From this week's issue of Inside Online:
Man Shot: A laborer, 30, was shot at 2:53 a.m. Sunday, April 6 at 4646 N. Clarendon Avenue in Uptown. After the shots rang out, an officer saw the victim laying on the sidewalk and he said someone walked up to him and shot him several times with a chrome revolver. The victim was reported in good condition.
Mob Marches Down Street: A mob of 40 to 50 people armed with bats and sticks walked southbound on Sheridan Road March 28 to the 800 Block of W. Wilson. Three shots were fired and the crowd dispersed. Police believe the incident stemmed from gang activity involving the CVL’s Black P. Stone and 6D’s gangs. Two men, 17, were placed in custody for gang activity.
Vice Lords, Vice Lords: On March 26, there was a gang disturbance on the 800 block of W. Sunnyside Avenue. An 18-year-old was taken into custody for standing on the corner yelling “Vicelords, Vicelords” and blocking the walking path for an old lady and a woman with a baby stroller.
Did I hear 5 gun shots this afternoon at about 6pm at Sunnyside and Magnolia? There were about 5 pops then I saw a couple of cop cars down there but not sure what it was. Anyone know?
ReplyDeleteHI anonymous.
ReplyDeleteIt was gun shots. It happened from where I could see out my window. I was eating dinner and heard the first two and immediately got on the ground and called 911. Then there were three more shots and a car pulled out. The police came and I saw a man showing them where the car came from and left. No one was hurt...hopefully this is just an isolated incident. It was right at Sunnyside and Magnolia
The Uptown Crime Blotter says:
ReplyDelete6:00 Sunnyside and Magnolia
Shots fired 6 calls reports of four shots fired by two black males fled eastbound on Sunnyside. Witnesses say they are gangbangers from Clarendon park shot at some Black P-Stones who were congregating in the area. Police report that the gangbangers who got shot at claimed to not hear or see anything.
I was at Billy Broncho park with my son and mom. Once the shots happened, everyone started moving toward the alley and ducking down. That was the most frightened I've been in the neighborhood. But at least it was all over quickly and apparently no one was hurt. Sadly, my almost two-year-old was saying "bang bang bang" for quite a while afterward.
ReplyDeleteOutrageous, its about time they put a camera in that area. Its trouble every Summer. Its funny that I hear that now and I just say, Oh that must be gun shots. In any other neighborhood there would be hell to pay. But here its expected.
ReplyDeleteSomething needs to be done for that spot. If a police camera isn't available, maybe a private one? Isn't there a condo facing the mall? I wonder if the condo board would consider putting in a camera themselves?
ReplyDeletewhy not organize neighborhood picnics on nights there are Cubs evening games. Get neighbors in the habit of taking back the area.
ReplyDeleteAnd at 3:00 a.m. in the morning Hillary Clinton picked up the phone while Alderman Helen Shiller dreamed up new chicken legislation.
ReplyDeleteWhy not have the police work their own neighborhood during Cubs games instead of having them detailed out as free security force for the CUBS organization?
ReplyDeleteI actually had a non-response to my own 911 sex assault call. When no police came the 911 supervisor ratcheted it the call up to a rape-in-progress and the 23rd District police still did not respond to the calls for 1 1/2 hours. (They never came and 911 gave up as I was able to get into a passing city tow truck.)
When it was investigated, the police explained that they were busy working the CUBS game. Believe me, the gangs know this summer pattern of non-coverage too.
I just read your comment 9:31. My blood is boiling. It is time to have a "take back the night" march or something. All we would need to do is show that response times go up as well as non-responses during the CUBS games. And, in this post-911 era?
ReplyDeleteMarches do little other than raise awareness for a few days. They are mostly a political statement and a photo op. Not a long term solution.
ReplyDeleteThe Black P-Stone Rangers have claimed the Sunnyside Mall by Magnolia as their official gang and drug dealing spot.
A thoughtful action plan is what it will take to clean up this ever increasingly dangerous location.
Ironically, some of the solutions aren't expensive or hard to do.
The people who live around the mall need to be out, working in yard, just going out on their porches and watching with neighbors, gardening in the mall.
Security camera costs have gone way down. You can get a decent security camera system for around $1400 or so.
Edgewater block clubs have a weekly walking group organized that walks the hot spots. They bring their dogs and wear either hats or arm bands to indentify them.
I remember reading a great story about a grandmother who lives on the southside who took back her street. She started gardening, watering, weeding every day in the front of her home.
She told the gang members who were hanging out, this is my neighborhood and I'm not allowing any gang stuff to go on here.
She did it respectfully and they disappeared from her street.
Of course, Uptown has a very serious problem with many gangs vying for territory. It's become more severve recently because more gang members are moving here from the public housing that's being torn down around the city.
Uptown's got almost 6,000 units of subsidized housing, almost twice as much as Cabrini Green had. So where do you think the city is moving these displaced people?
I don't live on the Sunnyside mall but I do live right down the street. I would contribute money to getting a security camera in this spot. If the police won't put one here then we should.
ReplyDeleteWhat can we do? Can we petition to get a camera in this spot. This needs to be done from either public funds or the city. Its only a matter of time before someone gets shot in this intersection.
ReplyDeleteI think your suggestions are interesting and do-able, anon 11:09. I was more talking about a "take back the night" march which would have broad appeal for people across Chicagoland who are interested in combating sexual violence. I kinda just threw the idea out there, but if there really is some decline in response time or an increase in failing to respond during CUBS games or other City festivals, etc., there is a very broad group of people who would be willing to help us work to make sure that local resources are not siphoned off for such things. So, there are ways to improve the place amongst Uptown residents but also with the help of non-residents as well.
ReplyDeleteI just moved from Beacon north of Wilson to Montrose and Magnolia. Just a few blocks away I was not aware of the problems down here. PB, I really like your idea of organizing picnics in the mall on Cubs game nights. Does anyone have an email list for people who might be interested in this? Would anyone be interested in a "Meet Me at the Mall" evening?
ReplyDeleteI would be more than happy to donate a chunk of change to have police camera installed on the mall at Beacon, Malden and Magnolia.
ReplyDeleteThe infrastructure of this area lends itself to crime problems. The WILSON TIF study recommended that Sunnyside be opened up from Broadway through to the Mall because there are too many dead end streets. The Loyola crime study documented that the dead end streets around the Wilson El were the major crime contributors.
ReplyDeleteSO, What did the City Planners and SHiller do? They not only did not open up these streets in the Wilson TIF, they created more dead end streets.
Way to go! That's our tax dollars working to make crime worse.
It must be really, really safe done there in Lakeview.
ReplyDeleteWe Uptowners keep getting told that our crime stats say that crime is down in the 23rd District. We know they are quoting a blended rate that includes both Lakeview and Uptonw. Our experience is that end of the district isn't going so well crimewise.
If I wasn't such an internet junkie, I would have no idea that half this stuff is going on at all. Every night I catch my girlfriend up to speed with what's going on in the area because otherwise she would have no idea; she does not share my passion with trying to figure out a way to fuse my computer to my brain.
ReplyDeleteEven though blogs like UU and Uptown Crime Blotter work so hard at informing people, not everyone is an internet junkie, so unless someone is making an effort to search for this kind of info, they might never hear about "a shooting down the street."
EX: an old roommate of mine bought a place in Buena Park about 5 years ago. I hadn't seen him in a couple of years but the other day I ran into him at the grocery store and we started taking about how much Uptown has changed in the last 7 or so years and then he was like, "I can't wait till the Target goes in", and I was like, um, do you actually know what's going on there? He had no idea, never heard anything other than we are getting a Target. So I informed him about UU. I imagine there are several people just like him who would become more active if they knew what was going on in their own backyards.
We need to find a way to get people who normally don't seek out info like some of us and get them into the loop. Unfortunately lots of people still get their news from local TV stations and we all know how worthless they are when it comes to the issues that we deal with in our community. Would a giant rally/march in Uptown make the news and bring people into the loop? it would have to have a huge turnout and involve anyone who wants a safer Uptown, not just Condo owners.
The Black P-Stone Rangers are operating out of a low-income housing building and have been for years. "Why, is this allowed?", is what I want to know.
ReplyDeleteIn my 4 years here this is the worst it has ever been. It's only April and all these shootings. My greatest fear is that an innocent bystander will become a victim this summer.
ReplyDeleteAnd you-know-who hasn't had a damn thing to say about all the violence.
The Clarendon Park Neighbors are starting a watch with the help of the CPD. I think it's timew the leaders of all theblock clubs do the same.
We have 50 volunteers and that number doesn't even include spouses/significant others. We can make a change people.
I think if we could start a group that picnics/picks up trash/enjoys spending time out at Sunnyside mall on a consistent basis, it would really show the gang members that we take pride in our community. There are a lot of sociological theories that talk about when citizens put time into their community to make it look nice (ie picking up trash, cleaning grafitti) and citizens who want to spend time in the community, gang activity goes down. I think the suggestions everyone are making are fabulous, and we need a way to act on them. I am not even a condo owner, but I love my apartment and would like to stay here. I could front this email chain to get it started if people wanted. That way we could all communicate to one another and make plans for change.
ReplyDeleteI have created an email for this purpose. It is takebacksunnysidemall@gmail.com
Please email there and I will compile an email list so we can start coordinating projects to take back the mall!!!!
Hey, takebacksunnyside. I live over on the 48th ward but I would be happy to donate some money for a camera if that is something you guys are going to do. Could you keep UU informed about what CAPS is advising/what you are planning to do or something to let people know who are with you but for various reasons will not be as actively involved in your efforts?
ReplyDeletetakebacksunnyside, you should check with Uptown Crime Blotter. That blogger started its own thing on this too, asking for people to email him. Be silly to duplicate efforts when you can work together.
ReplyDeleteOk, I will email the crime blotter people and work on compiling an email list so we can act!
ReplyDelete