Thursday, February 28, 2013

Call To Action: Write A Letter

Some of Charmaine Boone/Shermain Miles's many mugshots
Many readers might have first heard of Charmaine Boone/Shermain Miles when she was arrested for allegedly assaulting Ald. Cappleman last year.  For others in the Uptown/ Edgewater/ Rogers Park area, she's been a constant problem, one that more than 450 arrests over the past 20 years has not deterred.

Just off the top of our heads, we can recall her being arrested for:  mugging elderly people from behind; possession of drugs; stealing; peeing in the back seat of police cars (in the hopes that would discourage officers from arresting her); and her Oh no she didn't! moment, asking the nice people at Magnolia Cafe if she could use their ladies room on Opening Day, then locking herself in and smearing poop all over the walls.

Ms. Miles's long rap sheet lists convictions for armed robbery, attempted robbery, criminal damage to state property, retail theft (twice), possession of controlled substances, possession of narcotics (twice), attempted robbery of a victim who was handicapped or elderly, and robbery.

She undoubtedly has personal demons, but we're more concerned about the people she has affected: the senior citizens who have suffered because of her; the businesses she has robbed (both of customers and goods); and the residents she has harassed.  Most people would agree that 450+ arrests aren't indicative of someone who is capable of living an unsupervised life.

Her current home is in the Dwight Correctional Center, and Ald. Cappleman's office would like your help in ensuring that she goes into a supervised situation where she cannot be a danger to citizens in the future.
"According to the State's Attorney's Community Justice Center, Shermain Miles (a.k.a. Charmain Miles-Boone) is currently in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections for a Parole Violation. The IDOC Prisoner Review Board is the governing body determining her fate and, according to their website and suggested by a staff person at her holding facility (Dwight), letters appear to be a viable option to notify the Board of the problems she has caused in the various neighborhoods on the Northside. The hearing is scheduled for March 7, 2013.
Alderman Cappleman drafted the attached letter to the Prisoner Review Board, and the CJC has provided the attached template to help concerned citizens express their concerns regarding Ms. Miles' fate.  Her activities in Uptown have been well-documented on your website and this is a good opportunity for community members to express their concerns in detail and potentially have an impact on the fate of a very problematic individual."
If you have been affected by her behavior, either directly or indirectly, please copy and paste the following template and write a letter to the Prisoner Review Board about Ms. Miles.  This is your chance to stop being frustrated about "people with 450 arrests being on our streets" and to help do something to stop it. 

<DATE>
<YOUR NAME>
<YOUR ADDRESS>
<CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE>

Illinois Prisoner Review Board
Victim Services Unit
319 East Madison Street, Suite A
Springfield, IL 62701


RE:    SHERMAIN MILES (Inmate #: B47021)
       Victim/Witness Letter of Concern for Upcoming Prisoner Review Board Hearing


TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
 

[write your text here]


Below is Alderman Cappleman's letter:

4 comments:

  1. I’ve posted about this before... This is one evil woman, like, the worst. I called the police on her back in the summer of 2010 after she threatened to pull a gun on me and my friends. There was no gun just an angry woman demanding cash. She’s also known for her anti-racial and anti-gay hate rants. I took a calm, responsible approach to handling this woman the first time, but if I ever see her again she better hope she can run her crack head legs off.

    #1of450+

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have seen her drunk and LAYING on the concrete in from of Walgreens yelling and or mumbling. While I feel sorry for her, I have to wonder what her problem is. How did she get to be this way? Her history with arrests goes back to the early 80s?

    Was she abused? Was she raised by horrible people? Is she mentally ill? Just Bat-$hit crazy? Undiagnosed bi-polar/schizophrenic? Maybe tertiary syphilis?

    No doubt she NEEDS help as much as WE need protection FROM HER. Clearly, the justice system has FAILED her, and us, for decades with this poor poor tragic woman. She belongs in a facility where she is protected from herself, and kept away from others.

    This life on the street is all she knows. She is not capable of "changing" on her own.

    ReplyDelete
  3. it's a sad commentary when someone with 450 arrests hasn't been forceably committed.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wonder what the Judge thinks when she is in court & looks at that record? I use to see her frequently over the years.

    ReplyDelete