If you see gang or drug activity happening repeatedly at one location, here's something you can do about it: Fill out a Gang/Drug House Ordinance form (linked here).You can either give it to your CAPS Coordinator or email it to Margaret.Gillman@chicagopolice.org. This is a tool with a proven track record.
The Gang & Drug House Ordinance is very helpful to building owners who are concerned about crime occurring in and around their property. Buildings that have 2 felony arrests on their property are eligible for assistance from the City to help them find effective ways to make the area in and around their building safer.
Building owners that are not motivated to make needed changes can be fined up to $10,000 per day per occurrence if they are not willing to take appropriate action.
The Drug & Gang House Ordinance gets triggered in the following ways:
- A multitude of arrests occur on that property and the Police will take steps to work with the owner to make the area safer.
- Other residents and business owners observe crimes in and around a particular property, and they complete the "Gang/Drug House Information" form.
For those of you that might "poo poo" this, I can tell you first hand that Ms Gillman is quite responsive and this stuff does help.
ReplyDeleteDoes it work for properties that are owned by a government entity?
ReplyDeleteYup, my positive experience was with a problem at a "Scattered housing" site.
ReplyDeleteWe've had several shootings in front of 840 Sunnyside already this year. I believe this is a CHA building. I spoke with a police officer after one of the shootings and he said it is a known location for drug dealers.
ReplyDeleteSo my questions are 1)Will any action be taken against a CHA building? and 2) If there have already been several incidents and this is a known location, have the police already taken steps?, If not why? 3) Should the neighbors fill out a form?
Pablo - the more you make noise, the more things will happen. Should you have to fill out a form? No. But, that is the reality we face and if filling out a form and making a follow up call once a week is what it takes, then that's what it takes.
ReplyDeleteDaley is having a special meeting on violence http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2008/04/daley-to-host-p.html
ReplyDeleteWonder if Shiller is going to attend??
So I followed your link, crewdude. Whoa! If people get frustrated on this blog...did you check out the comments section? In contrast, this blog looks tame tame tame!
ReplyDeleteI also noted that the next story was "Two Convicted in City Hall Patronage Scandal Thank Bridgeport."
Chicago: IRONY & Corruption are your middle names!
Seriously, perhaps we should engage in a letter writing campaign to arrive at Daley's office in time for the anti-violence summit? I hear that he does keep a close eye on his mail. And, I have a good idea who that unnamed U of C law professor might be if that helps.
funny daley is now crying about gangs and violence, why did this idiot stand up in Feb 07 with helen and say uptown didn't have a problem - maybe he is worried that his olympic bid may be hurt - daley and helen could care less about gang violence
ReplyDeleteWhat's scary is that Uptown's violence is rarely reported by the large media outlets. I feel like we're the only ones in the city that know. Some of our own residents don't even know how extreme it is.
ReplyDeleteOne of the cool things about this blog is that it does have widespread readership (nothing as big as any mainstream media, of course). But the word is getting out, slowly.
ReplyDelete