A reader writes in:"A neighbor just called. Her daughter just came home with her kids and witnessed a shooting by Magnolia and Sunnyside. Police are interviewing witnesses right now. The streets are especially dangerous since the street lights on Sunnyside and Clifton by the Truman construction site have not been on for most of the past 2 weeks. Very dark out there, perfect for a shooting and gang get-away."
UPDATE: From CBS 2:
CHICAGO (STNG) ―
A man was shot blocks from a North Side city college Monday night.
The man, believed to be in his mid-20s, was shot in the back in the 4500 block of North Magnolia Avenue about 5:45 p.m., police said.
After being shot the man walked over to a fire station, and was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in "stable" condition, police said.
The shooting happened near Harry S. Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave., in the Uptown neighborhood.
No offender is in custody as of 7 p.m.
Belmont Area detectives are investigating.
The shots were fired around 5:45pm; several shots fired, then a pause, then more, sounded like the shooter was headed east as the sound of the shots got softer, I would say they headed east on Sunnyside. The cops were here in about 2-3 minutes and are still out there (7:15pm); it looks like they are searching the front yards.
ReplyDeleteSomeone at the dog park tonight told me that she heard loud popping sounds on Sunnyside. She turned around and a guy was shot in the arm. However, she told me that at 4 PM today. Were there two shootings on Sunnyside?
ReplyDeleteAlso, on Christmas, a woman was caught in gang crossfire, and shot in the back, at 4559 N Broadway.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was on the Red line tonight, I noticed that all of the lights along the Graceland Cemetery wall were off. It was pitch black there. If anyone knows a good way to communicate this issue (what address to use for the best reporting, what phone to call, etc.) it would probably be worth the time to have this addressed or let UU know so we can all assist.
ReplyDeleteThere's a ton of lights out in the area, including a few streets in Edgewater I've noticed.
ReplyDeleteIt was my understanding, we were to call the Alderman's office about such things?
God help us.
Yep here's the CBS/Yahoo news link. Looks like it was confirmed another person shot in the back, this time male mid 20's walked to fire station on Wilson/Racine Ambulance 31 transported him to Masonic Trauma Center.
ReplyDeletehttp://cbs2chicago.com/local/shooting.truman.college.2.896753.html
The political and police responses to these shootings has been comical.
ReplyDeleteI am starting to think the regression of Uptown has only just begun.
I watch those same gangbangers getting more brash with each shooting that goes unpunished. Ones that used to walk by me with their heads down so not to be noticed now walk loud and proud with a sense of invulnerability.
I noticed increased activity this afternoon right before the shooting. I feel it when I notice something unusual then that trigger of guilt goes off in my head pulling the reins back so not to be "racist" or "stereotypical."
I know this is not going to be the popular post, but I feel it to be true.
"I am starting to think the regression of Uptown has only just begun."
ReplyDeleteWith the FixWilsonYard.com lawsuit claiming there wasn't enough blight in Uptown to justify forming a TIF in the first place, it sure isn't hurting the City's case any that suddenly there are stretches of streetlights out and scarce police prescence in the immediate area surrounding Wilson Yard.
It wouldn't surprise me a bit, but would be disgusted to learn that Ald. Shiller was somehow putting innocent people's safety at risk for her own personal political gain.
Where has our alderman been during this uptick in violence? Has she said ANYTHING?
ReplyDelete2011 can't come soon enough.
Zesty -- the FWY issue should actually be augmented, in this case.
ReplyDeleteAdding more low to no-income housing into an area with high violent crime rates is nothing short of absurd; and calls into question whether the best use of public funds is to concentrate more people into a violent area (which may explain why Shiller won't admit to the violence - it hurts her chances to do more warehousing of her political base).
Further, it may actually demonstrate FWY's point about the alderman not swaying to the realities of her community.
The issue of NOT being able to sell land to the private sector at market rates in this ward is laughable.
On an aside, I'm curious how many developers who have pulled out of projects in the past have done so due to crime, or due to some permit-based shenanigans from our dear leader.
I'm not saying it's rational or will help them sway even one juror to side with the City, but it wouldn't suprise me that there is a ... "Not enough blight??! Well, I'll show them!!!" ...attitude in Ald. Shiller's office.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point Yo. A very good point.
ReplyDeleteShould Shiller address the savage uptick in crime, would no doubt shine a light on the WY's disastrous potential.
Again.....the irony of all this, is this horror habitually happens within a few hundred feet of her office.
It's insanity.
I heard ~5 gun shots at 400am this morning at Montrose and Clark. It was so loud it woke me up. Does anyone know anything about this?
ReplyDeleteI think it's time for the camera at Wilson and Magnolia to move to Sunnyside Mall. I was dogwalking at Wilson and Magnolia when tonight's shooting happened and there were lots of people going home from the train, walking dogs, etc. who could have gotten caught in the crossfire. You could see the people scattering at Sunnyside - onto the mall, south on Magnolia toward the playground. One thought went through my mind - how long til we have one of these shootings amidst all the commuters and law-abiding Uptowners?
ReplyDeleteNot so popular Chip.
ReplyDeleteThat already happened this summer. There was a shooting while there were even young children on and around the mall area. They don't care when, were, and who's around when they do it. Their just stupid.
ReplyDeleteAt this point in time, wouldn't one expect the Alderman to rise to the occasion and have a 'take back the night' sort of rally, against all this crime?
ReplyDeleteAnd try to convince the residents of her ward that she's not just interested, in pushing through her wayward pet projects?
Where are all these gang bangers living? They need to be more exposed.
Can an alderman be removed from office?
ReplyDeleteShould residents be able to call their alderman's office to locate information about recent crime in the ward?
ReplyDeleteI think so. Certainly the Chicago Police are going to have the most immediate information, but one should expect the Alderman to have weekly information summarizing the crime, the status of the investigations, and what residents can do to lower crime and help solve these cases.
Call your alderman. Ask them about these shootings. Demand answers. Press them in person, press them over the phone, press them via email and press them via mail. Your due diligence is not a waste of time.
seems like one solution, from an urban design perspective, would be to open the mall back up to vehicle traffic. as it is now, it's cut off and allows those dark corners for the gang bangers to operate. just a thought
ReplyDeletewait? constructive advice from an urban planning perspective? what a profound idea, preise! the city of chicago must not have consulted ANY experts in its design of some parts of uptown. preise for alderman/alderwoman! he/she has already shown more insight than h.s.!
ReplyDeleteand i tried to see if there was someway to remove ms. schiller. so far, no luck in my search.
I don't think you necessarily need a camera at Sunnyside and Magnolia - the fricken street (Sunnyside) needs to be opened back up! This "mall" has been infested with crime for years. Although the plantings look beautiful in the summer, I think functioning as a true street would curtail a lot of the negative things that happen there.
ReplyDeleteCan an alderman be removed from office?
ReplyDeleteActually, that's a good question. Can you impeach/recall/whatever an alderman for poor service, etc.? The only time I've seen anyone leave an alderman's office before their term was up was when they were on their way to jail. But can them be removed for poor service to the community?
misskitty,
ReplyDeleteEliminating Sunnyside Mall certainly is NOT the answer. It was created to create a nice place for people to walk and achieves that purpose. Most of the shootings (and 2 of the last 3) this summer took place at locations that have through streets. We need to shine the light (literally) on this crime and make our presence felt on the streets so the gangbangers do not feel so comfortable.
Ahh an Aldermen going to jail..we can only dream.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Sunnyside being opened I don't agree. The mall area is fine just a street over. How many shootings have been at Malden? Zero. Beacon? Zero.
The housing and the people infesting it on Magnolia is the problem. Also the lackluster police force under Weis and the corrupt, blind, and arrogant leadership of Helen Shiller directly and indirectly enables this behavior.
But that being said, give me a few more months of this and I might say bulldoze Sunnyside and take the row houses with it.
shillsgang - I respectfully agree to disagree with you on Sunnyside. True, thoughtful urban planning would never have led to the closing off a street. This creates a "living room" for gangbangers and I think more negative happens there than positive. Again - only my opinion.
ReplyDeleteHowever I do agree with you that we do need to take our streets back and certainly make our presence known. We can't stay cooped up in our homes fearing the thugs that are out there.
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ReplyDeleteI can't imagine that the Sunnyside mall area will be any better when the Truman parking structure is complete. Another hang out. I've always heard that crime in our area is enabled by easy access to Lake Shore Drive via Wilson and Lawrence. Bangers can enter Uptown...do whatever they do...and get out with relative ease.
ReplyDeleteNothing is gonna change that..........
"and I think more negative happens there than positive. Again - only my opinion."
ReplyDeleteAs someone who along with Shillsgang that lives at the Sunnyside and Malden area your opinion could not be farther from the truth. The positive that happens daily on Sunnyside far outweighs any negative.
Daily I see Children with a place to ride there bikes and play, dogs with a place to chase a ball, people with a place to read. In the summer the trees bloom and you forget your in a congested Urban city.
The gang chooses Sunnyside because it is right next to their house. They don't chose their house because it is next to Sunnyside.
I'm 6'4" and 220 lbs
ReplyDeleteNot a small dude by any means...
About a year ago I was walking down Wilson and just past Racine I got sucker-punched in the face by a big, bad gang banger. Him and his gang-banger buddies tried to take my ipod - but I managed to run away and flag down a squad car on Broadway.
I'll take getting punched in the head over getting shot in the head any day - but I shouldn't have to be afraid to walk my dog around my block, should I ???
You know, whenever I talk to city cops I always ask them about my hood (Uptown). They usually crack a smirk in acknowledgment of just how ridiculous our alderman is for concentrating social services up here. That smirk just pisses me off.
When will it be Alderman Shiller's turn to take a fist to the face?
She invited these ass-pipes to the neighborhood, shouldn't she get a little taste of what her taxpaying, TIF funding constituents are dealing with?
I wonder how often Shiller walks from her office on Broadway to her house in Andersonville? Oh wait, that's presuming she ever goes to the office - what a troll!!!
Well Chip - thats the beauty of this board, we can all share our opinions but don't necessarily have to agree! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are a few problem buildings there. Its all about management. With Shiller's thumb on that though, it won't change dramatically until she disappears.
So would Sunnyside as a street clean up things? I don't know. I just wouldn't hedge my bets on the buildings cleaning up overnight as long as we have are blessed with Helen's presence.
Consider Chip's and Larry's posts just now. Both are good. Both are accurate.
ReplyDeleteWe could spend all sorts of capital changing the urban layout to lower crime rates, but these are capital expenditures with quite long timelines for completion.
What is more immediate is the gang members themselves. They create the primary attraction for crime. Dice on the street? Seriously? Why not dice in the alley? Dice in the living room?
This looks like activity asking for attention.
Chip is very right about Sunnyside Mall. The crimes occur just off Magnolia. That's the gang territory. It's not the mall off Malden or the mall off Beacon. Both of these streets have very little, if any at all, subsidized housing.
ReplyDeleteYour tax dollars are paying the rent to put a roof over the head of the gang bangers in your neighborhood.
A roof over their heads...and oh gosh... now a veritable shrine to them in Wilson Yard...thanks helen...what a legacy...
ReplyDeleteCan we deal more directly with the City of Chicago Housing Dept.? They institute evictions of gang bangers on an arrest..
ReplyDeleteMalden has had its share of violence. Maybe not in the most recent spate of violence but it has not been immune from gunfire.
ReplyDeleteCan we deal more directly with the City of Chicago Housing Dept.? They institute evictions of gang bangers on an arrest..
ReplyDeleteThe gangs know the loopholes as well as any accountant knows the IRS code. They're very good at their craft.
You can have all the tatoos for the Black P Stone Nation and still be known to municipal authorities as "an alleged gang member".
It's still worth it to follow up on every incident. Get all the information about the victims and the suspects. Get it before your CAPS meeting. Bring the information to the CAPS meeting. Be prepared to hand out copies of your information. Buddy up with a CAPS attendee. Bring the same information together.
Schiller LOVES these types of shootings - especially when they make the news. It is good for her business and longevity. The more crime and the more media coverage = bolstering the reputation of Uptown as being a shitty, dangerous, gang and homeless infested slum = the fewer law abiding citizens that move/stay in the area = easy re-election for her. What does she care if people are being shot and victimized? She is a sociopath with no concern for anyone besides herself. Maybe that it is one less person that can be walked into the voting booth in 2011.
ReplyDeleteHey neighbor. I heard the gunshots too. It was six at 4:20 am. I called the police.
ReplyDeleteI heard the shots at 5:45...I wonder if there were two shootings.
ReplyDeleteCHIP Majority of the gang bangers in this area live out the area. They do not live on Magnolia and that's a known fact.
ReplyDelete"Blogger dacutestmama said...
ReplyDeleteCHIP Majority of the gang bangers in this area live out the area. They do not live on Magnolia and that's a known fact.
January 2, 2009 11:10 AM" So they drove up here to play dice in the Sunnyside Mall? Who do you think they were playing dice with, the local boy scout pack?