Sunday, November 8, 2009

Ending The Weekend With A Bang

Just added: Just Fisticuffs? from Joe Gray on Vimeo.

Footage of last night, everything but the gunshots. (Hint to gangbangers - if you're gonna shoot up our streets, make sure to hang on to your cell phone.)

We are so sick of these incidents....

"Shots Fired at Lakeside and Sheridan at 10:30pm, rumors of one shot and wounded."

"Squad cars galore on Sheridan between Lawrence and Lakeside. Looked like someone in custody in the back of an unmarked - Sheridan/Lawrence, while several cops were searching for something on the NE corner of Sheridan/Lakeside. Credit the CPD, I guess, for a strong presence. Dunno what was up, but it looked like a lot of fun. "

"Just was out walking the dog and heard shots (thought they were firecrackers) in the Sheridan/Leland area, and then saw a black man in a black hoodie jogging down our block, east on Leland, toward Uplift school. Then heard tires squealing down the street and I ran inside. Then saw sirens and heard police yelling "get on the ground" about 10 times, then there were 5 police cars and the paddy wagon, and it looked like they got 3 guys in cuffs and in the paddy wagon. 10 minutes later everyone was gone and now it's quiet again like nothing happened. That was the first time I've had to hide in my own home."

19 comments:

  1. Was it my imagination, or was Uptown more like a Fellini movie than usual on Sunday?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I wonder if Helen will say anything? Well, I take that back. I don't wonder at all.

    ReplyDelete
  3. oh god,

    i'm closing on a property right there in the thick of it all this month. please tell me the hood will get better sometime.

    ReplyDelete
  4. People, People...

    Can we stop saying "I thought they were firecrackers.."

    Seeing how gun fire is a LOT more prevalent in Uptown than firecrackers can we change our thought pattern to "I thought they were gun shots?"

    This way in the RARE instance that they turn out to be firecrackers we are all pleasantly surprised.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wait till the city changes the districts and reduces the amount of Police Officers in districts like 018,019,020,023 and 024 because the west and southsides are demanding more Officers in areas that have higher crime rates. Will your favorite alderpeople say anything in protest or will they simply rollover and give Richie whatever he wants? Hmmmm. And it is coming.

    ReplyDelete
  6. well, the neighborhood will get a lot better when the temperature drops below freezing. You wont get hassled as much on the street for money and it just gets too cold for the guys to carry guns in their waistbands. not to mention all the bulky winter clothes making it hard to aim, fire, then run away.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ifitmakesuhappy - it will. we need more folks not willing to put up w/ this crap.

    ReplyDelete
  8. chipdouglas, I wrote the second quote on this post, and I DID think they were firecrackers because 1) I have never heard gunshots before - yes I've been lucky so far, but I have have heard firecrackers and they sounded EXACTLY like them and 2) there were multiple reports in a quick burst, maybe 6 or 8, sounding exactly like black cat firecrackers. I thought no way was that gunfire, there were too many shots. So, there must have been multiple guns because there were so many shots in a fraction of a second. I guess now I know. Also, it's not the 4th of July...sigh.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have experience with guns, and unless you are actively listening in great listening conditions (outside, not a lot of distractions, etc) It is very easy to confuse gun shots with certain types of fireworks.

    The other day when I called the police regarding the gun shots at Wilson and Clarendon, I told the dispatcher that I was pretty sure it was a gun, but that it might have been fireworks. They sent the cops anyhow.

    Regarding multiple guns vs. one guns - it is hard to tell, but trust your gut. I will say though that certain semiautomatic handguns can fire rounds very quickly. A shooter cannot likely fire them accurately very quickly, but we all know that our neighborhood gang members break a lot more windows and chip a lot more brick than they hit their intended targets. we are fortunate that more innocent people haven't been hurt though.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. It may seem like a silly point to make, but firecrackers are illegal too. Call 911 no matter what you think it sounds like.

    I've gotten some push back on this, but I'm a firm believer that holding a tight rope on small crimes prevents bigger ones. Zero tolerance sends a message.

    And the more times cops are called the more cops will be seen in action. This too is a deterrent.

    Blue cameras have their place, but just don't make the impact of seeing a cop investigating and even arresting someone.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Guys, Guys,

    Im not faulting anyone for confusing gun fire with firecrackers.

    What I am trying to get at is that with gun fire so prevalent here in Uptown the days of thinking any "pops" or "bangs" here in Uptown are firecrackers are long gone. Give or take a week or two in July.

    True Story: I was on Halsted walking in to DSW to look for a new pair of shoes with my 4 year old on Saturday. Well i hear two quick "pops" and my heart flutters and I head towards the ground with my kid. I look across the street and the Mattress Store has a bunch of balloons that are snagging on a tree causing them to pop. My point? Call my reaction a condition of living in Uptown.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Maybe they echo off the buildings as well...and sound like more than they really are. I HATE that I now know what this sound is. I've lived here 3+ years and have been lucky enough not to have heard it in person until last night. I feel like I joined a club or something...

    I also forgot to mention, if there was one positive, I was very impressed with the almost instantaneous police response.

    ReplyDelete
  14. The main point is the police are responding to the shooting a lot more. I live at the corner of Leland and Sheridan and I could see the police looking for shell casings.

    Police responding to shots is like a doctor doing surgery for a heart attack. The big problem is the fact what is causing all of this. We have an alderman that looks the other way. Fails to publicly take a lead of helping reduce crime. As far as I'm concerned, this ward has no effective leadership. Shiller is a waste of taxpayer money as far as I'm concerned. She is part of the problem. Being tough on landlords and forcing evictions is not an assault on the poor.

    You can be a champion for the poor but you don't have to be a champion of the gangs. Someone posted before on another discussion. Gangs are domestic TERRORISTS. They create fear, cause property damage and cause fatalities. Shiller is a supporter of domestic terrorists in my book. Until people start marching and demanding more of their leader in our ward, this will continue. I repeat. As far as I'm concerned, Helen Shiller is a supporter of domestic terrorism. If she was not, she would be active with the community to remove these vile and disgusting animals that are preying on our community.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Do the police have an explanation for why this corner (Sheridan/Leland) has become such a problem area since the camera at Sheridan/Lawrence was installed. I'm assuming something more is going on than just the camera. (I mean isn't that spot in sight of two police cameras?!)

    ReplyDelete
  16. It's sad and sick, that these ongoing news bits come as no surprise. We have to have hit bottom? I can't visualize things getting any worse?

    And just 4 or so blocks north of Lawrence over the weekend, I had the best, and most peaceful walk.....

    ReplyDelete
  17. .....oddly enough....the 20th anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall. Why do I feel like there's a 'wall' around the 46th Ward?

    ReplyDelete
  18. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is the 4th incident that took place since I moved from the area 2 weeks ago.....now I am certain that I did the right thing.

    ReplyDelete