Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

As tensions in Lakeview increase, community groups step up efforts
by Kate Sosin, Windy City Times
2011-07-20

This article shared 5238 times since Wed Jul 20, 2011
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


With a fourth stabbing in recent weeks to hit Lakeview on July 16, the neighborhood continues to grapple with a perceived rise in crime and the anxieties of young people who feel blamed for it.

While energy around the crime issues seemed to wane in comparison to the previous two weeks, much attention was centered on yet another stabbing.

A 24-year-old man told police that he was walking near the Belmont el station in the early hours on July 16 when two men attacked him from behind.

The incident occurred at 938 W. Belmont at approximately 3:30 a.m., said Laura Kubiak from the police department's news affairs office. The victim, whose name has not been released, suffered a stab wound to the back and was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. He was treated and has been released.

Police charged two men in connection with the stabbing. Demetrious Moore, 26, of the 7500 block of N. Sealy, faces felony charges of aggravated battery and drug possession. Israel D. Johnson, 23, of the 7200 block of S. Rhodes, stands charged a misdemeanor battery count.

Ald. Tom Tunney of the 44th Ward praised police in a statement later that day.

"I was out at the scene at 3:45am and have been in contact with 19th District Commander John Kenny," Tunney said in the statement. "Thank you to our officers for their quick and professional action. Late-night patrols have been stepped up in our neighborhood and we will continue to work together to find additional resources for the [m]idnight to [6 a.m.] shifts."

On "Take Back Boystown," the Facebook page that started Lakeview's most recent discussion on crime, members appealed to their neighbors to keep up the momentum, to continue to pressure police and city officials to crack down on crime. But with the group's two initial events (a positive loitering walk and a July 6 CAPS meeting) now past, local stakeholders seemed to struggle with the next steps.

Several LGBT community organizations expressed concern over recent crimes, but also expressed fears that queer youth are being targeted by residents.

Many "Take Back Boystown" members aimed to clarify that they are not advocating for racial profiling in Lakeview, and comments on that page appeared considerably less controversial than in recent weeks, with few blaming youth of color outright for neighborhood crimes.

LGBT organizations stepped forward and offered their resources for mediating those discussions. Both Taskforce Prevention and Community Services, a West Side HIV-service organization, and Center on Halsted announced initiatives to deal both with crime and with LGBT youth issues.

Center on Halsted has taken heat in recent weeks from residents who claim that the organization attracts youth who loiter and commit crimes to the neighborhood. Modesto "Tico" Valle, CEO of the Center, had said the Center was helping the situation, not making it worse. Making good on that promise, Valle announced a new taskforce "to build a safer and more welcoming community" as well as new self-defense and conflict mediation classes for the community.

"These are challenging times for our community," said Valle in the July 15 announcement. "Now is the time to work together again so we can build a safer and more welcoming environment for all people."

Sitraka Andriamanantenasoa, the Center's new community relations director, also spent much of the week meeting with community members about their concerns and hopes for the Center.

Taskforce Prevention and Community Services announced its own taskforce for addressing similar issues.

"I know that many of the youth in question are from the west and south side of the city and live in communities with cultural norms that don't support young gay men and women," said Alicia Ozier, of Taskforce Prevention and Community Services in a recent statement. "While I make no excuses for their behavior, I believe that we must work together before anyone else is hurt."

Finally, the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance stated its intent to work on issues in Lakeview that affect youth. The Alliance had planned to convene its own taskforce but said it will first wait to see if they are able to partner with groups already working on the issues.

The Taskforce Prevention and Community Services Taskforce will meet Wed., July 20, at 7 p.m. at the 23rd District police station, 850 W. Addison. Those interested in attending should RSVP to Alicia Ozier, aliciaozier@hotmail.com .

The next CAPS meeting for beats 2332 and 2333 well be held Thursday, July 21, at 7 p.m. at Comfort Inn, 601 W. Diversey.

Those who are interested in working with the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance can email youthcommittee@illinoissafeschools.org .


This article shared 5238 times since Wed Jul 20, 2011
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Nex Benedict's autopsy report released
2024-03-27
The full autopsy report for Nex Benedict (he/they)—a 16-year-old transgender and Indigenous student from Oklahoma's Owasso High School who died in February a day after a school fight—has been released. The Oklahoma Office of the Chie ...


Gay News

Family of 2004 murder victim holds event in Lake View; reward announced
2024-03-24
The year 2004, for the family and friends of Lake View resident Kevin Clewer, will forever be marked by tragedy. On March 24 of that year, Clewer, 31, was found in his apartment at 3444 N. Elaine Pl.; he was the ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes
2024-03-15
Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition'
2024-03-15
Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ people attacked by mobs in Greece
2024-03-14
Just weeks after a landmark law granted same-sex couples in Greece the right to marry, nearly 200 people dressed in black chased a transgender couple through the town square in Thessaloniki, the country's "second city" and ...


Gay News

WORLD Canadian politics, Australian murders, Finnish study, 'Anatomy'
2024-03-01
Canadian conservatives are divided over an anti-trans policy that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith handed down in her province, The Guardian reported. The policy includes a ban on hormonal treatment, puberty ...


Gay News

NATIONAL School items, HIV/AIDS activist dies, Nex Benedict, inclusive parade
2024-03-01
In a new survey, the Pew Research Center asked public K-12 teachers, teens and the U.S. public about the ongoing scrutiny placed on classroom curricula, mainly regarding race and LGBTQ+ identities, ABC News noted. Among other ...


Gay News

911 calls, videos show cascade of failures in Nex Benedict's death, GLAAD responds
2024-02-24
"It is haunting to hear Nex Benedict, in their own words, describe how school and state leaders failed, at every level of leadership, to keep them safe from bullying and harm. Less than 24 hours later, ...


Gay News

Federal jury finds man guilty of killing trans woman in landmark case
2024-02-24
In a groundbreaking case, a federal jury in Columbia, South Carolina found Daqua Lameek Ritter guilty of killing transgender woman Dime Doe after deliberating for almost four hours, The State reported. It is the first time ...


Gay News

HIV criminal laws disproportionately impact Black men in Mississippi
2024-02-21
--From a press release - A new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that at least 43 people in Mississippi were arrested for HIV-related crimes between 2004 and 2021. Half of all arrests in the state ...


Gay News

Owasso High School student of Bridge v. Oklahoma State Board of Education case dies, groups respond
2024-02-20
--From press releases - Oklahoma City, Okla. — In response to the death of 16-year-old Owasso High School student Nex Benedict following an assault in the school restroom, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the ACLU of Oklahoma ...


Gay News

Yemeni court sentences 13 men to death for being LGBTQ+
2024-02-09
In the Arabian Peninsula country of Yemen, a court has reportedly sentenced 13 people to death who had been charged with homosexuality, The Washington Blade noted. Agence France-Presse reported that the court in Ibb Governorate, which ...


Gay News

Smollett asks state supreme court to overturn conviction
2024-02-07
Embattled actor Jussie Smollett has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to review and overturn an appellate ruling upholding his conviction for a hate-crime hoax that took place more than five years ago, The Chicago Sun-Times noted. ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Marriage news, fighting fentanyl, anti-LGBTQ+ crimes, Grindr
2024-02-02
The Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill that would affirm marriage equality in the state, The Washington Blade noted. House Bill 174, introduced by state Del. Rozia Henson (D-Prince William County), passed in the Democratic-controlled ...


Gay News

Seattle LGBTQ+ bars push back against raids
2024-01-30
In Seattle, a group of Capitol Hill gay bars and clubs are teaming with neighborhood queer community leaders Dan Savage and Terry Miller in calling for the state's liquor control board and Seattle police officials to ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.