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Lakeview Neighbors Blame Crime On Officials' 'Misplaced Priorities'

By Ariel Cheung | November 5, 2015 9:02am
 A neighbor's security camera captured footage of men that allegedly robbed four men at gunpoint, beating one of the victims with a gun. Counter-clockwise from top left: The alleged offenders approach the garage, one holding a gun in his left hand; the man holding a gun points it into the garage; one victim attacks the gun-wielder and is beaten.
A neighbor's security camera captured footage of men that allegedly robbed four men at gunpoint, beating one of the victims with a gun. Counter-clockwise from top left: The alleged offenders approach the garage, one holding a gun in his left hand; the man holding a gun points it into the garage; one victim attacks the gun-wielder and is beaten.
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Provided

LAKEVIEW — After a rough couple of days, neighbors along the Southport Corridor are fed up with what they describe as "misplaced priorities" of police and public officials.

Around 2 a.m. Sunday, three men allegedly robbed three others in a garage in the 3400 block of North Janssen Avenue.

A neighbor's security camera captured footage of the three robbers driving down an alley and returning soon after, said the owner of the garage who is also the father of one victim. The men entered the garage and demanded money and cell phones, the father said. One allegedly pointed a gun at the people being robbed.

One of the victims tackled the man holding the gun and was pulled off the robber and beaten with the weapon, the father said. The victim was taken to the hospital, where he required stitches for a face injury. 

Police showed up within 10 minutes and quickly left to canvass the neighborhood, said the father, who did not want give his name to avoid identifying his son as the victim of a crime.

Ariel Cheung discusses what some neighbors want from area police:

Without an arrest as of Wednesday afternoon, he is hoping to find a higher quality of security camera footage that captured the offenders' license plate.

"There's really no other way for us to even identify who these people are," he said. The men wore hoods pulled down over their faces, making it difficult to provide a better description, he added.

In other incidents that have concerned area residents, neighbors early Monday found tires removed from a car and thefts from vehicles in the 3400 block of North Janssen Avenue. Reports of more car break-ins came Wednesday night.

Around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, neighbors in the 1300 block of West Melrose Avenue raced outside after hearing a loud noise and a car peeling away.

In an alley, it appeared that a pile of items had been thrown from the vehicle, Gary Hirschberg told DNAinfo Chicago. A man ran past and after the fleeing car, and Hirschberg said the man's car had been stolen.

 

Just happened in the alley between Belmont and Southport, 1300 block: 2 cars stolen, and some personal property. Several...

Posted by Hannah Bloom on Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Suspicious neighbors called 911 but Hirschberg said it took multiple calls and 30 minutes for police to arrive.

"It was a crime in progress. Something is happening. We need someone to come over, so why it took multiple calls and 30 minutes? I don't know," Hirschberg said.

Hirschberg said the wife of the man he saw in the alley had also had her car stolen the same day after her husband left the keys in her vehicle to run up to their apartment.

Police alluded to the incident during a Wednesday night community policing meeting, saying residents might be reassured to know specifics of a crime that they can avoid.

"Does it make a difference if I told you the neighbor left the keys in the car and left it running? It would make me feel better knowing all I have to do is not leave my keys in my car," said Sgt. Jason Clark. "I'm not faulting him — we've all done that — but I can tell you what happened and articulate the facts."

The latest complaints come a week after Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) said he and Ald. James Cappleman (46th) bargained to get 43 more officers in the district by the end of 2016.

Neighbors have been venting their frustration on the Facebook page of the Southport Corridor blog, lamenting what they said is a lack of police officers on Lakeview's west side. The incidents were also covered on the Crime in Wrigleyville + Boystown blog.

 

Has anyone seen ANY Police patrolling our area at all? Last time I saw an officer was outside of Wrigley Field for the...

Posted by Michael Segobiano on Tuesday, November 3, 2015
 Tires were stolen early Monday from a vehicle in the 3400 block of North Janssen.
Tires were stolen early Monday from a vehicle in the 3400 block of North Janssen.
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Provided/Sean Burns

"If we can have hundreds/thousands of cops worried about drunken and happy Cubs fans then surely we can have a few beat cops on the lookout for criminals with handguns breaking into our homes and threatening our families," wrote Michael Segobiano. "Talk about misplaced priorities."

The Southport Corridor has largely escaped the rash of summer crime that has some Lakeview neighbors on edge. Without crowded late-night destinations like the Belmont "L" station or Boystown bars, residents often say they chose the corridor for its safety.

"I think there has been an increase, for sure, of our neighborhood being targeted," Hirschberg said. "Crime is going to happen, but the fact you have clearly organized people using deadly weapons in their criminal acts is a change."

Hirschberg said he wanted to meet with the alderman to discuss prevention strategies and has interest in setting up a neighborhood watch as a way "to do our part as concerned citizens."

While the affluent neighborhood has always been an attractive destination for property crime, over the past two years, things have changed, said the father of the robbery victim.

"It seems like the criminals are becoming much bolder," he said.

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