The police have done their job and have arrested over 20 people and have put warrants out on ten more.Now it's up to the community to help make sure that the situation doesn't go back to the way it was.
The City will be sending out resources to help make sure things settle down for the next few weeks. We can learn from them.
If you are sick of hearing gunshots in the night, if you are sick of seeing drug transactions, if you are sick of the way things have been -- this is a chance to learn how to change our community! Please come to this seminar on Tuesday. It only takes one spark to light a fire; help be the change in Uptown.
Unfortunately I cannot make it. However,I am hoping someone can pass on the fact that as I was walking over to Target last week, I saw a guy in a white t and black skincap selling drugs on the southeast corner of broadway and wilson...right in front of the currency exchange. He was selling "Single Cigarettes". (this is just outside the area they targeted) Same place where the guy selling socks used to be... thanks
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty tired of these "community" meetings being held so early in the evening. For those of us working stiffs who have 9-5 jobs, it's incredibly difficult to hustle back to Uptown from the loop to be on time for a 6pm meeting. Our community consists of more than the unemployed and underemployed and these "community" organizers should acknowledge that. Would an additional 30 minutes be too much to ask? Particularly given the fact that the working stiffs in the community are generally the ones who are footing the bill.
ReplyDeleteSad that this only covers the area bounded by Winthrop, Sheridan, Wilson, and Argyle...and that the City is "sending out resources to help make sure things settle down" only in the area where a particular prominent Uptown couple happens to live. Just another game of "whack-a-mole", since the problems will simply move to another part of Uptown--probably the Sheridan Park area--by the end of the week...and we're just troublemakers over here who call 911 all the time without doing enough (comparatively speaking, obviously) to run the gangs out of our area on our own.
ReplyDeleteSo send them on over. Truman College put up a fence to "keep the gangs out" around their parking deck, but they were also far-sighted enough to recently install a great dumpster surround at Clifton and Sunnyside--I'm guessing so that the gangbangers have a great place to hide in that blind southeast corner of the parking deck without being seen by the CPD patrols or by Truman's "security cameras". We don't have enough power to have our concerns be taken seriously by our elected official, so send your drug dealers, gangbangers, and other criminal elements over where they can wreak havoc without bothering anyone but us annoying 911-calling white condo owners.
@bear60640...If I recall correctly one of the previous stings did target gang activity in the Sheridan Park area and given how long these things take, there's probably another one in the works already.
ReplyDeleteAnd even though it probably is just a whack-a-mole situation, I'd rather have that than nothing...it's about all the police can do until the thriving customer base is reduced.
It is the annoying 911 calling white condo owners, like me, that pay city workers, which includes cops, to make the neighborhoods safe and healthy for all. Even for ones that don`t deserve protection.
ReplyDeleteOh, come on, Bear, you are always first in line for the "No one is paying attention to me and my neighborhood" pity party. Let's recap, shall we? There was "Operation Uptown Girl"----in Sheridan Park. There was "Operation Sugar Magnolia"----in Sheridan Park. There was, I can't remember the name of it, that "Operation Clean Up the Drug Dealing in the Happy Wash" in----where was it? Oh, yeah, Sheridan Park. How DARE any other police operations take place ANYWHERE ELSE in Uptown, right? This is the first one in my neighborhood, and I'm really happy that the police are taking a look at the situation we've been living with for quite a long time now.
ReplyDeleteAs for your inferences about this area being the focus because of a certain "power couple" living here -- if you've been paying attention to the news, you may have seen that this strategy is a new initiative from the Rahm administration. Police make a major bust, then services come in to clean up hidey-holes and to train community members about how not to let the situation regress. This meeting is part of that community training. Here's an article about it happening on the West Side in March. Why don't you come to the meeting anyway? You just may learn something. Speaking of that power couple, one or both have been going to court for months and years in the cases of noted Sheridan Park gangbangers Paul Myvette and Wilbur Jackson, AND the Sheridan Park Sugar Magnolias, AND the defendants in Sheridan Park's Operation Uptown Girl, AND the Sheridan Park murder for which Brayant Rogers is on trial, AND the Sheridan Park Halloween Day shooting spree that Akelo Washington is accused of. Yeah, they sure do ignore your neighborhood, don't they? Next time you're in court to show community concern over the alleged crimes of Mr. Washington or Mr. Rogers, please post here and let us know what happened. You don't have to worry about Wilbur Jackson for about a decade, thanks in no small part to the court advocates, who showed up at every one of his court dates, including one or both of that power couple.
It always amazes me when people who want something from someone think it's a good strategy to make accusations against them and try to make them look bad. Yeah, that works.
Ursine one,
ReplyDeleteIt ain't all bout' u bearfriend!
As some others have stated Sheridan Park has been the site of many large drug related stings in the recent past.
Unfortunately, given the amount of drug dealing and banging at certain locations in Sheridan Park, I'm sure there will be more arrests in the future. You'll get your police activity at some point in the nearish future.
The drug war is insanity, but since our politicians lack the testicular or bear fortitude to admit that, the cycle of violence continues.
It's like World War One. "Over the top boys, give the Huns hell" as the troops exit the trenches into withering machine gun fire. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Suggesting that police activity is located near Cappleman's condo because he is the current alderbeast is a bit unfair. There's plenty of drug activity around there too. Much of the recent violence has been located north of Wilson recently.
If you want to suggest that Richard dresses the Capplemaniac funny, that I could accept. I can't and won't accept that one police sting means he's used his sith like powers to move the locus of police activity to the area immediately around his place.
Normally when we get a spate of gunfire or gang related murders the suggestions here are largely unworkable. People suggest executions, bringing in the National Guard, or more cops. Hey I have my moments on wanting to go Paul Kersey on some of the gangbangingscum who live and "work" around here, but thankfully that's not the system we live under.
Well summary execution is mildly unconstitutional, even Scalia would likely agree to that, and the National Guard and more cops cost money. This city is in desperate fiscal straits and many of you would complain if your taxes went up to hire more cops.
What Cappleman lacks in sartorial splendor he makes up for with an impressive work ethic. The battle against drug dealing and violence in Uptown is going to be a long slow slog. It's going to largely be fought building to building and even unit to unit using eviction and other incentives to get tenants and building owners to act responsibly. If you expect drug dealing and the related violence to disappear from Uptown you aren't being realistic. I fully expect that crime in Uptown will decline as time goes by, cue "Casablanca", but even ten years into the reign of the Capplemaniac and four years into my upcoming Mayoralty I still expect occasional violence in Uptown. Dat's da sad fact, Jack!
Now Bear, I suggest you find Boo Boo and smell the flowers. Because we have two things abundant in Sheridan Park this time of year. Gangbangingscum and flowers.
Nug, why don't you show up at the meeting and talk to some people organizing it. Better yet, attend CAPS meetings and also call/email/visit with some of the CPD. You could even contact the alderman's office to discuss the issue.(they actually respond with the current alderman). Believe it or not, this type of thing might just work, as opposed to complaining on a blog. I know many people (including myself) who have made it to countless community meetings at 6:00p. and (gasp) 5:30p! Yes, it took some effort and planning. I supposed you could offer to have a meeting at your place..oh wait that would take effort on your part too. The passive-aggressive approach that you are taking rarely works.
ReplyDeleteBear, sad to see that your post was bereft of any plan for a viable solution to the crime issues in Uptown. Have you come out of your cave since the arrests took place? If you have walked the neighborhood and opened your eyes, you should have noticed the lack of gang punks throughout the ward. Sunnyside Mall is as quiet as I have ever seen it (at least in 10 years). The female lookouts have even been in hiding. Amazingly, I have witnessed these things in an area of the ward where a "prominent Uptown couple" do not live. If you know anything about the crime in our ward, then you are doing a very good job of hiding it. Many of those gang punks who have not yet been captured are probably in hiding down south or west (similar to the gutless wonder who killed an innocent man, had it filmed with his own phone, then was found a day later in the far south burbs). If the "prominent couple" of which you speak sat around on their a**es instead of taking action, things would be much worse). Take a page from their book and DO SOMETHING productive, as opposed to making an ill-informed comment while watching the world pass you by.
shillsgangs, you're a snotty little know-it-all, aren't you? You seem to think that I haven't raised the issue or that I haven't been to CAPS meetings. What you don't know, my dear, is that I leave work early to come to these things. Which I shouldn't have to do. And I have raised the issue, apparently to no avail. So go take your bitter untaxed lemon and suck on it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm not passive aggressive. I'm full-on aggressive, you punk. You'll see me at tonight's meeting, where you can come and apologize to me. I'll be the one rushing in from work.
The original flyer posted on UU showed a 6:30 start time instead of 6. Does anyone know which is correct?
ReplyDeleteBadB... two different meetings but both in the same room and on the same subject. The meeting specifically about Operation Uptown Crackdown is put on by the cops and the city and is at 6. Ald. Osterman is holding a meeting right afterward at 6:30 on gang awareness in Uptown that has to do with the public safety aspect of the 48th Ward master plan. Come for one and stay for two!
ReplyDeleteWe all seem to be working towards a common goal - safer streets - why are we fighting each other over it? Let's get back on track and keep getting the real punks off our streets.
ReplyDelete- Evil, tax-paying, (non)white-condo-owner
If we could lay off the 'white condo owner' sarcasm please... it is just this side of racist... in our building we have owners of many nationalities and colors, whom are collectively concerned about the same thing; safety, good schools, and clean streets....thank you
ReplyDeleteThey need to target around Sheridan & Lawrence. Also, the blocks around Weiss hospital. These are not as open as the other drug areas but still go on.
ReplyDeleteNug, I just saw your comment. It made me laugh. Quite comical. You followed your initial post (regarding a complaint about the timing of a community meeting) with some name calling and a demand for an apology.
ReplyDeleteAfter we have endured years of closed-door deals that purposely failed to include any input from the ward citizenry, your comment is a bit off the mark. I could also say that is synonymous with your chosen username (trivial, lacking importance..you pick), but that would simply amount to name-calling.
I suppose it is easy to throw stones and call names from behind an electronic device. All apologies, if, indeed, you intended to compliment me for being a "snotty nosed little know it all".
Good to hear that you are aggressive-aggressive. I happen to work at the Department of Redundancy Department. Glad we got that out of the way.
Perhaps if you could articulate your point a bit better with respect to your work schedule, it would have been more effective. Oh yes, that's the "know it all" coming out again. Thankfully, I did not call YOU any names because then I suppose you would have been really mad! However, if you want me to call you names, I suppose I could do that in person too. You can be the judge once we meet.
Also, if you were expecting an apology out of hand, based upon a valid comment I made, you may be waiting a very long time. If you need additional "know it all" suggestions from a "punk" just let me know.
I would be happy to meet you to discuss this issue, along with some legitimate concerns about the community. Feel free to email me at my gmail account (the shillsgangs one, not snottylittleknowitallpunk@gmail).
shillsgangs,
ReplyDeleteHow was your comment valid? Is it the part about where you assume I'm a couch-sitting complainer? You jumped to the conclusion that I was a non-contributing member of the community based on my comment that it's difficult to get back in time for a 6pm meeting. Or is it the part where you accuse me of being passive aggressive? (By the way, I still can't find any passivity in my comment. It's pretty direct on all points. Yours, on the other hand, is dripping with passive-aggressive verbiage. Take another read at your handy work.) Also, I'm not really sure how I could have articulated any better that difficulty in attending was for "working stiffs who have 9-5 jobs." By definition, a "9-5" job is one that requires attendance during the hours of 9-5. Uptown is relatively close to the loop, but it's not that close. In all of your passive aggression and enthusiasm for making me into a community layabout, you seemed to miss the simplest point of all. A 6pm meeting is incompatible with the schedules of a sufficiently large segment of our community.
Sure, it was wrong of me to call you a punk and a snotty little know-it-all. But, as it turns out, a) it's telling that you are unwilling to acknowledge your own error, and b) it seems that the shoe fits.
PS: To paraphrase Inigo Montoya, I don't think "passive-aggressive" means what you think it means.
PPS: And I never said "aggressive-aggressive." Again, have another read. If you're going to mock somebody, try to be accurate.
Nugatory and Shillersgangs....
ReplyDeleteSince you were both in attendance tonight (and hopefully stayed the entire time as more than half the people did not) 1.)what feedback could you offer up about the meeting?
2.)
What new and useful ideas were presented? 3.)
What steps are you both taking going forward or suggest the rest of us to take?
Okay, this is a private conversation, so I'd appreciate it if you take it offline. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteNug, as I said in my most recent post, feel free to contact me via e-mail and we can even speak or meet. Yes, you are entitled to your opinion regarding timing of a meeting, however, I am entitled to my opinion as well.
ReplyDeleteUptownAction, I am open to talking via e-mail or otherwise. I have been active in a wide variety of solutions in Uptown. Yes, I realize this is a bit vague.
I gave some of my thoughts on the other, more recent post, but I did not mention steps I plan to take going forward. Basically, I will continue to positive loiter, call 911, and attend CAPS. I know positive loitering and CAPS can be difficult for a lot of schedules, but if you can make it sometimes, I think it's pretty worthwhile. As far as calling 911, if you see something, call. The police rank problem areas and problem buildings by the number of calls they get. Even if you think it won't do anything in the immediate future, you should still call so that they can more readily identify where the problems are.
ReplyDeleteOne of the officers or panelists mentioned trash and outward appearances. I've noticed this myself, but basically haven't done much about it. Gangbangers apparently feel more comfortable in "dirty" neighborhoods. So if we allow the trash to pile up, they may take it as a signal that we welcome them. Also, we need to make sure our yards are tidy and well-kept. It sends a signal to ne'er-do-wells that we care about our neighborhood. It's fairly indirect, but I have hope that it will help. It goes along with the broken windows theory.
I honestly don't know that there's much more that I will do. Some people are chatting up the kids in buttercup. If that's your thing, that might help, too.