From our mailbox: "Shots fired (4?) in alley west of Sheridan north of Lawrence. Three young black males seen running north in alley immediately after. One wearing black sports jersey, number 42."
and: "Tonight at 7:25 there was a commotion in the alley between Sheridan and Kenmore, north of Lawrence. I heard a handful of kids yelling, and then a light gray/brown van drove into the alley slowly, stopped behind the Section 8 housing, and fired 4 shots. Then drove off. Several neighbors called 911. The van looked to be a Dodge Windstar or some other family-type van."
and: "A car parked at 4827 Sheridan had its windows shot out."
It could have so easily been a kid playing at McCutcheon School, the Boys & Girls Club, or at Buttercup Playlot who got hit, instead of a car window. It could have been a pedestrian, or an older person who lives in the housing there. It so easily could have been another death. These gangbangers just don't care about the "collateral damages" they cause with their silly turf games. This has got to end.
Just added: "About 7:25 PM, five shots were fired in the parking lot / alley behind the Sheridan Grande at 4848 N Sheridan Road. A group of Hispanic males (4 to 6) were seen chasing a group of black males (4 or 5). The shooter was wearing a light blue (North Carolina) jersey and stood behind a parked car behind the Sheridan Grande, and fired southeast towards the Girls and Boys Club. A nearby car may have been struck (police were interviewing someone over there too). No reports of injuries. A gray van was stopped in the alley near the shooters and may have been involved or may have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Security cameras caught some of the action and the police are getting copies of that."
"Butternut Playlot"
ReplyDeleteAlas, Uptown has not yet come to the point of naming playgrounds after local bloggers. Its Buttercup Playlot. :)
I don't want to comment on the violence. I mean, what the HELL else is there to say? My prediction is that we'll need to get a kid or an innocent senior citizen shot before anything gets done. Even then the various players will just squabble. This isn't rocket science people. We've got to take a no-tolerance policy on violence but also create better opportunities for the younger kids coming up. How many of our local elementary schools rank worst in the state (on their 1-4 ranking system)? I rest my case.
Glad we moved out a few weeks ago.....Uptown isn't exactly the south side yet crime-wise....but there are plenty of places in the city you can live without having to worry about this stuff (and this says something considering our car was broken into the other night at our new place....but I'll take that 100 times over having to worry about gunshots, gangs walking down the street in broad daylight, etc).
ReplyDeleteSo maybe it doesn't deserve commenting, but we do need to remain vigilant in calling 911. Like how we did before and may have prevented a huge gangfight in Truman Square.
ReplyDeleteMeg -- We called 911 the other night when there were shots fired near Lawrence/Dover at 1050pm and didn't even get a response. So much for being vigilant.
ReplyDeleteI believe all this happened in Mary Ann Smiths ward. She is a little bit better than Shiller but not much. The problem we have is two alderpersons who don't take crime seriously. Lawrence is like a DMZ zone.
ReplyDeleteSmith is another coddler and enabler by not dealing with the ward zone. We all know Shiller doesn't give a flying F*CK about crime.
Ellen---a report of "shots fired" gets investigated. Just because you did not see a cop car doesn't mean they didn't respond.
ReplyDeleteThink about it.... if somebody was shooting a gun on your block and you called 911 to report it, would you want cops knocking on your door asking you about it?
Hell-on earth and Smith: Two peas in a pod. It was reported Merry Mary Smith voted to have her own property declared a "Historical" site thus, greatly reducing her taxes. I can hear her; "Only the little people pay taxes." Chicago at its best!
ReplyDeleteI have no answers on solving gang problems but calling 911 seems the best way for now and hope they come and respond to our calls. The aldermans office does not care and even if you call them and question them they will tell you they can do little. Call 911. This shows how much the ward leader really cares about our safety.
ReplyDeleteEllen - not to make light of this, but it's possible that those "shots" and other bang-bang noises (including fireworks in my alley) that we heard last night were actually "celebrations" of the Hawks victory.
ReplyDeleteBe on guard for more of this kind of stuff as the Fourth of July approaches.
wwww, you are spouting Shiller and Marc Kaplan's reasoning:
ReplyDeleteKeep the crime levels high by disrupting community policing efforts, harassing the police from doing their jobs, and thwarting criminal housing abatement programs. Then, use crime and fear to keep people away from Uptown, except, of course, they very poor, mentally ill, and disabled, who have no choice but to live here to get the subsidized housing and social services that pack this ward and refuse to service other wards.
They call it "red lining" when people and community services won't come into a poor neighborhood.
What should we call it when politicians use crime to drive people and community services out in order to concentrate the poor, disabled, and mentally ill into one neighborhood for political purposes? "Reverse Redlining" or simply violations of the federal Fair Housing Act?
Helen hates when you bad apples talk about gunshots. :(
ReplyDeleteLets talk about the delicious bread that may (or may not) be sold at the fabulous french market which may (or may not) actually be a cash checking business that may not (or may) be totally paid for with your taxes at the Wilson stop! Fun!
Give up and Gangs win. Period. Keep calling 911, disrupt the activity as much as possible, and do not look the other way on activities going on right outside our doors that disrupt our quality of life. It is NEVER OK to say - "It's OK - It's Uptown"
ReplyDeleteOrganize with your neighbors, coordinate (hell, gangs do this all the time).
And for the love of god - When it comes time to vote, VOTE.
The voter turnout in the last election was pathetic. Still, no one who gives a s**t deserves what they get from local govt. in Uptown.
Tripp -- got it.
ReplyDeletegayle -- this was monday or tuesday night, i forget which.
my boyfriend, who made the 911 call, is a Marine... highly doubt he was wrong.
im over this too. 12 whole crappy weeks left on my lease and im outta here.
Glad we moved out a few weeks ago.....Uptown isn't exactly the south side yet crime-wise....
ReplyDeleteexcerpt from wwwww
hunh? what do you mean yet?
that means that you believe that uptown is declining.
Ummmm. I dont think so.
I guess vince vaughn and company want to film their movie in a hellhole neigborhood that is declining. Hunh?
w is for wuss.
Uptown will continue to gentrify.
I think it actually has more potential than most people believe.
The popeyes is gone,
that was a huge blackeye that I though would never leave.
Alot of huge buildings need to either be condemned, change hands,
cleaned out and overhauled.
Thats what needs to be done.
In addition alot of huge buildings are going to be built in uptown,
the senior housing on foster
and the luxury housing on montrose
are a couple examples.
someone show me how uptown
is getting worse
and declining.
Its not.
I know my area at morse and wayne
ReplyDeletehas gotten much better.
And that is through personally calling the cops every single time i saw bangers hanging on the block.
But I guess I shouldve just taken the lazy way out and
moved.
Please dont use...
ReplyDelete"I guess vince vaughn and company want to film their movie in a hellhole neigborhood that is declining. Hunh?"
Vince Vaughn in not the barometer for a safe neighborhood. I have worked on plenty of sets that shot in really bad neighborhoods. The location scout picks locations with a look, then they worry about security. The other day they were on the West Side off of North Ave in a dangerous neighborhood. So your point is invalid.
"someone show me how uptown
is getting worse
and declining."
I can show you dozens of store fronts now vacant that were not just a few years ago. Maybe that is happening all over the city, but this is Uptown Update and you wanted to hear how Uptown has become worse. There you go.
geofredo said...
ReplyDeletesomeone show me how uptown
is getting worse
and declining.
Its not.
I guess it's all a matter of perspective - or how long you've lived here.
I remember, eleven years ago, when there was a seedy grocery store and a redneck bar across from the Aragon. Walking to Red Line was like walking through a gauntlet. When an even worse place called "The Savoy" was where Uptown Lounge is now. When the Par Venue was a vacant parking lot and the condo building across Sheridan from it was just a cordoned off lot with an abandoned burger joint building on it. When nearly half the buildings around me were rentals, not condos. There's been a HUGE amount of growth and development in the area since 1999.
That said, I do NOT remember the level of gang activity back then that there is now. Despite how rundown it may have looked, I was unafraid of walking in my neighborhood back then. I can't say the same today.
Perhaps it's just that I was naive because there was no UU back then to report every single incident as it was occurring, but I feel as though in this respect (gang activity/violence), the neighborhood has MOST DEFINITELY declined.
YMMV.
I honestly think Uptown Uptown has made people A LOT more aware of all the gang activity, and that is a GOOD THING. The more we all know, the more we can do about it. We know it is here, and we KNOW we don't want it, and we know we pay taxes and follow the law ourselves.....
ReplyDeleteWe get what we settle for.
Gayle
ReplyDeleteI hardly think anyone was celebrating the Hawks Victory At 7:30 when the score was 2-2. Especially a bunch of saggy pants local youths.
If ever there was a playlot named after my online persona it would most definitely not be kid friendly. Unless of course we are talking about baby goats which would certainly be seen in my playlot drinking copious amounts of beer and just plain acting hilarious. Either way I now have a new name for my bedroom, thanks UU :)
ReplyDeleteBTW, after last nights Hawks win I swear I hard several gunshots mixed in with all the fireworks. So glad I wasn't out on my bike at the time. Must have been crazy out there.
I happen to like to make invalid points.
ReplyDeleteThere is a point where film crews will not film somewhere.
If a neigborhood is going down a toilet, I dont think they will film there.
Do they have bodyguards and what not? Are they filming movies in chicago in declining neigbhorhoods?
West side off North ave,
where is that? Humboldt Park?
Not a declining neigborhood.
Not an awesome neigborhood, but stable.
The trailers for these hot shot actors when i saw them were at lawrence and winthrop.
Will they put trailers in a shithole hood that is headed south?
Would I as a person or actor or whatever want to put myself in harms way?
They have security, but
there is a limit to where
anyone would want to camp out.
Alot of the reason why uptown is being used for movies is because of the architecture and history,
sure some is because it is seedy,
but I would argue its more for its positive elements.
And you also made a good invalid
point about the vacant storefronts.
That is a citywide problem.
And in the case of the popeyes at broadway and wilson. That is actually a HUGE step in the right direction.
I know that everyone if freaked out about the new low income housing at montrose and broadway
and new senior housing there.
Time will tell how that plays out.
I suspect that it will turn out better than what the doomsday scenarioistas are saying.
Part of why the neigborhood is getting lit up is because these losers dont have much territory left and they are bumping into each way too much now because of the rampant gentrification on the north side.
Im not a pollyanna.
But if its too hot in the kitchen.
Get out.
Rogers Park and Uptown are both continuing to improve despite all the naysayers and people who dont want it to get better.
I do feel bad about you guys having shiller as alderman though.
ReplyDeleteI just read her background info on wikipedia. She is scary.
She makes our alderman in 49 look like a saint. Joe Moore.
He is pro developer. And helps pave the way for new development.
She is a social activist
holding this neigborhood hostage.
Maybe there will be some critical event that will really rally people to voter her out.
THEN things will change for the better for uptown.