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| Photo credit: D. Davison |
"Not sure of the time, around 4-4:15ish there were 6 shots fired at Sheridan and Windsor. By the time I arrived there was a young man down at the corner and Windsor and Hazel...blood trail all the way from Sheridan. Appeared as if he was shot once in the leg. A lady (mother?) showed up where she took his bloody shoes and left. Police had a plate number and a description of the car which fled toward Aldi's."
If you were a witness or have any further information, please contact the police.
Well at least his mother got his shoes so he has clean sneakers to wear to school
ReplyDeleteGunshots 2:20 ish this AM around Beacon and Leland
ReplyDeleteThis is my little brother. Our family would respect it if you would keep the story up but take the picture down. As for PB thanks for recognizing the hard work my mother puts in to make sure he gets the best of everything. This picture is rude and inappropriate. He was an innocent bystander trying to go to the store & for someone to take a picture of him suffering in pain is unbelievable. Again, my family and I ask that you respect his and our privacy and remove this picture.
ReplyDeleteIt was one of the paramedics who picked up his shoes after they loaded him into the ambulance. I heard the shots and saw the kids, from the direction of Sheridan and Windsor, both running and a couple on bikes east towards the corner of Hazel and Windsor where they dropped the kid who was shot on the side walk. they were all running around and shouting for someone to call 911. He was shot in the leg and take to Weiss.
ReplyDeleteI called 911 immediately when i saw them running and shouting and went outside to tell the officers on the scene what I saw, while all the rest of the bangers and their idiot friends stood around.
He'll probably be back out on the street in a week.
Retaliation just happened in the area behind Truman. Four shots and lots of police/EMS converging on the area.
ReplyDeleteCowboy, I too heard multiple shots 20 minutes ago (and I'm near Malden/Montrose). Unbelievable.
ReplyDeletehow do you know it was retaliation? are you saying the first shooting was gang related?
ReplyDeleteJust listening to the online police radio scanner ... and there is a car theft going on at 1100 W. Montrose but all the squad cars are at Truman!
ReplyDeletethis kid was not an innocent bystander, although what they were involved with at the time of the shooting, i have no idea. However, when there are 6 or more guys hanging on the corner of Windsor and Hazel or Sheridan or any other street corner in this neighborhood, they are typically gang members. From my understanding from a neighbor who knows him, he is 18ish, I thought he might have been younger initially, and runs with the crowd. I think my source is a pretty reliable individual.
ReplyDeleteWhile from my location i didn't hear any recent gunshots, i have seen a few squad cars racing down Hazel a short time ago.
EVERYONE knows what goes on on the corner of Windsor and Sheridan. Only the victims record will tell us for sure if he is innocent bystander , just hanging out with the wrong crowd or if in fact he is part of the problem.
ReplyDeleteThe photo did not have in any way identify the victim . So I am against the blocking of the photo in any way. People should see the reality , the blood, the pain that all this brings.
And do we really know that this is the victims brother ??? complaining.
The photo did not show his face.
ReplyDeleteWe are erring on the side of caution and want to respect his family's wishes. The photo is not explicit, but the family is having one of the worst days of their lives. While UU is not responsible for their anguish, we are reluctant to add to it.
I appreciate the sincerity that UU took to block my brothers face (or body) from this photo. This day has been HELL for my brother and for us. To answer the question, or should I say statement, of b7277, this shooting was not gang related but I'm sure your "reliable source" told you that too. I'm sure you would know that too if you looked at his background LR. If you would like to know if we're related I would be happy to show you proof of our mailing address, birth certificate, DNA sample or whatever else you may need to satisfy our request for blocking this photo. Uptown isn't one of the safest places to live, so yes as he was making his way to the store, he was shot. If you're tired of seeing "bangers" on "your" corner, you should try to offer them a job. Or a book. They are some of the smartest young men you will ever meet. We all know we have a gang, drug, mental health crisis going on in Uptown. It doesn't take an innocent kid to get shot to realize it. But what it does take, is a community of people, black, hispanic, asian, white, poor, or rich, to address these issues and work TOGETHER to stop instances like these from happening. I appreciate you b7277 for calling the police, but I don't appreciate you bashing my brother for being seen around "bangers" and coming up with your own conclusion of what happened. I'm your neighbor whether you know it or not, and whether you like it or not, we live here too. Again, thank you UU for respecting my families privacy. Thanks to the man upstairs, he's going to be just fine :)
ReplyDeleteImmaculate, I am so sorry to hear about what you and your family have had to go through this weekend, and I am very glad to hear that your brother is going to be okay. I am with you 100% and really appreciate the way you wrote your last post. I wish I encountered fewer posts of assumptions and judgments, and that the "us versus them" mindset were replaced with a deeper sense of unity. Those caught up in gang violence and shootings, whether directly or as innocent bystanders, are part of our community; we are all neighbors. Efforts to simply push people out of the area or lock them all up are rash reactions that are not sustainable, long-term solutions. I recognize that those who have lived in Uptown for years have a pretty good sense of what's going on and where, and have come to recognize certain people and whether they seem to have gang affiliations. But that still doesn't permit us to jump to conclusions about motives or the true stories and characters of the individuals caught up in these tragic situations, unless we've tried to get to know them and walk around a bit in their shoes. For those who have done this, I would love to hear more about the relationships that have been created or attempted. As Immaculate said, it's in truly working together and creating new, sometimes difficult, relationships that will strengthen the community the most.
ReplyDeleteImmaculate. I appreciate you thoughtful comments and participation in this conversation. I apologize if my comments seem insensitive. If you think that I am happy to see a kid lying on the street bleeding, you're wrong. In fact I'm furious about it, but my sympathies for the guys who are continually involved in these incidents and who are continuously hanging on the street corners is wearing painfully thin. Look at what happened later last evening where two more people were shot and one of them killed a few blocks away? And on Friday night, the police were called as well because some kids hanging on the corner of Windsor and Hazel had gotten into a fist fight. My concern is for the children and elderly walking down the street, and people walking their dogs who are usually the ones injured, because we all know what good aim these idiots have. If I really thought for a second that if I handed one of these guys a book that it would really help, I'd be out there doing just that. Realistically, they'd more likely laugh at me and call me crazy. Change unfortunately isn't coming from positive loitering or handing out books to kids, grown adults actually, on the street. It absolutely has to START with the families, and friends of the kids involved in these activities. It has to be initiated from you and your family, Immaculate, as well as those who are directly affected by the activities of the gang members. You have to be the ones to initially stand up to these thugs and any useless parents, and demand change. I really feel that is the truth, because anything else is always interpreted as a bunch of 'white people' who are trying to gentrify the neighborhood. I don't believe that to be true, but that is the conundrum, isn't it, Jenn? How many witnesses who were directly involved actually talked to police? Maybe your brother's friends did tell the police what they saw, and I'd like to think they did, but more often than not, the answer is that nobody saw anything, then we find ourselves in more neighborhood shootings like we did last night. I have lived in this neighborhood for years and love the diversity it offers. I have met some great people from all walks of life. I have gone to neighborhood meetings and CAPS meetings and Positive Loitering events, but the majority of people there are more people like me. I don't see a ton of diversity and working together on either side. We need more of ALL people who live in this neighborhood to be a part of this, but especially those who have the most to lose, and that is the families and friends of these kids, and to really start taking the responsibility to get their own kids off the street. Change can't be forced from the outside, I would stand by you and help you get these kids books, jobs, after school programs, whatever, as would probably 1000 people reading these comments, but in the end, it starts at home.
ReplyDeleteImmaculate - I hope your brother pulls out of this ok. And after his recovery, maybe both of you can be active members of this community, pushing for the kinds of reforms that all of us know are needed. You sound like a smart guy with a good head on his shoulders - something needed for any project like this. If you're in school, keep at it - that's the first "line of defense" against going down the wrong path. And I hope that your parents, aunts, uncles, are all supportive and will also play a part.
ReplyDeleteKeep us posted!
@immaculate - I appreciate your willingness to come on here and share your story during this difficult time for your family.
ReplyDeleteI think there are plenty of people that would accept your invitation to work together as neighbors to plan and execute a true transformation of the neighborhood we share.
The reality is...I had a perception when I looked at that picture and read the story here on Uptown Update, and perceptions do matter.
I agree with the idea that if more jobs were available, we might be reading less of these stories.
Where I see things differently is when you say what everyone else should be doing. If these bangers are some of the smartest young men out there, I challenge them to prove it by giving more to Uptown in terms of service than is being paid for or asked for. That might mean organizing and doing something really great without anyone asking them to, and without monetary reward. Sounds like you have more experience with these people than I do, so hopefully you to use your influence to encourage these men and women to put themselves out there.
America was not built on giving (books, jobs, etc.) without a promise or commitment of service in exchange. When we do this, it typically backfires at some point or another, and often with tragic results to individuals or whole communities.
Your willingness to come on here even as your family is going through personal hell is impressive. I look forward to seeing what both you and your brother come up with in response to what happened to him, your family, and YES, our community.
@ gayle I appreciate your comments, I'm a young woman who knows my community is my home and should be protected like such. I agree that it starts at home but turn the table around and look at it from the point of view of these young people. Being raised majority of the time in single family homes, with a mother, grandmother, or even father working as much as they can to provide a better life for their family. My parents raised us to be respectful, God fearing and hard working people in society and the reality of it is that these young people are also raised to the same caliber. But a parent can only do so much while working, trying to make a way out of no way, having after school and summer programs cut which only leads to a child partially being raised by his peers and the streets. It starts at home but we are all aware that it takes a village to raise a child. I'm sure many of you can think back to a neighbor, a teacher, a place in your community that you could go to, do something you enjoyed, feel safe, or even just talk to someone. These children don't have that. If you tried going up and saying hey, let me talk to you, and talking to them on a let me help you help yourself level, you will meet some of the most extraordinary people you will ever meet. The only problem is no one wants to put in the effort, put their pride aside, and take three minutes out of their life to do that. I challenge you to do that. Just like you may not think that we put our all into telling them the choices that they make affect us all, we actually do. We aren't the enablers but our community is. Not you personally but as a whole, these children deserve the best from their community just like their community deserves the best of them. I'm currently studying Public Policy with a minor in Urban Studies so that I can one day hopefully give a child an opportunity to succeed, no matter how many odds are stacked against him. I'm a loyal activist in my community whether some of you know it or not I've been a community activist for six years now, which means I started in high school. Someone gave me a chance and I would LOVE to sit down an talk, strategize, and come up with a plan on how to keep giving our young people these once in a lifetime opportunities. :)
ReplyDeleteImmaculate, as I mentioned already in response to your earlier post, I really appreciate your thoughtful insights and hearing about your involvement in the community and plans for the future. I, too, am in school to prepare for a career in which I hope to help students be successful and overcome the obstacles in their lives. I would love to talk more about this!
ReplyDeleteImmaculate,
ReplyDeleteI, too, was raised by a single mother below the poverty line. She worked her tail off to keep us off of welfare and to make sure that we did well in school. I accept your challenge to "try going up and saying hey, let me talk to you, and talking to them on a let me help you help yourself level." I have chatted with the kids that I know from my block, but I also know that some of them mock me when I turn around and walk away. I tried to volunteer tutoring with Big Brothers Big Sisters, but they discouraged from becoming involved. There really aren't that many organic opportunities for young professionals to interact with teenagers in this neighborhood. I ask you give me some ideas of how to reach out in a meaningful way, and I will gladly do so. In exchange, I have a challenge for you. I challenge you to encourage your friends, their friends, and so on, to break the wall of silence. When they witness or know about a crime, the best they can do for the community (if they do care about it as you vouch) is report it and help the police help us clean up the neighborhood. It's a two way street and we really need to work together on this.
Immaculate, I think you are smart girl with some very respectable insights and opinions, and are valuable to this conversation. Extremely valuable, actually, because from what it appears to me is that you have been truly able to create a real discussion between some very different groups who share this community. I applaud that, I really do. I do think that it is unfortunate that there aren't more of your peers, family members and neighbors actively participating. I wish there was more of that. I wish that when I went to community meetings I would see more diversity in the people who attend. I personally think that would make a great difference in showing the number of people who are actually concerned about what is happing in this neighborhood. But, the fact of the matter is that that is not the case, and it's unfortunate because as i said in earlier posts, you and your families and friends are much more closely affiliated with what is going on. You and your friends and neighbors are at greater risk of being directly targeted by these thugs, but not nearly enough of you are standing up and speaking out and demanding it to stop.
ReplyDeleteStash is absolutely correct in that, free hand-outs are not the answer, there is no value in receiving anything for free. You have to earn it and work for it, for anything, to have value. No one values a hand out, a hand out is expendable, disposable. How many times do stores and companies hand out trinkets and product samples. What happens to them? We all wind up throwing them away because it was free so who cares? I know that is an extremely simplified metaphor, but it rings true on many levels. There are actually studies indicating as such, you should learn about this in your education, I did.
That being said, why would I go hand a book to a kid on a street corner, when i know for a fact that once i walk away, he'll just throw on the ground, or even at me. If I could offer a kid on the street a job in a stock room for minimum wage to work three times as hard for a fraction of the money, as he would working the corners, would he value that?
I also agree with nugatory, when he/she indicates about being mocked after speaking with these kids. How about incredibly offensive and strong sexual language being directed at me and being threatened? I've had that happen to me, I have been made to feel very unsafe walking around these guys, so why on God's Green Earth would I put my self at personal risk? They have no respect for me, so why should I for them? I personally think that once they are of that age, late teens, its more often than not too late. Our targets need to be the little ones, get to them before the bangers do.
I respect you and anyone who is willing to speak out and really try to make a change, regardless of where they come from or who they are.
I would encourage all of you to drop the racialized language you use. Calling everyone on the corner a "gangbanger" or "whiteshirt" or any other of the labels I've seen on here only serve to further ostracize these people. Doing that only exacerbates the problem.
ReplyDeleteBeing a single parent & raising children in this day and time isn't easy and God knows I have done my best to discourage my children and all of the "gang bangers" (in which they have been referenced here) to stay off of the streets and reach outside of what this community has to offer, but when I preach this to them and encourage them to look for employment and continue their education & NOT become a product of this environment that Uptown has to offer I can't help but to ask myself "What DOES Uptown have to offer these young men?"
ReplyDelete(I'll let someone else take a poke at that question and tell me what your answer is, I'd love to hear about it).
The young men on the corners come from strong, loving & caring homes, with parents who are left asking themselves "Where did I go wrong?"
Parents who are left being looked upon as "non-caring" by the community because of the choices these young men have made for themselves! We as parents struggle constantly for a better life for ourselves and for our children; I've always said If you are not a part of the solution you are a part of the problem so let me challenge those who have been and ARE judgmental about these young men to establish something that can/will be different than what we all have become accustom to which is daily crime, shooting and death.
Singleparent, I have an idea for what's available here in Uptown for young men. It's early in the morning and it's the first idea that came into my head, so cut me a break if you think it's ridiculous. I honestly think that the young could start a business doing either of the following, for which I have to "outsource" to other neighborhoods: dog walking and lawn care. They don't require much start-up capital or specialized training and are the types of jobs businesses that can pay well if the service is reliable. The lady who walks my dog now has a little business and makes about $30/hour before taxes. Her employees can make about $20/hour if they want (depending upon how hard they want to work). Same goes for lawn care. If they do a good job, referrals are huge. What Uptown has to offer depends largely upon what you are willing to put into Uptown.
ReplyDeleteWhere are the churches (not just JPUSA) in all this???
ReplyDeleteUptown has a very diverse collection of religious institutions; isn't their mission supposed to be to encourage people - yes, especially young people - to "Turn away from sin and walk the straight-and-narrow?"
Certainly these delinquent youth have at some time in their lives gone to Sunday School, or watched a TV ministry, and learned "Thou Shalt Not Kill/Steal."
Why and how do they stop hearing the Word?
Not trying to get all "holy roller" on you here; just pointing out that with all the talk about "social service agencies" in Uptown and elsewhere, nobody seems to mention the most ubiquitous form of these institutions that can be found within easy distance of every home, rich or poor, in the neighborhood.
How can we get them on board?
@Nugatory it's obvious that you don't know much about the young men that hang on your corners. They have criminal records and even when they attempt to right their wrong the avenues are not there! Sure there are the various programs that have been established for felons to obtain employment but if a person without a felon or a criminal back round can't get a job what job can a criminal get? You suggested they walk your dog or do landscaping-AGAIN, if "Mr. Gang Banger" walked up to you and asked to walk your dog, you'd call the police and said he tried to steal him and let's not talk about landscaping-try this scenario...Mr. Gang Banger walks to the home on Hazel & Agaitie and rings the door bell "Hi, may I mow your lawn?" I can see the look on that homeowners face now!! There goes another police call saying you are being robbed! So let's be realistic-I mean REALLY REALISTIC.
ReplyDeleteNEXT!!!!!
Gee, singleparent, I must be stupid. Because you know who does my lawn care? CleanSlate. Ex-cons. I must be REALLY stupid, because I pay them and tip them and keep on calling them back to do even more lawn care.
ReplyDeleteGive your neighbors the same consideration and open-mindedness that you want them to give you.
Immaculate, I have had more than one unfortunate encounter with the young people who gather on that corner. I have walked by them and said a respectful, "hello, are are you?" when walking by to go to the corner bodega for basic items. Unfortunately, I have been harrassed, cornered, put in a compromising position, because, I can only imagine, I am a female walking by myself. How unfortunate that I have tried to not make asumptions about anyone's behavior, other than they are kids doing kid things, only to have been proven wrong by their behavior...no more excuses
ReplyDeleteThis neighborhood has been like this for the past 25 years. Again if YOU are not a part of the solution YOU ARE apart of the problem. If you don't like what you see then YOU make a change and stop complaining.
ReplyDeleteWELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD!
GG as an adult I won't stoop to your level in the name calling even if you are stupid, YOU are NOT the entire community and IF in fact you are making a difference then take the pat on the back, KUDOS to you GG-now get your neighbors who sit back and do nothing but poke fingers and bash to get on board!!
Singleparent: Wow! You are really contributing to the dialogue: "So let's be realistic-I mean REALLY REALISTIC. NEXT!!!!!"
ReplyDeleteMy suggestion was in response to your question, "What DOES Uptown have to offer these young men?"
If Uptown is filled with people who share your fatalistic view of the world, it seems like the answer to your question might very well be "Not a goddamned thing." Luckily for all the pitiable children born to 15-year-olds, we are better neighbors than you apparently think we are. You may have shat on your chances in life, but that doesn't mean we'll forsake your kids. Uptown has a vibrant, enthusiastic, and community-minded populace that will probably do very well in spite of your firm resistance against progress.
As I see it, you are absolutely right about one thing. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. What have you done lately to solve this problem? Being rude to me surely isn't part of the solution.
Singleparent,
ReplyDeleteI am disappointed by your attitude toward this entire conversation. You seem to be concerned about what is happening in our neighborhood. But at the same time you are indicating that this is the neighborhood and that's that, too bad, get used to it. Nobody here wants this neighborhood to be dangerous, and I'm thinking you are included in that mentality, otherwise why would you be participating? We all love this neighborhood and see great potential for everyone, high income, low income, Black, White, Asian,etc., etc.
Why is it everyone else's responsibility to pick up the slack where your kids are concerned? (i'm using the generic 'you', not you personally, btw) If you have children you are responsible for them period. If you aren't up to the task, then having children probably is not the right road for you to travel, and that is probably something that the kids in this neighborhood, all neighborhoods actually, should be taught.
It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from or what socio-economic bracket you fall into, the rules apply across the board. Just because you are a single parent and/or fall into a low-income bracket, doesn't absolve you of the responsibility to raise your children by taking an active role in their lives, know what they are doing, where they are, and who they are with at all times. There are a lot of single parents out there in similar situations and only a fraction of their kids are out on the street shooting up the neighborhood and beating the crap out of each other.
I'm sick and tired of seeing these kids living the stereotype. Its not glamorous or cool, it's unfortunate. It holds an entire culture of people back. I'd love to see things change but those of us that are not part of this group of people can't change anything without your help. More than your help. You have to start it. You have to.
You are right, I would not give one of these kids (young adults, they are not kids really) that we are talking about the keys to my house and let them walk my dog, would you? But there are other kids in this neighborhood, that I would.
this attitude of: ' if YOU are not a part of the solution YOU ARE apart of the problem. If you don't like what you see then YOU make a change and stop complaining.
WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD!"
It's not productive or helpful.
Let me ask you this. I call the police when I see an incident. The question is, do you? Would you turn in your kid, your nephew or neighbor's kid, or your kid's friends if you knew they were or had committed a crime. If you knew who was shooting up the streets, would you talk to the police? Because the only way it's going to change is if we all stick together on this.
@Jenn, if there is anyway we can exchange e-mails let me know, I'd be more than happy to talk to you :) I don't think a block party is the way to start off a convo, obviously there is one coming up, but a round table discussion does need to take place. I'm all for helping someone plan that.
ReplyDeleteI am very happy to see that everyone wants to see educational opportunities in our neighborhood improve for the children living here. I am so glad that b7277 has volunteered to provide books to children in our neighborhood. Excellent, Principal Abedelal at Brennemann Elementary would love to have books. She is giving them to children as part of the school's early literacy initiative. The children get books to take home, for some of these children, the only books they have ever owned. Guess what, after 2 years of this program the school is off of academic probation and test scores are improving. Alternatively, Stewart Elementary School has an excellent music teacher. In his second year of teaching there the band went from 8 children to 23 children. This year he is unable to accomodate all the children because they don't have musical instruments. If you have a used or new musical instrument please give it to Principal Rempa at Stewart for the music teacher.
ReplyDeleteI think b7277, Immaculate, Nugatory, and Singleparent all want a safe community for their families and the children who live here. I need your help desperately! Help a group of community members improve education for our children by forming the Friends of the 46th Ward Schools. We need to help get resources for our schools. We need schools of excellence in our community for our community and we need our community members to step up to the plate to do so. I want EVERY child in our ward to have the skills needed to go to a selective enrollment school. I want EVERY child to have the skills needed to succeed in college.
I challenge you to become involved in this effort! Please send an email to Friends46thWardSchools@gmail.com . Let's do something positive to change the situation folks.
I really love seeing posts with genuine suggestions for how we can work together to help improve the lives of everyone in our community.
ReplyDelete@nugatory- Any positive suggestion is a good place to start, so I appreciate your willingness to toss out the idea about dog walking and lawn service (and @gg- thanks for the reminder of the CleanSlate services available).
@gayle- As a member of one of the neighborhood's churches, I agree that it seems there could be more direct involvement in these particular struggles. I know the local churches are good at providing help to homeless and low-income individuals, but I'd like to take a closer look at what is being done (or not being done) to help troubled youth.
@BuenaParkMom- I myself am working in city schools, and I couldn't agree more that starting in the schools is hugely pivotal in problem-solving these kinds of issues. Once my schedule becomes a bit more stable and consistent, I hope to send you an email to see how I can get involved. Thanks for posting!
@immaculate- If you email uptownupdate@hotmail.com, they said they could put us in touch. :)