Tuesday, May 6, 2008

'Express Chicken & Ribs' Vandalized?

A reader sent in a pic today of "Express Chicken & Ribs" at Beacon and Wilson and noted that the front door had been covered in plywood and the restaurant was closed. We hope this wasn't a senseless act of vandalism or robbery and that they will be back to serving up great chicken soon. We will keep you posted.

19 comments:

  1. This is depressing. They make really good fried chicken, always fresh, well prepared and delicious. Unfortunately their restaurant was always almost or completely empty whenever I came by....

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  2. They did get robbed. The thieves took the cash register and dumped it in the alley once they removed the cash.

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  3. The chicken there is excellent and the owners, husband and wife, seem like very good folks.

    I guess Imagonna have to double my chicken intake this week because I stand in solidarity with all decent business owners. Particularly those who know how to cook the bird!

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  4. Yeah, I've been meaning to go there for a while. Guess I'll have to go this week and show the folks their business is valued here.

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  5. Dollop was also vandalized recently. I went there on Sunday morning, and their door had been boarded over (but they were still open!) and their cash register was stolen.

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  6. They were burglarized, not robbed.

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  7. So, Wilson Avenue ranks #5 out of 277,000 census tracts for street robberies. It is having a major problem with burglaries. And, in the past, big retailers refused to locate on Broadway because of all the boosters who shoplift.

    Signs of a flourishing drug trade with desperate customers needing their next fix if you ask me.

    So why does has that drug epicenter been allowed to exist on Racine south of Wilson for three years?

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  8. "So why does has that drug epicenter been allowed to exist on Racine south of Wilson for three years?"

    What drug epicenter is that? On Racine south of Wilson you have Truman College and then a mix of condo's and subsidized housing, and of the latter, there's only one major problem building. Magnolia and Malden are the problem streets in that stretch, not Racine.

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  9. So three is better than one, you say?

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  10. "So three is better than one, you say?"

    What are you talking about?

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  11. The owner should look into installing gates in front of their door and windows

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  12. The 3 vs. 1 comment just means that while you're complaining about which street is the actual epicenter of drug activity, you've actually proven my point. Instead of just one, there are 3 nearby streets with drug activity driving crime on Wilson.

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  13. I wasn't complaining. I was correcting your mistake.

    And your point is hardly a revelation. Yes, there is drug activity there. The police have not managed to end it. The residents who live on those streets, for all their frustration, haven't done nearly enough either. And it is the residents who ultimately will need to take action to turn that area around.

    At the latest CAPS meeting a lady complained about witnessing gunshots fired a couple weeks ago. When pressed she conceded that she hadn't called 911 or given the police any information because she didn't think it would do any good. To think she took the time to go to the CAPS meeting two weeks later but failed to call 911 when her info might have made a difference, it just shows how wrongheaded and stupid some people are about crime.

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  14. I hadn't realized until I learned at CAPS a few weeks ago that the police send the most cops to areas that have the most 911 calls.

    A friend who recently moved to the Sunnyside/Hazel area (great timing, right?) said she heard gunshots and saw a gangbanger dive into a speeding car, but she didn't call 911 because she figured someone already had, and she didn't think she had any credible information since she didn't get the license plate number.

    I told her to call and that the number of 911 calls determine the number of police. She didn't know that, either.

    So I wouldn't say people are "stupid" about crime, but more that they need to be clued in as to how the system works. Making 911 calls isn't the norm for most people. In short, educating Uptowners is the key, I think.

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  15. Mr. Taqueria Salsa On Montrose, just west of Broadway appears to have had one of it's windows broken out as well. I noticed the plywood covering this morning as I drove by.

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  16. I think this was already fixed/plywood gone, nice new window in place as of yesterday afternoon.

    All the negativity on this site, blogs, does get tiring.

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  17. I want to live in a safe, no gang no drug sales neighborhood. Am working to make that a reality.

    We live right by Racine and Sunnyside. The is a very active gang and drug area.

    The first year we lived here, we called 911 about 5 times a week. We formed a phone tree with neighbors.

    We stay connected with email. We go to CAPS meetings. We call and write letters to the property managers.

    The CAPS people held one property managers meeting for Uptown building owners. It was distrupted by Marc Kaplan and fat Dave.

    I hope Irma and the other community policing folks are planning on hosting another community meeting. This is a very important start to encouraging property managers to do a good job in managing their tenants.

    We write the Commander letters, lots of letters outlining the problems.

    We are gradually seeing changes. All the drug dealers know we are watching, calling, and taking action. It's working.

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  18. The plywood is still up on the Montrose joint next to the Driftwood.

    Seems like mucho thievin' and vandalism going on in da ward.

    GRRRRRRRR.

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  19. So what is your point? There were gunshots all the time on those streets back in the 60s. That was 40 years ago. One side of Magnolia south of Wilson had blacks on 1 side and Hillbillies on the other. It was like the Wild Wild West.The cops did nothing back then and do nothing oh so many years later. No vested interest. Does anyone remember the Gaylords sect who controlled Sunnyside and Magnolia? Ask yourself how many police officers and politicians live in Uptown versus Edgebrook(Cope corner) or Norwood Park.......

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