Lack Of Civility In Darien Incidents: Mayor

DARIEN, IL – Darien's mayor on Monday noted three recent instances of a "very disturbing" lack of civility in town.

One of them occurred at the local public library, Mayor Joseph Marchese said.

"Something took place at the Indian Prairie Library that was not very nice, but which really spoke to the inability of one group to deal with another group," Marchese told the City Council.

He was referring to protesters shouting down a congressman during a town hall. The event ended early because the hecklers refused to let the congressman speak. Attendees argued with one another while leaving the library, with one man accusing others of being "white supremacists."

In another case, someone wrote in the concrete at 69th Street and Richmond Avenue "very negative comments about a particular race," Marchese said.

In the third situation, a trespasser on a property left a note denigrating the owner's father, the mayor said.

"While those are only three incidents, it appears that we need to remind people that there's something called civility," he said.

Darien, Marchese said, strives to promote civility and inclusion.

"It's my hope that those are just three incidents and that there won't be any other incidents," the mayor said. "But we do have an election coming up, and there's a lot of nasty stuff out there because of the election. And my hope is that people who disagree politically will see that they can still maintain relationships and disagree."