Residents Persist in Fight Against Pawn Shop Slated for North Avenue

Oak Parkers and residents of Chicago's Austin and Galewood neighborhoods continue their fight to keep EZ Pawn from opening in the 6400 block of North Avenue, the Wednesday Journal reports.

A lawsuit was filed against the Austin, Texas-based business after the City of Chicago's Zoning Board of Appeals approved the EZ Pawn location, according to the Journal. 

Oak Park Village Trustee Adam Salzman at a July 29 board meeting said the collaboration of neighbors between Oak Park and Chicago has led to a "productive discussion" about the Oak Park side of North Avenue. 
"(There has been) intense and justifiable concern expressed by residents in north Oak Park about North Avenue, and I share that concern," he said.
He added he hopes to spend more time talking about economic development opportunities on North Avenue, and looking for ways to collaborate with other communities. 
Neighbors of the proposed pawn shop told NBC Chicago the man behind EZ Pawn, Victor Reyes, has some Chicago clout, and that his firm contributed to Alderman Deborah Gram's ward organization—the one that will cover the area in question when Chicago's new ward boundaries go into effect in 2015. 

Graham told the Journal she will hold her own community meeting at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 14.

Read more about the EZ Pawn discussion on NBCChicago.com.

Read the Wednesday Journal story here.