Friday, November 6, 2009

Gunfire Shatters Windows At Uptown Highrise

We're hearing from readers:

"Gunfire rang out in front of Lakeview Towers (4550 N Clarendon) [shortly after noon Friday]. A security guard had just come back inside after asking a group of males who were loitering to disperse. They refused.

Shortly afterwards, a car drove by and fired shots at another group that included a 10-year-old girl and a mother who live in the building. No one was hit, windows were shattered. Police are on the scene investigating right now."

We hate these wannabe gunslingers and what they're doing to the community we love.

19 comments:

  1. AND THERE IT IS! The depressing news of the day from Uptown!

    Does anyone know anything about this building? Is it a regular scene of trouble?

    Happy Friday everyone. Stay safe this weekend when we are all home and enjoying our community.

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  2. I am not sure if I would use the word "love" to describe how I feel about my community these days. Like, maybe.

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  3. i live in the area of this building and in the 1.5 years i have been here, i have not seen much trouble. They do have an armed security guard I believe.

    I heard the initial shots and called the police immediately.

    I am not sure what the deal was today, but can someone bring in Wyatt Earp?

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  4. I love Uptown.

    BUT, these gangbangers are literally fearless. Guns...in daylight...with multiple eyewitnesses? They should at least think that this is a sure fire way to get busted...unless history proves otherwise??

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  5. Yet another "copycat" episode after the tragedies at Fort Hood and Orlando. How many more before this depressing "news cycle" burns itself out?

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  6. These gangbangers don't care. They sell drugs right under the police cameras without being arrested.

    Eye witness.... ha.....

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  7. Most of those guys have never passed 5th grade and have no hope in life. It is sick that they are going around shooting in broad day light. There needs to be a full police raid where these guys live and arrest them and put them in jail for a long time.

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  8. BUT, these gangbangers are literally fearless.

    It's the same chilling description used to describe terrorists who seemingly have no fear of death and therefore no fear of firing their weapons around you.

    Maybe that's the key. They say they can't do anything to them as gangbangers...can't arrest them for loitering, can't hold them in jail for too long apparently. What if they began classifying them as terrorists? Their tactics seem similar sometimes. They're attacking a community of people to forward their agenda. They flaunt the law and put innocent people in danger. They are a threat to America. Start classifying them as terrorists. Get the feds involved. If they can't be arrested for loitering, then make them eliglble for Guantanamo, or wherever they're secreting terrorists off to now.

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  9. .....and in another episode of "Helen's People".

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  10. Keep ignoring this Helen. You don't possess the motivation, power, or skills to address these problems.

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  11. I want to respectfully add another side to this. I don't see gangbangers as animals at all. I see them as boys and young men who feel like they have no hope and no other alternative.

    I don't excuse their behavior and I don't condone it. If they commit a crime, they need to pay the price. I don't want them to terrorize others who live in public housing and I believe that deep down, they know what they're doing is wrong.

    They need some hope and the sad thing is that it keeps repeating itself over and over again in this neighborhood.

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  12. I'm so glad not to have to live in the building next door to there anymore. Whoever said they've been near it 1.5 years without incident is clearly spending too much time inside. I couldn't move away from that high rise fast enough.

    Here's an idea, let's build more of these things!.. Oh wait.

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  13. I live near there and have a friend that lives in that building. That apartment complex is very well run, and security there is top notch. Every time anyone visits the building, including myself, must show a valid ID or is denied entry. They also have other security precautions that keeps undesirables out. And whenever I visit, there's never people just hanging out in the lobby or outside the building. If they try, one of the two security guards would ask them to disperse. Just as what happened today. So this definitely isn't a problem building. The problem is violence here, and the city as a whole, has and is spreading like a virus. And like any virus, we probably can't completely kill it, but we can minimize the affect so that it doesn't take over the host (our city and neighborhood). And the only way to do that is to continue to work TOGETHER and stand up against crime in our neighbor. This means actually getting to know one another regardless of cultural, economical, racial, and social backgrounds. Because if we don't work and stand up together against the crime in our neighborhood, then nothing won't get accomplished. This means STOP playing the "subsidized housing is evil and horrible card". There are many good, and yes, working people that live in subsidized housing. Every time a person plays that card, you just wind up alienating people. And that doesn't help or unite us all. In order to keep Uptown safe, we all have to work together.

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  14. "This means STOP playing the "subsidized housing is evil and horrible card". There are many good, and yes, working people that live in subsidized housing. Every time a person plays that card, you just wind up alienating people. And that doesn't help or unite us all. In order to keep Uptown safe, we all have to work together."

    You just said it best. I despise Helen Shiller for all she and her minions have done to this neighborhood but from reading some of these posts I really get a sense of elitism. That you look down on people who live in subsidized housing like they are less than you. I was raised by my late mother in sub.housing and I'm on my way to getting my career in Radiology started. You say you care about this neighborhood but you don't serve this justice with your comments and little snarky jabs. You are no different from Shiller and only will help her re-election sadly because she will use some of these posts to say to poor people how you dislike people in subsidized housing.

    This shouldn't be a class war but sadly thats what it has become. I go to the positive loitering events and just the way that some of the minority and low-income residents look at us means we are not gaining their trust. We have to change that and work together with them and everyone.

    The crime must end and we all have to work together to stop it. This should not be a class and race war but a war between right and wrong.

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  15. maybe i do spend way too much time inside, however, what i have noticed in the past year and half is that most of the violence occurs in the sheridan corridor or near wilson and broadway. i have not seen a lot of loitering going on outside my window or any disturbances. there was a shouting match one night at the bus stop and I called the police then, but until today I have never seen gangbangers or similar in the act of shooting or whatever went down today. I have felt in general that the area around the hospital has been pretty safe. compared to the rest of the neighborhood.

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  16. Speaking from experience, I can say that statements that are perceived as supporting a class war hurt any candidate running against Ald. Shiller. It damaged mine.

    The "Klan" piece sent out by Ald. Shiller's campaign used direct quotes from various blogs that alluded to a class war, insinuating that I agree with my supporters' bigoted statements. That type of campaigning, as dirty as it is, is used because it works.

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  17. I know someone that lives in that building, and until hearing about this I didn't know of any trouble there. Then again, I don't live on the building.

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  18. I totally agree with Holy Moley- how can you see other human beings a animals and expect the situation to change?

    How many of you mentor the kids in our neighborhood? How many of you are big brothers or big sisters to these kids BEFORE they begin a life as "5th grade drop outs" as ameya put it. We may not have much luck with the people who are already pretty damaged but maybe we can begin to have some hope for the next generation by taking some of the hopelessness out of their lives.

    Just a thought.

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  19. Another reason why the good areas of Lakeview stop at Irving Park and start again in South Andersonville and continue north, skipping Uptown. Gangbaggers go away.

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