Neighborhood groups plan crime response

By -

A packed Feb. 6 community meeting prompted a joint response from neighborhood groups.

Organizers of the West Town Public Safety Committee thank the neighbors who came to the initial March 4 meeting in the Goldblatt's Building, 1625 W. Chicago Ave. It was an outstanding meeting with all attendees providing insights on their interest and how they thought they could assist our community and the Chicago Police Department in reducing crime.

Among initiatives discussed were development of an app that could be downloaded by neighbors and would push out alerts of suspicious person, crimes, etc. Things like this are possible when you have a theoretical physicist and a technology company professional in the room.

One volunteer, who could not attend but sent a letter, is a Guardian Angel and wants to help organize "citizen patrols" in the area. Other participants have connections to elected officials and will use those relationships to lobby for passage of appropriate legislation. All in all, it was an inspirational meeting.

Election of co-chairs was delayed until the next meeting, as there were people interested in serving who were not able to attend. The framework of the WTPSC calls for two co-chairs: one from north of Chicago Avenue and one from south of Chicago Avenue. One of the chairs will concentrate on federal and state legislation and the other city and county-level dialogue and initiatives. All committee members are urged to attend CAPS and neighborhood association meetings.

A big thank you to West Town Bakery, which provided coffee and scones. We had plenty left over, and they were taken to the 12th District where they were enjoyed by 2nd- and 3rd-watch officers.

Please let us know if you have any questions, and for anyone interested in participating in this committee, contact us at westtownpublicsafetycmte@gmail.com.

Best,

  • Kim Shepherd, Smith Park Neighborhood Alliance, Beat 1221 Facilitator
  • Liz Tomka, President, West Town Neighbors Association
  • Lauren Weber, Board, Chicago Grand Neighbors Association
  • Lyn Wolfson, President, Chicago Grand Neighbors Association

Anselmo @properties business card,
Ask Nagel business card.

Popular posts from this blog

Crime puts La Spata on the spot

By -
Image
Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st Ward) speaks to East Village Association members June 13, 2022. Weekend gunfire turned a scheduled meeting with Ald. Daniel LaSpata into an hourlong discussion of public safety. Residents pressed the alderman on police response to calls and his own response to violent crime. The June 13 meeting was streamed on EVA's Facebook page . La Spata stated that the number of aggravated batteries and carjackings had fallen in East Village's two beats but a rise of robberies had been "frustrating." In weekly calls with 12th District Cmdr. Beth Giltmier, La Spata said he pushed for Chicago Avenue foot patrols. Residents asked if more street cameras would be installed in the ward, noting that early morning shots fired on their block two days before had no police response for more than an hour. La Spata said cameras were funded from the ward's discretionary "menu money" but he would not commit to funding cameras without consulting Giltmi...
Read more

Ald. Villegas gets to know East Village

By -
Image
36th Ward Ald. Gilbert Villegas meets East Vlllage Association members Sept. 12, 2022 at Roots Pizza. East Village Association membership meeting Sept. 12, 2022, at Roots Pizza, 1924 W. Chicago Ave. Presiding: Dan Johnson, director East Village again is split in Chicago's City Council redistricting. Ald. Gilbert Villegas introduced himself to East Village Association members Sept. 12. In turn, members sounded him out on how he works with community groups on neighborhood issues. The remap pushes Villegas' 36th Ward boundaries east along Grand Avenue from Belmont Cragin into East Village. A West Town satellite office at 2246 W. Chicago Ave. is staffed Tuesday through Thursday. "I ran in 2019 under an acronym that I still use today, which is PEACE—Public Safety, Education Accountability, City Services and Economic Development," Villegas told EVA members before taking questions. "I'm not an alderman that's about defunding the police. I'm an alderma...
Read more