Friday, May 18, 2012

Alderman Assaulted by Pigeon Lady

Alderman James Cappleman, who just celebrated one year in office Wednesday, was pelted with breadcrumbs by an Uptown resident, who is known throughout the community as the "Pigeon Lady."  According to the Chicago Tribune story, "A 59-year-old woman is accused of shoving an alderman she thought should have 'better things to do' than sweeping up breadcrumbs she left for pigeons" in the 800 block of West Wilson around 2:30 yesterday afternoon.

While there are many issues facing our community, we have received countless emails from concerned neighbors about the frequent feeding of pigeons by Ms. Yang.  Hopefully the Alderman was not injured in this incident, and that the offender has learned a lesson to help create a more peaceful community.

Sun-Times weighs in on the story, too.

Update:  Alderman Cappleman's response from the comments.  "I want to give an update on this matter to address everyone's concerns. Under the Wilson L, there is a lot of pigeon excrement on the sidewalk. Bread is tossed at this site everyday. When possible, someone from the 46th Ward Office sweeps it up due to concerns about the rat population.

Yesterday, I was sweeping the bread crumbs up when a car drove up and this incident occurred. Information from our office will be limited so as to allow the law to take its due course."

23 comments:

  1. Like hell she learned her lesson! There's signs right there underneath Wilson, so how was she reprimanded? I know it's petty, but if she pushed the alderman, that's assault. If nothing else, where's her ticket for the fine of feeding the pigeons? If she's low-income and thus couldn't afford to pay the ticket, then why is she buying bread to throw in the street and on the sidewalk?

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  2. I want to give an update on this matter to address everyone's concerns. Under the Wilson L, there is a lot of pigeon excrement on the sidewalk. Bread is tossed at this site everyday. When possible, someone from the 46th Ward Office sweeps it up due to concerns about the rat population.

    Yesterday, I was sweeping the bread crumbs up when a car drove up and this incident occurred. Information from our office will be limited so as to allow the law to take its due course.

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  3. The "Pigeon Lady" , or Ms Yang has done this a couple times before. She has been confronted by the police at least once that I,ve seen under the El at Wilson.

    Here is the problem two-fold. She is mentally ill. I've tried to talked to her nicely on several occasions and got yelled at each time, not sure what the issue is but something isn't right. She needs some help.

    The second half of theproblem is she has enablers who drive her to and fro her favorite drop-off points, I can think of 3. The parking lot next to the tracks on Lawrence, the Majestic at Leland/Brdwy and of course Wilson.

    She has several drivers but mostly its this older Chinese guy and a middle-aged woman in a Toyota Prius. I tried to talk to them also but they. Do that "no speak english" thing and look embarassed. The older guy has on a few occasions dropped the crumbs on days I guess she wasn,t feelin' up to it.

    But most of all it is the sheer quantity of the crumbs that has made this an issue. Every hood has a feeder or two but this is off the charts. I get the impression the more heat she gets the harder she fights back, her enablers see her as a saint of the feathered being picked on.

    Not sure how this gets resolved, tickets or even misdemeanors won't do it. It is going to take some kind intervention from someone or group with a mental health background, which ironically Ald. James has. She is not dangerous just short fused and edgy.

    In the meantime we are stuck with a few carpets of
    poop in certain select spots of Uptown.

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  4. I moved out of the Uptown/Buena Park neighborhood last summer. I had to share that when I saw the Chicago Breaking News RSS Feed with the title, "Police: Woman arrested for shoving alderman in pigeon dispute," I said out loud to myself, "Wow, how hilarious would it be if it was the woman everyone ALWAYS complains about snapping at Cappleman?"

    You can only imagine my giggles when I read the full article.

    I hope that this incident gives the neighbors, Alderman's office, and law enforcement enough reason now to fully monitor this woman's actions of blatantly not only ignoring a law, but making a disgusting mess of that area (I recall the bird droppings ruining the brand new awnings for Apartment Vigilantes).

    I'm pretty confident she's also the same person who puts crumbs out for the birds in front of the Jewel on Sheridan.

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  5. Uptown has a high tolerance for harmless eccentrics. Unfortunately, the Pigeon Lady doesn't fit this category. She's prone to violence. When a friend of mine, a small business owner, asked her to stop putting out bread crumbs in front of his business, she took a bucket and threw it at his head and screamed that she was with the FBI. I've seen her put down bird food in the parking lot of the McDonalds at Foster and Sheridan and pound on the windows of cars that drove into the parking lot because they were attacking the pigeons. In this case, she shoved someone into the street. It just happened to be the alderman. Someone shoves me into the street, I call 911, too.

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  6. Wow thanks for the info littleton.
    Thats pretty crazy!!!

    WOW!!!

    I have a bread thrower by me too, they are persistent these pigeon people.

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  7. Your welcome Jeffo.

    Just hoping this gets resolved peacefully and our neighbor gets some help. This could have been much much worse with her pushing. James into the street like that.

    I was trying to keep up with the crumbs by Leland for a while until someone found my broom and I gave it up.

    If the folks who drive her around in the Prius are reading this just know your in the best position to resolve this before it escalates and ends very badly for Ms. Kang. The pigeons will be ok, they will disperse and find food elsewhere. Pigeons are
    nothing if not resourceful and adaptable. Peace.

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  8. This woman is a public nuisance at the VERY LEAST. The other day I told her to stop scooping out crumbs for the pigeons (because I'm tired of the already scrappy Wilson/Broadway intersection also being disgustingly unsanitary) and she and her male driver raged at me. Living in a city, we all learn to coexist, but this woman makes that virtually impossible, spitefully and violently defending her (not at all legal) right to contribute to unsanitary conditions in public spaces. WHO IS INTERESTED IN A FILING A CLASS-ACTION COMPLAINT AGAINST YANG?

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  9. I walked past the intersection of Leland and Broadway on Saturday. Sadly, the pigeons were feeding on something someone had put out again.

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  10. Obvioulsy this women is trying to get our livestock,cats and pigeons to rebel against us.

    A full head on rebellion in the animal kingdom is not as far away as you think.

    Pigeon drooping carry disease. Our alderman knows this and was fighting the good fight, valiantly against those who seek to destroy our dominance over lesser animals that God put on this planet to serve us.

    The pigeon lady is a turncoat. She has turned against her own kind and sided with THEM!

    Pigeons don't just drop their "droppings" radomly. These are guided missles that drop intentionally on people for the purpose of spreading disease and wiping out all of humanity so that pigeons and their ilk can have the planet all to themselves.

    Well, people like Alderman Cappleman and other concerned, bright, aware, focused people who care only about the important things just ain't gonna let that happen. Not on Alderman Capplemans watch.

    Thank you Alderman Cappleman for being focused on what matters....our very survival, not only in Uptown but throughout the entire planet.

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  11. LOL about the conspiracy theory, Stu Piddy.

    The problem with the pigeon lady is that she has a habit of hitting people who try to clean up the mess afterwards. As Boohoo suggested, she's now crossed the line on eccentric behavior. It would be good to know how many people have been struck by her.

    This recent arrest may not resolve the issue entirely, but maybe it will give pause to her drivers who enable this behavior. I'm for going after the driver of the get away car who witnesses her striking people.

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  12. I hope this lady gets some assistance mental health-wise. However, if I see bread crumbs there ever in the future, I shall relocate them to a secure location whilst dressed as the caped crusader himself....Don't think I won't...

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  13. Of all the stu piddy posts I have read, that was the stu piddiest.

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  14. Sorry, Stu Piddy, but we're not putting through your latest comment. If you want to put out the call for violence, you'll have to do it on your own blog, not ours.

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  15. I hope when they redesign both Wilson and Lawrence, they place anti-pigeon wiring, landing strips, etc in their design

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  16. I have much faith in the new alderman.

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  17. I agree with Will Pruitt

    but would correct his comment to

    "Clearing out the nests from under CTA viaducts, business awnings, etc. would go a long way to resolving this pigeon problem" .... AND SO WOULD "confronting" THAT "crazy lady." WHO KEEPS FEEDING ALL THE PIGEONS. :)

    Hit the pigeons where they LIVE and FEED.

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  18. I actually agree with the Holy moly this time.

    The driver is key, very annoying he does the no speak english when I know he does from another context.

    I have a photo of the car with the plate and I am damn close to posting it up on another forum. Probably a bad idea tho.

    I am not the only one who knows where its parked, maybe a kind and neighborly letter of request under the windshield may help, couldn= hurt.

    As far as eliminating places for pigeons to roost in a city...good luck with that. Pigeons adapt to survive and the crumbs continue to fall.

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  19. We need the defense department to send in the pigeon drones. Each with tiney heat seeking missles to blow them away.

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  20. I remember long ago
    walking pass silver seafood restaurant
    thy had pictures in there windows
    one was of crispy pigeon
    and I asked. myself
    were the. hell did
    thy get there
    pigeons?

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  21. @ Toto: We don't need the Defense Department, you know. The heat-seeking pigeon-missiles are already here: our neighborhood peregrine falcons, which dive-bomb, kill, and eat other birds! The only redeeming factor for Pigeon Lady is that she's keeping the larder filled for the peregrines.

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  22. I'm with you, Stu!...and THEM.

    I always said you could tell a lot about a person by how they regard squirrels and pigeons.

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