UPTOWN — A Town Hall District police lieutenant said officers have made 17 drug-related arrests after the recent fatal shooting of known P-Stone gang member Demarcus Adams.
"There was a mission done by narcotics against the Gangster Disciples and the Black P-Stones along the North Side from Clark Street to Howard" Street, Lt. Mike Stevens told a group of almost 30 residents and community leaders, including Ald. James Cappleman (46th) and challenger Amy Crawford, at Tuesday night's CAPS meeting held at Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave.
"Anytime you make 17 arrests in a drug conspiracy, there's a vacuum and people try to take over," Stevens said. "With the Black P-Stones losing their drug spot at 4513 N. Magnolia [Ave.], they're trying to move over to the 4600 block of North Malden Avenue."
Chicago Police teamed up with Chicago Housing Authority officials to evict tenants who lived at 4513 N. Magnolia Ave after many nearby residents reported drug activity at the apartment building.
In fact, residents made 60 calls to 911 to report the CHA-operated apartment for drug and gang activity in December alone, according to Sgt. Jason Clark. The tenants were evicted on Feb. 17.
Clark said that's exactly the type of participation police are looking for now that P-Stone gang members seem to have migrated to a different building in the 4600 block of North Malden Avenue, which is not far from where Adams was fatally shot and another man was shot and wounded a couple days later in the 4700 block of North Beacon Avenue.
"People lived with that stuff without telling us for months," said Clark, who urged residents to call 911 if they see suspicious activity. "If anyone can identify a unit, I want to get that property manager and we will sit down with them and ask them to call those leaseholders so they can call a meeting and tell them they're on notice."
Despite recent shootings, Stevens said he believes crime has gone down in the neighborhood. When he worked for the Town Hall District in 1996 he recalled making close to 100 arrests for drug dealing and drug possession on Wilson Avenue in just one month.
"You used to never see a baby stroller around here," Stevens said.
Today, it's "much more low-level stuff," he added.
Shootings in Uptown are rare compared to other neighborhoods in the city, he said.
"If you've gone down to the South Side, it's complete chaos down there with the shootings," Stevens said.
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