Southwest Side gardeners are invited to attend the next meeting of the Midway Garden Society, set for 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 27 at the Clearing Branch Library.
The group will conduct its regular business meeting until about 6:30 p.m., and then guest speaker Karen Stasky will lead a discussion of organic gardening.
The group meets monthly, hosts guest speakers, conducts plant exchanges, publishes a newsletter, stages an annual Urban Garden Walk every summer, and works to make the Midway area a more beautiful and peaceful place by encouraging gardening among people of all ages.
# # #
There will be a blood drive at the Madigan-Quinn-Sandoval Service Office, 6014 South Central, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Thursday, February 28.
Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are recommended.
Call (773) 581-1313 to schedule an appointment.
The drive will be conducted by LifeSource, a non-profit corporation established in 1987 through the merger of the Blood Center of Northern Illinois and the Red Cross Blood Services - Mid America Region. LifeSource is the largest blood center in Illinois and distributes a half-million blood products annually to approximately 60 area hospitals in meeting the need for patient transfusion therapy.
LifeSource operates 18 donor centers, four mobile unit-supported donor centers and conducts an average of 10 mobile blood drives daily. LifeSource recruits donors, collects bone marrow, and draws blood to separate into useful components like whole blood, platelets, plasma, stem cells and other special products for hospitals and healthcare customers.
The five-step process of donating blood is straightforward, LifeSource officials say.
Donors should be at least 17 years of age and in good health. Other requirements are posted here.
LifeSource officials note that on average, someone in the U.S. needs blood every three seconds; yet while 60 percent of the population is medically eligible to donate blood, only five percent of all people do so.
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Editor's note: The crime news reported by the Southwest Chicago Post---taken directly from Chicago Police Department incident reports---is not by any means an exhaustive catalogue of all crime reported in the Chicago Lawn (8th) District. For example, it typically does not include news of crimes committed in the eastern and southern sectors of the district---because the Southwest Chicago Post's coverage area is primarily the neighborhoods that border Midway Airport and secondarily because including the relatively large volume of crime news from elsewhere in the district would be a logistical challenge. We make this note to offer a little helpful perspective and remind everyone that while crime is definitely a concern in all parts of the district (as it always has been), crime remains relatively low overall in Sector 1. May all of us work together diligently to keep it that way. May all of us also remember that a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
* * *
Two 25-year-old women---one from Central Stickney and the other from Vittum Park, who live across the street from each other near 49th and Laramie---were arrested by police just after 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 13 after they reportedly were caught burglarizing a home near 57th and Neenah.
 |
| Monica Roman |
Monica Roman and Luisancy Fret are scheduled to appear in Cook County Circuit Court Branch 48, 155 West 51st Street, on Wednesday, February 20.
An alert neighbor called 911 after he said he saw the two entering and exiting the home's yard. A police officer responding to the "suspicious persons" call said he saw Roman sitting in a black Ford Explorer in front of the house, picking through items in the vehicle. He also observed the side door of the house open, with a panel of glass smashed. He then placed Roman in custody.
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| Luisancy Fret |
At about the same time, the alert neighbor (an off-duty CPD detective) said he saw Fret bolt from the yard and run south on Neenah. Working with other CPD units responding, the neighbor helped apprehend Fret near 59th and Neenah, according to police.
The people who live in the burglarized house were not home at the time of the crime, and police did a walk-through of the premises to ensure that no other offenders were inside. They reportedly found the home in disarray from the burglary, as well as several valuables stacked near the door, apparently readied to be taken away.
Stolen in the burglary, police said, were a TV, a laptop computer, a Kindle, an iPod, three DVDs, three jewelry boxes with assorted jewelry, and a set of collectible spoons with a display rack. All items were returned to the victims, according to police.
* * *
Police responding to a call about a fire at the Bree Thai restaurant, 5306 South Central, saw that the business had been burglarized.
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| 5306 South Central |
The crime was discovered at 9:40 a.m. Saturday, February 16. Police said they saw the front door broken into and smoke coming from the kitchen.
After the fire was out, the owner arrived and walked through. He told police that several items were stolen, including a laptop computer, a cash register with $200 cash in it, and a bag with credit card receipts and petty cash.
Police said they noticed what appeared to be blood on the floor. An evidence technician was called to investigate.
* * *
A burglar forced open the service door of a garage near 62nd and Meade and stole an air compressor and a tool box with tools.
The crime was discovered by the victim, a 59-year-old man, when the garage alarm went off at 10:45 p.m. Friday, February 15.
Police arrived after the criminal had fled. The victim told police that he had seen the burglar in the garage with a flashlight, but could provide no additional description.
* * *
Burglars forced open the door of a garage near 58th and Massasoit and stole assorted tools.
The crime was discovered by the victim, a 29-year-old woman, at 11:30 p.m. Saturday, February 16.
* * *
Burglars forced open the back window of a home near 78th and Kolmar and stole two TVs and assorted jewelry.
The victim, a 40-year-old man, was at work when the crime was committed. It was discovered by his son when he came home at 3:45 p.m. Friday, February 15.
* * *
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| advertisement |
A 33-year-old man was sleeping in his home near 53rd and Mason at about 6:00 a.m. Saturday, February 16 when another person woke him up and told him his garage was on fire.
Chicago firefighters arrived to extinguish the blaze, which was determined to be arson, according to police.
The garage was damaged, as were two vehicles inside: a 2000 Ford pickup truck and a 1966 Pontiac Catalina convertible.
* * *
A 77-year-old West Lawn man was robbed of his wallet just after he parked his car in his garage near 65th and Kilpatrick at about 9:00 a.m. Thursday, February 14.
The victim told police that he had gotten out of his car and was about to close the garage door when a thug grabbed him from behind, knocked him to the ground, took his wallet and ran away.
Inside the wallet was about $400 cash, the victim said, along with credit/debit cards and identification.
The criminal was described as a black man age 22-23, 6'0 and 180 pounds.
* * *
A 20-year-old West Lawn man was robbed as he walked on a sidewalk in front of 4428 West 59th Street at 1:15 p.m. Thursday, February 14.
The man said that a pair of robbers approached and one yanked on his book bag and said "Give me what you got." The other brandished a large knife.
The victim surrendered his wallet with $60 cash, as well as a bag of loose change.
The robbers ran away north through a gangway, the victim said, and may have jumped into a waiting vehicle because he heard tires squealing in the adjacent alley.
Police are reviewing footage from a nearby surveillance camera which recorded the crime.
The thugs are described as a white Hispanic man age 25, 5'8 and 200 pounds, black hair, light complexion; and a white Hispanic woman age 28, 5'7 and 200 pounds, black hair and olive complexion.
* * *
Burglars broke through the back door of an apartment building near 55th and Kenneth and hit the first- and second-floor units.
Stolen from the second-floor unit was about $3,000 worth of assorted jewelry, according to the victim, a 36-year-old woman.
Stolen from the first-floor apartment was assorted jewelry, according to the victim, a 38-year-old man.
The crime was discovered by the 38-year-old man at 10:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 13 when he returned home from church and saw the back door open and its lock broken.
* * *
A 36-year-old Garfield Ridge man returning to his home near 59th and Mobile foiled an attempted burglary at 12:39 p.m. Wednesday, February 13.
He told police that he saw a man or boy riding a bike away from his house. He also saw a green Chevy van parked across the street from his house. He then saw his back storm door open and pry marks on the inside door. Nothing apparently was stolen.
* * *
Burglars entered a home near 64th and Oak Park and stole two cameras, a laptop computer, assorted clothes, and assorted art and office supplies.
The crime was discovered by the victim, a 25-year-old woman, at 11:10 p.m. Wednesday, February 13.
Police said they saw no sign of forced entry; but the victim said that when she arrived home, she saw her kitchen window ajar and the back door unlocked.
The victim noted that she has an ongoing dispute with two people said to be harassing her.
* * *
Want to work directly with Chicago Police to prevent crime in your neighborhood? If you live in Beat 811 (see map), come to Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 19. Hear updates on crime in your neighborhood and learn how you can work with neighbors and police to make the community safer and better for all.
# # #
Editor's note: The crime news reported by the Southwest Chicago Post---taken directly from Chicago Police Department incident reports---is not by any means an exhaustive catalogue of all crime reported in the Chicago Lawn (8th) District. For example, it typically does not include news of crimes committed in the eastern and southern sectors of the district---because the Southwest Chicago Post's coverage area is primarily the neighborhoods that border Midway Airport and secondarily because including the relatively large volume of crime news from elsewhere in the district would be a logistical challenge. We make this note to offer a little helpful perspective and remind everyone that while crime is definitely a concern in all parts of the district (as it always has been), crime remains relatively low overall in Sector 1. May all of us work together diligently to keep it that way. May all of us also remember that a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
* * *
An armed robber made off with $120 after hitting the Back To Nature health store, 5098 South Archer, at 1:20 p.m. Tuesday, February 12.
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| 5098 South Archer |
According to the victim, a 59-year-old clerk at the store, the robber walked in and posed as a customer. He asked for a jar of warming paste and was given one. He then followed the clerk behind the counter, pulled a pistol and demanded money.
He fled on foot west on Archer. The thug was described as a white man age 30-35, 5'8 to 5'11 and 170-180 pounds, wearing a dark blue skull cap, dark blue sweatshirt and dark blue pants.
* * *
Two women were arrested by police at 11:35 a.m. Wednesday, February 13 after they reportedly were caught burglarizing a home near 57th and Neenah. Police said that the pair smashed a glass panel on a rear door of the home, entered and stole various items before fleeing.
CPD is currently declining to release additional details because "...the area detectives are still actively working the case" and that mug shots and details of charges "...are not available at this time due to the ongoing investigation."
Several individuals who say they have additional information relating to the case have posted comments in several Facebook groups. One woman said that police recovered items that were stolen in other burglaries, including one (described below) that occurred in Clearing at her mother's home.
Another woman who identified herself as a sister of the woman who owns the home broken into near 57th and Neenah wrote that the two women arrested "...had their car filled with items stolen from the home. An off-duty detective neighbor tackled one of them as they were running away...because of earlier sightings and 911 calls about females knocking on doors for money to buy baby diapers , the cops where on alert! They were driving around in an old black Ford Explorer." She also wrote that the women arrested are in their 20s and are from suburban Cicero.
The Southwest Chicago Post will confirm/share additional details when CPD does.
* * *
Burglars entered the front door of a home near 64th and Leclaire and stole two TVs, a jewelry box, assorted jewelry and heart and diabetes medications.
The crime was discovered by the victim, a 62-year-old woman, when she returned home at about 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, February 12 after being away from her house for only an hour.
* * *
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Burglars forced open the side door of a home near 65th and Kilpatrick and stole a laptop computer.
The crime was discovered by the victim, a 66-year-old woman, when she returned home from work at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, February 12.
* * *
Burglars smashed the back window of a house near 53rd and Ridgeway, entered and stole a TV, three iPods, an iPad, an earbuds set, assorted jewelry, three laptop computers, an Xbox video game console and 15 games, and $800 cash.
The crime was discovered by the victim, a 37-year-old woman, when she returned home from work at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 12.
* * *
A 20-year-old West Lawn man delivering pizzas for the Giordano's at 63rd and Cicero was robbed in an apartment building at 6639 South Sacramento at 4:50 p.m. Monday, February 11.
Three teens---one of whom pulled a snub-nosed revolver---stole four sausage pizzas and a box of buffalo wings before running away south on Sacramento.
The young thugs are described as two black boys age 14-18, 5'4 to 5'6 and 130-140 pounds; and a black girl age 11-13, 5'4 to 5'5 and 130-145 pounds, long black hair.
* * *
Burglars entered the unlocked basement window of an apartment near 63rd and Natchez and stole two TVs and a laptop computer.
The crime was discovered by the victim, a 31-year-old man, when he came home from work at 4:30 p.m. Monday, February 11.
* * *
A 25-year-old West Elsdon woman who refused to surrender her purse to a thug was punched in the face twice in a crime that occurred at 10:55 a.m. Sunday, February 10 in a parking lot at 5130 South Pulaski.
The victim told police she was walking to her car when the attacker grabbed her from behind and tried to snatch her purse.
After failing to steal her purse, he punched her and jumped into a gray Hyundai driven by another man. The car sped away.
The woman declined medical attention and described her attacker as a white Hispanic man age 20-25, 5'6 and 160 pounds, brown eyes, black hair, light complexion, wearing a black do-rag, a black hoodie and gray sweatpants.
* * *
Burglars pried open the service door of a garage near 62nd and Parkside and stole a seven-drawer toolbox filled with tools, worth an estimated $1,200.
The burglars also opened the overhead door by using the emergency-release cord.
The crime was discovered by the victim, a 37-year-old man, at 4:00 a.m. Monday, February 11.
* * *
Want to work directly with Chicago Police to prevent crime in your neighborhood? If you live in Beat 811 (see map), come to Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 19. Hear updates on crime in your neighborhood and learn how you can work with neighbors and police to make the community safer and better for all.
# # #
A press release from our friends at St. Joseph Parish:
A winter pet food and supply drive will be held on Sunday, February 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the front entrance of St. Joseph School, 5641 South 73rd Avenue in Summit.
The winter pet food and supply drive is sponsored by the St. Joseph Religious Education program.
All donations will directly benefit the Illinois branch of Stop the Suffering, a multi-state partnership that consists of volunteer drivers who legally free and rescue cats and dogs from High-Kill Shelters.
The rescue organization has been having a rough winter, rescuing homeless animals from the bitter cold. Stop the Suffering is in need of items such as canned cat and dog food, kitty litter, spot-on flea treatments, cleaning supplies such as bleach and paper towels, flea collars, leashes, pet shampoo, new or used blankets, towels and sheets, new or used pet crates, pet beds, and transport cages, treats, toys, new or used pet sweaters and boots, pet water and food bowls, litter boxes and litter scoops, as well as gift cards for pet supply stores and gas cards for volunteer drivers.
Every donation helps spare the life of a cat or dog that would otherwise be euthanized for no reason other than lack of shelter space.
For those who cannot attend the event or would prefer to make a monetary donation by mail, checks or money orders for this multi-state rescue organization can be made payable to "Stop the Suffering" and sent to the organization’s main headquarters, in care of Lori Peffers, Treasurer, Stop the Suffering, 3061 London Hollow Road, Newark, Ohio 43055.
# # #
By Tim Hadac
Managing Editor
Southwest Chicago Post
If Mayor Rahm Emanuel discovered an illegal home conversion (like, say, three families living in a single-family home) on his block:
...how long do you think it would take city government to send out an inspector to look into it?
A day? Half a day? An hour?
But if you live on the Southwest Side and report the same situation on your block, you know how long will it take City Hall to send out an inspector?
A few days ago, I learned the answer, straight from a mayoral spokesman:
"Quite some time."
As in, up to six months.
True story. Because city inspectors are busy looking into winter-related complaints (like complaints about landlords who fail to keep the heat up to standards required by law), these inspectors may not begin getting to illegal conversion complaints until June, I was told.
Plus, anyone who knows city government knows the ranks of the inspectors are but a thin shadow of what they once were. You call 311 for an inspector, and if they were honest with you they'd say "Inspectors? What inspectors?"
A Little Background
Illegal home conversions are homes that have
been turned into boarding houses or multiple sleeping rooms. Unscrupulous
landlords may do this to make more money from their properties, violating city
zoning laws.
These structures are hazardous to the occupants due to the
increased risk of fire from overloaded electric lines, inadequate fire exits,
as well as substandard sanitation facilities and ventilation systems (meaning that they also encourage the spread of communicable diseases, as do all overcrowded living quarters).
Illegal home conversions also mean overflowing garbage carts that attract rats, local streets and alleys clogged with cars, SUVs and pickup trucks, and local schools overcrowded with students.
So yeah, we all suffer. Illegal home conversions degrade the quality of life in neighborhoods, including ours here on the Southwest Side.
Fighting Blight
Several local civic groups have fought against illegal conversions for years, most notably the Archer Heights Civic Association, one of Chicago's largest and most effective neighborhood advocacy groups.
But for quite some time now, the AHCA Building and Zoning Committee has had no report at the monthly meetings. Why? Well as we wrote in a Southwest Chicago Post story back on May 19:
Building and Zoning Committee Chairman George Vescovi expressed frustration over the failure of city officials to investigate AHCA reports of possible zoning violations. "We have three addresses we gave them last June (of 2011), and they still haven't been inspected," he stated. "I don't know who these (zoning) inspectors are or who's in charge of the zoning department; but we need to get them out here at our meeting to explain themselves."
The Southwest Chicago Post has encountered similar foot dragging from city officials in recent months. Our requests for information and investigative action on suspected illegal conversions have been met with a frustrating mixture of "I don't have that information" or "I'll have to get back to you" or "we didn't find anything" or "we were there but could not gain access, so we left a sticker"---all in Southwest Side residential neighborhoods that frankly have hundreds (if not more) of fairly obvious illegal conversions.
Others Agree
Ask any cop or mailman or anyone else who knows the block-by-block, house-by-house truth of the Southwest Side. Or ask any local real estate agent who walks through these homes all the time. Longtime real estate executive and Garfield Ridge Chamber of Commerce President Mary Ann Dybala said as much last week. As reported by the Southwest News-Herald:
"Dybala said the chamber has received many complaints from residents about issues such as three and four families living in single-family homes, leading to school overcrowding and a lack of parking on congested residential streets. She noted that people selling their properties still are required to pay for zoning certificates from the city, verifying that the property meets codes. But nothing is done when the zoning laws are ignored.'They don’t have enough inspectors and nothing else is being done about it,'” she said.
Remember When...
There was a time, of course, when the mayor took such zoning violations seriously. We recall the mayor saying:
"Neighborhood residents are being placed in
danger because of illegal home conversions.The
occupants are being exploited and placed in danger as well, due to potential
risk of fire and the effects of overcrowding. Negligent landlords must get the
message that we will not put up with this abuse, I'm asking residents to be aware
of this issue and to work with the City to crack down on violators."
Trouble is, it wasn't the current mayor.
It was Mayor Daley, back in 1996 when he talked about the Illegal Conversion Task Force he formed in 1993---a joint effort of eight city departments that investigated well over a thousand citizen complaints about illegal conversions.
Next Steps
OK, so where do we go from here? We have a mayor who appears uninterested in an important "quality of life" issue affecting our neighborhoods, despite multiple complaints from individuals, and civic and business groups. And I've seen no evidence to suggest that our local aldermen are doing anything about it. They seem basically silent on the matter, playing go along/get along with the mayor while regular folks suffer. Again.
Well, we get what we put up with. And if we put with illegal conversions and politicians who basically flip us the bird, that's what we'll get.
So let's fight back and do three things:
1. Keep your eyes and ears open. Look for the telltale signs of an illegal conversion:
- A single-family home with multiple mailboxes, doorbells or nameplates.
- Many unrelated
occupants come and go from the same residence.
- The presence of more than one family in a single-family residence.
- Construction being done to a home
without a posted permit.
2. Report such cases promptly to 311, then to your alderman's office, then to your local civic association. Make sure you have your facts together and documented as best you can within reason. Never clog the system with frivolous or incomplete requests.
3. Contact the mayor and your alderman and (politely but firmly) demand that they take illegal conversions as seriously as you do. Let them know that you and your neighbors are watching them closely on this issue and will vote accordingly in the next round of city elections, which are just two short years away.
Working together, we have the power to rid the Southwest Side of illegal home conversions and make our neighborhoods better for all. Let's use our power and do it.
# # #
Editor's note: The crime news reported by the Southwest Chicago Post---taken directly from Chicago Police Department incident reports---is not by any means an exhaustive catalogue of all crime reported in the Chicago Lawn (8th) District. For example, it typically does not include news of crimes committed in the eastern and southern sectors of the district---because the Southwest Chicago Post's coverage area is primarily the neighborhoods that border Midway Airport and secondarily because including the relatively large volume of crime news from elsewhere in the district would be a logistical challenge. We make this note to offer a little helpful perspective and remind everyone that while crime is definitely a concern in all parts of the district (as it always has been), crime remains relatively low overall in Sector 1. May all of us work together diligently to keep it that way. May all of us also remember that a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
* * *
Two robbers hit Tony's Italian Beef, 7007 South Pulaski, making off with more than $175 cash.
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| 7007 South Pulaski |
The crime occurred at 9:48 p.m. Wednesday, February 6, minutes before closing time.
One thug jumped over the front counter, waved a black handgun and order the three employees to the back of the restaurant. The other criminal pulled a security gate over the front window, ran inside and locked the front door.
After grabbing the cash, the pair fled on foot out a side door leading to the parking lot.
The robbers were described as black men age 25-28, 5'10 to 6'0 and 140-150 pounds, medium complexion.
* * *
A home-invading thug attacked an 83-year-old Ashburn man, breaking his left shoulder and stealing his wallet and about $200 cash.
The crime occurred at 5:45 p.m. Thursday, February 7 at the victim's home near 82nd and Springfield. The victim heard his side doorbell ring. When he answered it, he saw the offender there, posing as a good samaritan. The offender claimed that the victim's garage had just been burglarized.
When the two walked out to the garage, the victim saw nothing wrong with the garage but did see a basement window broken.
The offender claimed that he saw who did it and would stick around to give a description to police. He advised the victim to go inside and call 911. As the victim stepped back into his house, the thug pushed him hard from behind, knocking him onto the hallway steps.
The criminal stepped over the victim and closed a door, attempting the trap the victim on the staircase. The man got to his feet, opened the door, grabbed a can of pepper spray and attempted to disable the thug; but the crook swatted the can away and pushed the victim onto the floor of a bedroom.
He used an extension cord to try and lock the victim in the bedroom but was unsuccessful. The victim emerged from the room to confront his attacker again. "Where's the money at?" the invader demanded as he knocked the victim down a third time.
As the victim lay on the floor, the thug went through his pockets, fleeing out the front door with the wallet and $200.
The victim then called 911. He was treated by CFD paramedics for lacerations to his head, left arm, lower left leg, and right hand. He was transported to Christ Hospital, where x-rays confirmed the broken shoulder.
The home invader was described as a black man age 30-40, 5'9 and 200 pounds, brown eyes, dark complexion, wearing a black hoody.
* * *
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| advertisement |
A 34-year-old West Lawn man said he was shot in the finger as he walked near 63rd and Keeler with a friend.
The crime occurred at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, February 9. The man and his friend, a 49-year-old Evergreen Park man, said they were walking to a store when they heard two or three gunshots.
The victim felt pain and saw that his left index finger was bleeding. He and his friend jumped in the victim's SUV, and the victim began driving at a high rate of speed toward Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park.
On the way they were curbed at 71st and Kedzie by CPD. They explained their predicament, and police made the victim and his friend switch places, so that the injured victim would not be driving. They then proceeded to the hospital.
There was no description of the shooter.
* * *
Burglars forced open a side window of a basement apartment near 50th and Keeler and stole an iPhone, and iPad and another PDA, and $150 cash.
The crime was discovered by the victim, a 33-year-old woman, at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, February 9.
* * *
Two thugs grabbed cellphones from a 22-year-old Chicago Lawn man and his 21-year-old girlfriend (of Archer Heights) when they were passengers on a northbound CTA bus at 44th and Cicero at 4:40 p.m. Friday, February 8.
Immediately after the crime, the criminals jumped off the bus and fled east on foot. They were described as black men about 20 years old.
* * *
Burglars forced open the back door of a home on the 7900 block of south Kolmar and stole a video camera and assorted jewelry.
The crime was discovered by the victim, a 62-year-old woman, at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 6.
* * *
Want to work directly with Chicago Police to prevent crime in your neighborhood? If you live in Beat 812 (see map), come to the Clearing Branch Library at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 13. If you live in Beat 814, come to Vittum Park at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, February 14. Hear updates on crime in your neighborhood and learn how you can work with neighbors and police to make the community safer and better for all.
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