LaSalle Park

South Bend's Juneteenth celebration returns Saturday to LaSalle Park with music, food, vendors and community resources honoring freedom and Black history.

After initially declining interviews on the issue, South Bend Mayor James Mueller on Tuesday held a press conference to talk about the South Bend Reparatory Justice Commission's report, after the commission formally presented it to the common council Monday night.

“I feel like we actually have a relationship now, that the city of South Bend is actually listening to the residents and we’re working together to build our neighborhood,” Stacey Odom told the council’s Community Investment Committee on Monday.

There will a series of meetings and workshops in coming weeks about LaSalle Park.

Remediation work is expected to begin soon at the Beck’s Lake Superfund site in South Bend, which includes all of LaSalle Park and two nearby residential lots.

In the 1930s and 40s, the Beck’s Lake area on South Bend’s west side was used as an industrial dumping ground.