A lot of us Southwest Siders have friends and relatives on the Lower West Side in neighborhoods like Pilsen, Little Village, Heart of Chicago, Marshall Square, etc.
With that in mind we pass along an important announcement from our friends at Cook County Crime Stoppers, who are offering up to $1,000 for information that helps solve a homicide that occurred near 24th and Washtenaw on June 1. Check it out, and let's work together to find and apprehend Debra Escobedo's killer!
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.
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A 19-year-old Gage Park man was charged with robbery after he allegedly used a black-handled kitchen knife to rob a 33-year-old Scottsdale woman of her cell phone. Luis Cisneros of 53rd and California is being held on $50,000 bond by the Cook County
Luis Cisneros
Department of Corrections. He is due in Cook County Circuit Court Branch 48, 155 W. 51st St., on Wednesday, Oct. 8. The victim said she was walking on a sidewalk in front of 4350 W. 79th St. at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, when Cisneros rode up on a bicycle and asked to borrow her cell phone. When she took out her phone, Cisneros allegedly brandished a knife and said "Just give it to me." She said she did, and he pedaled away east, according to the CPD incident report. Police said they later stopped Cisneros on his bike near 76th and Pulaski. They brought the victim, as well as a witness (a 29-year-old Scottsdale woman), to the scene, where they both positively identified Cisneros, police said. When asked about the stolen cell phone, Cisneros said he dumped it behind Daley College, police added. Police said about 30 minutes after Cisneros robbed the 33-year-old woman, he attempted to rob a 28-year-old Ashburn woman as she walked at 8001 S. Pulaski, just south of Bogan High School. In that incident, Cisneros allegedly asked to borrow the victim's cell phone; and when she refused he allegedly said, "Give it to me. I don't want to hurt you." The victim said she then screamed for help, and Cisneros reportedly pedaled away north.
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6400 W. 63rd Street
A burglar drilled out the lock on the door of Central Drugs, 6400 W. 63rd St., but stole nothing after the crime may have been interrupted. The pharmacy owner, a 57-year-old Palos Heights man, said that although the door was open, nothing appeared to have been disturbed inside. The crime occurred at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, police said.
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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, October 8. 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 thief swung a box cutter in the direction of a 28-year-old Walgreens clerk when she
confronted him about stealing a bag of T-shirts at the store, 4000 W. 59th St., at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28. The clerk told police that she saw the offender conceal the bag of shirts, valued at about $9, and then try to walk out of the store. He is described as a black man, 5'4 and 130 pounds, brown eyes, black hair in an afro style, medium complexion.
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A 45-year-old Gage Park man was arrested and charged with possession of cannabis and possession of a controlled substance, minutes after he was beaten and robbed by three thugs on the street near Friendly Food & Liquor, 6323 S. Central, at about 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3.
6323 S. Central
Police responding to a "battery in progress" call said they were approached by a man exiting the store, who said, "You guys better get in there, there's a guy bleeding." The said they entered the store, where the owner, a 54-year-old Melrose Park man, allegedly obstructed their investigation by denying that the beating victim was in the store. He also allegedly told police they were forbidden to enter the rear of the store. Police then did that and said they found Andres Rivera of 52nd and Talman, bleeding from the mouth. Police said they saw a pill bottle containing cannabis, as well as a glass smoking pipe, in the store. The owner allegedly claimed it was his, saying "Yes, I'm 54 years old, and sometimes I smoke weed," police said. But Rivera allegedly claimed that the cannabis, as well as more cannabis and cocaine that that were reportedly found in his jacket were all his. Rivera is due in Cook County Circuit Court Branch 48, 155 W. 51st St., on Tuesday, Oct. 21.
An unoccupied house at 3753 W. 71st St. was the scene of two recent crimes, according to police. A 35-year-old Mattoon woman told police that she was robbed at gunpoint inside the home
3753 W. 71st Street
at 1:10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30. She said she was driven to the location by a 47-year-old Northwest Side man because she said she heard there was a party there. Once inside, two offenders ordered her to the floor and stole her cell phone and credit card before fleeing on foot. The victim described the attackers as Hispanic men age 20-30, one 5"5 and 170 pounds, and the other 5'11 and 200 pounds. Two days earlier, a 31-year-old Dolton woman told police she was walking in front of the address at 6 a.m. when two men on the front porch asked her for a light. When she walked up the steps, they pulled her in the house and hollered "B~tch, where's the money?" She was robbed of her cel phone, ID and $800 cash, she told police. When police asked her why she was so far from home at 6 a.m., she claimed that she was at 71st and Hamlin to meet the father of her child to settle a dispute. She had been driven to the location by a 34-year-old man from Gary, Ind. The victim's description of the attackers was similar to the one that would be given two days later. In each case, the man who had driven them women to the location remained on the scene. The CPD incident reports did not speculate about whether drugs or prostitution were involved.
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A 19-year-old West Lawn man was stabbed in the right hip when he refused to surrender his belongings to a trio of thugs who accosted him on the street at 64th and Springfield at five minutes after midnight Tuesday, Sept. 30. The man said he was walking to his car when one of the offenders said "Give me your stuff." Interviewed later at St. Anthony Hospital, the victim told police that he then responded by saying, "Get out of my face. I'm not giving you anything." After he was stabbed, the criminals stole his cell phone and fled on foot. There was no description of the offenders other than that they are Hispanic men.
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A 16-year-old West Elsdon boy told police that he was robbed by several men as he walked down the street in from of 5300 S. Pulaski at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 2. They stole his hat, jacket, shoes, a $20 Starbucks gift card and $70 cash, the boy told police. His description of the robbers was vague, according to the CPD incident report.
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A 20-year-old West Lawn man told police he was beaten and robbed by four gangbangers as he walked down the street at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3. The four thugs got out of a vehicle and began punching and kicking the victim, while asking if he was in a gang. They also stole his photo ID and $160 cash, the victim told police. His description of the quartet was vague, and he reported the crime more than 12 hours after it occurred.
A 34-year-old Gage Park man told police that his uncle, a 52-year-old man, threatened him with a pistol with a silencer, as the two sat in a car in the parking lot of Zacatacos tacqueria, 3949 W. 71st St., at 5:50 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4.
The man, who was there at his uncle's request, told police that his uncle suspected him of having an affair with his wife, who was seated in the rear of the vehicle during the incident. The uncle allegedly brandished the weapon and said, "If you don't tell me the truth, I'm going to use this on you." The victim gave police his uncle's name and contact information. The CPD incident report did not say how the incident ended.
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Burglars forced open the back door of a home near 62nd and Meade and stole jewelry worth about $9,000, as well as $100 cash, according to the victim, a 58-year-old woman, who discovered the crime when she came home from work at 4:40 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2.
Burglars forced open the rear door of an apartment near 62nd and Tripp and stole a laptop computer, an iPad, three video game consoles, a wallet and assorted clothes. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 32-year-old woman, when she came home from work at 4:20 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1.
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Burglars forced open the side window of a home near 52nd and Kilpatrick and stole three iPods, an iPad and two watches. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 39-year-old woman, when she came home from work at 1:40 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29.
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Burglars forced open the front door of an apartment near 55th and Central Park and stole a TV, a cell phone and a laptop computer. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 22-year-old man, when he came home from a coin laundry at 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29.
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Burglars forced open the rear door of a home near 56th and Neva and stole three tablet computers, two laptop computers, an iPad, a hockey bag with skates and other hockey gear inside, assorted jewelry, a TV and $2,860 cash. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 34-year-old woman, when she came home from work at 3:15 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29.
Ceremonial ground was broken Wednesday on the Pulaski Promenade, a shopping center
planned for a 12-acre parcel at 4200 S. Pulaski, once the site of a corrugated cardboard and box factory originally built in about 1935 to house the Chicago Carton Company. The factory was demolished in 2008, and the site has been an eyesore for years. Plans call for a shopping center of about 133,000 square feet of retail space, with such chain-store tenants as Marshalls, Ross Dress for Less, Michaels, PetSmart and Shoe Carnival, with store openings anticipated in the spring of 2016.
The center’s remaining available space and three out-lot parcels are currently being marketed to complementary retail and restaurant users, according to a statement from the Inland Real Estate Corporation, a real estate investment trust that owns and operates shopping centers mostly in Central U.S.
The property benefits from high traffic volumes, with vehicles per day totaling 160,000 on I-55 and 41,400 on Pulaski Road. The shopping center will draw from a population base of 217,083 with average household incomes of $67,458 within a three-mile radius, according to an Inland statement. Some $7.9 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds are being used to sweeten the deal for developers. Bringing the fallow parcel from rubble to ribbon cutting has been more than a challenge, according to 14th Ward Alderman Edward M. Burke, widely acknowledged as a champion of the site's re-development. Burke told the assembled audience of about two dozen business, government and civic leaders that the project had "been on life support" several times in recent years. Burke was praised by several key figures at the ceremony as "stalwart," a "motivator" and the "impetus" for the deal getting done. Archer Heights Civic Association President Thomas S. Baliga praised the development and said he hopes it can serve as a catalyst for other eyesore sites in the neighborhood to start moving forward, most notably the old Miami Bowl site near Archer and Pulaski.
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.
* * *
A 42-year-old
Archer Heights man was charged with disorderly conduct and filing a false
police report after he allegedly called 911 and claimed that a person was
holding a gun to his head. Jose J. Castro, an employee of Car Zone, 5103 S.
Archer, was embroiled in an argument with two customers at about 11:45 a.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 24 when he made the call. Police responding said that when
they asked where the gun was, Castro said, “There was no gun. Nobody had a
gun.” The CPD incident report did not give a court date for Castro.
* *
*
A 14-year-old boy told police he was
robbed as he walked home from school, on a sidewalk in front of 5200 S. Keeler
at 3:50 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25. The assailants approached from behind, with
one putting the victim in a chokehold while the other went through his pockets
and stole a cell phone. The boy claimed he did not get a good enough look at
the two males to offer a significant description.
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*
Want to work directly with Chicago Police to prevent crime in your neighborhood? If you live in Beat 815 or 821 (see map), come to St. Bruno School (south entrance) at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 1. 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.
Watchful neighbors may have interrupted the burglary of an apartment
near 53rd and Moody at 6:55 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25. Police
responding to a “burglary in progress” call said they saw a 36-year-old man
exiting the apartment. He explained himself by saying he lives in the building,
which he does. Police said that the apartment was in disarray, and some
valuables were stacked by a door, as if ready to be carried away. Other
neighbors told police that the man had been in the apartment without
permission. The CPD incident report gave no indication if the man was arrested
or charged with a crime.
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*
A 33-year-old Garfield Ridge man told
police he was robbed by two gang members as he walked down a sidewalk in front
of 5400 S. Lotus at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24. The victim said that a man
jumped out of a gold Buick Lacrosse with temporary license plates, shouted a
gang slogan, flashed a handgun and said, "What you got? You better give it up, or you know what will happen."
The criminal stole his cell phone, wallet and
prescription medications. The offender then got back into the car, which sped
away west on 54th Street. The assailant and driver are described
only as Hispanic men age 20-25.
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Burglars kicked in the front door of an
apartment near 55th and Linder and stole a TV. The crime was
discovered by the victim, a 51-year-old woman, at 5 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24.
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Burglars forced open the bedroom
window of an apartment near 59th and Lawndale and stole assorted
power tools, two extension cords, two light fixtures and a bathroom faucet. The
crime was discovered by the building owner, a 41-year-old Burbank woman, at 9
a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24.
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*
A burglar entered a home near 57th Place and Keeler and stole a laptop computer. The crime was discovered by a
woman related to the victim, a 45-year-old man. The witness told police she saw
the offender in a bedroom. When confronted, he claimed to be a friend of the
victim’s son and was merely inside to retrieve an ID. He then fled on foot. The
offender is described as a Hispanic man age 18-19, 5’6 and 140 pounds, brown
eyes, black hair in a fade, medium complexion.
Burglars pried open the service door of a garage near 64th Place and Major and stole an Xbox 360 and four amplifiers. The crime was
discovered by the victim, an 18-year-old man, at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23.
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A
24-year-old Garfield Ridge man was charged with assault after he allegedly
threw a rock at an acquaintance, a 41-year-old Garfield Ridge woman, during an
argument that occurred outside a home near 56th and Massasoit at
about 7:15 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21. Michael G. Parker of 56th and
Menard allegedly pedaled away on a bicycle after the incident. He is scheduled
to appear in Cook County Circuit Court Branch 34, 155 W. 51st St.,
on Oct. 14.
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Burglars entered the side window of an apartment near 58th and Massasoit and stole a TV and a DVD player. The crime was discovered by the
victim, a 34-year-old man, when he returned home from work at 11:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 20.
Burglars forced open the front door of an apartment near 80th and Pulaski and stole a TV and a Nintendo Wii. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 68-year-old woman, when she returned from swimming at noon Thursday, Sept. 25.
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A 22-year-old Scottsdale woman was robbed at knifepoint by a thug on a black bicycle, as he walked west on a sidewalk in from of 4452 W. 79th Street at 10:50 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24. Stolen was the victim's purse, which contained IDs, a CTA fare card, a debit card, $41 cash and a library book. The offender is described as a Hispanic man age 17-25.
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A 48-year-old Scottsdale woman investigating a noise in the rear of her apartment scared away a would-be burglar at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24. The burglar was using a screwdriver to try and pry open a rear bedroom window but fled on foot when he saw the woman. He is described as a black boy age 15-16, 5'9 and 150 pounds, with curly black hair.
Just released by CPD to the news media at 4:54 p.m. Monday, September 29. If you have any useful information to share, please call detectives at the number listed.
Governor Pat Quinn stopped by Archer Park on Saturday,
Sept. 27 to announce the designation of more than $300,000 in state funds to help repair and improve some of the facilities at the park. The funds will help repair the fieldhouse roof and gutters, improve some of the building's interior, and make parking more accessible.
With a host of boys and girls from the Archer Manor Little League around him, the governor said a few words about the importance of park facilities for children and communities. He praised 14th Ward Alderman Edward M. Burke, who in turn pledged his key support in getting the governor elected on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Video of the speeches below.
Press release just released by the Chicago Archdiocese:
The Rev. Marion Andrew Soprych died suddenly on Sunday, September 21, at Silver
Cross Hospital in New Lenox. Fr. Soprych was the Associate Pastor of SS. Cyril & Methodius Parish in Lemont. He was 64 years old.
Fr. Soprych was born in Chicago on December 6, 1949, and attended Immaculate Conception and Five Holy Martyrs Schools on Chicago’s Southwest side. He was a graduate of Quigley Preparatory Seminary South and Niles College Seminary at Loyola University. He earned his Baccalaureate in English from Niles College. Fr. Soprych graduated from the University of St. Mary of the Lake / Mundelein Seminary, where he received his Master of Divinity degree. John Cardinal Cody, Archbishop of Chicago, ordained him into the priesthood on May 14, 1975.
Fr. Soprych’s first assignment was at St. Helen Parish in Chicago, where he was an Associate Pastor for just over a year. He moved to Evergreen Park’s Queen of Martyrs Parish in 1976 and served as Associate Pastor until 1985. After this, Fr. Soprych was assigned to St. Rene Goupil Parish in Chicago, serving there for five years. Beginning in 1990, he spent seven years as the Associate Pastor of St. Louis de Montfont Parish in Oak Lawn. In 1997, he moved to St. Bede the Venerable Parish on Kostner Avenue in Chicago, and served there until 2006. That same year, Fr. Soprych was named Associate Pastor of St. John Fisher Parish, remaining there until 2013, before he moved to SS. Cyril & Methodius Parish in Lemont.
Rev. Bill Stenzel, retired Pastor of St. Mary of Celle Parish, who was a classmate of Fr. Soprych’s and was also ordained with him said, “Marion was the most true-to-himself individual. He never tried to be anybody that he wasn’t. He was just so genuine and he was very comfortable with who he was and what he did.”
Fr. Stenzel was Pastor of St. Bede the Venerable Parish and ministered there with Fr. Soprych. He went on to say, “Marion was very connected with the people and was active in the communities that he was in, especially in interfaith activities, working with clergy of other faith denominations. He was very much accepted by them as a great reach-out from the Catholic community.”
According to the SS. Cyril & Methodius Parish website, Fr. Soprych was an avid reader and filmgoer, “Father Marion enjoys reading science fiction, fantasy, mystery and horror. He also enjoys movies. His favorites include 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Last Starfighter, The Horse Soldiers, High Noon, Moondance Alexander, Marigold, and Underworld movies and the Resident Evil series. Father Marion even did a day of acting for an independent film which, sadly, was never completed.”
Rev. Edward Barrett, Pastor of St. Terrence Parish, was ordained with Fr. Soprych. He remembers him as “very humorous, a great storyteller and also a big fan of John Wayne.”
Fr. Michael Furlan, Pastor of St. Germaine Parish, who was also a classmate, reaffirmed Fr. Soprych’s love for movies and John Wayne, “He was a great movie buff, but especially about John Wayne, particularly because they shared the same first name, ‘Marion.’ On a day off, Fr. Soprych used to enjoy going to see sometimes three movies. He was a real down-to-earth person, people really related to him.”
Fr. Soprych will lie in state at SS. Cyril & Methodius Parish, 608 Sobieski Street in Lemont, on Thursday, September 25, from 1 to 8 p.m. A wake service will also be held on Thursday, at 7 p.m. The funeral Mass for Fr. Soprych will take place at SS. Cyril & Methodius Parish on Friday, September 26, at 10 a.m. Interment will be at Resurrection Cemetery in Justice.
Fr. Soprych is survived by his two brothers, Thad and Adrian Soprych.
