Several readers are telling us five shots were fired at Sunnyside and Racine around 8:45, with police and ambulances responding in force. Doesn't look like a good situation at all.
And someone else is reporting there's been gang fighting in the Jewel parking lot, with one of the combatants running inside the store.
Gonna be a long, sad night.
Update: And here's the story in the Sun-Times. The victims are 21 and 23. The man who died was Brian Gill. The 21-year-old was shot in the arm and side and is in critical condition.
Three young men lying in the street bleeding yesterday -- one with a blanket over him. Heartbreaking. If you have any information that can help identify the shooters, please contact the police. This has gone on long enough. Enough!
At least one person taken away by ambulance from Sunnyside and Racine area.
ReplyDeleteHeard the shots. 5 in total. Car rushed down Racine going south. Looked outside our window and saw people running around SE corner of sunnyside and Racine. Police here within a minute
ReplyDeleteLovely. Was just at Jewel getting groceries for the week from 6:30-7:30pm.
ReplyDeleteThankful this didn't happen when I was there...but I hate that I have to worry about going to the grocery store a few blocks from my home.
I was walking my dog and stopped to talk to some neighbors. They said 2 were shot. 1 was taken to the hospital and the other was dead at the scene. They thought the young man was a kid nicknamed Big Baby. The police are still investigating.
ReplyDeleteHas Ceasefire started in Uptown yet? Now might be a good time for them to step in -- things are getting hot.
ReplyDeleteI saw kids fighting in the Jewel parking lot, probably around 8:40. They looked young, though. In the 10-12 year old range.
ReplyDeleteBut they had one kid on the ground, punching him. I did call 911 and report it.
thanks for calling 911 christine - definitely the right move.
ReplyDeleteAs of 10:30 p.m., Sunnyside is a taped-off crime scene from Racine to Clifton, including the intersections, and a small number of officers are still there waiting for the medical examiner's office to deal with the fatality. From the sounds of things, they will be around for daylight to improve the chances of finding evidence. Don't be surprised to hear about retaliatory shootings--the fatality is apparently a Black P-Stone.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone offer advice about Positive Loitering? I'd sure like to see some going on in this stretch of Sunnyside--is it UCC that calls these events?
@Bear, I believe its the local CAPS?
ReplyDeleteIt is entirely possible that this shooting was already retaliation for the kid who was shot earlier today and ran east on Windsor bleeding heavily the whole way. If the retaliation mindset continues..these shootings will never end//
ReplyDeleteand I am not convinced as to the effectiveness of positive loitering..we just went on Friday and hoping for an hour of standing on the corner to change things seems fairly naive...Though police presence would be a plus especially since we've been calling 911 on average of three times a week.. We were hoping for cops to show up BEFORE bullets and death!
ReplyDeleteThis corner on the Truman campus has been the scene of loitering gangbangers lately. Everyone knows Truman security is a joke. Is the alderman's office working with the new president to improve the situation?
ReplyDeleteI live right near there and have been hearing police sirens for hours. Seems like there is a lot going on tonight.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Tribune the murder victim was Brian Gill and he apparently lived on the 4400 block of Racine. Does anyone know what building he lived in?
ReplyDeletewelcome to uptown sonicburger carhops! what needs to happen before this stuff stops? i used to think we residents could help but i've been here 30 years and it just gets worse...
ReplyDeleteThe bodies are starting to pile up down there. I hope James has a plan because things seem to be getting worse.
ReplyDeleteSo much for "Operation Sugar Magnolia." None of that really matters in the long run. As long as the buildings are still there and operating under the same piss poor management a new crop of bangers will replenish the ranks.
ReplyDeleteI am sure there will be a long nine of bleeding hearts defending the systemic issues that these young "men" are facing, but after years and years it's falling on deaf ears.
When do tax payers get a return on their investment? We subsidize the rent, we offer tax payer funded aka "free education," we provide link cards to help with the food bill, and we donate to non for profits to help local charities. What has been my return? I get a two block neighborhood that has seen 3 murders and 2 dozen shootings in the LAST YEAR? I have to walk down the street and shield my son from language, drinking, and violence. I get smashed up beer bottles and food wrappers thrown in my yard.
I don't plan on leaving the neighborhood but I am going to do everything in my power to make sure the thugs and the enablers do.
Cops were here FAST. There was so much anger here last night. Wailing grief and teens going out with all that anger, gathering up and on to the next violent act. There really needed to be some sort of intervention for those teens. Us yuppies standing out gawking, helplessly sure didn't help... Just heartbreaking. People leave such heartless, distant comments on here, but until you see it...
ReplyDeleteIn addition, do any of you have security cameras on your buildings? I need to price a system and could use a vendor recommendation.
ReplyDeleteUntil the community puts pressure on the low income buildings to remove the gang bangers/criminals nothing will change.
ReplyDeletePositive loitering, CAPs etc are all nice attempts but the time would be better spent identifying the major perps and having them removed one by one.
Adding on to Turkeeemama's comments about anger, there was a lot of a lot of comments being said that would lead us to believe that retaliation is almost inevitable at this point.
ReplyDelete"Until the community puts pressure on the low income buildings to remove the gang bangers/criminals nothing will change"
ReplyDeleteThe resources available to weed out the garbage from these buildings are weak at best and hard to enforce. The buildings just have to go, really no other way around it. Concentrated poverty doesn't work and the concentration is way too high.
I'm tired.
ReplyDeleteRegarding retaliation, I have definitely noticed a surge of violence right when school starts... just an fyi and hopefully "hope" for some peace after the fall. We are hoping to rent our place out by Nov 1st and be out. When you have little ones to think of, can't stick around and fight.
ReplyDeletechipdouglas has it right. We are subsidizing their lives and all we want is a neighborhood free of gun fire.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter how fast the police get there... it's AFTER the shooting. (That's not to slam the police.) We need to stop it before it happens.
Is the alderman talking with the CHA? If this is what's going to help stop this, that's where he (not one of his staffers) needs to be.
http://uptownarts.blogspot.com/2011/08/polk-st-mural-step-by-step.html
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there are some mental health workers that live in this area. There are a lot of hurting teens out here. Crisis Intervention is much needed.
ReplyDeleteThe CHA isn't going to be helpful - within the current political climate.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, there's only so much that Cap can do. There was only so much Shiller could do, quite honestly.
The difference is that at least Cap is doing what he can to deter/prevent/address the violence, not foster an environment which breeds escalation.
The problems here (and elsewhere in the city) can be solved ... if (and this is a hefty "if") there's a political will to address them properly and deal with the inevitable, selfish and close-minded bitching and moaning.
(and, no - I'm not referring to any sort of draconian measure; but, these bangers simply have got to go. Period).
I talked with the Alderman's office recently and was told conversations are being had and there is an open dialoge about the problems. We all know what the problems are so why not talk about potential soluctions instead? Their suggestion - I should go to the CAPS meeting. All the CAPS meetings in the world aren't going to solve the problems we have.
ReplyDeleteI am not trying to slam our new alderman but is he having conversations with the head of the CTA, the President of Truman, the police chief, etc....? I didn't get that impression, I get the impression staffers are having meetings with staffers. That's not helpful. Maybe I am wrong. I am not on his email list so perhaps he is doing some of these things.
I would really like to see the balance of that little section of Uptown restored in favor of the good people who deserve a return on their investment of time, money, and heart.
ReplyDeleteThe statistics on number of murders and shootings in that little sector are staggering and disgusting.
Mistakes have been made - so let's learn from them and correct them. That might mean returning some of the low-income housing to the hands of better management or removing some of it from this community for the good of all involved.
dacutestmama said...
ReplyDelete"I'm sure there are some mental health workers that live in this area. There are a lot of hurting teens out here. Crisis Intervention is much needed."
Well as one of those mental health workers I would say this. How do you know that many of those hurting teens are not in treatment already? But even if they are not, mental health treatment is not magic, help will find those that truly want it. Do you really think the kids hanging out on the corner or their parents who allow them to do so want any help? Most don't in my experience. Which is fine, however there still needs to be very strong consequences for bad/illegal behavior. I agree with what many have said hold the housing accountable for who lives there. Many of gang members are not even on the lease. Those that are on the lease need to be held accountable for letting them come into their homes. Which might mean evicting a 75 year old grandmother. As Yo said that takes political will and a willingness to be the bad guy. Most pols won't play that roll. So little gets done.
At least our new Alderman is having an open dialog about what is going on. How many dead bodies were lying on the street outside the former alderman's office without a word from her.
"Many of gang members are not even on the lease. Those that are on the lease need to be held accountable for letting them come into their homes. Which might mean evicting a 75 year old grandmother"
ReplyDeleteCompletely un-enforceable at a useful level.
Most pols won't play that roll.
ReplyDelete... and never will, as long as curious-interest groups still have a seat at the table (and I'm sure we can all create an extensive list of such groups right here in Uptown).
This community took a grand step forward when we helped Shiller realize that her political goose was cooked; but, there's only so much any alderman can do while beholden to organizations who sound good on paper but only effectively serve to promote a status quo of the violent failures they helped create.
If any real change is to come about, the community needs to stand up and speak out and get the message across that this shit simply ain't gonna fly anymore.
Kinda like CeaseFire ... except that the community might actually get something accomplished.
We all know the difference between some innocent kid walking home from school and some douchebag gangbanger standing on the street corner checking the weight of his 'nads while scoping the area for his buddies.
Call 911.
We know where these douchebags congregate(for any douchebag gangbangers reading this, I know you're confused by bigger words - read this).
Call 911.
ANYthing that looks even remotely suspicious: call 911.
Also - if you see tags, paint over them. I have a can of paint near the back door and brush at the ready. No tags on my place.
Burn up 311 (submit service request online to report GBD tags in newly poured concrete, painted on viaducts, lamp posts, small animals, benches, trash cans.
Anywhere you see any sign of GBD activity, if you can't erase it, move it, or paint over it ... report it - and keep reporting it until the city actually does something about it!
GBDs are quite honestly, the biggest p*ssies on the planet and do not like to be hassled. Call the cops and let the CPD hassle them.
Take pictures. Post them online, twitter, facebook .. where ever.
Keep it within reason, 'natch - GBDs aren't terribly bright, nor remarkably good shots, but blind squirrel theory in effect (ala the head shot yesterday.. pure luck).
... and hopefully, some day, these GBDs will understand that Uptown is just too much of hassle for their lazy, ignorant asses ... and they'll move on.
And maybe, some day, the jerks who are helping to propagate this unholy environment will finally put their greedy self-interests aside (you know who you are) and help us promote and provide a PROPER environment within which we can help build up these kids, our neighborhood and the future ... for everyone.
We can't simply rely on the alderman, CAPS meetings, navel-gaving beaurocrats, tshirts or marches to get this problem solved.
We have to take some of the responsibility .. if only to show those thumb-twiddling chair moisteners that it might actually be possible to have a positive influence without TIFs, gov't funding, green house lobbies, fish farms and whatever other failed policy/tactic they've wasted our time with.
An active community working as spotters for the cops .. making every cell phone a potential threat, zero tolerance for tagging, keeping the 'hood clean ... not a "silver bullet" but a start.
... so endeth the rant (thank you for your patience).
I think I have to agree with Chipdouglas and Alek on this one.
ReplyDeleteI've had it and haven't even lived in uptown for 2 years (you longtimers must have A LOT of patience and hope for the community, kudos). Like everyone else, I'm sick of this mess. Re-allocate the social services, shut down the shelters and subsidized housing. Just get these people out of my neighborhood and let it gentrify. I know this isn't solving the problem but moving it elsewhere, however at this point I don't care anymore. Throw the baby out with the bath water. There are many services available these "men" and their families, but as Uptown Vegetarian said, some people have chosen not to use them. They don't want to help themselves so why should I?
Sorry for the angry post. I hate that I sound like a republican. I guess gentrification in Uptown is a pipe dream anyway.
Just get these people out of my neighborhood and let it gentrify.
ReplyDeleteThat's what happened to Cabrini and part of the reason why we are where we are, today.
I hate that I sound like a republican.
Being socially liberal/fiscal conservative, I'm not offended, however, drawing lines of separation based on ideology doesn't really jive with that that whole "diversity" gig, now does it?
Yo, thanks for the great summary of the things that we can control.
ReplyDelete"Re-allocate the social services, shut down the shelters and subsidized housing. Just get these people out of my neighborhood and let it gentrify." Well this may or may not solve some of our current problems. But you and I don't have much control over those things.
However, you can hold those services accountable for building safety violations or criminal activity on their property. But to do so you gotta call 911, go to CAPS meetings, or housing court. Even then it takes a long time to get anywhere. But progress can and does happen.
Uptowners who are frustrated, which clearly is most of us, really need to look at much smaller goals and start to string them together. 30 years of problems will not go away in even a decade, but things will get better over that time. Pick a building next door that is a problem and focus on it. If everyone did that all the problem buildings would have 1000 eyes on them. But just looking is never enough you have to call for help when necessary and go to court to make sure your call for help is taken seriously. As Yo summarized stick to what you can control. She gave a great list. But there is never going to be one THING that has to happen first. It will be many different things at once which will create change.
Most of u know nothing about how a community works if it wasn't for the CHA or those low income housing buildings bringing down the property value then most of you wouldn't be able to afford those condo's u live in only paying between 90 to 150 thousand for what most pay 250 to 350 for because of the sq ft. If you had the income then you would have moved to a better neighborhood.To take away those buildings would cause some already hard working mother to work more hours to afford to live some where else which will lead to another teen unsupervised for more hours so that he can get into more trouble in the streets. If most of these teens had better programs and activities to occupy their time they would have less time to do bad. Why is it that police can start softball ,baseball, and football leagues for the kids during the summer in other neighborhoods but not in this one. Instead of everyone else cleaning up the trash an over painting the tags get the cops to make the teens to do it they will be less likely to do it again. Find a way to up lift them instead of looking down on them they act like animals because they are treated like animals.They are only crying out for help! Most of the teens doing the shoting and fighting dont even live in the neighborhood they come to hang with the ones that do or they just have no where and nothing else to do. they are lost and misguided.
ReplyDeleteShe?!
ReplyDeletechinadoll5600 - Are you implying that it is the job of the police to do the jobs that parents should be doing? The police are responsible for maintaining order and to ensure the laws are upheld. It is NOT their job to make sure teens have something non-criminal to do. Let's face it, with the police staffing shortages, police can't even respond to all crime timely.
ReplyDeleteWe need to hold parents responsible for their kids and their actions. I do agree that kids need safe, gang-free activities to occupy their time, but that is the responsibility of the entire community, including parents, not the police.
Find a way to up lift them instead of looking down on them they act like animals because they are treated like animals
ReplyDeleteChicken v. egg.
I agree that we should find a way to build these kids up, however, do they act like animals since they're treated as such, or are they treated like animals because that's how they behave?
I'd wager on the latter, quite honestly since there are some damn fine kids in similar, if not worse, situations than GBDs.
Short version: they all know damn well that gunfire is illegal - and it's not always a cry for help.
However, I LOVE your idea to have these kids clean up their messes.
How could we do that?
One thing for sure is they are getting younger.Probaly being put up to it by the older ones.If they do the crime ,the punishment should be rough-very rough no matter what age.It might wake a few of them up.Police can't just protect Uptown.Personaly ,I think they are following friends or relatives that live in this area because if they do live in this area management is very poor in those buildings.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Cub Reporter. Tossing people out of their homes and moving the problem isn't going to solve the problem. Neither is just relying on social services. It is about holding people responsible for their own actions. It is about parents taking responsibility and being parents. Taking the time to find the resources available to them and making sure their kids are off the street and actively involved in something productive. I believe that if anyone involved in gang or criminal activities and is living is subsidized housing, those privileges should be taken away, they should be evicted. But that is not everyone who lives in subsidized housing, only those who abuse and break the rules. Being in a low-income bracket is not an absolution of responsibility, and i'm sick and tired of being told otherwise. I'm tired of being told that these are poor kids who are crying out for help and come from bad families. Absolutely there is truth to that, but they don't hesitate to spray bullets all over the streets at any time of the day or night regardless who is around. That is not anyone I or anyone else need to be sympathetic towards. The only way things are going to change is if these families and immediate friends and neighbors who are most directly affected by and associated with these young people decide that they themselves are sick and tired of it and demand change, and start to make the changes for themselves for the better within their own homes and their own families. Time and again people try and fail repeatedly to help from the outside, and it truly has to come from within their own communities. It is not about the rest of us calling 911, while that is extremely important, it is even more about them reporting what they know to the police, instead of the status quo, 'I didn't see anything.' Until that changes, nothing will.
ReplyDeleteThe problem isn't lack of after-school programs, nor even lack of jobs. Who wants to work at McDonald's, get paid next to nothing, and be ragged on by their schoolmates when they can work their corner, make tons of money, and earn the respect and/or fear of others?
ReplyDeleteI sympathize that a lot of these kids come from broken homes, and I do agree that a lack of strong male role models in the community exacerbates what's already a bad situation, but it still boils down to money and respect. Why do you think you see all these kids wearing T-shirts and caps with dollar signs or $100 bill prints on them? Why do you think that when they get angry at each other, they brag about how much money they have to show that they're real men?
@chip - c'mon Chip, more programs are needed….fund fund fund…..just kidding, couldn't have said it better myself….
ReplyDeleteand for those of you who think "after school" programs, etc. are the answer, let me remind you - the "fisticuffs" or whatever the hell you call them, that were happening last year, were happening, ironcially, directly in front of Alternatives. Who I'm sure get some of my tax dollars in one way or another.
It's called parenting - and there's a big VOID in Uptown.
i think the violence we see on the streets simply mirrors the violence we see throughout our culture and economic system, especially how our business/government elites treat poor people around the world. The extremely sad violence that happens on our streets is unfortunately a drop in the bucket compared to the wider violence that many of us are quick to justify. I don't see the street violence stopping until we have a significant change of values in our culture that gets us away from how individualistic we've become.
ReplyDeletePeople need to be held accountable for what they do (or don't do) but taking a step back and looking at the broader picture provides some insight.
Condolences to those most affected by the shootings yesterday.
"Who wants to work at McDonald's, get paid next to nothing, and be ragged on by their schoolmates when they can work their corner, make tons of money, and earn the respect and/or fear of others?"
ReplyDelete1. There are people illegally coming in to this country everyday for A CHANCE to work at those jobs that pay "next to nothing." McDonald's has started out the careers and taught work ethic to many people in this country, including Jay Leno, Carl Lewis, Damon Wayans, and many more.
2. Read chapter 3 the book "Freakonomics" titled "Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live with Their Moms?" They found crack dealers had a 1 in 4 chance of being killed and averaged $3.30 an hour. McDonald's doesn't sound so bad now does it?
I don't see the street violence stopping until we have a significant change of values in our culture that gets us away from how individualistic we've become.
ReplyDeleteActually, considering the level of peer pressure we're told that leads to gang membership, a little more individualism might come in handy.
We just need to get some smarts and book learnin' into the heads of these kids.
And, just for fun:
especially how our business/government elites treat poor people around the world.
Yeah, cuz Russia (USSR, soviet bloc), China, Libya, Yemen ... etc etc etc ... treated their poor, and the poor across the globe, SO much better than the US.
Cuz the African continent isn't crawling with Americas volunteering their time and livelihoods to help the less fortunate.
Cuz Americans never step up to provide money to people in need in times of crisis.
C'mon, ron ... that woe is me/victimized under the bootheel of the oppressive corporation socialist dogma bullsh*t has not only been proven a failed ideology, it doesn't really do a lick of good dealing with gangs.
"Keep it within reason, 'natch - GBDs aren't terribly bright, nor remarkably good shots, but blind squirrel theory in effect (ala the head shot yesterday.. pure luck)."
ReplyDeleteI believe the guy doing the shooting knew what he was doing. He hit with 3 of the 5 shots. They were well spaced like he was deliberately aiming, not all quick and jerky like some other shots I've heard.
The gangs are fighting over money. That money is tax payer money transferred to users of the shelters and social services in the area. If someone is arrested for buying drugs, they should lose right to access shelters and services in the area or someone should look at their funding as they maybe aren’t as effective as they should be.
The war on drugs seems focused on supply, but in Uptown it would be more effective to eliminate the demand.
Windsor - My post was not meant to express sympathy for gangbangers. I don't like them any more than you do. I'm just saying that when people say that gangbangers just need a hug, a crummy low-paying job, or a book to read, they're not understanding exactly why bangers do what they do. I never meant my post to be an excuse for their behavior, merely an attempt to understand it.
ReplyDeletechip - Many immigrants coming into this country are 1) older than most gangbangers 2) have families to support 3) come from a culture where even washing dishes is seen as honorable if you're supporting your family.
Moreover, I doubt many of our gangbangers are Malcolm Gladwell fans. The high risk associated with banging is part of the appeal for many of them, and they view criming and dealing as more respectable than slinging burgers or cleaning floors.
If certain buildings cant be managed then they should just be gotten rid of.
ReplyDeleteThis is the northside of Chicago and its not far from wrigley field.
IMHO who cares where it is? Its too much violence in such a small part of Chicago that is really (or should be) a premier part of the city. People are fixing things up and businesses are flourishing DESPITE the RAMPANT violence. Which is amazing.
So this ultimately is a political problem. As that is the only reason there is so much low income housing in Uptown. Its is because of the recent politics of Schiller obviously. Otherwise Uptown wouldve been MUCH further along by NOW. It has been ARTIFICIALLY held back with loads of mismanaged buildings where gangs, drugs, prostitution and violence has been allowed to FESTER.
I personally feel that a list going from the WORST to the merely bad of buildings should be made.
Like an FBI most wanted poster.
Yo is right though.
The gangs hang there is the least resistance to their prescense. Then there needs to be maximal resistance so that its too much of a pain to hangout in uptown.
@jeffo - did your idea!
ReplyDelete"…..I personally feel that a list going from the WORST to the merely bad of buildings should be made.
Like an FBI most wanted poster….."
First off I would like to say that Brian "Big Baby' Giles was a dear friend of mine. You can never judge a book by its cover and this young man had a bright future ahead of him, despite what others may think of him. Uptown has become the First 48. We don't need the cameras because we live this, every year, every block, every low income or condo owner, lives this. My family has been in Uptown for 25 years because of the diversity of this community. Nowhere else in the city of Chicago can you see races from all over the globe, living together. Right now we're not living comfortably because we keep pointing the finger at the next person. Paying your taxes is great, but that's not going to give you an easy button that you can press and say, O.k. make these young men stop standing on the corner. This lifestyle isn't one that people are comfortable with, one that people wake up and say, "I wan't to get shot just walking down the street." The reality of it is these "bangers", "thugs", and low income heathens, are community residents just like you and me. You think the low income residents get gratification from seeing another community resident killed or hurt? No. Hell no for that matter. As a community, we need to say this is enough. If the low income residents leave where are they suppose to go? Making them leave sure won't make the "bangers" follow them. What it will do though is continue to make Chicago one of the most segregated cities in the world. As a community, we have to take our streets back. That calls for input from everyone. Not just the "low income" people so their opinion won't be taken seriously, or the yuppies to try and delegate a plan and think that because they have money, their voices are more valuable. We have to stop playing the blame game. The more we blame each other, the less attention we pay to the situation and the more young people die on out streets. I'm a young woman who is willing to take back my community, for the better.
ReplyDeleteThese children are just that. Children. Killing children. Not animals, not heathens, hoodlums, or low lifes who don't see a better future for themselves. What they are lacking are opportunities. Getting laughed at for working at McDonalds was what they did in 1999. In 2011, you have blacks, whites, 23 year olds, and 64 year olds alike fighting to work at McDonalds. You can fight me up and down and say "they can go to schoo, we pay property taxes that go to schools", but as we all saw in the Tribune, 3 out of 4 teens are not prepared for college once they leave a CPS school. So we say we're giving them a chance, when in reality we're not. It can start at home but what if their parents were never given the proper guidance as to how to raise a child. It's a never ending cycle that stops with giving a child an opportunity. Whether it be a job or access to a better education, it starts with building relationships and giving a child a chance.
ReplyDeleteSo getting rid of the people where the bangers crash and hang out with or deal to wont get rid of them????
ReplyDeleteThe first 48 consists of drugdealers killing other drugdealers something we dont want in Uptown, Edgewater or Rogers Park.....
Its true though that money talks. And Uptown is too valuable real estate for this bloodbath to continue. This needs to be fixed by attacking it from many different angles. I cant believe that Uptown is doing as well as it is with the constant violence and gang fights. Where else is there such a neighbhorhood?
"Right now we're not living comfortably because we keep pointing the finger at the next person."
ReplyDeleteUm Nooooo. We are not living "comfortably" because a few idiots like your "dear friend" keep shooting at or getting shot at by urban terrorists.
We are not "blaming each other," We are blaming a select few who make this neighborhood miserable for ALL. I can take the trach being thrown in my yard, I can take the pot smoking on the bench out front, and I can take the every other word being "Motherfucker" even when my child is present, but I can not take the shooting. None of us can.
Bottom line is if tomorrow we stop "blaming them," they will keep shooting. If they stop shooting we will stop "blaming them." Pretty simple...STOP SHOOTING UP THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
I have no intention of bringing myself down to the lowest common denominator. It's time people like your "dear friend" join us at the productive member of society table.
HAS ANYONE STOPPED TO THINK ABOUT HOW AN WHERE THEY GET THESE GUNS TO COMMIT THESE KILLINGS NOT THE LOCAL CORNER STORE. THEY ARE NOT OF LEGAL AGE TO GET A GUN CARD OR HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO WALK INTO A LEGITIMATE GUN STORE AND PURCHASE A GUN. SO YOU HAVE TO CONCLUDE THAT THERE IS SOMEONE WITH THE MEANS TO GET GUNS LEGALLY RUNNING TO THE INNER CITY TO SALE THEIR GUNS TO MAKE A FAST DOLLAR TO SUPPORT THE GANGBANGERS. ALSO NOT EVERY TEENAGE TROUBLE MAKER OR GANGBANGER COMES FROM A POOR FAMILY OR LIVES IN LOW INCOME HOMES SOME COME FROM FAMILIES WHERE PARENTS HAVE 35 TO 45 THOUSANDS A YEAR JOBS.SO ECONOMIC STATUES HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER SOME ONE DECIDES TO GO AND HANG WITH THE WRONG CROWD AS "WILL" SAID THERE IS SOME REASON BEHIND IT. IT IS UP TO THE PARENTS TO DO BETTER BUT THEY CANT DO IT ALL ALONE NOT EVERY PARENT CAN SIT AT HOME EVERYDAY WITH THEIR TEEN AND MAKE SURE THEY DON'T GET INTO TROUBLE THEN EVERY WILL COMPLAIN ABOUT WELFARE NEXT. THE COMMUNITY HAS TO WORK ALONG WITH THE PARENTS, SCHOOLS, COPS ,ECT. I LIKE THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO GET LONGER SCHOOL HOURS SINCE THEY DON'T WANT TO HAVE MORE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS. I WISH EVERYONE WOULD STOP SAYING THAT THE POLICE ARE DOING ALL THEY CAN CAUSE THEY ARE NOT THEY COULD DO BETTER. THEY HAVE SLOW RESPONSE TIME TO CRIMES CAUSE THEY ARE IN THEIR CARS AT THE LAKE AND ON THE EXPRESS WAYS CHILLING AND WRITING TICKETS INSTEAD OF PATROLLING THE STREETS I SEE IT EVERYDAY. THEY GET PAID VERY WELL TO DO WHAT THEY TOOK AN OATH TO DO. THEY JUST HAVE A LACK OF CARING BECAUSE ITS NOT WHERE THEY LIVE. IF EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY CAN SEE ALL THE CRIMES WHY DOESN'T ANY OF THIS CATCH THEIR EYES. BUT WE ALL CAN GO BACK AND FORTH FOREVER ABOUT WHOSE TO BLAME AND WHAT SHOULD BE DONE BUT IT STILL WONT CHANGE THAT WE ARE LOSING KIDS TO GUNS LETS STOP TALKING ABOUT IT AND PUT SOME OF THESE WORDS INTO ACTIONS.
ReplyDeleteLol my comment on this thread wasn't to start an argument so I apologize if I've "ruffled" a few feathers. The reality of it is that NO if you remove the "friends" of the "bangers" they will not move. They will simply do what they've been doing plenty of times before- ADAPT. Just because Uptown is prime real estate dosn't mean we neglect the people who have made Uptown what it is. Now before you throw a fit hear me out. I'm not saying the "bangers" are what make Uptown, that's the last thing I'm trying to say. But what I am trying to say is by just saying get rid of the places they hang around like the low income apartment buildings who do little to nothing to provide their tenants with a safer environment, isn't the answer. Whose job is it to make sure that Uptown stays the prosperous and diverse community that it once was and will continue to be? YOURS just like it's mine. So yea my "dear friend" was a dear friend, who didn't deserve to be gunned down in front of his house. So really is it the "idiots" fault that he was in his own neighborhood in front of his house being gunned down??? NO! But where is the safety? Where is the police presence? Why is it that people are gunned down in damn near broad daylight and instead of working together to find the killer, we're bashing him. Why is there not a sense of calm in Uptown? Surely it's not because someone threw a piece of paper in your yard. Surely it's not because there's a factory reproducing these "urban terrorist". Just because this is the northside of Chicago doesn't mean that instances like these don't occur because whether you'd like to believe it or not, Chicago is at the center of a real life break down. You don't know these kids from a can of paint other than what you see them for, the "bangers", thugs or whatever else you'd like to categorize them as. But they are human. If you think that money talks then get to talking and invest in a inner city child's education, invest in giving them a chance that no one else will give them. I'm not siding and saying that killing, shooting, and drug dealing is what our communities are about. What I am saying is that all of these are issues. And you won't get the proper solution until EVERYONE, not just the ones who can afford it, but everyone is at the decision making table.
ReplyDeleteNew2uptown...I couldn't agree more. I've been here two years and, though I don't want to leave, have had it. I don't understand why there is so much public housing in such a small area. There is public housing on every block! I thought when they tore down the projects on the south side that they would spread the units out. Why isn't it spread out further? I feel for the residents who live on the 4600 block of Magnolia. They are surrounded. I see the thugs sitting and loafing on the sidewalks in front the residences and can't imagine how annoying and scary it must be to be wondering who out there is carrying a gun. Plus the trash and vulgarity.
ReplyDeleteTo hear some of the comments here can be depressing. I appreciate the well thought out comments of some.
ReplyDeleteI am just upset that a neighbor of mine was shot dead.
There will be ample opportunities in the days ahead to discuss solutions in and around the neighborhood.
Tonight I just send may condolences to the friends and family of the deceased.
Immaculate, I like your idea that everybody needs to be at the table. I'm curious what you would propose as a solution. And before you say that the tax-paying residents should further subsidize the low-income folk, realize that our taxes have gone up, our property values have deteriorated enormously, and we're kind of tapped out. The pockets aren't quite as deep as you might think. So aside from spending the problem away, what would you suggest (seriously, no sarcasm)? I personally don't have a problem with poor people. I have a problem with poor people letting the gangbangers walk all over them. How can I, as a "yuppie," help the poor people fight back against the dealer crashing out at his Grandma's Section 8 apartment? How can I get Voice of the People to get rid of the dealers who live there? We're all giving the poor a chance, but labor is capital. The poor have to work for it, too. As an insider to the underbelly, guide us, the yuppies, down the path that will help clean up the community. No platitudes. Concrete examples, please.
ReplyDeleteFriday, 08/26 at 1:10 on a beautiful afternoon, Edgewater experienced a gunfight at the OK Corral, at least that's the way it seemed. Many many people out on Glenlake, including children & babies being pushed in strollers. I Heard the 10+ gunshots and watched a little girl pushing her bike trying to keep up with her mom who was running while pushing a baby in a stroller east on Glenlake. I saw the look of horror on their faces and it broke my heart. My partner had just been in that vicinity an hour prior to the gunfight and while I'm glad she was home, it still makes me angry. These thugs care NOTHING about who they might hit with stray bullets. They care NOTHING about our communities and frankly, all the "warm & fuzzy" and PC in the world is NOT going to change this. It's starts at HOME. It starts with holding landlords accountable. It starts with making the CHA & SEC 8 management adhere to their very rules & regulations. It starts with busting these dealers and carriers of illegal weapons. It starts with changing some of the laws so that the INNOCENT are TRULY protected and not the criminals. We have become to soft for fear of violating these thugs civil rights. What about OUR rights?
ReplyDelete@ nugatory Let me first start off by saying as a broke, tax paying college student, I would never say hike up taxes. Not in this day in age and not in the near future. I first think that we need to do away with the tags and stereotypes we have of one another. The "yuppies" and "low income" people all have a right to their opinions being heard because at the end of the day we are each others neighbors. We automatically assume things about one another that turn out to be 100% false, growing bigger fences around ourselves and staying segregated within a neighborhood. It's not about letting a person walk over them, but it is about them not having the support they need from their neighbors to step up and hold their landlords and property management accountable for keeping their families safe. I've stated it once before, these "thugs" and "bangers" don't care if your house is worth $200 or 250,000, if they can continue to feel safe and feel as if they won't be reprimanded, we as a community start to suffer. No one wants to see an innocent person killed in cold blood, but no one wants to find out how these (excuse my french) young a** boys keep winding up with these types of weapons. They don't fight anymore, they shoot. And why have we become accustomed to that? Why is getting hit by a bullet the first thing a person thinks about when you here a young person has been killed. We can start by building these relationships with each other. If we live across the street from each other but don't take the time to learn about each other, we'll never know that we're facing the same problem. I can't tackle this problem on my own. People need their neighbors, you and I, no matter what tax bracket we may be in, no matter how we were raised, or where we were raised, to help and support me if I were to go to my landlord. I believe it starts there. You can say I'm wrong but I would love to see this happen. Positive loitering may look good, but what are we getting out of it. We need action. You don't know if that young man will throw that book back at you or if he'll read it and learn from it. Just try. If they throw the book back at you, at least you can say you tried.
ReplyDeleteImmaculate : So you say your brother was shot .. " just walking to the store " and then later the man shot and killed was a "dear friend " Brian ' Big Baby' Giles ...or is it Gill ? as reported by all the newspapers.
ReplyDeleteSo I am to believe these two shootings just happened to hit that close to your home , your friends , randomly ??? In two different locations 4 hours apart .
And you ask that the photo of your " brother " be taken down out of respect to "your " family when it doesn't even show who he is ???
Please , give me a break.
Sorry , I don't believe you .
Immaculate, I'll try again. Imagine that you have your seat at the "decision making table". Please give me a concrete example. "Getting to know your neighbors" isn't a concrete example. HOW do I get to know them? I already ask the girls on my street about school and the music they like, but I also know some of them refer to me as "that crazy white lady." Striking up a conversation is not workable, so HOW do I get to know my neighbors? I know the "what," I want the "how." In other words, please give us concrete examples.
ReplyDeleteImmaculate I have battled against the bangers on Morse. The bangers arent hanging on Morse now because the shopkeepers there wont allow it.
ReplyDeleteThe chokehold on Morse and Wayne has been lifted and I can finally breathe again.
Immaculate I find it strange that think that the bangers are so powerful that they are unstoppable. They arent. Broken Heart of Rogers Park was a blog dedicated to getting the gangs off Morse and they helped alot. Morse is an example of what Wilson can and will become. I think you are dead wrong Immaculate. Funny name, I like it.
In response to some of the later posts on how to understand the other side , here is an idea- LET'S HAV A BLOCK PARTY in early September so the two sides can meet face to face and start the dialog. It may be easier to talk about these dificult issues over lemonate and burgers...I will be happy to help organize.
ReplyDeleteWe are already having a block party! The Clarendon Park Neighborhood Association will be hosting a block party on September 17th!!! At Hazel and Agatite.
ReplyDeleteThe root of the problem is the tepid legal response to gun crime all over the city\state\ country which basically sends the message that gun crime is tolerable. The public finds gun crime intolerable, but the politicians, lawyers, and judges continually send the message that it is tolerable. I remember a couple of years ago some gangbanger in Uptown took a shot or two at someone in broad daylight on a busy street, didn't hit anyone, and was sent away for less than a year. Shortly after his release, he was back at it again and this time he wounded a pregnant woman at a bus stop on Wilson. Sending someone away for less than a year on an assault charge after they fire a gun at someone basically tells that person and all the little gang bangers to be that look up to him that shooting guns at people is not so bad. Wanna end gun crime in Uptown and the rest of the city? Make it a minimum of 20 yrs for anyone using a gun in a crime and if they actually fire the gun, whether they hit someone or not, make it a minimum of 40 years. Carrying a gun while selling drugs? Minimum of 20 yrs. Use a gun to rob someone? Minimum of 20 yrs, whether you came close to firing it or not. If you are a convicted felon caught with a gun? Minimum of 20 yrs. A couple of years ago a convicted felon on parole was caught with a gun, the judge did not even revoke his parole and shortly thereafter he shot and killed a cop. It is way past time to start giving serious sentences to criminals who use guns. All this talk about shutting down low income buildings or shelters is stupid, it will not solve any problem, only move it and make it far worse somewhere else in an area of even more concentrated poverty.
ReplyDeleteSean, closing troubled properties that cant regulate themselves would help uptown though.
ReplyDeleteWhy is that stupid? Its stupid for civilized people in a gentrifying neighborhood to not want to dodge bullets?
There is too much low income in this part of the city for sure,
I think we can agree that eventually there is no end all solution, but it we want uptown to do well as a neighbhorhood we have to decide that. Its not a neighborhood in decline, right now its the opposite. So its bizarre that more isnt being done to disperse the elements that are causing the violence.
jeff, there are plenty of civilized poor people living in those buildings you'd like to shut down that would only suffer more if forced to move. Instead of getting rid of all low income folks, I'm suggesting getting rid of the ones that are truly a threat to us all, instead of continuing to allow them back on our streets after a few months in jail for a gun crime. And I don't agree that there is too much low income residents, just too many violent criminals that the legal system is tolerating and doing a poor job protecting us from. Not wanting to get shot is not stupid and I never said it was, thinking that moving a problem is solving a problem is stupid. I have offered a solution that I think would "disperse" the elements that are causing the violence by keeping them in prison rather than letting them out after a few months or not putting them away at all. Also I believe minimum 20 yr. sentences for simply having a gun while commiting a crime or 40 yrs for shooting a gun, whether you hit someone or not, in a crime would have a huge deterrant factor for younger kids that would see the gangbangers go away and not simply come back after several months, undoubtably looking like a gang hero and talking about how their prison stint "aint but a thing".
ReplyDeleteOk, Im not saying get rid of all low income folks, but it is too concentrated. We all know of Lawrence House as a prime example of what isnt working and needs to be shut down and rehabilitated.
ReplyDeleteSo ofcourse some should stay and some should go. Nothing is wrong with more market rate housing.
Artificially continuing a tradition of too much low income housing obviously isnt working.
"LET'S HAV A BLOCK PARTY in early September so the two sides can meet face to face and start the dialog."
ReplyDeleteSeriously? Who's invited? Should we have rival gangs here talking things over? Many of us avoid the gangs, as we don't want to get shot as their rivals are shooting at them.
For all those who have move to uptown within the last 20- 25 years it appears you have some kind of knowledge deficit. Uptown has had gangs forever. These kids need some good role models. They don't have money so they have to do what they can. Once a month checks don't pay all the bills. Uptown
ReplyDeleteredevelopment with Condo and persons with long money have moved in the neighborhood. Now these people have enough nerve to say the originals people have to leave because there behaviors is not acceptable. Yeah the killing is senseless. But you are not living in a real world where people are struggling . The fummy part is you think its about killing when its about really making paper the best way they know how.