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March 28, 2024

Orland Park Public Library – Votes For Porn – Holds Illegal Meetings –

By John Kraft & Kirk Allen

On March 11, 2014

ORLAND PARK (ECWd) –
The Orland Park Public Library (OPPL) has recently been under attack by area citizens for voting to allow porn viewing on public computers without restriction. This includes some instances of child porn that have gone unreported to the authorities and at least one instance of a person doing things in public that he shouldn’t have been doing…and allowed to stay.
OPPL, a Public Library District with the Director making over $187,000 per year, 8 of its 16 employees raking in over $100,000 per year, 5 over $90k, and the remainder over $78k, one should be able to reasonably assume they can read.  Every member of the Library Board is required to take the online Open Meetings Act (OMA) Training where one of the questions asks about special meetings on public holidays, and the Act itself specifically prohibits meetings on public holidays. The OPPL decided to hold a special meeting on February 12, 2014, a legal holiday in the State of Illinois (Lincoln’s Birthday).

Illinois Legal Holidays

Section 17 of the Promissory Note and Bank Holiday Act, 205 ILCA 630/17, and the Illinois Supreme Court both list days that Illinois recognizes as legal holidays – February 12 is one of those listed holidays.

Open Meetings Act

Section 2.01 of the Open Meetings Act, 5 ILCS 120/2.01, states that “<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: small;"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">No meeting required by this Act to be public shall be held on a legal holiday</span> unless the regular meeting day falls on that holiday</em>.</span>” — Special Meetings are not considered a regular meeting day. Here is the OPPL list of regular meeting dates.

Area citizens noticed the meeting was scheduled, without 48 hours prior notice to the public, without 48 notice of the agenda, and on a legal holiday. The board members and their attorney were notified prior to the meeting and ignored pleas to cancel the meeting due to the holiday. To me, that means knowingly violating the law, and violations of the OMA are Criminal Act.

What was on this agenda? Appointment of a new board member, changes to the public comment rules for meetings, and other items. I also understand they refused to allow public comment during this meeting, which is another criminal act in violation of the OMA. This meeting and all action(s) taken are invalid, whether the board realizes it yet or not, but they will have to nullify this meeting.

On February 25, 2014, I sent a letter to the board, the director, and the OPPL attorneys. No response or comment has been had from anyone at OPPL.

The revised public speaking policy violates the OMA in many ways and are detailed in the letter. Here is that letter:

[gview file=”https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/OPPLletter.pdf”]

I also understand there were several Requests for Review sent to the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor in reference to this meeting.

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8 Comments
  • SafeLibraries
    Posted at 10:27h, 11 March

    RT @ECWDogs: Orland Park Public Library – Votes For Porn – Holds Illegal Meetings – : ORLAND PARK (ECWd) –
    The Orlan.. http://t.co/KZsii…

  • SafeLibraries
    Posted at 10:29h, 11 March

    @LibraryJournal @AmLibraries #libchat MT @ECWDogs: @OrlandPkLibrary Votes For #Porn, Holds Illegal Meetings http://t.co/KX7rbES3xi

  • Dan Kleinman of SafeLibraries
    Posted at 13:33h, 11 March

    “The Orland Park Public Library (OPPL) has recently been under attack by area citizens for voting to allow porn viewing on public computers without restriction.”
    Not quite. OPPL has violated state and local law and even its own written policy and American Library Association policy and likely Illinois Library Association policy to allow porn. It has violated other law to silence those who discovered the problem including unreported sex crimes. It has violated more law to enshrine the pro porn policy and silence others, including me personally. All my opinion, of course. It is such a joke that even Saturday Night Live included it in a sketch.
    So it is not OPPL that is under attack by area citizens. Rather, it is area citizens that are under attack by OPPL and a local government that permits the library to violate the law despite having the power to remove the lawbreakers. The area citizens are merely trying to right the wrongs, to apply the law.
    You are helping right the wrongs by writing posts like the one you have. I am certain your local citizens will benefit while OPPL, ILA, ALA groans. Though I hear they are reveling in this OPPL matter, making personal appearances, even using OPPL personnel in librarian training sessions for how to deal with people who have not yet been beaten into submission to the pro porn policy. So thank you for your efforts.
    If I can assist in any way, please let me know. I’ve been named as a “trusted source” on ALA’s misinformation about library porn by the author of the Children’s Internet Protection Act. Not a brag, just saying so you know I mean it when I say contact me if you would like assistance or just information.

    • jmkraft
      Posted at 14:41h, 11 March

      You are correct in that the OPPL has attacked the citizens – future articles will point that out!
      Thanks.

      • Marcia
        Posted at 23:44h, 11 March

        Great article. This board is completely out of control. Hopefully the AG will reign them in.

      • SafeLibraries
        Posted at 06:28h, 12 March

        FYI, here’s my own letter to the IL AG:
        “Open Meetings Act Violations by the Board of Library Trustees of the Orland Park Public Library”
        http://safelibraries.blogspot.com/2014/02/OPPL.html

  • Max Imoling
    Posted at 18:24h, 12 March

    Has the local States Attorney confiscated the computers and records of the libraries internet activity to track down the alleged child porn violations? If not, the states attorney needs to be written a certified letter and perhaps an affidavit from a person willing to testify to what they know. That way the SA can either do his job or be brought on charges himself. As an officer of the court I believe he’s bound to take action in the case of child porn once he’s notified.

    • jmkraft
      Posted at 19:43h, 12 March

      You are correct, there are mandated reporters, but the issue with the c.p. was that I believe it was found in a search of the server log of websites visited. The log was obtained thru FOIA if I’m not mistaken, and there was no identifying data with it – I’ll check on it.

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