Hyde Park Crime Watch

Shooting at 55th and Everett

2009-09-20T22:51:00.000-05:00

A reader reports:
Sunday 12:15 am, corner of 55th and Everett:
A black car drove onto the sidewalk into a group of young people
standing on the southwest side of the corner; shots (3-4) were fired
thereafter, the car then drove down Everett, crashing into 2 parked
cars (which were pushed up onto the parkway by the force of the
impact) after a second set of 3-4 shots.

Halloween Shooting

2008-11-02T10:27:00.001-06:00

I heard that there was a shooting at 51st and Dorchester on Halloween. I don't have any details.

October 1 assault

2008-10-02T22:33:00.001-05:00

October 1, 2008—At 9:20 pm, Wednesday, October 1, University Police
found a woman on the street at 5411 South Ellis Avenue. It appears she
was struck in the head during an assault. Details are not fully known
at this time. The victim was transported to the hospital in serious
condition. Police are investigating

2 tenants stabbed during apartment robbery

2008-08-24T20:34:00.001-05:00

Tribune report
7:08 PM CDT, August 24, 2008

An apartment building handyman allegedly stabbed two tenants several
times during a robbery and has been charged with two counts of
attempted murder, Chicago police said Sunday.

Thaddeus Gunnell, 36, of the 300 block of 154th Place, Calumet City,
has also been charged with two counts of home invasion for the
incident that happened about 6 a.m. Saturday in the 5000 block of
South Cornell Ave., Chicago. Fleeing with items from the apartment,
Gunnell was arrested a short time later.

Police say he entered the apartment of a 48-year-old man and
50-year-old woman, armed with a knife, and demanded money. When the
woman refused, Gunnell allegedly stabbed her several times. When the
man came to her aid, Gunnell also allegedly stabbed him several times.

The victims were taken to Northwestern Hospital in fair and guarded conditions.

South Side landlord, 77, set afire, critically burned

2008-08-20T10:11:00.001-05:00

By Melissa Patterson | Chicago Tribune reporter
10:27 PM CDT, August 19, 2008

A South Side landlord was critically burned Tuesday after being doused
with gasoline and set on fire, possibly by a tenant he evicted,
Chicago police said.

A family member identified the victim as Harlan Hayes, 77, of the 6300
block of South Ellis Avenue in the Woodlawn neighborhood.

Authorities responded at about 2:15 a.m. Tuesday and found Hayes
collapsed on the porch of the building next door. He was taken to the
University of Chicago Medical Center, where he remained in critical
condition.

Kathy Hinton said she called 911 after she heard Hayes screaming and
banging on her building's front door for help.

She looked out and saw that his clothes had been completely burned
off. In daylight, there was a dark handprint near the door and dark
stains on the porch.

"He was burned bad, and he was just laying there," Hinton said.

A tenant in Hayes' building said she also called police after the
smoke detectors went off and she heard a man screaming. She looked out
the window to see Hayes walking toward the building next door.

The tenant, who asked not to be identified, said she heard Hayes
implicate his attacker as he lay on the porch. She said she had seen
the man Hayes referred to threaten him over a security deposit. Police
were looking for a 28-year-old former tenant, evicted as recently as
last week. No one was in custody Tuesday evening.

Stabbing and murder

2008-08-04T14:48:00.001-05:00

At 10:05 p.m., Sunday, August 3, on 53rd between Blackstone & Harper,
a man was stabbed twice on the street by one of four men who drove up
in a white conversion van. The victim was in stable condition in
hospital.

At 5:06 a.m., Monday, August 4, on 47th at Greenwood, a man was shot
multiple times by unknown persons. He subsequently died.

Several shootings this weekend

2008-07-07T14:40:00.001-05:00

At 11:30 p.m., Friday, July 4, on 64th Street between Kimbark and
Kenwood Avenues, a woman and two men were shot on the street by two
men who then fled in separate vehicles – one a midsized four door
silver car with racks on the top; and the other a midsized white car.
Two of the victims were treated and released from a hospital; the
other victim was in good condition at a hospital.

At 10:54 p.m., Saturday, July 5, on Drexel Avenue between 62nd and
63rd Streets, a male juvenile was shot on the street by another male
juvenile who was arrested shortly thereafter by police. The victim
was taken to a hospital where he was in critical condition.

Three recent crimes

2008-06-22T21:54:00.001-05:00

A reader has written to alert us to three recent crimes:

6/6/08
At 11:25 p.m., Friday, June 6, on Kimbark Avenue between 61st and 62nd
Streets, two male juveniles and three men were shot by individuals,
 possibly two men, who drove by in a large white vehicle.  All five were

taken to the hospital for treatment where they were in stable condition
and expected to recover.  Police believe that all the victims were
 associated with a street gang and are continuing to investigate.

6/7/08

At 12:25 a.m., Saturday, June 7, on Dorchester Avenue between 52nd and
53rd Street, a woman was walking when a man came up from behind her,
 told her to say nothing, and began fondling her.  He fled when she
demanded that he stop.  Police are investigating.


6/22/08
Three gunshots reported along the Midway around 59th and Ellis just after
midnight.  This was followed shortly by a fire in one of the University buildings,
 also located on 59th and Ellis.

Two muggings Saturday, 59th and Ellis

2008-05-19T17:27:00.001-05:00

At 6:30 p.m. and 8:10 p.m., Saturday, May 17, near 59th Street and
Ellis Avenue, individuals walking alone were approached by male
juveniles and/or men who demanded their valuables. In the first
incident, a woman was approached from behind by two offenders who
tried unsuccessfully to take a wallet from her hand, and then fled.
In the second incident, a man was approached from the front by one
male juvenile, and from behind by two male juveniles or men, who
knocked him down, kicked him, took his wallet, and then fled. In this
second incident, University police subsequently arrested the first
offender who was identified by the victim. Subsequent police
investigation resulted in the arrest of another male juvenile and a
man, but the victim could not identify them. Police continue to
investigate.

Three crimes this weekend

2008-04-09T14:00:00.001-05:00

Between 12:45 and 1:00 p.m., Sunday, April 6, near 55th Street and
Lake Park Avenue, and then again shortly thereafter near 55th and
Ellis Avenue, a man in a white, two door 1990-99 Pontiac drove up to
the same woman, made obscene gestures from his car, and asked her to
perform a sex act. The victim ignored him, and the offender left
without getting out of his car. He was described as an African
American in his 40's or 50's, 5'10" – 6', 230-240. (This incident was
not reported to police until April 8.)

At 4:45 p.m., Tuesday, April 8, on 57th Street near Lake Park Ave. –
a man on the Metra platform was confronted by three male juveniles or
men who punched him several times and took his BlackBerry.

At 10:08 p.m., Tuesday, April 8, on Dorchester Ave. between 58th and
59th Streets, a man was walking when he was confronted by two male
juveniles or men who punched him and took his laptop, cell phone, and
wallet. The offenders then entered a four door gold Dodge Intrepid,
driven by a third man, and drove away.

Armed robberies at 54th and Ellis, and 52nd and Kenwood; crime prevention summit

2008-04-03T13:49:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, March 30, 2008, at 9:26 p.m., on 54th Street between Ellis
and Greenwood Avenues, and at 11:15 p.m., on 52nd Street between
Kenwood and Dorchester Avenues, individuals walking alone were victims
of armed robbery. In both incidents a man confronted the victim,
displayed a silver-colored or chrome-plated gun, and demanded and took
valuables. Neither victim was harmed, and the offender fled after the
robberies. After continuing investigation, police believe that it is
likely the same man was involved in both incidents. The descriptions
given of this man are general – an African American 25 or younger,
about 5'9", 140-150 pounds, wearing dark clothing.

For those of you who want to learn more about safety and security
issues, please plan to attend the "Crime Prevention Summit" on Friday,
April 4, 2008 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Room W1 of the School of
Social Service Administration (SSA), sponsored by UCPD and the Chicago
Police Department. For more information, call (312) 747-8382.

Shots fired at 63rd Street and Kenwood Avenue

2008-03-25T11:52:00.001-05:00

At 3:10 p.m., Monday, March 24, Parking Security Personnel reported
shots fired near the corner of 63rd Street and Kenwood Avenue. Two
automobiles were damaged. No injuries were reported. Both Chicago
Police and the University of Chicago Police immediately arrived on the
scene. Police continue to investigate the incident.

Shooting at 52nd and Harper

2008-03-20T15:29:00.001-05:00

At 9:44 p.m., Wednesday, March 19, near 52nd Street and Harper Avenue,
a man was shot on the street by one of three other men who were in a
black Jeep Cherokee. The victim was taken to a hospital where he was
reported in serious but stable condition. Police are investigating.

Mugging 55th and University

2008-02-02T07:25:00.001-06:00

At 12:50 a.m., Saturday, February 2, 2008, just west of University
Avenue near 55th Street, a woman was walking toward the entrance to
Pierce Hall when a man ran up to her from behind, pushed her against a
wall, took her purse, and fled back to a maroon four door vehicle.

Armed robbery, Kenwood and 61st

2008-01-30T14:02:00.001-06:00

At 12:15 a.m., Wednesday, January 30, on Kenwood Avenue between 61st and
62nd Streets, a man was walking from his house to his nearby parked
car. He was confronted by another man who got out of a late model, dark
colored, two-door Chevy, displayed a gun, and demanded the victim's
valuables. The victim struggled with the offender for the gun. During
the struggle, a second man got out of the car and fired two gun shots at
the victim, who ran unhurt back to his house. Police are investigating.

Comprehensive listing of recent hyde park crimes

2008-01-24T10:59:00.000-06:00

As I have reported before, crime listings in the newspaper indicate only a fraction of crimes reported in Hyde Park. All police reports are aggregated at the Chicago Crime Database, and recently this list has been more conveniently aggregated at Everyblock. Here is a listing of crimes entered in the database between January 15 and today. There is generally a one week delay between the time a crime is reported and its appearance in the database.

Other offense: Missing person 800 block E. 59th St Other offense: Lost property 1500 block E. 53rd St Other offense: Telephone threat 900 block E. 57th St Deceptive practice: Credit card fraud 1500 block E. 53rd St Deceptive practice: Forgery 5700 block S. Maryland Ave Theft: Pocket-picking 5200 block S. Ingleside Ave Other offense: Other vehicle offense 5400 block S. Lake Park Ave Theft: $300 and under 5500 block S. Lake Park Ave Theft: From building 900 block E. Hyde Park Blvd Vandalism: Criminal damage to property 5300 block S. Ingleside Ave Simple battery: Simple 5300 block S. Woodlawn Ave Vandalism: Criminal damage to property 5300 block S. Woodlawn Ave Other offense: Telephone threat 5700 block S. University Ave Theft: From building 5100 block S. Kimbark Ave Deceptive practice: Illegal use of cash card 5100 block S. Harper Ave Vandalism: Criminal damage to property 5400 block S. Ellis Ave Motor vehicle theft: Theft/recovery: automobile 1400 block E. 55th Pl Aggravated assault: Knife/cutting instrument 900 block E. 58th St Criminal trespass: To land 5300 block S. Blackstone Ave Robbery: Strongarm: no weapon 5100 block S. Harper Ave Robbery: Strongarm: no weapon 5400 block S. Woodlawn Ave Theft: Over $300 5200 block S. Cottage Grove Ave Narcotics: Manufacturing/delivery of heroin (white) 5200 block S. Harper Ave Deceptive practice: Credit card fraud 1500 block E. 55th St Simple assault: Simple assault 900 block E. 55th St Simple battery: Domestic battery: simple 1400 block E. 53rd St Aggravated battery: Other dangerous weapon Theft: From building 1200 block E. Hyde Park Blvd Other offense: Death 5800 block S. Maryland Ave Motor vehicle theft: Automobile 1400 block E. 53rd St Robbery: Armed: handgun 5300 block S. Harper Ave Simple battery: Domestic battery: simple 5800 block S. Blackstone Ave Robbery: Armed: handgun 5800 block S. Maryland Ave Motor vehicle theft: Theft/recovery: automobile 5800 block S. Blackstone Ave Criminal trespass: To land Other offense: Death 5300 block S. Blackstone Ave Simple assault: Simple assault 1500 block E. 52nd St Theft: Over $300 900 block E. 54th St Criminal trespass: To land 5400 block S. Woodlawn Ave Theft: Over $300 1500 block E. 53rd St Theft: Retail theft 1200 block E. 56th St Theft: From building 5600 block S. Blackstone Ave Motor vehicle theft: Automobile Theft: From building 5400 block S. Harper Ave Robbery: Armed: handgun 5600 block S. Woodlawn Ave Vandalism: Criminal damage to property

Purse snatching, 56th and Greenwood

2008-01-22T12:05:00.001-06:00

At 11:50 a.m., Monday, January 21, at 56th Street and Greenwood Avenue,
a woman was walking when two men drove up in a 1990-93 black four door
Maxima (with a broken tail light on the passenger side) and asked
directions. As she was talking to them through one of the car's windows,
one of the men reached out and grabbed her purse. They then drove away.

Purse snatching, 9 AM Jan 18, University and 56th

2008-01-18T13:23:00.000-06:00

At 8:50 a.m., Thursday, January 18, on University Avenue between 55th
and 56th Streets, a woman was walking when she was confronted by another
woman who grabbed her purse. When the offender found nothing inside,
she returned the purse to the victim, and returned to a nearby white
vehicle driven by a second woman and drove away.

Suspects in Cisse case plead not guilty

2008-01-17T15:48:00.001-06:00

Two of the three suspects accused in the Amadou Cisse murder case pleaded not guilty to all charges Friday, authorities have said. Eric Walker, 16, and Demetrius Warren, 17, both pleaded not guilty to charges. A third suspect, Benjamin Williams, 21, has not entered a plea.
More: Suspects in Cisse case plead not guilty

Looking back on the Amadou Cisse tragedy

2008-01-17T10:49:00.000-06:00

A reader wrote to ask me, essentially, if I thought there were any lessons to be learned from the murder of Amadou Cisse, if one were to investigate the crime.

I told him that I think there are several potentially revealing angles to look at. First let me say that I don't think it would be interesting or insightful to look at any failure on the side of the university or police. I don't think parallels with other school shootings apply here.

Most interesting, I think, would be to focus both on Eric Walker and Amadou. The tragedy isn't really just about Amadou, but about Eric and Amadou, as well as Warren and Williams, the accomplices. Both Amadou and Eric came from turbulent backgrounds --Amadou's father was killed in battle in Gambia, and Eric's father was gunned down when Eric was three. Both families are certainly devestated. I don't think Eric was expecting to come across the likes of Amadou-- another fighter, who wasn't willing to give in easily, contributing to the deadly result. So the meeting of these two people, so different yet alike in some ways, presents a potentially insightful line of inquiry.

A secondary theme, one that is potentially well investigated in other contexts, is the clash between the university population and the neighborhood. I think Walker said something to the effect that he was going to Hyde Park to commit a crime because people up there have money. From my own experience, I used to think that the crimes around here had a really strong racial component--black on white or black on asian. However, this makes it seem as though class may be playing a role anyway.

There are some other aspects also about clashes between the cultures--on Walker's side, the "gangster" mentality, failures of the education system and parenting -- these are discussed here.
The University side, to some degree, perhaps can represent some isolationism from the surrounding community, despite the best of intentions an efforts.

Despite the time that has passed, every few days it seems someone leaves a message here remembering Amadou. We have heard very little from the community of the perpetrators, a piece of the conversation that I think is sorely missed.

Mugging Wednesday Blackstone and 59th

2008-01-09T23:49:00.001-06:00

At 8:55 p.m., Wednesday, January 9, on Blackstone Avenue between 58th
and 59th Streets, a woman was confronted by an unknown man who indicated
he had a handgun, demanded her valuables, took her wallet, and fled.
Police are investigating.

Shooting at 5300 Cottage Grove

2007-12-28T13:03:00.001-06:00

*At 8:50 p.m., Wednesday, December 26, on the 5300 block of South
Cottage Grove, a woman was shot by an unknown man as she and a male
companion both walked southbound on Cottage Grove. The unknown person
exited the passenger side of a light blue Chevy Corsica (Illinois
plates) and began shooting at both victims. No words were exchanged.
When the victims ran from the incident, the shooter returned to the
vehicle and fled northbound on Cottage Grove. The female victim was
treated at a local hospital. Police are investigating.*

No bond for 3rd U. of C. suspect

2007-12-20T11:20:00.001-06:00

December 16, 2007
BY DAVE NEWBART <mailto:dnewbart@suntimes.com> Staff Reporter
dnewbart@suntimes.com

A third suspect charged in the murder of a University of Chicago
graduate student was ordered held without bond Saturday.

Benjamin Williams, 21, of Dolton, was alleged to have acted as a scout
and lookout for a group of teens involved in a series of robberies Nov.
18 near the U. of C. campus.

Authorities said he was one of five people involved. The other two
remain uncharged.

Williams allegedly helped identify potential victims and then watched
out for police. Authorities said he admitted his role in the spree.

Armed Robbery at 60th and Tracks

2007-12-17T16:59:00.001-06:00

At 9:36 a.m., Friday, December 14th, on East 60th Street, underneath the
Illinois Central viaduct, a woman was walking westbound from Stony
Island when she heard running footsteps behind her. When she turned
around an unknown man pointed a small chrome revolver at her, demanded
her wallet and money. He took her cell phone and wallet and fled east
and south from the location. Police are investigating.

arrests in connection with Amadou Cisse murder

2007-12-05T08:20:00.001-06:00

Last week, the Chicago Police Department announced an arrest related to
the Nov. 19 attempted robbery and fatal shooting of Amadou Cisse. Eric
Walker, 16, was charged as an adult with first-degree murder and one
count of attempted armed robbery with a firearm in connection with
Cisse's death in an incident that occurred at 1:26 a.m. at 6120 S. Ellis
Avenue. He was also charged with two counts of armed robbery with a
firearm in connection with the robbery of two women at 924 E. 57th St.
at 1:15 a.m. that morning by an individual who said he had a weapon. A
third incident, for which he was also charged with one count of armed
robbery with a firearm, occurred in connection with the robbery of a man
in the 5300 block of S. Greenwood Avenue at about 1 a.m. that day.

This morning, a second person was charged in connection with related
incidents on Nov. 19. Demetrius Warren, 17, was charged with two counts
of armed robbery for the robbery of the two women on 57th St., and one
count of armed robbery in connection with the robbery of the man on S.
Greenwood Avenue. Additionally, Warren was charged with aggravated
discharge of a weapon in connection with a fourth incident that morning
at 12:33 a.m. at 6045 Woodlawn Avenue, in which a man was chased by an
individual who fired a shot in his direction.

The Chicago Police Department was able to find a car fitting the
description given by two robbery victims and which had been recorded on
Medical Center cameras. University Police and Medical Center staff were
able to locate this vehicle on Medical Center cameras that are deployed
in the area of the robbery of the two students.

Rudy Nimocks, UC Police Chief, put it well when he said: "We are also
saddened for the other young persons involved in this case. We see too
much violence against young people, in many cases committed by other
young people. We must all think about ways to confront the causes of
crime in addition to being diligent in our efforts to arrest the
offenders and make our community as safe as possible."

Shooting today at 61st and Kimbark

2007-12-04T20:28:00.001-06:00

At approximately 3:30 p.m. today (Dec. 4), a 16-year-old
male was walking with his sister and other teens on 61st Street between
Kimbark and Kenwood. A beige sedan passed them and someone inside the
car fired several shots in their direction, one of which struck the
victim in the right leg. The victim was taken to the University of
Chicago Medical Center, where he is listed in good condition. Police
believe that this is the aftermath of an earlier fight that occurred
near the Hyde Park Academy involving the victim's older brother. The
police are investigating.

How to use SafeRide, sign up for calert for University type people

2007-11-27T09:44:00.000-06:00

The SafeRide, late-night transportation service is now available at 10 p.m.
Please call 773-702-2022 to arrange for a trip to and from anywhere in the UCPD coverage area:
North to 39th Street, south to 64th Street
East to Lake Shore Drive, west to Cottage Grove Avenue
SafeRide is available until 4 a.m. Sunday - Thursday nights and 6 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

Note, the SafeRide van is in addition to the Evening Bus Service and Umbrella Service (e..g being shadowed by UCPD, call 702-8181).

My experience with all of these services (so far) is that none of them ask for a university ID.

Also, I've been at the University for four years, obviously always reading about security, and was never told how to sign up for the Calert (text and voice message security alert) system.

Unfortunately, you MUST be a university member with a CNET ID to use the system. Go to:

https://calert.uchicago.edu/

What type of Shuttle system does the University need?

2007-11-27T09:40:00.002-06:00

A reader has contributed the following post. It is particularly relevant in light of the University's pledge to assess and improve the SafeRide system:

...my fiancée told me about the Amadou Cisse’s shooting last night. Lev lives around 56th Street and South Cottage Grove and was mugged just after he moved in in September, and we’ve been in shock how dangerous the neighborhood is and how little the University does to protect students—especially graduate students, who tend of live on the edges of the campus neighborhood where it’s less safe and who also are more likely to work long hours.

What do you think we can do to encourage the University to create a better shuttle system to drop students off? I’m not talking about having a police officer walk you home, which few are inclined to do (and few males)—but a frequent, available service that students could rely on. All other universities I’ve been to have this.

In New York, where I live, we have a very successful non-profit called Right Rides (www.rightrides.org), where volunteers drive women home between 12-3 on Saturday nights. It goes a long way to create a sense of community and to make people feel safe. Maybe someone within the university could start some kind of volunteer program like this, and then the university would catch on and create a better shuttle service. In any case, it’s a good model for people to know about. I was also at Princeton recently where we took a shuttle where the driver/navigator were logging work-study hours, which also had a good feel because students were helping other students. Of course the University needs to step up to the plate here, but getting students involved in helping each other does the community psychological good.

If you know of any community meetings where people are discussing this, or if you know of people in the University administration we should be writing to, we’d really appreciate the info.

Feel free to post this on your blog if it’s helpful.

Thanks,

Two Hyde Park Residents

University adds vans, substation, appeals to Mayor Daley

2007-11-27T00:17:00.000-06:00

University president Zimmer sent an email about its security response to Amadou's murder:
-The police substation at 61st and Drexel is now open.
-Two vans have been added to the SafeRide program. The hours for the SafeRide program have been expanded to begin at 10 p.m. Phone lines have been added to ensure that callers will be able to reach a dispatcher with their pickup request.
Comment: The university needs to communicate more clearly what the SafeRide is, and how to use it. They should also add a web or text-message interface to request SafeRide.
-A Working Group on Safety and Security will be co-chaired by Kim Goff-Crews, Vice President and Dean of Students in the University, and Rick Rosengarten, Dean of the Divinity School and current Chair of the Committee on Crime Prevention and Security on Campus and in the Neighborhood. The group will review policing, transportation, lighting, and dissemination of information; solicit ideas for improving campus safety; and make recommendations about additional improvements we should undertake.
-The University has hired an external security firm to conduct a thorough review of security measures.
-UCPD Chief Rudy Nimocks has been working closely with Chicago Police Superintendent Dana Starks, and the Chicago Police Department also has increased its patrols in the neighborhoods near campus.
-President Zimmerman will be meeting with Mayor Richard M. Daley to ask for his support in finding ways to further reduce crime in our community.

Armed robbery at 57th and Kimbark

2007-11-25T11:02:00.000-06:00

This safety alert arrived at 2:10 PM on the 23rd:
At 12:49 a.m., Friday, November 23, on Kimbark Avenue near 57th Street, two men were walking when two other men came from behind, displayed handguns, demanded and took the victims' valuables, and fled. Police are investigating.
Over 13 hours for the Safety Awareness Alert to be sent to subscribers. Although, as the University police chief pointed out, most of the crimes are one-offs.

Latest updates on Hyde Park murder, related crimes, victim

2007-11-20T11:41:00.000-06:00

We are continually updating our original posts about these tragic events as we learn more.

More information about the life of Amadou Cisse, a collection of memories, and information about memorial events have now been added to the original post.

Additional details about the three crimes of that evening have been compiled, including a photo of the car potentially used by the assailants (updated Nov. 21 8 AM).

After attending last night's press release, we have written an analysis of the University's response.

We are planning a post about the community response. Please email your thoughts to hydeparkcrime@gmail.com, or post a comment here.

University responds to shootings, murder

2007-11-19T18:54:00.000-06:00

By Hyde Park Crime Watch
Last updated 11:55pm November 19

The University of Chicago held a press conference to field questions about the recent murder of Amadou Cisse and associated crimes. The police believe that the murder resulted after an attempted robbery. The wallet was still on the victim, but there was evidence of a struggle, and his books had been dropped some distance away.

In response, the university stated that they will expand the number of officers patrolling between 55th and 64th after midnight. They will also add an extra van for late night ride service. Students have complained that the service is inadequate. The university will also add a police substation on the South campus in the Woodlawn neighborhood. One student complained that although the university emphasizes all of its safety measures, the university never educates students on just how dangerous the neighborhood can be.

No emergency notification after shootings
Many questions at the meeting surrounded the lack of any use of the emergency notification system to alert students that a crime had occurred. In particular, no warning was issued in the hour between the first shooting and the murder, or after the murder itself. One student asked "what is the use of an emergency notification system if it is not used until the morning after the crime?" The University sent an email at 10:40 AM, and a text message to phones at 11:13 AM.

Several questions reflected the lack of any notification for many crimes that occur. The university representative said that they are reviewing their policy. An audience member also questioned why a working emergency phone is not operating near the area of the murder (it has been disconnected during construction).

A personal comment
Would an emergency email after the first shooting have saved Amadou's life? Very likely. Amadou, like most other students, probably had his email open until he left his office that night. He would have seen a warning email in plenty of time, and would have known to take extra precautions. The university needs to be more vigilant about warning the community about ongoing crime.

In my own experience when I was mugged three years ago, the emergency phone I tried to use was not operational, and no notification was ever sent out about the crime. I only found out about how much crime was going on when I arrived at the police station to view a lineup, and a whole room was filled with people that looked just like me.

As a person who often works late at the University, I have been stuck several times with no transportation options late night during the summer or after 2 AM. Several times I have had to convince the 2AM bus to take me home rather than going off duty. While the University police offers umbrella service, I think many people, including myself, are hesitant to ask a police officer to follow them while they walk 30 minutes to their home.

Remembering Amadou Cisse, 1978-2007

2007-11-19T11:16:00.000-06:00

by Hyde Park Crime Watch
Last updated Nov. 25

The University community is mourning the loss of Amadou L. Cisse last night. Amadou was 28 years old. He was an international graduate student from Senegal studying at the University of Chicago. Senegalse officials said Cisse was the son of a deceased military officer. His mother, two brothers and a sister live in Dakar, the nation's capital.

Amadou was a student in Steven Sibener's group in the Chicago Materials Research Center where he studied atomic oxygen erosion. Amadou's doctoral dissertation was entitled "Photodegradation of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) and Applications in Surface Science and Diffusion Studies". He defended his dissertation on November 1, and completed the requirements for a Ph.D. in chemistry. The University will award him the degree posthumously. As a student, Amadou co-authored several research papers, including Self-Assembly of FePt Nanoparticles on Modified Diblock Copolymer Templates . In 2002 he was awarded the McCormick Fellowship.

Amadou was a chemistry teaching assistant at the University. One student remembered that "he was always trying to get his section to score the highest on the exams, and we usually did because he helped us so much."

Amadou majored in chemistry at Bates College, where he graduated in 2001. One friend who left a comment here described him as "the brightest chemistry student I have ever met."

According to postings he made on the internet, Amadou was interested in contemporary African literature, including works by Mariama Ba. He enjoyed jogging and lifting weights. He was a Muslim who was interested in preserving traditional values of modesty in Senegal. A commenter left a message indicating that he was fluent in several languages, carrying on convers ations in French and English at the same time.

"As a Muslim, she [his mother] said that what happened is from God," said Sadio Cissokho, consul general of the Senegalese Embassy in Washington. He said she is awaiting the return of her son's body, which she wants to bury quickly in accordance with Muslim practice.

Memorials to Amadou
If you knew Amadou, we invite you to leave a memory in the comments section. Please email photos you would like to share to hydeparkcrime@gmail.com.

There will be a candlelight vigil at 3:30 tomorrow (Tuesday November 20), hosted by Student Government, in the Central Quad (Rain Location in Kent Lobby).

Remembrances from the Sibener Group
Amadou loved Senegalese music so much, that he recorded it onto tapes from Senegalese radio online. That's why he still had a walkman. He was planning to get an iPod after graduation. His whole life was on hold till after graduation.

Amadou was a teaching assistant for general chemistry several times over the course of his graduate studies. He greatly enjoyed teaching and was very devoted to his students. I think working with students was one of the things he most enjoyed. He was always talking about how to improve his students' understanding of the material and rooting for their success.

He said quantum mechanics was the hardest class he took in graduate school. He used to take the problem sets and struggle all weekend over the problems in the library. He was very proud of having done so well in that class. Toward the end of his time here, he was working on complex diffusion problems, and I think he was happy to be once again spending his time searching through textbooks trying to understand his results. I think this was probably his favorite part of research.

Amadou was a quiet, humble, and kind man as well as a wonderful friend. He will always be remembered for those qualities, his diligence, and his hard-working ways. He was a good man taken from us much too soon. Words cannot express how much we will miss him.
More...

Saffi has written a prayer in memory of Amadou:
Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Raji'oon (Indeed everything is from Allah and to Allah we will return)
May Allah enter him into the highest ranks of Jennah among the Shuhadaa, May Allah ease the loss of his family and friends, and May Allah help us to rectify the society which causes such senseless killings.

Memorials emailed to hydeparkcrime
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I am very sad seeing the video report the death of Amadou cisse. I’m senegalese leaving in italy i am very chocked by that news. I join my solidarity to his familly, and saying them courage in helding the futur. But police must do their job to find out the killer and justice be done.
Ba insa and familly
Italy.
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I did not know him but I wish to pay homage to a young man that well represented himself, his family and Senegal abroad! May he rest in pace may Allah accept him in his paradise! Amen! Gabriel Sylla(Canada)
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May God bless U bro...You've been a homie .........We will always remenber. Jules Dex
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The sudden and absurd death of Amadou Cisse is a tremendous lost to humanity. An intellectual elite and a will be pioneer in the man kind progress has been once again victim of a village idiot act. This tragedy highlights the taboo topic of black on black crime which wipes out the scarce and proud young black men and women who’re devoted in fulfilling the common believe of the used to be oppressed.
Oh Senegal, Sunugal,
Oh mother Africa, dry your tears, you’ve lost one of your brightest son but his death won’t be in vain.
We pray for a better world and may god host him in eternal paradise. Rest in peace, beloved brother …….
Amadou Bah
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I am deeply touched by this crime. It shows the how insensitive, cruel, and inhuman people are nowadays. I knew him back to high school. Even though we have never talked (because he was in the 10th while I was in the 7th'), I admired him a lot. He was smart, and had a light in his eyes. He was such an exceptional human being, that I can not find the right words to express my sorrow. To Amadou Lamine Cisse's family, my thoughts and prayers are with you. you have my deepest sympathy. May ALLAH (SWT) bless his soul. May he protect him against: the temptations of death and the tomb, hell, and against djajjal. May he be part of those who walk on the Sirat Al Mustakhima bridge and enter the heavenly world. May ALLAH (SWT), preserves his soul and help him find peace. May ALLAH (SWT) gives faith, courage and strength to his hurtful family. As short as his live seems to have been to us, we do not have the power to choose who lives long or short. We do not have the power to undo death. But we have the power to chose to mourn no more this gentle soul, and celebrate his life, by maintaining his name as a legacy and make sure that he remains unforgotten because of who the person he was. Let us always remember this wonderful young man whose life in this world had been awfully taken, but whose story is one of the greatest. In Loving memory of Amadou Lamine Cisse, Loving son, brother and friend, Gentle soul! --Ndeye Yacine Mbodj

Additional memorial reflections can be found here...

Grad student killed in shooting at 6120 S Ellis

2007-11-19T11:06:00.000-06:00

by Hyde Park Crime Watch
Last updated 8:25 am Nov. 21

12:33 AM: Chase and shooting of staff member in dead end street
At 12:33 a.m. at 6045 Woodlawn, a University staff member noticed a car nearby pull up to him, according to Olivia Boyd, a friend. "He knew that something was very wrong, so he ran," Boyd said. "Someone got out of the car and chased him. That was when he was shot at." The shooting occurred in a dead end street, and although he was not shot, he was forced to jump a fence in order to avoid the gunfire, wounding himself in the process.

1:15 AM: Attack by five armed men
At 1:15 a.m., two female students were robbed at 924 E. 57^th St. by five armed men. Police provided relatively vague descriptions that identified the men as about 17 to 20 years old of average height and weight, possibly driving a light-colored car.

1:25 AM: Murder during attempted robbery
Amadou Cisse, an international student completing his Ph.D. degree in chemistry, was shot and killed at 1:26 a.m. in the street near 6120 S. Ellis Ave in the Woodlawn Neighborhood. Amadou lived in a house at 6130 S Ellis.

According to the Tribune, Amadou was walking when the gunman approached him, Calumet Area Detective David Fietko said. Cisse died on the scene after he was shot. Amadou was shot in the chest, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office and Police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer. Cisse was pronounced dead at 4:25 a.m. at the Stein Institute.

According to NBC5, Police are seeking a dark-colored car believed to be involved in the shooting in the South Side's Woodlawn neighborhood. A 75-year-old man who lives near the shooting told police he heard the gunfire, looked out his window, saw the victim on the ground and a dark-colored car driving away, according to a Calumet Area detective. Authorities do not have a description of the assailant but did recover a small-caliber gun from the scene, which they are trying to trace. The shooter remained unknown and nobody was in custody at 5 a.m., the detective said. The University of Chicago is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for this crime.

Chicago Police are looking for a light silver, gray or white four-door sedan with red doors on the driver’s side (pictured on left).

Police are investigating whether or not these incidents are related. Anyone who might have information related to any of these incidents should call the Chicago Police Department’s Area 2 Violent Crimes at 312-747-8272.

Carjacking at 50th and Cornell

2007-11-01T22:56:00.001-05:00

At 6:33 p.m., Tuesday, October 30, on East 50th Place between Lake Park and Cornell Avenues, a woman was forced into her car by an armed man who then drove her car on to south bound Lake Shore Drive. He was pursued by police who had been contacted about a robbery in progress. The offender, with the victim, was stopped shortly thereafter; the offender was arrested; and the victim, unhurt, was released.

Shooting at 49th and Cottage Grove

2007-11-01T22:53:00.000-05:00

At 11:05 p.m., Saturday, October 27, on 49th Street near Cottage Grove Avenue, a male juvenile sustained serious injury from gunshots fired at him by one of three men or male juveniles who drove up in a four door gray Pontiac Grand Am, exchanged words, and began shooting at the victim and his two companions who were pushing a disabled car. Police are investigating.

Shooting last night at 5480 Cornell

2007-10-18T08:48:00.000-05:00

A reader has emailed to report:

Man shot by another man in my apt. building at 5480 Cornell last night. Shooting was in self defense, victim of shooting was threatening to break shooter's skull with a vodka bottle.

Thanks to the reader for sending for the news tip.

October 19: Additional details:

A 24-year-old Hyde Park resident who was registered at one time as a U of C student is in critical condition after being shot in the chest during an altercation with a neighbor Wednesday night. The neighbor, 48, was found by the state attorney to have acted in self-defense, and no charges will be filed.

“Apparently the 24-year-old guy and his friend were in the lobby around 7:30, extremely drunk, and came up to the man while he was checking his mail and made fun of him for being fat,” said Brian Hinkle (A.B. ’07), who also lives in their apartment building at 5480 South Cornell Avenue. “They then went up in the elevator with him, continuing to yell at him and then pushed him.”

ccording to police, the men followed the 48-year-old, whom Hinkle was able to identify by the first name Everett, into the fourth-floor hallway and then “verbally and physically assaulted him,” at one point striking him with a vodka bottle.

“The 24-year-old threatened the 48-year-old, started hitting him, yelling at him, and then followed the older man down the hallway,” said Chicago Police Officer JoAnn Taylor.

As the older man tried to enter his apartment, his younger assailant kicked in the door behind him and continued to attack him. The older man then retrieved a gun from inside his apartment and shot the 24-year old.

“By virtue of being a security guard, the guy had a .38 snub nose revolver in his apartment, so he grabbed it and shot him once in the chest,” Hinkle said. “It’s actually a miracle he’s alive; the bullet went in right near his heart. When my neighbor came out to perform first aid she thought he was dead because he didn’t get up at all.”

Additional details are now available here and here.

UC Fraternities causing disturbance

2007-10-08T23:36:00.000-05:00

Representatives from several campus fraternities met with University administrators Friday to discuss ongoing issues of residential disturbances resulting from fraternity parties. The meeting, called at the request of the Chicago Police Department (CPD), was prompted by recent complaints of vandalism and noise that were filed by residents living along South University Avenue. more

Safest public transportation Hyde Park to downtown

2007-10-08T23:23:00.000-05:00

Jennifer asked the safest way to travel to and from downtown from Hyde Park. The answers vary.. most settle on the #6, but others suggest the #55 to the red line or green line. Only one mention of the metra electric. Some highlights:

The 6 is probably the safest, because you get on it and it takes you straight here.
28X, 2, and 173 are equally good but they don't come as often.
If you're traveling alone at night, avoid the 47th, 51st, Garfield, and 63rd stops on the Green Line and definitely avoid the Red Line's 51st stop
The Metra is great if you have a schedule, and probably the safest (besides a taxi)
Consider the 4. It runs along Cottage Grove to 35th street, then goes onto Indiana, and then north to Michigan. ...by taking the 4, you'll avoid having to walk through all of Hyde Park in the dead of night.

Sexual assault

2007-10-02T21:28:00.000-05:00

At 10:38 p.m., Friday, Sept. 28, on Kimbark Avenue between 55th and 56th Streets, a woman was confronted in the foyer of her residence by an unknown man who followed her into the building, fondled her, and then fled. Police are investigating.

Sabotoge of Metra Electric Line

2007-09-27T08:54:00.000-05:00

Sunday Night or Monday morning someone pulled 12 spikes out of the Metra Electric line near 103rd. It may be connected to the estranged spouse of an engineer who may have also fired shots at several trains. It is being investigated by the FBI.

In this video, Kim Vatis reports from th 51st street Hyde Park Metra station.

September 8th Playground shooting

2007-09-24T18:49:00.000-05:00

More Hyde Park Violence

Fresh on the heels of the Friday night gang-related shooting west of Washington Park, two teens were shot at a playground just south of the University at 12:30 a.m. Saturday night. According to the Sun-Times, police have two "persons of interest" in custody related to the shooting, although no charges have yet been filed.
One of the victims, a 17-year-old boy, was shot in the neck and remains in critical condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The other, a 16-year-old girl, was shot in the leg and was listed in stable condition at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County.

There is no indication yet that the two incidents are linked.

September 7th Fatal Shooting in Washington Park

2007-09-24T18:48:00.000-05:00

Fatal shooting in Washington Park

Three people are in custody following a Friday night gang-related shooting that killed an 18-year-old man and injured two others in Washington Park, which sits a few blocks west of Ratner Athletic Center and is a popular recreation spot.

The Sun Times reported today that South-Sider Cory Dillard, 18, was shot at around 8:30 p.m. at 57th Street and South Calumet Avenue, on the west side of Washington Park. Dillard died from his injuries at the U of C's Bernard Mitchell Hospital, where he was being treated.

A 26-year-old woman, also being treated at the U of C, is reportedly in good condition. Northwestern Memorial Hospital listed a third shooting victim in stable condition, according to the Sun Times.

The three suspects in custody have not been charged in connection with the incident.

Hyde Park Hero

2007-09-24T18:42:00.000-05:00

A local mail carrier was honored recently as a hero by the National Association of Letter Carriers.

Debra Hamilton of Chicago, a member of NALC Chicago Branch 11, was named Central Region Hero for administering CPR to an unconscious traffic victim in January, 2006 as she was on her way to work delivering mail in Chicago’s Hyde Park section. When no pulse was detected, Hamilton, 37, ran to the trunk of her car and retrieved a pair of sweat pants and her bagged lunch. The carrier tucked the pants under the woman’s neck in order to clear the airway and used a sandwich bag from her lunch to create a protective barrier. As she administered CPR, the woman regained consciousness. Hamilton stayed with the victim until an emergency team arrived. Source

U of C connection to crime

2007-09-17T11:31:00.000-05:00

Justin Sink talks about some historical links between the university and famous crime stories, including Al Capone and Leopold and Loeb.

Algonquin Apartment death in July

2007-09-17T11:27:00.001-05:00

A second grisly death occurred at Algonquin Apartments. The body of Kirk Alexander, 46, was found outside Algonquin Apartments, a 14-story apartment building in the 1600 block of East Hyde Park Boulevard, in July. Alexander had fallen from the 10th floor. Blood was found around the window.
Body Found After Apparent Fall From High Rise

14 year old Hyde Park boy, Exzavia "Junebug" Washington, shot to death

2007-09-17T11:22:00.000-05:00

A 14-year-old Hyde Park neighborhood boy was fatally shot while inside a car on the South Side Sunday night. The car’s driver, who was also shot, has reportedly been paralyzed from the waist down. No one was in custody for the slaying early Monday.

Xavier Washington, 14, of 6140 S. Kimbark Ave., was pronounced dead at 9:35 p.m. Sunday. The boy was shot at 5700 S. Wabash Ave., according to the medical examiner’s office.
The incident occurred about 9 p.m. as the two were traveling inside a car near South Wabash Avenue and 57th Street when someone outside the car shot him, according to a Wentworth Area detective.

After the two were shot, the car crashed, according to Wentworth District police. The driver, a male who is older than 14, was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was paralyzed from the waist down.

More about Exzavia

Three Men Beat, Rob Two Women In Hyde Park

2007-09-17T11:19:00.000-05:00

Wentworth Area detectives issued an alert Wednesday after three armed men beat and robbed two women in the Hyde Park neighborhood on Labor Day.

The women were beaten and robbed in the vicinity of 5400 South Cornell Avenue about 11:45 p.m. Monday, according to a police alert.

The three black males, wanted for armed robbery, are believed to be between 17 and 21 years old. One is about 5-foot-6 and 135-140 pounds, the alert said. The second is described as 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds. A description of the third suspect was not available.

All three offenders were wearing white T-shirt s and dark pants, and were armed with chrome handguns.

Anyone with information should contact detectives at (312) 747-8382.

58th and Dorchester attempted armed robbery and sexual assault

2006-12-05T18:06:00.000-06:00

*At 2:10 a.m., Tuesday, December 5, near 58th Street and South
Dorchester Avenue, a woman walking alone was confronted by an armed man
who got out of a maroon four door 1990 Chevy Lumina, and attempted to
rob and force her into the car. She resisted, and during the struggle
he also attempted to sexually assault her. The man fled in the car when
witnesses appeared after hearing the woman's outcry.
*

Martial arts teacher helps Hyde Parkers defend themselves at night

2006-12-05T16:29:00.000-06:00

At Fitzgerald's Martial Arts, you can learn to protect yourself in case of attack:
Full article

"Fitzgerald said he has used Tang Soo Do on three occasions outside of his training and “all three were very successful, in fact the person never got a chance to hurt me.” Passing on these skills to others is a big reason why he teaches, particularly in Hyde Park, where he sees crime and safety as a growing problem.

“Hyde Park has two faces, a daytime face and a night time face and the night time face is much more dangerous,” he said. “The daytime face is professionals, families, students and professors but at night there are gang bangers, drug dealers and people who will hurt you for money.”

This emphasis on self-defense separates Fitzgerald and his school from other Chicago martial arts practitioners in Fitzgerald’s mind.

“I train for self-defense. Others might train for physical fitness, weight loss, whatever, but I train for self defense and I want my students to come back to me and say it worked.” Fitzgerald said. “Criminals hate victims who fight back.”"
Full article

Blog: U of C Police: Shepherds I Shall Not Want

2006-12-03T20:19:00.000-06:00

M.H. posts at Regenstein is for Lovers:

A recent stabbing in the heart of that part of Hyde Park affectionately referred to as "The Student Ghetto" has elicited the following statement from the University's Vice President of Community and Government Affairs:

In response, we have assigned additional officers to the area in marked and unmarked cars. These officers will join the additional four extra patrol cars serving the areas of the neighborhood close to the University that were dispatched in June...
This is a very serious incident that highlights the need to continue enhancing our efforts to increase safety for all those who study, work, visit, and live in the area. Recent efforts to reduce crime in the area have proven effective and data show a significant decrease in crime, but we realize we must do more to improve the security of our neighborhood.
We are also working with the University of Chicago Police, the Dean of Students Office, and all of the University's leadership to ensure appropriate resources are provided to support individuals who experience acts of crime or violence.

I have no complaints against efforts to catch more criminals. It hardly needs stating that crime is lowered when criminals are caught, and caged, and sterilized. But other trends in the University of Chicago Police Department's policies regarding the community disturb me, especially in my more contemplative moods. Take, for instance, this sign posted outside our venerable place of employment, near where I have my morning, mid-morning, beginning of lunch, end of lunch, mid-afternoon, and, on rare occasions, my early evening coffees and cigarettes:

Yes, that's correct: the U of C police--though without a doubt the priority for medical emergencies (after the Student Care Center), public disturbance calls, and rides to class when one has sprained his left ankle almost beyond repair--can be counted on to steal your bike (if locked to the rails near the aforementioned cigarette niche).

More...

Former Doctor's Hospital Scammer does it again in FL

2006-12-01T07:40:00.000-06:00

Larkin Community Hospital in South Miami and six persons connected with it agreed to pay $15.4 million to settle state and federal claims that the facility defrauded government programs, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
...
Paying the settlement are the hospital; Jack Michel; former hospital owner James Desnick;
...
In 2000, Desnick was one of several persons who paid $14 million in response to allegations of a similar kickback scheme from 1992 to 2000 at another hospital he owned, Doctors Hospital of Hyde Park in Chicago.
More...

Survey - Please help!

2006-11-30T22:10:00.000-06:00

Please let me know what features you most appreciate on the Hyde Park
Crime Watch blog:
- Posting of University alerts
- Posting of Hyde Park Herald articles
- News from other news sources
- Entries from other blogs
- First-hand tips and reports
- Detailed crime reports from Chicago police department
- Editorial and analysis

Also:
- Do you live in Hyde Park?
- Have you been a victim of crime in Hyde Park?

Email your response to hydeparkcrime@gmail.com or post them as comments.

Beating thanksgiving weekend, 57th and University

2006-11-30T22:04:00.000-06:00

A man was jumped and beaten while walking his dog at 11 pm. over the
Thanksgiving weekend at 57th and University.
If you have more details, please email hydeparkcrime@gmail.com

Increased police patrols

2006-11-30T12:31:00.000-06:00

University Police have significantly increased patrol in the community because of the robbery attempt and stabbing that occurred at 3:00 a.m. this morning on Woodlawn Avenue between 53rd and 54th Streets.

Stabbing during attempted robbery, 54th and Woodlawn

2006-11-30T11:10:00.000-06:00

At 3:00 a.m., Thursday, November 30, on Woodlawn Avenue between 53rd and 54th Streets, a man was stabbed by another unknown man during an attempted robbery. The victim was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition.

Lloyd case holds lesson for young black males: Steer clear of trouble

2006-11-27T17:25:00.000-06:00

BY MARY MITCHELL Sun-Times Columnist

There is a final word that needs to be said about the Jemelle Lloyd case. It's a word for all young black males.

Stop risking your future by getting caught up in nonsense.

While the Jemelle Lloyd arrest showed how easy it is for police to sweep black males into the criminal justice system, it also showed how young black males often give police the broom.

Here's what I mean.

Lloyd was arrested and charged with five other Chicago Military Academy classmates with beating up and attempting to rob a Hyde Park man three weeks ago.

Last week, a judge dropped the charges against Lloyd and two others, ruling there was no probable cause for their arrest. Three of his classmates are being held in this case.

Too often, black youth are judged guilty by association, and that appears to be what happened in this case.

Just as often, teens silently watch violence unfold. Lloyd claimed he walked away and didn't see what happened.

But two other teens candidly admitted seeing the beating take place.

In a situation where a victim is being attacked by a group of teens, police don't care who punched the victim or who stuck a hand in the victim's pocket.

Everybody's going to jail.

So as cold as it sounds, teens who have managed to keep their records clean need to shun teens who are itching to get into trouble.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that Lloyd and two other teens were exonerated (and are now back at the Chicago Military Academy), this incident will continue to haunt them.

There was also an undeniably innocent victim in this case: the white man who was knocked down, punched and kicked.

As far as I know, no one has apologized to him.

Not a joke

But the wanton act of violence against him disgraces every black parent who has had to defend a son against unfair racial stereotypes.

Worse yet, this kind of crime appears to be part of a disturbing trend.

Young people call it a "beatdown," when a group of teens attack someone and take their cell phone and money. The slang belies the seriousness of the crime.

It's not a joke.

Teens who are caught beating down someone can be charged with attempted robbery and assault, even attempted murder, depending on the victim's injuries.

Parents of students in Chicago Public Schools have complained to me about this kind of violence for a couple of years.

In some instances, upperclassmen are accused of attacking freshmen at bus stops and making them empty their pockets.

The violence doesn't only occur at so-called bad schools. It also happens at schools that have good reputations.

I've heard from parents whose children have been victimized in this way, and these parents have complained that not enough was being done to protect their children.

Lately, whites have also been victimized by the beatdowns.

That's what happened to Ryan Rusch, the 14-year-old Beverly boy who was brutally beaten by three black youths who lived outside of the neighborhood.

More a miracle than a victory

Apparently, Rusch was victimized because he was white and his attackers saw him as an easy target.

In fact, one of the accused attackers allegedly told police that they didn't go to a predominantly black area because they were afraid the victim might pull out a weapon.

The accused teens in that case are facing charges of attempted murder.

The urban street violence made its way to the Hyde Park area last summer, which is why the University of Chicago Police Department had to form a robbery team.

So the random acts of violence aren't so random. These are targeted attacks against people the assailants believe aren't able to defend themselves.

That makes the perpetrators of this violence the worst kind of bullies.

But the young people who engage in this activity also aren't very bright.

They don't seem to realize that attacks against white people in predominantly white neighborhoods aren't going to be tolerated to the degree violence has been tolerated in a lot of black neighborhoods.

I went to bat for Jemelle Lloyd because I believed he was innocent. But a lot of innocent young black males have ended up in jail.

So what happened in this case was more a miracle than a victory.

I pray that Lloyd and the other two innocent students will make the most of that miracle.

57th and University Attack

2006-11-27T17:16:00.000-06:00

At 10:10 p.m., Friday, November 24, on South University Avenue between
57th and 58th Streets, a man was walking. As he passed four other men
they began striking him with their fists and feet, knocking him to the
ground. The offenders then fled. The victim was taken to the hospital
for treatment of bruises.

Felony charge dropped against teen: 'Happiest day in my life'

2006-11-21T09:01:00.000-06:00

BY MARY MITCHELL <mailto:marym@suntimes.com> Sun-Times Columnist
Suzette Lloyd got her miracle. "He's free. It's over," Lloyd screamed
into my ear when I answered my cell phone. "Thank you, Ms. Mitchell,
thank you."

"This is the happiest day in my life," Jemelle Lloyd shouted in the
background. "It's like the biggest birthday present."

Jemelle also thanked everyone who prayed for him. He turned 18 on Nov.
13. It was a birthday he'll never forget.

On that day, he had to go to court on disgraceful charges that he and
five other young black males beat up a man in Hyde Park in an attempt to
rob him of $5.

Jemelle swore to police, to his mother and to me that he had nothing to
do with the assault. He is a "B" student, captain of his school's
basketball team, and has no arrests or convictions on his record.

He was charged with a felony and was kicked out of the Chicago Military
Academy in Bronzeville.

After three weeks of being treated like a criminal by police,
prosecutors and school officials, Jemelle finally had someone in
authority take his side last Monday.

In a hearing at criminal court, Judge Donald Panarese ruled there was no
"probable cause" for Jemelle to be charged.

The judge also dropped the charges against Lawrence Gardner and
Alexander Tolls, the Cook County state's attorney's office confirmed.

Three others: Van Epinger, 17; Michael Pleasants, 17, and Armani Carson,
18, will be indicted in the case.

Jemelle had maintained he was walking to a bus stop -- dressed in the
same school uniforms as the other five students -- when he was
apprehended by the University of Chicago police as a suspect in the crime.

Jemelle spent three days in Cook County Jail before his mother could
scrape together the $5,000 she needed to post bond.

But his mother believed in his innocence to the point that she reached
out to everyone and anyone she thought could help.

Although that legal fight is over, the arrest had a profound impact on
her son, the mother said.

"He's just trying to get his life back together," Suzette Lloyd told me
on Monday.

"What's really bothering him is that the police officer pulled a gun out
and stuck it in his face when they were arresting him. I think that was
the most devastating thing that's happened to him."

After I put a spotlight on Jemelle's plight, several high-powered
attorneys, including former appellate justice R. Eugene Pincham, agreed
to take on Jemelle's case pro bono.

"This case just wasn't handled properly," said Pincham, who was in court
when the charges against Jemelle were dropped.

"As it is, three black children will be forever barred from a decent
life because they made one mistake. These are the instances when we need
daring, creative, innovative solutions so as not to destroy three young
lives."

Without a doubt, what the three teens are accused of doing is despicable.

But like Pincham, I'm concerned about how quickly black males are cycled
into the criminal justice system.

In Jemelle's case, police didn't even put together a lineup. Worse yet,
the Chicago Public Schools kicked Jemelle out in his senior year, and
shipped him across the city on the Northwest Side to an alternative high
school before he was found guilty of anything.

Had these young men been suburban, white and first-time offenders, they
would have probably been given a "station adjustment."

That's when a parent is hauled down to the police station and between
the parents and the cops, the teen is made to see the error of his ways
without being hit with formal charges.

Although the charges against Jemelle have been dropped, Suzette Lloyd
knows that's not enough.

"I've got to try and clear his record up in some kind of way. I've got
to get it off his record and have everything expunged," she said.

The mother said this ordeal has stressed her out.

"I'm relieved so much that I have my son for Thanksgiving. But I'm
bothered that no one said I'm sorry to the young men who didn't commit
the crime," she said.

Considering that so many other young black males have spent decades in
prisons for crimes that they didn't commit, Jemelle is extremely blessed.

Still, this is just one case in the hundreds of cases that happened that
same day, Pincham reminded me.

"The judicial system and the police department need to be more
sensitive. That is why the jail now is full of black folks," he said.

The Lloyds are very grateful for the generosity of readers. Their
donations to Jemelle's defense fund totaled about $3,500. After paying
for expenses related to this case, the balance of this fund will be
banked to help someone else. But if you wish for your check to be
returned, please contact my office at (312) 321-2585.

UC Student attacks UCPD, SG efforts against crime

2006-11-13T10:17:00.000-06:00

By Barney Keller, Chicago Maroon

Recently, in response to concerns of campus crime, one of the grand ideas to come out of the SG security committee was to make, to use Chairman Kyle Lee’s words, a “Student Emergency Contact Card,” which would have all sorts of emergency contact information. I wonder, aside from how much it would cost to make a snazzy card, if it would be, perhaps, wallet size? I wonder if a would-be thief would, in the process of mugging a student, let them keep their emergency contact card?

I fail to see how this would be more effective than distributing the so-called “rape whistle.” At least the whistle makes noise. Clearly, so long as a bureaucracy is actually doing something and producing work, it is doing its job.

...

I think that anyone who thinks that a “Student Emergency Contact Card” would be a good response to campus crime is the one with his head inside of his behind.

And while we’re at it, how about we hear the council, for once, strongly criticize the grossly inadequate job the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) does on our campus. If 50 kids from Shoreland and Broadview can harshly chastise the University for its transportation problems, then maybe the Council could go over to UCPD HQ and demand, not request, increased patrols, increased response time, and increased “drunk van” service. Of course, if any of them are reading this, they’ll first have to form a committee on protests, or a committee on Chicago Maroon columnists.

More...

HPC Robbery Details, Nov 8

2006-11-13T10:10:00.000-06:00

/On November 8, 2006 at 3:12 PM, a lone male entered the ARAMARK
offices on the first floor at the Hyde Park Center and committed a
robbery. The robber accosted the ARAMARK manager and threatened her with
a screwdriver. The perpetrator was later apprehended along with his
accomplice as they tried to leave the scene in an automobile. The
University of Chicago and City of Chicago Police responded immediately
and participated in the apprehension. No one was injured during the
event. No GSB students or staff were involved./

Identification at the polls

2006-11-10T00:18:00.000-06:00

Upon walking into the polling place, one judge was ordering everyone to
have their ID out and ready . I knew that one only needs to show ID
once, upon registering. Therefore, I told the judge that I didn't
understand the ID requirement. She told me to look at the wall behind
me, where several posters with rule and regulations hung. I got out of
line and spent several minutes reading the posters, but there was no
mention of ID. I got back into line, and once it was my turn, told this
to the judge. She then handed me over to another judge who took me
outside to show me the sign posted there about ID. However, the first
line of this sign clearly stated that ID may only be necessary if ID had
not been shown to the board upon registration. When I pointed this out
to the first judge, she consulted with another judge, who seemed to know
much more and told her that if my voter record sheet is white, instead
of grey or pink, I don't need ID. So, I got to vote without ID, just as
I wished. Ironically, the judge made no effort to compare my signature
with that in the book, which is all they really need to confirm my
identity. After that, voting took about 20 minutes, since I went very
carefully through the long list of judges to vote yes or no according to
the suggestions I had printed out. Voting seemed smooth, but I'd be
interested to hear if there were any irregularities noticed by any readers.

HPH: Drug dealers and police response

2006-11-08T15:45:00.000-06:00

HPH: Oct 25 to Oct 31 Crime Report

2006-11-08T15:43:00.000-06:00

HPH: Police charge teen with attempted robbery

2006-11-08T15:41:00.000-06:00

Armed robbery, Dorchester and 58th

2006-11-07T15:44:00.000-06:00

At 8:17 p.m., Monday, November 6, near 58th and Dorchester Avenue, a man got out of his car and was confronted by another man who displayed a knife, demanded and took the victim's money, and fled. The victim was not hurt.

Tale of green, gold, police blue: Color could trap teen behind bars

2006-11-07T12:19:00.000-06:00

BY MARY MITCHELL Sun-Times Columnist

Maybe I've watched too many crime shows. But a case involving six high school students accused of assaulting a University of Chicago student in Hyde Park two weeks ago seems to be a textbook example of how an innocent black man can end up in the criminal justice system.

The teens are all students at the Chicago Military Academy in Bronzeville. They are charged with assaulting the university student on a Hyde Park street after asking him for $5.

Jemelle Lloyd, 17; Van Epinger, 17; Michael Pleasants, 17; Lawrence Gardner, 17; Armani Carson, 18, and Alexander Tolks, 18, are being charged with attempted robbery -- a felony.

All of the students are African Americans; four of them, including Lloyd, play on the school's basketball team. On the day of their arrests, they were wearing their ROTC uniforms -- gold hoodies and green-and-gold jogging pants.

Lloyd, a solid student with no prior arrest record, who is also captain of the basketball team, says he had nothing to do with the assault.

He claims he had just left his group of friends and was cutting through the park at 55th Street toward a bus stop -- and talking to his mother on a cell phone -- when a University of Chicago police officer rolled up on him in a squad car.

"I started walking through the park to get to 55th and Lake Park where I could catch the bus. The next thing I know, a bunch of University of Chicago cars came speeding through the streets with their sirens going."

Lloyd said he turned around and saw his friends running.

"I kept walking. Then a car pulled up on the curb. The man got out the car with his weapon drawn and yelled: 'Get down!' I started walking toward him with my hands up. He kept yelling for me to get down and I got down. I said: 'Sir, I didn't do nothing.' But he put me and this other guy who wasn't that far from me in the same squad car."

The victim -- who was treated at the hospital and released -- did not identify his alleged attackers, and Lloyd was never put in a lineup. Instead, Lloyd was taken first to a police station at 29th & Prairie and later that night to 26th and California with the other accused students.

"We've got to write y'all up," Lloyd said a police officer told him.

I can't say whether Lloyd is innocent or guilty.

But his mother desperately believes in his innocence, and relatives from as far away as Colorado called me to testify to his character. Lloyd has no gang ties and has never been arrested for anything. From everything I've heard, attempted robbery seems totally out of this young man's sphere.

So I'm concerned that police officers have not done enough to ensure that an innocent teen isn't going down with the guilty ones.

No police lineup

After all, the presumption that a black youth is guilty of criminal activity because he runs when police cars pull up, or because he is on the street near a crime scene, is a presumption that has put innocent black men in prison.

Yet a spokeswoman for the Chicago Police Department defended the police department's decision not to put the teens in a lineup.

"A lineup is not considered due to the fact that the responding officer actually saw the pursuit," said police spokeswoman Monique Bond.

Like everyone else, I want the guilty people to pay for their crimes. But the idea that a police officer could positively identify six fleeing teenagers who were wearing the same uniforms bothers me.

And unfortunately, in these kinds of situations, the guilty parties are pressed to take a plea deal. By then, the offenders will be so desperate to cut a deal, they won't hesitate to give up an innocent.

So Lloyd is knee deep in the kind of trouble that could change the course of his life.

Along with the other teens charged in this case, he has been suspended and likely will be expelled from his high school. On Monday, school officials told Lloyd's mother, Suzette Lloyd, he has to go to an alternative high school at 6040 W. Irving Park.

"I don't even know where that is," the mother told me.

Although the Chicago Board of Education's Uniform Discipline Code does not address criminal charges against students for incidents off school grounds, principals have the discretion to consider those charges and to expel the students before they go to trial.

"Given that this was such a serious allegation, the principal felt it was serious enough to move forward with the expulsion process, but we continue the investigation," said Celeste Garrett, spokeswoman for the Board of Education.

That seems terribly unfair.

We know what happens if Lloyd is indeed guilty. But what happens if the investigation shows that the only thing Lloyd was guilty of that day was being in his school's colors?

How will they put things right?

Lawyer groups say these 3 judges should be benched

2006-11-07T08:02:00.000-06:00

BY ABDON M. PALLASCH Legal Affairs Reporter

Deciding what votes to cast for governor, Congress and Cook County Board president is just the beginning today.

At the bottom of the ballot -- an entirely separate ballot for suburban voters -- will be the names of 70 Cook County judges running for retention.

If history is any guide, most voters will skip it. Of those who tick "yes" or "no" for the judges, about 20 percent will vote "No" on all and 60 percent will vote "yes" on all.

But judges can have a direct impact on voters' lives. They can single-handedly take away a voter's driving privileges, house, even children in a contentious divorce case.

The only way to remove a bad judge from the bench is to force a candidate below 60 percent "Yes" votes. But that hasn't happened since 1990.

The Chicago Bar Association, the Chicago Council of Lawyers and the Sun-Times and Tribune editorial pages agree three judges should not be retained: Cynthia Brim; Amanda Toney; and Marcella Carmen Lipinski.

...

The judge found "not recommended" by the highest number of bar groups -- 10 -- is Robert Kowalski. The council said Kowalski made "offensive remarks in open court based on gender and national origin" but refused to offer examples. Kowalski denied that, and 51 attorneys who practice before him wrote the Sun-Times defending him.

More...

Renaissance 2010 and School Violence

2006-11-04T22:46:00.000-06:00

"This school year, the problems of violence are worse and earlier than in the past three years. In many cases, they are the direct result of the disruption of the city's poorest communities by school closings under "Renaissance 2010." The additional pressures on west side elementary schools caused by the closings of Frasier and Morse elementary schools is added to the community pressure caused by the closing of Collins High School. On the south side, the pressures caused by the Calumet and Englewood closings continue to hammer schools as far east as Hyde Park and as far west (now) as Bogan.

"Problems are festering or growing at every general high school on the west and south sides right now. And the cause of the increase in those problems, this year and for the last three school years, has been the school closing and "Renaissance" policies of CPS.

full post...

Pregnant Hyde Park woman collides with squad car

2006-11-04T08:55:00.000-06:00

by Brad Flora

Nov. 2–A 36-year-old pregnant woman from Hyde Park was sent to the emergency room Thursday night after a police car collided with her vehicle on the corner of 55th street and Woodlawn Ave., according to District 21 Police.

The woman, whose name has been withheld by police, was taken to the emergency room at Northwestern University Hospital after a squad car driven by Officer Lonnie Young struck the front of her Honda CR-V.
More...

Maroon: Campus BB-gun shooting

2006-11-03T22:52:00.000-06:00

By Blake Rachowin

Friday, November 3rd, 2006

Shots were fired at several Hyde Park residents on South Ellis Avenue near East 58th Street at 7:37 p.m. on October 31, raising serious concerns about campus security.

No one was hurt or injured, and U of C police officers who were already surveying the area quickly captured the shooter.

The suspect has been charged with two misdemeanor crimes stemming from the shooting, which was with a BB gun.

The officers also apprehended the suspect’s sister, who was driving the vehicle used to chase the victims down. She was charged with minor traffic violations.

A third passenger exited the vehicle and escaped the scene without being arrested, said Rudolph Nimocks, chief of the U of C Police Department (UCPD).

The shooting follows several incidents of armed theft and assault on and near campus. These recent crimes have increased student safety concerns.

First-year Tiffany Kwak saw the perpetrators flee the scene of the shooting.

“I’ve never feared for my safety as much as I did then,” Kwak said. “Recently, with all the crime around campus, I have been especially aware of my surroundings.”

University and community officials said the crimes are isolated and not part of a larger trend. Bob Mason, executive director of the South East Chicago Commission, said Hyde Park has one of the lowest crime rates in all of Chicago.

“On campus, University police work in conjunction with Chicago police,” he said. “Intense and diligent police controls are the only way of preventing crimes against students.”

Nonetheless, sporadic crime on campus is inevitable, said Duel Richardson, director of Neighborhood Relations.

“This is an urban campus and random acts of violence are to be expected,” he said. “Crime can happen anywhere or anytime.”

Nimocks said students need to be aware of their environment at all times.
“There’s always a concern when any crime is committed on campus,” he said. “Students need to watch their surroundings and avoid distractions while walking.”

The openness of the U of C campus allows outside individuals, such as the perpetrators of these recent crimes, to gain access, Richardson said.

“There is a cost to this freedom [of an open campus],” Mason said. “But I’m sure most wouldn’t want to gate the campus off. Nobody wants to live in a totalitarian police state.”

Kwak said she realized that stopping all crime in an urban setting is impossible.

“There is no way to patrol every inch of campus and prevent every crime,” she said. “I’m certainly not in Kansas anymore.”

HPH: Oct 19-Oct 24

2006-11-03T15:39:00.000-06:00

HPH: Oct 11-Oct 18

2006-11-03T15:37:00.000-06:00

Detailed crime report 10/13 to 10/26

2006-11-03T15:32:00.000-06:00

See this post for details.
A = arrest D= Domestic

Date	Primary	Secondary	Location	A	D	Block		Street
10/13/06 8:00:00 AM	DECEPTIVE PRACTICE	ILLEGAL USE CASH CARD	Hospital Building/Grounds	N	N	57XX	S	MARYLAND AVE
10/13/06 1:00:00 PM	THEFT	OVER $300	Street	N	N	54XX	S	SHORE DR
10/13/06 3:00:00 PM	THEFT	OVER $300	Parking Lot/Garage(Non.Resid.)	N	N	17XX	E	55TH ST
10/13/06 5:00:00 PM	OTHER OFFENSE	TELEPHONE THREAT	Residence	N	Y	50XX	S	BLACKSTONE AVE
10/13/06 5:00:00 PM	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	Residence	N	N	55XX	S	EVERETT AVE
10/13/06 5:30:00 PM	MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT	AUTOMOBILE	Street	N	N	17XX	E	54TH ST
10/13/06 6:15:00 PM	SEX OFFENSE	CRIMINAL SEXUAL ABUSE	Park Property	Y	N	52XX	S	PAYNE DR
10/13/06 7:07:00 PM	NON-CRIMINAL	DEATH	Hospital Building/Grounds	N	N	58XX	S	MARYLAND AVE
10/13/06 7:30:00 PM	OTHER OFFENSE	OTHER VEHICLE OFFENSE	Street	N	N	16XX	E	50TH ST
10/13/06 8:00:00 PM	THEFT	OVER $300	Street	N	N	13XX	E	52ND ST
10/13/06 11:32:00 PM	CRIMINAL TRESPASS	TO LAND	Hospital Building/Grounds	Y	N	58XX	S	MARYLAND AVE
10/14/06 2:00:00 AM	THEFT	OVER $300	Other	N	N	51XX	S	CORNELL AVE
10/14/06 7:15:00 AM	THEFT	OVER $300	Residence	N	N	54XX	S	HYDE PARK BLVD
10/14/06 1:20:00 PM	THEFT	$300 AND UNDER	Sidewalk	N	N	62XX	S	WOODLAWN AVE
10/14/06 1:30:00 PM	CRIMINAL TRESPASS	TO LAND	Residence	Y	N	61XX	S	KIMBARK AVE
10/14/06 2:50:00 PM	BATTERY	AGGRAVATED: OTHER DANG WEAPON	Small Retail Store	Y	N	50XX	S	COTTAGE GROVE AVE
10/14/06 4:20:00 PM	ASSAULT	SIMPLE	Park Property	N	N	52XX	S	PAYNE DR
10/14/06 8:15:00 PM	OTHER OFFENSE	HARASSMENT BY TELEPHONE	Residence	N	Y	49XX	S	DORCHESTER AVE
10/14/06 11:00:00 PM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO VEHICLE	Street	N	N	60XX	S	DREXEL AVE
10/15/06 1:25:00 AM	BURGLARY	ATTEMPT FORCIBLE ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	52XX	S	WOODLAWN AVE
10/15/06 6:30:00 AM	ROBBERY	STRONGARM - NO WEAPON	Sidewalk	N	N	56XX	S	COTTAGE GROVE AVE
10/15/06 9:55:00 AM	OTHER OFFENSE	TELEPHONE THREAT	Residence	N	Y	50XX	S	BLACKSTONE AVE
10/15/06 12:50:00 PM	ASSAULT	AGGRAVATED: HANDGUN	Street	N	N	14XX	E	52ND ST
10/15/06 3:05:00 PM	CRIMINAL TRESPASS	TO STATE SUP LAND	College/University Grounds	Y	N	58XX	S	MARYLAND AVE
10/15/06 5:00:00 PM	OTHER OFFENSE	TELEPHONE THREAT	Restaurant	N	Y	50XX	S	COTTAGE GROVE AVE
10/15/06 6:30:00 PM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO VEHICLE	Street	N	N	54XX	S	PAYNE DR
10/15/06 11:00:00 PM	BATTERY	DOMESTIC BATTERY SIMPLE	Residence	N	Y	62XX	S	DORCHESTER AVE
10/16/06	THEFT	$300 AND UNDER	Street	N	N	14XX	E	59TH ST
10/16/06 8:30:00 AM	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	College/University Grounds	N	N	9XX	E	58TH ST
10/16/06 9:25:00 AM	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	School, Public, Building	N	N	50XX	S	BLACKSTONE AVE
10/16/06 11:25:00 AM	NON-CRIMINAL	DEATH	Residence	N	N	58XX	S	MARYLAND AVE
10/16/06 9:00:00 PM	BURGLARY	UNLAWFUL ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	52XX	S	WOODLAWN AVE
10/17/06 6:45:00 AM	THEFT	$300 AND UNDER	Street	N	N	59XX	S	COTTAGE GROVE AVE
10/17/06 10:00:00 AM	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	55XX	S	ELLIS AVE
10/17/06 10:35:00 AM	DECEPTIVE PRACTICE	THEFT OF LOST/MISLAID PROP	Street	Y	N	52XX	S	BLACKSTONE AVE
10/17/06 3:18:08 PM	BATTERY	SIMPLE	Parking Lot/Garage(Non.Resid.)	Y	N	50XX	S	COTTAGE GROVE AVE
10/17/06 4:00:00 PM	THEFT	OVER $300	Street	N	N	56XX	S	MARYLAND AVE
10/17/06 5:00:00 PM	MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT	AUTOMOBILE	Street	N	N	55XX	S	DORCHESTER AVE
10/17/06 5:30:00 PM	THEFT	OVER $300	Street	N	N	13XX	E	HYDE PARK BLVD
10/17/06 5:55:00 PM	ROBBERY	ARMED: HANDGUN	Driveway - Residential	N	N	53XX	S	GREENWOOD AVE
10/17/06 8:53:00 PM	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	Bar Or Tavern	N	N	12XX	E	55TH ST
10/17/06 9:06:00 PM	OTHER OFFENSE	TELEPHONE THREAT	Residence	N	N	53XX	S	MARYLAND AVE
10/18/06	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO VEHICLE	Street	N	N	52XX	S	HYDE PARK BLVD
10/18/06 1:50:00 AM	ROBBERY	ARMED: HANDGUN	Sidewalk	N	N	11XX	E	55TH ST
10/18/06 2:00:00 AM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO PROPERTY	Apartment	N	N	53XX	S	CORNELL AVE
10/18/06 7:00:00 AM	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	51XX	S	DREXEL AVE
10/18/06 8:00:00 AM	BATTERY	DOMESTIC BATTERY SIMPLE	Apartment	N	Y	14XX	E	55TH ST
10/18/06 9:00:00 AM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO VEHICLE	Street	N	N	54XX	S	SHORE DR
10/18/06 12:00:00 PM	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	15XX	E	54TH ST
10/18/06 4:31:05 PM	SEX OFFENSE	CRIMINAL SEXUAL ABUSE	Cta Bus	N	N	59XX	S	COTTAGE GROVE AVE
10/18/06 8:00:00 PM	BURGLARY	UNLAWFUL ENTRY	Residence	N	N	55XX	S	EVERETT AVE
10/18/06 8:00:00 PM	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	College/University Grounds	N	N	58XX	S	ELLIS AVE
10/18/06 9:15:00 PM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO PROPERTY	Apartment	N	N	61XX	S	KIMBARK AVE
10/18/06 10:40:00 PM	THEFT	OVER $300	Street	N	N	53XX	S	SHORE DR
10/19/06 3:05:00 AM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO PROPERTY	Street	N	N	53XX	S	HYDE PARK BLVD
10/19/06 5:30:00 AM	THEFT	$300 AND UNDER	Street	N	N	59XX	S	DREXEL AVE
10/19/06 6:00:00 AM	MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT	AUTOMOBILE	Street	N	N	58XX	S	COTTAGE GROVE AVE
10/19/06 8:15:00 AM	BURGLARY	UNLAWFUL ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	51XX	S	KIMBARK AVE
10/19/06 8:30:00 AM	THEFT	$300 AND UNDER	School, Public, Grounds	N	N	8XX	E	50TH ST
10/19/06 9:30:00 AM	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	Residence	N	N	12XX	E	HYDE PARK BLVD
10/19/06 12:40:00 PM	BATTERY	SIMPLE	Park Property	N	N	50XX	S	DORCHESTER AVE
10/19/06 1:00:12 PM	BATTERY	SIMPLE	Sidewalk	N	N	14XX	E	62ND ST
10/19/06 1:50:00 PM	CRIMINAL TRESPASS	TO LAND	Restaurant	N	N	52XX	S	LAKE PARK AVE
10/19/06 2:00:00 PM	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	Restaurant	N	N	55XX	S	CORNELL AVE
10/19/06 3:00:00 PM	BATTERY	DOMESTIC BATTERY SIMPLE	Residence	N	Y	47XX	S	WOODLAWN AVE
10/19/06 3:00:00 PM	THEFT	$300 AND UNDER	Street	N	N	55XX	S	GREENWOOD AVE
10/19/06 5:00:00 PM	THEFT	$300 AND UNDER	Street	N	N	14XX	E	48TH ST
10/19/06 6:00:00 PM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	CRIMINAL DEFACEMENT	Street	N	N	57XX	S	HARPER AVE
10/19/06 8:00:00 PM	MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT	ATT: AUTOMOBILE	Street	N	N	50XX	S	EAST END AVE
10/19/06 8:40:00 PM	THEFT	$300 AND UNDER	Bar Or Tavern	N	N	12XX	E	55TH ST
10/20/06	OTHER OFFENSE	HARASSMENT BY TELEPHONE	Apartment	N	N	60XX	S	HARPER AVE
10/20/06	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	Other	N	N	10XX	E	HYDE PARK BLVD
10/20/06 7:00:00 AM	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	Residence	N	N	55XX	S	EVERETT AVE
10/20/06 7:10:00 AM	THEFT	$300 AND UNDER	Street	N	N	59XX	S	UNIVERSITY AVE
10/20/06 7:15:00 AM	MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT	AUTOMOBILE	Street	N	N	56XX	S	LAKE PARK AVE
10/20/06 11:20:00 AM	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	School, Public, Building	N	N	50XX	S	BLACKSTONE AVE
10/20/06 3:00:00 PM	THEFT	OVER $300	Street	N	N	12XX	E	58TH ST
10/20/06 4:00:00 PM	BATTERY	SIMPLE	Residence Porch/Hallway	N	N	53XX	S	CORNELL AVE
10/20/06 7:00:00 PM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO VEHICLE	Street	N	N	54XX	S	KENWOOD AVE
10/20/06 10:50:00 PM	ROBBERY	ARMED: HANDGUN	Park Property	N	N	50XX	S	DORCHESTER AVE
10/21/06	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO VEHICLE	Street	N	N	61XX	S	GREENWOOD AVE
10/21/06 1:15:00 AM	BURGLARY	ATTEMPT FORCIBLE ENTRY	Residence	N	N	49XX	S	GREENWOOD AVE
10/21/06 2:20:00 AM	BATTERY	SIMPLE	Street	N	N	57XX	S	WOODLAWN AVE
10/21/06 3:00:00 AM	MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT	AUTOMOBILE	Street	N	N	47XX	S	DORCHESTER AVE
10/21/06 12:00:00 PM	HOMICIDE	FIRST DEGREE MURDER	Apartment	N	N	16XX	E	50TH ST
10/21/06 4:00:00 PM	BURGLARY	UNLAWFUL ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	54XX	S	KENWOOD AVE
10/21/06 6:23:00 PM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO PROPERTY	Small Retail Store	N	N	16XX	E	55TH ST
10/21/06 8:00:00 PM	THEFT	$300 AND UNDER	Residence	N	N	52XX	S	CORNELL AVE
10/21/06 11:00:00 PM	OTHER OFFENSE	OTHER VEHICLE OFFENSE	Apartment	N	Y	16XX	E	61ST ST
10/21/06 11:30:00 PM	BATTERY	DOMESTIC BATTERY SIMPLE	Street	N	Y	16XX	E	61ST ST
10/22/06 2:00:00 AM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO VEHICLE	Street	N	N	15XX	E	59TH ST
10/22/06 3:00:00 AM	OTHER OFFENSE	HARASSMENT BY TELEPHONE	Residence	N	N	15XX	E	55TH ST
10/22/06 9:30:00 AM	BATTERY	DOMESTIC BATTERY SIMPLE	Residence	N	Y	8XX	E	53RD ST
10/22/06 7:50:00 PM	BATTERY	DOMESTIC BATTERY SIMPLE	Street	Y	Y	53XX	S	WOODLAWN AVE
10/22/06 11:00:00 PM	MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT	AUTOMOBILE	Street	N	N	53XX	S	HARPER AVE
10/23/06	DECEPTIVE PRACTICE	FORGERY	Other	N	N	52XX	S	BLACKSTONE AVE
10/23/06 8:00:00 AM	OTHER OFFENSE	OTHER CRIME AGAINST PERSON	Alley	N	Y	53XX	S	ELLIS AVE
10/23/06 1:40:00 PM	BATTERY	AGG: HANDS/FIST/FEET SERIOUS INJURY	Sidewalk	N	N	16XX	E	53RD ST
10/23/06 2:00:00 PM	ASSAULT	PRO EMP HANDS NO/MIN INJURY	School, Public, Building	N	N	50XX	S	BLACKSTONE AVE
10/23/06 2:00:00 PM	ROBBERY	ARMED: HANDGUN	Street	N	N	54XX	S	BLACKSTONE AVE
10/23/06 2:40:00 PM	BATTERY	AGGRAVATED: OTHER DANG WEAPON	School, Public, Building	N	N	8XX	E	50TH ST
10/23/06 6:00:00 PM	BATTERY	SIMPLE	Sidewalk	N	N	50XX	S	COTTAGE GROVE AVE
10/23/06 8:45:00 PM	BURGLARY	UNLAWFUL ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	17XX	E	55TH ST
10/23/06 10:30:00 PM	ROBBERY	AGGRAVATED	Other Railroad Prop / Train Depot	N	N	15XX	E	57TH ST
10/23/06 10:55:00 PM	OTHER OFFENSE	HARASSMENT BY TELEPHONE	Residence	N	Y	58XX	S	DORCHESTER AVE
10/23/06 11:00:00 PM	BATTERY	DOMESTIC BATTERY SIMPLE	Residence	N	Y	53XX	S	HARPER AVE
10/24/06 12:30:00 AM	CRIM SEXUAL ASSAULT	NON-AGGRAVATED	Apartment	N	N	51XX	S	BLACKSTONE AVE
10/24/06 6:20:00 AM	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	55XX	S	EVERETT AVE
10/24/06 10:00:00 AM	THEFT	FINANCIAL ID THEFT: OVER $300	Residence	N	N	10XX	E	48TH ST
10/24/06 2:57:00 PM	BATTERY	AGG: HANDS/FIST/FEET NO/MINOR INJURY	Street	N	N	50XX	S	COTTAGE GROVE AVE
10/24/06 6:45:00 PM	THEFT	OVER $300	Street	N	N	53XX	S	DORCHESTER AVE
10/24/06 7:30:00 PM	CRIM SEXUAL ASSAULT	AGGRAVATED: OTHER	Residence	N	N	56XX	S	STONY ISLAND AVE
10/24/06 7:50:00 PM	ROBBERY	ATTEMPT: ARMED-HANDGUN	Sidewalk	N	N	12XX	E	54TH PL
10/24/06 7:50:00 PM	ROBBERY	ATTEMPT: STRONGARM-NO WEAPON	Sidewalk	N	N	12XX	E	54TH ST
10/24/06 11:00:00 PM	ROBBERY	ARMED: HANDGUN	Street	N	N	56XX	S	ELLIS AVE
10/25/06	OTHER OFFENSE	HARASSMENT BY TELEPHONE	Apartment	N	N	48XX	S	LAKE PARK AVE
10/25/06 1:35:00 AM	BATTERY	DOMESTIC BATTERY SIMPLE	Street	N	Y	54XX	S	ELLIS AVE
10/25/06 8:00:00 AM	THEFT	OVER $300	Street	N	N	53XX	S	COTTAGE GROVE AVE
10/25/06 8:30:00 AM	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	Residence	N	N	52XX	S	HARPER AVE
10/25/06 9:00:00 AM	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	17XX	E	55TH ST
10/25/06 10:25:00 AM	OTHER OFFENSE	HARASSMENT BY TELEPHONE	Residence	N	Y	62XX	S	KENWOOD AVE
10/25/06 11:40:00 AM	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	Residence	N	N	55XX	S	HYDE PARK BLVD
10/25/06 3:00:00 PM	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	Church/Synagogue/Place Of Worship	N	N	15XX	E	53RD ST
10/25/06 5:55:00 PM	NON-CRIMINAL SUBJECT SPECIFIED	NOTIFICATION: ORDER PROTECTION	Apartment	N	Y	53XX	S	HARPER AVE
10/25/06 7:15:00 PM	BATTERY	SIMPLE	Grocery Food Store	Y	N	15XX	E	HYDE PARK BLVD
10/25/06 9:45:00 PM	ROBBERY	ARMED: HANDGUN	Park Property	N	N	54XX	S	KIMBARK AVE
10/25/06 10:09:00 PM	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	School, Public, Building	N	N	61XX	S	INGLESIDE AVE
10/25/06 10:25:00 PM	ROBBERY	ARMED: HANDGUN	Sidewalk	N	N	12XX	E	54TH ST
10/25/06 10:25:00 PM	NON-CRIMINAL	DEATH	Hospital Building/Grounds	N	N	9XX	E	58TH ST
10/25/06 10:56:00 PM	WEAPONS VIOLATION	UNLAWFUL POSS OF HANDGUN	Sidewalk	N	N	59XX	S	COTTAGE GROVE AVE
10/26/06	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	55XX	S	EVERETT AVE
10/26/06 12:45:00 AM	CRIMINAL TRESPASS	TO LAND	Hospital Building/Grounds	Y	N	58XX	S	MARYLAND AVE
10/26/06 2:55:00 AM	ROBBERY	ATTEMPT: ARMED-OTHER DANG WEAP	Street	N	N	14XX	E	56TH ST
10/26/06 4:20:00 AM	ROBBERY	ARMED: HANDGUN	Street	N	N	53XX	S	DORCHESTER AVE
10/26/06 10:20:00 AM	BATTERY	DOMESTIC BATTERY SIMPLE	Residence	N	Y	14XX	E	52ND ST
10/26/06 1:30:00 PM	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	School, Public, Building	N	N	50XX	S	BLACKSTONE AVE
10/26/06 3:50:00 PM	THEFT	$300 AND UNDER	Street	N	N	8XX	E	60TH ST
10/26/06 4:20:00 PM	BATTERY	SIMPLE	Street	N	N	55XX	S	HYDE PARK BLVD
10/26/06 4:30:00 PM	BURGLARY	UNLAWFUL ENTRY	Residence	N	N	14XX	E	55TH ST
10/26/06 5:45:00 PM	BATTERY	SIMPLE	Residence Porch/Hallway	N	N	51XX	S	HARPER AVE

Editorial opposses UC student government reponse

2006-11-03T15:27:00.000-06:00

Crime is a fact of life living in Hyde Park, but this seems to come as
news to Student Government (SG). This week, they decided to take action
against crime and do what they do best: form a Committee. SG’s plans
might be full of ambition, but they lack the forethought necessary to
actually make Hyde Park safer. SG is in need of a serious reality check
on this issue. A basic look at the facts surrounding crime on campus
reveals that SG is going to have to ditch its current course on crime
and acknowledge the existence of infinitely more effective avenues.

In relation to the rest of Chicago, our neighborhood is one of the
safest. We employ a private police force rivaled only by that of the
Vatican. This comes in addition to the presence of the Chicago Police
Department (CPD). It is impossible to look at these facts and still say
the efforts to preserve safety on campus are anything less than up to par.

This is not to say that students and the rest of the Hyde Park community
should sit back, pat our own backs, and do nothing to continue improving
the services offered. We should always be searching for ways to improve
safety, whether it involves studying crime patterns, increasing police
presence, or decreasing the response time to a crime scene.

But these tasks fall under the primary duties of the experts already
involved. It is not SG’s job to claim knowledge in a field where it does
not have the resources or experience to address the problems at hand.
Instead, it should use its power as a consolidated student voice to
lobby for changes to those that have the power to institute them. In
this case, they should work with the UCPD and CPD to improve their
effectiveness. This would be far more beneficial than establishing an
internal committee with the mission of promoting a secure campus—SG can
do more by working with the system in place rather than supplementing it.

One of the committee’s proposals, the creation of a database tracking
campus crime, is superficial and redundant. The CPD already tracks crime
throughout Chicago, which includes Hyde Park. In this, as with the
production of an inefficient committee, SG seems to be catering to
students’ complaints about crime and desire to feel reassured, rather
than trying to achieve improvement.

But all of the blame should not be placed on SG. Students’ complaints
are what prompted their action. Students must get used to the fact that
crime happens. Complaining in the way they have suggests many have yet
to face this reality. We give you all the same advice that we give SG:
Complain to those who can make a difference, and base your complaints in
reality.

Maroon: UC Student Government responds to recent muggings

2006-11-03T15:25:00.000-06:00

Student Government (SG) has plans to create a new security commission
focused on improving campus safety, responding to the armed robbery of a
student in the heart of campus in mid-October.

This incident is the third robbery on the 5800 block of South University
Avenue since August, according to the Chicago Police Department. Within
a four-block radius of the center of campus, there were 10 robberies in
October alone.

Tulane Kagy, a first-year in the College, was robbed at gunpoint in the
early evening of October 20 when she was walking on the corner of East
58th Street and South University Avenue. Her assailant approached her
and demanded her purse—which contained her money, student ID, dorm key,
and cell phone—then fled in a nearby car with two other men.

“I was surprised that it happened pretty much right on campus, in a well
lit area with other people around,” Kagy said. “I knew that things
happened, but it always seemed to be around the edges of the school.”

Kagy also expressed disappointment with the response of the U of C
Police Department (UCPD) and the University.

“It took five minutes before anyone came, which is a lot longer than
what they said during orientation and the safety meetings, which
promised that a patrol car would be there in two minutes, probably just
one,” Kagy said. “I felt pretty vulnerable.”

Kagy relayed her experience and her frustration with both the slow
response time of the UCPD and the difficulty and expense of obtaining
new University identification and keys in an e-mail to the SG complaint
listhost.

“As a first-year student, I am barely finding my way around campus to
the various classes and activities I have signed up for, yet the
University leaves me completely alone to figure out how to get
replacements for my student ID and dorm-room key,” said Kagy in the e-mail.

In response, SG organized a security commission with the hope of
improving the official response to crimes involving students, and
steering capital improvements to campus to better benefit student safety.

“This year, SG is going to be focused on crime prevention—not just how
to avoid becoming a victim, but how students should approach living in
Hyde Park intelligently,” said third-year College Council member Kyle
Lee, who is closely involved with the new commission. “We want to do
some concrete work in the areas of better campus lighting, more
emergency phones, and better communication and coordination with the
administration and UCPD.”

Lee, who works as a UCPD dispatcher and was on duty during the mugging
of Kagy, says that he hopes to buck the trend of SG committees falling
short on original goals through a more intelligent and informed
discussion with University and UCPD officials.

“What I’ve been doing the last three years, actually being employed with
law enforcement, is going to enable us to really look at actual ideas
and work at increasing the influence of SG,” Lee said. “With more
influence, we can put more pressure on the UCPD and administration to
respond to student concerns.”

The committee plans to study crime incidents and talk with constituents
to determine areas that would most benefit from increased lighting, more
emergency phones, or heightened police presence. Council members have
also suggested building an online database that maps crime around
campus, mirroring ICAM, a service of the Chicago Police Department that
displays data for the entire city.

The security committee also hopes to improve communication between
students and the UCPD. Students can subscribe to a safety awareness
listhost to be updated when serious crimes occur around campus.

Additionally, there has been talk of renewing the SG–sponsored series of
outreach events that brought students concerned about security together
with officials from the University and UCPD. The commission is also
looking at resurrecting a program in which students and administrators
walk the neighborhood at night to identify areas that seem dark or unsafe.

Lee said the main goal of the commission was a gradual plan to increase
preventative security on campus, rather than serve as an enabler of
knee-jerk reactions to specific events.

Brawl breaks out at Hyde Park High School

2006-11-03T11:28:00.000-06:00

November 3, 2006 - Chicago police and public school officials are investigating a fight at Hyde Park High School, 62nd and Stony Island. Officials said the fight broke out during a pep rally in the school's gymnasium on Thursday when a former member of the football team pushed a current player. A number of others ended up getting involved in the altercation.

Police and school security guards eventually broke up the brawl. No one was hurt.

Officials are reviewing security video to determine if there will be any charges or disciplinary actions.

BB gun shooting, Ellis and 58th

2006-11-01T15:24:00.000-06:00

At 7:37 p.m., Tuesday, October 31, on South Ellis Avenue near 58th Street, a man and a male juvenile were walking with two companions when they were chased and fired upon by another man who got out of a car and used a BB gun. University of Chicago Police who were nearby conducting a neighborhood surveillance operation quickly apprehended the offender and he has been charged. The victims were not hurt. The car in which he had been riding was curbed a short time later by University police and the driver was charged with multiple traffic violations.

Mother of the accused mugger tells her side

2006-10-31T21:42:00.000-06:00

October 31, 2006

BY MARY MITCHELL Sun-Times Columnist

Jemelle Lloyd, 17, is described by his mother as a good kid. A senior at the Chicago Military Academy in Bronzeville, Lloyd has cleared the hurdle that trips up too many African-American males.

Lloyd is also captain of his high school basketball team and calls his ailing mother twice a day.

So how, then, did Lloyd end up being charged with the attempted robbery of a University of Chicago student in Hyde Park last Friday?

His mother, Suzette Lloyd, blames the green-and-yellow sweats her son was wearing at the time of his arrest. It was identical to the outfits worn by five other Bronzeville students also charged in this incident.

If that's the case, it wouldn't be the first time that a black man has been swept up into a lineup because he "looks like" the suspect.

But a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department said Lloyd was part of a group of teens who "struck" a University of Chicago student in the "back of his head," and when the young man fell to the ground, they "struck his head and body with their feet and fists."

The other students also charged with attempted robbery are Van Epinger, 17; Michael Pleasants, 17, and Lawrence Gardner, 17. Two others, Armani Carson, 18; and Alexander Tolks, 18, are being sought by police.

On Monday, the mother tearfully explained her understanding of what transpired before her son's arrest.

Apparently, three of the teens are childhood friends and members of their high school basketball team. The group hitched a ride with another student from 35th and Giles (where the school is located) to the Hyde Park area because "that's as far as the student was going," Lloyd's mother told me.

"My son started calling me between 3:30 and 3:45 p.m," she said. "We talked and all of a sudden, the phone went dead."

$5 demanded, then an attack

Lloyd was supposed to catch the No. 15 bus to his home in the 6900 block of East End. His mother called his cell phone until a police officer answered.

"He told me my son was being arrested," she said, crying. "I could hear him in the background telling the police officer that I had had a stroke," she said.

Lloyd was eventually taken to 26th and California.

"He called me at 3 a.m. the next morning and said "Mama, I swear to you. I didn't do this," the mother said.

A police spokesman verified that Lloyd has no police record.

Even so, his bond is $50,000, which means his mother has to put up $5,000 to get him out of Cook County Jail.

Parents of the three other teens have already posted bonds.

"I don't have that kind of money," Suzette Lloyd said on Monday. She and other family members are trying to scrape up money to get Jemelle a lawyer.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Military Academy principal is promising to take disciplinary action against the teens.

I don't know whether Lloyd is innocent or guilty. Unless the other teens admit guilt and exonerate Lloyd of any involvement, he will likely end up with a record.

And why?

According to police, the teens demanded $5 before allegedly attacking the university student.

Five measly dollars.

It will cost each of these parents at least 1,000 times that amount if they stand a chance of keeping these students out of the criminal justice system.

Whoever assaulted the university student has been looking at far too many rap videos and listening to too many gangsta CDs.

This is real life outside of black neighborhoods.

Shamed parents, community

The University of Chicago has its own police department, which includes a robbery mission team.

After several incidents last year in which university students were attacked by groups of teens, police are vigilant about safety, as they should be.

In this instance, the victim was able to give a description of the offenders because allegedly they were all wearing the same color and type of clothing -- sweats bearing their school's logo.

If Lloyd was wrongfully snatched up from the street because he was identified as being with the group solely because of his clothing, I sincerely hope he gets help defending himself.

Because the people who committed this idiotic crime are going to have to pay for acting like as---.

They shamed themselves, their parents, their school and a community that continues to support young men like them.

Worse than that, they are killing their mothers.

Maroon: Crime Report 10/23 to 10/26

2006-10-27T09:03:00.000-05:00

By Mischa Fierer

October 23, 10:30 p.m.—Two men in their late 20s robbed a 25-year-old man at the East 57th Street Metra Station. The victim was waiting for a train when a man approached him, said he had a gun, and demanded the victim’s money. The victim gave up his wallet and cell phone while a second offender kept a lookout. After searching the victim’s backpack, both offenders jumped onto the tracks and ran south. U of C Police and Chicago Police spotted one of the suspects, Anthony Polk, on the Metra tracks and arrested him. Polk resides on the 6800 block of South Merrill.

October 24, 2 p.m.—Three teenagers robbed a 22-year-old man on the 5400 block of South Blackstone Avenue. The victim said he was approached by three men, one of whom displayed a handgun. After searching his pockets and taking a cell phone, the three offenders ran south. The victim described the offenders as black males, aged 15, 16, and 19, all around 5-foot-7 and wearing black jackets. The 16-year-old was wearing a gray hood, and the 19-year-old was wearing a black skullcap.
October 24, 7:50 p.m.—An unidentified man tried to rob a 22-year-old man on the 1100 block of East 54th Street. The offender grabbed the victim from behind, and told the victim that he had a gun and that the victim should hand over everything he had. The victim said he did not have anything of value, and the offender fled in an unidentified direction.
October 25, 9:45 p.m.—Two male teenagers robbed a 21-year-old woman on the 5400 block of South Kimbark Avenue. The victim reports that two men wearing ski masks and dark clothing ran out of Nichols Park. One of them, wielding a handgun, told her to get on her knees. The offenders then took her watch and purse and ran back through the park. According to the victim’s reports, the attackers were between 16 and 18 years old and between 130 and 140 pounds.
October 25, 10:25 p.m.—An armed robbery occurred on the 1100 block of East 54th Street. The victim, a 26-year-old man, reported being approached from behind by two black men in their early 20s, both around 5-foot-10 and 130 pounds. The first offender pointed a handgun at the victim while the second went through the victim’s pockets. After taking the man’s backpack, the first offender struck the victim on the face. Both offenders fled east on 54th Street.
October 26, 2:54 a.m.—A man attempted to rob a 22-year-old woman on the 1300 block of East 56th Street. The woman was walking alone when she was quickly cut off by a dark-colored van. A man jumped out of the vehicle, brandishing a shiny blunt object. He grabbed her and demanded that she hand over her money. A struggle ensued. The victim kicked the attacker, fought with him, fled down the street, and quickly flagged down a police car. The victim described the offender as a 30-year-old black man with “large eyes,” around 5-foot-8 and 148 pounds, and wearing a dark hat with dark pants. Police are currently investigating.

Permanent URL: http://maroon.uchicago.edu/online_edition/?p=1447 zip code: 60615 Hyde Park

Maroon: Youths steal from teams playing on Midway

2006-10-26T20:21:00.000-05:00

Thieves target IM games

By Sara Jerome

Tuesday, October 24th, 2006

A series of thefts on the Midway during intramural (IM) sports has prompted the housing office to alert resident staff about the crime pattern, which has spanned the past several weeks.

“Apparently groups of youths have used a tactic in which one of the youths distracts the IM participants, while others in the group snatch any unattended items,” said Jim Wessel, assistant director of the Office of Undergraduate Student Housing, in an e-mail to resident staff that has since been forwarded to IM sports representatives.

Wessel said that the U of C Police Department (UCPD) has been alerted to the problem and “will continue to patrol the Midway area.” He noted that houses can request safety talks from Sergeant JoCathy Roberts at the UCPD.

Wessel and Roberts were not available to provide further comment.

Third-year Janelle Pisarik, who frequently participates in IM sports, was a victim of this type of theft during an IM football game in fall of 2004.

“We all put our stuff in a pile and some little kids grabbed things and ran,” Pisarik said.

In her case, however, the team’s “super fast runner,” fourth-year Jack Song, decided to chase down the culprits.

“He chased the kids from the Midway all the way to Washington Park,” she said. “He was able to tail them long enough that the cops could catch them.”

Pisarik said that the students retrieved their money, but not their IDs or wallets. Since then, she said, “I only bring my ID with me and leave it in a pocket.”

As part of enhancing security, some IM participants have delegated team members to guard items during the games.

Sheila Yarbrough, the associate dean of student services, said that theft is a reality at the University.

“Theft does occur on our campus. We are an open community and property left unattended is often taken,” Yarbrough said. “This happens in dining areas, the libraries, and in other places where students gather.”

Yarbrough added that the University has taken several steps to deal with theft, including a “gotcha” program run by the UCPD. According to Yarbrough, UCPD officers put stickers on items that are often left unattended, such as laptops.

“The point of the sticker is that if the property was left unattended long enough for a sticker to be placed on the item, the property was left long enough to be taken,” Yarbrough said.

She said that students are also warned about personal security each year during Orientation Week, emphasizing that “police reports should be filed immediately when thefts occur.”

Permanent URL: http://maroon.uchicago.edu/online_edition/?p=1428 zip code: 60615 location: Hyde Park, Chicago

Multiple Violent Masked Muggings near University

2006-10-26T15:05:00.000-05:00

At 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 24, and 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.on Wednesday, October 25, in an area between University and Kimbark Avenues, from 54th to 56th Streets, there have been three incidents in which individuals walking alone have been confronted by two masked men who were armed and demanded and took valuables. In two of these cases the victims were forced to the ground. In the other, the victim was struck in the face. Police believe that it is likely that the same offenders are involved in all three of these incidents. A fourth incident that occurred at 8:50 p.m., Friday, October 20 on 58th Street between University and Woodlawn Avenues is similar and may also be part of this pattern.

Armed Driveby Mugging 56th and Univerrsity

2006-10-25T17:19:00.000-05:00

*At 10:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 24, on South University Avenue between
55th and 56th Streets, a man was confronted by two armed men wearing ski
masks who had been hiding behind some bushes. They ordered him to lie
down, took his valuables, and fled to a nearby four door vehicle that
looked like either a Cadillac or Buick and which was driven by a third
man. The victim was not hurt. *

Woman found murdered at Twin Towers

2006-10-25T08:22:00.000-05:00

By Ron Magers - Link to ABC7 Article
Watch the video
October 24, 2006 - A woman has been murdered inside a high-rise in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. Police discovered the body of 39-year-old Janice Ordidge after she didn't show up for work. She had been strangled. Police are looking for leads in the case as relatives and friends try to cope with their loss. The woman's body was found Monday in the bathroom of her high rise apartment at 1649 E. 50th St. (Twin Towers Apartments) She worked as a scheduler at Northwestern's Prentiss Women's Hospital. Employees there became worried when she didn't show up for work.

"She was the kind who would call if she was 10 minutes late," said Lara Olmos, co-worker.

Police were asked to check on Ordidge. They went to her apartment Monday afternoon and found her in the bathtub. The medical examiner is calling it a strangulation homicide. There were no signs of forced entry.

There is no video surveillance in the building, but there is security.

"There's security at night, two security guys and in the day you have to be buzzed in," said Papa Ndiaye, doorman.

Some residents say the building management didn't notify them of the killing-- and they are upset.

"There should have been notification. This is very serious, for someone so close to us and we not know about it," said Dashara Wells, neighbor.

"We live here, and if there needs to be security, I don't know but something should have been done," said Marissa Petersen, neighbor.

Ordidge was one of five sisters. They say she was amicably divorced and that her former husband lives in England. They also say she had a new boyfriend but there had been no indication of trouble.

"She's the most beautiful person you ever wanted to meet," said Mary Lambert, victim's sister. "She loved life and enjoyed life, so to know her is to love her."

Police have not said whether they have any leads in the case.

Article from the Sun Times
BY ANNIE SWEENEY Crime Reporter

Janice Ordidge knew the dangers of living alone in a big city, even in her relatively safe Hyde Park neighborhood.

She lived across the street from one sister, next door to another -- and the three were watchful over one another as they came and went.

Now her family is trying to figure out what happened over the weekend inside her 13th-floor apartment. Ordidge, a nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, was found Monday afternoon strangled to death in her bathtub.

Ordidge, who lived in the 1600 block of East 50th Street, last spoke with her family Saturday morning when she asked one of her sisters to go shopping downtown. Her sister said she couldn't go -- and they never heard from Ordidge again, said another sister, Loretta Lambert-Shamley, 45.

On Sunday, a phone call to Ordidge from one of her sisters went unanswered, which was unusual. On Monday, Ordidge failed to show for work.

"Her job is her life," said Lambert-Shamley. "Jan is one of those ones who you have to tell to take a vacation."

The family went to the building and asked a manager to open the door. The manager called Ordidge's name and checked the living room and bedroom, but found nothing. Police then arrived and did a more thorough search.

"She had been hidden in the bathtub," Lambert-Shamley said.

No sign of forced entry

Chicago Police are still investigating whether anything was taken from her apartment, but there was no sign of forced entry, Wentworth Area Cmdr. Patricia Walsh said.

"We are all in shock down here," said Lambert-Shamley, who lives in Memphis. "She was such a safe person. Everything was always about security. She was a single woman in Chicago. . . . I am just wondering if someone walked in and surprised her."

Ordidge, 39, worked at the downtown hospital for eight years, a spokeswoman said. She was married but had been separated from her husband for a few years, her sister said. He lives in New York, and Ordidge had plans to follow him there but abruptly decided not to, her sister said. She never offered an explanation.

One of 10 siblings, Ordidge was born in Chicago. The family moved to Aurora when she was 9. She graduated from East Aurora High School.

Ordidge considered being a chef before settling on nursing as a career.

NBC5 Article - Video

Janit Ordidge's Windows Were All Open, Heat Turned Off

POSTED: 6:43 pm CDT October 24, 2006

UPDATED: 7:29 am CDT October 25, 2006

CHICAGO -- A popular employee at Prentiss Women's Hospital is found strangled in her Hyde Park apartment.At first, Chicago Police thought it was a suicide. Now, it's a murder case.

Police arrived at the scene and all of Janet Ordidge's windows were open and the heat had been turned off for days. But they didn't notice any trauma to her body. Late Tuesday afternoon, the Cook County medical examiner ruled her death a homicide, saying she was strangled.Ordidge never missed a day of work. She was never even late. So when she didn't show up as a surgical scheduler at PWH, friends and family thought the worst.Ordidge lived alone at the Twin Towers apartment complex in Hyde Park.The medical examiner said Ordidge's body was badly beaten she was left for dead in her bathtub.When the janitor conducted a well-being check, he found all the windows open in her 13th floor apartment and the heat was turned off.Records show the last cell phone call made was at 12:18 Saturday afternoon.That night, she was supposed to go out with her new boyfriend -- a Chicago police officer. Friends said they had been dating for the past month.According to sources, her new boyfriend spoke with police Monday by phone.There were no signs of forced entry and the only item police said is missing is her wallet.

Drive By Mugging 58th and Woodlawn

2006-10-23T15:05:00.000-05:00

At 8:50 p.m., Friday, October 20, on East 58th Street between
University and Woodlawn Avenues, a woman was walking when a silver and
gray four door Jeep Commander pulled up and two armed men got out. They
demanded and took the woman's purse, returned to the van which was
driven by a third man, and drove away. The victim was not hurt.

2006-10-23T02:01:00.000-05:00

Hyde Park Assets

A recent and creative music video tour of Hyde Park. Certainly worth a watch!

Perspectives on Crime in Hyde Park

2006-10-19T01:46:00.000-05:00

More on a series of the polar perspectives about Hyde Park. Michael Kremer points out to an interested party:

Re safety: Again, it all depends on where you're coming from. It's the city. Bad things happen. Bad things have happened to people I know. But it's not a really really scary place, unless all US cities are scary to you.

Anyway, where I live (and ditto for 55th and Dorchester) having a car is not going to prevent you from having to walk in Hyde Park at night, since at night you often will end up parking three blocks away from home.

If you want a sense of the frequency of crime in Hyde Park, go to https://listhost.uchicago.edu/pipermail/safety-awareness/ and look through the monthly threads for "safety awareness alerts". But just remember there are something like 50,000 people in Hyde Park/Kenwood and also note that most of the crime happens outside the area you're likely to frequent most of the time.

I suspect the crime you're most likely to be a victim of while in Hyde Park is actually: motor vehicle theft.

The last bit is ironic, considering the answer is in response to a question about whether a car is necessary in Hyde Park. In response, "Sam" points out:

-you may get mugged, but they won't hurt you. don't carry a lot of cash.

Oct 4: University Police arrest Daytime Mugger

2006-10-19T01:33:00.000-05:00

Not sure exactly what he did while in Hyde Park, but on Oct 4 it was reported that University Police apparently arrested a man that had been on a strange, multi-town mugging spree:

Homewood police said Tuesday that they have nabbed a puzzling daylight bandit who robbed four people at gunpoint in four separate towns.

Puzzling, they say, because of the items he stole from his victims -- including a school backpack, a set of keys and a lunchbox.

"I don't know, maybe he was hungry," Deputy Police Chief James Gannon said.

The man, believed to be in his 20s, was arrested by University of Chicago Police on Tuesday afternoon, and charges were pending.

More...

UC Study: Does crime contribute to cancer?

2006-10-19T01:22:00.000-05:00

According to a Tribune article, a study at the U of C is looking into the relationship between stress (perhaps related to crime) and sponetanous mutations associated with cancer:

At the University of Chicago, meanwhile, a large federally funded study is under way to look at social factors that might bring about biological changes that lead to breast cancer. The team includes specialists in the medical, biological, behavioral and social sciences.
...
"Between 70 and 80 percent of all breast cancers are due to sporadic mutations, not inherited mutations. That means it's things that happen in the environment," Gehlert said.
"We think that if you live in really adverse circumstances in a neighborhood with a lot of crime, so the threat's always there, you'll be afraid to go out and will develop what we call a dysregulated stress response," she said. "And you'll be more likely to have spontaneous mutations of the breast cancer genes."

More...

HPH: Crime Report 10/5 to 10/10

2006-10-19T01:18:00.000-05:00

HPH: Burglars hit Hyde Park

2006-10-19T01:16:00.000-05:00

Detailed Crime Report: 10/6 to 10/12

2006-10-19T01:10:00.000-05:00

Date	Primary	Secondary	Location	AR	DO	Block	Street
10/6/06 2:00:00 AM	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	Apartment	N	N	57XX	HARPER AVE
10/6/06 7:00:00 AM	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	Residence	N	N	50XX	WOODLAWN AVE
10/6/06 10:00:00 AM	THEFT	OVER $300	Street	N	N	52XX	PAYNE DR
10/6/06 5:00:00 PM	MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT	AUTOMOBILE	Street	N	N	13XX	HYDE PARK BLVD
10/6/06 6:00:00 PM	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	Commercial / Business Office	N	N	15XX	55TH ST
10/6/06 7:30:00 PM	THEFT	RETAIL THEFT	Drug Store	Y	N	50XX	COTTAGE GROVE AVE
10/6/06 9:00:00 PM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO PROPERTY	Residence	N	N	14XX	56TH ST
10/6/06 10:30:00 PM	MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT	AUTOMOBILE	Street	N	N	10XX	55TH ST
10/7/06 12:05:00 AM	THEFT	$300 AND UNDER	Restaurant	N	N	53XX	DORCHESTER AVE
10/7/06 3:30:00 AM	BURGLARY	UNLAWFUL ENTRY	Residence	N	N	52XX	WOODLAWN AVE
10/7/06 9:25:00 AM	OTHER OFFENSE	HARASSMENT BY TELEPHONE	Apartment	N	N	55XX	BLACKSTONE AVE
10/7/06 1:15:00 PM	THEFT	OVER $300	Alley	N	N	52XX	DREXEL AVE
10/7/06 7:00:00 PM	THEFT	OVER $300	Street	N	N	14XX	55TH ST
10/7/06 7:43:00 PM	OTHER OFFENSE	TELEPHONE THREAT	Small Retail Store	N	Y	14XX	HYDE PARK BLVD
10/7/06 10:00:00 PM	BURGLARY	UNLAWFUL ENTRY	Residence	N	N	53XX	WOODLAWN AVE
10/7/06 11:30:00 PM	ASSAULT	SIMPLE	Parking Lot/Garage(Non.Resid.)	N	N	16XX	55TH ST
10/8/06 2:30:00 PM	THEFT	OVER $300	Street	N	N	60XX	ELLIS AVE
10/8/06 4:00:00 PM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO VEHICLE	Street	N	N	11XX	50TH ST
10/8/06 6:30:00 PM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO VEHICLE	Street	N	N	8XX	56TH ST
10/8/06 6:30:00 PM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO VEHICLE	Street	N	N	8XX	56TH ST
10/8/06 7:30:00 PM	BATTERY	AGGRAVATED: OTHER DANG WEAPON	Park Property	N	N	52XX	PAYNE DR
10/8/06 8:50:00 PM	DECEPTIVE PRACTICE	FRAUD OR CONFIDENCE GAME	Residence	N	N	51XX	BLACKSTONE AVE
10/8/06 9:05:00 PM	ROBBERY	STRONGARM - NO WEAPON	Street	N	N	47XX	WOODLAWN AVE
10/9/06 2:10:00 AM	ASSAULT	SIMPLE	Apartment	N	N	54XX	CORNELL AVE
10/9/06 7:00:00 AM	THEFT	OVER $300	Street	N	N	55XX	COTTAGE GROVE AVE
10/9/06 11:30:00 AM	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	47XX	WOODLAWN AVE
10/9/06 4:50:00 PM	ASSAULT	SIMPLE	Street	N	N	17XX	53RD ST
10/9/06 5:30:00 PM	THEFT	$300 AND UNDER	Other	N	N	52XX	PAYNE DR
10/9/06 8:00:00 PM	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	56XX	KIMBARK AVE
10/9/06 9:00:00 PM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO PROPERTY	Residence	N	N	54XX	GREENWOOD AVE

See this post for details.

Account of mugging witness

2006-10-16T15:43:00.000-05:00

pleasurepallas witnessed the September 15 mugging of a woman by men who got away in a gold cadillac (originally reported here):

So I just thought I'd let everyone know that on my way to the studio tonite (as in, like 5 minutes ago), I saw my very first Hyde Park mugging. These three guys sprinted across the road and hopped into a golden Cadillac. Then a woman rounded the corner screaming that they'd stolen her purse. The perps got away, but at least about four witnesses got the license plate number. I'm ashamed to say that I did nothing. In my defense, I was in my own world and had my headphones on, so I was a little out of it. By the time I realized what was going on, it was way too late to do anything. I froze. I got scared. I'm too young and pretty to die. But I feel horrible. But what could I have done, honestly? Affront four felons with no weaponry or knowledge of their state. The lady as banged up pretty bad and crying. I feel horrible....this sort of thing evidently happens on a more-than-daily basis here. So now I have to try and get some work done, but I can't stop thinking about it.

The Big Idea: GSB to redevelop Hyde Park?

2006-10-15T17:30:00.000-05:00

From GSB Online:

What was running through your mind the first time you drove west on 59th street towards the Dan Ryan? Or the first time you walked a few blocks south of the Midway? Chances are it was something along the lines of "are my doors locked?" or "look straight ahead� don't make eye contact...." or perhaps you simply found yourself in a pensive state of disbelief, saying "how can this neighborhood be so close to one of the finest educational institutions in the world?"

Hyde Park, which at one time was one of Chicago's most affluent communities, is now, shall I say, not so much. Once inside the confines of the HPC it's easy to forget about what you just saw. Images of boarded up windows, graffiti, and broken glass are replaced by study rooms with 42" flat panel monitors, pool tables in the student lounge, and the impressive modern architecture of the Winter Garden. The dichotomy between these two environments is striking and inherently disturbing. It is this situation that we need to address in a more proactive manner. After experiencing the emotions described above, I held several informal conversations with fellow students harboring similar emotions. Subsequent to these conversations, I put some thought into avenues the GSB could pursue to make a difference in the community behind our front door step. It was this process that spawned my "Big Idea."

Chicago GSB is comprised of accomplished, intelligent, and motivated individuals with wonderfully diverse backgrounds. We have individuals with practical experience in the fields of economics, public policy, marketing, finance, strategy, education, and real estate development to name just a few. This combination of intelligence and experience is exactly what is needed to help expedite the redevelopment Hyde Park. While I'm sure that some fine people work for the City of Chicago, I don't think it's presumptuous to say that the intellectual firepower we bring to the table exceeds that of the city government. As such, I suggest that we create a class/program at the GSB that is focused on the redevelopment of Hyde Park and its surrounding communities.

continued...

WhistleSTOP

2006-10-15T17:20:00.000-05:00

From the Lawrence Journal-World:

Many years ago, when I lived in a University of Chicago neighborhood (Hyde Park), a rash of personal street crimes broke out similar to what we are experiencing near the Kansas University campus. The neighborhood association started a program called “Whistle Stop,” which had been used successfully in other cities. We purchased hundreds of steel whistles that were sold for cost through neighborhood merchants. The program was approved by the police department.

We wore the whistles on lanyards or carried them in hand at night on the street. When experiencing or witnessing a crime, the whistle was repeatedly blown. Those hearing the whistle would also blow their own, including those in homes who would call the police and open their windows and blow away. There were a few just-for-fun whistle blows, but everyone understood the seriousness of the program and the false alarms quickly ceased.
There were many reports of aborted robbery attempts, and the street-crime rate rapidly decreased... continued

WhistleSTOP is once again being revitalized and expanded in Hyde Park. I have never heard or seen a whistle while living here. What are people's experiences with the whistles? If I blew a whistle (or yelled for help), what are the chances help would arrive?

Detailed Crime Report: Oct 4 - Oct 5

2006-10-12T22:50:00.000-05:00

Date	Primary	Secondary	Location	AR	DO	Block	Street
10/4/06 12:04:00 AM	OTHER OFFENSE	OBSCENE TELEPHONE CALLS	Residence	N	N	55XX	CORNELL AVE
10/4/06 2:00:00 AM	BURGLARY	UNLAWFUL ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	52XX	WOODLAWN AVE
10/4/06 2:30:00 AM	BATTERY	AGGRAVATED DOMESTIC BATTERY: OTHER DANG WEAPON	Apartment	N	Y	60XX	HARPER AVE
10/4/06 2:55:00 AM	ROBBERY	ARMED: HANDGUN	Alley	N	N	55XX	CORNELL AVE
10/4/06 3:05:00 AM	CRIMINAL DAMAGE	TO VEHICLE	Parking Lot/Garage(Non.Resid.)	Y	N	16XX	50TH ST
10/4/06 1:30:00 PM	BATTERY	AGGRAVATED: OTHER DANG WEAPON	Other	N	N	54XX	LAKE PARK AVE
10/4/06 2:00:00 PM	BATTERY	SIMPLE	Street	N	N	15XX	53RD ST
10/4/06 5:00:00 PM	BURGLARY	FORCIBLE ENTRY	Apartment	N	N	54XX	ELLIS AVE
10/4/06 6:00:00 PM	MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT	AUTOMOBILE	Other	N	N	55XX	SHORE DR
10/4/06 6:00:00 PM	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	Library	N	N	11XX	59TH ST
10/4/06 7:00:00 PM	NON-CRIMINAL	LOST PROPERTY	Restaurant	N	N	12XX	53RD ST
10/4/06 9:00:00 PM	THEFT	$300 AND UNDER	Residence Porch/Hallway	N	N	54XX	UNIVERSITY AVE
10/4/06 10:00:00 PM	BURGLARY	UNLAWFUL ENTRY	Residence-Garage	N	N	54XX	UNIVERSITY AVE
10/4/06 11:30:00 PM	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	Tavern/Liquor Store	N	N	18XX	55TH ST
10/4/06 11:45:00 PM	NON-CRIMINAL	DEATH	Residence	N	N	55XX	CORNELL AVE
10/5/06 8:30:00 AM	DECEPTIVE PRACTICE	CREDIT CARD FRAUD	Hospital Building/Grounds	N	N	58XX	MARYLAND AVE
10/5/06 12:00:00 PM	ASSAULT	SIMPLE	Apartment	N	Y	61XX	WOODLAWN AVE
10/5/06 4:30:00 PM	BATTERY	DOMESTIC BATTERY SIMPLE	Apartment	N	Y	16XX	62ND ST
10/5/06 5:00:00 PM	THEFT	FROM BUILDING	Restaurant	N	N	10XX	55TH ST

See this post for details about how this report was generated.

Essay: Ain’t It Beautiful (This Nightly Scream)

2006-10-12T22:37:00.001-05:00

An excerpt from an essay, Ain’t It Beautiful (This Nightly Scream), by the wanderer:

With each breath, the scream descends by octaves until it’s little more than a throaty moan, then rises again. I see no one. A cop car creeps by at the other end of the park, but its occupant either cannot hear what goes on outside or feigns oblivion.

Further into the park, my eyes scan the darkness. Just outside the orange splotches of the streetlights that line the path in front of me, I see the outline of a man cowering in a patch of darkness. He is on his knees. Both his hands clasp the iron rods of a low fence that marks the end of the park. He screams and he screams, and for a moment my steps miss a beat. Even though I should know better, I slow down after all, then stop right in front of him. He raises his head in agony, rattles the fence with his shaking arms, and even in the shadows I can see the white of his wide open eyes, the white of his bared teeth. He does not, I think, see me.

I can hear now what he is screaming. “Please, no. Oh please, please. No.”

As I look down at the man, in my head I hear a whisper that I have heard many times since I moved to this area, louder each time. I shut it out. I need to think.

This area of Hyde Park is quite handsome during the day with its old trees now turning autumnally yellow and red, its elegant brownstones, its elaborate townhouses. But at night, the ghetto just to the north spills over into the nicer university district, and the haggard wander the streets asking for money, for cigarettes, sometimes barely conscious at all, mumbling through rotten teeth and matted hair. Sometimes AIDS has eaten their bodies to skeletons. Sometimes they just sway, blank-eyed, sweating in the throes of a tired high. If they can no longer ask for money, they curse silently or just stare. I step over collapsed bodies often in the doorway to my apartment building when I walk home from a late night at the library.

The whisper, a snippet of words that wafts forth from somewhere in my memory, started nagging me during the first few days that I came to Hyde Park, but I’ve only been hearing what it says since last week.

Hyde Park Man Settles for $1 million with city over false confession

2006-10-11T08:53:00.000-05:00

Corethian Bell was known to Hyde Parkers for selling incense, the newspaper Streetwise and washing windshields. Several Hyde Parkers helped him to get out of jail after he confessed on video to murdering his mother, who lived in Washington Park, in July, 2002, but DNA tests showed he was innocent and another man guilty. Now, he has settled with the city for $1 million dollars(Sun Times) over his 17 month wrongful improsonement. (Tribune Link)

HPH: Sept 28 - Oct4 Crime Report

2006-10-11T00:13:00.000-05:00

HPH: Attempted mugging at Metra station

2006-10-11T00:10:00.000-05:00