CAPS meetings. Why don't more people attend these community get-togethers? It seems like the same 15 people with three or four new faces added each month. The new ones rarely return. And come to think of it, who really would? We spend the first 15 minutes getting numbed by mindless, statistical numbers that don't mean a thing. After the numbers are crunched up, then subtracted, then divided - the beat facilitator will finish the subject off by saying "Crimes Down."
Just once, I'd love to hear them be honest and say, "Sorry guys, we're in a gang war zone. The gangs are fighting over turf and we can't do anything about it."
* Tony at J.B. Pizza said the Block building at 1340 West Morse is worse than ever. I wonder if he reads the Hell Hole? Anyhow, the open air drug market salesman, (well Tony didn't call them that) are swarming the building and when the police drive by they wander down to his business to hide. Once in a while, they will stop in for a slice pizza, then throw their container on the sidewalk for good measure, but mostly they drag their feet and wait for the police to drive by.
* Tony also mentioned they (the gangs) hang across the street at Morse Gyros and the parking lot to Magic video. Tony, like me, feels his calling 911 all the time make him personally feel like a pest to the police. I feel Tony's pain. I too feel the same way making all my 911 calls that rarely get solved.
* Tony said ever since the Morse Pod #19 police camera went up on the west side of the Morse EL, the gang activity has moved to the east side of the tracks. Tony said a police camera right in front of the Morse Gyros would be effective.
* With the school year starting again, Katy Hogan is looking for after school walkers to help her with "rinky dink patrol" around the Field School/CSMA School and the Ashland area from Pratt to Lunt. She lost a couple walkers because they moved out of the danger zone. If you join, CAPS will give you a award. Or at least they did last year.
* Oh, by the way, 911 call counts are up this month. Last month there were 1100. This month there were 1322. No, I didn't make 200 - 911 calls to get the figure higher. I did call a few more times than I have recently. This was just in CAPS beat 2431. The smallest of all CAPS beats.
* Out of 90 units in the Block buildings, (1340 West Morse & 1345 West Lunt) there are 12 eviction notices pending according to the Alderman's office.
* Mr. Block is retiring.
3 comments:
Landlords to share info on problem renters in RP.
Cell phones given away to those who quailfy for 911 use.
Meeting people like Craig and Kevin who love this neighborhood in thier own special way.
Jordan, semi frozen water ballons work great a crack head repellant and bring less county time than BB guns.
Not participating does nothing.
Something was afoot Mon. night. At approx. 11:14 p.m. several tactical unit cars and blue & whites screamed down Ashland headed south toward Morse area. I couldn't see where they turned off but they were burning rubber. I've usually only seen that kind of response when shots are fired. Everyone check their News Star next Wed. to see if the action gets a write up.
If we don't make CAPs, it's because we are too busy. I do find it boosts my morale attending CAPs meetings, but then I don't go every month. I don't care for the by rote start to the meeting and find the statistics useless really.
It is easy to lose perspective though when we all see the same crap day after day- same knuckleheads pulling the same crap. We can easily lose sight of the good things. This does not excuse the bad, but sometimes one feels there is more than enough negative so we should spend our time in a CAPs meeting problem-solving that and not droning on about statistics that don't seem to resonate with the audience.
It is truly frustrating to me to have to see crack whores and losers in the morning strutting around in the morning when I am going to my job.
That said, we called 911 maybe a bit more than average the past month. We always call. We don't tolerate any nonsense on our block.
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