Dear Neighbors

A spate of robberies on Lakeview Ave., and nearby Hampden Ct., has put neighbors on edge. On June 10, police informed us about a pattern of robberies on and around Lakeview Avenue that was intensifying. Women are being targeted and knocked down; their purses and belongings were taken. 

At our safety walk on Lakeview on Saturday, June 25, police officers said much progress was being made in identifying the offenders, whom they believe are from two criminal “crews” working in the area.

Unfortunately, since last Saturday, two more offenses have occurred in the immediate area. At the same time, importants arrests have been made, and more police work is being done to tie these individuals to these crimes. 

On July 1, two crimes occurred: at 9:40 p.m. robbers committed an armed carjacking of a 63-year-old man in the 2600 of North Hampden Court, and at about 10:46 p.m. two people pushed a woman to the ground and took her purse in the 2700 block of North Hampden, like the pattern of the previous crimes. The offenders ran, and at least one of them committed an offense near the Belmont El station, where he was arrested close to midnight. The offender, a 15-year-old, was charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor counts of battery and theft. 

A different crime may have yielded important information and suspects. On June 27, 19-year-old Precious Taylor and two 15-year-olds carjacked a woman in the 2300 block of North Clark. After a pursuit, the driver crashed the car and all were arrested. Taylor was charged with robbery and criminal trespass to vehicle and the 15-year-olds were charged with vehicular hijacking and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. 

Many stolen cars were recovered from the area immediately around one of the 15-year-old’s suburban home.

All three juveniles are under electronic monitoring and GPS, and the Assistant State's Attorney has assured me if these juveniles leave the monitoring restrictions, they will immediately be brought back to court and the State will seek to detain them. The adult, Precious Taylor, is in custody.

Police believe that two patterns may be at work here: one in which one group hijacks cars, and takes them to the suburbs, where they are then used by another group to commit robberies. This may explain why different vehicles are observed in these robberies. 

Police are now following up with victims of these robberies.  Police need our help. Police are asking neighbors to look for any video of cars or people in connection with the more than a dozen robberies in these blocks.

Police ask that condo and rental building management, and individual homeowners to please check their cameras for video in the minutes before and after those listed below. Please forward video to Sgt. Hernandez at CAPS.019@chicagopolice.org.

Please provide your name, contact information, and the location from which the video was taken.

• 7/1/22 at 10:46 PM on 27XX N HAMPDEN CT
• 7/1/22 at 9:40 PM on 26XX N HAMPDEN CT
• 6/19/22 at 10:30 AM on 04XX W WRIGHTWOOD AVE
• 6/19/22 at 3:11 AM on 24XX N ORCHARD ST
• 6/18/22 at 12:58 PM on 24XX N LAKEVIEW AVE
• 6/18/22 at 12:35 PM on 26XX N HAMPDEN CT
• 6/15/22 at 1:14 AM on 26XX N CLARK ST
• 6/4/22 at 12:30 PM on 04XX W ARLINGTON PL
• 6/3/22 at 3:56 AM on 04XX W DEMING PL
• 6/2/22 at 7:57 AM on 26XX N HAMPDEN CT
• 6/1/22 at 9:41 AM on 25XX N LAKEVIEW AVE
• 6/1/22 at 2:27 AM on 27XX N PINE GROVE AVE
• 5/16/22 at 11:02 AM on 27XX N PINE GROVE AVE
• 5/15/22 at 9:39 AM on 06XX W DIVERSEY PKWY

Highland Park

Today we all mourn again. Another shooting. Seven more innocent lives gone in an instant.

This time in Highland Park. Where my mother lived. Where my sister and her family lived. 

These tragic events are no less or more tragic when they occur in familiar places. But they do impact us differently. Hopefully, finally they make the country do something beyond mourning and accepting. 

Weapons that can wipe out seven lives in an instant should not be legal in this country. They have no legitimate self-defense function.

There are no easy answers but there are answers. It's time to act. Time to contact or state and federal representatives and demand action. When people tell us that our speaking out after a tragedy is "political," remind them that their silence, their acquiescence is equally political.

It's time to act.

What You Can Do Right Now

1. Send postcards to our State's Attorney and Chief Judge demanding that they fully prosecute gun offenders and carjackers. You can pick postcards up in our office.
2. Sign up for court advocacy with alfred.robinson@cityofchicago.org for the 18th District (South of Fullerton) and arturo.hernandez@cityofchicago.org for the 19th District (North of Fullerton).
3. Ask our State Representatives and Senators, and your suburban friends' State Representatives and Senators to change the law and make carjacking an adult offense for juveniles again.
4. Our federal representaties all favor gun control. But do you have friends and family in other jurisdictions? Ask them to support more restrictive laws and write to their federal representatives.
5. Join Everytown for Gun Safety and help advocate for more restrictive laws and an assault weapons ban.

The US Supreme Court has made it much more difficult to keep our families safe. It's up to us.

Severe Thunderstorm and Flash Flood Warning in Place this Evening

The National Weather Service reports that "Strong to severe storms are expected to quickly develop over far northeast Illinois between 3 and 5 pm, with coverage expanding south and west into early evening. These storms will pose a damaging wind and localized flash flooding risk. Additional storms, some severe, are expected area-wide later this evening into the overnight hours."

This leaves the possibility of flooding in the streets and trees and debris falling during the storm and winds. We encourage you to reach out to our office with any down branches, trees, and flooding. Streets and Sanitation will be working diligently to pick up any debris in the coming days.

We can be reached at yourvoice@ward43.org or by phone at 773-348-9500.

Please stay safe and don't make any unnecessary trips during this storm.

Peace,