Aldermen take on Daley's Olympics plan
June 30, 2009 8:47 PM | 9 Comments
At the first City Council meeting since Mayor Richard Daley increased the likelihood of Chicago being responsible for any losses from the 2016 Summer Olympics, aldermen countered Tuesday with measures to limit taxpayer liability and raise scrutiny of the city's bid.
Of three newly introduced measures, only one appears to have the potential to seriously damage the mayor's Olympic quest, and that proposal appeared to have only scant support in the council.
Ald. Manuel Flores (1st) introduced an ordinance to cap the city's liability for 2016 losses at $500 million. Just 10 other aldermen in the 50-member council signed as co-sponsors. "I remain a supporter of the Games, but it has to be done in a thoughtful and transparent manner," Flores said. "What types of guarantees are we offering?"
Restrictions like what Flores proposed could severely harm Chicago's bid, several observers said. The International Olympic Committee will choose Oct. 2 between Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
"You don't want to put a land mine in the ... middle of the road," said A.D. Frazier, who was chief operating officer of the Atlanta Summer Games in 1996 and is a Chicago 2016 supporter.
Daley had long insisted city taxpayers would not be on the hook for any losses beyond the $500 million guarantee the council had approved. But after meeting with IOC officials in Switzerland on June 17, he told the Tribune he would sign a host city contract putting the burden for all losses on Chicago.
Since his return from Switzerland, Daley has offered conflicting explanations on the issue. After Tuesday's council meeting he again said bid committee officials are working on an insurance plan that would protect taxpayers, which they would present to aldermen within two months.
Asked if his recent comments could undermine local support, he replied: "There is no credibility gap. ... This is not Mayor Daley's plan. ... We represent America."
Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, whose 4th Ward would include the Olympic Village, introduced a proposal to require bid committee chief Patrick Ryan to explain to aldermen many financial aspects of the 2016 effort.
And two Daley loyalists, Ald. Edward Burke (14th) and Ald. Patrick O'Connor (40th), called for the Civic Federation to analyze the Olympic bid. But federation President Laurence Msall said his government watchdog group might not have the expertise on this topic.
Dan P. Blake contributed.
--Dan Mihalopoulos and Kathy Bergen
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Idiot Alderman at it again
Outside the ballpark: Proposal would move peddlers, bucket boys farther away from Wrigley
Alderman wants to expand zone of current ban
By Dan Mihalopoulos and Robert Mitchum | Tribune reporters
July 1, 2009
The latest round in a years-long battle over the streets surrounding Wrigley Field began Tuesday when the local alderman introduced a proposal to expand a ban on peddlers and street performers.
Chicago Ald. Thomas Tunney, whose 44th Ward includes the ballpark, is sponsoring a measure to add several blocks to the area where it's already illegal to bang on buckets or sell food and merchandise from a cart, table or other temporary stand.
"It's a public safety issue," Tunney said. "You can't walk to the park."
The prohibition would begin two hours before and end two hours after baseball games or concerts.
Peddlers and street performers are not supposed to be on the sidewalks on the ballpark's perimeter along Addison and Clark Streets and Waveland and Sheffield Avenues.
Tunney's proposal would expand that zone to include both sides of Addison and Waveland between Wilton and Racine Avenues, and both sides of Clark and Sheffield between Newport Avenue and Grace Street.
Similar restrictions are in place within 1,000 feet of other city sports venues.
Although the Wrigley ban has engendered past opposition, Tunney said problems with noise from street performances and peddlers hawking T-shirts on narrow sidewalks have worsened in recent years.
On Tuesday, the ballpark's neighbors largely supported the ordinance, saying "bucket boys" have become a growing nuisance the past couple of seasons.
"It's a huge problem," said James Murphy, the owner of Murphy's Bleachers. "You have 20 to 30 kids hitting buckets in a row on the sidewalk, and the crowd blocks the street."
Not all Wrigley neighbors were against the music of the bucket boys, despite its considerable clatter.
"Give them a drumstick and a bucket or a handgun -- which is more intrusive?" said Jonathon Cornell, 34.
Souvenir-store owners -- the natural antagonists of sidewalk peddlers selling sometimes profane shirts and hats -- welcomed the proposal.
"I think it'll help our business, for us and all the other stores," said Eddie Memishi, a worker at a shop near the Addison Red Line station. "But Wrigley is known for its vendors."
Residents outside the immediate vicinity of the ballpark worried new boundaries would move more traffic and noise onto what are now relatively peaceful blocks.
"If they do set up shop in the neighborhoods, it would be frustrating for the people who live there," said Jessica Kelley, 28, who lives 3 blocks away on Waveland.
Tunney and Cubs officials said the team had not pushed to expand the restricted zone but would have no qualms with the ordinance.
"In general, if it helps local businesses and residents, then the Cubs would be supportive," said Mike Lufrano, vice president of community affairs for the Cubs, who are owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune
Tribune reporter Dan P. Blake contributed to this report.
dmihalopoulos@tribune.com
rmitchum@tribune.com
Alderman wants to expand zone of current ban
By Dan Mihalopoulos and Robert Mitchum | Tribune reporters
July 1, 2009
The latest round in a years-long battle over the streets surrounding Wrigley Field began Tuesday when the local alderman introduced a proposal to expand a ban on peddlers and street performers.
Chicago Ald. Thomas Tunney, whose 44th Ward includes the ballpark, is sponsoring a measure to add several blocks to the area where it's already illegal to bang on buckets or sell food and merchandise from a cart, table or other temporary stand.
"It's a public safety issue," Tunney said. "You can't walk to the park."
The prohibition would begin two hours before and end two hours after baseball games or concerts.
Peddlers and street performers are not supposed to be on the sidewalks on the ballpark's perimeter along Addison and Clark Streets and Waveland and Sheffield Avenues.
Tunney's proposal would expand that zone to include both sides of Addison and Waveland between Wilton and Racine Avenues, and both sides of Clark and Sheffield between Newport Avenue and Grace Street.
Similar restrictions are in place within 1,000 feet of other city sports venues.
Although the Wrigley ban has engendered past opposition, Tunney said problems with noise from street performances and peddlers hawking T-shirts on narrow sidewalks have worsened in recent years.
On Tuesday, the ballpark's neighbors largely supported the ordinance, saying "bucket boys" have become a growing nuisance the past couple of seasons.
"It's a huge problem," said James Murphy, the owner of Murphy's Bleachers. "You have 20 to 30 kids hitting buckets in a row on the sidewalk, and the crowd blocks the street."
Not all Wrigley neighbors were against the music of the bucket boys, despite its considerable clatter.
"Give them a drumstick and a bucket or a handgun -- which is more intrusive?" said Jonathon Cornell, 34.
Souvenir-store owners -- the natural antagonists of sidewalk peddlers selling sometimes profane shirts and hats -- welcomed the proposal.
"I think it'll help our business, for us and all the other stores," said Eddie Memishi, a worker at a shop near the Addison Red Line station. "But Wrigley is known for its vendors."
Residents outside the immediate vicinity of the ballpark worried new boundaries would move more traffic and noise onto what are now relatively peaceful blocks.
"If they do set up shop in the neighborhoods, it would be frustrating for the people who live there," said Jessica Kelley, 28, who lives 3 blocks away on Waveland.
Tunney and Cubs officials said the team had not pushed to expand the restricted zone but would have no qualms with the ordinance.
"In general, if it helps local businesses and residents, then the Cubs would be supportive," said Mike Lufrano, vice president of community affairs for the Cubs, who are owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune
Tribune reporter Dan P. Blake contributed to this report.
dmihalopoulos@tribune.com
rmitchum@tribune.com
STUPID STUPID STUPID
Woman arrested for trying to bring loaded gun into courthouse
Comments
June 30, 2009
BY LISA DONOVAN Staff Reporter
A 30-year-old woman was arrested for trying to bring a loaded handgun in to a Cook County courthouse Tuesday, authorities said.
Tammy Dobbin, of far south suburban Beecher, was arrested and charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a felony, after a sheriff’s deputy discovered the gun in her book bag. She is jailed in lieu of $100,000 bond.
Dobbin had no business in court Tuesday, authorities said, but was accompanying her boyfriend to a paternity courtroom at 32 W. Randolph. .
She was stopped at a security checkpoint outside a courtroom, like everyone else, and an X-ray machine revealed she had a solid metal object in her book bag, authorities said. Sheriff's Deputy Jennifer Matthews asked about it, but Dobbin said she knew nothing about such an object in her back, authorities say. When the deputy opened the bag, she found a 9mm — loaded with 10 live rounds and equipped with a laser pointer.
Dobbin later said she mistakenly left the gun in the bag after target practice, according to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.
Dobbin doesn’t have a criminal record, but her boyfriend does, said Steve Patterson, sheriff’s spokesman.
“As a result, we’re continuing to investigate the case.”
Comments
June 30, 2009
BY LISA DONOVAN Staff Reporter
A 30-year-old woman was arrested for trying to bring a loaded handgun in to a Cook County courthouse Tuesday, authorities said.
Tammy Dobbin, of far south suburban Beecher, was arrested and charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a felony, after a sheriff’s deputy discovered the gun in her book bag. She is jailed in lieu of $100,000 bond.
Dobbin had no business in court Tuesday, authorities said, but was accompanying her boyfriend to a paternity courtroom at 32 W. Randolph. .
She was stopped at a security checkpoint outside a courtroom, like everyone else, and an X-ray machine revealed she had a solid metal object in her book bag, authorities said. Sheriff's Deputy Jennifer Matthews asked about it, but Dobbin said she knew nothing about such an object in her back, authorities say. When the deputy opened the bag, she found a 9mm — loaded with 10 live rounds and equipped with a laser pointer.
Dobbin later said she mistakenly left the gun in the bag after target practice, according to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.
Dobbin doesn’t have a criminal record, but her boyfriend does, said Steve Patterson, sheriff’s spokesman.
“As a result, we’re continuing to investigate the case.”
Beware the company you keep !
Humboldt Park murder has connection to recent wrongful conviction award
Comments
June 30, 2009
BY ROSEMARY SOBOL Staff Reporter
The Saturday murder of a Berwyn man occurred inside a sport-utility vehicle registered to a man who was recently awarded a record $21 million by a federal jury after he spent 11 years in prison for a murder conviction that was later overturned.
The slaying of 37-year-old Freddy Vasquez, of Berwyn, occurred at 7:06 a.m. on the 2400 block of West North Ave. in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, according to Shakespeare District police Capt. Marc Buslik.
Vasquez was sitting in the rear driver’s side seat of an SUV that is registered to Juan Johnson, who recently was awarded the $21 million award, according to Buslik, who said Johnson was not in the vehicle or on the scene of the incident.
A federal jury awarded the money to Johnson June 22 and attorneys for Johnson, an alleged Spanish Cobra leader, said his wrongful conviction was part of a pattern of abuse on the city's Northwest Side by former Chicago Police Officer Reynaldo Guevara, authorities said.
In Johnson's case, at least three people who identified him in the murder later said they did so only after Guevara or others working with him told them to, his attorneys said. The $21 million award was the largest ever for a wrongful conviction in Chicago, his attorneys said.
In Saturday’s murder, a car pulled up alongside the SUV on its passenger’s side and someone inside opened fire, striking Vasquez in the neck and head, according to the captain, who said rounds also went through the vehicle and hit 32-year-old Leticia Vega -- who was sitting next to Vasquez -- in the chest.
The SUV was being driven by Myra DeLeon and 37-year-old Timothy Russell was a passenger, Buslik said, adding that DeLeon was not shot and drove the SUV to Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center.
Authorities said Vega, who was seriously injured, was later transferred to another hospital for treatment.
Vasquez, of 2238 S. Kenilworth Ave. in Berwyn, was pronounced dead at Saint Elizabeth Medical Center at 7:27 a.m. Saturday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
An autopsy Sunday determined Vasquez died of multiple gunshot wounds and his death was declared a homicide, according to the medical examiner’s office.
All the people inside the SUV had just returned from a social club when the shooting occurred and all are allegedly affiliated with the Spanish Cobra street gang, according to the captain, who said the slaying may have been a result of an ongoing feud between the Spanish Cobras and the Maniac Latin Disciples.
Police are seeking to speak to Johnson because his vehicle was involved in the incident, according to Buslik.
Comments
June 30, 2009
BY ROSEMARY SOBOL Staff Reporter
The Saturday murder of a Berwyn man occurred inside a sport-utility vehicle registered to a man who was recently awarded a record $21 million by a federal jury after he spent 11 years in prison for a murder conviction that was later overturned.
The slaying of 37-year-old Freddy Vasquez, of Berwyn, occurred at 7:06 a.m. on the 2400 block of West North Ave. in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, according to Shakespeare District police Capt. Marc Buslik.
Vasquez was sitting in the rear driver’s side seat of an SUV that is registered to Juan Johnson, who recently was awarded the $21 million award, according to Buslik, who said Johnson was not in the vehicle or on the scene of the incident.
A federal jury awarded the money to Johnson June 22 and attorneys for Johnson, an alleged Spanish Cobra leader, said his wrongful conviction was part of a pattern of abuse on the city's Northwest Side by former Chicago Police Officer Reynaldo Guevara, authorities said.
In Johnson's case, at least three people who identified him in the murder later said they did so only after Guevara or others working with him told them to, his attorneys said. The $21 million award was the largest ever for a wrongful conviction in Chicago, his attorneys said.
In Saturday’s murder, a car pulled up alongside the SUV on its passenger’s side and someone inside opened fire, striking Vasquez in the neck and head, according to the captain, who said rounds also went through the vehicle and hit 32-year-old Leticia Vega -- who was sitting next to Vasquez -- in the chest.
The SUV was being driven by Myra DeLeon and 37-year-old Timothy Russell was a passenger, Buslik said, adding that DeLeon was not shot and drove the SUV to Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center.
Authorities said Vega, who was seriously injured, was later transferred to another hospital for treatment.
Vasquez, of 2238 S. Kenilworth Ave. in Berwyn, was pronounced dead at Saint Elizabeth Medical Center at 7:27 a.m. Saturday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
An autopsy Sunday determined Vasquez died of multiple gunshot wounds and his death was declared a homicide, according to the medical examiner’s office.
All the people inside the SUV had just returned from a social club when the shooting occurred and all are allegedly affiliated with the Spanish Cobra street gang, according to the captain, who said the slaying may have been a result of an ongoing feud between the Spanish Cobras and the Maniac Latin Disciples.
Police are seeking to speak to Johnson because his vehicle was involved in the incident, according to Buslik.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
SHOW # 42 IS UP
My latest podcast is up and running www.militantmarksman.libsyn.com . Just in case you didn't make it to the rally you can hear the truth !
Friday, June 26, 2009
What a load of crap !
Just a warning: the claims made in this document are amongst the most profoundly stupid, ridiculous, and irrational I have read in quite some time.
QUOTE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Thom Mannard (312) 341-0939
Scott Vogel (312) 243-8980, scott@freedomstatesalliance.org
On One-Year Anniversary of Supreme Court Heller Ruling that Stripped D.C. Of Its Handgun Ban, Pro-Gun Groups Want To Flood Chicago With Even More Deadly Weapons and Push for Carrying Hidden and Loaded Guns In Public
(June 26, 2009, Chicago) – The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence sharply criticized the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) and Illinois Carry for holding a public rally today calling for ending Chicago’s 27-year-old handgun ban only days after the tragic shooting of 9-year-old Chastity Turner who was gunned down while bathing her dog in front of her own home. Thirty-six Chicago Public School students were also killed during the ’09 school year in a continuing rash of gun violence.
Most troubling is the language, tone and materials that pro-gun groups are using to promote their rally in downtown Chicago. Ralph Connor, an African-American conservative who will speak at the rally, continues to preach a divisive message that “gun control is racist” and is eagerly promoting a film that features him, called "No Guns for Negroes.”
The ISRA finds itself in a hypocritical and difficult position playing the race card as an argument to removing the city’s life-saving measure and pushing for a carrying concealed weapons bill. Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit upheld the constitutionality of the Chicago and Oak Park handgun bans by a 3-0 decision. U.S. Circuit Judge Frank Easterbrook, joined by Circuit Court Judges Richard Posner and William Bauer, said they were bound to follow the precedent of the U.S. Supreme Court in its ruling on the Second Amendment not applying to states. All three federal judges were GOP appointees.
Yet in response, Hal Turner, an avid racist and internet radio host from New Jersey was arrested for threatening to kill the three federal judges who upheld Chicago’s handgun ban. Turner said, “"Let me be the first to say this plainly; These judges deserve to be killed."
“The truth is that the gun lobby could care less about the impact that gun violence has on Chicago, much less the devastating effects on the African-American and Latino communities,” said Thom Mannard, Executive Director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. “All the gun lobby cares about is their blind and extremist ideology that wants to force deadly and loaded guns into our communities, schools, parks, shopping centers, hospitals, and daycare centers. If the gun lobby really cared about stopping gun violence in our communities they would stop promoting an agenda that makes it all too easy for gangbangers to acquire guns that are used to kill innocent children like Chastity Turner.”
In addition, gun homicides plague the African-American community. According to the Violence Policy Center the annual study, “Black Homicide Victimization in the United States” found that there were 7,425 black homicide victims in the United States. The homicide rate for black victims in the United States was 20.27 per 100,000. In comparison, the overall national homicide rate was 5.38 per 100,000 and the national homicide rate for whites was 3.14 per 100,000.
“The truth is that the gun lobby are enablers of violence by stifling and stopping life-saving reforms to enact stronger gun laws,” said Scott Vogel, Communications Director for the Freedom States Alliance. “Gun extremists preach their limited, narrow and selfish view of ‘their rights’ without any regard to ‘our rights’ as members of a broad community that want to live peacefully and free from the fear of gun violence.”
Parents, victims and survivors of gun violence are focusing on solutions to save lives, instead of debating divisive racial politics with extremists who show no empathy for those killed by gun violence,
"As a parent who has suffered the devastating effects of gun violence in my family, I urge our lawmakers to gain the political will and moral capacity to support common sense gun regulations,” said Ron Holt, the founder and President of PurposeOverPain.org, and whose son Blair was shot and killed on a CTA bus by an armed teen. “If our lawmakers could hear, see, and feel the pain that we as parents who have lost a child to gun violence, then maybe they would understand that we need thoughtful solutions to our gun violence crisis.”
QUOTE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Thom Mannard (312) 341-0939
Scott Vogel (312) 243-8980, scott@freedomstatesalliance.org
On One-Year Anniversary of Supreme Court Heller Ruling that Stripped D.C. Of Its Handgun Ban, Pro-Gun Groups Want To Flood Chicago With Even More Deadly Weapons and Push for Carrying Hidden and Loaded Guns In Public
(June 26, 2009, Chicago) – The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence sharply criticized the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) and Illinois Carry for holding a public rally today calling for ending Chicago’s 27-year-old handgun ban only days after the tragic shooting of 9-year-old Chastity Turner who was gunned down while bathing her dog in front of her own home. Thirty-six Chicago Public School students were also killed during the ’09 school year in a continuing rash of gun violence.
Most troubling is the language, tone and materials that pro-gun groups are using to promote their rally in downtown Chicago. Ralph Connor, an African-American conservative who will speak at the rally, continues to preach a divisive message that “gun control is racist” and is eagerly promoting a film that features him, called "No Guns for Negroes.”
The ISRA finds itself in a hypocritical and difficult position playing the race card as an argument to removing the city’s life-saving measure and pushing for a carrying concealed weapons bill. Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit upheld the constitutionality of the Chicago and Oak Park handgun bans by a 3-0 decision. U.S. Circuit Judge Frank Easterbrook, joined by Circuit Court Judges Richard Posner and William Bauer, said they were bound to follow the precedent of the U.S. Supreme Court in its ruling on the Second Amendment not applying to states. All three federal judges were GOP appointees.
Yet in response, Hal Turner, an avid racist and internet radio host from New Jersey was arrested for threatening to kill the three federal judges who upheld Chicago’s handgun ban. Turner said, “"Let me be the first to say this plainly; These judges deserve to be killed."
“The truth is that the gun lobby could care less about the impact that gun violence has on Chicago, much less the devastating effects on the African-American and Latino communities,” said Thom Mannard, Executive Director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. “All the gun lobby cares about is their blind and extremist ideology that wants to force deadly and loaded guns into our communities, schools, parks, shopping centers, hospitals, and daycare centers. If the gun lobby really cared about stopping gun violence in our communities they would stop promoting an agenda that makes it all too easy for gangbangers to acquire guns that are used to kill innocent children like Chastity Turner.”
In addition, gun homicides plague the African-American community. According to the Violence Policy Center the annual study, “Black Homicide Victimization in the United States” found that there were 7,425 black homicide victims in the United States. The homicide rate for black victims in the United States was 20.27 per 100,000. In comparison, the overall national homicide rate was 5.38 per 100,000 and the national homicide rate for whites was 3.14 per 100,000.
“The truth is that the gun lobby are enablers of violence by stifling and stopping life-saving reforms to enact stronger gun laws,” said Scott Vogel, Communications Director for the Freedom States Alliance. “Gun extremists preach their limited, narrow and selfish view of ‘their rights’ without any regard to ‘our rights’ as members of a broad community that want to live peacefully and free from the fear of gun violence.”
Parents, victims and survivors of gun violence are focusing on solutions to save lives, instead of debating divisive racial politics with extremists who show no empathy for those killed by gun violence,
"As a parent who has suffered the devastating effects of gun violence in my family, I urge our lawmakers to gain the political will and moral capacity to support common sense gun regulations,” said Ron Holt, the founder and President of PurposeOverPain.org, and whose son Blair was shot and killed on a CTA bus by an armed teen. “If our lawmakers could hear, see, and feel the pain that we as parents who have lost a child to gun violence, then maybe they would understand that we need thoughtful solutions to our gun violence crisis.”
Mayor mumbles lies yet again !
Daley sows confusion on his Olympics guarantee
Mayor Richard Daley at a news conference today. (David Pierini/Chicago Tribune)
Posted by Dan P. Blake and David Heinzmann at 4:15 p.m.
Mayor Richard Daley today attempted to dampen the political firestorm he sparked while overseas last week when he told Olympics officials that Chicago would financially guarantee the 2016 Summer Games.
His remarks this afternoon, however, only further confused the issue.
The mayor, back in Chicago and addressing the issue locally for the first time today, seemed to contradict his own statements in Switzerland, as well as the public remarks of Chicago 2016 chief Pat Ryan and International Olympics Committee President Jacques Rogge.
“We agreed to sign a host city agreement with the provisions of the city, state and the insurance policy as added on to the host city agreement. That's what it's going to be and that is our protection for the taxpayers of the city of Chicago,” Daley said today with Lori Healey, Chicago 2016 president and the mayor’s former chief of staff, at his side.
But that version is markedly different from Daley’s remarks immediately after emerging from his June 17 meeting with the IOC, when he told the Tribune he had just agreed to sign the host city contract “as is.”
In a subsequent interview last week, the IOC's Rogge confirmed that Daley had agreed to sign the standard contract without modifications.
“The mayor said he will sign the host city contract. We have only one host city contract,” Rogge said at the time. “There is no amendment to the host city contract whatsoever from the IOC.”
Daley's remarks last week stirred up controversy in Chicago. Ryan and city bid officials have been trying to explain to angry aldermen and the public why the mayor did an about face and agree to sign the standard Olympics host city contract.
For months, the mayor and Olympic bid leaders had pledged not to sign the blanket financial guarantee that could put taxpayers on the hook if there are cost overruns beyond the $750 million level the city and state already have agreed to cover.
You can read an edited transcript of Daley's question and answer session here
Mayor Richard Daley at a news conference today. (David Pierini/Chicago Tribune)
Posted by Dan P. Blake and David Heinzmann at 4:15 p.m.
Mayor Richard Daley today attempted to dampen the political firestorm he sparked while overseas last week when he told Olympics officials that Chicago would financially guarantee the 2016 Summer Games.
His remarks this afternoon, however, only further confused the issue.
The mayor, back in Chicago and addressing the issue locally for the first time today, seemed to contradict his own statements in Switzerland, as well as the public remarks of Chicago 2016 chief Pat Ryan and International Olympics Committee President Jacques Rogge.
“We agreed to sign a host city agreement with the provisions of the city, state and the insurance policy as added on to the host city agreement. That's what it's going to be and that is our protection for the taxpayers of the city of Chicago,” Daley said today with Lori Healey, Chicago 2016 president and the mayor’s former chief of staff, at his side.
But that version is markedly different from Daley’s remarks immediately after emerging from his June 17 meeting with the IOC, when he told the Tribune he had just agreed to sign the host city contract “as is.”
In a subsequent interview last week, the IOC's Rogge confirmed that Daley had agreed to sign the standard contract without modifications.
“The mayor said he will sign the host city contract. We have only one host city contract,” Rogge said at the time. “There is no amendment to the host city contract whatsoever from the IOC.”
Daley's remarks last week stirred up controversy in Chicago. Ryan and city bid officials have been trying to explain to angry aldermen and the public why the mayor did an about face and agree to sign the standard Olympics host city contract.
For months, the mayor and Olympic bid leaders had pledged not to sign the blanket financial guarantee that could put taxpayers on the hook if there are cost overruns beyond the $750 million level the city and state already have agreed to cover.
You can read an edited transcript of Daley's question and answer session here
Good job CPD &Enlewood residents !
Teens charged in slaying of Englewood girl
June 26, 2009 5:57 PM | No Comments | UPDATED STORY
A 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man were charged today in connection with a shooting that killed a 9-year-old Englewood girl and injured three other people, including her father, authorities said this afternoon.
Davionne Whitfield, of the 7400 block of South Normal Avenue, was charged as an adult with first-degree murder in the slaying of Chastity Turner, said the Cook County state's attorney's office. Whitfield was also charged with three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.
The 19-year-old charged in connection with the shooting was Gerald Lauderdale, also of the 7400 block of South Normal. He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, Chicago police said.
Authorities could not release further information about the suspects this afternoon.
Chastity's father, Andre Turner, who was wounded along with two of his friends, may have been an intended target and was said initially to not being cooperative with investigators, police sources said Thursday.
Police Supt. Jody Weis had said the shooting was gang-related and he credited the neighborhood for helping investigators.
The shooting happened about 7 p.m. Wednesday in the 7400 block of South Stewart Avenue.
Chastity was washing the family's pit bull terriers with her father on the side of the family's apartment building when a van pulled up and someone began shooting. The girl was struck in the back and her father was wounded in the arm and leg. Two friends of the father were also hit.
--Jeremy Gorner and Angela Rozas
June 26, 2009 5:57 PM | No Comments | UPDATED STORY
A 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man were charged today in connection with a shooting that killed a 9-year-old Englewood girl and injured three other people, including her father, authorities said this afternoon.
Davionne Whitfield, of the 7400 block of South Normal Avenue, was charged as an adult with first-degree murder in the slaying of Chastity Turner, said the Cook County state's attorney's office. Whitfield was also charged with three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.
The 19-year-old charged in connection with the shooting was Gerald Lauderdale, also of the 7400 block of South Normal. He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, Chicago police said.
Authorities could not release further information about the suspects this afternoon.
Chastity's father, Andre Turner, who was wounded along with two of his friends, may have been an intended target and was said initially to not being cooperative with investigators, police sources said Thursday.
Police Supt. Jody Weis had said the shooting was gang-related and he credited the neighborhood for helping investigators.
The shooting happened about 7 p.m. Wednesday in the 7400 block of South Stewart Avenue.
Chastity was washing the family's pit bull terriers with her father on the side of the family's apartment building when a van pulled up and someone began shooting. The girl was struck in the back and her father was wounded in the arm and leg. Two friends of the father were also hit.
--Jeremy Gorner and Angela Rozas
Chicago media , we report you decide, my ass!
After action report from todays SAFR rally , The media did not show , even Father Pfleger was there ! We had great speakers a nice crowd , but no media ! We had grad students reporting and doing interviews , thank God for them and the internet. I will have the audio up and running later this evening or definitely by tomorrow .
P.S Father Pfleger you could have taken the water that was offered to you, we don't agree with your views but we would never try and do you bodily harm !
P.S Father Pfleger you could have taken the water that was offered to you, we don't agree with your views but we would never try and do you bodily harm !
The felonius fifty actually taking some initiative ?
Chicago aldermen demand Olympics money details after private meetings
Posted by Hal Dardick at 2:23 p.m.
Several aldermen are demanding complete details about the city’s proposed financial guarantee for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games so they can have them evaluated by outside financial analysts before signing off.
Those demands were made during private aldermanic briefings given yesterday and today by the 2016 Committee, a group appointed by Mayor Daley to make the city's bid for the Games, aldermen said. Committee Chairman Patrick Ryan said he would provide those details in late July or early August, aldermen added.
"They say the taxpayers are not going to be on the hook for the guarantee, but we haven’t seen the documents yet," said Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd), referring to Daley's surprise commitment last week that he would sign “as is” the standard host-city agreement with the International Olympic Committee.
Aldermen have voted to cover cost overruns of up to $500 million and also set up a Bronzeville neighborhood tax increment finance district to pay for infrastructure, but the Olympics contract does not include limits on cost overruns.
To attempt to remedy that, 2016 Committee officials say they plan to obtain two private insurance contracts that would cover a total of $1 billion in overruns and contend it’s improbable that the city could have to come up with more than aldermen have already committed.
Some aldermen, though, suggest those declarations aren’t sufficient protection for taxpayers and nearly all say they need to know more about the insurance.
“We need to do a thorough independent review,” said Dowell, echoing the comments of many of her colleagues. Many aldermen have noted the backlash against the city’s $1.15 billion, 75-year lease of its parking meters after the council approved the deal just days after receiving details.
“We don’t want to be caught like we were with the parking meter fiasco,” said Ald. Willie Cochran (20th). “We are waiting for the supporting documentation."
Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd), one of only five aldermen to vote against the parking-meter lease, said Ryan and his team would not even reveal the names of the lawyers and insurers working on the guarantee. “Insurance isn’t going to cover everything,” Waguespack added.
Both he and Ald. Manuel Flores (1st) said they really learned nothing new during the briefing sessions, held in part because aldermen demanded further information in the face of constituent outrage over Daley’s surprise commitment.
“The information we received today is basically the information we received before, and I remain a supporter of the Olympics under the original conditions,” Flores said.
Flores said he remains committed to introducing an ordinance next week that will limit the city’s full liability to a maximum of $500 million and the amount yet to be determined that will be covered by the TIF district.
The state also has a $250 million guarantee on the Games.
Posted by Hal Dardick at 2:23 p.m.
Several aldermen are demanding complete details about the city’s proposed financial guarantee for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games so they can have them evaluated by outside financial analysts before signing off.
Those demands were made during private aldermanic briefings given yesterday and today by the 2016 Committee, a group appointed by Mayor Daley to make the city's bid for the Games, aldermen said. Committee Chairman Patrick Ryan said he would provide those details in late July or early August, aldermen added.
"They say the taxpayers are not going to be on the hook for the guarantee, but we haven’t seen the documents yet," said Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd), referring to Daley's surprise commitment last week that he would sign “as is” the standard host-city agreement with the International Olympic Committee.
Aldermen have voted to cover cost overruns of up to $500 million and also set up a Bronzeville neighborhood tax increment finance district to pay for infrastructure, but the Olympics contract does not include limits on cost overruns.
To attempt to remedy that, 2016 Committee officials say they plan to obtain two private insurance contracts that would cover a total of $1 billion in overruns and contend it’s improbable that the city could have to come up with more than aldermen have already committed.
Some aldermen, though, suggest those declarations aren’t sufficient protection for taxpayers and nearly all say they need to know more about the insurance.
“We need to do a thorough independent review,” said Dowell, echoing the comments of many of her colleagues. Many aldermen have noted the backlash against the city’s $1.15 billion, 75-year lease of its parking meters after the council approved the deal just days after receiving details.
“We don’t want to be caught like we were with the parking meter fiasco,” said Ald. Willie Cochran (20th). “We are waiting for the supporting documentation."
Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd), one of only five aldermen to vote against the parking-meter lease, said Ryan and his team would not even reveal the names of the lawyers and insurers working on the guarantee. “Insurance isn’t going to cover everything,” Waguespack added.
Both he and Ald. Manuel Flores (1st) said they really learned nothing new during the briefing sessions, held in part because aldermen demanded further information in the face of constituent outrage over Daley’s surprise commitment.
“The information we received today is basically the information we received before, and I remain a supporter of the Olympics under the original conditions,” Flores said.
Flores said he remains committed to introducing an ordinance next week that will limit the city’s full liability to a maximum of $500 million and the amount yet to be determined that will be covered by the TIF district.
The state also has a $250 million guarantee on the Games.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The waste of Chicago
Cops reveal 'Taste' security plans
June 25, 2009 1:23 PM | 13 Comments
Chicago police today announced security plans for Taste of Chicago, one year after violence marred the event and the city's 4th of July festivities.
Security steps for Taste, which begins Friday, will include:
--Police will staff the four designated access points to the festival and illegal items will be confiscated and unruly attendees will be turned away.
--A security emphasis at CTA and Metra stations and Pace bus stops.
--An increase in uniformed and plainclothes officers
--Police will be monitoring security cameras near the festival and citywide.
Police were out in greater force at the Taste last year after four people were shot, one fatally, in the Loop following the city's fireworks display and the food festival.
Police Supt. Jody Weis said at the time that the shootings were about a mile from the festival grounds, and that people should not be discouraged from attending the popular summer event. Two of the shootings occurred about 10:40 p.m., roughly a block apart, officials said.
Today Weis would not say how many officers would be staffing the event. "Folks will feel very safe because they're going to see a police officer on almost every block, and in some instances 20 feet, so we're going to have a very hard presence in terms of letting people know we have a lot of officers in place," Weis said.
Officials said they learned lessons from the heightened security downtown during President Obama's Election Night celebration, and they will apply those to the Taste. "We have made a number of security enhancements based in part on our experience with crowd control" that night, Weis said.
The festival will be fenced in with only four designated access points, much like the security for the Blues Fest earlier this month.
The Office of Emergency Management and Communications will have an emergency operations center open during the festival.
The public is urged to call 911 to report any criminal or suspicious activity. They can also text to C-R-I-M-E-S and put CPD in the subject.
-- Staff report
June 25, 2009 1:23 PM | 13 Comments
Chicago police today announced security plans for Taste of Chicago, one year after violence marred the event and the city's 4th of July festivities.
Security steps for Taste, which begins Friday, will include:
--Police will staff the four designated access points to the festival and illegal items will be confiscated and unruly attendees will be turned away.
--A security emphasis at CTA and Metra stations and Pace bus stops.
--An increase in uniformed and plainclothes officers
--Police will be monitoring security cameras near the festival and citywide.
Police were out in greater force at the Taste last year after four people were shot, one fatally, in the Loop following the city's fireworks display and the food festival.
Police Supt. Jody Weis said at the time that the shootings were about a mile from the festival grounds, and that people should not be discouraged from attending the popular summer event. Two of the shootings occurred about 10:40 p.m., roughly a block apart, officials said.
Today Weis would not say how many officers would be staffing the event. "Folks will feel very safe because they're going to see a police officer on almost every block, and in some instances 20 feet, so we're going to have a very hard presence in terms of letting people know we have a lot of officers in place," Weis said.
Officials said they learned lessons from the heightened security downtown during President Obama's Election Night celebration, and they will apply those to the Taste. "We have made a number of security enhancements based in part on our experience with crowd control" that night, Weis said.
The festival will be fenced in with only four designated access points, much like the security for the Blues Fest earlier this month.
The Office of Emergency Management and Communications will have an emergency operations center open during the festival.
The public is urged to call 911 to report any criminal or suspicious activity. They can also text to C-R-I-M-E-S and put CPD in the subject.
-- Staff report
Blago to stand trial next year
Corruption trial for Blagojevich set for June 3
June 25, 2009 12:16 PM | No Comments
A federal judge today set trial for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his co-defendants for next June 3.
U.S. District Judge James Zagel set the date after Blagojevich's lawyer, Sheldon Sorosky, asked for as late a date as possible because of the more than three million pages of documents the defense must pore over.
Defense lawyers said they realize they have their work cut out for them, but they believe they can be ready by the trial date Zagel set.
There are four primary lawyers handling the case, they said, and a team of seven younger lawyers helping to process documents.
Asked how the case is shaping up, including the expected addition of former Blagojevich chiefs of staff John Harris and Lon Monk as witnesses, defense lawyer Sam Adam Jr. said it changes little.
"(Blagojevich) was not guilty then, and he's not guilty now," Adam. said, calling it inevitable that such witnesses would line up against the former governor. "You can bring in Lon Monk, you can bring in anyone you want, his position is the same."
Adam said Blagojevich expected to be reunited with his wife, Patricia, today after her stint on a reality TV show.
-- Jeff Coen
June 25, 2009 12:16 PM | No Comments
A federal judge today set trial for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his co-defendants for next June 3.
U.S. District Judge James Zagel set the date after Blagojevich's lawyer, Sheldon Sorosky, asked for as late a date as possible because of the more than three million pages of documents the defense must pore over.
Defense lawyers said they realize they have their work cut out for them, but they believe they can be ready by the trial date Zagel set.
There are four primary lawyers handling the case, they said, and a team of seven younger lawyers helping to process documents.
Asked how the case is shaping up, including the expected addition of former Blagojevich chiefs of staff John Harris and Lon Monk as witnesses, defense lawyer Sam Adam Jr. said it changes little.
"(Blagojevich) was not guilty then, and he's not guilty now," Adam. said, calling it inevitable that such witnesses would line up against the former governor. "You can bring in Lon Monk, you can bring in anyone you want, his position is the same."
Adam said Blagojevich expected to be reunited with his wife, Patricia, today after her stint on a reality TV show.
-- Jeff Coen
Hmm , gun laws we need more of them !
'Gun free' Chicago is bleeding out
June 25, 9:25 AM
Comment ShareThisRSS Email Print We looked yesterday at efforts to spread the draconian gun laws of Chicago and Washington D.C. to the rest of the country--President Obama's "what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne" notwithstanding. Forget for a minute that as president (and in his last position as a United States senator), Obama deals with federal laws, which would apply in both Chicago and Cheyenne. Instead, let's take a look at how well Chicago's gun laws "work."
So well, actually, that the city is literally running out of blood.
There is a real emergency for a county hospital emergency room. The uptick in violence is literally draining the blood supply. And as CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports one specific blood type is running dangerously short.
The hospital in question is Chicago's John H. Stroger Hospital, where many victims of Chicago violence are treated.
The blood bank showed us the eight units of O-negative blood that are left. Only three of the units are designated for trauma patients, though. Any more outbreaks of violence on the streets pose a threat here.
"Tonight we may be in a very tough situation," Dr. Dennis said. "Because we're that short on O-negative blood."
There are, of course, many reasons that have nothing to do with violence that could contribute to a blood shortage. This being Chicago, though, we can mostly rule those out.
Dr. Dennis says the reason for the shortage is the high numbers of victims of shootings and other violent crimes who come to Stroger Hospital for life-saving treatment.
"We see probably an average of between 10 and 15 people who get shot or stabbed every night," Dr. Dennis said.
Ten to fifteen shootings and stabbings every night, at one hospital? Baghdad might be safer than that.
This is the city with the most restrictive gun laws in the nation. All guns must be registered--and re-registered annually--with the Chicago Police Department. The vast majority of semi-automatic firearms, and all handguns, are "unregisterable" (and thus illegal), unless they were already registered in 1982 (and every year since then).
And yet the city is bleeding to death.
The forcible citizen disarmament advocates argue, of course, that the problem isn't with Chicago's draconian gun laws, but rather with gun laws everywhere else not being draconian enough (so much for "what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne"), thus undermining Chicago's laws. The people making those claims tend to try to avoid the question of why the violence is so much worse in Chicago than in the places whose "lax gun laws" supposedly afflict Chicago.
Forcible citizen disarmament doesn't "work" in Chicago or Cheyenne, and the bloody proof of that can be found in Chicago.
June 25, 9:25 AM
Comment ShareThisRSS Email Print We looked yesterday at efforts to spread the draconian gun laws of Chicago and Washington D.C. to the rest of the country--President Obama's "what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne" notwithstanding. Forget for a minute that as president (and in his last position as a United States senator), Obama deals with federal laws, which would apply in both Chicago and Cheyenne. Instead, let's take a look at how well Chicago's gun laws "work."
So well, actually, that the city is literally running out of blood.
There is a real emergency for a county hospital emergency room. The uptick in violence is literally draining the blood supply. And as CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports one specific blood type is running dangerously short.
The hospital in question is Chicago's John H. Stroger Hospital, where many victims of Chicago violence are treated.
The blood bank showed us the eight units of O-negative blood that are left. Only three of the units are designated for trauma patients, though. Any more outbreaks of violence on the streets pose a threat here.
"Tonight we may be in a very tough situation," Dr. Dennis said. "Because we're that short on O-negative blood."
There are, of course, many reasons that have nothing to do with violence that could contribute to a blood shortage. This being Chicago, though, we can mostly rule those out.
Dr. Dennis says the reason for the shortage is the high numbers of victims of shootings and other violent crimes who come to Stroger Hospital for life-saving treatment.
"We see probably an average of between 10 and 15 people who get shot or stabbed every night," Dr. Dennis said.
Ten to fifteen shootings and stabbings every night, at one hospital? Baghdad might be safer than that.
This is the city with the most restrictive gun laws in the nation. All guns must be registered--and re-registered annually--with the Chicago Police Department. The vast majority of semi-automatic firearms, and all handguns, are "unregisterable" (and thus illegal), unless they were already registered in 1982 (and every year since then).
And yet the city is bleeding to death.
The forcible citizen disarmament advocates argue, of course, that the problem isn't with Chicago's draconian gun laws, but rather with gun laws everywhere else not being draconian enough (so much for "what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne"), thus undermining Chicago's laws. The people making those claims tend to try to avoid the question of why the violence is so much worse in Chicago than in the places whose "lax gun laws" supposedly afflict Chicago.
Forcible citizen disarmament doesn't "work" in Chicago or Cheyenne, and the bloody proof of that can be found in Chicago.
Uh oh ,not in Daley's gun free utopia !
Chicago's most dangerous neighborhoods
URBAN CRIME | FBI statistics show residents near 55th and State had 1-in-4 chance of being victims
Comments
June 23, 2009
BY MARK J. KONKOL Staff Reporter
Chicago is home to four of the top 25 most dangerous "neighborhoods" in the country, including a sliver of Washington Park that ranked No. 2, a recently released study of FBI crime statistics shows.
Folks who lived near 55th and State -- less than two miles from President Obama's house and the possible site of a future Olympic stadium -- had a 1-in-4 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime each year between 2005 and 2007, according to NeighborhoodScout.com.
» Click to enlarge image
Four of the nation's 25 most dangerous neighborhoods are in Chicago, a new analysis finds.
(Keith Hale/Sun-Times)
The nation's 25 most dangerous neighborhoods
1) Cincinnati, Central Pwky./Liberty St.
2) Chicago, State St./Garfield Blvd.
3) Miami, 7th Ave./North River Dr.
4) Jacksonville, Beaver St./Broad St.
5) Baltimore, North Ave./Belair Rd.
6) Kansas City, Bales Ave./30th St.
7) Memphis, Warford St./Mt. Olive Rd.
8) Kansas City, Forest Ave./41st St.
9) Dallas, Route 352/Scyene Rd.
10) Richmond, Va., Church Hill
11) Memphis, Bellevue Blvd./Lamar Ave.
12) Dallas, 2nd Ave./Hatcher St.
13) Springfield, Ill., Cook St./11th St.
14) St. Louis, 14th St./Dr. Martin Luther King Dr.
15) Little Rock, Ark., Roosevelt Rd./Bond St.
16) Philadelphia, Broad St./Dauphin St.
17) Tampa, Amelia Ave./Tampa St.
18) New York, St. Nicholas Ave./125th St.
19) Chicago, 66th St./Yale Ave.
20) Baltimore, Orleans St./Front St.
21) Cleveland, Cedar Ave./55th St.
22) Orlando, East-West Expy./Orange Blossom Trail
23) Detroit, Mt. Elliott St./Palmer Ave. 24) Chicago, Wallace St./58th St.
25) Chicago, Winchester Ave./60th St.
That section of Washington Park -- home to part of the now-demolished Robert Taylor public housing high-rises during the years of the study -- was edged out of the top spot by a crime-ridden corner of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Chicago was the only city to land more than two neighborhoods on the list, which ranked danger by calculating the number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents in a census tract.
Chicago's three other danger zones are located in poverty-stricken Englewood, a hot bed for violence in recent years. They include census tracts near:
• • 66th and Yale, ranked No. 19 with a violent crime ratio of 115 (per 1,000 residents).
• • 58th and Wallace and 60th and Winchester, ranked No. 24 and 25, respectively. Residents had a 1-in-9 chance of being violent crime victims.
"Englewood is a neighborhood that has had a lot of things happen to it. There are very good people in Englewood, and their houses are often the only ones standing on their block," said Ald. Freddrenna Lyle (6th). "Public policy decisions made long ago caused us to get where we are today."
Lyle, whose ward includes 66th and Yale, said the study shines another light on the desperate need for both short-term fixes and a long-term solution to social problems that plague Englewood.
"It's been time for [Mayor Daley] to pay attention," she said. "We put more money collectively into Englewood than anywhere else, but it's a little here and a little there. We need to go back in there and consolidate resources to solve some of the problems."
The study's author, geographer Dr. Andrew Schiller, said the calculation gives people a better way to understand the "climate" of crime in particular sections of cities.
"It's better to understand the climate rather than the weather. It's very important to have a sense of risk for somebody in a particular location rather than a more pedestrian counting of what happened last week," Schiller said.
Related Blog Posts
URBAN CRIME | FBI statistics show residents near 55th and State had 1-in-4 chance of being victims
Comments
June 23, 2009
BY MARK J. KONKOL Staff Reporter
Chicago is home to four of the top 25 most dangerous "neighborhoods" in the country, including a sliver of Washington Park that ranked No. 2, a recently released study of FBI crime statistics shows.
Folks who lived near 55th and State -- less than two miles from President Obama's house and the possible site of a future Olympic stadium -- had a 1-in-4 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime each year between 2005 and 2007, according to NeighborhoodScout.com.
» Click to enlarge image
Four of the nation's 25 most dangerous neighborhoods are in Chicago, a new analysis finds.
(Keith Hale/Sun-Times)
The nation's 25 most dangerous neighborhoods
1) Cincinnati, Central Pwky./Liberty St.
2) Chicago, State St./Garfield Blvd.
3) Miami, 7th Ave./North River Dr.
4) Jacksonville, Beaver St./Broad St.
5) Baltimore, North Ave./Belair Rd.
6) Kansas City, Bales Ave./30th St.
7) Memphis, Warford St./Mt. Olive Rd.
8) Kansas City, Forest Ave./41st St.
9) Dallas, Route 352/Scyene Rd.
10) Richmond, Va., Church Hill
11) Memphis, Bellevue Blvd./Lamar Ave.
12) Dallas, 2nd Ave./Hatcher St.
13) Springfield, Ill., Cook St./11th St.
14) St. Louis, 14th St./Dr. Martin Luther King Dr.
15) Little Rock, Ark., Roosevelt Rd./Bond St.
16) Philadelphia, Broad St./Dauphin St.
17) Tampa, Amelia Ave./Tampa St.
18) New York, St. Nicholas Ave./125th St.
19) Chicago, 66th St./Yale Ave.
20) Baltimore, Orleans St./Front St.
21) Cleveland, Cedar Ave./55th St.
22) Orlando, East-West Expy./Orange Blossom Trail
23) Detroit, Mt. Elliott St./Palmer Ave. 24) Chicago, Wallace St./58th St.
25) Chicago, Winchester Ave./60th St.
That section of Washington Park -- home to part of the now-demolished Robert Taylor public housing high-rises during the years of the study -- was edged out of the top spot by a crime-ridden corner of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Chicago was the only city to land more than two neighborhoods on the list, which ranked danger by calculating the number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents in a census tract.
Chicago's three other danger zones are located in poverty-stricken Englewood, a hot bed for violence in recent years. They include census tracts near:
• • 66th and Yale, ranked No. 19 with a violent crime ratio of 115 (per 1,000 residents).
• • 58th and Wallace and 60th and Winchester, ranked No. 24 and 25, respectively. Residents had a 1-in-9 chance of being violent crime victims.
"Englewood is a neighborhood that has had a lot of things happen to it. There are very good people in Englewood, and their houses are often the only ones standing on their block," said Ald. Freddrenna Lyle (6th). "Public policy decisions made long ago caused us to get where we are today."
Lyle, whose ward includes 66th and Yale, said the study shines another light on the desperate need for both short-term fixes and a long-term solution to social problems that plague Englewood.
"It's been time for [Mayor Daley] to pay attention," she said. "We put more money collectively into Englewood than anywhere else, but it's a little here and a little there. We need to go back in there and consolidate resources to solve some of the problems."
The study's author, geographer Dr. Andrew Schiller, said the calculation gives people a better way to understand the "climate" of crime in particular sections of cities.
"It's better to understand the climate rather than the weather. It's very important to have a sense of risk for somebody in a particular location rather than a more pedestrian counting of what happened last week," Schiller said.
Related Blog Posts
Come join 2nd amendment supporters at SAFR tomorrow
Tomorrow at Daley plaza ,downtown Chicago there will be the 2nd annual 2nd amendment freedom rally! From 11A-1P there will be a great lineup of speakers headlined by Ralph Conner of Chicago- C.O.R.E. , for more info you can contact the following locations www.isra.org and www.illinoiscarry.com
tragedy on the south side.
Family laments: 'A baby gone, for nothing'
Tanya Turner would see the pictures of kids killed, the balloons placed around their memorials, and wonder "how anybody could cut down a 5-, 6-, 9-year-old."
"Little kids die every day. It's somebody's grandchild, everyday."
Last night, it was hers.
Nine-year-old Chastity Turner was washing the family's pit bull terriers with her father on the side of the Englewood apartment building when a van pulled up and someone began shooting. The girl was struck in the neck and her father, Andre Turner, was wounded in the arm and leg. Two friends of the father were also hit.
Police said the shots came from a light-green van. An abandoned vehicle fitting that description was recovered a short time later a few blocks from the shooting.
Tanya Turner said she was in her bedroom sleeping when she was awakened by gunfire. She looked out the window and was told "my grandbaby got shot.''
Turner said her granddaughter had just completed 3rd grade at Thorp Elementary School, and was to spend summer vacation at her home as well as at the home of her maternal grandmother. During the year she lived with her mother near 64th Street and Martin Luther King Drive.
"I called her my little old lady. She was like a little mother. She was really, really smart and friendly,'' Turner said through tears outside her home about two hours after the shooting.
"She was a normal, playful, little girl who always wanted to dance and play with everybody," said Ericka Johnson, a cousin. "She was lovable, smart, tough, respectable."
Turner said innocent victims like her granddaughter have become all too common in Chicago.
"I've seen the pictures. I've seen the balloons [from memorials]."
Joseph Patterson, deputy chief of the Wentworth Area patrol division, said a teal or light-green van drove south down the 7400 block of Stewart shortly before 7 p.m. It slowed, then stopped, and shots were fired from inside at people gathered in front of the home, Patterson said.
Police located an abandoned van matching the description a few blocks away and were investigating whether it was the vehicle used in the shooting. Patterson would not say if any weapons were found.
"We need help from the community,'' Patterson said. "It was broad daylight when this occurred.''
He said that the neighborhood was full of people who were outside on the street enjoying the summer weather when the shooting happened.
"It was just a warm summer night with lots of people out,'' Patterson said. He asked anyone with any information to call Wentworth Area detectives at 312-747-8380.
Johnson said Tanya Turner's home was considered a safe haven in the neighborhood. She said Turner allowed people to congregate in front of her home or on the porch, where they would often barbecue or hang out.
"She would let everyone hang out there, as long as they weren't disrespectful," Johnson said. "She was keeping them off the streets."
Napoleon Jeans, a neighbor of Turner's, said the building's porch and front yard attracted as many as a dozen people each night. As recently as four weeks ago, he said he heard a long exchange of gunfire from that direction.
Johnson agreed the neighborhood has been plagued by violence since the weather turned warm, with fights and gunfire almost every night. She said she had been worried that an innocent person was going to get killed in the disputes, and was crushed to find that it was her own cousin.
"It's got to end; why does it have to come to this?," she said as she comforted her daughter and other family members. "It's all dumb and now this ... a baby gone, for nothing."
-- Carlos Sadovi and Robert Mitchum
Tanya Turner said she was in her bedroom sleeping when she was awakened by gunfire. She looked out the window and was told "my grandbaby got shot.''
Turner said her granddaughter had just completed 3rd grade at Thorp Elementary School, and was to spend summer vacation at her home as well as at the home of her maternal grandmother. During the year she lived with her mother near 64th Street and Martin Luther King Drive.
"I called her my little old lady. She was like a little mother. She was really, really smart and friendly,'' Turner said through tears outside her home about two hours after the shooting.
"She was a normal, playful, little girl who always wanted to dance and play with everybody," said Ericka Johnson, a cousin. "She was lovable, smart, tough, respectable."
Turner said innocent victims like her granddaughter have become all too common in Chicago.
"I've seen the pictures. I've seen the balloons [from memorials]."
Joseph Patterson, deputy chief of the Wentworth Area patrol division, said a teal or light-green van drove south down the 7400 block of Stewart shortly before 7 p.m. It slowed, then stopped, and shots were fired from inside at people gathered in front of the home, Patterson said.
Police located an abandoned van matching the description a few blocks away and were investigating whether it was the vehicle used in the shooting. Patterson would not say if any weapons were found.
"We need help from the community,'' Patterson said. "It was broad daylight when this occurred.''
He said that the neighborhood was full of people who were outside on the street enjoying the summer weather when the shooting happened.
"It was just a warm summer night with lots of people out,'' Patterson said. He asked anyone with any information to call Wentworth Area detectives at 312-747-8380.
Johnson said Tanya Turner's home was considered a safe haven in the neighborhood. She said Turner allowed people to congregate in front of her home or on the porch, where they would often barbecue or hang out.
"She would let everyone hang out there, as long as they weren't disrespectful," Johnson said. "She was keeping them off the streets."
Napoleon Jeans, a neighbor of Turner's, said the building's porch and front yard attracted as many as a dozen people each night. As recently as four weeks ago, he said he heard a long exchange of gunfire from that direction.
Johnson agreed the neighborhood has been plagued by violence since the weather turned warm, with fights and gunfire almost every night. She said she had been worried that an innocent person was going to get killed in the disputes, and was crushed to find that it was her own cousin.
"It's got to end; why does it have to come to this?," she said as she comforted her daughter and other family members. "It's all dumb and now this ... a baby gone, for nothing."
-- Carlos Sadovi and Robert Mitchum
Welcome
Hello readers, I would like to welcome you to the Militant Marksman blog page, I decided to use this medium to get the word out regarding 2nd amendment issues,along with crime and corruption inthe City of Chicago.
Everyone is welcome here I welcome all view points however I must lay down a few ground rules there will be no racial slurs here at all. No death threats to judges or any terrorist threats ! I'm not trying to get locked up on some B.S. !
Enough said, lets roll !
Everyone is welcome here I welcome all view points however I must lay down a few ground rules there will be no racial slurs here at all. No death threats to judges or any terrorist threats ! I'm not trying to get locked up on some B.S. !
Enough said, lets roll !
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