West Cook News

Through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, West Cook News has obtained a police report detailing an alleged “hate” crime at Live Café in Oak Park in January that ended up netting its owner nearly $30,000.

In the wake of the incident-- in which cafe owner Reesheda Graham-Washington claimed someone wrote a racial slur on a piece of notebook paper, taped it to a rock and then threw it through her door window at 163 S. Oak Park Ave.-- Oak Park police engaged in an investigation that has turned up no leads over the past six months.

Graham-Washington told police that video cameras inside her cafe weren't turned on at the time. Police asked two adjacent businesses that also had cameras-- the Grape Leaves Restaurant and and George's Family Restaurant-- but neither provided video in aid of their investigation. A canvass of the area turned up no witnesses to the alleged rock throwing.

A police reporting evidence technician reviewed the scotch tape holding the notebook paper to the rock, placing them in a Cyanoacrylate Fuming Chamber to check them for fingerprints. None were found.

Shortly after the incident, Graham-Washington held a rally and candlelight vigil which a Chicago Tribune report said drew "hundreds."

She then created a GoFundMe page titled "Help Live Cafe's Anti Racist Mission in Oak Park," calling on supporters to "(support) Resheeda Graham Washington and Live! Cafe" and to "help drive the mission of anti racism in this community and beyond."

The fundraiser netted Graham-Washington $27,315 from 464 donors, including $500 from Mary Jo Schuler, wife of Oak Park billionaire marijuana and trading entrepreneur Stephen Schuler.

The police report noted the damage to the door dented by the brick was estimated at $200. 

“I live for coffee, books, social justice, and humanism.”

Graham-Washington, 46,  calls herself the “Chief Experience Officer” at Live 2.0 LLC, which owns Live Cafe and has a stated mission of building an “artisanal, destination, transformational experience café that infuses asset-based community development, economic development and equity practices and serves as a model for sustainable community development for other organizations."

She says she "innovated the (Live Cafe) concept, ethos, mission, and vision of a diverse, inclusive, transformational space that curates opportunities to live in tension, live intentionally, and facilitate practices in being in difficult dialogue with one’s self and others," and that she hopes they "equip people with the ability to hold their own notions, both of themselves and others, loosely enough to consider other possibilities (to raise awareness about binary thinking and what it creates—to increase polarity management)."

The Live Cafe web site offers t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan, “I live for coffee, books, social justice, and humanism.” They cost $22.

A Proviso West graduate, Graham-Washington also serves as principal of RWG Consulting, a firm that contracts with local schools and municipalities to provide white employees with “training” on their “implicit” racism. 

In January, Glen Ellyn launched a series of “community conversations” to "interrupt racism, bias, and injustice" run by Washington via Zoom. RGW has done similar work for Downers Grove, La Grange, Skokie and Oak Park.

Personal police detail

The Oak Park Police investigation into the alleged hate crime began on Jan 5, one day before two village board candidates managed by cafe general manager Makesha Benson faced a challenge at the local elections board over their eligibility.

Benson told police she felt "the message on the piece of cement was in reference" to the candidates, Chibuike Enyia and Anthony Clark, who were known to use the cafe for meetings.

The police report states an unknown passerby called the police to make the incident report.

The incident was heavily publicized.

“GRAHAM related that LIVE Cafe has been vocal supporters in the Oak Park village elections and has been supportive of 2 African American candidates, ANTHONY CLARK and CHIBUIKE ENYIA,” the report reads.

Police sent squad cars to sit in front of the the homes of those thought to be in danger, including Washington.

The Village of Oak Park noted that “no other nearby businesses [were] vandalized” in the incident and that it was investigating the matter as a hate crime.

Washington entered into a partnership to transition L!VE Café into Brewpoint Craft shortly after the incident and subsequent fundraising efforts. 

See the full police reports HERE and HERE.