UpRising Bakery able to host events again after ACLU helps reach agreement with village officials
LAKE IN THE HILLS, Ill. (WLS) -- A suburban bakery will be able to continue hosting events after coming to an agreement with village officials, according to the ACLU of Illinois.
Uprising Bakery in Lake of the Hills was told last week they had to cease events at the establishment after the village sent the owner a letter that the business center where the bakery is housed is not zoned for entertainment events. The letter threatened that if they continued to hold events, they would face a hefty fine and possibly lose their business and liquor license.
It was the latest blow to the establishment that had been harassed and vandalized with hate messages after planning to host a family-friendly drag show - which was ultimately canceled and rescheduled.
The fate of the rescheduled drag show, and all other planned events, were in jeopardy over the village's decision.
However, now the show can go on in accord with current zoning laws after an agreement was reached Thursday.
"We are elated to have come to a mutual agreement with the Village of Lake in the Hills," said UpRising Bakery owner, Corrina Bendel Sac.
"Today's agreement is good news for the Lake in the Hills community and a victory for free speech," said Kevin Fee, Senior Special Litigation Counsel at the ACLU of Illinois. "We applaud Village officials for their willingness to quickly engage in thoughtful discussions leading to this understanding that allows UpRising to continue to serve their mission of being a community resource for all people."
RELATED: UpRising Bakery refuses to back down amid harassment, threats for hosting drag show
Following the letter, the ACLU of Illinois sent the village a letter on Sac's behalf expressing concern that if UpRising was not able to reschedule the drag event and hold similar events in the future, the vandal and harassers would take it as a "confirmation of their power of silence."
"The agreement reached today ends these threats and denies a potential victory to violent extremists that objected to UpRising's support for the LGBTQ+ community," the ACLU said in a press release.
"The Village is pleased that through collaborative efforts with representatives for UpRising Bakery and Café, we were able to identify a mutually satisfactory approach going forward which honors the Village's zoning concerns," Village of Lake in the Hills said in a statement.
UpRising has previously said the rescheduled drag show was planned for August 7, but it is unclear if that is still the event date.
