One of the first "debate" comments regarding the neighbors attempts at removing the gang graffiti themselves yesterday was; Did you call 311?
With that, my response is; Been there. Done that. Why bother? Seems to me they've got a serious backlog of graffiti that needs to be removed. Graffiti that's already been requested for removal by neighbors and business owners who've been calling 311.
Take the owners of the Common Cup at Morse and Glenwood, for example. A neighbor told me John, the owner, had called 311 to have this graffiti removed (photo above). It's still on the building.
This is just one of 1000's of cases most likely in the Graffiti Busters system. Another example is on the Coe building across the street from the Common Cup. Another example is on the Rogers Park Community Council/Morse Senior Home property at 1528 West Morse, owned by the Alderman's pal, Jay Johnson. The list could go on-and-on.
Another comment was why I didn't inform the Alderman as to our plans? Well, quite frankly, with his silence on the whole crime issue, I felt he just doesn't care. If he doesn't care, why should I bother him?
Plus, the trust factor with the man just isn't there anymore. For all I know, he'd send out his goon troops to disrupt the neighborhood beautification project. Joe's done this many times before.
Plus, there was no need for the Alderman to do a ribbon cutting and bring out his golden paint brush to give the wall his first swash of paint for the media - then proclaim crime is down 49% or something to that nature. Joe's done this many times before too.
All the neighbors wanted to do is remove some graffiti that should've been removed two weeks ago. We followed a process the CAPS program taught us in those boring monthly meetings. We used our free time on a Sunday afternoon. Because most of us don't have $100,000 a year part-time jobs. We work during the week. On this community beautification project, we used our own supplies, as to not burden anyone or the tax-payers. We brought clean-up materials to do the job right.
And what happened? We were threatened with arrest from the very people who offer this type of advice as measures to "take back our neighborhood" from the gang-bangers at monthly CAPS meetings. The CAPS program is nothing but a tax-payer funded boondoggle. It's all talk, no action.
CAPS doesn't work in Rogers Park.
RELATED: Neighbors cover event.
44 comments:
Hey, Craig! I've been lurking around this weblog out of pure boredom all night, and I've come across some really interesting things concerning the state of Roger's Park and local government. It's really depressing.
I've recently moved back to this neighborhood this past summer from the South Side, and this reminds me so much of the condition of things in Chicago Lawn.
I thought I was going to escape whole, "I'm your Alderman, and I LOOOVE this neighborhood!" bullcrap. (Not to mention the gangs and crime, but hey... :P)
It's really disheartening when a political official doesn't give a hoot about the neighborhood. I experienced that first hand when one of my friends was mugged two blocks away from where I lived in Chicago Lawn. I made sure to make my point by voting that alderman out, replacing him with someone by the name of Toni Foulkes, who I thought was a very nice woman with some great ideas.
Well, come to find out, the face she gave concerning her humble life and concern for the community was all a sham.
Well, it seems to be the same case here in RP and beyond. That's no good. Why are a lot of Chicago Aldermen such slackers?
I would like to get involved in the community, and CAPS was beginning to look like a good stepping stone towards involvement. However, judging by your statements about the way the police handle things around here, that may not be the case...
Should I still invest in the CAPS meetings, or is there another way to participate that's more effective / worthwile?
If you want to go to meetings and ask questions to crime issue, only to hear; did you call 311?, or to get yelled by the police - then yes, by all means, go to a CAPS meeting in Rogers Park. Try 2431.
related: CAPS is Broken Under Alderman Moore's Leadership
Rogers Park gang graffiti.
Craig - keep it up - this is all so important to our neighborhood - I'm also sick and tired of our Alderman coming forward when he thinks he can use it for publicity or a picture. It's revolting to see the graffiti and we can't get it removed! Moore's actions and words are two very different animals. We need to continue to call him out on it.
For photos of Sunday's graffiti event go to: http://nhna.blogspot.com/2009/01/rogers-park-usa.html
My experiences with graffiti blasters have been very positive. I usually request via the cities website and typically graffiti in our area is removed in a day or two. However graffiti in our area has increased in frequency.
I saw this graffiti Sunday morning when I went to common Cup with a friend. It was a bit jarring to say the least. There were also a few prominent businesss hit over in Edgewater (That Little Mexican Cafe most notably) with very similar graffiti too (popular businesses on main throughofares hit with tagging). This isn't gang graffiti, though (it appears to be just some tagger's name... Chemist), which I guess is one positive.
I saw Moore's email this morning about another ribbon cutting ceremony at the Fire House - it looks like Daley will be there. Maybe this is our chance to get some questions answered and approach Moore. I wish he worried more about crime and our neighborhood than his ridiculous chances to get his name in the press!
Any bets on whether Mayor Daley will thank "Joe Foie Gras Moore" at the ribbon cutting?
So Craig...you're mantra for the new year is "Been there. Done that. Why bother?" I suggest we all take that approach. It's guaranteed to make things better.
The real "heart" of the problem has been mentioned too many times:
The CAPS cops say "Call 311!" to your face, but behind your back they tell their compatriots, "These folks are nuts for choosing to live in Rogers Park!"
RE: GRAFFITTI BUSTERS
I have been tagged countless times and their response has always been within less than 36 hours!
I have to stick up for them as there is so little else to be upbeat about!
Happy New Year!
God I hope Craig runs for alderman...
Craig an alderman? Don't you have to be shiftless and useless first?
Mr. G, I decided to look at your comment on the situation here. I never read blogs because it's for negative people with a negative view on life. Unfortunately you fall into both categories and I decided to sign up a name and make one and only one comment here, this one time only. I am sure you have a word for everything so enjoy, but believe me, I have more important things to do than to play here.
You and your friends brought this scribbling to the police's attention for the first time on Sunday, and then immediately wished to illegally paint over the CTA property without even getting their permission. The police simply filled out one of those "CAPS" requests and the graffiti blasters took care of it on Monday, very efficiently just the way it should be done. Honestly, ANYONE could have done this without the drama, Craig. Fine job! but you're not our hero.
===Honestly, ANYONE could have done this without the drama==
Then why didn't YOU do anything? Did you have more important things to do?
If the police, Alderman and the CTA were 'taking care of business', as they are being paid to do, they would have dealt with this 3 weeks ago. I heard one cop at the scene Sunday say "he goes by this spot daily and he did not notice the grafitti situation." My question is, "How the f**k is that possible if you've got your eyes open?" Give me a break!!
Oh, pman. Does anybody else here wonder who pman really is, or about his actual name and paid position? Well, too bad he just popped in for a one-time only visit, clearly with the intent to blast us with a uninformed screed of bile.
What if he really is just an average guy cruising the 'net and just happened to stumble upon us? Well, he should have invested the time to read even just a few items here. He would understand what so many of us see in our Rogers Park community. Many residents, not only blog host Craig, have articulated in a hundred ways how the system we taxpayers fund and rely on - the status quo - is broken and inoperable.
For too many years than should have been necessary, we've raised and discussed problems in Rogers Park with facts, in detail, and with good ideas and even eloquence. Yes, our expressions have more often been flavored with frustration and anger than with hope and optimism. But, whatever pman thought he found here, the totality of our effort far outweighs any exaggerations or erroneous perceptions that sometimes emerge on this blog.
Pman seems to think we are foolish enough to accept his analysis of what happened yesterday and today. He ludicrously wants us to believe that the street action by neighbors had nothing to do with finally getting that graffiti wall cleaned up. Oh, it just took the simple filling out of a form? Oh, really? Please, pman, get real!
I wish this was the only example of the local government's failure to appropriately address community issues and needs.
I'm thinking pman is probably a police officer.
Wow I read your post with pics at the top - congrats to all of you that went to paint over the graffiti - this is what our wonderful Alderman should be doing - taking care of crime and gangbangers, instead of smiling in front of the cameras for a new firestation!!! Moore - we are on to you!!
Yep - PMan wanted to come in and make his big "statement" and then leave - I'm sure he is lurking in the shadows reading every response and will probably come back in with another name - LOL
There has to be more to this story. Somebody, probably the CTA called 911 and complained. But even then I can't see this type of a response from the Police. And as far as "simply filling out a form to get the graffiti removed", that's all it takes. Every Police station and every CAPS office has them. You fill it out and turn it in. It's sent to the appropriate agency and the request is honored. I've done it many times with good results. BTW, you was the female Police Officer in the white shirt as seen in one of the pictures?
==simply filling out a form to get the graffiti removed", that's all it takes.===
Form. Form. Form. Screw all the forms.
Any level worker who's paying 50% attention to his work area should've noticed this gang graffiti and removed it RIGHT AWAY!
The gang graffiti didn't have to grow like weeds for two weeks.
Why do the neighbors have to constantly hold the hands of these highly paid, tax-payer funded laborers by constantly requesting they do daily duties that are so easy to find - they can poke them in the eye?
If it was as easy as calling 311 or filling out the form, why is it the graffiti that I posted in this very story still on the building?
The owner followed your suggested protocol last week - and, like I said, it's STILL THERE TODAY!
I think it funny that the police are positioned to protect and serve a wall, rather than to protect and serve it's citizens. People are getting gooned, mugged, held up, shot... and the comander has a car positioned to protect the wall. What a joke. Some day we are all going to wake up from this awful nightmare that is Rogers Park. Thanks for all of the posts people. I know that I am usually flippant in my remarks. That is surely out of frustration with the status quo around these parts.
Because some one dropped the ball. As I said, I've had very good results with the City Service Requst system. What highly paid laborers are you referring to?
Disregard the identification of the female Officer in the white shirt. I went to the other sight and enlarged the picture. I now know who it is. Good luck to you.
We have laborers monitored by supervisors.
We've got managers monitoring supervisors.
We've got assistant commissioners monitoring supervisors, and commissioners monitoring the assistant commissioners.
With all this chain of command a citizen requested form has to go through, it's no wonder it takes forever to get anything done in a timely fashion.
===Disregard the identification of the female Officer in the white shirt. I went to the other sight and enlarged the picture. I now know who it is. Good luck to you.==
She's got a great manicure, don't you think? Wonder if she worries about chipping the painted nail on her trigger finger when she pulls her weapon out?
Craig Gernhardt would NOT make a good alderman. He is extremely confrontational and inflexible, and does not have the temperment nor disposition that job requires.
Im posting my opinion because so many other commenters believe that because he can raise hackles with this blog, it automatically makes him a viable and worthy candidate.
If you have ever seen the way Craig acts at public meetings, you would understand why Im writing this. He is simply not fit nor does he possess the needed political and people skills savvy to run for public office.
"..I now know who it is. Good luck to you.." So...Big Daddy...what that supposed to mean??
Marcum, let's just say I now see the bigger picture and understand how this "threatened with arrest" came to be. I don't agree with it based upon what I know about this incident (which I admit is very little) but things are clearer now. Good luck to you.
Guess what Craig?
Rogers Park has two new cops on the community relation beat.
They promoted Cohen & Jakob out of here!
You might recall that it took over half a year to get the gutter drain cleared out in front of Common Cup in 2008. It was fixed only after a phone call was made directly to the water dept., something that Ald. Moore or DevCorp could have done but never did, even though they stepped over it numerous times for meetings at Common Cup and John Hoekwater repeatedly begging them to fix it. Moore and DevCorp are useless: See http://rogersparkbench.blogspot.com/2008/06/nothing-special-about-ssa-24.html
Go Craig - keep speaking up! The grafiti was right in front of their face at the CTA and they couldn't take care of it? Give me a break! Form/shmorm.....
Tom Mannis said: It was fixed only after a phone call was made directly to the water dept., something that Ald. Moore or DevCorp could have done but never did....
This is a perfect example as to why the City of Chicago needs to consolidate the number of Wards we have. In today's high tech, Internet ,311 world, Aldermanic Offices are no longer needed to deal with Ward services. We need to cut the current 50 Wards to no more than 25, maybe less. The City of Los Angeles has 15 Districts (Wards) and 15 City Council Members serving a geographic area twice as large as Chicago and a population of almost 5 million.
Correction re: LA population. About 1 million residents larger than Chicago.
City of Los Angeles 3.4 million
City of Chicago 2.8 million
But your reasoning stands: if L.A. can get by with 15 districts, we should be able to get by with 25.
I'd love to see aldermen in adjacent wards about to be combined, run against each other in an election. It would make my day to see the 48th and 49th combined, and see Joe Moore face off against Mary Ann Smith, who has done a salutary job of cleaning up crime in her ward. It's one thing to run against a political newcomer like Don Gordon, who Moore defeated only barely- congrats to Gordon for making such a really great showing your first time out. But it's quite another to try to prevail over a seasoned incumbant who is popular with her constituents and has by and large done a decent job, as Mary Ann Smith has. It would be fun to watch.
Consolidating the wards in this city and streamlining the process of getting the city on neighborhood problems, is a project I could really get behind. We badly need to reduce city administrative costs.
Not to quibble but according to the U.S. Census Bureau: Los Angeles Population, 2006 estimate is 3,849,378.
Regarding the consolidation of Wards, why not do it geographically according to the existing 25 Police Districts?
Making the wards and police districts the same would streamline administration and services, and make it easier for aldermen to work with the local police on attacking the problems in an area.
Great idea, mcl. Now, we have to get it implemented... the big obstacle, with so many lucrative city jobs at stake.
Google: 'chicago police districts maps'
Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?
It actually does make sense when you understand how they were developed.
Graffiti Busters are overwhelmed, and they are slow to respond. It took a long time for them to come and remove the graffiti on Rogers Park Baptist Church. On top of that, they didn't do a complete job of taking it off. Fortunately, one of the guys at church went over it and did a better job of getting it off.
RE: Consolidation of Wards
mcl, Great Suggestion!!!
If only Mayor Daley would be reading this!
This is how Chicago SHOULD BE ORGANIZED!
North Coast - absolutely great idea - Can you really imagine the alderman or city council ever voting for something like this? I seriously doubt any of them would really do "what's right" - they all want their easy jobs.
Of COURSE, our aldercreatures won't go for consolidation of wards.... unless we got enough of the city's population screaming for it.
So it's idle talk... unless we could get a powerful enough movement going to hammer it down their throats.
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