Monday, December 5, 2011

And It All Ends Peacefully

According to news sources, the barricade situation is over.  No loss of life for either the fugitives or the ATFE agents, or Illinois State Police, or Chicago Police.  A masterful handling of a very touchy situation.  Check for updates, which we will add below.

Apparently one or all of the men were fugitives from South Bend, Indiana.  Thanks, Hoosier State!

Channel 2 reported at 10:30 that three men who were holed up inside 4639 Broadway gave themselves up.  A fourth man had been arrested earlier, at around 4:15 pm.  There was film of the surrender on CBS2.

Here's the Tribune's take on it. 

At 10:50pm, "reverse 911 calls" went out assuring nearby residents that the situation was under control and no need to stay inside.

At 10:50, we heard the first train go by at the Wilson station!


Here's our situation:  Around 6pm, the police asked UU not to post in real time because they didn't want the men barricaded inside the building to know what was going on on the street as far as law enforcement tactics.  (We noticed that the television news observed the same moratorium.)  So we can tell you now, thanks to wonderful readers who kept writing in:
  • At 6:45pm, a SWAT truck backed slowly down the 4600 block of Broadway‏, full of big men and bigger guns
  • SWAT teams and sharp shooters on the building roofs were seen on the 4600 block of Winthrop, behind Broadway
  • a reader who lives next to the 4639 Broadway building was taking shelter in his hallway with all the lights out.  He told us that the police, via bullhorn, kept asking to speak to Brian Hunt (?) or Lamar Forrest (?) at 4639 N Broadway.
  • Law enforcement kept shining a spotlight into the windows where the fugitives were staying and kept encouraging them to call 911.
  • A reader said the bullhorn conversation was "Come out immediately. This is the Chicago Police Department. We are at 4639 N. Broadway. We are not leaving. Call 911 or come out of the building immediately. They also asked them to flash the lights so they would know they were okay. Also asked them to come to the window. No movement on the window. They have a spotlight shining on it."
And so it ends, with no loss of life.  Considering the amount of firepower on display, that's pretty amazing.  We're sure we'll hear more -- much more -- in days to come, but for now we're going to bed and we're really happy at the way things turned out.  Trains are running like gangbusters, so be on time tomorrow, everyone!

    17 comments:

    1. Just another unnerving, blood-pressure-raising day in Uptown.

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    2. In the last 3 months I have witnessed the Sheriff's police breakdown a door of a home and throw a 2 year old, it's mother out on the street, the killing of Mr. Clark on Winthrop and now this.

      Ok.

      But what is this event that was so "masterfully" handled?

      What was it about. Who were these people who were arrested? Where are they from? What were they arrested for and just how were they approached?

      I mean everything is so vague around here. I watched the TV reports and I understood nothing. The police don't like to tell you anything, but that shouldn't stop the information flow.

      Mr. Clark was killed on Winthrop near the corner. There is a camera at the corner. Did they get the liscense plate of the car as it turned the corner? . Do the camera's actually work?

      What bothers me more than anything is how little substantial information there is.

      We hear about gangs. Who are the gangs? The Gangster Disciple and the Conservative Vice Lords?
      Where are the boundaries that separate them.
      Who are they really?

      That's the kind of information that ought to be made known so that we can understand the conditions we are living under.

      It's way to vague. And there's nothing masterful about the way anything is handled. It just has the appearance, the truth is, there is really a lot of chaos and little knowledge. Much is left to chance.

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    3. Ok, so now what's the plan? What are the next steps? I feel like there's no substantial plan to clean things up. I'd place money on the fact that there won't be any increased police presence, that there will still be a gaggle of drug dealers at the Wilson L stop and after the next even we'll have to hear how responsive everyone was. Ugh.

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    4. @ Stark mad "Just another unnerving, blood-pressure-raising day in Uptown."

      I have lived here for over 10 years, and never seen a fugitive situation. I have never seen anything like this. This was a very, very rare and extraordinary occurrence indeed. No, not just another unnerving day. And I would say that the majority of our days are not unnerving, in fact the majority of our days in Uptown are quite peaceful for our diverse community. I love my home, my community, and my neighbors, and glad that no one was harmed. I hope to never,ever see SWAT teams in Uptown again.

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    5. What a shame that the flow of information doesn't flow around Stu Piddy. Have you ever considered that there would be some advantage to not releasing information in regards to a homicide??

      Do you really question the police response in this matter? I personally hoped that all the criminals involved in this had died (via gun shot wounds) but I guess you can't have all of your wishes granted. GOOD JOB CPD......And any other units involved in the apprehension of another criminal.

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    6. @ Stu Piddy, educate yourself on the gangs in your neighborhood and their bounderies. www.chicagogangs.org will tell you everything you need to know. There is a map feature that breaks down turf on a block by block basis.

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    7. That building was previously identified as a "Drug and Gang" building... I would love to know why, if that was the case, the Police allowed it to continue to be that and it was not continuously staked out and people busted... instead, we got this load of crap...

      http://www.suntimes.com/9268140-417/three-surrender-after-6-hour-standoff-on-north-side.html

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    8. does the apprehension of these individuals put a dent in the illegal gun supply for our neighborhood?

      can we have that massive SWAT vehicle roll up and down the streets a few times each week? preferably in areas where the degenerate gang "members" like to congregate.

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    9. Were last night's events somehow related to the recent flareup of gang violence in Uptown or just a depressing coincidence?

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    10. Uptown Super Hero, you ask about why it was classified as a Gang and Drug House. Well, look no further than UU.

      In short, it was classified as such because it was a gang hideout for the Vice Lords. The police knew about it and watched the house and finally busted it one night during a gang party.

      Richard Thale, I and a few other neighbors went to Housing Court about it, several times. It turns out that several Vice Lords and Friends are banned for life from the house and can be arrested on sight if found near it.

      The building was found to be owned by notorious slumlord Mohammed Saddiqui. (If the name is familiar, his real estate scams were a big reason that Alexi Giannoulias's Broadway Bank failed.) There was many, and horrifying, housing violations at 4635-4641 N Broadway. (Carbon monoxide leak, anyone? And that's the only violation that comes to mind, altho' the person who did the census for that building is a friend of mine and told me she'd never been to more disgusting building.)

      The judge ordered the owner to fix the violations and to relocate the families living there at his own expense. Later, the person representing the city in court told us that that decision was nearly unprecedented, but that's how bad the conditions were inside that house.

      Mr. Saddiqui had many other buildings in housing court at the same time this one was, last year.

      A quick check of the Recorder of Deeds records show that 4635-4641 N Broadway is in foreclosure as of January 2011.

      No situation has been allowed to fester. The courts and the police acted on it when they became aware of it.

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    11. "It turns out that several Vice Lords and Friends are banned for life from the house and can be arrested on sight if found near it."...this relies on 1) police being in these areas (which they're not) 2) the police carrying around a rolodex of mugshots and names that are on the do not enter list.

      We have too many passive and 'feel-good' approaches in this ward. Don't waste time printing a flyer that says that gangs are bad. Don't waste time encouraging people to call the police-we already do and it takes too f%^&ing long for the cops to show up. We need for the police to say "We are going to have X number of cops" on the streets 24/7 in these locations.

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    12. that building
      4635-41 N Broadway is a pretty key building. Its a multiunit right by the Wilson EL stop.

      If its indeed in foreclosure, I hope it falls into someone respectable's hands. It should be fixed up under HUD or something and cool retail/apts in there, to bring life and safety to that stretch of Broadway. Which is WAY overdue.

      The sidewalk is pretty wide there, it would be perfect for some sidewalk cafes/restaurants.

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    13. A -- Do you think that the cops don't recognize the gangbangers on sight and know exactly who they are and their histories? Hell, I know who they are and I'm just a regular citizen.

      B -- The building may not even be accessible right now, so is this even an issue?

      C -- Have you not been paying attention? The city is BROKE. There will not be more cops hired in the foreseeable future. They are doing a great job with the resources they have available.

      D -- If there were cops on every corner 24/7, there would be an outcry about living in a police state. You see regular citizens complaining now when they get ticketed for having too many city stickers or driving and texting.

      E -- Several of the last few gang shootings took place less than 50 feet from a cop.

      F -- Police are on the scene within a minute of shootings.

      It's always easier to be cynical and put down the efforts that are taking place that to be part of the solution. Have you been to housing court? Have you been a court advocate at 26th and Calor Belmont and Western, or Skokie? Have you volunteered for police events? Have you contacted the police with your suggestions? Do you go to CAPS events so you can talk to the commander and tell her your views?

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    14. Stef says "This was a very, very rare and extraordinary occurrence indeed."

      A SWAT team might be rare.....but I've lived here for 20 years and the shootings? Not rare, especially the last 3 years.
      I was 50 feet from last years Halloween shoot-out at Montrose and Magnolia, and trust me.....that was more horrific than the police closing a block.

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    15. The 4641 building, formerly "Da Spot" has a flier in the window that says a soul food restaurant is "coming soon.

      Its been up there for over a year, maybe two and still no soul food.

      Da Spot, a hip hop clothing store of sorts, used to be located a few doors north. They must have had cash-flow problems. For a while they had only a couple lamps on and extension cords.

      Maybe I could open an art studio there, would prefer north facing windows but its a great location.

      Would the people buy art, take classes, everybody can't run a cool cafe dontcha know?

      Just a thought...what a waste of good space......

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