'Thank God No One Was In Office:' Warehouse Workers For Justice

JOLIET, IL — On a typical week day, four employees with Warehouse Workers for Justice are in their Joliet downtown office at 114 East Jefferson St. Around 3:15 p.m. Monday, a gunman opened fire along the busy one-way street across from the city-owned stadium where the Joliet Slammers play baseball.

At least four bullets penetrated the Warehouse Workers for Justice office, shattering their front door. The store windows for the hair salon next door were shattered, and have been replaced by plywood.

Nobody was injured during Monday's shooting spree in Joliet's downtown. The gunman got away before Joliet police arrived on the scene.

"Thank God no one was in the office," Warehouse Workers for Justice representative Mark Balentine told Joliet Patch's editor during Tuesday's interview. "Normally, I would be here at that time. Thank God, we (were) all in this meeting in Chicago. We have the two offices, here in Joliet and one in Chicago."

At this point, there is no evidence to suggest Monday afternoon's shooter was targeting the Warehouse Workers for Justice office, Balentine said.

Joliet Patch Sgt. Dwayne English provided Patch with the following information from Monday's gunfire. He said officers responded to the 100 block of East Jefferson around 3:15 p.m. for a report of gunshots fired. Officers determined the windows of two businesses had been shattered by gunfire.

Officers found an unoccupied vehicle was also struck by the bullets as well, English said. Numerous spent shell casings were located at the scene. Officers were unable to locate any victims that had been shot. No arrests have been made as this incident is under investigation, Joliet police said.

Anyone with information related is encouraged to contact Joliet Police Department Investigations at 815-724-3020. They can also contact Will County Crime Stoppers at 800-323-6734 or online at https://crimestoppersofwillcounty.org/ if they wish to remain anonymous.

Representatives of Warehouse Workers for Justice said the Joliet Police Department detectives are busy investigating the shooting, and they hope they can solve the crime and arrest the culprit. The gunfire took place about a block away from downtown Joliet's Gateway Center, which is where train commuters come and go.

"They are taking it very seriously. They were very helpful, very polite," Balentine said of Joliet police. "They don't know if it's random. They don't know what it's about. I know there's got to be some cameras with the Metra station" nearby.

The Warehouse Workers for Justice office has been across from the Joliet Slammers stadium for about four years now, Balentine said.

During a typical day, four or five people are inside the building. One of Monday's bullets penetrated the wall directly above Balentine's work station.

Hoping to put Monday's shooting incident behind them, Balentine wanted Joliet residents to know that the Warehouse Workers for Justice will be hosting an information forum at 6 p.m. July 20 at Nowell Park. The event will include food and refreshments.

The Warehouse Workers for Justice help people in the Joliet area with criminal case expungements or sealing a background/criminal record, getting the COVID vaccine, a driver's license reinstatement, issues involving discrimination at work, getting paid all the hours you work and any other work-related issue.