Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Shooting Last Night Near Truman College

A reader reports: "Our sleep was shattered at 2:14 am by three close-by gun shots on Sunnyside by the Clifton alley. A young African American male wearing a red baseball cap and jacket was shot in the leg. He left a trail of blood on the sidewalk as he walked over to 4431 N. Clifton (edited for correct address) and entered the building. The shooters escaped in a white beat-up car and no arrests were made.

Moments later Clifton was awash in a sea of police cars, a fire truck and ambulance. The male was removed from the residence of Pamela Barton, who at this point was on the corner calling from her cell phone. The firemen then washed off the pool of blood from the building entrance and left.

The Barton family is no stranger to gang violence. Stephen Barton, Ms. Barton's then mid-teen's son was murdered in another shooting several years ago on a cold Saturday afternoon in the alley behind Broncho Billy Playlot. The Bartons reside in a CCDC (corrected) building that received almost $1 million in Wilson Yard TIF money for a complete rehab."

29 comments:

  1. 4431 N Racine is a known "problem" building, and has come up in CAPS meetings countless times. Nothing ever changes.

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  2. Why is the media not covering this? I listened to WBBM-AM this morning and all I heard was a shooting on the southside, but nothing like this was mentioned. We need to get attention on this and gang activity up North in our hood!

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  3. I don't know the history, but has Pamela Barton been run out of the management structure at Arai? This 1998 timeline is awfully damning for Ms. Barton.

    Oh, and Ms. Barton is listed as an employee for ACORN Housing at their Illinois office, which really is the main national office, has received approximately $10,000,000 in Federal subsidy over the last 10 years.

    I really want to stop researching 4431 N Racine. In just a half hour I've uncovered an array of taxpayer money that flows into 4431 N Racine.

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  4. We all understand thatthe violence in Uptown is not as bad as that in other areas of the city, but we should be resentful of those who use this as an excuse to dismiss our concerns. They are simply telliing us we should wait until it escalates to south-side proportions and this is unacceptable. No neighborhood should be forced to wait until people die before the authorities take action. If you think your elected officials are doing a good job, consider the violence we already see every day in Uptown and think again. And it's time our police force shunned politics and took a stand for more funding, more cops, and a sound contract. I'm sure if gang activity happened outside the mayor's office these police men and women would have more of what they needed to get the job done. Unfortunately the powers-that-be consider poverty stricken areas red-headed step children. The alderfolks who preside over these areas should feel immense shame for the work they do.

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  5. because the gang banger victims never want it prosecuted.

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  6. this is right by (tada!)...the future site of Wilson Yard, right?

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  7. This just after a meeting about neighborhood safety. I'm sick to the stomach from these shootings. What has to happen before we get some CHANGE?

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  8. Never happened...don't you people listen? This is the safest neighborhood in the city. There's no crime. Jeesh.

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  9. CDCC should be CCDC

    http://www.chicagocdc.com/

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  10. KenCondo said:
    "Why is the media not covering this?"

    a (alleged) gangbanger shot in the leg. might be new son your block, but otherwise no big deal, really.

    if you want media attention, have the other gangsters aim higher.

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  11. When I lived over near Ms. Barton's home, I recall she was the one notorious for derailing CAPS meetings and calling everyone racists. She made literally made the meetings worthless to go to because all you would hear is her mouth and rude comments the whole time. One would hope she has changed her tune since losing one son and having another injured by gunfire. I won't count on it though.

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  12. A lot of commenters talk about the alderman being responsible for preventing crime. I conducted an Internet search that produced zilch hits or stories about any of Chicago's 50 alderpersons taking high-profile stands on crime in their wards.

    Is it territorial between the politicos and the police, meaning the aldermen concentrate on delivering city services, and leave the crime patrolling and prevention to the police?

    A very good friend dates a Chicago cop. We recently went out together, and when he learned I lived in Uptown, he told me I was crazy to choose to live here and told me that many of his fellow cops (he lives on the far northwest side) feel the same way about others who live in Uptown and Rogers Park. If the cops really feel this way, no wonder these shootings keep happening.

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  13. Just wait. Wilson Yard will present more problems for our area. We need a alderman that will work to solve gang and crime problems that have taken over our area and make it safe and healthy for all us residents that live here and pay taxes. Uptown is no longer the American dream...........

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  14. M. Barton was a paid staff worker for Alderman Shiller, fyi.........

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  15. a preview of what's to come at Wilson Yard:

    http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009905080407

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  16. Kadee - it sounds like people are hearing the same thing from a lot of cops - "you're nuts to live here." Unfortunately, I think morale is down in the department due to the actions or inaction from Daley and Weiss on several issues - but I don't think having groups like CopWatch trolling around Uptown and videotaping every action of a police officer helps either. Can you imagine doing your job under a microscope all day? I'd probably tell folks to avoid the area as well.

    As far as what an alderman can do, I'd say for starters, Shiller could actually attend a CAPS meeting or two. Heck, it would have been admirable if she showed up at the Public Safety Meeting last night to at least show that she is concerned. She could also work with the block clubs and Uptown Chicago Commission on safety and crime issues - but instead, she ignores them both and cut funding from UCC. She could have also listened to both groups in regards to Wilson Yard, but once again - she chose to ignore them.

    It would be very hard for Shiller to change people's perception that she truly gives a damn about reducing crime and gang activity. Heck, even her own son makes a living out of representing thugs to sue the Chicago police.

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  17. The alderbeast's records show Pam "Box Cutter" Barton is a paid "Consultant"
    Her daughter and niece took a bax cutter to an Arai student and sliced her to bits. The alderbeast took care of it. Nothing came of it.
    You are right. She caused many CAPS meetings to end. Once an officer tried to quiet her and Pam called her a "F*** dyke" and told the officer to take hands off her.

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  18. 4431 N Clifton? A correction, but hardly one that changes the taxpayer largesse.

    4431 N Clifton is part of the Uptown Preservation Apartments rehabbed with TIF money and a bond issuance by the city. Rehab cost per unit of UPA's 900 w Windsor, 927 W Wilson, and 4431 N Clifton, 77 units in all: $220,485 per unit.

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  19. You're too nice buenapk. Ms Barton reportedly walked into the classroom at Arai of the teacher that sent her daughter to the principal's office with a Richard Thompson and called the teacher a racist in front of the entire class.

    At this time, Ms. Barton was head of the Local School Council overseeing Arai and Stockton.

    I trust the Ward today is in the very best hands.

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  20. UCC has always been very supportive of CAPS. While at times the meetings are not as effective as they should be, they are as effective as the effort the community puts into them. That's why UCC pushed again at the Public Safety meeting to have more involvement from local businesses, schools, social services, places of worship, and elected officials. It's by having all these groups join with residents that real change can happen.

    Years ago, UCC had a $35,000 city grant that was used to hire staff two part time staff members (one spoke Russian and one spoke Korean), and their job was to encourage attendance of all the CAPS meetings in Uptown. Reminders were also taped on gates of people's homes for each meeting. Attendance was huge during that time. The surrounding wards also had organizations with such grants.

    UCC's funding was cut without notice and we were told that a decision was made that Uptown didn't need the funding. Meanwhile, the surrounding wards continued receiving their funding.

    Obstacles to encourage more safety will come our way. We understand that. Regardless, our goal is doable and many people in the community are committed to making this happen.

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  21. For some background info on Ms. Barton, please read this article from 1998 and Sun-Times reporter Ray Coffey, rest his soul.
    Link

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  22. The stuff in that Sun Times article is INSANE.

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  23. Anyone know if Ms. Barton's son (relative?) has returned home and is ok?

    I suppose this will go down in the annals as "never happened" because no arrests were made. Unfortunately, people have relatively long memories for these kinds of incidents and that is what is causing the disconnect between the neighborhood and the "low crime/fully staffed police force" answers we get.

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  24. Pamela Bartons own life proves you reap what you sow. She has sown seeds of hate, alledgedly taught a child he is above rules and to use the race card as a weapon. Now that child is gone forever. Hate is NEVER the answer. We will always eventually reap what we sow. No need not hate those we feel betrayed by they will eventually as well.


    James I always appreciate your level headedness and search for solutions in your posts. You think more or at least as much as you feel. Historionics and emotionalism has been effectively used in the past to split the very seams of our society in America, Ill., Cook Co., Chicago and least not our ward in an us vs. them classwarfare. A dose of honesty and intellectualism will go far in healing these strained ties.

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  25. So how does somebody like Barton not only GET, but KEEP that kind of power?

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  26. Man On the Street, I think that in a ward with more ratonal leadership it would be very hard for someone to gain and keep that type of a role.

    Also in a ward with more rational leadership her actions would be more evident to the community as opposed to being added to a long list of inproper actions by many people in a leadership role.

    There are so many bad things our leaders have done and continue to do that the community has a difficult time focussing on any one person or set of actions in particular.

    On a positive note their are many good common people in the ward that work hard to provide a balance to the negative and divisive forces that are hard at work in their official capacities.

    Imagine how far and fast the area will improve when the officials and the people are on the same page. Working harder and smarter to resolve all the problems for everyone, rather than playing the people for fools and spreading the misery.

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  27. What I would like to know is how did she get into the school in the first place and then into a classroom. I wonder if anybody at that school ever heard of Colombine or some of the other incidents that have occured nationwide at schools. It's anticipated by law enforcement that the next terrorist attack may very well involve the takeover of a school and all the unpleasantness that occurs at those things. I hope the administrators at that school have since locked it down. For a good read on this subject I suggest "Terror at Belsan".

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  28. Ms. Barton was drafted into the power structure with the help of Slim Coleman and Helen Shiller. They used the Local School Councils to place her into a position of authority. After she was dismissed from the LSC she was swiftly picked up as an aide to Shiller.

    Ms. Barton likely delivers reliable voters for Shiller. That's all speculation, but we're talking about Slim Coleman Politics here.

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