Craig,
I found the site a few weeks ago, when looking for info on the election, and I'm hooked. Great job keeping up with all this.
By the way, not sure how newsworthy it is anymore, but I witnessed a couple of kids break through a window at the corner store on Lunt & Sheridan, last night around 4am. A smash 'n grab for Newports, apparently, and they weren't exactly subtle about it.
Owner says it's the third time it's happened; he put bars in on the Lunt side, but didn't figure anyone would be stupid enough to come through on the Sheridan side. He also says they got scared off by the alarm before they could steal much of anything (they rummaged through the Newport Lights, but were apparently brand loyal enough to continue searching in vain for regular Newports, and eventually left empty handed).
They took off west down the south side of Lunt before the police showed up-- I lost sight of them, but I'd have a few guesses as to which building they were headed to exactly.
Again, I'm not sure it's even newsworthy, but I know the store owner there pretty well, and it's sucks to see him have to go through this because some kids were willing to commit a felony for $15 worth of cigarettes.
Brian C.
Blognotes: Not newsworthy Brian? If a business that gets it's window broken is not news, I don't know what news is.
Brian, we spent a lot of time on this issue at the CAPS beat 2431 meeting last Monday.
Problem is, how do we classify this broken widow crime? You claim this is a felony. I'm not so sure. According to our beat sergeant, every broken window has a different story. You say all that was taken was 15 bucks worth of Newports?
According to the sign next to the broken window, Newports go for $7.75 a pack. What kind of 'smash and grab' criminals would take just a couple packs of cigs after causing $300 dollars damage at 4 in the morning when no ones around?
I'm guessing, if they were any type of real crooks, they could've cleaned the joint out by the time the police arrived? That's how it usually works.
Back to the cigarette sign. There are three other interesting signs in Sonny's window too. Campaign signs for Gordon, Ginderske and Adams. One sign most noticeable missing? Alderman Moore's campaign sign. Maybe the crooks were stealing Alderman Moore campaign signs? But from my investigation, no Alderman Moore signs were in Sonny's Store at the time of the window breakage.
And there was no report of any other windows in the neighborhood being broken that had the Alderman's campaign posters inside.
I know it couldn't be one of Alderman Moore's little over-zealous campaign workers going around breaking store windows that don't have his campaign sign displayed inside. He would never do that. That would be unethical.
So how do we classify this broken window? Index or non-index crime?
12 comments:
I have been reading these blogs in detail since 3 days ago. I moved into Rogers Park in October from Elk Grove. I love the area for its gritty culture and mix of people. I wanted to let people know that I do not know how to get tips and stories to Broken Hearts of Rogers Park. Last week on Monday I watched a drug bust go down right in my back ally off Fargo between Ashland and Paulina. It was a perfect bust as i was walking my dog to get a bath and I noticed two individuals at the Ashland end of my alley milling around and growing up in Detroit I have come to know when things are not right. On my way back not 20 minutes later, the individual I saw was being put into an unmarked police car, and I walked right past them with my dog and smiled. It was good to see the police busting this guy pushing drugs. With all the new condo developments and new people, the community really needs to work together to get these guys off the streets. The open drug market and broad daylight deals are getting out of control. I have been inspired by Broken Heart of Rogers Park to keep my eyes and camera ready to help spot the under belly of lies our mental midget alderman seems to throw around as truth. I used to think Detroit was corupt. At least in Detroit the mobsters kept the ganbangers under control, here the Alderman seems to enjoy using the gangbangers as campaign members.
*Tip*
Where does the "happy heart" go to cover-up the stench from the crap that floats around the alderman's office?
Hint:It's not really an Island.
I don't think the broken window was a felony-- I was thinking along the lines of attempted burglary. I saw a lookout they'd put across the street-- he ran off with the one who broke the window. I don't know who uses a lookout if they just want to break the window for the sake of vandalism. The whole incident took a few minutes too, they didn't just break the window and run. I woke up with the sound of glass breaking, and spent at least another 2 minutes trying to figure out where it was coming from. There were a few more crashes of glass in that time. The lookout across Sheridan was who I saw first, and he stood there the whole time before eventually sprinting down Lunt with the other guy.
Maybe they got something Sonny didn't notice. He said he saw them at some point too, though, and was shouting at the one who climbed in through the window when the alarm went off. I didn't hear anyone else (I didn't even hear the alarm until a few minutes after the first window break) but I called the cops just after the guys took off, and the dispatcher said someone was already on the way.
I don't know how Sonny knew they were looking for Newports, except he said he had to lock them up separately at close because that was what they went after the last time. He said they'd pulled out a few Newport Lights but that it wasn't what they were looking for.
So basically, I don't have any clue why they did it besides what Sonny told me. But they did come inside, which has to qualify at least as breaking and entering, even if nothing was actually stolen.
Also just to be clear: from what I saw, no way it was Moore's people. They stuck around for a few minutes-- which if it was Moore's people would have been plenty of time to post some of his own campaign posters next to the other three. :)
The only time Joe can be found in the hood is election season. Small business proprietors never gets a visits from Joe unless it's occasions like this.
Graig:
Here another joe wants to get re-elected sunt!!
Joe Moore to Discuss the CTA crisis on CHICAGO TONIGHT Monday at 7pm
Dear Neighbor,
I have been asked to appear on CHICAGO TONIGHT on Monday, January 15 at 7:00 pm to discuss the CTA crisis. I invite you to tune in to WTTW Channel 11 and then contact me to let me know your thoughts on the ordinance I introduced (see below) in the City Council. I encourage you to email me your stories of CTA service problems so that I can share them with the CTA leadership when hearings are scheduled.
I have repeated an earlier email to you below so you will have the background on the ordinance in case you missed the opportunity to read it on Thursday.
While we are on the subject of the CTA, I would also like to invite you to visit a CTA related Blog produced by Rogers Park resident and community leader, Kevin O'Neil called CTA TATTLER at http://www.ctatattler.com/.
Very truly yours,
Joe Moore
Day 17: No endorsement. Hey watsa' matta wid youse?
Amazing..... breaking and entering someone else's business or home is NOT a felony, but misusing Xanax or prescription painkillers is....
And we in the U.S. just can't figure out why we have 5X the violent crime of any other developed country.
HOPSING, you dumbass, if you read the previous posts you would know that I was referring to the ones that said that breaking the window was possibly not a felony.
I mean, I sure as hell HOPE it's a felony.
Learn how to read, honey.
I know perfectly well it's a felony but it would appear, from the previous posts, that our local authorities are trying to find a way to classify it otherwise so the crime stats will look better.
By the way I usually post as Paradise but I am logged in under my blog name today.
FYI..
Smash and grab burlaries are quite common in 24, espcially on Devon. Its done by punks ans bust-outs looking for a quick score.
Burglary is either a class 1 or class two felony read 720 ILCS 5/19-1. You can find a copy if you scrutinize the links at www.illinois.gov. In this situation, it is a Class 2 felony.
One caveat to the previous post; if the suspects are charged as adults and intended to commit a theft therein, if so, it is a class 2 felony.
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