A reader writes in with this account:"I was walking down Wilson this afternoon towards Magnolia behind a young kid who seemed in a hurry but I didn't pay much attention to it. As we got closer to Magnolia I saw him veer off towards the infamous "Food Mart" in the strip mall on the southwest corner. I watched him meet up with two other kids and they exchanged words. Then I saw a black older Chevy conversion van pull into the lot. As the van pulled in I watched the guy who I had been walking behind do some sort of sign with his 3 fingers pointing down. As he did, I could see a small plastic bag filled with white powder in the palm of his hand. I kept walking and called 911 and gave full descriptions. I've noticed lots of cars pulling in this lot and never getting out to purchase anything in the stripmall, and now I know why. It's turned into a drive-thru drug market.
My question is this: You do not see loitering in front of the chiropractic offices or Subway, I know the owners do NOT put up with it. Why do the owners of this Food Mart not do the same thing?"
This is a HUGE PROBLEM!! I see people standing on the corner, along the fence and even in the parking lot or leaning against the glass of the convenient store openly selling drugs. The thing that gets me is the openness of this activity. They clearly don't threat the police. Obviously the convenient store owners do not care. On a daily basis we are talking about 10-15 people at a time just hanging out in this parking lot. It could not be any clearer as to what is going on and nothing is done about it.
ReplyDeleteLots of good the police camera does there.
sure gives a new meaning to $5 foot long!!
ReplyDeleteVery few do care and maybe it should be reported to the Attorney Generals office. They have a drug enforcement line.....
ReplyDeleteThat Police Camera there works wonders! They might want to think about turning it on some time. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteThen again how do you know it was drugs? Maybe it was baby formula is very very very very very small bags.
If I was looking for a dime bag of formula for my kid, that's where I would stop. I walk past there most every day and it's always the same. Too bad because I really like the chinese restaurant there.
ReplyDeleteAny day I see activity, I call 911 (which means it's fairly routine).
It absolutely could be baby formula, but more likely the white powder was a protectant for the beads inside the bags (if you recall, those are "bead bags" according to the 46th ward alderman).
ReplyDeleteThat front of that mart is always bustling with suspicious activity.
ReplyDeleteYou don't see nearly the amount of traffic in front of the 'Sheridan Park Food & Liquor' just a few doors west. Although there is still some there, I've personally seen the staff go out and tell people to get lost from in front of their store.
And yet farther west still, the Rayan's at Clark and Wilson basically NEVER has these suspicious activities in front of their place, so it is obviously something that the business owners can affect if they want to.
I'm guessing they deal from there as a matter of convenience. A number of the Black P Stones live in the Section 8 housing on Magnolia south of Wilson. That combined with the fact that the convenience store owner turns a blind eye makes for a nice storefront business. They also deal around the corner of Sunnyside and Magnolia.
ReplyDeleteIs there somebody we can report this business to for letting this happen?
ReplyDeleteLooks like their new owner doesn't manage as well as Harry Langer.
ReplyDeleteThose are CHA scattered site housing units that they live in, not privately owned section 8 subsidized housing. The CHA scattered sites are mostly the townhomes and all have the green Woodlawn Mgt sign on the front.
ReplyDeleteWhy Give a Rip about the distinction? Because CHA has it's own police force and security firm (Kales) that you can demand come to the area.
Stop wasting time calling the Woodlawn Mgt Company. They are only the physical property managers. The woman with the power to change things is CHA's Jadine Chou at JAChou@thecha.org.
She manages the area and can do for you what she has just done for the neighbors of the scattered site gang hangout at 5057 N Winthrop. She can meet with you and
1. install cameras outside and inside the scattered site building
2. post security guards at the door to id check those coming and going.
3. check for tenants not on the lease and check the eligibility of those on the lease (why did Black P stones with drug dealing histories even get leases in this building? Ask Clarence Woods. He knows.)
4. evict, according to the CHA lease, tenants who drug deal on or near the property or who house those who engage in such activities, even family members.
Mary Ann Smith called the meeting with Ms Chou in the 48th Ward. Don;t count on help from Helen Shiller. Have the block club do it or make the 23rd District Commander host it.
the only thing that makes people turn such a huge blind eye is cold hard cash.
ReplyDeletecha ching?
Great post truthbearer. That info deserves its own Uptown Update posting.
ReplyDeleteFor those asking, you can report this to the Attorney General's Office.
ReplyDeleteI've observed this at countless deals from my apartment window. I even got a feel for who's who's and the extent of the business. These guys are into far more than powdered drugs they also run a prostitution ring in uptown. I've overheard all sorts of talk about it and even have video of the hand to hand transactions.
ReplyDelete@ Jerry. I would suggest sharing that information with someone who can do something about it. Go talk to the po-po.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I'm not interested in speaking with the police.
ReplyDeleteJerry----you can always contact the police anonymously. Please do if you have specific information.
ReplyDeleteTripp - at CAPS meetings, the cops made it sound like anonymous calls don't result in much. They need your name.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm wrong, I wish they would make it more clear.
Jerry, I hear ya regarding going to the police. After all, they must know what is going on and who is doing it by now so why have the gangs been operating out of the same buildings for 20 years?
ReplyDeleteThat is why you can do what the neighbors in the 4848 N Winthrop area did when the 3rd 3 flat from Lawrence was drug central for the Gangster Disciples and Winthrop Towers. Go straight to the DEA. They have a Chicago Office. They have a Chicago phone number.
Been there. Done that.
DEA, now there is a thought! I would definitely be stepping on some toes by doing that.
ReplyDeleteI'm just real sorry to say that I have very little interest in reporting these things. I say that for three reasons.
1. I am not interested in standing up against the Magnolia P'Stones. They probably have more guys and firepower than the 23rd precinct.
2. The suspects involved would likely spend a night or two in jail and be back on the streets.
3. Even if convicted, they have a large crew of "shorties" ready to take their place and continue the business.
Still don't understand what's so absurd about the concept that people might use tiny little baggies for tiny little things OTHER than drugs.
ReplyDeleteI use mine for...
BEADS