SOUTH LOOP — After a number of incidents in the South Loop, community members during a CAPS meeting Wednesday night pleaded with police do something to stop the crimes.
Many at the meeting complained not only about an uptick in violence but of homeless people, public drinking, littering and drug use in neighborhood parks.
Those problems come as the neighborhood has seen a recent series of robberies. Armed men have stopped people on the sidewalk and stole their cellphones, police said. A South Loop resident was slain in a Sunday morning robbery last month.
Police officials at the meeting, held at University Center, 525 S. State St., told residents they can help deter crime in the South Loop by staying in touch with officers in their neighborhood.
"We need community members to call 911 and file complaints," Central District Police Sgt. Athena Mullen said. "It's unfortunate that you have to take ownership of the park. You have to keep calling 911 and give accurate descriptions of what's going on."
Mullen told the group that power outlets have been turned off in parks because many people come there only to charge cellphones. She also told the group that the police can't arrest people for being homeless.
In the last two months, South Loop residents have gathered for ice cream socials in "positive loitering" efforts to keep the homeless and other people from taking drugs in the park.
"Everyone knows about this, and they are frustrated," a South Loop resident said about problems in the neighborhood. "You have five to six [homeless] guys laying in the street every night. It has gone downhill in the past two years. I have spoken to people who are leaving."
Mullen responded, "We can only ask [homeless people] to follow the rules. The law is on their side. We don't want to violate someone's rights."
Mullen also reiterated that residents have to be specific when they makes calls to the police so arrests can be made.
The next CAPS meeting is scheduled for Nov. 9, Mullen said.
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