Rep. Greg Harris – July 31, 2008
Uptown Public Safety Meeting
Last night Sen. Heather Steans and I hosted a Town Hall meeting on public safety in Uptown. Having attended numerous CAPS and block club meetings in recent weeks and after hearing from the Uptown business community as well as individual concerned citizens, Sen. Steans and I decided we had to come together as an entire community to address the recent spikes in crime in Uptown.
The meeting was attended by well over 400 people from every walk of life in Uptown. It was an impressive crowd representing the diversity of Uptown: young and old, lifelong residents and new arrivals, gay and straight, rich and low income folks, owners and renters, businesspeople and social service providers..in short, the entire rainbow that makes Uptown a desirable neighborhood to live and work in.
Everyone was concerned about the recent shooting incidents and the apparent uptick in gang activity. Everyone was also concerned about pulling together as a community to increase enforcement, assist the police, provide better alternatives for youth, enhance the business environment and make all residents feel safer on the streets and in our parks.
Sen. Steans and I chaired the meeting. Participating in the panel were 23rd District Commander Kathy Boehmer, 23rd District Tactical Lieutenant Robert Stasch, Deputy Chief of Patrol Bruce Rottner, Deputy Police Superintendent Bea Cuello and Ald. Schulter’s Chief of Staff Dan Luna. Attending the meeting were 46th Ward Ald. Helen Shiller, Ald. Smith’s Chief of Staff Doug Fraser and 46th Ward Streets and San Superintendent Don Nowotny.
After two hours of compelling testimony including business owners, building managers, moms whose children had been lured into gangs, parents whose children and grandchildren have been exposed to violence, service providers and dozens of others, it was clear that people learned a lot, wanted to learn more and wanted to work together on community-wide solutions to problems. Broad themes of the areas identified to address include:
– Better communication within the community
– Increased participation in CAPS beat meetings to identify crime hotspots
– Increased police presence, including saturation presence following incidents
– More positive activities for area youth
– Focus on eliminating negative activities like public drinking/drugging, gang loitering, etc.
– More cameras on the streets, buildings and in the parks to deter criminal activities
– Police presence on foot, bicycling or using Segways in the area
– Closer working relationships between major neighborhood organizations, elected officials, public and private institutions
– Focus on securing schools, parks and playlots
As a next step, Sen. Steans and I will be convening a meeting of leaders of key stakeholders in the Uptown community including elected officials, community and business organizations, social service providers, youth service agencies, the Chicago Police Department and others. We will go through the pages of notes and recommendations made at the Town Hall meeting and begin to develop strategies and plans for moving forward.
Following the Uptown leadership meetings, we will convene another Town Hall meeting to present ideas and strategies for discussion by the community, and seek support and participation from the entire neighborhood.
Many, many thanks to the hundreds of people who attended and participated in last night’s meeting. Heather and I look forward to working with the community to continue to make Uptown one of the City’s most desirable and safest neighborhoods.
Graceland-Wilson Neighbors Association 