Tougher crackdown over dangerous dogs? :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: City Hall
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Tuesday, July 21, 2009
I love it when a plan comes together
Austin's No. 1 nothing to be proud of
But West Side community can't fight gun violence alone
Comments
July 21, 2009
BY MARY MITCHELL Sun-Times Columnist
We've gotten used to hearing about the carnage on the South Side.
But it should come as no surprise that all hell is breaking loose in the West Side's Austin community.
All you have to do is take a look at the Chicago Police Department's CLEARmap Crime Summary to understand how nine people were shot in Austin in four hours.
In the last 90 days, Chicago Police officers have logged 76 weapons violations in this community area, making it No. 1 in weapons violations.
Austin is followed by West Englewood (60), Roseland (58), Englewood (54), and Auburn Gresham (43).
Conversely, the communities at the other end of the spectrum, areas with no weapons violations are: Edison Park, Forest Glen, Jefferson Park, Lincoln Park and Hyde Park.
I'm not saying that no one in these communities has a gun.
But if there are gun owners, they aren't cruising the neighborhood firing into crowds of people on the street.
The people in Edison Park and Forest Glen can let their children play in the neighborhood parks or sit in the front yards without worrying that they will get their heads blown off.
But the folks in communities like Austin are under siege.
On Sunday, within the space of a few hours, people were getting shot left and right.
The wounded included a 9-year-old girl who was shot in the leg while standing outside a relative's home where she was attending a family reunion on the 1000 block of North Leclaire. A 14-year-old boy also was shot in the leg in the the 5400 block of West Kinzie.
Isn't that the reason many of us won't let our children out of the house to skateboard, to jump rope, to ride a bike, or to just sit on a porch?
A mile away from where the girl was shot, five black males, ranging in age from 17 to 29, were shot near the 100 block of South Lotus in a drive-by.
Maybe these men were all innocent bystanders. Or maybe they had an idea why someone rolled up on them with guns blazing.
Either way, anyone on the street at the time could have been wounded or killed by the shooters.
So far, no one has been charged in the shootings, but the brazen gunplay should bring a lot of heat from the cops.
To confront this violence, Austin has to summon its pride and remember that this is a community that is dotted with stately Queen Annes and iconic bungalows that rival any that can be found in Oak Park or Berwyn.
And this is the area of the city where many West Siders invested their life savings in a home and a lawn.
Austin residents should be outraged that today the community is No. 1 in homicides.
Fifteen murders have been recorded in this community over the last three months.
Its closest competitor is Englewood, where there were nine murders. West Town, North Lawndale, New City and Chicago Lawn each had six homicides.
As long as drugs are being sold on their street corners, they are at risk, and their children are at risk.
To win this battle, residents will need a lot more help from legislators.
As it stands, the gun laws are not tough enough to give these embattled communities any relief.
For instance, a person who is nabbed for unlawful use of a weapon can be charged with a misdemeanor or a felony and end up getting probation.
Even aggravated unlawful use of a weapon -- a felony -- is a probational offense.
Whether or not the offender will serve a one- to three-year prison term for the offense is left to a judge's discretion.
Given the level of violence in communities like Austin, probation for an unlawful weapons charge should no longer be an option.
If young offenders know they are going to prison -- no pleas and no deals -- maybe more of them would think twice about carrying a gun.
Unfortunately, it often takes the death of someone like Blair Holt, the 16-year-old Julian honor student who was gunned down on a CTA bus, before the courts get tough.
On Monday, Criminal Court Judge Nicholas Ford sentenced 18-year-old Michael Pace to 100 years in prison for the Blair Holt shooting.
We need to do more to stop these offenders before they can cause this kind of pain.
But West Side community can't fight gun violence alone
Comments
July 21, 2009
BY MARY MITCHELL Sun-Times Columnist
We've gotten used to hearing about the carnage on the South Side.
But it should come as no surprise that all hell is breaking loose in the West Side's Austin community.
All you have to do is take a look at the Chicago Police Department's CLEARmap Crime Summary to understand how nine people were shot in Austin in four hours.
In the last 90 days, Chicago Police officers have logged 76 weapons violations in this community area, making it No. 1 in weapons violations.
Austin is followed by West Englewood (60), Roseland (58), Englewood (54), and Auburn Gresham (43).
Conversely, the communities at the other end of the spectrum, areas with no weapons violations are: Edison Park, Forest Glen, Jefferson Park, Lincoln Park and Hyde Park.
I'm not saying that no one in these communities has a gun.
But if there are gun owners, they aren't cruising the neighborhood firing into crowds of people on the street.
The people in Edison Park and Forest Glen can let their children play in the neighborhood parks or sit in the front yards without worrying that they will get their heads blown off.
But the folks in communities like Austin are under siege.
On Sunday, within the space of a few hours, people were getting shot left and right.
The wounded included a 9-year-old girl who was shot in the leg while standing outside a relative's home where she was attending a family reunion on the 1000 block of North Leclaire. A 14-year-old boy also was shot in the leg in the the 5400 block of West Kinzie.
Isn't that the reason many of us won't let our children out of the house to skateboard, to jump rope, to ride a bike, or to just sit on a porch?
A mile away from where the girl was shot, five black males, ranging in age from 17 to 29, were shot near the 100 block of South Lotus in a drive-by.
Maybe these men were all innocent bystanders. Or maybe they had an idea why someone rolled up on them with guns blazing.
Either way, anyone on the street at the time could have been wounded or killed by the shooters.
So far, no one has been charged in the shootings, but the brazen gunplay should bring a lot of heat from the cops.
To confront this violence, Austin has to summon its pride and remember that this is a community that is dotted with stately Queen Annes and iconic bungalows that rival any that can be found in Oak Park or Berwyn.
And this is the area of the city where many West Siders invested their life savings in a home and a lawn.
Austin residents should be outraged that today the community is No. 1 in homicides.
Fifteen murders have been recorded in this community over the last three months.
Its closest competitor is Englewood, where there were nine murders. West Town, North Lawndale, New City and Chicago Lawn each had six homicides.
As long as drugs are being sold on their street corners, they are at risk, and their children are at risk.
To win this battle, residents will need a lot more help from legislators.
As it stands, the gun laws are not tough enough to give these embattled communities any relief.
For instance, a person who is nabbed for unlawful use of a weapon can be charged with a misdemeanor or a felony and end up getting probation.
Even aggravated unlawful use of a weapon -- a felony -- is a probational offense.
Whether or not the offender will serve a one- to three-year prison term for the offense is left to a judge's discretion.
Given the level of violence in communities like Austin, probation for an unlawful weapons charge should no longer be an option.
If young offenders know they are going to prison -- no pleas and no deals -- maybe more of them would think twice about carrying a gun.
Unfortunately, it often takes the death of someone like Blair Holt, the 16-year-old Julian honor student who was gunned down on a CTA bus, before the courts get tough.
On Monday, Criminal Court Judge Nicholas Ford sentenced 18-year-old Michael Pace to 100 years in prison for the Blair Holt shooting.
We need to do more to stop these offenders before they can cause this kind of pain.
Monday, July 20, 2009
One by One opposition is crumbling.
Police say concealed-carry law would deter criminals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By RYAN ORI (rori@pjstar.com)
OF THE JOURNAL STAR
Posted Jul 18, 2009 @ 05:47 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PEORIA — Talk of bringing concealed-carry legislation to Illinois gives many residents a fear of the unknown.
Several local police chiefs and other personnel said putting fear into the minds of criminals on the streets is also one of the best arguments for allowing concealed carry.
"If you're not sure if a guy has a gun, you may not try to do some things to him that you might otherwise try to get away with," said Peoria police Officer Troy Skaggs, president of the Peoria Police Benevolent Union. "It's the fear of the unknown."
Illinois and Wisconsin are the only two states without some type of concealed-carry law.
In February, the Illinois Sheriffs' Association passed a resolution supporting a concealed-carry law in Illinois, with several conditions in place.
Then in May, Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis expressed public support for Peoria becoming a test city for statewide legislation that would allow people to carry guns in a responsible way.
During a recent 10-week stint at the FBI's National Academy, which brought 250 worldwide law-enforcement executives to Quantico, Va., Peoria Police Chief Steven Settingsgaard said, "Everyone I spoke to was in favor of concealed carry."
On July 9, the village of Bartonville and its police department passed a resolution in support of the ISA's recommendation for legalized concealed-carry accompanied by stringent regulation of the process.
"We're supporting the sheriff's association with mandated regulations if the Legislature decides to enact concealed- carry in the state," Bartonville Police Chief Brian Fengel said. "They're already out on the streets. The gangbangers already have guns. This would allow law-abiding citizens to have them with mandatory training and background checks."
Bartonville's resolution outlines provisions, including:
- Permits being issued by a statewide agency to ensure consistency in evaluation and screening.
- Proper instruction, gun safety and range training, demonstrated ability to fire accurately and safely and required requalification annually.
- Applications processed by sheriff's departments, including the ability to articulate why a permit is being denied.
- Clear identification indicating if a person is allowed to carry in public.
Others proposing concealed-carry also mention the need to evaluate factors such as criminal and mental health histories before issuing permits to carry a gun.
"We want to show our legislators we're in support of it, and we sent the resolution to the Senate and House and the people who represent us in state government," Fengel said of the resolution. "If the city of Chicago doesn't want it, then the rest of the state could do it."
Because of Chicago's longtime opposition to concealed carry, many believe creating such legislation is a long shot.
Peoria-area police chiefs mention the idea of Peoria, the county or the Tri-County Area becoming a test ground for possible future statewide legislation.
"I'm very much in favor of concealed carry," Settingsgaard said. "I believe it's to Peoria's benefit and Illinois' benefit.
"Ideally, it would be the whole state. But if all we carve out is a piece of central Illinois, I think we should do it."
One possible problem with having concealed-carry in just one city or one area of the state is the potential for spill-over into nearby communities. Someone legally carrying a gun could, for example, cross over into Peoria Heights without realizing it.
"It's a concern of mine, because we're landlocked by Peoria," Peoria Heights Police Chief Dustin Sutton said. "A lot of people who go through the Heights don't even realize they're in the Heights. There aren't distinctive boundaries. We get a lot of Peoria traffic, and most of those people don't know where the boundaries are."
Even when the boundaries are clearer, such as crossing the Illinois River, "I would imagine there would be some lapses," East Peoria Police Chief Ed Papis said.
Concealed-carry opponents point to instances of breakdowns in which unqualified or unstable people attain the right to carry a gun, and proponents cite statistics showing reductions in certain types of crimes in the years after approving concealed-carry legislation.
"I don't fear the average, law-abiding citizen wanting to apply for a permit," Settingsgaard said. "I fear guns in the hands of criminals and felons.
"The bottom line is, if somebody is considering breaking into a home or robbing a gas station or attacking someone on the street, if they think they might not survive that confrontation, a lot of people are going to think twice."
Sutton said he supports concealed-carry with the proper safeguards in place, but he worries about loopholes or becoming lax as years go by.
"If it's in place for a couple of years and then it becomes relaxed, it could be a nightmare," Sutton said. "Sometimes, over time, you start to loosen your grip on something. When you're talking about a firearm, there's no room for error."
For many who oppose concealed-carry, one of the biggest fears is seeing their state become the Wild West.
"To me, the best statistic is 48 states have passed a law and no one has repealed it," Settingsgaard said. "There are 48 examples of states that have not become the Wild West."
Papis scoffs at the notion that concealed-carry would flood the streets with additional guns.
"Rest assured, there are plenty of weapons out there - mostly in the hands of people who shouldn't have them or aren't licensed to have them," he said.
Skaggs said Peoria's police union hasn't taken a vote to form an official stance, but from talking with other officers he believes most are in favor of concealed carry.
Papis said he would expect a well-run concealed-carry system to create a reduction in crimes against individuals.
"In my 34 years of law enforcement, there have been many, many instances that I knew if the victim would have had a weapon to defend themselves, the outcome would have been quite different," he said.
Ryan Ori can be reached at 686-3264
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By RYAN ORI (rori@pjstar.com)
OF THE JOURNAL STAR
Posted Jul 18, 2009 @ 05:47 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PEORIA — Talk of bringing concealed-carry legislation to Illinois gives many residents a fear of the unknown.
Several local police chiefs and other personnel said putting fear into the minds of criminals on the streets is also one of the best arguments for allowing concealed carry.
"If you're not sure if a guy has a gun, you may not try to do some things to him that you might otherwise try to get away with," said Peoria police Officer Troy Skaggs, president of the Peoria Police Benevolent Union. "It's the fear of the unknown."
Illinois and Wisconsin are the only two states without some type of concealed-carry law.
In February, the Illinois Sheriffs' Association passed a resolution supporting a concealed-carry law in Illinois, with several conditions in place.
Then in May, Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis expressed public support for Peoria becoming a test city for statewide legislation that would allow people to carry guns in a responsible way.
During a recent 10-week stint at the FBI's National Academy, which brought 250 worldwide law-enforcement executives to Quantico, Va., Peoria Police Chief Steven Settingsgaard said, "Everyone I spoke to was in favor of concealed carry."
On July 9, the village of Bartonville and its police department passed a resolution in support of the ISA's recommendation for legalized concealed-carry accompanied by stringent regulation of the process.
"We're supporting the sheriff's association with mandated regulations if the Legislature decides to enact concealed- carry in the state," Bartonville Police Chief Brian Fengel said. "They're already out on the streets. The gangbangers already have guns. This would allow law-abiding citizens to have them with mandatory training and background checks."
Bartonville's resolution outlines provisions, including:
- Permits being issued by a statewide agency to ensure consistency in evaluation and screening.
- Proper instruction, gun safety and range training, demonstrated ability to fire accurately and safely and required requalification annually.
- Applications processed by sheriff's departments, including the ability to articulate why a permit is being denied.
- Clear identification indicating if a person is allowed to carry in public.
Others proposing concealed-carry also mention the need to evaluate factors such as criminal and mental health histories before issuing permits to carry a gun.
"We want to show our legislators we're in support of it, and we sent the resolution to the Senate and House and the people who represent us in state government," Fengel said of the resolution. "If the city of Chicago doesn't want it, then the rest of the state could do it."
Because of Chicago's longtime opposition to concealed carry, many believe creating such legislation is a long shot.
Peoria-area police chiefs mention the idea of Peoria, the county or the Tri-County Area becoming a test ground for possible future statewide legislation.
"I'm very much in favor of concealed carry," Settingsgaard said. "I believe it's to Peoria's benefit and Illinois' benefit.
"Ideally, it would be the whole state. But if all we carve out is a piece of central Illinois, I think we should do it."
One possible problem with having concealed-carry in just one city or one area of the state is the potential for spill-over into nearby communities. Someone legally carrying a gun could, for example, cross over into Peoria Heights without realizing it.
"It's a concern of mine, because we're landlocked by Peoria," Peoria Heights Police Chief Dustin Sutton said. "A lot of people who go through the Heights don't even realize they're in the Heights. There aren't distinctive boundaries. We get a lot of Peoria traffic, and most of those people don't know where the boundaries are."
Even when the boundaries are clearer, such as crossing the Illinois River, "I would imagine there would be some lapses," East Peoria Police Chief Ed Papis said.
Concealed-carry opponents point to instances of breakdowns in which unqualified or unstable people attain the right to carry a gun, and proponents cite statistics showing reductions in certain types of crimes in the years after approving concealed-carry legislation.
"I don't fear the average, law-abiding citizen wanting to apply for a permit," Settingsgaard said. "I fear guns in the hands of criminals and felons.
"The bottom line is, if somebody is considering breaking into a home or robbing a gas station or attacking someone on the street, if they think they might not survive that confrontation, a lot of people are going to think twice."
Sutton said he supports concealed-carry with the proper safeguards in place, but he worries about loopholes or becoming lax as years go by.
"If it's in place for a couple of years and then it becomes relaxed, it could be a nightmare," Sutton said. "Sometimes, over time, you start to loosen your grip on something. When you're talking about a firearm, there's no room for error."
For many who oppose concealed-carry, one of the biggest fears is seeing their state become the Wild West.
"To me, the best statistic is 48 states have passed a law and no one has repealed it," Settingsgaard said. "There are 48 examples of states that have not become the Wild West."
Papis scoffs at the notion that concealed-carry would flood the streets with additional guns.
"Rest assured, there are plenty of weapons out there - mostly in the hands of people who shouldn't have them or aren't licensed to have them," he said.
Skaggs said Peoria's police union hasn't taken a vote to form an official stance, but from talking with other officers he believes most are in favor of concealed carry.
Papis said he would expect a well-run concealed-carry system to create a reduction in crimes against individuals.
"In my 34 years of law enforcement, there have been many, many instances that I knew if the victim would have had a weapon to defend themselves, the outcome would have been quite different," he said.
Ryan Ori can be reached at 686-3264
Sunday, July 19, 2009
More hot air and empty rhetoric
Father Michael Pfleger took the pulpit for the first time since the shooting that injured two boys. He wanted to show his church would not back down. CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports on the fiery service.
Father Michael Pfleger drove the point home that his congregation has to be bolder and more aggressive when it comes to taking their community back.
In a powerful show of defiance against violence, the men of the St. Sabina congregation unite at the altar. Each shouts the words, "it's on."
Their show of solidarity, challenging crime and guns, comes after two teens were shot Friday outside the parish. Father Michael Pfleger says it's time for parishioners to let go of the status quo.
"If it was white children, we'd have a revolution going on in America, but because it's black and brown children, ain't nobody doin' nothing about it," Pfleger said. "Gunshots is not supposed to be the sound that we hear in our neighborhood! Gunshots is not supposed to be the music in our streets! Funeral business, is not supposed to be the biggest business in our community. We got to understand, that's not normal."
When asked how that sermon affected participants on the altar, parishioner Shawn Shine said," it was just more or less, a confirmation. God will give me the power, to do what I need to do, which is speak up, in the community."
Pfleger's sermon was called, "It's On." He spoke directly to those he says, makes neighborhoods unsafe.
"GD'S it's on; Vice Lords, it's on; BD's, it's on; Stone's it's on – anybody that comes against our children, it's on," Pfleger said.
Parishioner Pat Alex was at St. Sabina the night of the shooting. Alex spoke with CBS 2 with her three-year-old godson by her side.
"When I heard Father Mike's sermon, it's like, you got to keep pushing, you got to keep moving, cause that's what the devil wants you to do – he wants you to stop," Alex said. "So we had to be here, cause it's for the children."
And when it comes to the young people, July 24, the doors of the ARC at St. Sabina will be open. That's the church's recreational center. Father Pfleger says he wants the community to come out in force, to show that no one can violate their sanctuary of peace and safety again.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Father Michael Pfleger drove the point home that his congregation has to be bolder and more aggressive when it comes to taking their community back.
In a powerful show of defiance against violence, the men of the St. Sabina congregation unite at the altar. Each shouts the words, "it's on."
Their show of solidarity, challenging crime and guns, comes after two teens were shot Friday outside the parish. Father Michael Pfleger says it's time for parishioners to let go of the status quo.
"If it was white children, we'd have a revolution going on in America, but because it's black and brown children, ain't nobody doin' nothing about it," Pfleger said. "Gunshots is not supposed to be the sound that we hear in our neighborhood! Gunshots is not supposed to be the music in our streets! Funeral business, is not supposed to be the biggest business in our community. We got to understand, that's not normal."
When asked how that sermon affected participants on the altar, parishioner Shawn Shine said," it was just more or less, a confirmation. God will give me the power, to do what I need to do, which is speak up, in the community."
Pfleger's sermon was called, "It's On." He spoke directly to those he says, makes neighborhoods unsafe.
"GD'S it's on; Vice Lords, it's on; BD's, it's on; Stone's it's on – anybody that comes against our children, it's on," Pfleger said.
Parishioner Pat Alex was at St. Sabina the night of the shooting. Alex spoke with CBS 2 with her three-year-old godson by her side.
"When I heard Father Mike's sermon, it's like, you got to keep pushing, you got to keep moving, cause that's what the devil wants you to do – he wants you to stop," Alex said. "So we had to be here, cause it's for the children."
And when it comes to the young people, July 24, the doors of the ARC at St. Sabina will be open. That's the church's recreational center. Father Pfleger says he wants the community to come out in force, to show that no one can violate their sanctuary of peace and safety again.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Friday, July 17, 2009
NATIONAL CONCEALED CARRY !
Vote on Right to Carry Coming Soon
-- Please urge your Senators to vote YES!
Friday, July 17, 2009
A vote to protect your right to travel out-of-state with a firearm could come to a vote next week -- even as early as Monday!
Senators John Thune and David Vitter are the sponsors of S. 845 -- a bill that will establish concealed carry reciprocity amongst the several states.
Senators Thune and Vitter offered the bill as an amendment (#1618) to the Department of Defense authorization bill (H.R. 2647).
This provision will use the constitutional authority allowing Congress to enforce "full faith and credit" across the country, so that each state respects the "public acts, records, and judicial proceedings" of every other state (Article IV).
The benefit of the Thune/Vitter legislation is that -- unlike other, competing measures -- it would protect the right of any U.S. citizen to carry out of state (regardless of whether he possesses a permit), as long as he is authorized to carry in his home state. This is important because of states like Vermont and Alaska, where residents can carry concealed without prior approval or permission from the state... in other words, without a permit!
ACTION: Please urge your Senators to vote YES on the Thune/Vitter concealed carry reciprocity amendment that will be offered to the Department of Defense authorization bill and NO on any modifying amendments. This vote could come as early as Monday, so please act on this right away!
You can use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to send your Senators the pre-written e-mail message below.
----- Pre-written letter -----
Dear Senator:
Please support the Thune/Vitter amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill. This amendment will protect the right of citizens to carry firearms outside of their home state without violating the rights of the other states. Thus, the reciprocity language masterfully protects the principle of federalism while also promoting Second Amendment rights.
A person's right to defend himself and his family should not end at the border of his state.
I urge you to vote for the Thune/Vitter concealed carry amendment and to oppose any modifying actions that seek to weaken their amendment.
Sincerely,
-- Please urge your Senators to vote YES!
Friday, July 17, 2009
A vote to protect your right to travel out-of-state with a firearm could come to a vote next week -- even as early as Monday!
Senators John Thune and David Vitter are the sponsors of S. 845 -- a bill that will establish concealed carry reciprocity amongst the several states.
Senators Thune and Vitter offered the bill as an amendment (#1618) to the Department of Defense authorization bill (H.R. 2647).
This provision will use the constitutional authority allowing Congress to enforce "full faith and credit" across the country, so that each state respects the "public acts, records, and judicial proceedings" of every other state (Article IV).
The benefit of the Thune/Vitter legislation is that -- unlike other, competing measures -- it would protect the right of any U.S. citizen to carry out of state (regardless of whether he possesses a permit), as long as he is authorized to carry in his home state. This is important because of states like Vermont and Alaska, where residents can carry concealed without prior approval or permission from the state... in other words, without a permit!
ACTION: Please urge your Senators to vote YES on the Thune/Vitter concealed carry reciprocity amendment that will be offered to the Department of Defense authorization bill and NO on any modifying amendments. This vote could come as early as Monday, so please act on this right away!
You can use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to send your Senators the pre-written e-mail message below.
----- Pre-written letter -----
Dear Senator:
Please support the Thune/Vitter amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill. This amendment will protect the right of citizens to carry firearms outside of their home state without violating the rights of the other states. Thus, the reciprocity language masterfully protects the principle of federalism while also promoting Second Amendment rights.
A person's right to defend himself and his family should not end at the border of his state.
I urge you to vote for the Thune/Vitter concealed carry amendment and to oppose any modifying actions that seek to weaken their amendment.
Sincerely,
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
They say rats are the first to leave a sinking ship !
Daley's chief procurement officer abruptly resigns
July 14, 2009
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
Mayor Daley’s $169,020 chief procurement officer abruptly resigned Tuesday, spinning the revolving door in a department that has struggled to boost black contracting and weed out minority fronts.
Montel Gayles was appointed in January 2008 to replace Barbara Lumpkin, who resigned after two years on the job.
Less than three months later, Gayles embarrassed and infuriated Daley with kid-gloves treatment of James Duff, head of a mob-connected family that became the poster child for minority business fraud in Chicago.
Gayles banned Duff from doing business with the city for just three years, even though Duff pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining $100 million in janitorial contracts earmarked for minorities and women.
When Daley and African-American aldermen raised the roof, Gayles switched the punishment to a lifetime ban. Shortly before his about-face, Gayles had defended the three-year penalty, telling the Chicago Sun-Times, "I don't know the Duffs from the Diffs."
Daley made no effort to conceal his anger and kept Gayles in the doghouse for months. Nevertheless, Gayles remained on the job for 16 months before resigning. City Hall insisted that he was not forced out.
Now, a mayor who has changed chief procurement officers six times in the last eight years without solving the black contracting problem that infuriates African-American aldermen will have to fill the hot seat once again.
“I wish him well in his future endeavors,” Daley said in a press release announcing Gayles’ decision to “pursue opportunities in the private sector.”
Gayles, former executive director of the Daley-chaired Public Building Commission, did not return repeated phone calls.
On Friday, Gayles testified before a City Council committee and disclosed numbers that have become all too familiar to African-American aldermen: only 7 percent of all city contracts awarded during the first quarter of 2009 went to blacks, compared to 14 percent for Hispanics and 35 percent for Asian-Americans.
Ald. Ed Smith (28th) believes the constant turnover at the top of Procurement Services is impeding the city’s efforts to bolster black contracting.
“I thought he was on the right track. He worked with us. He tried to put mechanisms in place to improve these numbers, but he didn’t have a chance to make a case for himself. He was not there long enough,” Smith said.
“I’m just concerned that we’re losing some key people from our community in these spots. The person who proceeded him was also black and she ended up leaving also. I don’t know what happened [to Gayles], but I’m really concerned to find out what happened.”
Gayles’ departure comes at a time when the Daley administration is laying the groundwork to renew a construction set-aside ordinance that’s due to expire Dec. 31.
July 14, 2009
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
Mayor Daley’s $169,020 chief procurement officer abruptly resigned Tuesday, spinning the revolving door in a department that has struggled to boost black contracting and weed out minority fronts.
Montel Gayles was appointed in January 2008 to replace Barbara Lumpkin, who resigned after two years on the job.
Less than three months later, Gayles embarrassed and infuriated Daley with kid-gloves treatment of James Duff, head of a mob-connected family that became the poster child for minority business fraud in Chicago.
Gayles banned Duff from doing business with the city for just three years, even though Duff pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining $100 million in janitorial contracts earmarked for minorities and women.
When Daley and African-American aldermen raised the roof, Gayles switched the punishment to a lifetime ban. Shortly before his about-face, Gayles had defended the three-year penalty, telling the Chicago Sun-Times, "I don't know the Duffs from the Diffs."
Daley made no effort to conceal his anger and kept Gayles in the doghouse for months. Nevertheless, Gayles remained on the job for 16 months before resigning. City Hall insisted that he was not forced out.
Now, a mayor who has changed chief procurement officers six times in the last eight years without solving the black contracting problem that infuriates African-American aldermen will have to fill the hot seat once again.
“I wish him well in his future endeavors,” Daley said in a press release announcing Gayles’ decision to “pursue opportunities in the private sector.”
Gayles, former executive director of the Daley-chaired Public Building Commission, did not return repeated phone calls.
On Friday, Gayles testified before a City Council committee and disclosed numbers that have become all too familiar to African-American aldermen: only 7 percent of all city contracts awarded during the first quarter of 2009 went to blacks, compared to 14 percent for Hispanics and 35 percent for Asian-Americans.
Ald. Ed Smith (28th) believes the constant turnover at the top of Procurement Services is impeding the city’s efforts to bolster black contracting.
“I thought he was on the right track. He worked with us. He tried to put mechanisms in place to improve these numbers, but he didn’t have a chance to make a case for himself. He was not there long enough,” Smith said.
“I’m just concerned that we’re losing some key people from our community in these spots. The person who proceeded him was also black and she ended up leaving also. I don’t know what happened [to Gayles], but I’m really concerned to find out what happened.”
Gayles’ departure comes at a time when the Daley administration is laying the groundwork to renew a construction set-aside ordinance that’s due to expire Dec. 31.
HERE WE GO AGAIN !
Police probe 4 South Side shootings
July 14, 2009 4:42 AM |
Chicago police are investigating at least four South Side shootings this morning, including the slaying of a 20-year-old man in the Gresham neighborhood.
In that incident, officers responded to call of shots fired in the 600 block of West 89th Street and found the man dead with a gunshot wound to the chest, police said.
The victim was identified as Kevin Johnson of the 8900 block of South Parnell Avenue, according to a spokeswoman for the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Further information was not immediately available.
Police also were investigating at least three separate Monday-night shootings on the South Side.
In the the 8200 block of South Ellis Avenue, a 38-year-old man was struck twice in one leg by stray bullets as he stood outside about 9:10 p.m., police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital.
About 9:45 p.m. a 24-year-old man riding a bicycle in the 4700 block of South Calumet Avenue was shot in the foot by two gunmen who fled the scene and remain at large, police said.
And in the 5800 block of South Peoria Street, a 22-year-old woman was shot in the back while standing on a sidewalk with friends just before midnight. She was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in good condition, police said
July 14, 2009 4:42 AM |
Chicago police are investigating at least four South Side shootings this morning, including the slaying of a 20-year-old man in the Gresham neighborhood.
In that incident, officers responded to call of shots fired in the 600 block of West 89th Street and found the man dead with a gunshot wound to the chest, police said.
The victim was identified as Kevin Johnson of the 8900 block of South Parnell Avenue, according to a spokeswoman for the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Further information was not immediately available.
Police also were investigating at least three separate Monday-night shootings on the South Side.
In the the 8200 block of South Ellis Avenue, a 38-year-old man was struck twice in one leg by stray bullets as he stood outside about 9:10 p.m., police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital.
About 9:45 p.m. a 24-year-old man riding a bicycle in the 4700 block of South Calumet Avenue was shot in the foot by two gunmen who fled the scene and remain at large, police said.
And in the 5800 block of South Peoria Street, a 22-year-old woman was shot in the back while standing on a sidewalk with friends just before midnight. She was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in good condition, police said
Monday, July 13, 2009
Had enough yet ?
Quinn OKs legalized video gambling to pay for construction program
Posted by Monique Garcia at 1:25 p.m.
Gov. Pat Quinn today signed legislation creating a statewide construction program that will be funded by raising motorist fees, increasing liquor taxes and legalizing video gambling in bars and restaurants around Illinois.
Quinn claimed the new investment in roads, mass transit and new schools would create or retain more than 400,000 jobs.
The building program has been mired in politics for weeks as Quinn and lawmakers are at an impasse over the state budget. After first saying the construction legislation and the budget were not politically linked, Quinn then made approval of a balanced spending plan a condition for signing it into law.
But the rookie governor changed his mind again, and today he touted the program as a big boost for the struggling economy. He and legislative leaders are expected to meet later today in Springfield to discuss a state spending plan that is still in limbo.
Several top lawmakers, as well as Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, attended the signing ceremony at a Chicago high school. The crowd also was full of labor union members who expect to get a lot of work from the construction program.
Posted by Monique Garcia at 1:25 p.m.
Gov. Pat Quinn today signed legislation creating a statewide construction program that will be funded by raising motorist fees, increasing liquor taxes and legalizing video gambling in bars and restaurants around Illinois.
Quinn claimed the new investment in roads, mass transit and new schools would create or retain more than 400,000 jobs.
The building program has been mired in politics for weeks as Quinn and lawmakers are at an impasse over the state budget. After first saying the construction legislation and the budget were not politically linked, Quinn then made approval of a balanced spending plan a condition for signing it into law.
But the rookie governor changed his mind again, and today he touted the program as a big boost for the struggling economy. He and legislative leaders are expected to meet later today in Springfield to discuss a state spending plan that is still in limbo.
Several top lawmakers, as well as Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, attended the signing ceremony at a Chicago high school. The crowd also was full of labor union members who expect to get a lot of work from the construction program.
Must be nice to have bodyguards !
Escaped inmate caught by Daley security guard
Comments
July 13, 2009
BY KARA SPAK Staff Reporter
A member of Mayor Daley’s security team captured a convicted murderer near the mayor’s Michigan vacation home Monday morning, holding him at gunpoint until police arrived.
The takedown of the escapee from a maximum-security prison happened around 6:40 a.m. in a driveway on the 49000 block of East McKean, Grand Beach, Mich., about one-quarter mile from Daley’s beachfront property, said Grand Beach Police Chief Dan Schroeder.
RELATED STORIES
2 killers, rapist escape from state prison
The Daley security officer caught Charles Smith, 48, who was convicted of murder in the 1990s, Schroeder said. The security guard then called local police who arrested Smith.
“We’re extremely appreciative, absolutely,” Schroeder said.
Smith, Mark Booher, 46, and Lance Battreal, 45, escaped from the maximum-security Indiana State Prison in Michigan City over the weekend.
Booher also was convicted of murder and Battreal was serving time for rape.
Schroeder said a man believed to be Booher escaped while the security guard was apprehending Smith. Local police in the quiet Michigan vacation area are on high alert, he said.
The man believed to be Booher was wearing a white shirt, grey sweat pants and blue shorts over the sweat pants, Schroeder said. He is described as a white male in his mid-40s, and asked anyone who sees someone matching his description to call police.
The prison the men escaped from is about 15 miles from Grand Beach.
Schroeder said this was the biggest police incident in town since a multi-million-dollar home near Daley’s summerhouse was torched in April 2008.
A letter sent days before the fire to Daley’s City Hall office threatened to torch his summer home in retaliation for the Chicago police killing a cougar loose in Roscoe Village in April 2008.
Comments
July 13, 2009
BY KARA SPAK Staff Reporter
A member of Mayor Daley’s security team captured a convicted murderer near the mayor’s Michigan vacation home Monday morning, holding him at gunpoint until police arrived.
The takedown of the escapee from a maximum-security prison happened around 6:40 a.m. in a driveway on the 49000 block of East McKean, Grand Beach, Mich., about one-quarter mile from Daley’s beachfront property, said Grand Beach Police Chief Dan Schroeder.
RELATED STORIES
2 killers, rapist escape from state prison
The Daley security officer caught Charles Smith, 48, who was convicted of murder in the 1990s, Schroeder said. The security guard then called local police who arrested Smith.
“We’re extremely appreciative, absolutely,” Schroeder said.
Smith, Mark Booher, 46, and Lance Battreal, 45, escaped from the maximum-security Indiana State Prison in Michigan City over the weekend.
Booher also was convicted of murder and Battreal was serving time for rape.
Schroeder said a man believed to be Booher escaped while the security guard was apprehending Smith. Local police in the quiet Michigan vacation area are on high alert, he said.
The man believed to be Booher was wearing a white shirt, grey sweat pants and blue shorts over the sweat pants, Schroeder said. He is described as a white male in his mid-40s, and asked anyone who sees someone matching his description to call police.
The prison the men escaped from is about 15 miles from Grand Beach.
Schroeder said this was the biggest police incident in town since a multi-million-dollar home near Daley’s summerhouse was torched in April 2008.
A letter sent days before the fire to Daley’s City Hall office threatened to torch his summer home in retaliation for the Chicago police killing a cougar loose in Roscoe Village in April 2008.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
We get to keep our knives !
Senate Passes Amendment Protecting Knife Owners
Friday, July 10, 2009
Late Thursday, the Senate unanimously passed an amendment to the Federal Switchblade Act as part of the Homeland Security appropriations bill. The amendment, authored by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), changes the federal law under which one agency had tried to redefine many common knives as switchblades.
The measure would exempt assisted-opening knives that can only be opened with "exertion applied to the blade by hand, wrist or arm" from a federal law that criminalizes commerce in switchblades. Assisted opening knives are highly desired by hunters, anglers, farmers, ranchers, firefighters, law enforcement and emergency personnel and others who may need to open a knife with only one hand.
"The Senate sent a strong message and made clear that the 35 million Americans who own pocketknives are free to continue using them without the threat of federal agency intrusion," Sen. Cornyn said in a statement today. "While U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) proposed changing that, my colleagues joined in a unanimous, bipartisan effort to ensure assisted-opening pocketknives are protected by the law. What's more, the CBP reversal would have inflicted serious economic harm to sporting goods manufacturers and retailers."
In the same statement, Sen. Hatch said, "Without this amendment, there is a real danger that 80 percent of the pocketknives sold in the U.S. could be classified as illegal switchblades, which would hurt knife and tool manufacturers across the nation. The unintended consequences of the CBP's definition could be that state and federal criminal courts could construe Leatherman-type multi-tools equipped with one-hand opening features, as well as folding utility knives with studs on the blunt portions of the blade to assist with opening, to be illegal. That is absurd."
Thursday's Senate action puts us one step closer to passing this common-sense measure into law. The measure now heads to a House-Senate Conference Committee.
To view the amendment, please click here: http://www.KnifeRights.org/SAmdt%201447.pdf
Friday, July 10, 2009
Late Thursday, the Senate unanimously passed an amendment to the Federal Switchblade Act as part of the Homeland Security appropriations bill. The amendment, authored by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), changes the federal law under which one agency had tried to redefine many common knives as switchblades.
The measure would exempt assisted-opening knives that can only be opened with "exertion applied to the blade by hand, wrist or arm" from a federal law that criminalizes commerce in switchblades. Assisted opening knives are highly desired by hunters, anglers, farmers, ranchers, firefighters, law enforcement and emergency personnel and others who may need to open a knife with only one hand.
"The Senate sent a strong message and made clear that the 35 million Americans who own pocketknives are free to continue using them without the threat of federal agency intrusion," Sen. Cornyn said in a statement today. "While U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) proposed changing that, my colleagues joined in a unanimous, bipartisan effort to ensure assisted-opening pocketknives are protected by the law. What's more, the CBP reversal would have inflicted serious economic harm to sporting goods manufacturers and retailers."
In the same statement, Sen. Hatch said, "Without this amendment, there is a real danger that 80 percent of the pocketknives sold in the U.S. could be classified as illegal switchblades, which would hurt knife and tool manufacturers across the nation. The unintended consequences of the CBP's definition could be that state and federal criminal courts could construe Leatherman-type multi-tools equipped with one-hand opening features, as well as folding utility knives with studs on the blunt portions of the blade to assist with opening, to be illegal. That is absurd."
Thursday's Senate action puts us one step closer to passing this common-sense measure into law. The measure now heads to a House-Senate Conference Committee.
To view the amendment, please click here: http://www.KnifeRights.org/SAmdt%201447.pdf
Friday, July 10, 2009
More misinformation from the other side !
QUOTE
ICHV Insights by Father Michael Pfleger
Gun violence has always been an issue, but in the last ten years, I've watched it become more of an epidemic. It has grown to a new and frightening level. In some communities, murder and shooting of youth is to be expected.
Role of Gun Industry
Why is this happening? Well, the culture of violence has become acceptable in America. Violence has also been glorified by videos and music. It's also important to realize that the NRA has encouraged guns to be part of America's wardrobe in the name of fear. Anyone can get a gun.
When we take a closer look, we can see that the NRA is the lobbyist for gun manufacturers -- but not for gun owners. It's really about business. It's like the tobacco industry. Eventually, that industry started targeting younger and younger people.
The gun industry reaches an astounding number of illegal consumers -- and many of them are young. For example, I can go to any high school in the city and students will say they know where they can find a gun. Without a doubt, the gun industry has promoted the kind of easy access to guns that makes this possible.
Of course, the gun industry tries to paint this issue with a wide brush by saying that anyone who challenges it is criticizing the second amendment. What they don't tell you, though, is that you can be for the second amendment and still realize that the gun industry is pushing guns on us in a way that is hurting our neighborhoods and children.
Broad Effects of Gun Violence
What can we do? Some say that guns are not the problem -- you have to change people's behavior. I say that you have to teach children to make the right decisions -- but also focus on the very real gun problem that plagues our society.
We are not dealing with the broader effects of violence. A child gets killed, and everyone connected to that child is affected. What about the children? Who sits in the classroom where that child sat? And what about the children all around the neighborhood? Now, when you visit communities, our new historical landmarks are murder sites. Now, the prayer is not that children avoid illness -- but that they don't get killed. Children are afraid to go to school and afraid to come home from school; fear greets you in the morning, and in the afternoon.
We need to have a different approach to our schools. We teach about the health costs of smoking and disease; let's also teach children about the impact of guns and violence. We must also support conflict resolution programs and other efforts that can be effective.
It's also about resources. When a mother or father or school system sees a young person who is in a potentially violent state or situation, we must provide resources that help prevent what could happen. I have talked to so many principals who say "We saw it coming." I ask: "Then why didn't we try to help that child more?" They always say: "There's not enough resources."
Facing the Race Issue
Meanwhile, there is a context to this violence that far too few people are willing to talk about: the response and reaction of our society to violence is always affected by class and race. Why do you think there was a lack of response to Katrina, but a rapid response when homes were hit by wildfire in California? Earlier this year, we watched our nation authorize a billion for the development of a new swine flu vaccine. When will our country release funding and take the necessary legislative steps to deal with gun violence?
Violence against our children has become acceptable because the biggest number of children who are victims are black and brown. If 38 white children were the victims of gun violence, there would be a national response and outcry. How many shootings at a Virginia Tech, Columbine or Northern Illinois University have to happen in white rural and suburban communities before people care about the bigger picture?
Looking Ahead
Still, we are making some progress on this issue. We have partnerships with handgun groups, some faith leaders in the city and beyond, some legislators, parents who have lost their children to violence and, in Chicago, the mayor. We are seeing positive responses from many people in our neighborhoods. As we connect and organize people in our communities who are concerned about this issue, they don't feel alone. They feel empowered.
At the same time, there is a greater majority that is either silent or afraid, and until this majority becomes engaged on this issue, we will be like voices crying in the wilderness. I believe there are enough people out there to support laws that mandate universal background checks on guns, limit the number of guns people can purchase, and make sure other key gun control laws are passed. But we need to hear from them.
In the end, this is a comprehensive problem that demands a comprehensive response. Our neighbors, our legislators, our schools, our neighborhoods -- together we can make a difference. We can change the current of the river.
Father Michael Pfleger is the pastor of Saint Sabina Catholic Church in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. He is well-known for being a social activist on a range of issues, including gun violence.
ICHV Insights by Father Michael Pfleger
Gun violence has always been an issue, but in the last ten years, I've watched it become more of an epidemic. It has grown to a new and frightening level. In some communities, murder and shooting of youth is to be expected.
Role of Gun Industry
Why is this happening? Well, the culture of violence has become acceptable in America. Violence has also been glorified by videos and music. It's also important to realize that the NRA has encouraged guns to be part of America's wardrobe in the name of fear. Anyone can get a gun.
When we take a closer look, we can see that the NRA is the lobbyist for gun manufacturers -- but not for gun owners. It's really about business. It's like the tobacco industry. Eventually, that industry started targeting younger and younger people.
The gun industry reaches an astounding number of illegal consumers -- and many of them are young. For example, I can go to any high school in the city and students will say they know where they can find a gun. Without a doubt, the gun industry has promoted the kind of easy access to guns that makes this possible.
Of course, the gun industry tries to paint this issue with a wide brush by saying that anyone who challenges it is criticizing the second amendment. What they don't tell you, though, is that you can be for the second amendment and still realize that the gun industry is pushing guns on us in a way that is hurting our neighborhoods and children.
Broad Effects of Gun Violence
What can we do? Some say that guns are not the problem -- you have to change people's behavior. I say that you have to teach children to make the right decisions -- but also focus on the very real gun problem that plagues our society.
We are not dealing with the broader effects of violence. A child gets killed, and everyone connected to that child is affected. What about the children? Who sits in the classroom where that child sat? And what about the children all around the neighborhood? Now, when you visit communities, our new historical landmarks are murder sites. Now, the prayer is not that children avoid illness -- but that they don't get killed. Children are afraid to go to school and afraid to come home from school; fear greets you in the morning, and in the afternoon.
We need to have a different approach to our schools. We teach about the health costs of smoking and disease; let's also teach children about the impact of guns and violence. We must also support conflict resolution programs and other efforts that can be effective.
It's also about resources. When a mother or father or school system sees a young person who is in a potentially violent state or situation, we must provide resources that help prevent what could happen. I have talked to so many principals who say "We saw it coming." I ask: "Then why didn't we try to help that child more?" They always say: "There's not enough resources."
Facing the Race Issue
Meanwhile, there is a context to this violence that far too few people are willing to talk about: the response and reaction of our society to violence is always affected by class and race. Why do you think there was a lack of response to Katrina, but a rapid response when homes were hit by wildfire in California? Earlier this year, we watched our nation authorize a billion for the development of a new swine flu vaccine. When will our country release funding and take the necessary legislative steps to deal with gun violence?
Violence against our children has become acceptable because the biggest number of children who are victims are black and brown. If 38 white children were the victims of gun violence, there would be a national response and outcry. How many shootings at a Virginia Tech, Columbine or Northern Illinois University have to happen in white rural and suburban communities before people care about the bigger picture?
Looking Ahead
Still, we are making some progress on this issue. We have partnerships with handgun groups, some faith leaders in the city and beyond, some legislators, parents who have lost their children to violence and, in Chicago, the mayor. We are seeing positive responses from many people in our neighborhoods. As we connect and organize people in our communities who are concerned about this issue, they don't feel alone. They feel empowered.
At the same time, there is a greater majority that is either silent or afraid, and until this majority becomes engaged on this issue, we will be like voices crying in the wilderness. I believe there are enough people out there to support laws that mandate universal background checks on guns, limit the number of guns people can purchase, and make sure other key gun control laws are passed. But we need to hear from them.
In the end, this is a comprehensive problem that demands a comprehensive response. Our neighbors, our legislators, our schools, our neighborhoods -- together we can make a difference. We can change the current of the river.
Father Michael Pfleger is the pastor of Saint Sabina Catholic Church in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. He is well-known for being a social activist on a range of issues, including gun violence.
Chicago gun violence: Where's the outrage?
By Gerald D. Skoning
July 10, 2009
The long 4th of July weekend featured glorious fireworks along the lakefront and deadly gunfire in inner-city neighborhoods. Chicago tallied 63 shootings, one stabbing and 11 fatal shootings.
That's just the latest carnage. The city logged 202 homicide victims in the first six months of 2009: 88 percent were male, 78 percent were black, 44 percent were between the ages of 20 and 30, and 84 percent were shot to death.During the same time, we lost 101 U.S. soldiers in Iraq and 99 in Afghanistan.
By any measure, it seems we aren't winning any of the wars.
Chicagoans face urban violence and death on a daily basis with very little notice. Many of the victims of the Chicago carnage are our children, innocents caught in the crossfire of gang warfare. Call it "sectarian violence" fomented by gang and drug traffickers fighting over turf.
Community leaders rail about the root causes of this urban slaughter -- poverty, unemployment, drug trafficking. Mayor Richard Daley screams about gangbangers and the shocking availability of handguns. The veins in his neck bulge as he argues for stricter gun-control laws.
Meanwhile, national leaders who are fearful of offending vital constituencies pander to the right-to-bear-arms advocates and refuse to address the most urgent issue in urban America.
What about the rest of us? Where is our outrage? Where is our indignation over the slaughter of Chicago children?
Why aren't the residents of Barrington, Winnetka, Wheaton and Lincoln Park linking arms with residents in Englewood, South Austin and Lawndale to mount a massive protest against the outrage in our midst? Have we thrown up our hands in defeat?
To be sure, the challenge is enormous, but there are solutions. As we begin to draw down troop levels in Iraq, a brigade or two could be redeployed to Chicago neighborhoods. Their mission would be not unlike the one they pursued in Iraq, to clear and secure neighborhoods, to protect the local population and to help Chicago Police Department forces curtail
the tidal wave of urban violence.
The tragic loss of brave soldiers killed overseas grabs media headlines and fuels the raging fires of political debate. Meanwhile, in another war right here in our own backyard, the killings continue, almost ignored.
This urban nightmare brings to mind the sage words of 17th Century poet John Donne: "No man is an island, entire of itself . . . any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
The bell is tolling mournfully, for all of us.
Gerald D. Skoning is a Chicago attorney.
By Gerald D. Skoning
July 10, 2009
The long 4th of July weekend featured glorious fireworks along the lakefront and deadly gunfire in inner-city neighborhoods. Chicago tallied 63 shootings, one stabbing and 11 fatal shootings.
That's just the latest carnage. The city logged 202 homicide victims in the first six months of 2009: 88 percent were male, 78 percent were black, 44 percent were between the ages of 20 and 30, and 84 percent were shot to death.During the same time, we lost 101 U.S. soldiers in Iraq and 99 in Afghanistan.
By any measure, it seems we aren't winning any of the wars.
Chicagoans face urban violence and death on a daily basis with very little notice. Many of the victims of the Chicago carnage are our children, innocents caught in the crossfire of gang warfare. Call it "sectarian violence" fomented by gang and drug traffickers fighting over turf.
Community leaders rail about the root causes of this urban slaughter -- poverty, unemployment, drug trafficking. Mayor Richard Daley screams about gangbangers and the shocking availability of handguns. The veins in his neck bulge as he argues for stricter gun-control laws.
Meanwhile, national leaders who are fearful of offending vital constituencies pander to the right-to-bear-arms advocates and refuse to address the most urgent issue in urban America.
What about the rest of us? Where is our outrage? Where is our indignation over the slaughter of Chicago children?
Why aren't the residents of Barrington, Winnetka, Wheaton and Lincoln Park linking arms with residents in Englewood, South Austin and Lawndale to mount a massive protest against the outrage in our midst? Have we thrown up our hands in defeat?
To be sure, the challenge is enormous, but there are solutions. As we begin to draw down troop levels in Iraq, a brigade or two could be redeployed to Chicago neighborhoods. Their mission would be not unlike the one they pursued in Iraq, to clear and secure neighborhoods, to protect the local population and to help Chicago Police Department forces curtail
the tidal wave of urban violence.
The tragic loss of brave soldiers killed overseas grabs media headlines and fuels the raging fires of political debate. Meanwhile, in another war right here in our own backyard, the killings continue, almost ignored.
This urban nightmare brings to mind the sage words of 17th Century poet John Donne: "No man is an island, entire of itself . . . any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
The bell is tolling mournfully, for all of us.
Gerald D. Skoning is a Chicago attorney.
Despicable part 2
Exclusive: Emmett Till's casket left to waste at Burr Oak
Cemetery debacle grows worse with discovery of coffin of civil rights icon
Comments
July 10, 2009
BY MARY MITCHELL Sun-Times Columnist
Broken. Rusted. Battered. The image of a glass-covered casket with the body of Emmett Till was shown around the world in the 1950s. But on Thursday, as hundreds of African Americans searched frantically for the graves of love ones, the battered casket of Till was rusting in the back of a shack at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip.
The casket was surrounded by garbage and discarded headstones strewn about like litter.
The original coffin that had contained Emmett Louis Till (inset) was found at Burr Oak Cemetery Thursday in an old work area. The original casket was supposed to be part of a planned memorial for Till at Burr Oak Cemetery.
(Scott Stewart/Sun-Times, AP
"When we opened it up trying to find what we have, a family of possums ran out," said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.
Cemetery workers had been cooperative and informed law enforcement officials that it was indeed Till's original casket.
"It sure looks like all of the photos I have ever seen," Dart said. "This is absolutely horrible."
In June 2005, Till's body was exhumed during an investigation of his death. As is customary, he was not reburied in the same casket.
The original casket was supposed to be part of a planned memorial for Till at Burr Oak Cemetery, but the donations for that memorial were allegedly pocketed by a woman who has been charged in this ghoulish scheme.
Till, 14, was kidnapped and murdered after he whistled at a white woman in 1955 in Mississippi. The lynching of the Chicago youth helped spark the civil rights movement. A picture of his severely mutilated face was shown around the world.
His original casket is symbolic of the condition of the battered condition of the cemetery.
Officers raided the cemetery at 4400 W. 127th St. in Alsip on Wednesday morning.
Four people, including Carolyn Towns -- the woman who was supposed to set up the Till memorial -- were charged with one count of dismemberment of a human body.
The other charged employees were Keith Nicks, 45; Terrence Nicks, 39, and Maurice Dailey, 59.
Throughout the day, Cook County sheriff's deputies ferried anxious family members to grave sites in buses ordinarily used to take inmates to Cook County Jail.
The landscape in some sections of the cemetery was dotted with orange utility flags that some people mistakenly thought indicated desecrated graves.
But beyond the grassy areas at Burr Oak, hidden by a wall of high weeds and buried under mounds of dirt, is the nightmare that all of these African Americans were praying they were spared.
The Cook County sheriff's office now estimates that about 300 bodies were dumped in the rear of Burr Oak, in an area that is about the size of three football fields.
Knowing what was out there was a heavy burden etched in the faces of the people who were waiting for answers.
Carolyn Singleton of Chicago sat in a folding chair outside of the cemetery's office building, where people were lined up seeking information about plot locations.
She had arrived at Burr Oak at 11 a.m. It was about 3 p.m., and she was still clutching No. 379.
Singleton told me she was looking for the grave sites of seven family members: her grandmother, two aunts, two uncles, a cousin, and her fiance's mother.
"This is like having a funeral all over again," she said. "My fiance's family is calling from out of town trying to get information. All this is giving me a headache."
I have to give Dart credit for the way he has handled this unprecedented catastrophe.
Although the cemetery's owners said they would attend a news conference at the cemetery, they failed to show. With most of the employees under arrest, the Cook County Sheriff 's Department is essentially running the cemetery.
Sheriff's deputies drove worried families back and forth to sections of the cemetery to look for plots.
Armed detectives took information from distraught people who either could not find their loved one's grave site or discovered something was amiss.
Other employees with the Cook County sheriff's office passed out cold bottled water and even emptied garbage containers.
Although the process for locating plots was indeed slow, people were unbelievably patient, and sheriff's deputies were sensitive.
The Rev. Steve Jones, a chaplain for the sheriff's office and president of the Baptist Pastors Conference, was one of the people driving distressed survivors to grave sites.
Jones was thankful that Dart advised the clergy about the disaster before going public. He believes that decision helped bring an element of dignity to a situation that could have been chaotic.
"It wouldn't have been fair to exclude funeral homes or fair to pastors, not to be prepared for a catastrophe of this magnitude," Jones said.
"The fact is every black person in Chicago has a tie to this cemetery. When they took us to the crime scene, I walked over bones," he said.
"This whole thing makes the bereavement experience fresh. To even think your loved one's remains might not be in place. . . it really breaks my heart."
Related Blog Posts Photo: Michael Jackson Gold Plated Casket At Memorial Service
From PostChronicle.com
Photo: Michael Jackson Gold Plated Casket At Memorial Service
From PostChronicle.com
The views expressed in these blog posts are those of the author and not of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Cemetery debacle grows worse with discovery of coffin of civil rights icon
Comments
July 10, 2009
BY MARY MITCHELL Sun-Times Columnist
Broken. Rusted. Battered. The image of a glass-covered casket with the body of Emmett Till was shown around the world in the 1950s. But on Thursday, as hundreds of African Americans searched frantically for the graves of love ones, the battered casket of Till was rusting in the back of a shack at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip.
The casket was surrounded by garbage and discarded headstones strewn about like litter.
The original coffin that had contained Emmett Louis Till (inset) was found at Burr Oak Cemetery Thursday in an old work area. The original casket was supposed to be part of a planned memorial for Till at Burr Oak Cemetery.
(Scott Stewart/Sun-Times, AP
"When we opened it up trying to find what we have, a family of possums ran out," said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.
Cemetery workers had been cooperative and informed law enforcement officials that it was indeed Till's original casket.
"It sure looks like all of the photos I have ever seen," Dart said. "This is absolutely horrible."
In June 2005, Till's body was exhumed during an investigation of his death. As is customary, he was not reburied in the same casket.
The original casket was supposed to be part of a planned memorial for Till at Burr Oak Cemetery, but the donations for that memorial were allegedly pocketed by a woman who has been charged in this ghoulish scheme.
Till, 14, was kidnapped and murdered after he whistled at a white woman in 1955 in Mississippi. The lynching of the Chicago youth helped spark the civil rights movement. A picture of his severely mutilated face was shown around the world.
His original casket is symbolic of the condition of the battered condition of the cemetery.
Officers raided the cemetery at 4400 W. 127th St. in Alsip on Wednesday morning.
Four people, including Carolyn Towns -- the woman who was supposed to set up the Till memorial -- were charged with one count of dismemberment of a human body.
The other charged employees were Keith Nicks, 45; Terrence Nicks, 39, and Maurice Dailey, 59.
Throughout the day, Cook County sheriff's deputies ferried anxious family members to grave sites in buses ordinarily used to take inmates to Cook County Jail.
The landscape in some sections of the cemetery was dotted with orange utility flags that some people mistakenly thought indicated desecrated graves.
But beyond the grassy areas at Burr Oak, hidden by a wall of high weeds and buried under mounds of dirt, is the nightmare that all of these African Americans were praying they were spared.
The Cook County sheriff's office now estimates that about 300 bodies were dumped in the rear of Burr Oak, in an area that is about the size of three football fields.
Knowing what was out there was a heavy burden etched in the faces of the people who were waiting for answers.
Carolyn Singleton of Chicago sat in a folding chair outside of the cemetery's office building, where people were lined up seeking information about plot locations.
She had arrived at Burr Oak at 11 a.m. It was about 3 p.m., and she was still clutching No. 379.
Singleton told me she was looking for the grave sites of seven family members: her grandmother, two aunts, two uncles, a cousin, and her fiance's mother.
"This is like having a funeral all over again," she said. "My fiance's family is calling from out of town trying to get information. All this is giving me a headache."
I have to give Dart credit for the way he has handled this unprecedented catastrophe.
Although the cemetery's owners said they would attend a news conference at the cemetery, they failed to show. With most of the employees under arrest, the Cook County Sheriff 's Department is essentially running the cemetery.
Sheriff's deputies drove worried families back and forth to sections of the cemetery to look for plots.
Armed detectives took information from distraught people who either could not find their loved one's grave site or discovered something was amiss.
Other employees with the Cook County sheriff's office passed out cold bottled water and even emptied garbage containers.
Although the process for locating plots was indeed slow, people were unbelievably patient, and sheriff's deputies were sensitive.
The Rev. Steve Jones, a chaplain for the sheriff's office and president of the Baptist Pastors Conference, was one of the people driving distressed survivors to grave sites.
Jones was thankful that Dart advised the clergy about the disaster before going public. He believes that decision helped bring an element of dignity to a situation that could have been chaotic.
"It wouldn't have been fair to exclude funeral homes or fair to pastors, not to be prepared for a catastrophe of this magnitude," Jones said.
"The fact is every black person in Chicago has a tie to this cemetery. When they took us to the crime scene, I walked over bones," he said.
"This whole thing makes the bereavement experience fresh. To even think your loved one's remains might not be in place. . . it really breaks my heart."
Related Blog Posts Photo: Michael Jackson Gold Plated Casket At Memorial Service
From PostChronicle.com
Photo: Michael Jackson Gold Plated Casket At Memorial Service
From PostChronicle.com
The views expressed in these blog posts are those of the author and not of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
DESPICABLE !!!!!!!!!!!
4 charged with dismembering cemetery bodies
July 9, 2009 12:15 PM | 110 Comments | UPDATED STORY
Cook County Sheriff's Police Chief DeWayne Holbrook greets a woman at the entrance of Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip. Relatives of those buried there came today looking for answers. (David Pierini/Chicago Tribune)
Four people have been charged after authorities discovered that dozens of bodies had been dug up at the historic Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip and the grave sites illegally resold.
Each was charged with one count of dismembering a human body, a Class X felony. They were identified as Carolyn Towns, 49, Keith Nicks, 45, and Terrence Nicks, 39, all of Chicago, and Maurice Dailey, 59, of Robbins. They will appear in Central Bond Court at 11:45 a.m.
An arrest warrant was also issued Tuesday for a fifth person, a 45-year-old woman who was a secretary at the cemetery, according to Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Brittney Blair. But the woman was not charged after investigators became convinced that she did not profit from the scheme and was only carrying out orders from Towns, who was the office manager.
"Carolyn Towns was the brains behind the operation, the one calling the shots," Blair said.
Detectives discovered a pile of bones -- from more than 100 bodies -- decomposed, above ground and uncovered in an overgrown, fenced-off portion of the cemetery, according to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.
In addition, bodies apparently were double-buried in already existing plots, Dart told WGN-AM 720 this morning. Dozens of FBI agents are expected in Chicago early next week to help sift through the evidence at the cemetery, Dart said.
The charges against Towns allege that "numerous graves were excavated and the human remains were then buried in a rear vacant lot in Burr Oak cemetery, Alsip ... She then sold the vacant gravesites for her own personal financial gain."
One of the first predominantly African-American cemeteries in the area, Burr Oak is the resting place of many historic figures, including civil rights symbol Emmett Till, blues legend Dinah Washington and heavyweight boxing champion Ezzard Charles.
Dart said he was certain Till's remains were not disturbed, but he could not be sure about the others.
This morning, a large crowd converged on the cemetery, most of them African-American, saying they wanted to find out if their loved ones' remains had been moved. The families expressed outrage, disgust and discouragement.
Dart said this morning that none of the cemetery's workers came to work today, so the sheriff's office was aiding residents walk through the plots.
"This is just heartbreaking. The people I have talked to have made me want to cry," Dart said. "The sense of violation is horrible."
"Some people come back from the grave site and it's not what it's supposed to be and I don't know what to tell them," he said.
Sheriff's employees are having concerned families first take a number. When their number comes up, they are taken to the site. But the wait is long so Dart's office has brought out chairs for the elderly as well as water, drinks and chips for relatives.
Some people who know where the location of their loved ones' graves are just heading to them on their own.
Dart said he believes the alleged scheme has been going on for about four years.
"We have evidence...There were also people being double-buried, that they would just sort of pound down the one casket or remains and put another set of remains on top," he told WGN-AM.
The disinterred graves appeared to be older, neglected ones, Dart said. "They specifically looked to older graves, where there might not be someone coming out there every week," he said.
He believes the alleged scheme has been going on for about four years.
"We have evidence...There were also people being double-buried, that they would just sort of pound down the one casket or remains and put another set of remains on top," he told WGN-AM Radio.
Dart said it would take weeks, if not months, before it will be known who the bodies are. Between 30 and 40 FBI agents "from all over the world" who specialize in identifying remains will arrive on Monday to work on the case, he told WGN-AM. It will take four or five weeks to sift through the area in the cemetery in which the bodies were dumped and which has been fenced off as the main crime scene, Dart said.
No remains have been removed yet, Dart said. The bones were scattered above ground, along with casket and other related debris, over an area of about four blocks in a hilly portion of the cemetery. There's a lot of overgrown vegetation there, he said, and the area stretches from Kostner to Cicero Avenues.
The FBI is conducting tests to determine the identities, but Dart said he was not familiar with their methods. He said it was possible not all bodies would be identified. Compounding the problem, many cemetery records appear to have been destroyed.
Dart said people have complained about the cemetery for months and have not received any answers. The families have complained specifically of flooding and even markers being moved. The Tribune in May wrote about the cemetery and residents' complaints.
Simeon Wright of the La Grange area, a cousin of Till, said: "This is reprehensible if it's true. I've got several generations of my family buried there, and I've never had any problems. ... But this is a pretty ghoulish story."
On Wednesday night, as news of the grim discovery spread, devastated families started trickling onto the cemetery grounds to check on their loved ones' graves.
Donetta Newman, 35, whose father and both of her grandparents are buried at Burr Oak, stood in the rain trying to get inside to see if their grave sites had been disturbed. "You always think this is the final resting place," she said. "This is just shocking. I'm very distraught."
None of the remains had been removed from the site, said Steve Patterson, a sheriff's spokesman. The state's attorney's office and FBI are also investigating, Dart said.
In recent years the cemetery at 4400 W. 127th St. has drawn complaints for overgrown grass, sunken grave sites and flooding.
Police told industry experts, consulted as they investigated the case, that the conspirators probably took in around $300,000.
Sheriff's police learned of the grave-reselling scheme six weeks ago when they were contacted by the Arizona-based cemetery owners, Perpetua Inc., who told police they were concerned about possible financial wrongdoing, Dart said. The scheme came to light after another cemetery employee told the owners of the re-sold deeds and the owners contacted the sheriff's police department, Blair said.
Perpetua Holdings of Illinois, Inc. has owned the cemetery since 2001. Trudi McCollum Foushee, a Missouri-based attorney for company president Melvin Bryant of Richardson, Texas, would only confirm the company went to police, triggering the investigation.
Authorities alleged that Towns and the other suspects targeted graves they knew had not been visited in a long time and then Towns fraudulently altered the deeds to the plots, sheriff's spokeswoman Blair said. The plots were then resold to unsuspecting families seeking a grave site for a loved one.
All targeted grave sites were very old, though some still had headstones, Blair said. The caskets, vaults and bodies were dumped in a large back portion of the cemetery, where investigators found human remains lying in plain sight amid piles of dirt, she said.
Once a plot was resold, Blair said, "They would dig up the body, toss it and by the time the (newly) deceased person got there, they were put in the grave and their family was none the wiser."
When investigators went out to the cemetery, Dart said, "We originally thought it was just a pure financial crime that we were walking into and then ... within minutes of being out here, we had a pretty good handle on what we were dealing with, and it went well beyond anyone's idea of a financial crime"
Blair said that financial crimes charges could be added later, but it was unclear how much money was netted from the scam. Authorities are still trying to piece together the scheme with what few records exist.
"Unfortunately, they destroyed so much paperwork," Blair said. "I think that [the secretary] was tasked with destroying documents relating to the sale and resale of the deeds."
The Tribune is not naming the secretary because she has not been charged with a crime.
The sheriff's police asked anyone with loved ones buried at the cemetery to call (800) 942-1950.
--Matthew Walberg, Lolly L. Bowean, Steve Schmadeke, Alena Scarver and Joel Hood
July 9, 2009 12:15 PM | 110 Comments | UPDATED STORY
Cook County Sheriff's Police Chief DeWayne Holbrook greets a woman at the entrance of Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip. Relatives of those buried there came today looking for answers. (David Pierini/Chicago Tribune)
Four people have been charged after authorities discovered that dozens of bodies had been dug up at the historic Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip and the grave sites illegally resold.
Each was charged with one count of dismembering a human body, a Class X felony. They were identified as Carolyn Towns, 49, Keith Nicks, 45, and Terrence Nicks, 39, all of Chicago, and Maurice Dailey, 59, of Robbins. They will appear in Central Bond Court at 11:45 a.m.
An arrest warrant was also issued Tuesday for a fifth person, a 45-year-old woman who was a secretary at the cemetery, according to Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Brittney Blair. But the woman was not charged after investigators became convinced that she did not profit from the scheme and was only carrying out orders from Towns, who was the office manager.
"Carolyn Towns was the brains behind the operation, the one calling the shots," Blair said.
Detectives discovered a pile of bones -- from more than 100 bodies -- decomposed, above ground and uncovered in an overgrown, fenced-off portion of the cemetery, according to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.
In addition, bodies apparently were double-buried in already existing plots, Dart told WGN-AM 720 this morning. Dozens of FBI agents are expected in Chicago early next week to help sift through the evidence at the cemetery, Dart said.
The charges against Towns allege that "numerous graves were excavated and the human remains were then buried in a rear vacant lot in Burr Oak cemetery, Alsip ... She then sold the vacant gravesites for her own personal financial gain."
One of the first predominantly African-American cemeteries in the area, Burr Oak is the resting place of many historic figures, including civil rights symbol Emmett Till, blues legend Dinah Washington and heavyweight boxing champion Ezzard Charles.
Dart said he was certain Till's remains were not disturbed, but he could not be sure about the others.
This morning, a large crowd converged on the cemetery, most of them African-American, saying they wanted to find out if their loved ones' remains had been moved. The families expressed outrage, disgust and discouragement.
Dart said this morning that none of the cemetery's workers came to work today, so the sheriff's office was aiding residents walk through the plots.
"This is just heartbreaking. The people I have talked to have made me want to cry," Dart said. "The sense of violation is horrible."
"Some people come back from the grave site and it's not what it's supposed to be and I don't know what to tell them," he said.
Sheriff's employees are having concerned families first take a number. When their number comes up, they are taken to the site. But the wait is long so Dart's office has brought out chairs for the elderly as well as water, drinks and chips for relatives.
Some people who know where the location of their loved ones' graves are just heading to them on their own.
Dart said he believes the alleged scheme has been going on for about four years.
"We have evidence...There were also people being double-buried, that they would just sort of pound down the one casket or remains and put another set of remains on top," he told WGN-AM.
The disinterred graves appeared to be older, neglected ones, Dart said. "They specifically looked to older graves, where there might not be someone coming out there every week," he said.
He believes the alleged scheme has been going on for about four years.
"We have evidence...There were also people being double-buried, that they would just sort of pound down the one casket or remains and put another set of remains on top," he told WGN-AM Radio.
Dart said it would take weeks, if not months, before it will be known who the bodies are. Between 30 and 40 FBI agents "from all over the world" who specialize in identifying remains will arrive on Monday to work on the case, he told WGN-AM. It will take four or five weeks to sift through the area in the cemetery in which the bodies were dumped and which has been fenced off as the main crime scene, Dart said.
No remains have been removed yet, Dart said. The bones were scattered above ground, along with casket and other related debris, over an area of about four blocks in a hilly portion of the cemetery. There's a lot of overgrown vegetation there, he said, and the area stretches from Kostner to Cicero Avenues.
The FBI is conducting tests to determine the identities, but Dart said he was not familiar with their methods. He said it was possible not all bodies would be identified. Compounding the problem, many cemetery records appear to have been destroyed.
Dart said people have complained about the cemetery for months and have not received any answers. The families have complained specifically of flooding and even markers being moved. The Tribune in May wrote about the cemetery and residents' complaints.
Simeon Wright of the La Grange area, a cousin of Till, said: "This is reprehensible if it's true. I've got several generations of my family buried there, and I've never had any problems. ... But this is a pretty ghoulish story."
On Wednesday night, as news of the grim discovery spread, devastated families started trickling onto the cemetery grounds to check on their loved ones' graves.
Donetta Newman, 35, whose father and both of her grandparents are buried at Burr Oak, stood in the rain trying to get inside to see if their grave sites had been disturbed. "You always think this is the final resting place," she said. "This is just shocking. I'm very distraught."
None of the remains had been removed from the site, said Steve Patterson, a sheriff's spokesman. The state's attorney's office and FBI are also investigating, Dart said.
In recent years the cemetery at 4400 W. 127th St. has drawn complaints for overgrown grass, sunken grave sites and flooding.
Police told industry experts, consulted as they investigated the case, that the conspirators probably took in around $300,000.
Sheriff's police learned of the grave-reselling scheme six weeks ago when they were contacted by the Arizona-based cemetery owners, Perpetua Inc., who told police they were concerned about possible financial wrongdoing, Dart said. The scheme came to light after another cemetery employee told the owners of the re-sold deeds and the owners contacted the sheriff's police department, Blair said.
Perpetua Holdings of Illinois, Inc. has owned the cemetery since 2001. Trudi McCollum Foushee, a Missouri-based attorney for company president Melvin Bryant of Richardson, Texas, would only confirm the company went to police, triggering the investigation.
Authorities alleged that Towns and the other suspects targeted graves they knew had not been visited in a long time and then Towns fraudulently altered the deeds to the plots, sheriff's spokeswoman Blair said. The plots were then resold to unsuspecting families seeking a grave site for a loved one.
All targeted grave sites were very old, though some still had headstones, Blair said. The caskets, vaults and bodies were dumped in a large back portion of the cemetery, where investigators found human remains lying in plain sight amid piles of dirt, she said.
Once a plot was resold, Blair said, "They would dig up the body, toss it and by the time the (newly) deceased person got there, they were put in the grave and their family was none the wiser."
When investigators went out to the cemetery, Dart said, "We originally thought it was just a pure financial crime that we were walking into and then ... within minutes of being out here, we had a pretty good handle on what we were dealing with, and it went well beyond anyone's idea of a financial crime"
Blair said that financial crimes charges could be added later, but it was unclear how much money was netted from the scam. Authorities are still trying to piece together the scheme with what few records exist.
"Unfortunately, they destroyed so much paperwork," Blair said. "I think that [the secretary] was tasked with destroying documents relating to the sale and resale of the deeds."
The Tribune is not naming the secretary because she has not been charged with a crime.
The sheriff's police asked anyone with loved ones buried at the cemetery to call (800) 942-1950.
--Matthew Walberg, Lolly L. Bowean, Steve Schmadeke, Alena Scarver and Joel Hood
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Shortshanks on his knees ?
Daley: Stop throwing darts or risk losing Olympics
Comments
July 8, 2009
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
An impassioned Mayor Daley today portrayed the 2016 Summer Olympic Games as the economic salvation for Chicago, but warned that the city just might lose the Olympic sweepstakes "if people keep throwing darts."
"In the next eight years of any city in America, tell me where the economic development is gonna come from. Is it gonna come from the military? The military builds in the south and southwest. It does not build in the Midwest and East," Daley said.
"You tell me one economic program that anyone has offered — both in the private sector or public sector. Every other city would love to have this—when the federal government will spend billions of dollars on infrastructure and on security. Besides that, the national and global publicity we receive from the build-up all the way to 2016. This is the only economic engine. We're talking about jobs. We're talking about contracts…coming into Chicago."
But, the mayor warned, "If people keep throwing darts at it, maybe they will not get it."
Pressed on whom he believes is "throwing darts," Daley said, "Did you read any headlines?" He added, "You beat us up."
He then caught himself and said, "I'm not gonna blame the media because then, you'll say, ‘The mayor is fighting with the media. The mayor is always so arrogant. Then, he's fighting with the aldermen.' No. People can ask questions. But, there was a misconception by the media that I signed" an agreement making Chicago taxpayers the final back-stop against Olympic losses.
Support for Chicago's Olympic bid has been hemorrhaging since last month, when Daley told International Olympic Committee members meeting in Switzerland that he would sign a host-city contract that amounts to an open-ended guarantee from Chicago taxpayers.
Blindsided by the mayor's blank-check promise, besieged by angry constituents and burned by the parking meter fiasco, the City Council demanded that Chicago 2016 open its books to an "objective" third party — possibly the Civic Federation — for an independent analysis of the city's bid.
Ald. Manny Flores (1st) even introduced an ordinance that would cap the taxpayer contribution at the $500 million already authorized by the City Council.
Aldermen weren't the only ones on the warpath.
Media cheerleaders turned into critics. And Inspector General David Hoffman piled on by branding as the "wrong approach for government" a reluctance to fully disclose Olympic financing plans.
On Tuesday, Chicago 2016 announced plans to hold public hearings in each of the city's 50 wards to stop the bleeding of public support — even though Chairman Pat Ryan has not yet lined up the $1 billion in private insurance needed to shield taxpayers from unlimited losses.
On Wednesday, Daley said he understands that Chicagoans struggling to make ends meet after layoffs, pay cuts and retirement fund losses have legitimate concerns about the cost of the Olympics.
But, he said, "I would never bankrupt the city of Chicago."
The mayor added, "People can discuss this, but this is the best economic engine we have going. I have nothing [else] up my sleeve."
Related Blog Posts Richie Daley Wants You to Guarantee the Olympics
From Turning Left
Richie Daley Wants You to Guarantee the Olympics
From Turning Left
Comments
July 8, 2009
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
An impassioned Mayor Daley today portrayed the 2016 Summer Olympic Games as the economic salvation for Chicago, but warned that the city just might lose the Olympic sweepstakes "if people keep throwing darts."
"In the next eight years of any city in America, tell me where the economic development is gonna come from. Is it gonna come from the military? The military builds in the south and southwest. It does not build in the Midwest and East," Daley said.
"You tell me one economic program that anyone has offered — both in the private sector or public sector. Every other city would love to have this—when the federal government will spend billions of dollars on infrastructure and on security. Besides that, the national and global publicity we receive from the build-up all the way to 2016. This is the only economic engine. We're talking about jobs. We're talking about contracts…coming into Chicago."
But, the mayor warned, "If people keep throwing darts at it, maybe they will not get it."
Pressed on whom he believes is "throwing darts," Daley said, "Did you read any headlines?" He added, "You beat us up."
He then caught himself and said, "I'm not gonna blame the media because then, you'll say, ‘The mayor is fighting with the media. The mayor is always so arrogant. Then, he's fighting with the aldermen.' No. People can ask questions. But, there was a misconception by the media that I signed" an agreement making Chicago taxpayers the final back-stop against Olympic losses.
Support for Chicago's Olympic bid has been hemorrhaging since last month, when Daley told International Olympic Committee members meeting in Switzerland that he would sign a host-city contract that amounts to an open-ended guarantee from Chicago taxpayers.
Blindsided by the mayor's blank-check promise, besieged by angry constituents and burned by the parking meter fiasco, the City Council demanded that Chicago 2016 open its books to an "objective" third party — possibly the Civic Federation — for an independent analysis of the city's bid.
Ald. Manny Flores (1st) even introduced an ordinance that would cap the taxpayer contribution at the $500 million already authorized by the City Council.
Aldermen weren't the only ones on the warpath.
Media cheerleaders turned into critics. And Inspector General David Hoffman piled on by branding as the "wrong approach for government" a reluctance to fully disclose Olympic financing plans.
On Tuesday, Chicago 2016 announced plans to hold public hearings in each of the city's 50 wards to stop the bleeding of public support — even though Chairman Pat Ryan has not yet lined up the $1 billion in private insurance needed to shield taxpayers from unlimited losses.
On Wednesday, Daley said he understands that Chicagoans struggling to make ends meet after layoffs, pay cuts and retirement fund losses have legitimate concerns about the cost of the Olympics.
But, he said, "I would never bankrupt the city of Chicago."
The mayor added, "People can discuss this, but this is the best economic engine we have going. I have nothing [else] up my sleeve."
Related Blog Posts Richie Daley Wants You to Guarantee the Olympics
From Turning Left
Richie Daley Wants You to Guarantee the Olympics
From Turning Left
I guess Daley didn't know about this either !
Mayor Daley's personnel chief quits
Homero Tristan denies accusations of lying
By Dan Mihalopoulos and Todd Lighty | Tribune reporters
July 8, 2009
Homero Tristan (center), accompanied with Mayor Richard Daley (left), is congratulated by his family members after he was named as Commissioner of Human Resources following a news conference in Chicago in June 2008. Tristan was accused of lying to investigators from Inspector General David Hoffman's office, which was looking into City Hall hiring abuses. Tristan called recent allegations of lying "erroneous and irresponsible." (Tribune photo by Kuni Takahashi / June 10, 2008)
Mayor Richard Daley's personnel chief resigned Tuesday, less than two weeks after the city's independent inspector general called for his removal.
Homero Tristan, a member of Daley's Cabinet as the top human resources official, was accused of lying to investigators from Inspector General David Hoffman's office, which was looking into City Hall hiring abuses.
Tristan called Hoffman's allegations "grossly erroneous and irresponsible." But Tristan said he could not fight the charges while representing the city in federal proceedings aimed at reforming its scandal-scarred hiring system.
"I can't do both at this time," Tristan said. "I will continue to defend my integrity."
The federal judge overseeing the Shakman hiring case has instructed Hoffman to provide his opinion of the city's personnel process, which the Department of Human Resources oversees. A court-appointed monitor has kept tabs on Daley administration hiring since 2005, when federal prosecutors charged and later convicted Daley aides with scheming to steer public jobs to mayoral campaign workers.
Daley spokeswoman Jacquelyn Heard said the mayor had not asked Tristan to resign, but agreed with his decision to do so. "The mayor understands that the commissioner doesn't want to be a distraction," Heard said.
Hoffman declined to comment Tuesday.
Daley appointed Tristan to lead his personnel agency in June 2008. Tristan has ties to some of the mayor's closest Latino political allies, including Ald. Daniel Solis (25th) and the United Neighborhood Organization.
Both the court hiring monitor and Daley's Office of Compliance have repeatedly criticized Tristan for his alleged failure to comply with the city's own hiring plan. In a report last month, the compliance office said the department's leadership often "lacks a basic understanding of the new hiring plan."
Hoffman had investigated Tristan's alleged failure to report to the court and others a Jan. 29 letter written by Ald. Michael Zalewski (23rd) on behalf of a city worker who wanted to avoid a transfer to another job site. Tristan this year told the hiring monitor he was aware of Zalewski's letter but was unsure if he had to report it, according to court records. Hoffman said Tristan told his investigators he was not aware of the letter until weeks later.
Tristan said the employee did not enjoy political favoritism and was transferred regardless of his clout.
dmihalopoulos@tribune.com
tlighty@tribune.com
Homero Tristan denies accusations of lying
By Dan Mihalopoulos and Todd Lighty | Tribune reporters
July 8, 2009
Homero Tristan (center), accompanied with Mayor Richard Daley (left), is congratulated by his family members after he was named as Commissioner of Human Resources following a news conference in Chicago in June 2008. Tristan was accused of lying to investigators from Inspector General David Hoffman's office, which was looking into City Hall hiring abuses. Tristan called recent allegations of lying "erroneous and irresponsible." (Tribune photo by Kuni Takahashi / June 10, 2008)
Mayor Richard Daley's personnel chief resigned Tuesday, less than two weeks after the city's independent inspector general called for his removal.
Homero Tristan, a member of Daley's Cabinet as the top human resources official, was accused of lying to investigators from Inspector General David Hoffman's office, which was looking into City Hall hiring abuses.
Tristan called Hoffman's allegations "grossly erroneous and irresponsible." But Tristan said he could not fight the charges while representing the city in federal proceedings aimed at reforming its scandal-scarred hiring system.
"I can't do both at this time," Tristan said. "I will continue to defend my integrity."
The federal judge overseeing the Shakman hiring case has instructed Hoffman to provide his opinion of the city's personnel process, which the Department of Human Resources oversees. A court-appointed monitor has kept tabs on Daley administration hiring since 2005, when federal prosecutors charged and later convicted Daley aides with scheming to steer public jobs to mayoral campaign workers.
Daley spokeswoman Jacquelyn Heard said the mayor had not asked Tristan to resign, but agreed with his decision to do so. "The mayor understands that the commissioner doesn't want to be a distraction," Heard said.
Hoffman declined to comment Tuesday.
Daley appointed Tristan to lead his personnel agency in June 2008. Tristan has ties to some of the mayor's closest Latino political allies, including Ald. Daniel Solis (25th) and the United Neighborhood Organization.
Both the court hiring monitor and Daley's Office of Compliance have repeatedly criticized Tristan for his alleged failure to comply with the city's own hiring plan. In a report last month, the compliance office said the department's leadership often "lacks a basic understanding of the new hiring plan."
Hoffman had investigated Tristan's alleged failure to report to the court and others a Jan. 29 letter written by Ald. Michael Zalewski (23rd) on behalf of a city worker who wanted to avoid a transfer to another job site. Tristan this year told the hiring monitor he was aware of Zalewski's letter but was unsure if he had to report it, according to court records. Hoffman said Tristan told his investigators he was not aware of the letter until weeks later.
Tristan said the employee did not enjoy political favoritism and was transferred regardless of his clout.
dmihalopoulos@tribune.com
tlighty@tribune.com
awwwwwwww boo hoo !
Collection agencies may soon call on Chicago's debtors
Unpaid bills adding up as city faces $300 million shortfall
By Dan Mihalopoulos | Tribune Reporter
July 8, 2009
In the wake of unpopular parking meter rate increases, Chicago officials now are considering hiring one or more collection agencies to go after those who owe money -- be it from unpaid parking tickets to water bills -- to the city. (Tribune photo by Michael Tercha / June 4, 2009)
The same bill collectors who pester debtors on behalf of credit-card companies are being recruited by Chicago City Hall to go after anybody who owes money to the cash-strapped city.
Just months after pushing through highly unpopular parking meter rate hikes as part of a lease -- and in the midst of a recession -- Mayor Richard Daley's administration is looking for private collection agencies to track down people with unpaid parking tickets, delinquent water bills and other debts.
Last year alone, past-due fines and taxes amounted to tens of millions of dollars, including almost $95 million in unpaid water bills alone. The debts are piling up as Daley faces a budget shortfall his aides peg at about $300 million.
"Whether it's municipal governments like the city of Chicago, or state or federal agencies, they are having trouble making ends meet," said Thomas Penaluna, president of CBE Group, a Waterloo, Iowa-based collection agency among 13 companies expressing interest in doing business with the city. "They need to find any way possible to increase revenues. Because people are having a difficult time, they have not been able to pay on time."
The city sends letters to debtors and sometimes hires law firms to try to collect. Now the Daley administration plans to hire one or more companies to assist in recovering the debts, city documents show. City Hall then would pay the collection agencies a percentage of what they are able to get debtors to fork over.
Collection agencies long have been a target for consumer rights advocates, who said Tuesday that Daley might not find it cost-effective or popular to privatize efforts to cash in the city's chits.
"A lot of the private companies that are in line for collecting government debt have long histories of hiring people who are abusive toward debtors," said Joe Ridout, spokesman for Consumer Action in San Francisco. "They impugn the reputation of the government agencies that they are supposed to be helping out."
Ridout said some collection agencies call people at work to try to embarrass them into paying. In other cases, he alleged, bill collectors have told debtors with Hispanic surnames that they could arrange for them to be deported unless they pay up.
Ed Walsh, spokesman for the city's Revenue Department, shrugged off a question Tuesday about public perception of collection agencies. "We have to review each company on their individual merits," Walsh said. "There are plenty of reputable collection agencies."
A couple of firms bidding for Chicago's contract collected taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service until President Barack Obama's administration canceled that three-year program in March.
The city is looking for five-year deals with collection agencies. According to bid documents, debts that could be sent for collection range widely, from bills for ambulances to bottled water taxes, building permit fees and taxes on real estate sales.
The Chicago contract could be a "giant deal," said Sean Keegan, national marketing director of United Recovery Systems in Houston. He estimated a private company would need about 200 collectors and could keep 18 percent to 30 percent of what it rakes in for the city.
The collection agencies also could be asked to engage in "skip tracing services" -- industry jargon for locating debtors who moved.
Asked if the gaping budget hole is the primary motivation for seeking help from collection agencies, Walsh said: "It's just to see what services are offered out there. I think we would be exploring this anyway."
dmihalopoulos@tribune.com
Unpaid bills adding up as city faces $300 million shortfall
By Dan Mihalopoulos | Tribune Reporter
July 8, 2009
In the wake of unpopular parking meter rate increases, Chicago officials now are considering hiring one or more collection agencies to go after those who owe money -- be it from unpaid parking tickets to water bills -- to the city. (Tribune photo by Michael Tercha / June 4, 2009)
The same bill collectors who pester debtors on behalf of credit-card companies are being recruited by Chicago City Hall to go after anybody who owes money to the cash-strapped city.
Just months after pushing through highly unpopular parking meter rate hikes as part of a lease -- and in the midst of a recession -- Mayor Richard Daley's administration is looking for private collection agencies to track down people with unpaid parking tickets, delinquent water bills and other debts.
Last year alone, past-due fines and taxes amounted to tens of millions of dollars, including almost $95 million in unpaid water bills alone. The debts are piling up as Daley faces a budget shortfall his aides peg at about $300 million.
"Whether it's municipal governments like the city of Chicago, or state or federal agencies, they are having trouble making ends meet," said Thomas Penaluna, president of CBE Group, a Waterloo, Iowa-based collection agency among 13 companies expressing interest in doing business with the city. "They need to find any way possible to increase revenues. Because people are having a difficult time, they have not been able to pay on time."
The city sends letters to debtors and sometimes hires law firms to try to collect. Now the Daley administration plans to hire one or more companies to assist in recovering the debts, city documents show. City Hall then would pay the collection agencies a percentage of what they are able to get debtors to fork over.
Collection agencies long have been a target for consumer rights advocates, who said Tuesday that Daley might not find it cost-effective or popular to privatize efforts to cash in the city's chits.
"A lot of the private companies that are in line for collecting government debt have long histories of hiring people who are abusive toward debtors," said Joe Ridout, spokesman for Consumer Action in San Francisco. "They impugn the reputation of the government agencies that they are supposed to be helping out."
Ridout said some collection agencies call people at work to try to embarrass them into paying. In other cases, he alleged, bill collectors have told debtors with Hispanic surnames that they could arrange for them to be deported unless they pay up.
Ed Walsh, spokesman for the city's Revenue Department, shrugged off a question Tuesday about public perception of collection agencies. "We have to review each company on their individual merits," Walsh said. "There are plenty of reputable collection agencies."
A couple of firms bidding for Chicago's contract collected taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service until President Barack Obama's administration canceled that three-year program in March.
The city is looking for five-year deals with collection agencies. According to bid documents, debts that could be sent for collection range widely, from bills for ambulances to bottled water taxes, building permit fees and taxes on real estate sales.
The Chicago contract could be a "giant deal," said Sean Keegan, national marketing director of United Recovery Systems in Houston. He estimated a private company would need about 200 collectors and could keep 18 percent to 30 percent of what it rakes in for the city.
The collection agencies also could be asked to engage in "skip tracing services" -- industry jargon for locating debtors who moved.
Asked if the gaping budget hole is the primary motivation for seeking help from collection agencies, Walsh said: "It's just to see what services are offered out there. I think we would be exploring this anyway."
dmihalopoulos@tribune.com
The handwriting is on the wall
We are gratified that thirty-four of the states have weighed in support of our case at the Supreme Court.
Texas, leading a group of thirty-three states, filed one amicus brief urging the Court to hear our case and hold the Second Amendment binds state and local governments. California separately filed an amicus brief urging the same.
Here is the press release from Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott :
Texas Attorney General Abbott Files Brief with United States Supreme Court; Takes Action to Protect Texans’ Second Amendment Rights
Texas Amicus Brief Joined by 32 State Attorneys General
AUSTIN - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court that defends Americans’ right to keep and bear arms. The amicus brief, which was filed on behalf of 33 state attorneys general, supports a legal challenge by Otis McDonald, a community activist who lives in a high-crime Chicago neighborhood. McDonald’s work to improve his neighborhood has subjected him to violent threats from drug dealers, but city ordinances prohibit him from obtaining a handgun to protect himself. The state attorneys general argue that cities cannot simply ignore the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and impose a blanket ban on handguns.
“Last year, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the District of Columbia’s handgun ban and held that the Second Amendment protects individual Americans’ right to keep and bear arms,” Attorney General Abbott said. “The brief filed today urges the nation’s highest court to hear community activist Otis McDonald’s challenge to an ordinance that prohibits him from possessing a handgun to protect himself from the criminals he has worked to eradicate from his high-crime neighborhood. Today’s amicus brief reflects an effort by more than thirty attorneys general to defend law-abiding Americans’ constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms.”
The states’ amicus brief says: “The right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment is not just a ‘fundamental’ liberty interest. In the Anglo-American tradition, it is among the most fundamental of rights because it is essential to securing all our other liberties. The Founders well understood that, without the protections afforded by the Second Amendment, all of the other rights and privileges ordinarily enjoyed by Americans would be vulnerable to governmental acts of oppression.”
According to the states’ amicus brief, the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution applies to states under the Fourteenth Amendment, and the right to keep and bear arms is a right that states have long recognized. In fact, 44 state constitutions protect their residents’ right to bear arms. The brief adds: “The submission of this amicus brief provides further evidence of the States’ understanding of the fundamental importance of the arms-bearing right guaranteed by the Second Amendment.”
“Just as local governments cannot constitutionally act as ‘laboratories’ for initiatives to abrogate their citizens’ right to free speech or their freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures, nor can they nullify the fundamental right to keep and bear arms secured by the Second Amendment,” the amicus brief states.
“>The states’ amicus brief acknowledges that some firearms regulations are permissible, including in circumstances where they are necessary to prevent violent felons from owning guns.
The states ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear both the McDonald case and National Rifle Association of America Inc., et al v. City of Chicago, Ill., et al.
The states that joined Texas in the amicus brief are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Texas, leading a group of thirty-three states, filed one amicus brief urging the Court to hear our case and hold the Second Amendment binds state and local governments. California separately filed an amicus brief urging the same.
Here is the press release from Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott :
Texas Attorney General Abbott Files Brief with United States Supreme Court; Takes Action to Protect Texans’ Second Amendment Rights
Texas Amicus Brief Joined by 32 State Attorneys General
AUSTIN - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court that defends Americans’ right to keep and bear arms. The amicus brief, which was filed on behalf of 33 state attorneys general, supports a legal challenge by Otis McDonald, a community activist who lives in a high-crime Chicago neighborhood. McDonald’s work to improve his neighborhood has subjected him to violent threats from drug dealers, but city ordinances prohibit him from obtaining a handgun to protect himself. The state attorneys general argue that cities cannot simply ignore the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and impose a blanket ban on handguns.
“Last year, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the District of Columbia’s handgun ban and held that the Second Amendment protects individual Americans’ right to keep and bear arms,” Attorney General Abbott said. “The brief filed today urges the nation’s highest court to hear community activist Otis McDonald’s challenge to an ordinance that prohibits him from possessing a handgun to protect himself from the criminals he has worked to eradicate from his high-crime neighborhood. Today’s amicus brief reflects an effort by more than thirty attorneys general to defend law-abiding Americans’ constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms.”
The states’ amicus brief says: “The right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment is not just a ‘fundamental’ liberty interest. In the Anglo-American tradition, it is among the most fundamental of rights because it is essential to securing all our other liberties. The Founders well understood that, without the protections afforded by the Second Amendment, all of the other rights and privileges ordinarily enjoyed by Americans would be vulnerable to governmental acts of oppression.”
According to the states’ amicus brief, the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution applies to states under the Fourteenth Amendment, and the right to keep and bear arms is a right that states have long recognized. In fact, 44 state constitutions protect their residents’ right to bear arms. The brief adds: “The submission of this amicus brief provides further evidence of the States’ understanding of the fundamental importance of the arms-bearing right guaranteed by the Second Amendment.”
“Just as local governments cannot constitutionally act as ‘laboratories’ for initiatives to abrogate their citizens’ right to free speech or their freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures, nor can they nullify the fundamental right to keep and bear arms secured by the Second Amendment,” the amicus brief states.
“>The states’ amicus brief acknowledges that some firearms regulations are permissible, including in circumstances where they are necessary to prevent violent felons from owning guns.
The states ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear both the McDonald case and National Rifle Association of America Inc., et al v. City of Chicago, Ill., et al.
The states that joined Texas in the amicus brief are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Proof that the criminal justice system does not work !
Bond denied for man accused of shooting 4 people outside South Side nighclub
Comments
July 6, 2009
BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN Criminal Courts Reporter/rhussain@suntimes.com
A 25-year-old man was ordered held without bond today on charges he shot at police officers during a shooting in which four people were wounded outside a South Side nightclub over the holiday weekend.
“The danger is just too much,” Cook County Judge Adam D. Bourgeois Jr. said in issuing his no bond order for Andre Lemon’s alleged actions.
Uniformed officers spotted Lemon shooting a .40 caliber weapon into a crowd that had dispersed outside following a fight inside the club early Sunday, prosecutors said. Lemon, of the 5400 block of South Calumet Avenue, ignored the officers’ orders to drop his weapon and instead fired two rounds at them, assistant state’s attorney Marilyn Alioto said. The officers, who were not injured, returned fire and shot Lemon in the hand, Alioto said.
Four were shot in the melee that led the officers to the scene.
A man who was shot outside the club, at 72 E. 75th Street, is paralyzed and another male victim suffered gun shot wounds to the abdomen and legs, Alioto said.
Another man was shot in the left foot. The final victim, who identified Lemon, was shot in the armpit and legs, Alioto said.
Police saw Lemon throw his gun under a parked vehicle as he fled from the scene, Alioto said. In the same area, police found another 9mm gun under another vehicle near where the victims were shot. Several spent .40 caliber and 9 mm casings were recovered, Alioto said.
Lemon has several drug convictions. Most recently he was sentenced to three years in prison in 2005 on aggravated battery to a government official and possession of a controlled substance charges.
Comments
July 6, 2009
BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN Criminal Courts Reporter/rhussain@suntimes.com
A 25-year-old man was ordered held without bond today on charges he shot at police officers during a shooting in which four people were wounded outside a South Side nightclub over the holiday weekend.
“The danger is just too much,” Cook County Judge Adam D. Bourgeois Jr. said in issuing his no bond order for Andre Lemon’s alleged actions.
Uniformed officers spotted Lemon shooting a .40 caliber weapon into a crowd that had dispersed outside following a fight inside the club early Sunday, prosecutors said. Lemon, of the 5400 block of South Calumet Avenue, ignored the officers’ orders to drop his weapon and instead fired two rounds at them, assistant state’s attorney Marilyn Alioto said. The officers, who were not injured, returned fire and shot Lemon in the hand, Alioto said.
Four were shot in the melee that led the officers to the scene.
A man who was shot outside the club, at 72 E. 75th Street, is paralyzed and another male victim suffered gun shot wounds to the abdomen and legs, Alioto said.
Another man was shot in the left foot. The final victim, who identified Lemon, was shot in the armpit and legs, Alioto said.
Police saw Lemon throw his gun under a parked vehicle as he fled from the scene, Alioto said. In the same area, police found another 9mm gun under another vehicle near where the victims were shot. Several spent .40 caliber and 9 mm casings were recovered, Alioto said.
Lemon has several drug convictions. Most recently he was sentenced to three years in prison in 2005 on aggravated battery to a government official and possession of a controlled substance charges.
Can't we all just get along ?
Ten dead, at least 30 wounded in violent holiday weekend
Comments
July 6, 2009
FROM STNGWIRE REPORTS
Ten people were killed and at least 30 others were wounded in shootings and stabbings during a bloody holiday weekend, including four who died late Sunday into early Monday alone.
The ten people killed included four who were slain in shootings and stabbings during an especially violent six-hour time span late Saturday into early Sunday.
The latest victims include 18-year-old Everette Snow, who was shot while sitting on his front porch during a domestic dispute in the 2200 block of East 78th Street just before 1 a.m. Monday. Snow was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering a gunshot wound to the head, police said.
Also early Monday, Kenneth Crawford, 38, was shot multiple times on a porch in the South Side Englewood neighborhood. Crawford was shot in the 1200 block of West 72nd Place about 12:45 a.m and was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, authorities said.
On the Far South Side, 22-year-old Deonte Scott was shot in the 400 block of West 116th Street Sunday night. Scott was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center at 12:16 a.m. after being shot multiple times, authorities said.
One person was taken into police custody for the murder of a South Side man who was fatally shot at 504 E. 91st Pl. at 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Cleophus Parrow, 35, was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center at 10:35 p.m. after being shot on his front porch.
Comments
July 6, 2009
FROM STNGWIRE REPORTS
Ten people were killed and at least 30 others were wounded in shootings and stabbings during a bloody holiday weekend, including four who died late Sunday into early Monday alone.
The ten people killed included four who were slain in shootings and stabbings during an especially violent six-hour time span late Saturday into early Sunday.
The latest victims include 18-year-old Everette Snow, who was shot while sitting on his front porch during a domestic dispute in the 2200 block of East 78th Street just before 1 a.m. Monday. Snow was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering a gunshot wound to the head, police said.
Also early Monday, Kenneth Crawford, 38, was shot multiple times on a porch in the South Side Englewood neighborhood. Crawford was shot in the 1200 block of West 72nd Place about 12:45 a.m and was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, authorities said.
On the Far South Side, 22-year-old Deonte Scott was shot in the 400 block of West 116th Street Sunday night. Scott was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center at 12:16 a.m. after being shot multiple times, authorities said.
One person was taken into police custody for the murder of a South Side man who was fatally shot at 504 E. 91st Pl. at 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Cleophus Parrow, 35, was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center at 10:35 p.m. after being shot on his front porch.
No love in the club !
Man charged in gun battle with police
July 6, 2009 4:05 AM | No Comments
A South Side man was charged Sunday in connection with a gun battle with police that left four people shot.
Andre Lemon, 25, of the 5400 block of South Calumet Avenue, was charged with two counts of attempted first degree murder for shootings Sunday at the Fifty Yard Line club at 200 East 75th Street, said News Affairs Officer Amina Greer.
Police were called to the club at about 2:45 a.m. Sunday because of a shooting, Greer said. Once police arrived, there was an exchange of gunfire with Lemon who was arrested.
A weapon was recovered from Lemon, Greer said.
Police said two of the injured men were in serious condition at Stroger Hospital. A third man was listed in good condition at Saint Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center, and a fourth man was at Advocate Christ Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the torso.
All of the victims had already been shot before police arrived.
The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the police-involved shooting and detectives are looking into the shooting of the four men.
Lemon is scheduled to appear in bond court later today, Greer said.
-- Deanese Williams-Harris
July 6, 2009 4:05 AM | No Comments
A South Side man was charged Sunday in connection with a gun battle with police that left four people shot.
Andre Lemon, 25, of the 5400 block of South Calumet Avenue, was charged with two counts of attempted first degree murder for shootings Sunday at the Fifty Yard Line club at 200 East 75th Street, said News Affairs Officer Amina Greer.
Police were called to the club at about 2:45 a.m. Sunday because of a shooting, Greer said. Once police arrived, there was an exchange of gunfire with Lemon who was arrested.
A weapon was recovered from Lemon, Greer said.
Police said two of the injured men were in serious condition at Stroger Hospital. A third man was listed in good condition at Saint Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center, and a fourth man was at Advocate Christ Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the torso.
All of the victims had already been shot before police arrived.
The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the police-involved shooting and detectives are looking into the shooting of the four men.
Lemon is scheduled to appear in bond court later today, Greer said.
-- Deanese Williams-Harris
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Happy Holidays
6 slain in Chicago shootings, stabbings
More than 20 injured in weekend violence
By Kristen Schorsch and Carlos Sadovi | Tribune reporters
July 6, 2009
A bloody Saturday night and Sunday in Chicago left six people dead and more than 20 others, including a 7-year-old boy, injured from gunshot or stab wounds.
Marchello Henderson, 26, of the 10400 block of South Wabash Avenue, was killed after being shot several times about 11:45 p.m. Saturday, police said.
Henderson was one of several people standing in the 5700 block of South Union Avenue when he and two others were shot, Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer said. A 7-year-old boy was shot in the arm and was listed in good condition in Comer Children's Hospital, fire and police officials said. A 26-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the side and was grazed by a bullet across the chest, police said. He was in good condition Sunday in Stroger Hospital, police said.
Andre Armstrong, 35, of the 4300 block of South Champlain Avenue was stabbed in the chest about 11:50 p.m. Saturday at the same address, News Affairs Officer Michael Fitzpatrick said. Armstrong later was pronounced dead in Stroger.
About midnight Saturday, four men were shot in the 6400 block of South Sangamon Street, police said. An 18-year-old man and a 29-year-old man were in critical condition Sunday in Stroger. Two victims, ages 29 and 34, were in stable condition in St. Bernard Hospital, police said.
Two people were fatally shot about 1:45 a.m. near East 63rd Street and South Maryland Avenue, Fitzpatrick said. Loweton Harrman, 26, of the 9100 block of South Parnell Avenue and Leundra Straight, 22, of North Liberty, Iowa, were killed, the Cook County medical examiner's office said. No other details were available.
Authorities continue to look for several suspects in the fatal shooting of Dominic Barnes, 21, of the 600 block of East 51st Street. Police responded to a shooting about 10:15 a.m. in the 4700 block of South Forrestville Avenue. Witnesses told police Barnes was shot after several people exited a gray Chevrolet Monte Carlo and began firing, police said.
About 11:40 a.m., Francisco Lopez, 29, of the 4700 block of South Paulina Street was shot dead near his home, police said. Another man was taken to Holy Cross Hospital with minor injuries, fire officials said.
A man in his 30s was shot in the head in the 600 block of East 87th Street about 12:19 p.m. Sunday, police said. The man was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in "very critical condition," said Officer John Mirabelli, a police spokesman.
No charges had been made in any of the fatal shootings as of late Sunday. Several other non-fatal incidents occurred throughout the city late Saturday and early Sunday, police said.
Police spokesman Roderick Drew said he needed a chance to review information about the weekend violence and would not comment until Monday.
kschorsch@tribune.com
csadovi@tribune.com
More than 20 injured in weekend violence
By Kristen Schorsch and Carlos Sadovi | Tribune reporters
July 6, 2009
A bloody Saturday night and Sunday in Chicago left six people dead and more than 20 others, including a 7-year-old boy, injured from gunshot or stab wounds.
Marchello Henderson, 26, of the 10400 block of South Wabash Avenue, was killed after being shot several times about 11:45 p.m. Saturday, police said.
Henderson was one of several people standing in the 5700 block of South Union Avenue when he and two others were shot, Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer said. A 7-year-old boy was shot in the arm and was listed in good condition in Comer Children's Hospital, fire and police officials said. A 26-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the side and was grazed by a bullet across the chest, police said. He was in good condition Sunday in Stroger Hospital, police said.
Andre Armstrong, 35, of the 4300 block of South Champlain Avenue was stabbed in the chest about 11:50 p.m. Saturday at the same address, News Affairs Officer Michael Fitzpatrick said. Armstrong later was pronounced dead in Stroger.
About midnight Saturday, four men were shot in the 6400 block of South Sangamon Street, police said. An 18-year-old man and a 29-year-old man were in critical condition Sunday in Stroger. Two victims, ages 29 and 34, were in stable condition in St. Bernard Hospital, police said.
Two people were fatally shot about 1:45 a.m. near East 63rd Street and South Maryland Avenue, Fitzpatrick said. Loweton Harrman, 26, of the 9100 block of South Parnell Avenue and Leundra Straight, 22, of North Liberty, Iowa, were killed, the Cook County medical examiner's office said. No other details were available.
Authorities continue to look for several suspects in the fatal shooting of Dominic Barnes, 21, of the 600 block of East 51st Street. Police responded to a shooting about 10:15 a.m. in the 4700 block of South Forrestville Avenue. Witnesses told police Barnes was shot after several people exited a gray Chevrolet Monte Carlo and began firing, police said.
About 11:40 a.m., Francisco Lopez, 29, of the 4700 block of South Paulina Street was shot dead near his home, police said. Another man was taken to Holy Cross Hospital with minor injuries, fire officials said.
A man in his 30s was shot in the head in the 600 block of East 87th Street about 12:19 p.m. Sunday, police said. The man was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in "very critical condition," said Officer John Mirabelli, a police spokesman.
No charges had been made in any of the fatal shootings as of late Sunday. Several other non-fatal incidents occurred throughout the city late Saturday and early Sunday, police said.
Police spokesman Roderick Drew said he needed a chance to review information about the weekend violence and would not comment until Monday.
kschorsch@tribune.com
csadovi@tribune.com
Crack head politician messes up again !
The Charge Against Barry: Stalking His Ex-Girlfriend
By Tim Craig and Jenna Johnson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, July 6, 2009
D.C. Council member Marion Barry found himself mired in more political, legal and personal drama yesterday after his arrest late Saturday on charges that he was stalking a female companion.
Barry's latest run-in with the law centers on his relationship with political consultant Donna Watts-Brighthaupt, who alleges that he continues to approach her even though they split up a few months ago.
Barry, Watts-Brighthaupt and police gave conflicting accounts of how the former mayor ended up in police custody Saturday night after attending several Fourth of July functions.
U.S. Park Service Police arrested Barry (D-Ward 8) about 8:45 p.m. in Anacostia Park after a woman flagged down an officer to report that a man in a nearby vehicle was "bothering her," police said.
After interviewing Barry and Watts-Brighthaupt, Barry, 73, was charged with one count of "misdemeanor stalking," said Sgt. David Schlosser, a Park Police spokesman. Barry, on probation for failing to pay his federal taxes, was released hours later and ordered to appear in court Thursday.
Through a spokeswoman yesterday, Barry called the charges unfounded and asked prosecutors to drop them. Natalie Williams, the spokeswoman, said that Barry feels "betrayed" because of the emotional and financial support he has provided Watts-Brighthaupt, 40, over the years and that he suggested she is unstable. In April, Barry made news after he paid $800 at an auction to buy Watts-Brighthaupt an opera jacket even as he struggled to repay back taxes.
Williams said Barry and Watts-Brighthaupt met Saturday afternoon for lunch before Barry attended several Fourth of July events. On his way home, Williams said, Barry once again came into contact with Watts-Brighthaupt near the park after they saw each other's vehicles. "How are there charges of stalking when they had lunch earlier in the day?" Williams asked. "It was consensual. . . . There was no hide-and-seek stalking as one would think when they hear the term."
In an interview, Watts-Brighthaupt said she didn't seek to have Barry arrested and did not report the encounter to police. Police pulled over Barry for a traffic violation, she said.
Watts-Brighthaupt, the mother of two girls, says she never felt her life was in danger as Barry was "trying to catch me." But she said she has "tons and tons of evidence to prove" that Barry was stalking her in a way that was not life-threatening.
Barry, through his spokeswoman, alleged that Park Police mistreated him by holding him for four hours Saturday night before giving him access to his attorney. Police officials declined to comment on the specifics of the arrest. Schlosser said the officer who arrested Barry was a New York native who did not know that Barry was a prominent D.C. Council member. He said Barry was "very cooperative" during the booking process.
Watts-Brighthaupt said she worked on Barry's 2008 council campaign as a paid consultant and they began dating during the Democratic National Convention last summer. She said they broke up three days before his kidney transplant in February. "It was a wonderful, insightful, history-telling experience," she said of their time together.
The two still see each other every other day, she said.
CONTINUED 1 2 Next >
By Tim Craig and Jenna Johnson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, July 6, 2009
D.C. Council member Marion Barry found himself mired in more political, legal and personal drama yesterday after his arrest late Saturday on charges that he was stalking a female companion.
Barry's latest run-in with the law centers on his relationship with political consultant Donna Watts-Brighthaupt, who alleges that he continues to approach her even though they split up a few months ago.
Barry, Watts-Brighthaupt and police gave conflicting accounts of how the former mayor ended up in police custody Saturday night after attending several Fourth of July functions.
U.S. Park Service Police arrested Barry (D-Ward 8) about 8:45 p.m. in Anacostia Park after a woman flagged down an officer to report that a man in a nearby vehicle was "bothering her," police said.
After interviewing Barry and Watts-Brighthaupt, Barry, 73, was charged with one count of "misdemeanor stalking," said Sgt. David Schlosser, a Park Police spokesman. Barry, on probation for failing to pay his federal taxes, was released hours later and ordered to appear in court Thursday.
Through a spokeswoman yesterday, Barry called the charges unfounded and asked prosecutors to drop them. Natalie Williams, the spokeswoman, said that Barry feels "betrayed" because of the emotional and financial support he has provided Watts-Brighthaupt, 40, over the years and that he suggested she is unstable. In April, Barry made news after he paid $800 at an auction to buy Watts-Brighthaupt an opera jacket even as he struggled to repay back taxes.
Williams said Barry and Watts-Brighthaupt met Saturday afternoon for lunch before Barry attended several Fourth of July events. On his way home, Williams said, Barry once again came into contact with Watts-Brighthaupt near the park after they saw each other's vehicles. "How are there charges of stalking when they had lunch earlier in the day?" Williams asked. "It was consensual. . . . There was no hide-and-seek stalking as one would think when they hear the term."
In an interview, Watts-Brighthaupt said she didn't seek to have Barry arrested and did not report the encounter to police. Police pulled over Barry for a traffic violation, she said.
Watts-Brighthaupt, the mother of two girls, says she never felt her life was in danger as Barry was "trying to catch me." But she said she has "tons and tons of evidence to prove" that Barry was stalking her in a way that was not life-threatening.
Barry, through his spokeswoman, alleged that Park Police mistreated him by holding him for four hours Saturday night before giving him access to his attorney. Police officials declined to comment on the specifics of the arrest. Schlosser said the officer who arrested Barry was a New York native who did not know that Barry was a prominent D.C. Council member. He said Barry was "very cooperative" during the booking process.
Watts-Brighthaupt said she worked on Barry's 2008 council campaign as a paid consultant and they began dating during the Democratic National Convention last summer. She said they broke up three days before his kidney transplant in February. "It was a wonderful, insightful, history-telling experience," she said of their time together.
The two still see each other every other day, she said.
CONTINUED 1 2 Next >
Friday, July 3, 2009
What Chicago may become !
Wayne leader asks Granholm to send law enforcement to Detroit
BY LORI HIGGINS • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • July 3, 2009
A Wayne County leader is asking Gov. Jennifer Granholm to send state law enforcement to Detroit in the wake of the shootings this week of seven teenagers at a bus stop.
“This is not a criticism of the Detroit Police Department, but our local law enforcement does not have the staffing or resources to keep our kids safe,” Keith Williams, vice chair of the Wayne County Commission, said in a statement this morning.
“We need the intervention of the state to protect our children. Thought must be given to sending in the State Police and possibly even the National Guard.”
Williams is also asking business, clergy and elected leaders at the state, county and local levels to address violence around Detroit schools.
BY LORI HIGGINS • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • July 3, 2009
A Wayne County leader is asking Gov. Jennifer Granholm to send state law enforcement to Detroit in the wake of the shootings this week of seven teenagers at a bus stop.
“This is not a criticism of the Detroit Police Department, but our local law enforcement does not have the staffing or resources to keep our kids safe,” Keith Williams, vice chair of the Wayne County Commission, said in a statement this morning.
“We need the intervention of the state to protect our children. Thought must be given to sending in the State Police and possibly even the National Guard.”
Williams is also asking business, clergy and elected leaders at the state, county and local levels to address violence around Detroit schools.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
My kind of pastor !
Pastor Urges His Flock to Bring Guns to Church
Jim Winn for The New York Times
Ken Pagano, the pastor at New Bethel Church, prepared to try a Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun at a shooting range.
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LinkedinDiggFacebookMixxMySpaceYahoo! BuzzPermalinkBy KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Published: June 25, 2009
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ken Pagano, the pastor of the New Bethel Church here, is passionate about gun rights. He shoots regularly at the local firing range, and his sermon two weeks ago was on “God, Guns, Gospel and Geometry.” And on Saturday night, he is inviting his congregation of 150 and others to wear or carry their firearms into the sanctuary to “celebrate our rights as Americans!” as a promotional flier for the “open carry celebration” puts it.
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Jim Winn for The New York Times
Ken Pagano of New Bethel Church in Louisville, Ky. “God and guns were part of the foundation of this country,” he said.
Readers' Comments
Readers shared their thoughts on this article.
Read All Comments (677) »“God and guns were part of the foundation of this country,” Mr. Pagano, 49, said Wednesday in the small brick Assembly of God church, where a large wooden cross hung over the altar and two American flags jutted from side walls. “I don’t see any contradiction in this. Not every Christian denomination is pacifist.”
The bring-your-gun-to-church day, which will include a $1 raffle of a handgun, firearms safety lessons and a picnic, is another sign that the gun culture in the United States is thriving despite, or perhaps because of, President Obama’s election in November.
Last year, the National Rifle Association ran a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign against Mr. Obama, stoking fears that he would be the most antigun president in history and that firearms would be confiscated. One worry was that a Democratic president and Congress would reinstitute the assault-weapons ban, which expired in 2004.
But there is little support for the ban. Mr. Obama and his party have largely ignored gun-control issues, and the president even signed a measure that will allow firearms in national parks.
Still, the fear remains that Mr. Obama, and his attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr., will crack down on guns sooner or later. That — along with the faltering economy, which gun sellers say has spurred purchases for self-defense — has fueled a record surge in gun sales.
“Every president wants to be re-elected, and gun bans are pretty much a nonstarter for getting re-elected,” said Win Underwood, owner of the Bluegrass Indoor Range here. “What I suspect is going to happen is, Obama’s going to cool his jets until he can get re-elected, and then he’ll start building his legacy in these hot-button areas.”
When Mr. Obama was elected in November, federal instant background checks, the best indicator of gun sales, jumped 42 percent over the previous November. Every month since then, the number of checks has been higher than the year before, although the postelection surge may be tapering off, as all surges eventually do. While the number of checks in April increased 30 percent from the year before, the number of checks in May (1,023,102) was only 15 percent higher than in May 2008.
The National Rifle Association says its membership is up 30 percent since November. And several states have recently passed laws allowing gun owners to carry firearms in more places — bars, restaurants, cars and parks.
“We have a very active agenda in all 50 states,” said Chris W. Cox, legislative director of the N.R.A., widely considered the country’s most powerful lobby. “We have right-to-carry laws in over 40 states; 20 years ago, it was in just six.”
Of the 40 states with right-to-carry laws, 20 allow guns in churches.
Public attitudes also seem to be turning more sympathetic to gun owners. In April, the Pew Research Center found for the first time that almost as many people said it was more important to protect the rights of gun owners (45 percent) than to control gun ownership (49 percent). Just a year ago, Pew said, 58 percent said gun control was more important than the rights of gun owners (37 percent).
Gun-control advocates say they feel increasingly ineffective, especially after a recent spate of high-profile shootings, including last month’s murder, inside a church in Kansas, of a doctor who performed late-term abortions.
“We’ve definitely been marginalized,” said Pam Gersh, a public relations consultant here who helped organize a rally in Louisville in 2000, to coincide with the Million Mom March against guns in Washington.
“The Brady Campaign and other similar organizations who advocate sensible gun responsibility laws don’t have the money and the political power — not even close,” she said. “This pastor is obviously crossing a line here and saying ‘I can even take my guns to church, and there is nothing you can do about it.’ ”
1 2
Jim Winn for The New York Times
Ken Pagano, the pastor at New Bethel Church, prepared to try a Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun at a shooting range.
Sign in to Recommendcomments (677) E-MailSend To PhonePrint Single Page Reprints ShareClose
LinkedinDiggFacebookMixxMySpaceYahoo! BuzzPermalinkBy KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Published: June 25, 2009
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ken Pagano, the pastor of the New Bethel Church here, is passionate about gun rights. He shoots regularly at the local firing range, and his sermon two weeks ago was on “God, Guns, Gospel and Geometry.” And on Saturday night, he is inviting his congregation of 150 and others to wear or carry their firearms into the sanctuary to “celebrate our rights as Americans!” as a promotional flier for the “open carry celebration” puts it.
Skip to next paragraph
Enlarge This Image
Jim Winn for The New York Times
Ken Pagano of New Bethel Church in Louisville, Ky. “God and guns were part of the foundation of this country,” he said.
Readers' Comments
Readers shared their thoughts on this article.
Read All Comments (677) »“God and guns were part of the foundation of this country,” Mr. Pagano, 49, said Wednesday in the small brick Assembly of God church, where a large wooden cross hung over the altar and two American flags jutted from side walls. “I don’t see any contradiction in this. Not every Christian denomination is pacifist.”
The bring-your-gun-to-church day, which will include a $1 raffle of a handgun, firearms safety lessons and a picnic, is another sign that the gun culture in the United States is thriving despite, or perhaps because of, President Obama’s election in November.
Last year, the National Rifle Association ran a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign against Mr. Obama, stoking fears that he would be the most antigun president in history and that firearms would be confiscated. One worry was that a Democratic president and Congress would reinstitute the assault-weapons ban, which expired in 2004.
But there is little support for the ban. Mr. Obama and his party have largely ignored gun-control issues, and the president even signed a measure that will allow firearms in national parks.
Still, the fear remains that Mr. Obama, and his attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr., will crack down on guns sooner or later. That — along with the faltering economy, which gun sellers say has spurred purchases for self-defense — has fueled a record surge in gun sales.
“Every president wants to be re-elected, and gun bans are pretty much a nonstarter for getting re-elected,” said Win Underwood, owner of the Bluegrass Indoor Range here. “What I suspect is going to happen is, Obama’s going to cool his jets until he can get re-elected, and then he’ll start building his legacy in these hot-button areas.”
When Mr. Obama was elected in November, federal instant background checks, the best indicator of gun sales, jumped 42 percent over the previous November. Every month since then, the number of checks has been higher than the year before, although the postelection surge may be tapering off, as all surges eventually do. While the number of checks in April increased 30 percent from the year before, the number of checks in May (1,023,102) was only 15 percent higher than in May 2008.
The National Rifle Association says its membership is up 30 percent since November. And several states have recently passed laws allowing gun owners to carry firearms in more places — bars, restaurants, cars and parks.
“We have a very active agenda in all 50 states,” said Chris W. Cox, legislative director of the N.R.A., widely considered the country’s most powerful lobby. “We have right-to-carry laws in over 40 states; 20 years ago, it was in just six.”
Of the 40 states with right-to-carry laws, 20 allow guns in churches.
Public attitudes also seem to be turning more sympathetic to gun owners. In April, the Pew Research Center found for the first time that almost as many people said it was more important to protect the rights of gun owners (45 percent) than to control gun ownership (49 percent). Just a year ago, Pew said, 58 percent said gun control was more important than the rights of gun owners (37 percent).
Gun-control advocates say they feel increasingly ineffective, especially after a recent spate of high-profile shootings, including last month’s murder, inside a church in Kansas, of a doctor who performed late-term abortions.
“We’ve definitely been marginalized,” said Pam Gersh, a public relations consultant here who helped organize a rally in Louisville in 2000, to coincide with the Million Mom March against guns in Washington.
“The Brady Campaign and other similar organizations who advocate sensible gun responsibility laws don’t have the money and the political power — not even close,” she said. “This pastor is obviously crossing a line here and saying ‘I can even take my guns to church, and there is nothing you can do about it.’ ”
1 2
more ccw
Record numbers seek permits to carry concealed weapons
By GLENN E. RICE
The Kansas City Star
DAVID EULITT
Concealed weapons training at Great Guns in Liberty includes practice on an indoor firing range. Jerica Unger shot at targets with a .22-caliber handgun.
Crime Scene KC | More on concealed-carry
Photos | Concealed-carry applications up
Breaking News
Still no positive ID on man found dead after Bates County standoffOverland Park man convicted of raping 9-year-oldRelatives of dead man soughtNBC Action Weather | Nice and sunny Thursday, high 86Major case squad reconvenes in Cole Camp homicidesNixon signs bills opening fee office contracts to biddingHigher court fees start today in Johnson CountyMajor elbow surgery for Royals' AvilesRoyals’ Olivo suspended one game, finedLow levels of hazardous chromium found in some Missouri soil samplesKansas regulators postpone decision on racetracksKU Endowment Association posts big lossesL.A. woman sentenced in Olathe drug deliveryWater referee says Nebraska owes Kansas $10,000 -- not $9 millionNorthwest Missouri man killed in crashSt. Louis County man charged in wife's deathBody found after Bates County standoffEnvironmental officials to discuss sludge probeBank robber sentencedKansas drivers: Be aware of new lawsJackie Poynter surveys the row of handguns on the metal table and picks out a silver .22-caliber Smith & Wesson.
With protective ear muffs on, the 31-year-old Independence woman waits for the firearms instructor to give the signal before squeezing off a series of shots.
“We’ve got a marksman right here,” she exclaims. “Lord help anyone breaking into my house.”
Across the Kansas City area, record numbers of people like Poynter are applying for permits to carry concealed weapons. The surge reflects the fears of rising crime in a down economy and concerns that the election of President Barack Obama might bring new limits on gun rights.
Clay County has seen the biggest increase.
From Jan. 1 through the end of May, 801 Clay County residents applied for permits to carry a concealed weapon — compared with 863 in all of 2008.
Sheriff Bob Boydston said that in January the line of applicants stretched across the office. Each week, the line got longer.
Eventually, Boydston had to pull deputies from other duties to handle the demand. The county has gone from accepting applications two days a week to five.
“They are afraid that weapons and ammunition will not be available, but there is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding fueling this,” Boydston said.
Since Obama’s election, gun dealers nationwide have reported strong sales, and ammunition makers can’t keep up with demand.
Ken Novak, an associate professor and the chairman of the criminal justice and criminology department at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, said the economy is prompting homeowners to take extra measures to protect themselves and their families.
“They perceive crime is going up and will act on that,” Novak said.
In Kansas City, violent crime in the first four months of the year was up 10 percent compared with the same period last year. Aggravated assaults were up 20 percent, at 1,265, and the homicide count — 34 — was 17 percent higher than a year earlier. Rapes and robbery were down about 5 percent.
Novak said, however, that there is no measurable evidence that concealed-carry laws deter crime.
Supporters of concealed-carry say the law has fulfilled its mission of giving people the ability to protect themselves.
Rachel Parsons, a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association, said the group has noticed a nationwide increase in applications for concealed-carry permits.
“Folks have a reason to worry, and that is why they are going out in droves, purchasing guns and ammunition and getting their right-to-carry permit,” Parsons said. “After 9/11 and (Hurricane) Katrina, people have learned the police will not always be there and they want to be able to protect themselves and their families.”
She said those seeking concealed-carry permits point to Obama’s record in the Illinois Legislature.
As a state senator, Obama supported bans on semiautomatic weapons and tighter firearms restrictions in general. He also voted to leave gun manufacturers and dealers open to lawsuits, and he has said local jurisdictions should be able to regulate guns to reduce crime on city streets.
But Obama also has said that owning guns, including handguns, is an individual right and an American tradition and should remain legal.
Peter Hamm, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said there was no tangible evidence that the Obama administration would seek to curtail ammunition purchases or limit gun rights.
“To think Obama is going to take their guns away is stupid. The man has his hands full,” Hamm said. “The calls of gloom and doom that are being sold out there are not only untrue but not healthy.”
Joining Poynter in the recent concealed-carry class in Liberty was Dan Pulliam, 39, of Excelsior Springs. Pulliam said he wanted the permit so he could carry a handgun to protect himself and his wife when they’re driving in some of the more remote parts of town.
“There are too many weirdos out there, and I like to have something, just in case,” Pulliam said.
By GLENN E. RICE
The Kansas City Star
DAVID EULITT
Concealed weapons training at Great Guns in Liberty includes practice on an indoor firing range. Jerica Unger shot at targets with a .22-caliber handgun.
Crime Scene KC | More on concealed-carry
Photos | Concealed-carry applications up
Breaking News
Still no positive ID on man found dead after Bates County standoffOverland Park man convicted of raping 9-year-oldRelatives of dead man soughtNBC Action Weather | Nice and sunny Thursday, high 86Major case squad reconvenes in Cole Camp homicidesNixon signs bills opening fee office contracts to biddingHigher court fees start today in Johnson CountyMajor elbow surgery for Royals' AvilesRoyals’ Olivo suspended one game, finedLow levels of hazardous chromium found in some Missouri soil samplesKansas regulators postpone decision on racetracksKU Endowment Association posts big lossesL.A. woman sentenced in Olathe drug deliveryWater referee says Nebraska owes Kansas $10,000 -- not $9 millionNorthwest Missouri man killed in crashSt. Louis County man charged in wife's deathBody found after Bates County standoffEnvironmental officials to discuss sludge probeBank robber sentencedKansas drivers: Be aware of new lawsJackie Poynter surveys the row of handguns on the metal table and picks out a silver .22-caliber Smith & Wesson.
With protective ear muffs on, the 31-year-old Independence woman waits for the firearms instructor to give the signal before squeezing off a series of shots.
“We’ve got a marksman right here,” she exclaims. “Lord help anyone breaking into my house.”
Across the Kansas City area, record numbers of people like Poynter are applying for permits to carry concealed weapons. The surge reflects the fears of rising crime in a down economy and concerns that the election of President Barack Obama might bring new limits on gun rights.
Clay County has seen the biggest increase.
From Jan. 1 through the end of May, 801 Clay County residents applied for permits to carry a concealed weapon — compared with 863 in all of 2008.
Sheriff Bob Boydston said that in January the line of applicants stretched across the office. Each week, the line got longer.
Eventually, Boydston had to pull deputies from other duties to handle the demand. The county has gone from accepting applications two days a week to five.
“They are afraid that weapons and ammunition will not be available, but there is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding fueling this,” Boydston said.
Since Obama’s election, gun dealers nationwide have reported strong sales, and ammunition makers can’t keep up with demand.
Ken Novak, an associate professor and the chairman of the criminal justice and criminology department at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, said the economy is prompting homeowners to take extra measures to protect themselves and their families.
“They perceive crime is going up and will act on that,” Novak said.
In Kansas City, violent crime in the first four months of the year was up 10 percent compared with the same period last year. Aggravated assaults were up 20 percent, at 1,265, and the homicide count — 34 — was 17 percent higher than a year earlier. Rapes and robbery were down about 5 percent.
Novak said, however, that there is no measurable evidence that concealed-carry laws deter crime.
Supporters of concealed-carry say the law has fulfilled its mission of giving people the ability to protect themselves.
Rachel Parsons, a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association, said the group has noticed a nationwide increase in applications for concealed-carry permits.
“Folks have a reason to worry, and that is why they are going out in droves, purchasing guns and ammunition and getting their right-to-carry permit,” Parsons said. “After 9/11 and (Hurricane) Katrina, people have learned the police will not always be there and they want to be able to protect themselves and their families.”
She said those seeking concealed-carry permits point to Obama’s record in the Illinois Legislature.
As a state senator, Obama supported bans on semiautomatic weapons and tighter firearms restrictions in general. He also voted to leave gun manufacturers and dealers open to lawsuits, and he has said local jurisdictions should be able to regulate guns to reduce crime on city streets.
But Obama also has said that owning guns, including handguns, is an individual right and an American tradition and should remain legal.
Peter Hamm, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said there was no tangible evidence that the Obama administration would seek to curtail ammunition purchases or limit gun rights.
“To think Obama is going to take their guns away is stupid. The man has his hands full,” Hamm said. “The calls of gloom and doom that are being sold out there are not only untrue but not healthy.”
Joining Poynter in the recent concealed-carry class in Liberty was Dan Pulliam, 39, of Excelsior Springs. Pulliam said he wanted the permit so he could carry a handgun to protect himself and his wife when they’re driving in some of the more remote parts of town.
“There are too many weirdos out there, and I like to have something, just in case,” Pulliam said.
More lies debunked !
Concealed carry five years later: Why it works
Comments 6 | Recommend 5
June 27, 2009 - 9:12 PM
Greg Sowinski
LIMA - When two men knocked on Charesa Smith's door at 5 a.m. wanting to use her phone last winter, she feared the worst.
She knew about a rash of home invasion robberies happening around the county.
Smith and her husband never let them inside, where they have three young children. They called the Sheriff's Office, and the men left.
"It broke the safe barrier I had around myself and my house. I felt as if I was violated. They never did anything, but it felt like it could have gotten nasty," she said.
That incident was enough to spur Smith and her husband to obtain their concealed carry licenses. She now feels safer, she says, especially since she spends a lot of time out alone with her children, who range in age from 10 months to 7 years old, running to the store and appointments.
"It was a safety issue," she said. "I don't think the world is as safe of a place as it used to be, and I wanted something to protect my children."
More people packing
More and more Ohioans are carrying concealed weapons, with an enormous increase this year alone. Most officials attribute that increase to the fear that Barack Obama's administration in the White House will take away guns, coupled with the struggling economy and an increase in crime.
Through March, Ohio reported 159,000 residents with concealed carry licenses, which represents about 1 percent of the population. Of that number, 16,323 were new licenses issued in the first three months of the year, a number that continues to climb at a high rate.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives estimates 25 percent of the U.S. population owns a gun of some type, and half the households in the country have at least one gun inside.
Many local counties report doubling or tripling the number of applicants for the first six months of the year compared to all of 2008. In Auglaize County, 92 licenses were issued last year, compared to 295 so far this year. Allen County issued 323 licenses last year, compared to 449 so far this year.
Insight Firearms Training Development instructor Steve Farmer, of Lima, said there's been an explosion in the number of people taking his class. In previous years, he averaged 15 in his monthly class. During the first five months of the year, he's had classes as big as 40 people and had to hold two each month to keep up with demand.
Bob Davis, a 64-year-old owner of a small business in Lima, said his job takes him to all areas of town, including those with high crime rates, where he does not feel safe.
"I just can't tell someone we can't do your work because you live in a high-crime area," he said.
Patrick Kennedy, a former police officer who now works as a psychiatric attendant for the state prison system, said he feels safer carrying a gun. That's especially true since he deals with criminals every day, some of whom threaten to hurt him should they be released.
"I just want to have a choice to carry it to protect myself and my family," he said.
Best citizens
Farmer said he sees people in class from all walks of life, from doctors and lawyers to factory workers, teachers and preachers.
Farmer, a former police chief who is also a police firearms trainer, said people with concealed carry licenses are among the most law-abiding. He said he rarely came across people with their concealed carry licenses during traffic stops, saying it's because they follow the law to begin with.
Allen County Sheriff Crish said people with their concealed carry licenses typically are the most law-abiding citizens. Otherwise, they would not have been issued a license.
"We're not worried about those individuals," he said.
Benefits of CCW
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, fought to bring concealed carry to Ohio as a state legislator more than five years ago. He said the law levels the playing field and gives good people the chance to protect themselves, deterring crime.
No law is going to stop a bad guy from carrying a gun, but without a law they had more targets to go after with less worry, Jordan said.
"Now they have to stop and think," he said.
Carrying a gun makes Davis feel as if he has a chance, especially when he hears about robberies where someone shoots the victim for no reason, he said.
"I just don't want to be in that position," he said.
Davis also tries to avoid being in a bad situation. He said he would much rather take preventative measures than to risk harm or be put in a position to use his weapon. He's never had to pull out his gun since he began carrying last year.
"I hope I never have to pull it for any reason, and I wouldn't look forward to shooting anyone," he said.
Another aspect of obtaining a license Smith said doesn't catch the headlines comes through the training. She wanted to have a gun before taking her concealed carry class under Farmer but was reluctant to get a gun without knowing how to safely store and handle it with three children at home.
Farmer worked closely with her to explain options such as gun storage safes and ways to teach children guns are dangerous, she said.
The police view
When the concealed carry concept was first proposed, those against it said it would lead to shootouts or a return to the days of the Wild West.
That has not happened. Police and sheriffs in the region have not recorded a single case.
"Experience has proven it has not created any problems," Lima Police Department Maj. Kevin Martin said.
Auglaize County Sheriff Al Solomon said he remembers the few who were opposed saying there also would be vigilantism.
"That hasn't been the issue," he said.
Solomon, who supports the law, said he hasn't even had a case of a concealed carry license holder legally shooting someone in self-defense.
Van Wert County Sheriff Stan Owens supports the law, saying there is proof it deters crime. He said carjackings across the country have declined since concealed carry laws hit the books.
"It adds a deterrent. The criminal may be faced with lethal force should he try to rob or harm someone," Owens said.
Opposition
While concealed carry is gaining popularity and more are doing it, there's still those who remain opposed.
Doug Pennington, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign, a Washington-based group whose mission is to reduce gun violence through stronger laws, said the campaign is not completely against concealed carry but believes there are too many problems with existing laws.
He said there are numerous examples where a person held a concealed carry license only to get in some type of trouble. The strongest example is a man in Twinsburg, near Cleveland, who shot and killed a police officer last year during a routine traffic stop.
"These things do happen," he said.
State Rep. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said exceptions can be found to almost anything. He said he fears that cases such as the one mentioned by Pennington can lead to responses that are not well thought out. He said some miss the point to begin with, that the right to carry a weapon is guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
"We shouldn't willy nilly be getting rid of guns because a tragedy happens. There are more tragedies with automobiles that cause death and injuries than guns," he said.
Former Allen County Prosecutor David Bowers said the risks of having more guns outweighs the benefits. As a prosecutor, he saw too many accidents and deaths occur by gunfire.
"I don't think guns are the answer," he said.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol also remains opposed to concealed carry. After realizing early on it was just a matter of time before it was law, troopers found a way to accept it by offering measures aimed at officer safety, such as the license-holder's requirement to notify a police officer he is a concealed carrier during a traffic stop, said Lt. Shawn Davis, a spokesman for the state patrol.
Davis said the patrol occasionally comes across concealed carry license-holders who forget to notify the trooper or who are intoxicated.
"Those scenarios are alarming to us," he said.
Future of CCW
While some want stronger laws, there are those who want the law to provide more options. Farmer wants the option of being able to carry in a restaurant that serves alcohol when he's having a meal with his family but not consuming alcohol. House Bill 203, which Huffman supports, would provide that.
Existing law makes it a crime to carry a gun while intoxicated.
Huffman said there also is a pending bill to loosen the concealed carry license requirement to taking the training course and passing the FBI background check at the time a person purchases a gun. There would be no license to obtain.
Hardin County Sheriff Keith Everhart said the only change he would propose in the law is to have the person qualify with the gun he or she carries, which is a requirement for police in Ohio.
Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey, a supporter of concealed carry, said if he could change anything in the law, he allow a sheriff more room to deny someone who may not have landed in jail but has problems.
"That's the downside, it's a shall-issue law. I don't have the ability to deny someone who I think should be denied," he said.
Martin said Ohio law does allow police or a sheriff to take away a person's license if there is trouble or a crime is committed.
There also is proposed legislation in Congress on concealed carry that would require states to recognize licenses from other states, similar to driver's licenses. Its aim is to do away with the confusion that exists when traveling from one state to another, since each state is responsible for making its own concealed carry laws and not all states allow it.
"It's common sense. There should be some uniformity to concealed carry law so when you move from one jurisdiction to the next, you don't find out in one state you were fine and in another you're in violation of the law," Jordan said.
Jordan said the national bill has an uphill battle, given the Democratic leadership. Even so, it does have support on both sides of the isle, he said.
"It won't be easy," he said.
Comments 6 | Recommend 5
June 27, 2009 - 9:12 PM
Greg Sowinski
LIMA - When two men knocked on Charesa Smith's door at 5 a.m. wanting to use her phone last winter, she feared the worst.
She knew about a rash of home invasion robberies happening around the county.
Smith and her husband never let them inside, where they have three young children. They called the Sheriff's Office, and the men left.
"It broke the safe barrier I had around myself and my house. I felt as if I was violated. They never did anything, but it felt like it could have gotten nasty," she said.
That incident was enough to spur Smith and her husband to obtain their concealed carry licenses. She now feels safer, she says, especially since she spends a lot of time out alone with her children, who range in age from 10 months to 7 years old, running to the store and appointments.
"It was a safety issue," she said. "I don't think the world is as safe of a place as it used to be, and I wanted something to protect my children."
More people packing
More and more Ohioans are carrying concealed weapons, with an enormous increase this year alone. Most officials attribute that increase to the fear that Barack Obama's administration in the White House will take away guns, coupled with the struggling economy and an increase in crime.
Through March, Ohio reported 159,000 residents with concealed carry licenses, which represents about 1 percent of the population. Of that number, 16,323 were new licenses issued in the first three months of the year, a number that continues to climb at a high rate.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives estimates 25 percent of the U.S. population owns a gun of some type, and half the households in the country have at least one gun inside.
Many local counties report doubling or tripling the number of applicants for the first six months of the year compared to all of 2008. In Auglaize County, 92 licenses were issued last year, compared to 295 so far this year. Allen County issued 323 licenses last year, compared to 449 so far this year.
Insight Firearms Training Development instructor Steve Farmer, of Lima, said there's been an explosion in the number of people taking his class. In previous years, he averaged 15 in his monthly class. During the first five months of the year, he's had classes as big as 40 people and had to hold two each month to keep up with demand.
Bob Davis, a 64-year-old owner of a small business in Lima, said his job takes him to all areas of town, including those with high crime rates, where he does not feel safe.
"I just can't tell someone we can't do your work because you live in a high-crime area," he said.
Patrick Kennedy, a former police officer who now works as a psychiatric attendant for the state prison system, said he feels safer carrying a gun. That's especially true since he deals with criminals every day, some of whom threaten to hurt him should they be released.
"I just want to have a choice to carry it to protect myself and my family," he said.
Best citizens
Farmer said he sees people in class from all walks of life, from doctors and lawyers to factory workers, teachers and preachers.
Farmer, a former police chief who is also a police firearms trainer, said people with concealed carry licenses are among the most law-abiding. He said he rarely came across people with their concealed carry licenses during traffic stops, saying it's because they follow the law to begin with.
Allen County Sheriff Crish said people with their concealed carry licenses typically are the most law-abiding citizens. Otherwise, they would not have been issued a license.
"We're not worried about those individuals," he said.
Benefits of CCW
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, fought to bring concealed carry to Ohio as a state legislator more than five years ago. He said the law levels the playing field and gives good people the chance to protect themselves, deterring crime.
No law is going to stop a bad guy from carrying a gun, but without a law they had more targets to go after with less worry, Jordan said.
"Now they have to stop and think," he said.
Carrying a gun makes Davis feel as if he has a chance, especially when he hears about robberies where someone shoots the victim for no reason, he said.
"I just don't want to be in that position," he said.
Davis also tries to avoid being in a bad situation. He said he would much rather take preventative measures than to risk harm or be put in a position to use his weapon. He's never had to pull out his gun since he began carrying last year.
"I hope I never have to pull it for any reason, and I wouldn't look forward to shooting anyone," he said.
Another aspect of obtaining a license Smith said doesn't catch the headlines comes through the training. She wanted to have a gun before taking her concealed carry class under Farmer but was reluctant to get a gun without knowing how to safely store and handle it with three children at home.
Farmer worked closely with her to explain options such as gun storage safes and ways to teach children guns are dangerous, she said.
The police view
When the concealed carry concept was first proposed, those against it said it would lead to shootouts or a return to the days of the Wild West.
That has not happened. Police and sheriffs in the region have not recorded a single case.
"Experience has proven it has not created any problems," Lima Police Department Maj. Kevin Martin said.
Auglaize County Sheriff Al Solomon said he remembers the few who were opposed saying there also would be vigilantism.
"That hasn't been the issue," he said.
Solomon, who supports the law, said he hasn't even had a case of a concealed carry license holder legally shooting someone in self-defense.
Van Wert County Sheriff Stan Owens supports the law, saying there is proof it deters crime. He said carjackings across the country have declined since concealed carry laws hit the books.
"It adds a deterrent. The criminal may be faced with lethal force should he try to rob or harm someone," Owens said.
Opposition
While concealed carry is gaining popularity and more are doing it, there's still those who remain opposed.
Doug Pennington, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign, a Washington-based group whose mission is to reduce gun violence through stronger laws, said the campaign is not completely against concealed carry but believes there are too many problems with existing laws.
He said there are numerous examples where a person held a concealed carry license only to get in some type of trouble. The strongest example is a man in Twinsburg, near Cleveland, who shot and killed a police officer last year during a routine traffic stop.
"These things do happen," he said.
State Rep. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said exceptions can be found to almost anything. He said he fears that cases such as the one mentioned by Pennington can lead to responses that are not well thought out. He said some miss the point to begin with, that the right to carry a weapon is guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
"We shouldn't willy nilly be getting rid of guns because a tragedy happens. There are more tragedies with automobiles that cause death and injuries than guns," he said.
Former Allen County Prosecutor David Bowers said the risks of having more guns outweighs the benefits. As a prosecutor, he saw too many accidents and deaths occur by gunfire.
"I don't think guns are the answer," he said.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol also remains opposed to concealed carry. After realizing early on it was just a matter of time before it was law, troopers found a way to accept it by offering measures aimed at officer safety, such as the license-holder's requirement to notify a police officer he is a concealed carrier during a traffic stop, said Lt. Shawn Davis, a spokesman for the state patrol.
Davis said the patrol occasionally comes across concealed carry license-holders who forget to notify the trooper or who are intoxicated.
"Those scenarios are alarming to us," he said.
Future of CCW
While some want stronger laws, there are those who want the law to provide more options. Farmer wants the option of being able to carry in a restaurant that serves alcohol when he's having a meal with his family but not consuming alcohol. House Bill 203, which Huffman supports, would provide that.
Existing law makes it a crime to carry a gun while intoxicated.
Huffman said there also is a pending bill to loosen the concealed carry license requirement to taking the training course and passing the FBI background check at the time a person purchases a gun. There would be no license to obtain.
Hardin County Sheriff Keith Everhart said the only change he would propose in the law is to have the person qualify with the gun he or she carries, which is a requirement for police in Ohio.
Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey, a supporter of concealed carry, said if he could change anything in the law, he allow a sheriff more room to deny someone who may not have landed in jail but has problems.
"That's the downside, it's a shall-issue law. I don't have the ability to deny someone who I think should be denied," he said.
Martin said Ohio law does allow police or a sheriff to take away a person's license if there is trouble or a crime is committed.
There also is proposed legislation in Congress on concealed carry that would require states to recognize licenses from other states, similar to driver's licenses. Its aim is to do away with the confusion that exists when traveling from one state to another, since each state is responsible for making its own concealed carry laws and not all states allow it.
"It's common sense. There should be some uniformity to concealed carry law so when you move from one jurisdiction to the next, you don't find out in one state you were fine and in another you're in violation of the law," Jordan said.
Jordan said the national bill has an uphill battle, given the Democratic leadership. Even so, it does have support on both sides of the isle, he said.
"It won't be easy," he said.
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