A string of shootings in the Uptown neighborhood have riled residents there, who crowded into a Sept. 6 CAPS (Community Alternative Policing Strategy) meeting to voice their concerns.
The violence comes after a summer of controversy in neighboring Lakeview where residents fear that crime rates are on the rise in the heart of Boystown, the community's gay entertainment district. The concerns have resulted in added pressure on 23rd District police, who patrol both neighborhoods.
Approximately 80 residents filled the cafeteria at Harry S. Truman College in Uptown. Residents challenged police and 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman to weed out gangs that they say are bringing trouble to the neighborhood.
"We need to stand up as a community to these boys," said one mother.
Three were wounded and one killed in recent days as alleged gang members exchanged fire on Aug. 28 and Aug. 30 in three separate incidents.
The shootings were thought to be gang-related, as gang recruitment picks up at the start of each new school year, according to Cappleman.
According to police, the last four shootings in the neighborhood occurred within 75 feet of a police officer. Still, police said, crime rates are steadily dropping in Uptown.
"This is just a continuation of an ongoing gang dispute that's been going on for years," said Lieutenant Bob Stasch. "Right now things have stabilized over the last week with the increased presence."
Truman College President Reagan Romali was on hand to assure the community that the college was also responding to safety concerns and launching a security task force.
Residents expressed a desire for more police and better lighting around the school, where residents say the school's parking garage is casting dark shadows on the street.
Police added that El stops have been hit hard by crime as commuters zone out on their cell phones, making them easy targets for grab-and-dash thieves. Such has been true of the Wilson stop, which sits at Wilson and Broadway, an ongoing trouble area in the neighborhood.
Stasch called the problem "victimology," meaning that people who fail to take precautions leave themselves vulnerable to crime. He urged residents to make sure their windows and doors were locked and that they remained alert when commuting.
Cappleman wrapped up the meeting and announced his master plan on public safety in the ward. The alderman has been working on the plan with a task force of residents, he said. That plan includes looking at five "hot spots" for crime, talking to property owners at 13 "problem" buildings and identifying residents who have more than 20 arrests.
"We have some people in this community with over 300 arrests," Cappleman said.
While Cappleman took heat from some frustrated residents, he urged constituents to focus on solutions that involved the entire community, not just police.
"I'm angry and frustrated as well," he said. "…but we know the real big secret is eyes on the street."