International Headlines, But The Uptown Teenager Who Mugged Mayor's Son Still Involved In The "Thug Life"

Photo courtesy of Cook County
Sheriff's Department

It's been a year since Zach Emanuel was mugged outside his Ravenswood home by two assailants, one of whom turned out to be Uptown resident Phillip "P.J." Payne. The other's identity is protected by the "code of silence" that most gang members live by. Today the Sun-Times takes an in-depth look at the past year of Phillip Payne's life. It begins:

A Year Later, Thug Life Engulfs Teen Who Robbed Rahm’s Son

After pleading guilty to robbing Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s teenage son and apologizing in court, Phillip B. Payne got a break.

Cook County Judge Lori Wolfson sentenced Payne to three years of probation, telling him she thought he “is not a violent person” and is “capable of doing well.” She also ordered him to stay away from gangs and drugs.

But since his sentencing earlier this year, the wiry 18-year-old known as “Peejay” hasn't managed to do that, according to interviews, court records and his own social-media posts.

An admitted gang member, he’s now being held in Cook County Jail after a turbulent spring and summer in which he was arrested twice, accused of dealing cocaine and driving a stolen car.

In between, he grieved the loss of his older half-brother — a fellow gang member who was shot and killed in April, a casualty of what appears to be a North Side gang war.

You can read the entire article here.