What's Going On?!

[T-Stan RPCV]

I've received a few phone calls from friends and family saying 26th and Ridgeland is "locked down" with Berwyn & Chicago cops flooding the area.  I guess it's been on the news but I missed it and they didnt say what the deal was.  The news networks might as well open satelite offices in Berwyn with all the attention we've been getting.

Must be serious, people know better than to call me when Jon Stewart's on.

[T-Stan RPCV]

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_122230606.html

Looks like Berwyn's 15 minutes of fame will continue.

Wasnt it 27th and Ridgeland where the teenager killed her kid a few weeks ago?

[Bru67]

Silence on the local news stations (CBS, NBC and CLTV).  Maybe they shot his ass already?  Even so, you know this crap will be in the paper tomorrow with "Berwyn" as either the first or second word.  And, once Again, I'll have people coming up to me and going "what's going on in your town??"  Fuck.  

[ruffian]

Boy, two things in one day.  Seems a little odd that all this is happening as one administration lies dead in the water ... and the other one hasn't been sworn in yet.

[Bru67]

I shudder to ask -- what was the second thing???

[ruffian]

What Hychev reported this morning.  Gangs running amok

[Bru67]

Got it.  That probably won't make the papers though, this surely will. 

[saluki]

What the hell is going on is right!  Does Berwyn have CAPS in place?  We had CAPS meetings in our former Chicago neighborhood and it does work.   If we don't, we need to get something in place in every ward with bi-monthly/monthly meetings.   We cannot let Berwyn become the next Cicero! 

All the discussion about rental properties and gangs, etc.  is true (from other threads).  There is a direct correlation.  The more low income renters we have, the more we attract the displaced folks from the city (displaced from gentrification).   Yes, it stinks because in essence we'll be doing the same thing, displacing folks from Berwyn because of gentrification.   

Let me ask this though, would you rather have a dual income couple who maintains and upgrades their property as neighbors (and yes, most likely drive foreign cars and drink lattes...annoying to some, but if that's the worst thing, c'mon), but don't run around spray painting homes, weilding guns, and harrassing and intimdating residents.



This community needs to decide who it wants to villify....I think the answer is obvious.  Let's work together to rid our community of these lowest-common denominators!

[pkd50]

Let's hope the new adim. will beef up the PD with a big time gang unit.  Mayor elect O'C voted against putting more police on during his aldermatic days.  He must have had a reason.  Back in the day, he didn't get along too well with many people in charge. Now he's in charge, so we should see some changes.   Another thread said that a new temp. top cop will be sworn in.  Does anybody know his name?  Is he a Berwyn cop?

[marysol_21]

Wasnt it 27th and Ridgeland where the teenager killed her kid a few weeks ago?

yes.

[kmcase]

Here is some information on action that Oak Park took some years back in response to gang activity they had in their town.  I think many of the ideas are good ones and ones that Berwyn should implement, if it has not already.

www.oakparktownship.org/youthservices/gangdrug.htm - 25k

[Ana]

I'm kinda happy this is going on.  I drove my children to Berwyn Sokol for 5-6 years before it closed last year and every year I could see that little area changing.  I began to see gangbanger-type people hanging out in front cars stopping by and leaving immediately.  I called the police a few times when the action around those apartment buildings was questionable.  I am glad that they are cracking down and moving these people out of Berwyn. 

My theory on gangs and people of questionable repute is that we need to make it difficult for them to live (conduct business) in Berwyn.  That means when they are parked in front of your house or your neighbors house/alley, call the police.  When they drive by with their stereos full volume, call the police, yes, even if they just drive by.  If they speed down your street or alley, call the police.  If there is graffiti, call the police and if they don't clean it up immediately then you clean it up.  The longer it sits the more it encourages more graffiti.  If you see a situation that may potentially turn into a criminal offense, like a large number of kids just hanging out in front of a home looking at cars, etc, call the police.  Someone walking around in your neighborhood that looks questionable or that you do not know, call the police.  Then after you have called the police, call your alderman.  And more importantly, be consistent.  Make it difficult for them to be criminals in your neighborhood.   

A couple of years ago, our garages were tagged in our alley and immediately after it happened our neighbors were out cleaning it up and helping each other clean it up (we live in South Berwyn).  Last year, a handful of businesses were tagged during the night and the following morning I did my job and called it in, by the time I drove past in the afternoon, it was gone.  No graffiti since.

[Ana]

Another thought -- how about ticketing the Landlord?  Isn't it his responsibility one way or another?

[Bru67]

What Hychev reported this morning.  Gangs running amok

Well, Ruf, looks like it was really only one thing after all.  How ironic that we were just discussing this yesterday...

Weapons raid in Berwyn

About a dozen Chicago police officers took part in a multi-agency raid on a Berwyn apartment Monday night and found a cache of assault weapons, police said.

Members of a suburban interagency SWAT team kicked down the door of an apartment in the 2700 block of South Ridgeland Avenue, said Lt. Paul Kane of Chicago's Austin police district.

Police were acting on a search warrant for narcotics and assault weapons in an apartment allegedly occupied by the girlfriend of a Latin King gang member. Police fired about a dozen bean bag projectiles to break out windows of the apartment.

Neighbors and surrounding businesses were locked down for several hours during the raid, forcing people to stay inside and preventing people at a nearby bingo hall from returning home, according to Kane.

Weapons were found, he said, but it is unclear if any narcotics were discovered. No arrests were made or charges filed.

Police conducted an earlier raid Monday in Cicero and found about 30 pounds of marijuana, authorities said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0505-3-raid,1,6351086.story?coll=chi-news-hed

____________________

Again, to apply my comments of yesterday, the girlfriend is probably a very nice person with no luck who was just trying to get away from the problems in her old 'hood.  But, as I said, you can run but you can't hide.  On one hand, at least they're doing something and busting these assholes.  We have to keep it up! 

[pkd50]

So a very nice girl dates a Latin King and lets him stash weapons in her apartment.  What do you consider a bad girl?

[Bru67]

You don't want to know

[patuphues]

One who hides weapons in her boyfriend's apt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bru67]

One who hides weapons in her boyfriend's apt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess you don't know what it's like to have microscopic self esteem and want to be in a relationship -- any relationship.  Consider yourself lucky.  Those of us who have taken time in our lives to volunteer time to try to help the poor understand this.  If you never have, you probably can't.  When your situation is hopeless, you tend to have a very different perspective on things.  What may seem ludicrous and even downright stupid to us makes perfect sense to them.  Couple that with crappy luck and the result is a complete mess.  This is why poorer communities have so many problems.  Most of the people are good and well meaning, but bad things happen there because of bad luck and bad choices.

[pkd50]

Bru you're right about the poor misunderstood Latin Queen , but you're wrong assuming I don't understand.  Oh believe me I do.  However I moved on, and I don't care to live among my old problems, which is why I'm in Berwyn.    I'm not sure why your here.  Maybe you should be spreading your love and sunshine among the young ladies who run with the gangbangers.

[Bru67]

Love?  I'm usually called a complete selfish bastard for not wanting the poor in Berwyn.  The "Mom" poster, God rest her soul, would be so proud of me  

You obviously have not paid attention to one word of what I've said in the past.  I believe that the continued influx of the poor into Berwyn is creating problems and should be reversed.  I've suggested things like condo conversions, parking bans, and strict building code enforcement.  I too do not want to live in a poor community.  I was merely explaining the psychology of the person at issue in this unfortunate example.  As a word of friendly advice, you usually have more cred criticizing something if you can demonstrate that you actually understand it -- instead of just saying "screw those scumbags they stink."