Dear Craig,
Don't know if you had your scanner on a yesterday evening, but there was a big arrest on Morse Avenue around 5:00 p.m. I had just crossed Sheridan going east on Morse when I saw multiple police cars flying up and down the street and the alleys. They were clearly looking for somebody.
Just as I was about half way down the block toward the park, I saw about half a dozen cops run up into the yard of a single family home on the north side of Morse. They all ran into the bushes on the side of the house. There was a great deal of shouting and the cops came out with a very angry, verbally abusive man. They were struggling to get him out of the bushes.
He was swearing up a storm and yelling that he "didn't do nothin'" and that they were arresting him for being black.
Lots more cops showed up. There had to be 10 of them by the time it was over. The guy would not cooperate. He was screaming that he hadn't done anything and was demanding to speak to a sergeant. Now, I didn't see what happened before then, but I don't image how that many cops were working that hard to find him if he hadn't done anything. I also can't imagine why an innocent man would take off running and hide in the bushes.
The guy also wouldn't cooperate and be put into the back seat of the squad car when asked to. The sergeant was trying to calm down the situation and told the guy he would talk to him, but that he had to go to the police station. He also explained that he was going to have to taze him if he didn't get in the car. The guy still was being beligerant. Ultimately, they chose not to taze his dumb ass and brought a paddy wagon to the scene and just put him in there.
In the meantime, a huge crowd gathered on the street. It was all these folks screaming that the police were only arresting him for racial reasons. I didn't get the impression any of these loud mouths even knew what was going on, but the cops clearly had their hands full. They had to repeatedly tell people to get out of the street and back on the sidewalk. One lady was screaming at the top of her lungs and waving her arms around. I think she was enjoying her own performance. She reminded me of a guest on Jerry Springer.
As the guy being arrested was being put into the paddy wagon, he kept yelling that everyone there was a witness and for them all to follow him to the police station. Naturally, all the folks yelling at the cops chose to just wander on back to the park instead of follow the guy to the station.
What a mess! Those cops were facing at least a dozen idiots screaming racism at the top of their lungs and all the cops kept their cool.
It's a shame all the families and law abiding folks in this neighborhood can't even enjoy a nice day at the beach without there being some kind of trouble.
Personally, I chose not to wander on down to the park today. Between the drunks, the drug addicts living in the fallen tree and the rest of the criminals down there, I chose to go home and enjoy and last few quiet hours of Labor Day.
By the way: Crime is down in Rogers Park. You hear anything about this?
Signed,
Neighbor Who Couldn't Peacefully Enjoy Loyola Park on Labor Day
17 comments:
I witnessed that mess. Have to give a lot of credit to the RP police officers. Those guys were being verbally confronted by every loud mouth idiot in the neighborhood and they stayed cool.
I also saw the guy they arrested earlier that day down in the park.
I don't know what he did to get tossed in jail, but he was being a first class a-hole earlier. Screaming and yelling down in the park, obviously drunk by the middle of the morning.
I also think its funny that everyone who stood around jawing at the cops didnt bother to support the guy they all were CERTAIN was just an innocent victim of racism. Seems like once the cops left and there was nobody to scream at they just went back to drinking in the park.
you see, this is exactly what im talking about. nevermind the fact that he obviously did something wrong, nope, they're just arresting him "cause he's black".
This is the thing about the police that people don't get. . .sometimes folks let their mouths get them in trouble. The guy might not have been doing anything but being annoying, but the cops show up, and he decides to get loud. In order to show him a lesson, they lock him up. I've seen this happen to a lot of people, regardless of race.
He might also have done something very illegal.
The bigger issue is that the parks in Rogers Park are not safe. They are full of violent hoodlums.
He might also have done something very illegal.
The bigger issue is that the parks in Rogers Park are not safe. They are full of violent hoodlums.
boxing tomboy:
the thing about the police you obviously don't get is that....there is such a thing as probably cause....it is necessary for an arrest. or they lose their job.
so thanks for spreading so much dissension....
Boxing Tomboy- And IF your theory is correct (and that's a big if), whats wrong with that? If the guys wants to act like an ahole then he can pay the price. Where I come from we don't get "loud" when the police showup. If anything we become polite and respectful.Screw em!
Craig - This is what I phoned you about at 9:15 last night. It was indeed crazy out there.
V & J said...
you see, this is exactly what im talking about. nevermind the fact that he obviously did something wrong, nope, they're just arresting him "cause he's black".
9:43 AM
YOU SEE, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I OFTEN TALK ABOUT. NEVERMIND THE FACT THAT THE COPS "OBVIOUSLY" THOUGHT HE DID SOMETHING, NOPE, GUYS LIKE V&J JUST ASSUME THAT THE COPS WERE WHITE AND RACIST. (Did V&J witness this incident? The two guys that I saw pulled over were clearly Hispanic, not black, and the four cops were a variety of ethnicities.)
when did i say anything about the race of the cops? i was just pointing out that, once again, a black man is trying to ascertain his innocence, and that it's only b/c he's black that they are bothering him at all. not to mention all his "supporters" who came out to scream at the cops. what a bunch of fucking idiots.
From the original post: "Just as I was about half way down the block toward the park, I saw about half a dozen cops run up into the yard of a single family home on the north side of Morse. They all ran into the bushes on the side of the house. There was a great deal of shouting and the cops came out with a very angry, verbally abusive man. They were struggling to get him out of the bushes."
Everyone who screamed racism at the scene and/or here seems to be ignoring one major fact: The man was trespassing on private property. He was found in the bushes on the property of a single family home. If I saw a drunk in the bushes on my property I'd call the cops too.
In fact, when I lived at Pratt and the park, even though I rented, I called the cops MANY times about drunks from the park hanging around in the alley outside my windows, urinating, sleeping, drinking, vomiting, screwing, screaming.... Barrel of laughs living by the park. I moved.
I wish they would arrest craig for being craig. He's like gross and stuff
Blue,
I'm mentioned here before that I'm related to police officers. A lot of people stopped for minor things find themselves thrown in the back of the police car because they want to give the cops an arguement and be combative. A lot of times, the person's attitude makes a difference between the cop saying, "Okay, man, just take your ass home," to, "Okay, everybody's going to jail."
And I don't know what world you live in, but yes sweetie, sometimes people are stopped by some police officers for no reason. It doesn't just happen on TV. If it were not the case, the cops wouldn't have so many lawsuits against them involving that. I'm not saying that they didn't have just cause to stop the guy on Morse, but cops make stupid mistakes like others do, from time to time.
There are a lot of bullshit lawsuits becuase the city settles everything, regardless of substance. The lawyers exploit this for their own gain. Right now, Hellen Shiller's kid is using her name to make a killing suing the city.
boxing tomboy:
don't call me sweetie, my wife doesn't like it.
take a ride-along with a city cop
don't watch so much t.v.
volunteer your time
go confront a gang-banger
inspire someone
Blue,
Darlin', I have confronted gang bangers. I remember my younger sister and I beating down a lot of them back in the day. My late sister and I had a rep as people who weren't intimidated by gangs like so many seem to be. I'm still not. We picked up that attitude off of our late dad, a former cop who had no use for gangs, and was fearless about stepping to them.
I don't have a lot of time to watch TV. Some nights I'm at the gym within the Loyola Park fieldhouse practing boxing skills, so I can continue to be prepared to ward off gang bangers and other malcontents. You and everyone else who reads this blog are perfectly welcome to come down to the gym and take a look -- Wednesdays and Fridays, starting at 7PM.
Also, cops, like most people don't like doing paperwork. They particularly don't like having to fill it out for BS stuff like drunk and discorderly conduct and harassment. They'd rather spend their time squashing the more serious stuff, like gang banging, drug dealing, because they feel that it is a better use of their time when they can sweep the streets of that trash.
LET'S ALL START A RACIST BLOG WHERE WE ALL ACCUSE YOUNG BLACK MALES HANGING ON THE CORNER OF BEING GANG BANGERS AND DOPE DEALERS!!! GOOD JOB U FFING BIGOT!!!
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