Thursday, May 19, 2011

More Shots On Leland?

We're hearing from several readers that there were four shots fired in the area of Leland and Kenmore or Leland and Sheridan just now, followed by a lot of yelling.  Anyone else hear anything?  Please add to the comments if you have any information.

31 comments:

  1. I live on the corner of Leland and Kenmore and I defintely heard shots.

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  2. I just heard a large number of police cars zooming towards the area...

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  3. not that these clowns are good shots anyways, but how on earth are you going to see who you are shooting at with this fog

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  4. I heard maybe 4 shots the first time, then another 3 followed. By the time I ran onto my patio, the shooter was halfway down Leland heading towards the park. With the fog and the distance, I could not provide 911 with a description.

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  5. MO - where were the shots fired?

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  6. yep...I live on the corner of Leland and Sheridan. Definitely a number of shots followed by yelling. Cops showed up 2 1/2 to 3 minutes later.

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  7. 1001 Leland. CPD has a crime scene.

    Sounds like some douchebag fired on a red Taurus, then ran off: either north on Sheridan, or south into the McD's.

    No injuries reported. No weapon recovered. No arrests.

    Suspect was a skinny male wearing a hoodie.

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  8. I heard 3-4 shots, a pause then 2 more. It occurred on Leland between Sheridan and Kenmore. No weapon recovered at this time, no one in custody, and no one shot.

    Stay aware of your surroundings when you're out and about. Report suspicious activity and be a good witness for the police.

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  9. Keep an eye on your vehicles if they're parked on the street. There are calls of male blacks breaking into cars on the 4700 Block of Beacon, and damaging vehicles in the area also. The fog is giving these guys some pretty good cover.

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  10. the fog is definitely tricky on the eyes! i thought i saw a big group of teens down the street and was a little concerned. as i approached, i realized it was one adult and one child.

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  11. After the first shots, we heard more shots down the alley next to the park on Leland.

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  12. Good or bad, the prior Mayor was spot on with his stance on gun control.

    There are too many guns in the U.S...even one gun in the hands of an Uptown gang member/idiot/low-life/drug dealer is one too many.

    Enough already!

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  13. Starck Mad I beg to differ on the previous Mayors stance on gun control. I think that it is awful that good guys are just as refrained from gun ownership as the bad guys.

    The good guys follow the rules acquire handguns through legitimate means and use them when it is appropriate.

    The bad guys do not care about any of the above mentioned things including who the Mayor is.

    If you want to effectively control the influence guns have on the streets of Chicago you must convict, then substantially punish those responsible for committing any type of criminal offense while in the possession or control of a handgun.

    We unfortunately do not have a States attorney in Cook County or a Judiciary in Cook County willing to do just that.

    It is not the Guns that are a problem, it is the fact that the wrong people have more of them than the right people.

    I am not advocating that a conceal and carry law be passed. I do believe that having a gun in a house that is treated with respect, and under lock and key is a good thing for the average good citizen. Just in case.

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  14. It is not the Guns that are a problem

    the United States has probably the lossest gun laws in the world if not then certainly the wealthier word.

    The US is 5% of the worlds population but constitutes 50% of the worlds gun deaths.

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  15. Xertort

    Should we not allow driving autos as well since the United States has 62% of all the worlds vehicular fatalities?

    Just wondering.

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  16. The gun argument is a distraction for wingers on both sides. The issue is the highly lucrative drug market that thrives in Uptown because of the ridiculous concentration of addicts, it has to be the primary concern because everything else is a by-product.

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  17. Funny how Da Old Mayor had ARMED security around him 24/7. Yeah he was real "anti gun," just not the guns that were protecting him, no THOSE guns were FINE. It's like being an "environmentalist" and then being driven around in limos.

    I'm still not even sure what all the fuss is about. According to some fine UU readers that area is perfectly fine. No reason to be alarmed. Nothing to see here, nothing to see here...

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  18. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  19. Should we not allow driving autos as well since the United States has 62% of all the worlds vehicular fatalities?

    Just wondering


    did you make that stat up lol.

    out of the roughly 1.2 million traffic deaths in the world in a 1998 study 49,000 were in north america. That is 4% roughly and the US is 5% of the world's population. Granted its a 12 year old study but the percentages will not have changed much.

    http://www.safecarguide.com/exp/statistics/statistics.htm

    the United States have 5% of the world's population but 50% of the world's gun deaths annual. Sad.

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  20. I see these "people" as enemy combatants. They are urban terrorists. They are more of a threat to our safety in Uptown than Al Qaeda. So, why can we not treat them as such? Why can't we throw the Patriot Act on them, tap phones, put 24 hr surveillance on their (or their Grandmothers) residence, tap bank accounts (given they have one), tighten the noose and weed them out.

    If the police know that a small number of "people" are committing the majority of crime in the 46th, it shouldn't be that hard to figure out who it is. They have Police on rooftops doing surveillance in other neighborhoods, why not here? Give them non-lethal weapons, put them in "hot zones" and allow them to take these "people" down? Rahm needs to direct serious resources here, bring a overwhelming show of force and crush them. They are after all mainly just kids, shouldn't be that hard. If something to this magnitude cannot be done, I'll run for Mayor next election and do it! lol

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  21. Uptown Action I agree 100%. I know there are many reasons why people to join gangs. Generally speaking it is one form or another if social injustice. However the gang activity must be stopped. Heavy pressure is needed on every gang member and the people who are buying their drugs, weapons and or prostitutes.

    If there is no money to be made the gang members will leave.

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  22. What people do not understand or dont want to admit is that the drug market in Uptown is not something that can sustain itself solely by the people in the neighborhood. So insted of going after the drug dealers try going after the buyers.Insted of taking pictures of the dealers try taking a picture of the buyer or their lisence plates and publish it on the web.Its very unlikely that a white kid from the burbs or a car from Indiana are cruising around the neighborhood looking for something to eat.
    has anyone ever thought about going after the landlords that house drug dealers and just dont care? Start a massive email or call in campaign and i assure you that you will get their attention. No one likes to see their email box full of complaints and they certainly dont like answering their phones 200 times a day and listen to someone complaint. Question is. Are you guys prepared to do that?

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  23. Re: gun issue

    I refer everyone who wants to my opinion on the matter ala Chris Rock which also touches upon a way to improve the economy:

    You know what you need?
    We need some bullet control.

    I think all bullets should cost $5000. You know why? 'Cause if a bullet costs $5000 there'd be no more innocent bystanders.

    People would think before
    they killed somebody, if a bullet cost $5,000.

    "Man, I would blow your f***ing head off, if I could afford it. I'm gonna get me another job, I'm gonna start saving some money... and you're a dead man.

    You better hope I can't get no bullets on layaway."

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  24. MicroFiber Militia, this was great. Everything else is going up price-wise, why not this? Another thing, I find myself checking this website more and more before I leave the house...

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  25. I just wish everyone would spend a little more time recognizing that many of the people firing guns and buying/selling drugs are people; and many are also current community members, whether you want them here or not. Many are adolescents, still very much influenced and affected by the opportunities being provided (or more likely, not provided) by adults, their schools, and this community. Simply finding and throwing people in jail or forcing them to go elsewhere, ignores the fact that the drug dealers, loiterers, gang members can all be replaced by new people, new leaders.

    There are deeper issues going on in the way we provide resources for our schools and real, sustainable employment opportunities for people as they leave school. If we just keep blaming individuals (saying that these people are clowns, screwed up, lazy, whatever), we're looking to create a quick-fix -- not a sustainable solution.

    Believe me, I want a safe and thriving community as much as the next person, but we can't just keep getting angry and making whole groups of people into the enemies. I recognize that a person who shoots someone should go to jail, but meanwhile, what happens next? I love the work of places like Inspiration Kitchens and the way they provide opportunities for less privileged individuals. I'm glad I always see so many people supporting those establishments.

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  26. Jennifer,

    It pains me to do so, but I do agree with your point of view, to a point. Every single day I see parents as ignorant and uneducated as some of these kids running around acting hard. Chances are a kid raised in a pitiful environment devoid of education, direction, guidance etc will turn out just like their pitiful, unaccomplished parent/parents. On that point, I cannot blame the kid for being an absolute menace to society.

    However, we have free will and innate intelligence that can be tapped and developed. You can take all the screw up criminals, drug addicts, gang bangers, round them up and tell them to take a look around for 5 minutes. Uptown is filled with nice places to live, educated people, nice restaurants, job opportunities and even a reputable community college. Long story short, PLENTY of positive opportunities exist RIGHT HERE. These "people" choose to ignore all of it in favor of self-destructive lifestyles that inadvertently have a negative effect on the rest of us. So, I say, living in Uptown, all the unfortunate people have opportunities way beyond what is available on the south and west sides and if you choose to turn your back on what we as a community are offering you, you're not welcome here.

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  27. Reports of teens smashing car windows and breaking into various cars in the area last night, as well.

    Get yourself a scanner and tune to CPD zone 2

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  28. UptownAction:

    I really appreciate your taking the time to read my post and validating some of my viewpoints. I just think that these opportunities you speak of aren't quite as accessible or well publicized as we'd like to think. For someone who isn't as well educated, is perceived more negatively because of race or appearance, or perhaps is trying to make a turn around after past crimes (we don't usually keep people in jail forever), steady job options that pay enough to live on are hard to find. All over, people with college educations are struggling to find a job, let alone those who, through their own fault or not, do not have that background.

    I'll admit that I am fairly new to the neighborhood so perhaps there are more options out there than I am aware of, but I'd like to hear what those options are instead of just commenting on their existence. Because if there really is a lot out there, then I think our problem might be that we're not getting the word out well enough. For those of us with around the clock internet access and connections through our jobs or social networks, it becomes a lot easier to know what's available. I'd argue that almost all people (yes, they are people) would much rather find a job than be on the street or live off of welfare. But it's a discouraging, uphill battle when it's the only life you've known for a very long time.

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  29. This is what I love about Uptown Update, much like what Irv Kupcinet said about his show: "the lively art of conversation"
    That's what it's all about!

    Sorry PB, but I think xertort is right. Also, oddly enough, owning a gun leads to a lot of gun 'accidents' in the home.
    Unless you're in 'Moose Jaw' Alaska, and under a possible bear attack alert, there's no good reason for anyone in Uptown to have a hand gun. (and I'm inclined to think, the bulk of anyone in Uptown who owns a gun, is not your average citizen)

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  30. I'm thinking of getting a Flip or a Bloggie camcorder and chronicling all the nonsense I see. Where would be a good place to host these kinds of videos? I plan on whipping it out at any opportunity to chronicle crime, and share it with UU and other news blogs.

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