'Pedophile Palace' Won't Stay On Cora Street, O'Dekirk Reveals

JOLIET, IL — With the city's cash reserves having millions and millions of dollars available, Mayor Bob O'Dekirk revealed that Joliet will be buying a house that's for sale to turn it into a city park. Doing so would make it illegal for six out of town sexual predators to continue living at the two-story apartment building at 1000 Cora St.

O'Dekirk brought up the city's plan at the end of Tuesday night's Joliet City Council meeting. The city's contract to purchase a vacant home will come up for a vote at the next meeting in two weeks, the mayor said.

"There are currently six offenders living at one address on the 1000 block of Cora," O'Dekirk told the Council. "This was done without city approval, or, really, approval from anybody other than a single federal judge that held the Department of Corrections in contempt and ordered them to begin housing sex offenders in violation of state law, more than one in a single location."

O'Dekirk said there is a company from Lake Zurich that bought the apartment complex at 1000 Cora St. and now has six sex offenders all in the building, in the middle of an older, hard-working diverse neighborhood.

"I think as a community, all of us can agree, this is not the proper thing to do. There was a bus stop for Joliet Central High School immediately in front of this address. Joliet Central did not know what was going on inside, the city of Joliet did not what was going on inside, Cunningham School is two blocks away, Holy Cross has a learning center, which is a block away."

O'Dekirk added that, "this is not something we are not going to tolerate here in Joliet."

O'Dekirk said he spoke with fellow attorney, City Manager Jim Cappareli, plus Corporation Counsel attorneys Sabrina Spano and Chris Regis to discuss ways Joliet can fight this.

"One idea that we came up that we haven't been able to share until now was the idea of buying a property within 500 feet of that residence, and to tear the property down, and turn it into a park, which would put those offenders in violation of Illinois law, which does not have an injunction on it," O'Dekirk announced.

O'Dekirk said there was an abandoned lot about a block away that was for sale "that was unfortunately, it's outside the 500 feet. We did find a house within that radius. I know, mister city manager, you've moved forward with the legal department. This is going to be brought to the Council at the next meeting."

"That's correct, mayor," City Manager Jim Capparelli replied. "We want to provide, certainly, a safe space for children in the neighborhood to be able to play and go down the street and be able to use the park facilities there."

O'Dekirk said he spoke to numerous people on Cora Street with children.

"They're terrified. They also saw their house values plummet overnight. This is a working class neighborhood. It's a diverse neighborhood. I think it's really outrageous that a company from Lake Zurich decided to do this in Joliet. I said it before, and I'll say it again publicly, I would love to see them do this in Lake Zurich and see what their mayor and their City Council would say if they did that in their own community."

After the meeting, Joliet Patch reached out to several people who are against having the sexual predator apartment complex at 1000 Cora St.

Plainfield resident Stacey Keagle, Illinois State Senate 49th District Republican candidate in the Nov. 8 election, said that she commends the swift action of Mayor O'Dekirk and the Joliet Council for purchasing a city lot to build a playground and remove the home that houses pedophiles.

"Pedophiles should never be allowed to live in neighborhoods of children. When I'm elected, I will introduce legislation so that this scenario will never happen again the state of Illinois," Keagle announced.

"I think the city's plan is very good and is just what I expected from them," remarked Joliet resident Jim Lanham, a Republican candidate for 86th District representative in the recent Illinois Primary, who did not win his race. "I will personally help install playground equipment to celebrate. In fact, I ask everyone to join me in raising money for that equipment.

"It doesn't matter I didn't win my election. This is still my fight regardless. Especially since our State Representatives like Natalie Manley, Meg Cappel and Larry Walsh Jr. haven't said or done anything, especially ribbon-cutting Larry Walsh Jr."

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

'Pedophile Palace' In Joliet: Republican Candidates Vow Action

5 Sexual Predators Move Into Joliet West Side Neighborhood