Wednesday, May 19, 2010

CBS 2: Uptown Residents Fight Back Against Violence

Mike Parker Reporting, CBS 2

Uptown residents have had enough of the violence on their streets, and they're fighting back. Now the people who live there are banding together, to make it stop. CBS 2's Mike Parker reports.

Truman Square Block Club member Richard Thale puts it this way, "It's one thing to hear about violence that's going on but to actually see videotape of it, kind of brings it a lot closer to home."

One street skirmish, caught on video last Thursday, was too close to home for Thale. It shows troublemakers roaming through the street, pumped up and hostile, ready to lash out.

As police arrive to break it up, one officer is seen armed with a rifle. The images also show a young man retreating to a bus stop and hiding a pipe down the back of his T-shirt.

One witness photographed a pick axe he says another youth left behind.

During the past year or so, other videos of Uptown violence have surfaced, and those images have created new resolve by residents who have formed 15 separate block clubs to try to make a difference.

Community Activist Keith Forshaw says members want to "really take back the streets, show we're out here. We live here and we're not going anywhere."

On Wednesday night, block club members met with local police and CHA officials, and learned they've made some headway.

After months of activists complaining about drug sales and gang activity at two CHA scattered site apartment buildings in Uptown, the CHA announced that armed security guards have now been placed there, 24-7. And visitors must now sign in and sign out.

Cameras linked to the 911 Center will soon be installed.

It's a sign that the neighborhood known for years as a place of hopelessness, homelessness and crime, an area now rapidly gentrifying, may be a little safer.

Activist Thale says, "Everyone deserves safe streets, no matter what your economic level is."

The surveillance cameras are expected to be in place at that CHA site in Uptown the first week in June.

They'll be paid for with a federal stimulus grant that will also install 3,100 other cameras in CHA locations around the city. The grant totals $23 million. Full article here

Update:  Here's a link to the video of the story.

23 comments:

  1. I just watched this report and found it to be lacking in quality. It never once mentioned the lack of Aldermanic support as a reason why residents had to start banning together to stop the violence. Email CBS 2 and let them know there is more to the story to report!

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  2. Silence on the alderman is quite telling in itself. Thanks for reporting CBS2!

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  3. Helen, your time is done and I am going to throw Daley in as well. He is at the top of this food chain and should be held just as responsible.

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  4. I think it's powerful that Helen wasn't mentioned. It was a slap in the face that she was ignored. She also can't claim it was political because no one trashed her publicly, including Richard Thale whose partner is running for alderman.

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  5. I saw, and appreciate the report.

    Is Helen back in China?

    SUCH a communication breakdown. There is such a huge wall around the 46th Ward Office, blocking out the needs and voices of area residents.
    I don't get it. I really don't.

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  6. The meeting mentioned was at the offices of Ald. Mary Ann Smith, who got that accomplished. Will we ever see those homeland security funds used to provide safety measures and cameras in CHA housing in the 46th Ward? I think we need to demand it.

    I had to laugh at the jackhole who hid the pipe in his clothes from the attempted fisticuffs last Thursday. Mr "I'm So Stealthy" is not only caught on videotape, but a good portion of the Chicago viewing public has now seen his face and actions, up close and personal. "D'oh!"

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  7. Thanks to the community, to Mike Parker for bringing this to light, thanks to James Cappleman for supporting us, Dana at Alderman Smith's office, Jadine at the CHA was instrumental and Commander Bartosik for all you do for us in the 20th every day. It does take a village folks....and WE HAVE MORE work to do!

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  8. Also, here is the link to the video

    http://cbs2chicago.com/video/?id=71235@wbbm.dayport.com

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  9. Heartfelt thanks to the myriad kind people who are working to remove the violence from our ward - including James Cappleman, Ald. Mary Ann Smith, concerned residents, the police and the media. And yet note the contrasting silence from Shiller's den. It sure says it all. That said, she managed to get re-elected in the last two elections when we never expected it to happen. Let's do whatever it takes to get her out in 2011.

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  10. I used to live in Uptown. I moved there in the 90's. Though Uptown has always had its issues, the violence has gotten worse after several CHA housing projects were torn down. If it can be proved that the troublemakers live in the CHA scattered housing sites, I recommend taking legal action against CHA. Force them, and their criminally insane residents out of the neighborhood!

    Good luck guys!

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  11. The "Pipe" shoved down the pants thing seems to be popular right now. At about 7pm a fight moved from Wilson and Magnolia, to in front of Truman. Wouldn't you know one of the guys pulled a blunt object (1.5 feet long) out of his backside. (not sure where he had it stored)

    Finally after about 10 minutes of this problem escalating the cops showed up to take care of it. A Huge gang of thugs (P Stones) egged on the whole situation, and attempted to get involved.

    After the fight occurred and the witnesses stepped forward to point the assailants out racial taunts of "Fuck you Whitey" and "Take that "White Mother Fucker to Jail" began from the Gang. Nice.

    Just so happened that the witnesses looked to me to be of middle eastern dissent, but I suppose to the local thugs they will always be "Whitey."

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  12. I too have seen the gang activity and violence increase more and more every year. It has grown with the population of CHA scattered housing sites. I can see where these gangs always run in and out of and it is Shillers favorite scattered housing sites that she has brought into our neighborhoods in increased numbers over the years. I say we must put a stop to Helen Shiller & CHA housing sites which has become a magnet for these criminally insane residents we now have too many of and I am glad for all the block clubs that are trying to do just that.

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  13. What a great story... and Richard is not political at all... just a regular citizen...

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  14. "...now rapidly gentrifying..." I WISH.

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  15. Those neighbors who have continued to pull the CHA for more help with security you have my respect and thanks. Security Guards and Cameras are a pretty good start. But there will be more work to do regarding calling 911 and keeping CHA aware of any new problems.

    Why is it again that Helen is against all background checks of residents of any housing in her ward? Seems like something that should be asked over and over again until she can put together a better answer than "I have always been against it." It seems to me that background checks should be a part of any program that uses tax dollars to help pay for it.

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  16. Why is it again that Helen is against all background checks of residents of any housing in her ward?

    That's a rhetorical question, right?

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  17. You're right Jason, Richard is a political figure of sorts. But he didn't politicize his comments to the media.

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  18. Hey guys, just wanted to chime in and say that I'm working a temp job for a scattered sites program now. They do run background checks on all adults on the lease over 18.
    However, the guys on the video look pretty young. So that's part of the problem. The other issue is that you're always going to have people that are not "officially" on the lease. They just stay with whoever the leaseholder is. What needs to happen is for CHA to check for unauthorized guest (a lease violation) both more often and randomly, although I don't know if there are any legal issues with that. Also, you guys need to keep calling the cops bacause if someone in the household gets arrested, the eviction process starts imediatley. I'm in rogers park so I know what you guys are going through. Love the blog and keep fighting the good fight guys!

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  19. Chip,

    What day did you witness the fight that moved from Wilson/Magnolia to Truman? I ask because I called 911 on a young man carrying a pipe at Wilson/Magnolia on Tues. night around 6pm. There were about ten people hanging out in front and one of them was walking around with a long pipe. I didn't stick around to see if the cops showed up, but I'm wondering if this was the same group that eventually ended up fighting.

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  20. No Name,

    The fight I saw was last night (Wed) at 7pm. So it seems the pipe in the pants is the weapon of choice as of late...well that is if you don't count illegal firearms and pic axes.

    Does anyone know if the camera at Magnolia and Wilson is working?

    How many jobs are being "saved and or created" by that 23 million dollar stimulus grant for cameras on CHA property? That money was borrowed to "save or create" jobs not babysit CHA residents. Thanks China!

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  21. There are going to be many more civilians walking down Magnolia from Sunnyside to Wilson this summer because the pedestrian path down the Truman College mall is closed for 2-3 months, and everyone from Racine and Clifton who'd normally walk down that path to get to the Wilson El stop are going to have to detour down Magnolia. Hope police are aware of this and increase their presence to protect commuters...

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  22. A video demonstrating another sign of brilliance by our great Mayor. The problem starts at the top. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-met-kass-0521-20100521,0,3497461.column?page=2&obref=obnetwork

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  23. Meg, I'm sensing Jason is in agreement with you. Richard isn't being political because he's not acting any differently than what he's been doing long before Cappleman ever ran for alderman.

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