers.

On Tuesday, August 2, Hadi was released from the Juvenile Detention Center to his family. He came out using a walker because of the injuries he sustained from the assault by OLPD.

Waiting for Hadi to be released, Muhammad Sankari of AAAN said, “Oak Lawn police could have done the right thing and released Hadi into the custody of his parents yesterday. Instead, they decided to punish him further by transferring into the Juvenile Detention Center overnight. They're trying to punish Hadi for the audacity of standing up. We’re here to support Hadi, his family, and all the youth in our community, and we're not going to take this anymore.”

Standing alongside Hadi, his parents, and the family attorney were Frank Chapman, of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and Bishop Tavis Grant of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

#OakLawnIL #PoliceBrutality #ArabAmericanActionNetwork