Friday, May 29, 2015

Last Night's Murder Victim ID'd As Rapper, Ald. Osterman Speaks Out On Violence

More information has become available about the murder last night. The victim was Shaquon Thomas, who was better known as the rapper Young Pappy. He had been in the news quite a bit since 2014, when there were two attempts on his life that resulted in the deaths of his friend, Markeyo Carr, at a Rogers Park McDonald's, and photographer Wil Lewis, who happened to be standing near him on Devon Avenue when shots rang out.  Most recently, Mr. Thomas had been living in Edgewater, where a party at his home attracted the SWAT team and a five-hour standoff on May 11th.

In an interview last summer, Mr. Thomas's father said he feared his son wouldn't survive another attempt on his life and that the young man would be moving out of state.  Sadly, his father's worst fears came true last night.

In other words, to most people he was a 20-year-old man trying to make it as a rapper.  To the gangs, he was a high-profile target.  This is just insanity.

Ald. Osterman sent out an email this morning to residents:
"Dear Neighbor,

Last night, at around 1:30 am, an individual was shot and killed on the 4800 block of Kenmore. Witnesses reported seeing a shiny black car that may have been associated with this incident. Chicago Police are investigating the death, and believe it to be gang related. The victim in this shooting had been a target in other gang-related shootings in Edgewater and Rogers Park.

I have spoken with the commanders of both the 20th and 24th Police Districts, along with the Gang Crimes Division and Mass Transit, to request additional security in our area to curb the possibility of retaliatory actions. The districts are working together to coordinate patrols to address this incident.

I ask for your increased awareness regarding potential gang activity. If you see any suspicious activity, people or vehicles in your area, please call 911 to report it. You can also text information to the Police Department:
  1. Create a new text message or SMS text on your cellular phone.
  2. Enter the number 274637 (CRIMES) in the "TO" line.
  3. In the message box, type the word CPD, a space, and then your crime tip information.
  4. Hit "send" to send the text message.
At 7pm next Tuesday June 2 at the Broadway Armory, I will be hosting our annual Police Commanders Meeting to introduce Commander Cornelia Lott from the 20th District and Commander Roberto Nieves from the 24th District. We will be discussing current public safety issues and the initiatives we are taking to address them, along with discussing upcoming Safe Summer Nights programming throughout the ward.

If you have any questions, please contact Marko Zaric at marko@48thward.org or 773-784-5277."
Stories in the Tribune, Sun-Times, and DNAinfo.

10 comments:

  1. Where exactly did this shooting occur? In front of McCutchen school or a little further north in front of the Voice of the People building.

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    1. Initial police reports put it at 4808 Kenmore.

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  2. Where exactly did this shooting occur? In front of McCutchen school or a little further north in front of the Voice of the People building.

    And where exactly will be the home base of the shooters? One of Uptown's low income housing providers such as it was for one of the gang bangers who (OOPS!) murdered photographer Wil Lewis? He lived at 810 West Grace, the taxpayer financed Section 8 Gill Park Cooperative.

    Is there a pattern here? Yeah. The gang bangers and shooters are living high on the taxpayer's dime in Uptown's plethora of poorly managed low income housing units. And why is that?

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    1. Because people living in poverty need subsidized housing more than rich people and people living in poverty are also more likely to turn to crime to survive. People living in poverty are also very likely to have experienced or witnessed violent crimes since infancy and it is normalized to them due to their constant exposure to it during their youth when they were helpless to avoid it or its long term affect on their life outlook.

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    2. So, you're defending those who perpetuate the violence? The same people who choose to put those NOT engaged in their lifestyle choices at risk for their lives and safety? The same people who decide they want to go for the fast money from drugs and organized crime instead of going to school and pulling themselves up by the bootstraps to make a better life for themselves? Stop making excuses for them--they have just as much opportunity to go down a different path as anyone else. And if they choose a life of crime and mayhem instead of trying to rise above the challenges presented to them, then they have no "right" to conduct their crime and mayhem from homes provided by taxpayers who have to pay to prosecute and jail them, and pay for the damage they cause to lives and property, too.

      Break the cycle. And the cycle doesn't get broken by immersing yet another generation of kids in the same crap the gangbangers keep doing.

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  3. Of course there's a pattern. The gangbangers have an entire network of people living in CHA and Section 8 housing within the neighborhood--Mama lives there, Auntie lives here, BabyMama A lives there, BabyMama B lives here, buddy 1 there, buddy 2 there. If the screws are turned at one place, they just shift over to another--but they know that evictions take months or years, so they just keep doing what they want unless they know they're targeted by another gang at a particular location. Drag out the eviction, then settle with building owners to move to another building in the same neighborhood--that's the pattern they've perfected. We need to change eviction laws to speed up the process and deny appeals when it involves convicted gangbangers--if we make it clear that Mama and Auntie and BabyMama will find their happyasses on the curb if they allow their spawn to hang out where they live, we'd see some major improvements. It would help immensely, too, if there was a provision in housing law to allow lawsuits by third parties--like neighbors, fellow tenants, and block clubs--to go after specific tenants AND landlords for failing to screen tenants, failing to manage their buildings, and allowing criminal activity on-site.

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  4. There is a process for neighbors. It's call the State's and City's criminal housing laws. And, there is a North Side Community Justice Center branch office of the State's Attorney that is supposed to be serving our Uptown neighborhood located at: 5333 North Western Avenue (773) 334-4066. Each police district has officer and CAPS staff trained in how to use the criminal housing laws to go after bad landlords, who purposefully or through neglect, allow crime to fester in and around their properties The police and State's attorney are supposed to work with the community to get the requisite number of arrests (I think it is 3) related to and within a certain proximity of the problem building. And, then the State's Attorney is supposed to shut down the building with legal action. Social service agencies, taxpayer funded, and CHA properties ARE NOT EXEMPT from actions.

    So, has anyone had experience with the police and SA taking action against our problem criminal housing providers. What's that I hear??? Crickets. More Silence?

    Yep, Where the heck have they been for the past 7 years? Serving Pat O'Conner's ward and neglecting ours????

    http://www.statesattorney.org/gallery_commjusticenorth.html

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  5. You are incorrect on several levels. The Community Justice Center has nothing to do with Housing Court. They are not involved with evictions or shutting down buildings. They prosecute crimes.

    And, fyi, they have been very busy in the past 7 years in the 46th & 48th wards.

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  6. My point was that, yes, there is an entire process for the City to go after problem buildings and another entire process to evict troublemakers. We all know that the system is broken and there is little will on the part of the City to go after the problems with the legal mechanisms available--so *I* would love to see alternative means made available to enforce existing laws. Federal environmental laws, for example, permit citizen lawsuits to enforce those laws if the plaintiff has "standing"--in other words, they are directly affected by the problem--and if they can demonstrate that the federal and state agencies have done nothing to enforce the law. We need the same tools to enforce what the City won't.

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  7. Unlike certain members of our community I don't have a five point program to solve the crime problem if only Cappleman would listen to ME.

    I do have some ideas though. Now let's put aside the ideas regarding botulism and Navy Seals and deal with the the possibly legal methods.

    RICO---Racketeering laws from the feds. Basically treat some housing providers as part of criminal conspiracy and/or benefiting from said conspiracy. All that needs to be shown is that they knowingly benefit from the criminal activity and facilitate it.. I think. I suspect some of the "providers" more than just know about the activity if you know what I mean. DoyaknowwhatImean? Hint hint wink wink.


    Now we're not likely to get many more cops and I'm not sure it would matter much if we did. The bangers get arrested. It's just that they generally don't get much time until the system can't ignore them. Shoot up a group of people on Church steps and you will get some time. Otherwise in and out.

    RICO is an interesting idea because it wouldn't cost the city much. Let the feds run with it. Rahm would love that plus he could take partial credit. I think the newish US Attorney might be open to something like that. He's not a complete prick like Patrick Fitzgerald. Think of the press conferences where Rahm and McCarthy get to look all butch while talking about crime.

    Another way tied into the future RICO investigation would be a civil lawsuit filed by the city and/or community groups individuals. Think Fix Wilson Yard except it becomes FFFF the Bangers.


    Seriously it might not work based on legal or political constraints but it's worth looking into. Some "providers" feel they can do whatever the FFFF they want. Put some federal heat on their booty and they might see the light. A few subpoenas for records might act like a shot across their bow.

    Quick google search of rico and landlords and voila.

    Here's another RICO and landlord case.


    Ok with two minutes of deep legal research I'd say it might could be possibly maybe perhaps would work. Or not.

    The feds might have to take a slightly different tack, to use a nautical term, but it could be worth investigating. In any case it might involve a new use for RICO or not. Perhaps it's been done and I'm unaware of it.

    The "providers" are bringing in federal dollars so that opens the door to an investigation.........or at least knocks at the door. Start knocking at their door and we might see a bit more cooperation in moving the gang element out of those buildings. To anyone worrying about the poor bangers if they move out someone else will move in to the vacated units.

    We also need a change in eviction laws where government entities can get involved and "fast track" evictions for problematic units with bangers. You do that a few times and the message will get out there. After the first few evictions bangers will either clean up their acts, unlikely, or the providers and residents who let them "stay" or "visit" the units will stop letting them stay.

    There I've solved it. That was easy. I feel like twerking!

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