Pilsen Neighbors Community Council recently completed its 13th Annual Drivers License Reinstatement Expo. The goal of this event remains consistent each year: to help residents remove barriers created by a suspended license.

Losing the ability to drive affects daily life in very real ways—missing work, struggling with school drop-offs, facing mounting fines, and dealing with ongoing court involvement. The DLRE is designed to give people a clear pathway to regain stability in their life.

This year’s DLRE served 87 consultations, 117 walk-ins, and 34 court cases, for a total of 238 participants.

The purpose of the DLRE is straightforward: when someone regains their driver’s license, they regain access to work, childcare, healthcare, and daily responsibilities that require reliable transportation. They also avoid repeated court involvement tied to driving while suspended. Helping people resolve these issues is a practical way to support economic mobility and reduce unnecessary strain on families.

The DLRE continues to show that when agencies and community organizations coordinate, meaningful barriers can be removed. Each person served leaves with one less obstacle standing in the way of their stability and progress.

The event relied on collaboration across several partners. Judges who supported the expo included:
Diann Marsalek (Presiding Judge of Traffic), Griselda Samuel Vega, Tracey Porter, D’Anthony Thedford, Linda Sackey, Edward Underhill, Nadine Wichern, Ginger Odom, Sara McGann, and Michael Cabonargi.
Their time and legal review made it possible for participants to address their long-standing issues in one place.

Staff from PNCC, the Cook County Public Defender’s Office, and Malcolm X College worked together to manage intake, navigation, and overall operations. Deputy Public Defender Parle Roe-Taylor and her team provided on-site support to help participants understand their cases and next steps.

Members of the Fuerza del Sol youth program assisted with registration and crowd flow throughout the day.

The 14th Annual DLRE will take place on Saturday, February 7th, at Malcolm X College from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Registration is now open. Make sure to register ahead of time, as in the last DLRE we had to close registration early due to capacity. Sign up and tell your loved ones who need this to sign up.

www.pilsenneighbors.org/dlre