Tuesday, August 18, 2009

And The Beat Goes On:
Shots Fired Near Leland/Sheridan, 12:40am

A reader writes: "I heard what sounded like 2 gunshots fired near Leland and Sheridan or Sheridan and Lawrence. About 12:40am, Tuesday. Just thought I'd pass this along see if this is more related violence at the Sheridan/Leland intersection and if other readers of UptownUpdate have heard/seen anything."

Lorraine Swanson, editor of Lake Effect News, confirmed via telephone that there were shots fired at Sheridan and Lakeside (steps away from Sheridan and Leland... and where Tuesday night's Beat 2312 CAPS meeting will be held). The police are on the scene and in pursuit of the suspected shooter(s).

Update: We hear in email, "Another gangbanger was shot this morning around 3:30ish this morning. 4500 block of Magnolia. NOT KILLED. Graze to back of head. Contact CAPS office for more info."

33 comments:

  1. I heard this too. does anyone know if anyone was hurt? We called the police to notify them when it happenned, they seemed to be on the case alreay, which is good.

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  2. I was told by an Officer last night at the peaceful protest that the shooting this past Thursday at Sheridan & Leland was a "scare tactic" by the gangs who must have seen the video. It was a drive by, five random shots, not fired at anyone, just to scare residents. I would bet that these shots fired last night are also in this category.

    The police are definitely on top of it, but clearly can't be on every corner at every minute of the day. He reiterated to us that if you see ANYTHING fishy or like a situation is elevating call it in immediately.

    CAPS Meeting tonight, Inspiration Cafe, 7pm!!

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  3. Please send links of this to the press... and attend the CAPS Meeting tonight, please!

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  4. Has anyone ever heard of "Seven Crew" in Uptown?

    I have never heard of this group before.

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  5. Here is the problem with the police department, in the words of a police officer...

    1. A mayor that despises the police. Make no mistake about it Mayor Daley DOES NOT like the police. Funny how he can settle a $1.5 billion dollar contact to lease parking meters in 30 days, but take over 2 years to settle a police contract

    2. A Superintendant that is incompetent.

    3. The Cozzi Incident.

    4. Districts that are grossly undermanned. Where did your gang teams go?

    5. Watch Commanders that put every car down on a useless mission, instead of being available to answers calls for service. When you call 911 they sit on the call for 10-20 minutes because cars are not available. This practice needs to stop! Ask the Commander why this practice continues.

    6. Bosses that don't stand up for beat officers. This is part of problem #2 and #3.


    Unfortunately, these are all factors that contribute to the police response/presence, or lack thereof, in your neigborhood. The sad thing is that the gangs and criminal element are very aware of these factors, and they thrive because of them. While your police administration and politicians have their proverbial heads up their ass.

    Call 911 for everything. 311 is useless. Call the Mayor's Office, Ald. Schiller and Commander Boehmer daily to see what they are doing to combat crime.

    Stay safe!

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  6. This is even scarier to me than gang fights. The retaliation against the neighborhood scares me even more.

    I know it's just scare tactics, but they work.

    The comments on the Tribune article are frightening because a safety issue is turning into a race issue and is being perceived as such. If gangs are retaliating against the neighborhood, who is say that they won't start retaliating against every "yuppie" they see on the street and start targeting them instead.

    I used to feel safe on our streets because the gangs on my corner, despite that they shoot guns, always ignored me and helped me find parking on multiple occasions.

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  7. Are CAPS meetings open only to residents of the beat in which they take place? (Hope that makes sense...)

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  8. The "Yuppie" thing is very suspect to me. I don't mean to make assumptions, but I have a sneaky suspicion that this line is getting fed to Uptown residents who don't always know what is what.

    This weekend I was walking the dog and was verbally attacked by a VERY sick/inebriated man standing on the sidewalk by Subway on Wilson. This gentleman was SCREAMING at me from 500 feet away before he even could see me, over and over "YUPPIE SCUM YUPPIE SCUM." It was very odd and extremely scripted to say the least. This guy has been hanging there since I moved here and never did he say anything like this to me- we've even had semi-coherent conversations ; )

    As I walked by I told him to stop yelling at me or I'd call the cops--then in a moment of clarity he said "so...you're not a yuppie?" and I said, No, to which he replied "oh, ok." and walked away.

    This seems like a tired tactic to me, but a dangerous one. Race isn't the issue, and using it as a tool can have very bad consequences.

    Keep an eye out, not everybody is this harmless.

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  9. Buena Boy, you may attend tonight's beat meeting even if you do not live in that CAPS area. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

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  10. "Seems to me that if you're afraid or living with some big fear, you're
    not really living. You're only half alive. I don't care if it’s the boss you're
    scared of or a lot of people in a room or diving off of a dinky little board, you
    gotta get rid of it. You owe it to yourself. Makes sort of a zombie out of you
    being afraid. I mean you want to be free, don't you? And how can you if
    you are scared? That's prison. Fear's a jailer. Mind now, I'm not a
    professor on the subject. I just found it out for myself. But that's what I
    think."

    --Audie Murphy

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  11. Comment on the police situation: As I mentioned in an earlier post I was involved in a drug addiction in Uptown a few years ago and had many cases picked up on Sheridan and Leland. The police got to the point where they didn't have to catch me doing anything...just see me and they would pick me up and invent a situation that they caught me in. Once I was walking down Kenmore eating and they flew out of the car and threw me in. As they once again invented a make and model of a car that I was supposedly flagging down I asked them why they had passed by a crowd of gang bangers and drug dealers to pick me up. The reply was that they were told that they had to make an arrest...they weren't told who they had to arrest. I then asked them if they chose me since I was safer and easier for them and my answer was YES. I realize that at the time I was doing things that weren't right but the reasoning behind this was fairly scary. Now that I am on the other side of things and a "productive member of society" it is even scarier. The prostitution and the robberies among many other things would not be as rampant if the drugs and the gangs that sell them were under control. The fact that the police and media are concentrating on the homeless and taking the focus off of the neighborhood drug dealers does not help

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  12. Are CAPS meetings open only to residents of the beat in which they take place?

    Not at all. I apply a self imposed rule where I do not ask any questions until all of the local residents have concluded their questions. In my own CAPS meetings I would prefer this same model, but there are times when the views of an outsider are imperative in accentuating the best information.

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  13. I never understand why people use the Yuppie term as if its derogatory.

    1) Young - not much I can do about that. Father time will fix that as we go.

    2) Urban - pretty clear we all live in the city, again, not much I can do.

    3) Professional - I do in fact have a white collar job.

    So when people use Yuppie in the derogatory way, they're really showing how they hate young people in the city with jobs. And if the person is themselves young and in the city, the only thing that could be complaining about is the fact that the Yuppie works hard for a living.

    So the real chant should be "Damn you hard working people, damn you for working so hard your whole lives!"

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  14. So when people use Yuppie in the derogatory way, they're really showing how they hate young people in the city with jobs.

    I don't think it's that simple as breaking down the words. The concept of the "yuppie" as I believe it was first used was someone who was shallow, materialistic and only out for themselves. Here is a definition I found on the web: "George Orwell had predicted the ruthless dictatorship of Big Brother in his novel 1984, but the figure of satire in America that year was someone entirely different. The yuppie was a person in young adulthood, living in or near a city, ambitious, successful, materialistic, and self-indulgent. Reducing ponderous terminology to its initials and adding a diminutive suffix, the authors of The Yuppie Handbook not only named the target of their satire but also identified that target as a whole new demographic group for advertisers and politicians to pursue." Not saying that this applies to you or anyone else here, but I think that's the connotation people are trying to get across when they use the word in these situations.

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  15. Helen? You gonna get your act together anytime soon? Help us help you, or simply go away!

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  16. I am getting really concerned about this situation. I used to be pretty calm, because I thought they were only after each other, but it is clear that there is a tension between the residents and the gangbangers. If the gangs are going to continue to target or "scare" residents just for the heck of it, something needs to be done. I refuse to give up the enjoyment of my neighborhood for fear!

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  17. I'm with you Jen. Have your local gangbangers treated you differently personally? Or are you speaking in response to the shooting last nigh?

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  18. Back in the day (she types, getting out her cane and bifocals), Lakeview used to be a pretty scary gang-infested neighborhood. Waiting for the bus after a Cubs game could be a frightening experience. I've read several gang "memory blogs" talking about the good ol' days, and they all say they had to disband and move on when Lakeview became gentrified.

    Law-abiding residents who aren't afraid to call the police when they see crime is a gangbanger's nightmare (along with being caught on camera!) Of course they hate us, we're literally messing with their business and cash flow.

    More messing with the gang cash flow, I say. ;-)

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  19. Are they still providing the CAPS meetings online?

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  20. I agree that Helen and her office has been useless since I moved here two years ago, after her reelection. I have been told by Denise not to contact them regarding anymore problems (b/c they were always in writing). I am so happy that this is finally getting the local media attention this deserves. However, I think we need to ask ourselves, even if Schiller were a "working" and responsible Alderman, there is only so much she in fact can do alone to curb the situation. We have to look at some of the factors Jim noted (the officer). In one repect, I applaud Jim for being honest, because I have had two detectives and three officers in my area tell me the same thing. In another, it appears none of them address these concerns within their profession, and therefore nothing changes in the city to make everyones lives better, including their own. They all complain about their jobs, and how they hate them, yet they state that they can't be honest. I say, do us a favor and move on--becasue you're endangering everyone. Quit pointing the finger at Weis, Daley, etc., and have a come to Jesus meeting with him with a full force if everyone feels the same.

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  21. Man on the Street,

    Concerning the use of yuppie, do you honestly believe these people read? Thats some pretty high praise if you ask me. I mean, if we can't have street crossing signals that say "Walk" or "Don't Walk" then its pretty clear these members of our society are functionally illiterate.

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  22. Concerning the use of yuppie, do you honestly believe these people read?

    Look, all I did was what the defintion is meant to imply from it's origin, not your word-by-word literal breakdown (which sounds a little like George Costanza telling Marissa Tomei how "manure" is really a good thing). I don't know WHAT they personally believe. YOu'll have to take that up with them.

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  23. Concerning the use of yuppie, do you honestly believe these people read?

    Sorry, I meant to say I don't know if they READ, not what they believe.

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  24. Some might say you condo owners should have thought about where you were buying.

    Others might add that the violence in Uptown is nothing compared with that on the Southside.

    But, isn’t that just accepting the notion that neighborhoods with higher minority populations have lower socioeconomic status and therefore higher rates of violent crime?

    Oh well?

    Having a lower set of expectations for any segment of our society has to be the most damaging “ism.”

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  25. I have seen a couple of these in the street or on the sidewalk swirls of kids calling names and throwing fists. Some of the action is apparently gangs and some just kids. Some are bored. What I noticed was the police do come out but there are almost never enough at first. Sometimes the reponse is too slow and too little. I want to see the police throw the kids fighting in street into paddy wagons. As far as blaming Helen and chasing her that is plain stupid. There is group that blame her if it rains and the same group will blame her if it doesn't.

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  26. In many ways I think you are right, Feldmanis. But three things she can do: 1) deal with the police funding and shortage issue at the city council level; 2) demand that none of her district's officers get reassigned; and 3) adjusting her stance somehow regarding the police. She says one thing but the fact that her supporters are on CopWatch and her son takes cases against cops at the very least suggests something different to the officers working in her ward. They say as much so this problem need to be dealt with in some way. I don't know where common ground can be found given her political views on policing and the CPD in particular.

    On the other hand, she is on the right track with the social supports aspects of crime prevention. Its just the time horizon for results is very long on that one and there is usually no money to conduct evaluative studies to see how effective any of these programs are in achieving their goals of getting people to reevaluate the direction of their lives.

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  27. Feldmanis, the other thing she can do is act like she cares. People in this ward are rightfully worried about their safety, and she never once has addressed the issue. She has never said a word about the murders of Timothy Pittman and Francis Oduro. She has never said anything about the woman who was shot in the back outside her office on Christmas Day, nor about the shootings in front of Da Spot on Broadway. Her only comment on the gang riots in the streets, which have been going on since last spring is, "they're showing them too much on tv."

    Paying attention to the people you work for is just Politics 101, or Public Relations 101. Instead of safety, she talks about aquaponics, and lively discussions about green centers. Hint: the anger you're seeing, Helen, is because we're paying you and you ignore what's important to us.

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  28. State funding has decimated public services by cutting social service budgets by 50%. The economy is hitting everyone, so the generosity of donation to food banks and other charitable acts have further eroded supports to the poor people in our community. So the most vulnerable are seeing the safety nets ripped from under their feet (have you noticed the lines getting longer and longer outside of the store front church on food pantry days, and in front of IDHS every day). The poor folks in our neighborhood are scared...scared people with little resources don't always behave the way those of us that have resources to avoid eviction or foreclosure. Gangs are going to take advantage of that. So if you want to counter balance that manipulation of the gangs, a couple of possible positive action to get rid of the us-against-them mentality is volunteer or donate to the community programs.

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  29. Kir -- James Cappleman ran a homeless shelter, but Shiller's people still spin it as Us v. Them.

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  30. The old adage "divide & conquer" really is true and it's a tactic to maintain control of a community. We witness that in Uptown when this "us versus them" is promoted over and over again.

    However, that's not what we had tonight at our CAPS meeting. We had people from all walks in life come together to problem solve about what we could do to make the community safer for everyone. We were able to do it because we all shared a common value of wanting a safer community for everyone. It was a wonderful CAPS meeting and probably one of the best I've attended.... (but I may be biased because Richard is the CAPS facilitator.)

    A special thanks to all those who came. I spoke with Commander Boehmer tonight and she said the meeting went well because she sees the community being committed to working hard together. She was beaming with pride and so were a lot of other people who were at tonight's meeting.

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  31. You can blame Helen because she is Alderman, i.e. a facilitator of what happens in our ward.

    Alderman in Chicago have huge control over everything in their wards from Zoning, garbage pickup and even crime.

    So yes we can point the finger at Alderman Shiller after all we pay her salary and she is accountable to all residents of her ward.

    If she can't do the job she needs to step aside for someone that can do the job and will take heated questions from residents.

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  32. We are damned if we do and damned when we don't.

    Jim is correct reguarding the CPD atmosphere. It is not conducive to aggressive patroling. We just don't care anymore. The city pays out money to gangbangers to settle their comnplaints that they were beaten by CPD. Mind you this is without any proof. That's just what they do for a living. The city feels that it is much easier to pay these thugs for alleging that they were beaten while in CPD custody. We are tired of being suied by these thugs!

    I can guarantee you that if police showed up in force to the "riots" with their battons flying and pepper spray spraying some urban pioneer or the liberal media would have spun it as police brutality, and all those shitheads would have gotten paid by the city complements of COPWATCH!!!

    It's not worth it to be an aggressive cop. We answer our calls for service (most of them being anomyous) and handle accordingly. What many people do not understand is that the police can not sign complaints for disordaly conduct. The liberal "injustice" system took that power away from us years ago. YOU have to sign the complaints, and if you are calling 911 anomyously...well if it is not important enough to leave your name and number, I guarantee it's not important to me.

    If you want to take back your neighborhood then leave your name and number with 911 and SIGN COMPLAINTS. I will be happy to lock these thugs up!

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  33. The inmates have taken over the asylum...keep the media heat on Ms.Shiller.Her lack of concern and accountability for the violence in her ward should backfire in her face.Why do we not have a RICO Act to deal with gangs? Why are parents not held responsible for minor children's acts? The city has to act with force.The police have to be given the power to be proactive.

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