5:24pm: "Gang of teens on Sheridan & Windsor. My next door neighbor was waiting for her teen daughter to return from a school field trip around 4 pm this afternoon. The bus was dropping off her daughter on Windsor and Sheridan when a swarm of young teenage boys, around 14-15 years, came rushing by her with pipes and bricks. She was pretty shaken and didn’t think to call 911. She asked her daughter what was going on and her response was, “Mommy they’re getting ready to fight.” Anyone else observe this?"
5:57pm: "Not sure if there have been other reports of this but at about 5:45 as I was walking home I noticed several young men / teenagers strolling down Kenmore; one with a huge pickaxe, one with a 2x4, one with a brick, one with a garden hoe... Kinda scary if you ask me. Middle of the day, lots of people coming home from work, kids around. I didn't see anything dangerous happening, but just throught I'd bring it up."
6:21pm: "Given the number of people along Kenmore, Leland and Broadway who pulled out their phones and dialed the police this afternoon, I think the neighbors, acting together, may have averted an large scale gang fight that was brewing this afternoon (about 6 p.m.). Over the years I've seen quite a few of these tempests build but I can't say I've ever seen so many cell phones whipped out and dialed all at once. :-)"
Just added: "Around 4:00 today I called 911 after I witnessed about 20-30 black youths on Lakeside Street wielding long sticks, metal pipes and glass bottles headed towards Sheridan Rd. There must have been another 911 call because several police where very quick to respond. In the blink of an eye I saw guns drawn, several youths down on the pavement, while others where quickly nabbed and handcuffed to fences on Lakeside as they tried to flee. I even saw one officer with what looked like an semi-automatic rifle? There were several onlookers, as well as business owners just standing outside watching the whole thing unfold - all of this in the middle of the afternoon. Surreal!"
they actually headed west on leland and dispersed down to wilson, on our favorite clifton, and west on leland. a couple headed back north on kenmore. i think the brawl was more going to be in the wilson/broadway/leland area.
ReplyDeletewow, great job neighbors! thank you for picking up the phones and calling the police.
ReplyDeleteI saw the brawl that was about to break out at the intersection of Wilson and Broadway.
ReplyDeleteWhen I noticed the exchange of words and waving of the 2x4's I circled around in attempt to grab pictures. The police did arrive but many were clueless as to whom to chase. These gang bangers are to much for our fellow police officers.
It is obvious that when the weather gets warm or it is nice enough to loiter the streets something happens. So my advise to the POLICE "TAKE BACK OUR STREETS - CHASE AWAY PEOPLE THAT ARE LOITERING THE CORNERS BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT THOSE ON THE CORNER AND NOT RELAXING or CATCHING WIND. THEY ARE MAKING MONEY AND DISRUPTING OUR STREETS AND HOME"
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
These problems all come back to parental responsibility.
ReplyDeleteseriously, these were high school age boys. how do they not have anywhere to go after school?
ReplyDeleteIf we could please get Daley to make it illegal to have 2x4's, bricks and garden hoses in Chicago our problems would be solved.
ReplyDeleteThe lawlessness around this city and the lack of any politician to actually do something about the problem drives me nuts.
I was wondering why there were police cars parked on the street facing the wrong direction as I weaved past them down Wilson. Didn't know getting a cup of Dunkin Donuts with the pooch was putting my health and safety at risk, again.
ReplyDeleteGeeze, it was just a few months ago when I was duckin bullets at the Wilson Broadway currency exchange as I headed to Dunkin for another cup o'brew.
I'd have to switch to Coke.
I see from the photo that police now haul out their automatic rifles to break up our "Fisticuffs".
ReplyDeleteHelen's probably luv'n this. Her theory is that high crime keeps the gentrifiers away, and if a few dead poor kids have to be sacrificed for her cause, well, "thems the breaks".
This alderman is a true ideologue.
Mind you, legally, residents cannot own guns.
ReplyDeleteThe gangbangers on the other hand.....
Ok,
ReplyDeletethese young gentlemen had 2 x 4's, bricks, and a garden hoe?
Sounds like they were planning on some urban gardening and perhaps building a flower box of some type.
Shame on the Po Po for resorting to what looks to be a M-16 semi automatic rifle.
They should have offered to help these young gents.
Snicker, I love the spectacle of Police with rifles. That outta clear a corner.
I was walking down Broadway last week towards da Spot for a lovely meal of cowflesh topped off with some bacon and alcohol.
As I walked by Wilson some hispanic banger types in a van exchanged words with a female black teen. She kept looking back to see if they were coming and walking near me. I was thinking "get the hell away from me I'm not made of Kevlar." I crossed the street near the Aldi just to get near that concrete barrier next to Target in case the Los Pendejos came gunning for her.
This stupidity needs to stop and I wish the police the best.
Those of us who live in DAMN(Dreaded Area Montrose North) needs to start wearing kevlar.
I swear, events up here are perfect for a new "Law & Order" script or plot line.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't know who would 'play' our beloved Alderman?
This is the kind of crap that only gets worse, with the warmer months. I'm SO tired of feeling like the 46th Ward is like a ship without a rudder.
I can't wait to start shopping at Target. I hear they will have fab outdoor gear. Perhaps we can all get matching mini-mace cans.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the sporting goods department will love the high volume sales of baseball bats and hockey sticks for the frisky youth of our neighborhood.
And wait, I hear Target's ordering stocks and stocks of extra large white baggy tee shirts.
Irish Pirate, you must be right. They were urban gardening.
ReplyDeleteNow if only they had a fish farm in which to apply their urban agriculture skills, we wouldn't have these problems out on the street.
We need to get that picture of the Police with rifles in BROAD DAYLIGHT and post it all over Uptown. If this is what you want and you think THIS is an acceptable community, do nothing.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, do your part.
Thanks neighbors.
These guys aren't afraid of the police. The police come up and they just run a block or two down the street like it's a game. If this happened where I came from (and it's not a small city....100k people)...all of these guys would have been arrested.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to anyone who lives within a few blocks of (say) Wilson and Broadway: You officially have a critical mass of STUPIDS in your neighborhood. This is hardly news, of course.
ReplyDeleteI may have posted this before, but just in case:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/american-murder-mystery/6872/
wwwww is right on. These punks could care less about the cops. That needs to change.
ReplyDeleteWWWW, I wonder if that small town you came from had a criminal justice system like the one we have here. Excuse me, I should have said "alleged criminal justice system". I wonder if the criminal justice system in that small town rountinely dismissed all those arrested except those charged with the most serious offenses like ours here does. I wonder if the political establishment in that small town you came from does everything it can to appease the criminal element while at the same time do everything it can to make the job of Police Officer almost impossible. I wonder if that small town you came from has a political structure in which the elected officials operate not for their constituents but instead for themselves and their friends. I wonder if that political structure in your small town has been as successful as the one here in teaching it's Police Department that's it's better to look the other way and not do anything rather than being procative and risking home, job and freedom? I wonder if the Police Department in the small town that you came from would recognize that chasing those "children" as they would be described here by both the political establishment and the press, as an excercise in futility because absolutely nothing would be done to them to discourage their anti-social behavior. Just wonderin.
ReplyDeleteAs my father would say, "Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out"...ok, so I'm sort of kidding.
ReplyDeleteSaw two of my favorite gang bangers getting arrested on Wilson and Clifton at 7:30 last night...keep the arrests coming.
I think if they just arrested everybody outside at that time they'd probably find a lot with priors and warrants out. Take 'em all and sort it out later
ReplyDeleteCan't think of a clever name, have you ever heard of the Constitution?
ReplyDeleteWhat is being done to re-direct the behavior of these kids? Police presence is nice, but how do you stop kids from joining the family (gangs) that they have been looking to be a part of? What programs are out there for kids to join after school? Who is in charge of these programs?
ReplyDeleteYesterday evening (5/13) at about 5:15 pm, I saw a group of gang bangers being grilled by the police in front of our building on Lakeside. One police officer was saying to one of the gang bangers,"Don't lie to me, I saw you with weapons and guns earlier on Windsor!" The kids were all kneeling in front of our fence. The police were simultaneously yelling directions to each other to go down this specific alley and that specific street because of the sheer number of sightings of gang bangers running around with guns and other weapons. While this was going on, I called my friend and asked her not to walk out with her daughter until this was over. The gang bangers were loaded into Paddy Wagons by 5:45, but police activity carried on for a while.
ReplyDeleteThis is insanity. Forget Schiller. She simply breeds this. We need more media coverage and a rally in front of police headquarters.
I'm sorry, but too many of you are very naive to think that after school programs, or parenting will solve THESE problems. Programs like that work best for much younger kids, at the elementary school age, to educate them about the dangers of gangs, and the benefits of living a positive and productive life away from this type of violence.
ReplyDeleteI see the "where are the parents" comments on this blog and others, and people need to wise up and realize THERE ARE NO PARENTS - not in the loving, caring, trying to keep their kids straight sense. Parents of kids like these are clueless, and have no idea what their kids are doing in their daily lives. Do you really expect there to be a dialogue between such parents and children in which the kids are told "don't carry about a pipe and attack people" and the kid says OK and never does it again?
I'm not trying to offend anyone, but seriously folks, if you're asking "how do they not have anywhere to go after school?" you are looking at this situation in a very backwards way. The illusion of power is a very wonderful thing to kids, and that's what these kids have. It's their lifeblood. You think you're going to get them to give that up with arts and crafts workshops after school, or with sports?
These people are animals going against the grain of a civil society, they are never going to change, they do not respect law enforcement, and our police are often powerless to truly end this sort of thing.
I have no idea what the solution is, but I sure know it isn't parenting and after school programs.
Perhaps school should not be free. Instead parents should pay for it as they do in the poorest parts of India.
ReplyDeleteThe Department of Defense schools are not free. It costs the parents their service.
I am starting to really wonder about the motivation or lack thereof by the CPD.
ReplyDelete