Years of efforts to decrease crime in Lakeview via community policing, bike patrols, and working with police may turn out to be a Catch-22 for residents.
There have been rumors for years that the 23rd Town Hall Police District, located in the heart of 'boys town,' at Addison and Halsted, was going to be closed and merged with another district.
Those rumors are at fever-pitch now, especially given recent reports showing decreased crime in the area, and given Mayor Daley's destruction of Meigs' Field in the dark of night.
The Chicago Police Department and the Mayor's Press Office told Windy City Times there are no plans to move or remove the Town Hall station.
But community activists are speaking out now to proactively fight to save Town Hall. They don't want to wake up one day with an empty lot where the district once stood.
Many activists agree that the Town Hall facility itself is outdated. But they say if the building is broke, don't fix the problem by merging with another district—either fix the current structure or build a new one. Given the city's financial crisis, a new building is unlikely. Some activists have floated the idea of switching with the proposed Center on Halsted building just north of the station—giving the police more room, and dealing with some of the general parking problems.
Almost everyone who spoke with Windy City Times about the potential closing said it would be a disaster that would bring back days of higher crime. With Wrigley Field and the Cubs just two blocks west, and a core part of the gay community on either side of the station, the police presence serves not just to provide a quick response, but also as a deterrent.
One activist who is perhaps the most outspoken is businessman Lee Neubecker, who has organized a rally for Thursday, May 29, 6 p.m. at Addison and Halsted. He has helped bring together a coalition of neighborhood groups and individuals to speak at the event, including Lake View Citizens' Council, Lakeview Action Coalition, Equality Illinois, Horizons, Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and Rev. Greg Dell of Broadway United Methodist Church.
Neubecker has both community and personal reasons for saving Town Hall. At more than six-feet tall, even Neubecker has experienced the sting of anti-gay harassment. And quick police response meant his harassers were caught and this week they face a judge.
Following a Cubs game, two young men shouted 'Homo' and other derogatory expressions from their pickup truck at Neubecker when he was walking near Nookie's restaurant on Halsted. Fortunately, the police were patrolling and chased down the offenders. Open liquor was found in their car, and the men were arrested and faced a court hearing this past Tuesday.
'Town Hall is so important to the GLBT community,' Neubecker said. 'Millions of GLBT tourists have visited the Halsted Street entertainment district. Without the presence of the Town Hall station, we as a community would likely have a much higher incidence of hate crimes.'
'The rally is being held because it's been clear, from numerous sources, that discussions are being had about closing the station, or drastically altering the police presence on Halsted Street, This would have an adverse impact on businesses and residents,' Neubecker said. 'I would also wonder, if it is closed, what happens to the bike patrols, when they have to bike three miles to get to Halsted? By organizing, we hope to make it clear that our whole community cares about the station.'
Neubecker pointed out that with more proposed Cubs night games, the police will be even more needed to stop harassment and attacks.
The building sits on the dividing line between the 44th and 46th wards, and Ald. Tom Tunney and Ald. Helen Shiller have stated their support of the rally.
Ald. Tunney said he is meeting with Daley about several issues, including Town Hall.
'They have told me they are doing nothing with the 23rd—there is no money to do anything, and it is not a top priority,' Tunney said from Springfield last week. He was there along with 10 other alderman to lobby for Sen. Cullerton's bill that would ban sales of more than one handgun per month to individuals. The bill lost 36-23, but Tunney said it was a victory at least in part because it was called for a vote—something that never happened under previous Republican leadership.
'Town Hall is expected to stay as is,' Tunney said.
'There are no consolidation efforts,' echoed police spokesman Pat Camden. 'We are looking at options for violent crimes. But Town Hall—we're not closing the district. As far as I know there are no district closings on the board any more.'
'We feel it's important to mark our appreciation for the police,' said businessman and community activist Jim Ludwig. 'From the very inception of the CAPS community policing program I have been intimately involved in building cooperative relations with the Town Hall's various successive police commanders and the patrolmen and officers as well. This has been vital in making this neighborhood way more livable and safe for the great diversity that we meld together. Especially with gay and lesbian hate threats, it is important for us to have a continuing aggressive police presence to maintain the order we are achieving. Some would say we would be a victim of our own success if we lose the attention that is required to keep it that way.
'I feel it is a tenuous balance that needs to have continuing diligence on the part of the police department, with strong direction from the superintendent, the mayor and through the ranks,' Ludwig said.
Ludwig and others also mentioned that the Town Hall building itself should be landmarked, no matter if the police move to a newer building in the area.
Ludwig also spoke in favor of addressing the Center on Halsted's plans. He said some Halsted businesses are very skeptical of the proposed plan because of its lack of self-contained parking. The Northalsted Area Merchants Association, Ludwig said, gave their support to the Center 'based heavily on parking requirements.' Perhaps a switch to the Town Hall building would address this issue. But Ludwig admitted that no one is seriously considering changing the Center plans at this late stage—groundbreaking is expected later this year.
Long-time community activist Charlotte Newfeld said this is 'not the first time Town Hall is under threat.' She said the increased community concern comes because there has been front-page news that Mayor Daley is questioning how police are deployed.
'Rather than have to go into a reacting mood, we want to prove we are not a community just full of rich white people,' Newfeld said. 'We have specific needs in this community and in the last 10 years we have really taken to heart the idea of community policing.'
Police working in the gay community are important, she said, because you 'need a station full of good people who aren't disguising their prejudice, but who really know the community.'
Newfeld and others also pointed out that crime statistics can be misleading. Many incidents in and around Wrigley Field do not get reported through the normal channels, and because the 23rd has inadequate holding pens, many arrests get processed through other stations such as in the 19th.
Another issue Newfeld pointed out is that the part of Halsted that includes Town Hall is not yet downzoned. 'If the encroachment of large residential developments is not stopped, it will change Halsted from an entertainment district—there is no doubt this can happen. And there that property sits, at that beautiful corner,' Newfeld said. 'The building is historic, it has to be saved. It is the site of where the Town Hall of Lakeview was when it was incorporated into the City of Chicago.'
Newfeld said the land for the Checker's building across the street could have been a good home for a new district—but now Harris Bank is rumored to be opening there.
'Saving the building and having police are separate issues. That corner is such a symbol of safety. I don't know if Halsted would have grown the way it has if we did not have police there,' Newfeld said. 'Maybe we've learned—don't wait until you have to scream and holler and react. This is a proactive approach, and it reinforces that a good community relationship with police is what we're all after. It is our own form of officer appreciation day.'
