Archive for January, 2008
Well, some progress was made in Humboldt Park today with regard to the robbery earlier this week. Karl Smith, 30, of Chicago, was charged with home invasion and aggravated robbery after an assault on a Humboldt Park family that put a 6-year-old boy in the hospital.
Apparently, whoever broke in was after the residents’ safe. Police don’t know what was in the safe, but it is possible that the crime was drug-related.
Although police are not sure whether the boy was shot intentionally, the fact remains that a 6-year-old was shot in the head and remains in critical condition.
I was wondering what the man charged with such a deed looked like, thanks to CBS2 for the enlightenment.
The Chicago Police Department took another hit yesterday when a former sergeant was sent to prison for 25 years on charges of raping a drug addict while on duty.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, John Herman, 42, said that he didn’t rape the woman, that they had some kind of arrangement. But no one was buying that story.
Apparently, Herman’s family believes that he is innocent; his wife told the Sun-Times, “The truth will come out one day. His whole family stands behind him.”
But will the truth come out? Or is it already out? The situation with CPD has been touch and go lately, and the press has had no shortage of “cops gone bad” stories. You’ve got former Lt. Jon Burge and his reign or terror, Chi-town cops racking up the DUIs and that little incident with the SOS.
But, you also have cops like Mike Mette, who was sent to prison for punching some drunken fool cruising for a fight. He’s going up the river for five years because he defended himself. His friends and family have set up a fund to try to save him from lengthy imprisonment.
I am by no means saying that Herman is innocent. He probably isn’t. But you got to admit that there’s folks out there that take a special joy in seeing cops behind bars.
What do you think? Do you think Herman’s wife is right, that the truth will out? Or do you think that justice has been served?
This morning, a group of men wearing ski masks apparently broke into a Humboldt Park apartment and shot a 6-year-old boy in the head. They critically wounded the boy, but did not kill him.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the men also stabbed and shot one male resident and pistol-whipped another. Apparently, the ski-masked men retained some shred of humanity, and spared the life of the 1-year-old living in the house before driving away in their gold car. No deaths have been reported yet.
According to a representative from the Chicago Police Department’s news affairs bureau, there have been 20 homicides in the city this year. That’s 20 homicides in 18 days. And that’s not including atrocities like this, where murderers fail.
The Chicago Tribune reported today that Roky Uriostegui was not in a gang, according to police. Still, they don’t know why he was targeted.
According to the Trib, Uriostegui transferred schools last year when gang members started giving him a hard time. I’ve spoken to the people at CeaseFire Logan Square about kids who live in gang-ridden neighborhoods. If you don’t join a gang, you’re harrassed. If you leave a gang, you’re harrassed. So, what’s the solution?
The death toll of Chicago kids keeps growing. Apparently, Uriostegui was the 10th Chicago public school student shot this year.
What do you think it will take to curb the violence? Do programs like CeaseFire work? How about strict policing? Or do you think the families are to blame?
Lifetime must be lusting after the rights to Stacy Peterson’s story after today’s development. According to the Chicago Sun-Times , Drew Peterson and his attorney, Joel Brodsky, announced that Stacy Peterson received a lusty text message last September. The text read: You my love are the hottest b —- in the world. Thanks for ridding [sic] me like a bucking bronco last night.
Ok, this case has basically degenerated into a media circus, a carnival of horrors, a theme park for the deranged. Frankly, it’s just become plain odd. Allow me to demonstrate:
Exhibit A: Drew Peterson
If you’ve been following this case at all, you’ve most likely noticed that Drew Peterson is not your average Joe. Peterson has been portrayed as a kind of Henry VIII—a playboy with a plethora of ex-wives—one who mysteriously died. But the oddest thing about Peterson is not how he has been portrayed, but how much he has been portrayed. This media-hating man found his way onto TV screens across the nation last year, propelling the story into the public eye.
Exhibit B: The Amazing Kreskin
This 72-year-old Mentalist has decided to join the search for the missing woman. Need I say more?
Exhibit C: Joel Brodsky
Talk about stealing the show. The lawyer isn’t supposed to have a bigger criminal record than the suspect. Here’s the rundown of Brodsky’s past, according to the Chicago Tribune:
1. He and his wife divorced in 1997, and he allegedly threatened her life. No charges were filed.
2. A SWAT team arrived at Brodsky’s home in 2002 following a report that he was threatening to kill himself while toting a shotgun. No charges were filed.
3. In 2004, the lawyer took $23,000 from a client’s account using a fake signature. Although he explained that he had taken the money to save it from the state, Brodsky was banned from law for three months.
Well, I guess he doesn’t have a literal criminal record, but he’s still a pretty unconventional lawyer. But unconventional be damned according to Peterson– he’s a fan. “He kind of clicks with my personality,” Peterson told the Trib.
Whatever floats your boat Drew.
The Chicago streets claimed another life last night when Little Village resident, 16-year-old Roky Uriostegui, was shot by an alleged gang member on the 2600 block of West 23rd Place.
According to the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, the area has a problem with gangs– the Satan’s Disciples and the Latin Kings in particular. Still, it is unclear whether Uriostegui was in a gang or not.
Following events like this the inevitable question always arises: Was the victim a gang member? Just look at the headline in the Chicago Sun-Times: ‘Innocent kid’ slain in Little Village shooting. Granted, the quotation marks are used to indicate an actual quote, but my initial response to the headline was: “Well, aren’t we snarky?”
Still, the media is not the only group wondering about the boy’s innocence; Chicago residents are asking the same question.
On a message board today, one young woman asserted:
Roky was not in a gang! I know this because I was a personal friend of his! Kids should look at this story and take in consideration how dangerous gangs really are, and how far they are willing to go!
Others were not so sure, like this local man:
Very sad for this young lad, but articles like this usually always state that the kid was great, straight A’s, and then they show his 8th grade graduation picture on the news. Most of the time this is not mistaken identity but the boy was usually a gang member or hanging with them.
The question is: Does it make a difference one way or the other?
Now readers, I want your opinion. Do you think it matters if Uriostegui was in a gang or not?
The FBI announced today that it will join the Maywood, Ill. police in investigating the 2006 murder of Officer Thomas Wood. Wood, 37, was the first officer ever slain in Maywood.
The incident shook the town, as evidenced by the heartfelt posts on an online memorial to Wood.
One poster, going only by the name “Friend,” said:
Dude whats good? You know the other day we were on your corner and had a little vigil for you. It was weird seeing all the squad car lights lit up, cause thats what it looked like the day it happen, except the only difference was I can’t say I was in such hurry to get there now.
Heartfelt or no, it was not sentiment that drove the FBI to take the case. Wood was involved in the Maywood Police Department’s effort to fight gang activity, leading the department to suspect that the murder was gang-related. Gangs, apparently, make the most wanted list.
According to chicagogangs.org, several gangs call Maywood home, including the Black Disciples, the Four Corner Hustlers and the Latin Kings.
This isn’t the first time that the feds have taken a shot at Chicago gangs. Recently, the FBI and Co. cracked down on gang leaders with the belief that without the head the body would fail. Still, gangs continue to rain down terror and bullets on the Chicago streets.
I want to hear from you readers: Will FBI involvement in the Maywood case make a difference? Or are gangs just too much a part of Chicago’s DNA to be spliced?
More News About Maywood
Maywood increases police patrols to stop gang violence
This blog does not intend to grab readers with a litany Chicago’s most wanted, or a gallery of horrors. Rather, aims to keep Chicagoans abreast of what’s going in their city.
Better informed readers may take steps to protect their neighborhoods– and themselves– from the dark side of Chicago.
See what other computer-savvy folk have to say about Chicago crime:
* Hyde Park residents keep up with neighborhood crime.
* Irving Park residents discuss a recent shooting.
* A site schools readers on Chicago gangs.
* Bloggers comment on Leonardo Otero’s murder.
* Bloggers search for Stacy Peterson.
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