LAKEVIEW — A community walk against crime in Lakeview is finally happening.
At midnight Friday, Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) and local police plan to walk with residents through the neighborhood, with a kickoff at the 7-Eleven at 3407 N. Halsted St.
A spate of armed robberies and continued outcry over crime this summer — some of it led by a local blog — had some residents calling for "positive loitering" in the neighborhood at CAPS meetings.
With positive loitering, groups of community members hang out at trouble spots to encourage positive behavior. The tactic has been used in Albany Park, Uptown, Edgewater and Rogers Park before.
Since June 21, six robberies at gunpoint have happened in the Town Hall Police District.
Residents have called for more foot patrols in the neighborhood. Tunney and Cmdr. Elias Voulgaris have agreed that extra manpower would be helpful, but without that option, they have focused on educating residents.
Residents need to report all crimes and suspicious persons, they've said. Residents also need to be willing to testify in court and not walk around with their iPhones out, they've said.
Stu Zirin, co-owner of Minibar and D.S. Tequila, has called for residents to step up and help through positive loitering walks in past community meetings. In the past, they've been effective in curbing suspicious activity on the street, he's said.
"We all need to be aware of our surroundings and not be afraid to call 911 with as much information as possible when you see someone behaving suspiciously or committing a crime," Tunney said in an email to constituents. "We must all work together with the police to effectively fight crime."
