On Monday it began with a few of the site workers staring up at me from their construction project staging area below. It was really more like evil glares. When they saw I was looking out the window, they would stop work and seriously glare back in my direction. One was so brash as to stop what he was doing and walk towards my direction, glaring with this evil look the whole way.
Yesterday the construction crew at Reside on Morse ratcheted up the intimidation with some hate-talk. One crew member saw me walking in the alleyway with my dog - and decided to hurls some classic words in my direction.
"Faggot," the construction worker yelled my way.
I kept walking.
"Asshole, faggot," the construction worker yelled my way, again a little louder.
This time I looked his way.
He yelled my direction, "Yeah... you... Faggot!" Plus he added some other words I didn't fully make out. But from the tone of his husky voice, I sure wasn't in the mood to talk about my sexual preference with him. I kept going about my business.
Well, the third mark of intimidation came last night in the form of a comment on the blog from a person named Simon Baker. Here's what Simon sez.
I HAVE THE CONNECTION THAT WILL HAVE YOU KNOCKED OFF THIS WORLD REAL QUICK. I KNOW WERE YOU LIVE WELL WE CAN SAY THIS WE ALL KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU AND WHILE YOU THINK YOURE THE WATCHER TRUST YOUR THE WATCHED....Quite frankly, I take this as a death threat. Now, as my loyal long time readers know, it wouldn't be the first time I've been threatened or intimidated. Nonetheless, it still has me concerned. This threat from Simon was all in CAPS. He must be SERIOUS?
11 comments:
Aren't there laws against that sort of thing?
Hey contractor and that guy that was kindly letting 13 kids live in squalor with no power north of Howard.
Both of these stories start with what seemed like a good idea.
Help someone get their life together while letting families reside in squalor.
The NOH kindness killed 6 children and cost 6 million to settle.
That guy could have bought that family a decent home in Kenilworth and sent all kids to New Trier.
Instead he let them live in squalor and paid six million to kill six kids.
I applaud Mr contractor's seemingly big heart by letting these kids play in fibre glass and live in a construction zone.
Might as well buy them a home in Kenilworth and stave off a lawsuit.
PS If you kill Craig can I have the dirtbikes.
These threats are a joke. They have got to be nearly retarded to make open threats to the one guy they know will not waste time worrying about them and post the news on the blog. It makes me actually laugh at how dumb some of these guys can be. The whole reason they are upset is because Craig blew the whole story open in their face. I wonder if you ever say actual construction workers on the site during the days that you recorded the kids on the site Craig? Maybe once the kids were forced to leave the actual workers had to return and do actual work. Nothing like being forced to get your arse off the lazy wagon and back to work to spark some heated words and threats.
I also think the whole connection comment is funny. The fact that the commenter can not even put together a complete sentence makes be wonder how much brain power was wasted by the commenter typing that message.
I have watched city corruption happen in Detroit, and in Chicago. Our wonderful Alderman works to line his pockets and it would not amaze me one bit if these workers were connected to the alderman's family of friends and contributors. I would be pissed off as well if I had to actually work for the money I was being paid by the tax payers. How dare we as tax payers tell these people that they have to actually work for our money. How dare we make then follow the rules and laws that they force us to follow. How dare we demand ethical people and safety for others.
Frankly I do not care for threats or those the try to intimidate me or others. It is nothing more then a weak person afraid of being exposed, and an empty threat.
Do not let them upset you Craig, keep doing what you do best, keeping people honest!
Robert Orstadius
Craig, I called DCFS today and made an official report. I provided the address, the children’s approximate ages and explained that they were part of a family who has been living in the gut-rehab for several months already. As to the nature of the endangerment, I told of the video evidence of the children working on the site and the fact that it is dangerous, if not actually illegal for anyone to live in a building that is undergoing such extensive reconstruction. I also provided the web-address to your blog and told her which thread to scroll down to though I’m not convinced she took any of that down since I could hear her typing for the first part but when I gave the address there was no typing in the background.
Unfortunately, because I don’t have the names of either child or their parent(s) and I don’t have actual proof that the kids were being paid to do the work as opposed to “just playing around” as she put it, she is filing it as parental negligence, lack of proper supervision. I tried to explain to her that the children were observed picking up construction trash for several hours on Saturday and again on Sunday but she insisted that, unless I have proof they were getting paid, she cannot assume that they were doing anything more than simply “playing.” She also said that because the police were sent there and they found no adult in charge, I shouldn’t assume they were there as employees of any sort. She did promise that a case worker would be out there to investigate the matter within the next 24 hours.
I asked for a case number or something to check back with and she said she didn’t have one because cases are filed under names and there are no names on this one. I then asked if I was able to acquire their names and called back would that information be matched to my report today. She said yes! Of course, that brought up the obvious question, if it is possible to match the names with my report today, why can’t I follow up on this report. She explained that it could be followed up internally but that due to privacy regulations, they wouldn’t be able to give out any information. She was starting to sound a little defensive at that point so I got off the phone.
Obviously, I don’t believe the kids were “just playing around.” It was a beautiful weekend and I just don’t know that many children who would spend their weekends at hard labor unless they were being compensated in some way – even if it’s by way of an arrangement between their parents and the developer to squat in the apartment during construction in return for a little free labor after hours.
Anyway, that’s what happened when I called DCFS. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, comes of this.
- PEACE -
Whats it coming to when knuckle draggers threaten Rogers Park's no 2 blogger (and no 6 most influential in Illinois)?
Its the suicide of the west, I tells ya.
I don't always agree with Craig (though I do on this issue), but this intimidation by these contractors is lame. I'm sure I'm not the only one that will be keeping an eye on the site now, too. Bring it on, jerks.
Fargo Woman brought up an interesting point:
Is it really OK to work young children in conditions resembling slavery- for they surely have no choice in the matter- as long as you don't pay them?
The response to Fargo Woman's concerns by the DCFS shows how lame our government agencies are at protecting the people who need, and are entitled to, protection from need and exploitation. Protecting children, the disabled, and the frail elderly is a legitimate function of the government,and this cause is one of the few where authorities are justified in spending tax money to the extent necessary to perform the job, and where they are justified in intervening in our personal affairs; and our various authorities are defaulting on this important job. The caseworker's response to Fargo Woman and her refusal or inability to provide Fargo with a tracking number displays a lack of concern for the welfare of the kids involved, and it sounds systematic, not just a matter of one lazy, uncaring caseworker.
Where are the welfare agencies, and for that matter, all our neighborhood not-for-profits when there occurs a case where their services are really needed?
Ho hum.
Craig, once again back to the real life actual facts. Here you are video taping and taking pictures of other people's pre-pubescent children and then posting it on the internet. Understandably, those contractors (probably at least one of which, was a parent of these kids) took exception to the issue, finding it a little creepy.
What did you think was going to happen?
I guess the irate parent, if that's who it is, doesn't want a visit from a DCFS caseworker, or an inquiry into his child-rearing practices that include putting his kids to work on a dangerous construction site and making them handle toxic materials.
I agree with Robert. Let them hurt a hair on your head and see what happens. WE ARE ALL WATCHING (thanks in part to you and other bloggers for reporting).
I was wondering if somebody could explain to me why Dan is so fixated on calling these children "pre-pubescent"? It's kind of creepy for Dan to do this. Craig was documenting what was going on at a construction site. The only person sexualizing it seems to be Dan. Ick.
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