An organized group of dog walkers accused the North Township Trustee of kicking them out of Wicker Park in Highland a couple weeks ago where they were walking their dogs together on the trail — something they say they should be able to do in a public park that allows dogs.
However, Trustee Adrian Santos emphasized that while the public is welcome to walk their dogs on the trail, the group of walkers were all clients of the walk’s organizer and he is using park property to conduct his business — something that is not allowed.
The group appeared at Tuesday’s North Township Board of Trustees meeting to claim Santos and the Highland Police kicked them out of Wicker Park where they were walking their dogs in a single file line in an organized fashion, practicing the training techniques they were taught in classes conducted by Lorenzo Longoria of Hammond, who operates a dog training business.
The dog walkers say they do not pay to go on the walks, where the training they paid for is reinforced with their dogs. Similar to running clubs, they gather to practice their techniques.
Santos said his staff has been dealing with the issue since 2023, including removing signs advertising where Longoria and his class can be found inside the park.
Longoria said program participants bring their dogs that he trains to high visibility places with lots of distractions, which he said a free program that helps teach the dogs to be non-reactive.
Longoria said the group was not in any restricted area of the park or in the dog park and neither were they using a shelter or space that would have required a rental fee. The group offered video evidence to back up their claims.
“Respectfully, this is a public park,” Longoria said, adding the group was not anywhere it was not supposed to be.
Santos also provided photos and documentation of Longoria’s Facebook page, which detailed the services offered for training participants and the cost. The page has since been made private.
“The issue is Mr. Lorenzo likes to operate his business here at the park. He cannot do that,” Santos said. The areas shown in photos depict recognized areas of Wicker Park where he is not walking dogs, but conducting classes, he said.
“You cannot run your business here. That is what you are doing,” Santos said.
“If you are enjoying a walk in the park, that’s one thing. If you have 20 people, you are conducting your business… This is a public park with rules,” Santos said. He cited public safety and ease of access for all park users who could be intimidated or interrupted by a group of 20 dog walkers.
The back and forth devolved into a he-said, she-said of alleged bad behavior that included mention of threatening social media posts made against Santos and park staff, and allegations Santos and his staff changed the permitting rules at 10 p.m. the night of the incident, which involved the Highland Police.
Members of the group said they were humiliated when three squad cars pulled up and threatened to cite them for trespassing.
“I’ve been walking in this park for a long time. I felt humiliated, attacked and embarrassed,” one dog walker said.
The group said the police response was overkill and ultimately left them shaken up but uncharged.
Elizabeth Olivo, Santos’ assistant chief of staff, said she found the photos of Longoria’s class with the dogs perching on aspects of the veterans’ memorial particularly offensive as a veteran herself. She said the entire matter could have been handled differently if Longoria had contacted the park staff in advance.