Wheaton VFW Hires Lawyer After Complaints from Nearby Resident(s)

I’ll be honest…knowing nothing about the finer details, I have to side with the VFW here.

It appears the Wheaton VFW Post 2164 is having to legally defend themselves from actions that a nearby resident (or residents?) are not happy with. To be fair, I do not know the other side to this story, but from what I do know about how VFW’s work, the good the provide local veterans and community members, and their overall respectfulness, it’s hard to believe they are doing anything to necessitate hiring a lawyer…but here we are.

The organization chronicled their current struggles on their Facebook page.

They claim the neighbor(s) constantly take photographs and complain to DuPage County about the people and events happening on VFW property, including things like car shows, bands, RV parking, and even Wheaton North student parking and Boy Scout trailer storage. The VFW says many of those are used to fund the organization to help them engage in community events and aid veterans.

The complains have led to citations from DuPage County, seemingly based on their allowance of Wheaton North student parking and hosting RVers through Harvest Hosts…two practices that, according to the VFW, will lead to losing around $30,000 annually. Again, I have not read the citations or heard the other side of this story, so admittedly, I’m going only based on what the VFW is releasing at this point.

That said, my opinion would be, illegal or not, unless they are EXCESSIVELY disrupting the neighborhood (which I HIGHLY doubt), they should be left to do what they’ve been doing since 1932. If student and RV parking helps them maintain the good work they do, even if technically against the rules, just let them be!

The complaints have led them to hire a lawyer, which as we all know can be be expensive. A GoFundMe has been set up to help with legal costs and fines.