Ald. Maria Hadden announced on March 25 that her Rogers Park ward office will be closed for in-person business for the rest of the week after she and her staff received threats of violence following her comments about the recent killing of Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman.
The closure comes amid heightened tensions and national attention surrounding the fatal shooting, which has sparked political debate due to the alleged shooter’s immigration status. Hadden said she, her family, and her office have been targeted with threats that include racist, misogynistic, and homophobic language.
Gorman, an 18-year-old first-year student at Loyola University Chicago, was shot and killed at Tobey Prinz Beach early Thursday morning. During a Fox32 “Chicago Live” interview shortly after the incident, Hadden said: “It sounds like this might have been a wrong-place-wrong-time, running into a person who had a gun. They might have startled this person at the end of the pier unintentionally. … We don’t believe there is a cause for broader community concern at this time.”
Her remarks were widely criticized on social media and by conservative news outlets such as Fox News and The New York Post. In response to backlash over suggestions that she was blaming the victim or downplaying concerns about public safety, Hadden issued a statement: “My comments were never intended to blame the victim or imply that Sheridan should not have been out enjoying the park or that it was her fault that she was shot,” she wrote. “I sincerely apologize for any additional pain that my comments may have caused.”
Hadden also clarified that neither she nor police believed Gorman’s death was related to unsolved killings in Rogers Park from 2018 known as those committed by the ‘Duck Walk Killer.’ She reported receiving an overwhelming number of phone calls and emails critical of her statement—many from out-of-state individuals angry about Chicago’s sanctuary city status—as well as negative reviews on social media.
The decision to close follows a protest outside Hadden’s ward office Tuesday involving members of Chicago Flips Red—a local group supporting former President Donald Trump—and counter-protesters holding anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement signs. Police reported one simple assault during the protest but provided no further details.
Looking ahead, Hadden said another protest is planned outside her office Friday but urged constituents not to engage with demonstrators in ways that could escalate tensions: “Though they may not represent the views and values of our community, we will always respect and uphold civil liberties afforded to everyone in our nation by our Constitution.”
