GWNA e-News—July 24, 2015
Summer in Full Swing—Highs & Lows
Community Events
Sheridan Park Yard Sale + Sunnyside Mall Art & Music Fest coming August 1st
Get ready for the annual Sheridan Park Yard sale and Sunnyside Mall Art & Music Fest on Saturday, August 1.
The Sheridan Park Yard Sale offers bargains galore for savvy shoppers—best place to start is Magnolia and Wilson.
§ Sheridan Park Yard Sale
§ Saturday, August 1, 9-4 PM, rain date, Sunday, August 2
§ Montrose to Lawrence, Dover to Clifton
The Sunnyside Mall Art & Music Fest is bigger and better than ever featuring a variety of artisans’ creations from handmade hats,
American Girl Doll clothing, jewelry and more. Musical entertainment begins at 10:15AM. Food trucks to satisfy your appetite!
Please share and post the attached Sunnyside Mall Art & Music Fest Poster—help spread the word.
§ Sunnyside Mall Art & Music Fest
§ Saturday, August 1, 9 to 3 PM
§ Sunnyside Mall is one block north of Montrose, between Magnolia and Beacon
Call for volunteers to help with the Sunnyside Mall Art & Music Fest. Sure can use volunteers to assist with early morning set-up and break-down afterwards. IF you can spare a bit of time please send email to sunnysidemall@yahoo.com.
Crime & Public Safety
Tackling Gangs, Criminal Housing and Restoring Peace to our Streets & Public Places
The good news is no shooting victims so far in July; bad news is the gang turf-wars and gunfire continue.
Middle of night, on July 11, the fools came out with their spray paint to graffiti many of the buildings along the Sunnyside mall.
Graffiti was these knuckleheads’ way of honoring one of their boys who had recently been murdered. We suggest the City examines the enormous cost of Graffiti removal and holds these miscreants accountable for cleaning up the Graffiti.
On July12, a beautiful Sunday afternoon, around 2:30PM, multiple gunshots were fired by the Magnolia & Wilson strip mall. A young black male with distinctive corn-row hair with bleached orange tips was seen by a witness escaping the scene. Later that week, a male matching that description was arrested for a Rogers Park murder.
Our block club members have joined forces to tackle the gangs who live among us and clean up the violence. Our public safety initiative is growing by leaps and bounds—we’ve successfully pressed for the removal of 4 tenants conducting criminal activity in housing on Clifton, Racine and Magnolia, the gangs are now buzzing around Malden and west side of Magnolia. It’s been a combined effort of 911 call trees and pressure on property owners/management to do their job. Recap and keep reading to learn how you can be part of our growing public safety initiative…
Current ACTIVE CRIMINAL HOUSING hot spots:
§ 4520-28 N Malden—Malden Place Apartments—2-3 units with very active gang and drug activity. Public safety recommendations: Evict tenants not in compliance with lease agreement; improve property security issues including security lighting, locked gates, etc. #1 Criminal housing for Property Management Best Practices Meeting
§ 4501-09 N Malden—J & J Properties—200 unit building. Active drug sales from side entrance on Sunnyside. No address on door.
§ 4425 N Malden, Unit F—CHA property, active gang/drug operation
§ 4416-22 N Magnolia—Vof P, site of recent murder in alley
§ 4439 N Clifton—VofP—tenants on 2nd & 3rd floor
CRIMINAL HOUSING—Tenant issues:
§ 4426 N Clifton—VofP—Black P Stone drug house, tenant moved
§ 4513 N Magnolia—CHA—Active Crack house, tenant moved
§ 4450 N Racine—CHA—Active gang member involved with shootings, tenant moved, Kates guards
§ 4454 N Racine—CHA—Tenant moved out
What You Can Do—Get on board with Public Safety Actions:
ü Join a 911 Call Group—send your name and address to gwna13@gmail.com with heading Join 911 Call Group and we’ll get you connected, our lists are expanding throughout the Sheridan Park area
ü Get your neighbors involved, forward the GWNA newsletter to your neighbors, sign up link at end of newsletter
ü If you see something, do something—call 911 and report criminal activity, then call/text your 911 group members. Give details and your name.
ü Attend CAPS or have someone from your 911 call group attend and report what’s happening. Request follow-up report at next CAPS meeting. GWNA has a representative at all CAPS meetings.
ü IF you see continued suspicious activity occurring at/around a property—note address and property management info and along with 911 calls, report at CAPS. Criminal/nuisance housing laws do apply—the State’s Attorney can prosecute property owners whose properties are determined to be criminal housing.
ü JOIN your block club, JOIN your block club: GWNA next newsletter will include special building membership offer—sign up for newsletter now, visit www.uptownupdate.com for information on how to join Beacon Block Club, Dover Street Bock Club and Magnolia Malden Block Club.
ü Keep informed: Read DNA Info, Every Block, Uptown Update, Facebook Pages of your block clubs and Crime in Boystown.
And finally—the question of Police Security Cameras and their value on proactively improving Public Safety…
A recent DNA Info article reports Ald. Cappleman has decided to spend menu money on adding five more Police Security Cameras at an estimated cost of $24,000-48,000 per camera, http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150709/uptown/uptown-getting-five-new-police-cameras-crime-hot-spots
This decision to spend menu money was made without community/public input. One of the cameras is slated to be installed at the Sunnyside Mall by Malden. We believe the community deserves a voice in this decision. Would it not be wiser to hold the nearby Malden property managers responsible for making public safety improvements to their properties/tenants and use the menu money towards Sunnyside Mall improvements that make the mall a safe and welcoming place?
In closing…always remember,
Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Graceland-Wilson Neighbors Association 