Thursday, November 29, 2012

Shots Fired On Wilson, Person Shot



Seems like the gangbangers have rediscovered Wilson and Magnolia, after the situation had gotten much better after the police cracked down on the drive-through drug market at the strip mall there.

Several reports of a shooting there in the past half hour:

"I was studying and heard about 10 gunshots from my bedroom at 5:45pm.  One of the victims ran in the alley between Magnolia and Malden to hide with a black winter hat, low jeans and a black hoodie over a white t-shirt.  A white Toyota drove behind him at least 60 mph to hit him and continued to shoot while heading towards Montrose.  

Reported shooting victim
Andre Williams
The victim yelled "Call the police.  I'm shot" and he ran towards Magnolia, but after the car continued southbound, he returned to Wilson near the Subway.  I called the police and they responded immediately.  The victim seemed to have been hit in the leg, but hopefully no other casualties exist." 

A Facebook reader reports that "Paramedics went into the liquor store [Sheridan Park Food & Liquors] on Wilson."

This is just weeks after a gang-related murder very close to the spot where shots were fired. So sick of these fools and their murderous little games.

Please put in the comments if you have any more information or write us at uptownupdate@hotmail.com.

Update:  From the witness who gave the description above ---"I met with some police and told them what I knew.  The alley between Magnolia and Malden is under tape with several bullet casings.  Malden is also closed at Wilson with tape.  The cops said it was a white Honda."

57 comments:

  1. I am living at Magnolia/Wilson. heard these shots... not nice :(

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  2. I only heard about 5 shots so maybe they were coming from different angles? I can hear the police from my window talking and one stated that there are 4 shell casings (we have windows that face the alley between Malden and Magnolia) and there is yellow tape around the area..

    As soon as I heard the shots I grabbed my son and kept him away from the windows that face the alley so I wasn't able to see anything at all..

    I'll keep "Mrs. Kravitz-ing" and to see what else I can find out..

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  3. I only heard 5 shots, as well. Four near Wilson and Malden, then one more at the convenience store. I heard people saying they heard 7 or 10 shots.

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  4. I heard the very loud shots and caught sight of the white four-door Toyota and the passenger in the car full of men. According to the police on the scene, the man they shot was named Williams and is a Black P-Stones member. He was lying n the floor of the Sheridan Park Food and Liquor but texting on his phone as he was being loaded into the ambulance.

    I know little will come of the information I could supply the police, still, I'm proud of my neighbors for coming out and reporting what they saw and heard, and grateful that no innocent people were hurt this time.

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  5. I heard five shots...a twenty second pause and then four or five more shots. I was standing out side with my dog.

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  6. I was there and saw the shooting at Wilson and Malden. The shooter fired shots at a person on Wilson, then ran to a waiting car at the intersection. As he got in the car, 3 more gunshots could be heard, seemed to be coming from Sunnyside Mall....this could have also came from Magnolia, hard to tell. The police had 3 suspects cuffed to the fence at Magnolia and Wilson. The person shot at Wilson and Malden ran into Mary's convenience store. His name was Andre Williams....a known gang member....hence why I said the "person" and not the "victim" that was shot.
    The car that the gunman escaped in was a late model white Hyundai Sonata. This is getting crazy. The only victims are the innocent people walking home from work or the young mother who walked up with her stroller not even 2 minutes after this happened. What if she had been 2 minutes earlier? Not acceptable what so ever!

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    1. Ty for ur concern, one of the boys handcuffed was my 18 yr old son. I was concerned and your absolutely right I could have been walking with my child at that time we were coming from Truman at our normal time but God stopped that.(-:

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  7. I heard the gunshots as well and it was great to see so many neighbors come out and tell the police what they saw and heard. There are great people in this neighborhood and this kind of violence isn't welcome here.

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  8. Shots were fired from infront of the Evelyn condo association building on Wilson 1258-1262 west wilson. Sounded like fireworks about 5-7 quick shots unless that was the echo. Why can't this neighborhood get a police presence? Where are the foot patrol? For that matter has anyone else noticed that our alderman has cut back on sending emails when these happen?

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  9. I was walking east on wilson and turned around to look west when I heard the gunshots. I saw a guy sprint across wilson, running south. A few seconds later I heard more gunshots. I hope everyone is okay. My wife is a Truman College student and she received a call from college security a half hour later about the incident.

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  10. Flu Shots, not Gun Shots.

    Let's be like NYC and have a full day without gun violence...then, let's repeat it for a few more days.

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  11. I'm a student here at Truman, and I am so tired of the drama that plagues this neighborhood on a daily basis. There is something seriously wrong with these individuals going around shooting and bullying each other, showing zero concern for any life outside of themselves.

    What concerns Me most is how difficult it is to determine who the gang members are from those who just emulate their styles of dress and speech because they all act the same! I mean, seriously, who is copying who? Is it the gang member that's dressing like the student, or is it the other way 'round?

    And here's the main question: Why on earth would Anyone Want to emulate a part of society that is Known For violence and ignorance?

    In other words, pull up your pants, show a little respect to yourself and others, and stop bringing society down with your ignorance.

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  12. There is plenty police presents but instead of getting a grip on crime they are busy writing parking tickets, playing lottery in Mary's, and hanging out in Starbucks. I'm sick of seeing them sitting around while the violence happens right in front of them. But it's us tax paying, law abiding citizens that get hassled. I see the offices sitting in their cars while the criminals hang on the corner and most of you see the same thing. We need to start addressing this problem. No matter how much we as a community come together to report what we see it wont help if the police don't do their JOB'S.

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  13. I am afraid that there will be no real resolution to this gang violence problem until some non-gang victim is seriously injured or killed. These incidents are becoming like a broken record. The updates from the alderman are fine, but of little use when they come after the fact. I like the alderman, but am realizing to my disappointment that he has no real power to address this violence (although I believe his intentions are sincere).

    The Mayor needs to pull a Giuliani and have no tolerance policies with these crimes. I also believe that if the city were to crack down on lesser violations, such as the excessive loitering and single cigarette vendors, it would create a less comfortable atmosphere for people with crime on their minds.

    For example, without some change in community policing, the new $130 million CTA re-hab will be just another loitering hang out with new elevator cars in which to urinate.

    Seriously...Uptown to become entertainment/Theater District...really? In what scenario is this going to be successful? What is going to become of Uptown once all the the families, businesses, and cultural destinations are driven out by gang warfare?

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  14. Don't hold your breath for change until the master plan includes wholesale removal of the customer base.

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  15. I know the young man who was shot and yes he is involved in a gang but that doesn't give anyone the right to shoot or kill him because of this. I feel sorrow for the individual who could have lost his life and maybe this will wake him up. My son who is 18 who was a victim of gang violence when he was 17 and that made him change his mind about hanging out with other individuals who are in a gang. This all can end if we could unite and speak to gang members in both areas I believe.

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  16. Jasmine, while I appreciate your hope, it is not realistic. This is not the first time he has been in trouble, and If I remember correctly, not even the first time he has been shot. He is not being shot at for being an upstanding citizen. He is not going to learn, and has proved to be nothing but a waste to society and a drain on tax dollars of hard working, law abiding citizens. Sorry, but there is no sympathy for this P.O.S. No, he was not the person shooting the gun this time, but he is in no way a victim and while I obviously have no proof, I can only guess the reason he was shot this time is that at one point....he was the one with the gun. Sorry if this sounds brash, but the fact is, people like andre are doing nothing but terrorizing our neighborhood and making everyone's life miserable.

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  17. What is sad about this is that if residents would just go to their CAPS meetings, none of this would happen. This is all your fault, residents of Uptown.

    As a side note, did anyone else notice that the alderman is JUST NOW putting together a strategy to deal with the crime around the Wilson stop? A couple of email blasts ago the Alderman announced that he had been on a ride along with the Supt and district commander and realized: OH MY GOSH! THERE IS CRIME ON WILSON! A shocking revelation.

    With all due respect, the alderman is in over his head. CAPS is -NOT- the panacea to solving these problems, and that's all the mayor has right now. The police and mayor want to keep lying to us and telling us that crime is historically low, or dropping so fast that there is no need to replace the 2,000 police officers retiring (but hey, we'll hire 500), and if you didn't notice it, signs are pointing to schools in Uptown closing due to low utilization. Get used to the violence, there's going to be a lot more.

    The city is more interested in reducing labor costs than the safety and education of its citizens. It sucks, but this is how it's going to be, and there isn't a thing you can do about it.

    But hey, you get a shiny new CTA station!

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    1. Residence go to caps meeting!?!? Yes best place to go so hang members can then identity you on the street. Caps meetings are attended by gang supporters who gather counter inteiigence info and find out what residence are active in the community so gang members can harras them! Trust me I know all to well from first hand experience

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  18. Jasmine, a Gang Member is an Urban Terrorist. Period. There is no pity given at all. The rest of us law abiding citizens have to be afraid of our lives because of poeple like him. They should be rounded up and put in Guantanamo. Gang Members = Urban Terrorists.

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  19. I've said this many times -- where do they live? Who do they live with? They have to go inside and sleep, right, so find out where they live, the alderman should visit the apartment manager and let him know harboring gangsters is not acceptable. That he will find a way to find the building....whatever.

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  20. Ahhhh the Williams brothers, the gifts that keep on giving to Uptown. It was almost a year to the date that Tyriese Williams was shot at Magnolia and Sunnyside. I must say, Andre has been a more subdued gang leader, and apposed to his brothers. That being said, I am relieved he is off the Uptown streets if only for a day or two. The Williams are a menace, and their Mom should be locked up for raising those thugs to be who they are. I understand having one bad apple, but 3 urban terrorists? That lifestyle was cultivated by a parent (or lack of one), it didn't come by happenstance.

    Now as far as Jasmine's... "This all can end if we could unite and speak to gang members in both areas I believe."

    If watching your "homeboys" get shot right in front of you doesn't "speak" to the gang bangers there is NOTHING I can say or do that is going to change their mind. They need to be purged from Uptown and I believe it is happening slowly but surely.

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  21. Bronco Billy, you are wrong in characterizing James as "just now" realizing that there is crime around the Wilson stop. For those of us who have been around a while, this has been brought up repeatedly. The previous administration claimed the high arrest rates around the Wilson L were solely due to turnstile jumping. In 2003, and in 2007, the previous alderman accused Sandra Reed and James Cappleman, respectively, of being racist and classist for suggesting otherwise. We're all frustrated, but blaming the person who has done the most in years to work against the gangs is hardly helping the situation. Perhaps you'd prefer to see Denise Davis come out after a shooting and tell witnesses to talk to her instead of the police? My front window overlooks Wilson and B'way, lucky me, and I see Cappleman out there all the time, even talking to bangers who were whooping it up after the pride parade and having them move from corner to corner to try to get away from him. He and his staff are out there when Uplift gets out. He knows what's going on.

    BTW, what on earth closing Uptown schools due to underutilization has to do with higher crime escapes me. It particularly has nothing to do with a gang shooting at Malden and Wilson.

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  22. Thanks chipdouglas....I thought I remembered reading about a williams being shot last year. I was incorrect earlier, it wasn't andre, but tyriese. Same family though. It still doesn't change how I feel about the situation. Sounds like some great parenting indeed....guess we know who will win the "Parents of the Year" award now.

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  23. I just wish we could send them to gun school so they could be better shots and kill each other and nobody else.

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  24. Mr. Williams is just the alleged gang leader of the moment. If and when he moves along there will be someone else to take his place. Unless and until the city addresses these crime issues in a meaningful way, Uptown will continue to be an attractive envinronment for people that want to engage in these shenanigans.

    Trying to have your voice heard for positive change is great but will only make a difference if new policies are enforced at the highest level.

    Perhaps if Cappleman was empowered with more tools and support from the city we could see some meaningful improvements.

    Until then, welcome to the wild west.

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  25. I bet Mary who own that liquor store was scared when the "victim" came staggering in. Lots of people loiter outside this store. I wonder if there ever has been a study done on shootings & liquor store locations???

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  26. In my 4 years in uptown on wilson this guy was a regular dealer on the streets. I personally witnessed many drug deals involving this guy. Often times bringing even younger kids with him to do his dirty work. Pretty sure he lives in the fabricated housing south of wilson on Magnolia. Our neighborhood is his turf, Broncho Billy, Sunnyside Mall, and Wilson street. GET HIM OUT OF HERE!!!

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  27. This could end if we could get gang members to speak to each other? No, this could end if:

    1) People stopped bearing unwanted children
    2) Parents actually became...a parent
    3) The system stopped paying a monthly fee to single women having babies
    4) There was a man in the home, you know, like an actual father...who actually cared about his offspring
    5) It became cool to learn something in school rather than the streets
    6) Gangsta rap music, which is reponsible for glorifying the thug life, became unpopular
    7) Music moguls, who made it out of the ghetto - (like JZ) stopped signing up new "artists" like Chicago's Chief Keef. Have you seen that filth he puts out? Thank's JZ - guess you and Beyonce need an extra billion on two
    8) We treated the urban terrorist the same way we do the middle east terrorist.
    9) We all had the guts to talk openly about what the hell is wrong with all these young black men who choose to spend their days hanging on a street corner looking to shoot each other.

    You want to speak to one another? These talking points are a good place to start.

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  28. Two gang-related evictions are either accomplished or a date-certain for move-out is set, thanks to hard work by the Alderman's office and others. I understand that a hearing is set for next week that will directly impact the Williams Brothers and their family. There may be different grounds for evictions, but the bottom line is that the neighborhood will not tolerate gang activity and those who harbor and protect gang activity in their taxpayer-subsidized homes. It's simple, really: if the boys care more about mama having a roof over her head than they do about their drug sales and retaliations, then they can stop what they're doing or take it elsewhere...otherwise, they lose the privilege of having a home here, and mama gets barred from CHA housing and/or Section 8 vouchers forever. Mama created the monsters, so she gets to live with the consequences of her own parenting failures.

    THIS is how we are slowly making an impact and improving the safety of our residents. If you hear about requests from the Alderman's office or block clubs like Graceland-Wilson Neighbors for community members to attend court hearings in a show of support for evictions or prosecutions, please try to help--it's one of the best ways you can do something meaningful that can make a difference for your community.

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  29. It's a shame that these people and their residences are so well documented and yet nothing permanent can be done. Heck, Jasmine is bragging about being the mother of a gang member. Talk about impotency to solve a problem with a very easy solution.

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  30. Tyriese Williams is in Cook County Jail right now. It appears he's been their since August.

    Jail I.D.


    2012-0810152 WILLIAMS, TYRIESE A 09/22/1985

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  31. 1: "BTW, what on earth closing Uptown schools due to underutilization has to do with higher crime escapes me. It particularly has nothing to do with a gang shooting at Malden and Wilson. "
    Do you think these people are shooting at each other because they're bright, upstanding, educated members of society? They're uneducated, unemployable citizens. Take away even more education, and the crime will get worse. Shove kids into far away schools, and they'll have even less of a vested interest in their own future. Education correlates to crime. Take away even more services from those that need it most, and you're going to keep getting what you get.

    2: When I get an email from the alderman saying that after a ride along he has decided to put together steps to prevent crime around Wilson, that means to me that he's just come to the realization. This is something that should have been in the works from his FIRST DAY in office, not last week. The alderman shouldn't need to ride along with Supt. of police to come to the realization that there is a problem with crime in the area. All of that crime information is available to him, and he's not used it. It's a joke.

    3: I have little to any faith in the current alderman. And please, stop bringing up the previous alderman. It's not relevant. The only strategy that I've heard articulated about the crime problem in Uptown by the alderman is to go to your CAPS meeting. That's it! I've heard not one single thing about how the crime problem is going to be addressed, other than that email about the ride along. That's not leadership. That's ineptitude.

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  32. Here is the direct quote from the email.

    "Public Safety Update with Police Supt. McCarthy

    Last week, Police Supt. Garry McCarthy and I rode around the ward to look at areas with higher rates of crime. One noticeable observation is that the $203 million Wilson L rehab is occurring in an area with the highest rate of drug abuse arrests on the entire Northside.


    Police Superintendent McCarthy, Commander Voulgaris, and I have started outlining very specific strategies to lower the rate of crime in this area. Expect to see more police walking the beat. I am also placing stiffer requirements on a few businesses and social services in the area to be better neighbors to the community. In the end, we will know our efforts are successful when we see a drastic reduction in the rate of crime in this particular area. Interventions will become stiffer if change occurs too slowly."

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  33. Gosh, BB, if you really believe Cappleman is just now starting to think about public safety, you've been hiding under a rock for a number of years.

    For starters, take a glance at the master plan he created. There is all kinds of information about what he's doing about public safety. However, I would be curious about how you think the role of the alderman differs from the role of a police commander. It appears you think the two roles are one and the same.

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  34. Cappleman has sent out this sort of information since his first year in office. Here's just one I could find from last December (covered on this blog no less). The shooting mentioned in the 2011 email may have happened within a few blocks of Wilson & Magnolia, but I think that shows he's been doing what he can to address the issue as it moves from corner to corner. It's not like these knuckleheads stay in one spot.

    http://www.uptownupdate.com/2011/12/email-blast-from-ald-cappleman-fridays.html

    Not sure what else folks expect him to do with the resources/authority he's given. An alderman can't just go out and start making arrests, all while addressing every other issue within the ward. At least he has admitted that there are issues with violence in the area (and taking the tangible steps outlined in the blast), rather than just calling it a few youths having 'fisticuffs'.

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  35. While I live 'on the other side of the tracks' (east of the Wilson El, where other, yet related crimes take place), I am always shocked about the number of people looking 'up to no good' in the immediate vicinity of Truman College when I walk past.

    And yes, 'up to no good' is what I'm calling loitering, public drinking, etc - among other things. I don't see as much police presence, but moreover it's just ironic (agree or disagree about people's education cause/effects rants above) given the college should contribute towards individual/participant's growth and is surrounded by the absolute complete opposite mere feet away. (yes I know there's the Men's club across the street, etc) It's just a real back-asswards situation.

    It is my opinion though that the new Wilson station will turn things around a bit, not perhaps directly for the station rehab itself, but for the fact that the neighborhood becomes more attractive to live in, open a business, etc. Not a direct contributing factor, but hopefully still a tertiary resource which contributes towards the area being cleaned up a bit. The stars aligning would be if other trouble plagued facilities saw a cleaning up in a similar time-window (Men's club, Lawrence House, etc) that currently serve as feeders for neighborhood troubles/issues. (not to say they ever go away or to play the broad 'gentrification card')

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  36. Totally agree the Williams family needs to be evicted. They will go somewhere else though and be a menace to society. All in favor of getting the gangs out of Uptown. The message is we are not going to take it anymore. We watch, we listen and we report it to police!

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  37. I try not to come on UU often, not because I don't agree with some of the opinions my neighbors may have but because of the ignorant comments so many well educated people make about tackling these issues. I wholeheartedly agree that the violence in this neighborhood is and has been a problem (I think I have a valid testimony I've resided in Uptown since 1991, may not be that long but it's enough for a tiny sliver of credentials). What we're going through in Uptown is what everyone in the City of Chicago is facing. No one want's to address the gun laws that allow these weapons to be readily available to anyone who has enough money to get their hands on one. Out of all of these comments no one questioned HOW these "urban terrorist" can get a hold of machine gun artillery faster than you get your cappuccino from Starbucks in the morning. What are we offering our city? A failing education system that can't even pay its teachers? That must show a lot of respect for how we view the importance of a great education to make it out of this deadly city. Every gang banger does not live in a CHA or subsidized housing building, so again, going after people who (again this has come from my experience) call the police on gang members, cooperated with police, and have actively worked with everyone in this community because they are tired of the violence too, is a little extreme if you ask me. I don't care where you live or how much money you make, a bullet isn't something anyone wants to come home to. Every gang member wasn't raised in a house where they were taught to be a gang member, these are choices that these young men are making on their own. Your parents couldn't stop you from getting a butterfly tattoo when you were 16 or drinking away at college before you were 21, these are all choices that you made, on your own, regardless of how you were raised. You think the parents of these young men like burring their children? You think they like the kind of lifestyle they live? You have to be pretty darn naive if you do. Hold these young men accountable ( and partially a failing education system) for their actions. What are we really teaching them in school? What are we doing differently in our community and in our city that is preventing or combating this? Cracking down on people selling loose cigarettes, I'm sure that has a lot to do with why people get shot (that was sarcastic if you missed it). What alternatives are we offering these young men before they turn to gangs? Before they turn to the streets? Let me guess, education (well I think we all know how I feel about that). Our neighborhood is segregated, not racially, but socially, and we've allowed it.

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  38. It takes more than a Boys and Girls Club to change the mind of a young man deciding between feeding himself or going to sit and play on a computer all day. If you think it's hard for some of you to get a job, imagine how it is for a sixteen year old with no prior work history and no skills. Many of you have fairly decent careers, why not have an Uptown job fair? Why not have an Uptown career day? Kudos to the many wonderful organizations that we have, but sometimes it takes old fashioned people power. We've all been stuck without any direction at least once in our lifetime, why not try to help someone who is in that same boat. I'm not saying that these are solutions that will save the world, or even our city, but its something that we, as residents of Uptown can at least TRY to do. How about building partnerships with our schools to have job shadowing's, discussions about what's going on in our community from another point of view (our children who will be the future renters and homeowners of Uptown), trips taking them out of the city to show them that they have options, that Chicago isn't where their dreams stop. Right now I don't see what we are offering that's attracting our youth away from these gangs. If you don't want them to grow up to be urban terrorist then at least try to give them a flashlight out of the tunnel.

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  39. Gang Activity = Terrorist Activity

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  40. The gun law discussion is unnecessary. The solution remains simple...gangs are fighting over very lucrative drug clients...they aren't wealthy people from the suburbs....it's the thousands of addicts that have been crammed into our local SROs. Unfortunately the deck has been stacked against us and no matter how well know and identified the problem buildings are...there's nothing we can do. Places like LH are still fully functional and will be for years despite constant vigilance.

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    1. Best statement I've seen! Alek is correct! Until we address the drug problem through testing and counseling as well as not providing subsidized housing to those who can pay for drugs but not rent the problem will only grow.

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  41. I believe that if one is on public assistance of ANY type, there should be mandatory drug testing and mandatory parenting classes. That is what I would like to see our local and state legislators offer as law, regardless of the inevitable blow back. IF you want taxpayers to offer a hand, then you need to offer a hand back...

    Angela. Good idea. have you approached the Aldermans office on this? I would be the would be interested.

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  42. Angela, you wrote: "Your parents couldn't stop you from getting a butterfly tattoo when you were 16 or drinking away at college before you were 21, these are all choices that you made, on your own, regardless of how you were raised."

    First, I find it reprehensible that you suggest that joining a gang is an equivalent transgression as "getting a butterfly tattoo" and "drinking away at college." Even if these were worthy of discussion in the same breath in terms of severity and legality and consequences, the former is a menace to society, while the latter is a menace to an individual. Joining a gang isn't just rebellion or being a bad kid. It's much, much more than that.

    Second, your statement shows that you underestimate the value of parenting. Not every rich white kid who goes away to college chooses to get a tattoo or drink before they're 21. The difference between those that do and those that don't is parenting. Yes, it's a choice the son or daughter makes, but it's a choice that is informed by parenting.

    I agree that these kids who are joining gangs are choosing to join gangs. You argue that it is against their parents wishes and the parents should not be blamed or criticized. Parental wishes aren't enough to raise a child. The parent actually has to show the child right from wrong. It's not easy to teach a child how to live in society lawfully, morally, and respectfully, but that is the parent's duty. The parents of these gang members have failed miserably and it is right to hold them accountable.

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  43. Well Said nugatory! When I was young, I was raised by a single mother, and yes, we had to live in public housing even though she worked. I HAD to go to school and I DID mind...or else. The was no option B and there was no blaming anyone else or expecting anything from anyone. This ridiculous horse shit that we, as a society, are not doing enough is just plain getting old. It is embarrassing to have to tell people that you live in housing...at least it was for us. The problem is these kids are raised knowing no other life and hence no reason to try for anything different.
    Yes, not every gang member lives in housing...but like it or not, a lot of them do. Its the facts jack, get over it. These issues will go away only when people start taking control of their lives and quit waiting for or expecting others to do it for them.
    @Uptown SuperHero....we don't always agree on things, but I am behind you 110% on this. If you live in public housing, how the hell can you afford drugs and booze? If you can afford these, and your living in public housing, get off of your lazy ass and pay your own way. If you truly need the help, Please, by all means take it.
    Also, people, quit blaming the schools. First off, to get an education....you have to actually show up for school. Who makes you go to school....even when you don't want to? Thats right, your parents do. I am sick to death of all of the ignorant comments about how it is someone else's fault.
    Sorry Angela, but its people like you that make it ok for people to blame others, You are not doing ANYONE a favor in this case, but re-enforcing in peoples mind that it is ok to blame others for your own short comings. It is not ok, not even a little, nor should we as a society accept it anymore.

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  44. I'm sorry you feel that way Big Guy, just like you are entitled to your opinion I am also rightfully entitled to mines. My comment wasn't to "blame society" for my shortcomings (wrong young lady lol), because I'm not in a gang. I don't sell drugs. I was raised by some of the strongest parents on this planet but that doesn't mean some of the choices and decisions I've made reflect my parents or how they raised me, they were choices I made on my own.there is a direct correlation between education and crime, you don't think that having a failing education system (a 50% high school dropout rate, ridiculously low test scores) has anything to do with the crime we're battling on a daily basis? There are plenty of parents who raise their children without any government assistance, housing, or a handout, that are still fighting to keep their child from choosing and making the wrong decisions.We had a roundtable discussion with a group of young men and one of them stated that although he was raised in a loving, strict, and structured home with a parent working, he chose (key word here) to join a gang because he wanted to. So do we go blame the patent for raising their child the best way they can and hold them accountable for their sons decisions? It's kind of hard to do that (if that's the case we need to go find all of the homeless peoples parents and blame them too, and the people on drugs too). the butterfly analogy was to make it easier for people to understand that its more of a choice these young people are making, but what other choices are we offering. I went to a Chicago Public School and could have turned out much like many of my peers did, but I had options, options that didn't just include going to school everyday to learn 7th grade math when I'm a sophomore. There were people (amazing right) who gave me options (job shadowing, traveling the country, traveling the world even). I'm not here to blame a mother for her sons choice, I'm not even here to blame CPS, all I want to know is what options other than joining a gang, is our community offering our youth.Period.

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  45. Amanda,

    The options that our community is offering our youth are pretty much the same options that were offered to me when I was growing up, dorky though they may be:

    - studying
    - playing a sport
    - playing an instrument/singing in a choir
    - getting involved with drama or some other club at school, such as one of these
    - doing chores at home
    - getting a neighborhood job (mowing lawns, babysitting, shoveling)
    - joining a volunteer organization
    - having movie or game night at home with friends

    And these kids live in Chicago, which provides way more options for kids to occupy their time than I ever had. They can participate in programs at the zoo, museums, theaters, etc.

    The problem isn't a lack of healthy, productive options. The problem is that these kids would rather be "cool" and join the gangs. It all comes down to choice and parenting. A kid that chooses to join a gang does so because his parent(s) didn't teach him that being cool is not a worthwhile personal goal.

    Amanda, here's the thing. If this is the best that these parents can do, then quite frankly they have absolutely no business having kids. These parents can't wait to start until the kids are 11 or 12. They can't expect to reap the rewards of successful parenting if they don't sow the seeds early in childhood development.

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  46. Amanda said "Cracking down on people selling loose cigarettes, I'm sure that has a lot to do with why people get shot (that was sarcastic if you missed it). What alternatives are we offering these young men before they turn to gangs? Before they turn to the streets? Let me guess, education (well I think we all know how I feel about that). Our neighborhood is segregated, not racially, but socially, and we've allowed it."

    Bad sarcasm Angela, you have to crack down on the smaller crimes that lead to larger ones, maybe was missed on you. Yes we know that selling loosies doesn't DIRECTLY lead to someone shooting someone, but it does DIRECTLY contribute to an atmosphere where shootings are common and you dont agree you are kidding yourself and are quite naive.

    Who is this we? We as a society are not going to raise people children for them are we?

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  47. oops I meant to say that "Angela Clay said "blah blah blah", I think I did.

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  48. Someone stole my moped that very night of my fence, I live by malden and wilson, you have probly seen me riding, if you see it call the police

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  49. As a matter of fact I have indeed read the master plan. I'm not a big fan. Everyone wants to blame the previous alderman for the problems of Uptown, but read the master plan and much of the same logic and thinking is contained by the new alderman.

    I personally have no interest in the crime from other areas of the city, as I live in Uptown, but for some reason crime is relative, not absolute. Why is that? The alderman's master plan essentially points out that the problem in Uptown isn't crime, but the people that THINK crime is too high. To this, I cry bullshit. More bullshit. And then bullshit squared. Read the master plan people. Go plant a garden and go to your CAPS meeting. That's the solution to the crime problem. I'm not buying it from this guy any more than I did from the person before. Meet the new boss, everyone. Same as the old boss.

    Oh, and if you believe the numbers from the moron in chief at the police department and King Rahm, then you're a moron, too.

    http://secondcitycop.blogspot.com/2012/12/fire-mccarthy-please.html

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  50. BB, perhaps if you read the master plan aloud to yourself, you might experience some better comprehension. I just took another quick peek at the plan and it gave a detailed list of 6 items that residents can do and a list of 10 items that the alderman, police, building managers, etc. can do to specifically address crime.

    You still haven't given a response about how the role of the alderman and the police commander differ. You are confusing the two roles and thinking they're one and the same.

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  51. And perhaps, HM if you remove your head from the sand and stop worshiping your precious alderman simply because he's not the alderman from before, you'd realize how much of a problem it is for an alderman to send out a communication that makes him look weak, such as the one he sent out about his little ride along with the police commander and head crime fabricator the chief of police.

    In terms of message management, this alderman is as green as they come, and it looks and reads like amateur hour. It's weak, it's retroactive, and it's insulting to read about how my elected official _JUST GOT THE MESSAGE_ about how much of a problem the vagrants on Wilson are.

    I'm tired of it.

    And please, don't lecture me about who is responsible for what. I'm fully aware of the jobs that people have. I'm more concerned that people start doing them instead of trying to blow smoke up my rear end about how perfect living in Uptown is.

    My perception of crime isn't the problem.

    The idiots in Uptown that are so in love with the alderman simply because he's not Schiller, but too blind to realize that they're being shoveled the same load of shit before, only packaged in a different shiny package - that's the problem.

    I don't need to be lectured. What I need is an alderman (and mayor, and chief of police) that are going to stop trying to convince me that it's raining while pissing on my leg. I've had enough of being told that -I'M- the problem simply because my perception of gunshots putting my family and me in harms way is out of line with the compstat numbers that are being cooked.

    Can't write more, gotta go start a community garden and schedule in my CAPS meeting so I don't get shot.

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  52. Not to beat a dead horse, HM, but here is point #7. I'll quote it directly, because it's important to be exceedingly specific when you are trying to prevent people from being killed by gang crossfire:
    "Creating a flyer for building managers to distribute to new
    residents: This could be a joint effort of the 46th Ward Alderman
    with the two Police Commanders. This flyer would provide
    information about the ward, some safety tips, and ways they can
    become more involved in community activity in the area."

    A flyer! That's right, Uptown, point #7 from the alderman - to help keep you safe - is to create a flyer. God bless America. If I only had a flyer, maybe 3 people wouldn't have been shot in front of my building and another MURDERED. If only I had that flyer handy.

    Oh - point #8:
    "Assisting businesses with identifying their safety concerns and the needed steps to address them:"
    Do you think your business owners are idiots? Don't you think that a business owner knows full well what the concerns for safety are? Do they need assistance? Any sentient being walking through Uptown realizes what the safety concerns are. They don't need to be assisted.

    So don't be concerned, HM, I comprehend just fine. What I comprehend is BS. And it's thick as molasses in this master plan.

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  53. BB, you're right. You are beating a dead horse; a dead horse that died a long time ago.

    Your whining isn't attractive. It really isn't. But don't take my word for it. Ask someone you trust. You do trust someone, don't you?

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  54. Oh what's wrong? Don't want to discuss the master plan? I see. Good luck getting the sand out of your ears.

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