Two men were shot and seriously injured late Sunday night on the North Side in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood. Preliminary reports said two 19-year-old men were walking in the 7000 block of North Paulina Street at about 11:20 p.m. when a person in a silver vehicle pulled up and shouted gang slogans, police said. The person fired shots at the victims, striking both, then fled the scene.
40 comments:
Sun-Times reports: A person of interest is being interviewed following a gang-related shooting that left two men seriously wounded in an alley in the Rogers Park neighborhood on the North Side Sunday night.
What's up with all these shinenanigans?
Just your basic "crime" in the 49th ward. Nothing big.
It's going to be another great summer!
Shinenanigans?
Sunday Evening gun play by St. Jerome's Church.
What's up with all these shinenanigans?
LOL! I see what you did there!
Oh, BTW...eff you, prick. Would love to see you use this turn of a phrase in public, but alas, twill never be...
3 months and im out of here! Moving to a place where something like this has never happened. I just hope im alive by then. I feel bad for people that dont realize how bad this place we call Rogers park really is.
Man on the Street: You should compose a musical with that title.
BG is a wuss.
BG,
Goodbye.
I agree, Chicago. We'll have a wonderful summer (scarcasm for those of you that don't have a sense of humor).
I'm not even going to respond to the billyjoe/MOTS argument. I don't really have anything to say about it. But I do have a response for you, BG.
Good luck. No matter where you go, you'll still experience crime. You're not really escaping it. And, you'll be alive by then. Relax a bit. It's not THAT bad in RP. Of course, I only go to Sullivan for 8 hours and five days a week and just deal with teenagers for the most part, but let me say this. Even though some of them are really disrespectful (which I'm not really ok with, but gotten used to it), they really don't contribute to RP's crime "rate" much. Honestly, even though RP may have more crime (North of Howard for the most part) than where I live, I sometimes think people really overreact about how "bad" RP is. I mean, RP IS a large neighborhood with lots of people in it. I've walked down Morse, it's actually better walking down Belmont or Diversey in my neighborhood. I mean, look, a new theater just opened up on Morse. How bad can it be? It's like I've said before, maybe some of you need to move to my neighborhood for a day or two, particulary on a warm day sometime this month, and let's see how fast you run back to RP. I'm sure it'll be fast, too. Where I live, our gang problem is so bad that everyone litterally runs inside when they come out. People can't walk down the street without being imtimdated, gangs gather in large groups on street corners and worse of all, people like me are even afraid to call the police when we see them. My neighborhood isn't Englewood or Humboldt Park or Belmont-Craign (at least yet), but it's bad. But guess what? Unlike RP, where a lot of people just complain and don't do a thing about crime (definitely not targeted at you, Craig, I know you've tried), my neighborhood has a considerable sized group where we actually can do something about crime. We've cleaned up Milwaukee Avenue, we give the police helpful information, we do things outside of the meetings, and this summer, we're even considering doing some postivite loitering. And it's a shame that a neighborhood like mine can do this but a neighborhood like RP can't. So, good luck, BG.
I call the cops when there are congregations of folks up to no good are on the street.
I dont just complain about it and then move on and out.
I also call 311 when there is graffiti up.
There was gang graffiti on the farwell el viaduct this past weekend. Called it into the city and its already gone.
I have been amazed at the response to graffiti this spring, it goes away fast.
Now the storm drain at morse and wayne is another thing,
I left a request early april for that thing to be declogged with 311
and i rechecked a week ago and its recorded that it does indeed need work. Maybe it will be fixed when the sidewalk is redone.
Geo, I'm glad you do all of those things. That's what we do where I live also. I was reffering to folks like BG, who just complain and don't do anything about it.
I know that a good precent of you RP folks that do things about crime, but there is, unfortunaley, also a good precent that doesn't.
Id have to agree with BG about RP. Too many problems, too much crime.
The Broken Heart blog even feels beat down by the ills of this area . . .the blog doesn't even dump on Joe Moore anymore, perhaps because Broken Heart realizes the ills of RP go beyond its alderman.
Evanston ain't perfect, but it much better than what's happening a mile south of Main St.
And please pay no attention to the black-capped poster called "Chicago." His comment "It's going to be another great summer" is gloating and insulting, since he also fled RP for comfy Glencoe more than a year ago.
"A person of interest is being interviewed following a gang-related shooting that left two men seriously wounded."
Unfortunately, this doesn't really mean much. Many of you may recall that a young man was shot in the head (about the same time last year)on Morse Ave. Since that time, he has not only survived, but has recovered miraculously. He was not then, nor has he ever been, a member of a gang. Two "persons of interest" were also arrested in this case. However, due to the refusal of witnesses who live on that block to cooperate with the investigation, these "persons of interest" were released without charges back into your neighborhood. Who knows, maybe it was the same two people who have now shot these two sons. The moral of this story is, if you truely want to do something about reducing the violence in this city, then you will have to start standing up for yourselves, and for your fellow neighbors. Until then, if you are looking for someone to blame for the fact that there are attempted murderers walking around Rogers Park, look in the mirror.
I thought Commander Jody Weis said , "Crime is down!"
STREET JUSTICE
Hey, FedUpMom,
I look in the mirror every day, and I don't see the reason for death and destruction at the hands of ignorant gangbangers.
I guess since I'm a white, middle aged, progressive voting, civic minded man, who stands up for rule of law and civil order, regardless of skin color or community affiliation, I can't take any responsibility for the messiness we see in Roger's Park.
I guess if I were of a certain mentality and racial type that values loyalty to racial community, over doing my part for a better world, I'd have to accept responsibility.
The fellow shot in the head may have been innocent, and that's awful.
I have no problem when gangbangers end up thinning their own herd, however. If we catch the perpetrators, that's just icing on the cake.
I've got to agree with billyjoe-too many shitbirds and too much crime. Hope things like this don't hurt Rogers Park as a destination when people start abandoning the suburbs...
Graniteman,
When we stand silently by and allow perpetrators of violent crime to be released back into our communities, without charge, then we are also at fault. You see, whether criminals are released back in our neighborhoods because our fellow citizens (witnesses) stand silently by instead of working with law enforcement to lock them up where they belong, or because we allow the prosecutor's office (an elected office) to refuse to press charges (even when they have sufficient evidence) because they are more concerned with their win vs. loss ratios than the pursuit of justice, we are still to blame. In my opinion, part of the reason that violent crimes are so prevalent is because the criminals know all too well that, even if they get caught, witnesses will not testify and/or the prosecutor's office will not press charges against them because they don't want to risk losing the case in court; thereby reducing their "batting averages" and increasing the likelihood that they will not get re-elected. As long as the criminals know this, and we refuse to do anything about it, we are creating an environment in which violence will fester and grow. You say are a man who "stands up for rule of law and civil order," so how many times in the past few years have you challenged the prosecutor's office on their unjust practice, which is in opposition to "the rules of law and order," for releasing violent criminals back into our communities for the sole selfish purpose of not risking their salaries?
Billyjoe: You provide hours of entertainment for my wife and me.
Heck yeah, we left RP. Isn't that what you've been advocating to everyone on this board? To leave Rogers Park? And why is that? Because it's in the city limits of Chicago!
It's bad enough we must deal with the Crook county board and the criminals in Springfield!
Fed up Mom,
I don't stand silently by. That was my point.
I've done my part to put people in jail, including a fellow who was preying on elderly women on my block, who had the misfortune of pulling a gun on me. He was convicted and sentenced to 15 years.
I preserved my life. I didn't give up. I didn't back down from what I had to do.
This may not be politically correct to say, but the problem is within the black and latino communities, where the "code" prevails. You tacitly admit this in both of your posts.
The stuff that we see in run-down and borderline neighborhoods is just not tolerated in mainly white suburbs. It's also not tolerated in places like Oak Park, with a wide racial makeup. It makes a real difference in the quality of life and the crime rate.
I do my part to bust racism among whites, and have done so all my life. In the past ten years in Rogers Park, I've been accused of being racist many times for simple things like asking CTA bus drivers to be more considerate, asking folks to pick up their dog crap, asking folks to wait their turn in line like everyone else, asking them to not spit their gum on the sidewalk, asking them to keep the peace after 10PM according to city ordinance...
All these things are part of civil behavior, which tends to be sorely lacking in our society in general these days.
Heck, people can't even keep their mouths closed when they chew their gum and food. Maybe it's just too much to ask for them to be socially responsible, besides.
My kid never noticed people's color difference until she was six years old, and was in a summer daycamp program where she was severely harassed for being white. She was so beautiful and innocent before that, and hadn't experienced that level of racism, even though the school she attends is over 70 % African American.
Racism isn't tolerated at her school. It was, however, tolerated by the Park District counselors and supervisors of that particular camp.
It was a valuable lesson for my daughter in how racism works, how it feels, and how to overcome it, which she largely did.
Look, the prosecutors are not superhuman - they are human. You are not accurate when you say they don't pursue cases when they have evidence to proceed.
I know the legal system has flaws, and doesn't always work out the way we want it to, but citizen involvement is key.
You are right that citizens must stand up for justice, show up in court, and be actively involved in doing what's right for civil society.
The excuses you're engaging in, however, simply perpetrate your sense of helplessness, of being a powerless, hapless victim. This is simply not the case, but it's a common attitude.
Looks like we do agree, that individuals and groups of individuals, standing together for what's right, is what will make the difference in Roger's Park.
Graniteman:
You seem to be obsessed with the idea of race. As such, you completely missed the point of what I have been saying.
You replied “Look, the prosecutors are not superhuman - they are human. You are not accurate when you say they don't pursue cases when they have evidence to proceed.” This statement is a reflection of denial that political factors play a role in the persistence of violence in our country. It is an undeniable fact that prosecutors will refuse (or dismiss) charges in cases where they have ample evidence such as victim identification, victim statements, polygraphs, and even DNA.
Such cases that they refuse to prosecute most often fall into the category of what the police refer to as “one on ones.” These are the cases where it is basically one person’s word against the other. Prosecutors don’t like cases of these types because they basically have a 50/50 shot of winning. They need to maintain a high win vs. loss ratio in order to keep their jobs. Therefore, they will “pass” on those cases, in which they stand a chance of losing. The more evidence (i.e. Witness statements other than the victim’s) the higher the odds. There is no other profession that I can think of where a person is allowed to choose not do their job because they might fail. This would be like a baseball player refusing to swing for half of the season because he might be struck out.
Here is a quote form The Chicago Justice Project that substantiates my claim “It is of the utmost importance that the public understand that the actions of the CCSA0 significantly impacts the police work done in their communities. From abusive police activities that are never scrutinized at the prosecutorial level to the failure of prosecutors to press charges in cases of sexual assault in Chicago, what takes place at the prosecutorial level affects the actions of other agencies within the criminal justice system in Chicago. When violent offenders return to communities shortly after being arrested citizens rush to blame the Chicago Police Department when in reality the responsibility may really lay at the feet of a completely anonymous prosecutor that the public does not know is part of the process and has no ability to learn why they did what they did. “ ( http://www.chicagojustice.org/articles/the-data-vacuum-that-is-the-cook-county-states)
There were many witnesses to the shooting that occurred on Morse Avenue last year, but because none would cooperate, the Prosecutor decided that the victim's statements(alone)were not enough evidence to file charges. It is this reason, and this reason alone, that these criminals were released back into the community.
Fed up Mom,
I've actually read your posts all the way through.
My initial reaction was to your simplistic blanket assertion that everyone in this neighborhood would find fault for its gang problems in the mirror. I reject that.
I rebutted your erroneous position, and gave some direction for further consideration.
Your subsequent response assumed I "stand silently by", and you challenged me, to show what I've done to stand up for my principles. I responded with some examples from my experience.
I then restated my position - more clearly - that loyalty to racial community, over and above civic duty, and the values of civil society, is THE major issue when it comes to lack of citizen cooperation in solving crimes in Rogers Park.
I don't owe anyone any apology or explanation, but in the interest of civil, intelligent discussion, I gave everyone reading this a little background on me, where I'm coming from.
Yes, this issue involves race. I can do my part to fight racism among whites. African Americans have their own work to do within their own communities. This is how the gap eventually closes, and in the process crime gets squeezed.
I call it as I see it. To solve problems, clarity is key, wouldn't you agree?
I completely understand the issues with the legal system in this country, and in Chicago and Cook County in particular. I've got friends, family, customers, who are cops, firemen, civil rights lawyers, court reporters, former prosecutors, court watchers, even a suburban mayor. I'm intimately familiar with what goes on.
You made incorrect statements that detract from the power of your admirable moral position that citizens need to stand up.
Excuses don't change the world. Waiting for others to do the work for you doesn't change the world, either. Vision and persistent effort change the world.
So, what have you done for a safer, cleaner, happier Rogers Park?
My gawd I can't read these egg-headed wind-bag'ed endless blog postings without getting a migraine. If gang goofs get shot, who the hell cares? They have made a career choice with certain risks. A dead gang goof is a good gang goof.
Graniteman:
You said "loyalty to racial community, over and above civic duty, and the values of civil society, is THE major issue when it comes to lack of citizen cooperation in solving crimes in Rogers Park."
You have in your previous posts repeatedly attributed this issue exclusively to Blacks and Latinos. However, the witnesses who refused to cooperate in the case of which I speak are WHITE.
Regarding your question to me about what actions I am taking to address the problem. I currently sit on MULIPLE panels at a variety of community health care organizations across this state. These organizations are actively working to resolve the problem of violence in Rogers Park and many other localities. One of my most recent courses of action toward that goal was to respond to an invitation to present at a conference being hosted by a local University on the topic of violence prevention. What have you done lately? (and whining and complaining about people of color doesn’t count)
Hello Chip Bagg!
I was wondering how long it'd take you to chime in.
Most here would probably believe you - that you're incapable of complex thought patterns.
I know better.
I've got some great tee shirts to prove it.
Fed up Mom,
The case you speak of - on Morse street, innocent head shot victim - believe me, the police haven't forgotten the case; and my info apparently conflicts with yours, as to the "non-witnesses".
I'm always happy to meet folks doing progressive work. I wish you well in it. The way you whine about your hopelessness, powerlessness, and victimization within the legal system, I was a bit surprised to read of your choice of civic path.
I do recognize that we each have our individual gifts to bring to bear on life's issues, and I'd
guess when you're actually doing your thing, the results speak well of your intentions.
You already have enough idea of what I've been up to, to improve quality of life in Rogers Park.
I don't stand silently by.
Too bad the gang members can't just get together and shoot each other off and not involve the rest of us. How about Soldier Field?
Graniteman:
Clearly, you mistake an action designed to educate a community’s citizens about little known factors that maintain the status quo on violence (i.e., the common practice of prosecutors refusing to charge and prosecute violent offenders for their crimes), and intended to inform and empower members of that community to take a corrective course of action as an act of “whin{ing} about your hopelessness, powerlessness, and victimization within the legal system." Would your perceptions of my comments have anything to do with my gender?
Alderman Moore's plan to subsidize rents with TIF monies will lead to more bloodshed.
Fed Up Mom,
The heart of your matter seems to be:
"or because we allow the prosecutor's office (an elected office) to refuse to press charges (even when they have sufficient evidence) because they are more concerned with their win vs. loss ratios than the pursuit of justice..."
which is a senseless statement, regardless of your gender.
Now, for some solutions-
I've stood up, repeatedly, for myself and others in this neighborhood. I've gone to court. Like I said before, I've taken down an armed robber, sent him to jail.
I've done more than my part to get a few bad apples off the street in Rogers Park. I have a pretty good idea how the system works.
I also call 911 to report things, like cars blocking fire hydrants and cross walks, people vandalizing cars. I confront men pissing on the el platforms, people lighting up cigarettes in the vestibules of the libraries, calling security.
I scrub or paint over gang marks. I make sure shoes get cut down from overhead lines.
The "status quo on crime" would be very different if more of this neighborhood insisted on a better quality of life in it - as I do.
broken heart of granite man versus
fed up mom.
really pent up discussion in rogers park i see, and not enough blog posts to comment on.
unlike some other neigborhoods close by that shall remain nameless.
cough.
(uptown)
The gang problem isn't a race problem, it's a crime problem and the sooner people stop injecting it uselessly into these discussions the sooner you will come to ending it. There are just as many black people in Rogers Park that want this shit to end too. Instead of setting of lines in this battle along rise, how about finding out the people of every race who want this to stop. They're out there, they're on this blog. Try banding together when them instead of pointing at them and saying "There goes another one." Trust me, that old black guy or 50-plus black woman you see at the train stop isn't part of the problem.
And by the way, almost everyone has a "racism" story, white AND black.
it is disgusting and I cannot wait to leave RP either. I hate it here.
were they shot inside or outside?
I believe they were shot in the ass.
You're right, AvondaleLoganSquareCrimeBlotter. There's crime in RP, but most of the bull that goes on is nothing compared to what happened and still happens in the neighborhoods I grew up in on the West Side. RP doesn't experience true "living hell" in regards to crime like what happens in my old neighborhoods.
Thank you, Man On The Street! As a 48 year old black woman, you'd best believe I'm sure as hell NOT part of the gang banger/thug/"no snitching" mentality. I wasn't part of it when I was a teenager. My mother would have broken my ass in half; I'd be writing this from the grave right now, believe that.
When I do snap on the young black kids and teens I see 'effing up, I get accused of being "too harsh, too hard." Well, that's the problem! Black people my age have a lot of stories about how our parents/guardians got in our asses when we did wrong. That's why a lot of us of our generation aren't acting stupid out in society -- and we're sick and tired of the young people who do.
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