A reader writes in:I live on the 4600 block of Racine - and at 4:20 today there were almost 100 (?) kids gathered and yelling at the corner of Racine and Leland - even climbing on a parked car there. They all ended up running south on Racine - in the street. I was calling 911 when the police arrived..so I hung up and took some photos. I wish I would have gotten better pictures showing how massive the group was...
Signed,
A big fan of your blog
I give a certain group of people about 30 minutes to be all over this post.
ReplyDeleteSorry, P-Dub, I know I'm not who you thought would be posting here.
ReplyDeleteI was out driving around Truman Square at 3:30 today and everywhere we went, there were tons of cop cars and more kids than normal on the streets.
I saw Ofcr. Judy Jenkins escorting one kid into the back seat of a cruiser, but there were cops (in squad cars and in unmarked cars) all up and down Wilson, on Sheridan and Leland, Broadway and Wilson, and probably more places I can't remember. Didn't see any disturbances, just lots of cops and lots of kids.
My mom was visiting from Florida and I could tell from her expression that she wasn't buying my explanation that "the neighborhood's improved a lot, really it has!" ;-)
i noticed one large group outside truman at about 4ish near the fire station screaming at some girl who was getting on the EL at that moment. It was crazy and annoying cause they were blocking the sidewalk so it was hard to get by, I almost wanted to call the cops just to complain about all the loitering but then i realized i didnt care much once i got past them.
ReplyDeleteAny idea what all these kids were around for>?
They was "Wilding"
ReplyDeleteThey was "Wilding"
ReplyDeleteReal helpful
"Wilding"
ReplyDeletea slang term that refers to the practice of marauding in bands to terroize strangers and to swagger and bully
Example: We were bored, all six of us, so we decided to go out wilding
I saw this scene too. The conversations went mostly like this:
ReplyDelete"You shut up."
"Naw girl, you shut up."
"No, you shut up!"
"Shut up!"
Naw girl, you shut up!"
and so on . . . .
"wilding", "flash mobs" whatever you call it...
ReplyDeletethat's so 90s
hmmmm- ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence?
ReplyDeleteI've seen the same thing in Edgewater. There was a big gathering like this at Winthrop and Balmoral last spring. I'd say there were about 50-60 kids that looked to be around high school age screaming and carrying on while blocking the sidewalk, etc. The cops showed up pretty quickly to break it up and most of them took off running.
ReplyDeleteAre these things planned events? What is ths point?
The last time I checked the U.S. Constitution still protected freedom of assembly.
ReplyDeleteAmendment I
ReplyDeleteCongress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
nathaniel...you left out a word "peaceably". Of course you probably believe as long as there was no bloodshed it was "peaceable."
So what's the school(s) nearby? Might that be the sourt of the group. After 4 p.m., probably leaving school. If this concerns you, you probably want to contact the school. While they probably can't do anything once the kids leave the grounds, they can advise them in school to avoid the big congregations and acts that can get them arrested like climbing on cars that aren't theirs.
ReplyDeleteAlthough other than the car-climbing (which seems to be the only crime being committed), this is merely annoying. Was there another crime committed or were these kids just shouting and getting in your way?
ReplyDeleteOh, this younger generation! Back when I was their age, we saved this sort of stuff for after the football or basketball game - win or lose, who cared? It was party time either way! :-)
ReplyDeleteHey man on the street, when fifty kids are screaming at you on the street and threatening you with violence, its called terrorism and is not in any way protected by the constitution.
ReplyDeleteHey man on the street, when fifty kids are screaming at you on the street and threatening you with violence, its called terrorism and is not in any way protected by the constitution.
ReplyDeleteThen why the hell didn't anyone say THAT'S what happened instead of posting simply that there were a bunch of kids on the street. if they threated you with violence, how about mentioning that little tidbit next time before trying to reprimand someone on the situation? So what where the threats and who received them here?
its called terrorism
ReplyDeleteAnd it's not called terrorism. The wrong era to try and cheapen that word.
"if they threated you with violence, how about mentioning that little tidbit next time before"
ReplyDeleteNo kidding, walking down the street in a large group doesn't hurt anybody and is protected in the Constitution as a "peaceable assembly" if they were threatening you (which I doubt they actually were you just felt threatened because of your personal alienation from these people) then that is what should be posted about not a large group of people walking down the street.
Nathaniel, do you ever post here except to tell everyone how wrong they are?
ReplyDeleteBecause if that's the case, maybe you should find a blog that's more to your liking.
Because if that's the case, maybe you should find a blog that's more to your liking.
ReplyDeleteChange "blog" to "neighborhood" and that same phrase has angered a lot of people here.
MotS, you're absolutely right.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Nathaniel will post the address of a Couraj or Copwatch blog or meeting so we can return the favor of every viewpoint available in Uptown being heard in every forum.
I live nearby and found it rather annoying, yesterday, too. Same situation as the person who wrote this in-- was calling 911 but a cruiser showed up.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of threats were made? Specifically to/at you windy?
I figured this was another 'block party' like the one last year where they blasted music and had signs like "Get back at them with music".
Sounds like it was a bit more ominous...
Well guys,Uplift,Stewart,and quite a few other schools are in this area,a large amount of the kids in uptown attend these schools,or get off the train on wilson.This sometimes causes issues,because lest we forget,these are children,and their are rivalries in place and no not 'GANG" rivalries,but sports,boyfriends girlfriends,family,racial,etc.I am curious to find out what you thought was going on!AAAAAHHHHHH,A TAKEOVER RUN!!!VIVA LA REVOLUTION!!!!No really though I used to be one of those kids and walking home from school just got loud and a little out of hand sometimes,we were teenager,our moms didn't pick us up we commuted,walked,ran.....if you were late like I always was.If someone witnessed violence which no one has stated,than yea use that well groomed dialing fingercall the police.(itchy isn't it)If not,relax,not all groups of people are out to get you.They are kids and most of them good ones,don't be sooooooo predictable !!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I buy it.
ReplyDeleteThe kids are yelling, acting with no supervision and as if they have absolutely no manners. They do block the public way, and cause people to perhaps not go to local businesses or loiter "peaceably" on benches and in parks, etc.
They also seem to always been smoking, in my experience, a very high percentage of them. And saying very incendiary things to and about each other.
I hate to jump on a high horse, again, but this is why I believe so much in the Boys and Girls Club and similar programs, like after school, etc. The hours of 3-6 PM are the most dangerous for kids this age to be out on the streets, after school but with no parents (presumably they are still at work).
These incidents seem to be isolated to kids I believe are slipping through the cracks, or don't have the best parental involvement, or perhaps just want to make trouble. The huge groups are rare but I am sure they are almost definitely planned that day at school or ahead of time. If any parents read this blog and can check their child's text messages I bet we would find that out really soon.
At any rate, when you think it is suspicious, call the cops. Simple. If they are peaceably assembled, nothing will happen. I see it all the time in the Sunnyside concrete park. Just kids being kids :-)
I am curious to find out what you thought was going on!AAAAAHHHHHH,A TAKEOVER RUN!!!VIVA LA REVOLUTION!!!!
ReplyDeletedon't be sooooooo predictable !!!!!!!!
And same to you, Ms. Trott.
Does this have anything to do with the multitude of school buses that go down Magnolia 7 days a week? I mean, at least 30 times a day buses go north from Montrose to Wilson, I think they are going to Truman. I chose a side street to live on because I didn't want bus exhaust coming through my open windows. Does anyone know anything about this?
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting...in this post we have tnt and nathaniel saying the perception of threat is imaginary and false. In an earlier post ron durham saying the the perceived threat/intimidation is real. So if the "haves' feel threatened/intimidated it's a figment of the imagination. If the "have nots" feel threatened/intimidated it's actual.
ReplyDeleteI heard from a police officer that the kids were walking on some of the parked cars and damaged them. I have a $500 deductible on my car insurance. My forgiving nature goes out the window on that kind of stuff, but that's just me.
ReplyDeleteQuick question for you Nathaniel. Was your car damaged in this? If it was, did you just chuckle and say kids will be kids?
"I heard from a police officer that the kids were walking on some of the parked cars and damaged them."
ReplyDeleteHoley Moley
What my point was is that this information should have been what was in the post. Not the vague information about a group of kids walking down the street that was given. There is nothing illegal, illicit, or harmful in a group of kids walking down the street.
is that near N Broadway ...... or S Broadway LOL
ReplyDeleteThe very first sentence of the original post clearly says they were not just walking down the street natahiel.
ReplyDeleteUptown Update's crime here is that they didn't report what wasn't reported to them?
ReplyDeleteThis is what a blog does. It doesn't know all the information about an event. It's one point of view. If comments are permitted, other perspectives will post what they witnessed.
You may end up at something that tells the whole story, but you probably won't.
Uptown Update's crime here is that they didn't report what wasn't reported to them?
ReplyDeletei personally didn't respond to that bit of info. Yes, I read the line about a kid (kids?) climbing on a car. What I personally responded to was someone here stating their were personally threatened by one or more of the kids with violence (windycityeagle to be exact) and then stating it as if it it was common knowledge (it wasn't mentioned in the story at all). I merely asked what were these personal threats of violence and who here was specifically threatened.
BTW, still waiting for those answers...
I can see where someone, when confronted with a shouting mob climbing on cars, could feel threatened and not notice the need to say they were specifically threatened.
ReplyDeleteI can see where someone, when confronted with a shouting mob climbing on cars, could feel threatened and not notice the need to say they were specifically threatened.
ReplyDeleteI've been near shouting mobs who were turning over cars and not felt personally threatened (Sly Stone non-concert in Grant Park). It's not a given that you feel threatened.
That's you. I specifically didn't say "would" I said "could".
ReplyDeleteThat's you. I specifically didn't say "would" I said "could".
ReplyDeleteTrue enough, but just because someone says they feel threatened, it doesn't mean there's a real threat. When this story first started it basically consisted of a bunch of kids walking down the street, shouting. Reportedly one or more got on a car or cars. No one else wrote that they were directly hassling anyone/threatening anyone. They said they were "annoying" and that it was "hard to get by". Someone else said the kids were mainly arguing amongst themselves.
Then one person proposes the generic idea of kids screaming at "you" and threatening "you" with VIOLENCE, without getting specific. The way the statement was phrased who knows if it even happened. C'mon, those are some pretty important charges, criminal even. So yeah, I wanted some specifics since this is the only person to make that claim.
If it was only the fact that there were lots of kids on the street whose mere presence made the person nervous, then I'd say get over it. If they actually made a threat to them, that's an entirely different situation. Even seeing them climb on a car is not a "threat". If it's your car, sure. But other than that, it's wrong, it's criminal even, but a "threat"? How?
If there are bands of kids walking down the street threating violence to strangers in broad daylight, you'd better be specific if you want it to stop.
As I understand it, there were two different fights between females getting out of school, and then the situation escalated to the many kids getting out of school at the same time. So that's why there were lots of kids on the streets, running and jumping on cars, and the reason there were lots of cops, to keep the situation from escalating further.
ReplyDeleteSo man on the street just add your name to my earlier comment that if an individual feels threatened where you wouldn't they're unreasonable?
ReplyDeleteSo man on the street just add your name to my earlier comment that if an individual feels threatened where you wouldn't they're unreasonable?
ReplyDelete1)Why are you making it generic? I was referring to THIS SPECIFIC SITUATION, i.e. a bunch of kids walking down the street, congregating and reportedly climbing on cars. The person who wrote about feeling threatened didn't make any specifics. They basically said, "Well, how would you feel if...?" They posted a hypotentical. If there was a REAL threat here, then say so. If there was no threat but the person is just speculating, then it's pointless. And if they FELT threatened by the mere sight of a bunch of kids on the street, yeah, get over it. Guess what? it's going to happen again. If they actually WERE threatened by a bunch of kids, they tell us how. It might help.
2) Yes, there are times when a person claiming they're feeling threatened is being unreasonable. And there are times when a person feeling overconfident is being unreasonably overconfident. You can be unreasonable in a lot of situations. But it depends on the situation.
Sorry, that word, of course, should have read "hypothetical".
ReplyDeleteActually man on the street...it looks like we've all gotten a bit off track (myself included). It's an illustration of the old gossip game. All of my comments have been to other comments without regard to the original post. That said, and given the nature of our beloved Uptown, I don't think it's a stretch to be concerned by a large group of shouting running youth in an area where shots have been fired fairly recently.
ReplyDeleteThat said, and given the nature of our beloved Uptown, I don't think it's a stretch to be concerned by a large group of shouting running youth in an area where shots have been fired fairly recently.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I would be concerned and watch my back if I saw this, but, anyway...
Look, all I was trying to is figure out this statement:
Hey man on the street, when fifty kids are screaming at you on the street and threatening you with violence, its called terrorism and is not in any way protected by the constitution.
It's a generic statement that really says nothing. It SUGGESTS that there were threats but doesn't say specifically if there were. It's like saying, "Hey, when someone drops an anvil on your head on Wilson and Broadway, THEN you'll know." Well, IS there someone dropping anvils? Kinda important to know
Anyway, yeah, we got off track. A little. But I still want to know if someone was directly threated with violence like this person suggested. And since they never answered, I call bullsh...