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Loud Gangbangers Party All Night Long at Near West Side Park, Neighbors Say

By Stephanie Lulay | August 28, 2015 6:59am | Updated on August 31, 2015 8:08am
 Neighbors DeWayne Jefferson and Katerina Klopas living near Touhy-Herbert Park on the Near West Side say they are fed up with a gang's late night parties at the park.
Neighbors DeWayne Jefferson and Katerina Klopas living near Touhy-Herbert Park on the Near West Side say they are fed up with a gang's late night parties at the park.
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DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay

NEAR WEST SIDE — Residents living near Touhy-Herbert Park on the Near West Side say they are in a never-ending "turf war" with a group of gangbangers who party in the park at all hours of the night and leave the park and nearby streets littered with liquor bottles and drug paraphernalia.

The rowdy parties organized by Black Disciples plague the 3-acre park several nights a week and in some cases rage on until 6 a.m., with police and park district workers not doing enough to alleviate the problems they bring, neighbors contend. Meanwhile, Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th) said he agrees police haven't done enough to address the problem, and neighbors say they're largely on their own.

The park, roughly bounded by Monroe Street, Seeley Avenue, Adams Street and Leavitt Street, is three blocks west of the bustling United Center and is close to two schools. Besides the disruptive loud music late at night, neighbors also complain that trash litters the area for days afterward.

Neighbors tell Stephanie Lulay it's like a nightclub in the park:

DeWayne Jefferson, who has lived on West Adams near the park since 2011, said a group of 40 neighbors call 911 several times a week attempting to get the parties shut down. Touhy-Herbert Park, like all Chicago parks, closes at 11 p.m.

Jefferson, who works in insurance, called the ongoing issue a "cold war."

"We're just a couple of taxpayers fighting a turf war with Black Disciples," he said. "It's civil, it's not personal. We're not a threat to [the gang]. We just want to make sure we can get a good night sleep and the streets are clean."

A The field house at Touhy-Herbert Park on the Near West Side. [Chicago Park District]

In an effort to curb the late-night parties, neighbors have made 134 calls to 911 in the six-week period from June 1 to July 15 to report crimes happening between 2040 and 2153 W. Adams St., according to Chicago Police Department records. Most often, residents were calling to report a disturbance, illegal fireworks or gang loitering, the records show.

But increasingly, neighbors say police won't respond to the calls. And when they do, they don't always kick the partiers out of the park, Jefferson said.

"More times than not, they won't send anybody," he said. "We feel like we're on our own."

Ald. Burnett said West Adams Street, located at the south end of the park, is a hangout for Black Disciples.

"It's a really big problem in the neighborhood," Burnett said.

'Like a Nightclub'

The parties, which often attract more than 100 people, include booming music that shakes neighbors' windows, Roman candle battles, drinking and gambling.

"It's like a nightclub," said Katerina Klopas, who has lived near the park for seven years.

When the revelers leave their late-night parties, they leave massive amount of trash all over the neighborhood's streets, rendering the Park District's weekly cleanup in the park ineffective, neighbors contend. Park District workers pick up trash on Monday, but by Wednesday, the surrounding streets are once again strewn with empty liquor bottles, food containers, dirty clothes and other litter.

"How much can we clean every night? We can't. We're exhausted," Klopas said.

An An empty Ziploc bag commonly used to store small quantities of drugs for sale, an empty bottle of Rémy Martin cognac and a used diaper are among the discarded items that line Jelly Bean Garden located across the street from Touhy-Herbert Park. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]

Trash lines South Hamilton Avenue Wednesday. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]

The constant barrage of trash has nearly ruined Jelly Bean Garden, a garden neighbors created at Adam and Hamilton in 2009. Since then, neighbors have fought to keep it clean, but they're losing that battle, Jefferson said.

"Everyone can use the garden, but not as a toilet, not as a place to sell drugs," he said.

The concentration of gang members in the park can also attract violence. At 1:10 p.m. Wednesday, a man in his early 20s was shot in the chest in the 200 block of South Oakley Boulevard, just two blocks from Touhy-Herbert Park, according to a law enforcement source. The man was transported to an area hospital in stable condition.

Below: Map of shootings in Chicago since 2010

Burnett said he has addressed the issues with 12th District Police leaders several times in the last few months.

"I told Commander [Ed Kulbida], 'You need to push the guys off the block after 11 p.m. They're disturbing the neighborhood,' " Burnett said. "When the lights go out in the park, everyone should leave."

Burnett said area police aren't doing enough to address the ongoing gang issues near the park.

"They aren't doing enough if this is still going on," Burnett said. "I understand what the residents are saying. They shouldn't have to deal with all of this drama. [Gang members] can go back to where they live at if they want to raise noise."

Anthony Guglielmi, chief spokesman for the Chicago Police Department, said 12th District officers have responded to several calls for service at the park and write citations and address illegal activity when it occurs, "including shutting down gatherings after hours."

Partnering with the community and the park district to ensure public safety in parks is a priority for the department, Guglielmi said in a statement.

"The district also monitors park gatherings and activities for gang activity and organized crime," he said. "In response to the community's concerns, the [12th] District will be meeting with Alderman Burnett and community organizers to further discuss these issues."

If problems persist, Burnett said he's prepared to take up the issue with Police Supt. Garry McCarthy next.

Calls to 12th District Cmdr. Kulbida were not returned Thursday.

Jefferson said he doesn't think police would let the gang activity fly in the West Loop's Skinner Park, located 3/4-mile east of Touhy-Herbert Park, in a more affluent area.

"I feel like there's a double standard. We pay taxes, too," he said. "If the law is the law over there, but not over here, there's something wrong with that."

Family block party this weekend

Klopas and Jefferson have asked for the city's help in ensuring the park is clean before a block party that benefits neighborhood kids this weekend.

In an e-mail to Burnett and Kulbida and park officials, Klopas wrote that the Friends of Touhy-Herbert Park's third annual Back to School BBQ, a family-friendly event where neighbors pass out school supplies to hundreds of children, is from noon-5 p.m. Sunday.

"We'll be very grateful if the 12th District could improve efforts [Saturday night] because the Chicago Park District does not clean up after the Black Disciple[s] daily/weekly gang party at the park until Monday morning," she wrote. "Our family-friendly event occurs between these two time periods."

Klopas attached several photos of litter-strewn streets to the e-mail.

"We can all agree this is disgusting, yes? This happens every day, despite our 911 network of calls for service," Klopas said. "Last Saturday there were 50 people at the open party."

Trash lines Touhy-Herbert Park this week. [Katerina Klopas]

Linda Delgado, 27th Ward superintendent of Streets and Sanitation, said she has requested that a crew hand-clean the stretch of Adams on Friday to help with the block party.

Besides the gang problems, Klopas said she loves her neighborhood — it's close to the Eisenhower, Downtown and great eateries, and she can bike to work.

Jefferson agreed.

"This is the one thing that's not so great about it," he said.

Chicago Park District spokeswoman Jessica Maxey-Faulkner did not respond to questions Thursday.

Lamonica Clemons-Williams, principal at Dett Elementary School located at the northwest corner of the Touhy-Herbert, declined to comment. The principal said that she is not authorized by CPS to speak to the media. Chicago Bulls College Prep, a Noble Network Charter School, is located at the southeast end of the park.

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