Friday, June 28, 2013

Five People Shot On Sheridan & Lawrence

Tonight at 7:15, five people were shot on Lawrence, just west of Sheridan.  A young man, maybe a couple of them, opened fire at a group standing at the bus stop.
"I was walking up Lawrence to go to Positive Loitering and saw a bunch of people at the bus stop, mostly men in their 20s in white t-shirts.  When I had just passed the alley between Sheridan and Kenmore, I heard what I thought were loud firecrackers.  I turned around and saw a man in the alley behind JJ Pepper shooting towards the crowd at the bus stop.  I could see the flashes as the bullets came out of the gun.

I didn't think, I just ran to the corner.  I wanted to get around the building onto Sheridan.  The positive loiterers were there.  The security guard at Weiss Plaza was on duty.  The security guards from Lawrence House were there, maybe just 15 feet behind the shooter.  The guy with the gun didn't care, it was more important to him to shoot the people at the bus stop.  I didn't see anyone fall.  Other people did.  I heard one young woman got shot in the leg.  I also saw one guy who had been shot in the leg being led away by friends to a car before the ambulances got there.

The cops were being called by the time I got to the corner of Sheridan and Lawrence.  About 20 police were there within a minute, followed by ambulances and bike cops and unmarked squads.  Eventually the whole intersection was taped off.  I've lived here for 15 years and I'm really shaken up."
We are getting reports that there were two shooters.  And two getaway cars.  We also heard a few people stumbled into JJ Peppers to get away from the shots fired.

Since the shooting a couple weeks ago at the Cricket store in Weiss Plaza, a task force has been set up and a security guard has been hired by the management of the Plaza to stop the loitering.  We're hearing rumors that he was onsite, but inside one of the stores when the shooting took place.

There were a ton of witnesses there, so let's hope they do the right thing and talk to the cops about what they saw.  If you happen to have seen something that you think might help the police in their investigation, please call 911 and tell them you were a witness, and ask to be put in contact with the 20th district police detectives.

This shit needs to stop.

The Tribune says four people are in serious to critical condition, and one is in good to fair condition.

Update from the Sun-Times, pretty much reiterating the same as the Trib story.

57 comments:

  1. Well I will have to stop taking the bus at the Lawrence/Sheridan stop. I will go a few blocks east to catch the bus, and I won't ride my bike that way.

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  2. This corner has been notorious for years - If I'm not mistaken, there's been at least one shooting there within the past week.

    Many of the problems on Argyle are because of the SROs nearby. What is it about Sheridan & Lawrence that invites all this trouble?

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    1. Give me a break!!!! These kids are living with relatives, not in SROs!!!! Leave that out of it!!!! Trouble is EVERYWHERE!! MOVE ON AN ISLAND!!!!

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    2. Single room occupancy (more commonly SRO, sometimes called a single resident occupancy)

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  3. I was having dinner at Dib and saw the gunman Ina black hoodie run north up the alley behind JJPeppers. It was like the Wild West.

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  4. Amen... ITS SENSELESS!!! I feel for the parents....

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  5. Six?? God help us. Heard the shots while sitting on the deck. Knew immediately they were not fireworks. Called 911. After 12 years living at Kenmore and Lawrence, this is the worst I can remember.

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  6. How do we, as a community, reach these kids before they've got on the long white t-shirt? If the system isn't working and the parent's aren't able to do it, what can we do as a community? I know of the Girls & Boys Club and Alternatives for example. Can anyone list the organizations that are doing good work in this area? I feel like I need to do something.

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    1. So when young men wear white T shirts they must be criminals huh? Parental supervision will NOT stop this because many of the guys who hang on Lawrence/Sheridan are adults. Im from uptown since 1983, this is a gang war, Lawrence/Sheridan is a GD (gangster disciples) stronghold, it used to be 4848 n Winthrop A.K.A L Dub. Black stones/Latin Kings are on argyle, more stones are on Wilson/magnolia and the Eastside of Wilson is Clarendon park, a vice lord/4CH stronghold so do your math instead of saying these PEOPLE with white T shirts.

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  7. People need to stop having kids that they can't take care of (or supervise) and turning them loose on society. All the Boys and Girls Clubs in the world can't replace two loving, attentive parents that teach their kids right from wrong, etc.

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  8. Again!? ! ? This shit is out is hand! Now that kfc has put us sub out of business, I suggest putting a cpd caps outpost in the vacated spot. This of course should be donated from the owners of the strip mall. If they are unwilling to do so, then jj peppers or their liquor license has to go!! Also, socio-political arguments aside, a curfew on that corner needs to be implemented. Not knowing how many of my fellow residents are naive, but when I pass that corner, I know 2/3 of those people hanging out are up to no good. I have witnessed brazen drug transactions, there is no fear of consequences.

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  9. Now they are saying SIX people shot.

    6 Shot Outside Uptown Store

    Someone shot six people who were standing outside J.J. Peppers Food Store in the Uptown neighborhood on the North Side, police said.

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-fire-department-reports-5-shot-in-uptown-20130628,0,2331328.story

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  10. They need to implement a old tactic to curb all this conflict it worked years ago it will work today. it goes like this anymore than 3 in a crowd will be arrested for states disorderly among other issues that might arise from the stop and the arrest. Its always the same people out ther, the police know who they are sooner or later they will float on; this needs to be implemented all over our city......

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  11. Some of the blame for this needs to be laid at the feet of the CPD. If they did better job policing our neighborhood and intervening with loiterers, public drinkers, and other sorts of trouble makers the escalation to violence could be lessened.

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  12. People are getting injured in this neighborhood today because the "pimping poverty" industry moved here in overwhelming numbers and stayed entirely unregulated until Alderman Shiller left office. We remain heavily burdened in Uptown with those who require subsidies (yet always have sufficient disposable income for drugs, alcohol, gas-guzzling cars etc). The solution for Uptown is to allow other neighborhoods to share in the burden.

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  13. As long as the CPD continues to ignore problems like loitering, public drinking, etc., I'm afraid it's only going to get worse.

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  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  15. @your neighbor,

    Actually, I'd say the concentration of SRO/low income housing is to blame. While I know you (or others) will say that the people there are good/nice people who just want to live their life, the sad reality is that those locations and situations attract what can be best described as "undesirable elements".

    To use an example from our own micro-area, I live in the Buena Park area of Uptown, and these events don't happen here. Is it because the forces and individuals behind this don't know that there is area/land/people/etc south of Lawrence/Wilson? I don't know about you, but I'm not going to bet that it's due to them knowing this part of town exists.

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  16. Anthony, I agree with you 100%. Uptown seems to be the #1 neighborhood for vagrancy. Young men in white t-shirts are up to no good. They all wear the same style of shirt to make it harder for witnesses to identify them.

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  17. Is there a way we can generate more funding for the work that CeaseFire/Cure Violence does for the city? I believe their approach is the best out there right now. http://cureviolence.org/news/rogers-park-uptown-ceasefire-on-anderson-cooper-360/

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  18. Bravo to Uptown Revivalist. When there is demand for a product someone will supply it, but where dose all the supply come from and who is making the most profit from it? Is it the kid on the street who is risking his life who is making the big money? Watch American Drug War and find out who the real drug dealers are? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CyuBuT_7I4

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  19. @ eric

    Have you been to the Jewel at the corner of Sheridan and Montrose lately? I'd consider that Buena Park, and it's certainly "south of Lawrence/Wilson". This corner in particular is a problem with no SROs within blocks. People congregating at all hours of day and night, drinking, causing trouble and the CPD doing next to NOTHING about it.

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  20. The problem isn't as simple as subsidized housing, SROs or the CPD.

    Too many young people are attending schools that don't adequately meet their needs. When they fail there, there are almost no options for them to make a decent living. And because gangs have become a seemingly unavoidable part of urban culture, they are often seen as the only option...especially for those who are bullied into joining.

    How many of these young people are/were raised by parents who made all of the same choices? A cultural mold has been cast and only widespread, systemic change is going to shatter it.

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  21. The gangs might not live in the SROs, but their customer base sure does. If the SROs keep the demand high, then the gangs will fight over who gets to supply and profit. If Uptown gets rid of the market, the gangs will move somewhere more profitable.

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  22. Does JJ Peppers have their own security inside the store? They seem to toelerate the trouble makers because they are always purchasing liquor inside.

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  23. @jenn

    Cease Fire may have difficulty obtaining funding for new anti-violence activities after the revelation that their former leader, Tio Hardiman, is facing domestic battery charges for beating his wife.

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  24. In response to what fred's dad wrote, I'd like to say I live very close to the corner of Wilson and Hazel and there is a small SRO there. It is just east of Hazel on the south side of Montrose. I often see many of the same individuals who are sitting at the entrance to the Jewel parking lot or camped out on the sidewalk for hours on end, going in and out of that SRO. Some of those people also like to sit in the outdoor seating area for Food Town, making it impossible to enjoy that space. These individuals often appear to be intoxicated and/or high. At least once each week I see the police visit the SRO, so the place is a problem.

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  25. How can you feel for the parents? If the parents were more involved in their children's lives then we would have less thugs running around the streets beating their chest as if they are Tarzan.

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  26. americanlt said...

    Does JJ Peppers have their own security inside the store? They seem to tolerate the trouble makers because they are always purchasing liquor inside.

    They have in the past, but I haven't seen a security person there recently. And really, how much can a security person actually do when loiterers (whether panhandlers or bangers) seem to so easily intermingle with those who are simply waiting for a bus? I worry for the elderly people I've seen there, seeking shelter from the wind/rain by JJs while waiting for the 81.

    According to an email from Mr. Cappleman, repositioning the bus stop was proposed to the CTA and is "still being reviewed."

    Perhaps last evening's incident will finally convince the CTA to get off their asses and do it.

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  27. This is just ridiculous. The Uptown mentality to protect and pity the people who are terrifying the community is just so tired, I cannot stand it anymore. Essentially what we have here is a handful of very easy to identify teenagers who are more powerful that our elected officials and policemen - they run this community because they get away with whatever they want. In two days they will all be back here, loitering, swearing, littering, selling drugs and keeping the community a shit hole. CAPS meetings, positive loitering, newsletters, love-ins, community centers... none of it is working. There needs to be a very direct and in-their-face approach to the individuals who are doing this and it sadly seems that this is not coming from the police. I wonder how long it will take for the community to take this issue into their own hands and engage these people using a form of dialogue they understand. I hope it does not come to that because violence only brings more violence, but this is clearly out of control.

    Enough is enough.

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  28. To Common Sense,

    KFC did not put US Sub out of business. The fact that it was a gang hangout led the management company for the mall not to renew the lease. US Sub wanted to stay.

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  29. @mr concerned @uptownism - amen to that.

    The CPD needs to fight fire with fire. Enough with their hands tied behind their backs. They need to be able to do their jobs.

    F these little shits and their civil rights. They gave those up when they chose to fire a weapon on someone. Tired of this bs of walking on eggshells and political tap dancing.

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  30. Uptownism, I couldn't agree more. This kumbaya bull shit is tired. I understand, Uptown is full of wise liberals: it's not the "kids" fault, it's the system's fault. Bad parenting. Well, sure we do need to address the system at some point, but even more so we need to address the current crisis and criminals. Hard. Pinning thugs against the wall, breaking some skulls. Communicating in the only language they know. I have zero...ZERO!...pity for anyone walking around with a gun or knife with the intent to harm. I wish we had a Dexter living amongst us in Uptown.

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  31. Idea #1. Satellite police station inside the stripmall.
    Idea #2. Zero Tolerence any known gangbanger is to move from the area.
    Idea #3. City Ordinance. Standing in one spot for more the 10minutes will result in arrest. Look into Cicero it works for them. (How much safer would Wilson and Lawrence be?)
    Idea #4. Any business allowing loitering in front or around their business will be fine and finally shut down.


    If you want uptown to be a safe area to walk in you need to stop the

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  32. Before any positive changes are to be made in Uptown, the residents of this neighborhood need to start being honest with themselves. There are two distinct groups populating this area.

    One group sees the gang violence that has been happening as nothing more than an inconvenience to themselves. These people are generally more concerned about the condo they purchased at a great price not increasing in value. It is from this group that we get brilliant comments about long white t-shirts. These are the residents who seem to be so familiar with inner workings of street gangs, and have some how acquired detailed knowledge of what it is like to live below the poverty line. They seem to think that living on government assistance is a care-free vacation, and that young men join gangs for fun. I mean, why don't they just go get a job, right?

    There is another group of Uptown residents who consider themselves to be members of a community. The members of this group don't respond to violence with thinly veiled hate-speech, but instead they are overcome with the sense that they have to do something. They offer their time and skills to volunteer organizations not just in Uptown, but all over the city because they recognize that, like it or not, we are all in this together. These are the only people who can work towards easing the plight of Chicago's underclass.

    Our politicians and elected officials obviously have no interest in what is happening in the streets. They have made that clear time and again. Most local business owners don't care what happens as long as they are making their money. The police have no interest in solving the gang problem. Their only interest is keeping it contained to the parts of the city that tourists and professionals don't have to see (For some reason we applaud the police for arriving on the scene of a shooting quickly, but we never question why they aren't present in the community before the bullets start flying). As mentioned earlier, most of the residents don't really care about what is happening unless it inconveniences them in some way.

    This leaves only a small group of community members who see gang violence as a disease to be cured, not a monster to be locked away. Any solutions to this issue are going to come from this small group of people who understand that being black and wearing a white t-shirt should not relegate you to permanent status as a second-class citizen. It is this small group of people who need to assemble and share their ideas with each other, free from the ignorant bias of so many who claim to be members of the Uptown community.

    If any true Uptown residents read this and want to gather to discuss why our community's young men are being gunned down in the streets, then speak up. Nobody can do this for you.

    Assemble -> Discuss -> Act

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  33. These gangbangrrs need access to a practice shooting range. They need to learn how to shoot straight and kill their targets which are other gangbangers, everytime one is wounded my taxes pay for the emergency services needed to get the gangbanger back on the street.

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  34. You can sit in your safe home and analyze to your heart's content and enjoy calling your neighbors racists and "untrue" Uptowners.

    But one things remains a fact:

    Six people were gunned down on a busy street corner in broad daylight.

    Think about it. SIX PEOPLE WERE GUNNED DOWN ON A BUSY STREET CORNER, IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, INCLUDING WOMEN WAITING FOR A BUS.

    That's not the fault of anyone except the gunman.

    If you find that behavior in the least bit acceptable, then there is something very wrong with you.

    You can try to make this all about the property-owning neighbors you feel shouldn't be here, but the fact is, no one can be faulted for wanting to be safe.

    No community tolerates violence or the people who create it, nor should it.

    No one is at fault here except the person who gunned down six people, and the people who make excuses for him.

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  35. fear_of_a_black_planet - you act like hard working citizens who have scrimped and saved to buy property in Uptown are the enemy because they hope it appreciates, yet gang bangers who derive their $$ by dealing on our streets somehow have a more legitimate lifestyle. I have no doubt that everyone here agrees this violence needs a cure, but your attempt to demonize the hard working, honest Uptowners who pay taxes shows your own bias.

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  36. Yeah, I'm stupid.

    An organized community movement that utilizes the talents of the lawyers, social workers, and educators who live in Uptown, is a terrible idea. It's better to ignore the actual problems that lead to senseless violence.

    Let's start a militia instead! Yeee-hawww!! Everyone knows that the best justice is vigilante justice. And nothing says vigilante justice like a good ol' fashion posse.

    Good luck with the tough-talk and name calling!

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  37. FOABP, I'm one of those condo owners who's concerned about safety. There's some truth to what you have to say, but you also seem to be off base as well. Why the need to divide people into 2 camps and one camp is all bad and the other is all good? You aren't helping to bridge any gaps here.

    Owning a condo and being concerned about property values is really okay. It shouldn't be the lone reason for wanting to rid the area of violence, but it's fair to say that many of the people I see caring about the community and volunteering to make the community better do own their place.

    I do see much of this as an issue of class. Many of us were brought up to believe we had to do well in school and work hard to make something of ourselves. We might get irritated when we view some who didn't try in school and who didn't work hard to better themselves and they still expect a handout. Had I grown up in poverty and had parents who didn't encourage me to do well in school, I would have probably turned out differently. I'm not going to deny my upbringing just like I'm not going to deny someone's upbringing who didn't get the support they needed to better themselves.

    I think it's unfair to classify all politicians and store owners as not having any interest in what's happening in the streets. Many of politicians got involved in politics precisely because they do care. Not all of them, but there are plenty of good ones out there just like there are plenty of good people who are poor. I also know plenty storeowners who really give of themselves to the community and having them around makes this neighborhood great.

    The police are not suppose to be solving the gang problem. That's not their job. Their job is to restore law and order. Law and order is suppose to be good, right? The job of social workers and politicians is to address the underlying issues that have people commit crimes, but it's a mistake to put that on the police.

    So there are many ways to make this community better. We all do what we can do and hopefully, all of us are doing a number of different things because you and I both know there's no one solution to making this community safer for everyone.

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  38. Thank you, TrumanSquareNabr, for putting this crisis in the proper perspective. There's a divide here that shouldn't exist. A problem like these requires BOTH approaches: the systemic and the symptomatic. I think everyone agrees that community-wide efforts should be made to address the systemic problems and prevent future crime.

    However, that still leaves us with street-hardened criminals who no longer give a shit about jobs or education or other lives. These are the symptoms that need to be dealt with immediately. So we need BOTH approaches. It is not some false either/or choice. Just because you favor one approach does not mean that the other approach is less necessary, or that those who support the other approach are less interested in solving the problem. Some people think long-term. Other people see innocent people being shot on the street and want to do something NOW.

    I don't advocate vigilante posses for goodness sake. That's stupid. Just as is assuming that people who favor a firmer response assume every young black man is a gangbanger. It's quite convenient to paint your perceived opponents (which are, again, just those who see the problem from a different and legitimate perspective) as mere racists. What I do advocate is a much more aggressive police response and crackdown.

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  39. Oh, and I am a lowly Uptown renter of four years.

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  40. CPD needs to look into how NYC reduced their crime. The "broken windows" attack on crime. The vagrancy is what needs to be targeted first. Arrest the winos, gangsters, panhandlers ect...The citys new littering laws are a step in the right direction.

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  41. @fearofablackplanet makes some great points, but of course most are too busy turning their noses up at him to catch them. sMh. Keyboard warriors won't save uptown. Nor will outrageous ideas like murdering to stop murder.

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  42. This was ridiculous. Especially at this time of day, at such a busy place, at a nearby bus stop, on a weekend which draws tons of people out and to the neighborhood, after some efforts to deter these instances from happening at this location many times before, and following a recent prior event at the same location.

    I think everyone knows that the SRO's MAY contribute, the parenting (or lack thereof) May contribute, the system which seems to be a revolving door for these kids to just end up on the streets again - May contribute, etc. I don't think any one is right or wrong in point the finger at any one of these items, regardless of the programs which do show success in some areas...but seem to attract the eye of others because they're not working here (ie, I'm not trying to make a blanket statement that SROs can't be successful any/elsewhere, ceasefire, positive loitering, etc...they just don't seem to be cutting it, here, at least given what the trend is lately).

    My personal (and what I would gather is part of other people's) frustration, is that we don't need more laws, discussions with management, etc, etc...from clean sweeping projects to neighborhood cleanups in other areas of Chicago, this type of problem has been in the past taken care of in this city (others/activists/social welfare/etc people may have disagreed with HOW it was done, but it has nevertheless been done). I just wonder what it will take before some action which will effectively take care of the problem, is enacted. Will it be more of these shootings? Will it be an innocent bystander or two from the neighborhood? Will it be a five year old child? The longer this crap continues, the longer I wonder what the price will eventually be.

    (And yes, while I realize there are many obstacles to effective, perhaps controversial or even harsh action against those individuals/groups who are the key proponents - mainly funding by the city of Chicago. However, I am never surprised at the lack of barriers - monetary, political, or otherwise - the city seems to forgo when it wants to actually take care of something; and I'm sorry to say, I'm all for it in this case. I just wonder/fear what the cost/breaking point needs to be for this to happen.)

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  43. So, ChiTownPhilly, how did moving to Lakeview help change Uptown? Talk about putting your nose in the air.

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  44. This is why Chicago needs to get rid of these ridiculous laws that prevent law abiding citizens from possessing and carrying firearms. When you create laws that give the criminals the upper hand you shift the power to the derelicts instead of the tax paying citizens. If more citizens were carrying these idiots would think twice about opening fire in broad daylight. Since the police force is unable to maintain the peace it is time for the citizens to contribute. We also need to allow the police to do their job. Arrest these losers. We see them EVERY day the same morons standing in front of the same businesses selling drugs.

    As for the gang problem as a whole. We should treat the gang as a single unit. If any one person in the gang commits murder then any other member of the gang that is arrested should be imprisoned for that murder.

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  45. Oh please, wont stand down, allowing citizens their right to conceal and carry guns will not make one iota of difference in shootings like these. These are armed gangbangers shooting at other gangbangers that they KNOW also have guns. Doesn't seem to deter them. Hey I support the second amendment rights but I am also smart enough to know it wouldn't make a difference in shootings like these.

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  46. wont-stand-down, please tell us you're kidding.

    There are at least 30,000 GDs alone. If you consider the entire Folk Nation presence in the city that number will increase. Do you really think locking up a few hundred at a time will make any difference? Do you think their lives in prison are drastically different from their lives on the street?

    America has been getting "Tough On Crime" for decades, and it doesn't work. It serves the purpose of keeping Black and Latino communities in perpetual turmoil, but does nothing to remedy crime. But, making urban communities safe was never really the goal, was it?

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  47. Black Planet, why don't you meet up with other conspiracy theorists at the next "Man didn't really walk on the Moon" convention. Your comments are boring and inane. They make me laugh a little though, so thanks for that!

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  48. Yes! The ridiculous inequalities in our penal system are imaginary!

    There is a great book by this wacky conspiracy theorist Michelle Alexander called The New Jim Crow.

    Maybe one of the literate Updaters can read it and then explain it to Uptown SuperHero!.

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  49. I always thought that the Chicago is becoming like Iraq analogy was not real. But when 6 people get shot at once it is like a urban war zone. The sad part is that this incident didn't even make the evening news. Uptown is becoming that bad.

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  50. We need longer mandatory prison sentences for serious, violent crimes, and sentencing laws that are tight enough that lenient judges cannot easily weasel out of them and let felons off with light or "suspended" sentences, or give credit for time spent in holding pens, as too often happens now.

    Peel the onion on these shooters, and you will likely find that they have rap sheets longer than Sheridan Road, that include many shootings, beatings, and armed robberies, yet these people are returned to the streets repeatedly. There should be NO CHANCE of someone who has murdered or seriously injured someone by shooting, beating, stabbing, arson, or any other type of assault, ever being free again, yet these people are routinely set free after laughably light sentences.

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  51. AmericanIt, it was the lead story on Channel 7 evening news, and they reported on it again the next morning...

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  52. What are the police going to do. They arrest them and these honor students often are back on the street before the ink on the paperwork is done. Majority of the time the CCSAO (whose leader is an elected official) pleads what should be felonies down to misdemeanors. Elected judges allow this, allow low bail, probation, parole etc. Crimes that should keep one in prison for years often result in just several months in county or even just probation. This is a death sentance to the average working person, but to someone in "the life" is a minor speedbump.

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