9:00 AM: A female was robbed at Greenleaf and Greenview. First reports are of a male/black who fled east in the alley. They're working on a description(s) and police are searching for the offender(s). 911 calls came in for a woman screaming for help at Lunt and Glenwood too.
Update - 9:02 AM: They've got action at the group home at 1320 West Greenleaf.
Update - 9:07 AM: A neighbor spotted two male/blacks running through the alley between Lunt and Greenleaf, in the 1300 block, who fit the MO of the offender(s) being hunted for the robbery.
18 comments:
I know I might start to sound like a broken record here, but the kids who hang out at the group home on Greenleaf these days are BAD NEWS...
There have always been kids hanging out in the yard there, but lately it's been more people, more frequently, and they make much more of an effort to try and intimidate the people walking by.
Are these places regulated by someone? Are they audited/inspected on any regular basis?
chitownrog, I have a feelingt that all the inspection and auditing in the world won't do dip to improve the behavior of the people in these types of places.
There's no way we're going to have a good neighborhood as long as we are so excessively burdened with services like this.
We could carry SOME services, like homes for the non-violent mentally ill, or shelters for abuse victims, or homes for autistic children.
But we can't have dozens of centers for drug rehab (that aren't even licensed, in some cases), or group homes for juvenile offenders, or nursing homes that operate as SROs for pedophiles, and survive it. Right now, we are seriously overburdened with extremely troubled, violence-prone people, because our AlderScum has decreed that we're to be a dumping ground for the city's worst social problems.
Among all the north lakefront wards, only Uptown is more burdened with crappy SROs, nursing homes that serve as such, CHA projects, and social services targeting the most troublesome segments of the populations.
Time to start zoning this crap out of here. Local citizens have a bonafide stake in the uses for which land and buildings in the ares are zoned.
WOW - northcoast - I couldn't agree more - I agree with the services that you mentioned but we need to get the people that are a danger to others out of our neighborhoods (or put them all on the same block with Moore, since he thinks they are such a great idea). There is absolutely no reason anyone should not be able to walk the streets in broad daylight. Lucky for me I walk with 2 big dogs and the scumbags are scared of them (probably too many bites in past from police dogs)
Has anyone/group gotten together with the police and administrators of this group home to address the issue? If so, what was said about what can and will be done? If not, why not?
There's no way we're going to have a good neighborhood as long as we are so excessively burdened with services like this.
Funny you say this. People in Uptown say THEY'RE the ones being excessively burdened, and cite declining numbers of groups homes, etc. in places like Rogers Park as the reason.
Rogers park declingin SA's move there just shows that other neighborhoods are not willing to help ease the burden that Uptown bears.
Salvation Army Closing
Read my post. I mention that ONLY Uptown is more burdened with stuff like this.
I feel sorry for Uptown, and I'm glad we're aren't Uptown (yet). But we're getting there very quickly.
Edgewater, on the other hand, seems to be able to keep things in hand. It is now the second-safest neighborhood in the city, which used not to be the case, and Edgewater contains just as much poverty as RP and Uptown do.
This is really interesting when you consider that Uptown has a much more affluent demographic residing in it than Edgewater, which demographically is almost exactly like Rogers Park, in the income levels and ethnic mix of its residents.
Could the diff between Edgewater, on one hand; and poor, besieged Rogers Park and Uptown, on the other, reside in the sort of political leadership they have? 48th Ward Alderman Mary Ann Smith tolerates no bullshit. Her office maintains a list of "problem" buildings, accessible on the web for anyone to see, and they ride herd on these buildings and their owners unceasingly.
Joe Moore and Helen Schiller (who are best buds, by the way), on the other hand, are Poverty Pimps who as much as INVITE troublesome elements into their wards. When I complained to a rep of the SSA in the Uptown area I work in, of all the horrid boarding houses in the immediate vicinity, the rep told me that they were necessary because they are "affordable" housing- the same pap we get from our AlderScum and his minions.
I'm going to have to take a look at that group home for myself. Are the kids who hang around there the offspring of the adults who live there, or is it a group home for youths?
Google is almost as good as magic
Lawrence Hall Youth Services
Address: 1320 W Greenleaf Ave, Chicago, IL 60626
Phone: 773-973-7541
Web: www.lawrencehall.org/index.shtml
After reading the Lawrence Hall website for a few minutes, I can see why the courts take such a hands-off approach with these group homes. It would be political suicide to go after these places.
In a perfect world scenario, these kids would be grateful for the chance they've been given and contribute positively to society.
---BEGIN Understatement of the Week--
Unfortunately, it's not quite working out that way.
---END Understatement of the Week--
please let's not get into a pissing contest over who gets dumped on more, Uptown or Rogers Park
suffice to say on the north side anyway these two little neighborhoods are both carrying more than their share
they are 1 & 2 and let's leave it at that, ok?
How do I contact the blogger of this site? There was just some police action on 1300 block of Estes Ave at around 9:45pm. Lots of police cars (5-6) and an unmarked car, lots of officers running in and out of the building across the street from mine. Anyone know what's up?
Moore of same. See Broken Heart posts dated 2/07. Not a little action on Estes last year. Sounds like it might be back.
My office at my former job was located within a residental group home. Part of the problem is that the kids aren't appreciative of the fact that someone wants to take the time to be bothered with them.
I believe the main problem is that the social service staff at such places don't teach enough common-sense life skills, like having respect for others for example, in order for those kids to make it once they are out of there. That certainly seemed to be the case at the social agency where I used to work. Most of the kids continued to bounce around between group homes and foster homes for a reason.
Understand that altruism is not always part of the mindset of some of these places. That's not to say that there aren't dedicated, caring social workers. But residental group homes are also businesses, and a lot of emphasis is put on how many clients can be squeezed into one place. The social service agencies get money for each client they serve, either from the government and/or other funding sources.
The main management's job at the agencies to get that money. I don't doubt that diagnosis of normal, but annoying behavior out of some kids is spun to make it appear to be a number of various mental illnesses and diabilities just to justify getting the funding.
Unfortunately, due to the neglect of a lot of abysmal parents, there is a need for residential group homes. That need will probably keep exploding in growth.
The Group HOme on Greenleaf and the alley is operated by Lawrence Hall Youth Services.
The Main Campus # is 773-769-3500!
If you feel intimidated, ring the doorbell. There is supposed to be staff there whenever residents are at home
Where's the management of the group home? Aren't there curfews, rules, repercussions for violations, etc?
WHO is responsible? The kids certainly aren't. And if local criminals are linked to this group home, why aren't they being arrested?
And don't kid yourself. With all the foreclosed 'developments' in this area, it's prime for those properties being auctioned/donated to NPOs (and POs) that need the space for 'facilities'.
More mayhem. What a mess.
If you want to meet and greet the staff.
From the
http://www.lawrencehall.org/news_events/whats_new/stories.shtml#1207167448
Come on...Let’s clean!
We invite our North Ashland neighbors to join us in keeping our neighborhood beautiful!Bottled water, trash bags, gloves, and other supplies will be provided. Come prepared to give back to the community by getting rid of trash and debris.
Where:
Participants will meet at 6621 N. Ashland
Clean-up will occur on Ashland Avenue from Pratt to Schreiber Park
When:
Each event will occur the 3rd Friday of each month at 4 p.m.(April through October 2008)
Clean-Up Schedule:
April. 18, 2008
May 16, 2008
June 20, 2008
July 18, 2008
Aug. 15, 2008
Sept. 19, 2008
Oct. 17, 2008
For additional information please contact:Dewayne Harris at (773) 973-1809
Everytime I have contacted Moore's office by email they give me the same runaround about "affordable housing" yadda, yadda, yadda. We need an alderman that will actually try to get rid of the problems, instead of invite them in to our neighborhood!
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