Heartbreaking news

The teenage girl who drove into the embankment at the deadend of Brummel on Friday died today.

That is very sad news.
I thought she was out of the woods since she made it so long.

I know its not really my business, but does anyone know what possessed her to do that?
I was driving the car just ahead of her, I think she must have waited for me to park so she would have a clear shot. I had just pulled into a spot in lot 18 when I heard the crash.
So shocking- so sad....my heart goes out to her family.

Jill Birschbach


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From: QT - Ann Rainey <qtopic+3-PTurbdRYBOn6hl24iI3@quicktopic.com>
< replied-to message removed by QT >

On a less tragic note.

Bikers, have you heard of RevoPower's $400 bicycle wheel which replaces the front wheel converting a bicycle to a moped on demand?

The front wheel is replaced with a 12 pound 25cc two stroke engine within the wheel, and the fuel tank rests in the water bottle cage.

Junad this will make you happy.

I hear that the windows were left open in the Oakton school auditorium during the recent downpours. Is this to makes sure that the murals are further damaged in case the roof leaks have been repaired? Whomever is giving money to restore them should probably have second thoughts.

Our taxes at work!

Candace, Karen or Diane - can any of you comment on Vito's posting?

I can't confirm whether the Oakton auditorium windows were left open during the downpour earlier this week. But I understand that people are using the building this summer so, without air conditioning, it's likely that every window in the building is open.

I'm glad to call the District 65 office on the next business day (I'll try Monday...don't know if it's open) and raise the issue. If, because there's no air conditioning, the windows must be left open for extended periods, perhaps the windows need to be modified on the outside to keep rain from reaching the (hopefully soon-to-be renovated) murals. Or perhaps the auditorium will need to be air conditioned to protect the murals?

Ann,

Did Vito hear that any water had gotten in the auditorium, or did someone just see that the windows were open? If they are the windows I am familiar with, they are very, very high up and quite protected by eaves. I would be very surprised if very much water got in, and if any of it ended up on the murals.

But, a school is not a museum, those murals are in an auditorium that is also used as a gym/play space. Balls bounce off those mural walls. This is well understood by the art conservators and I'm sure that they will be restored with the most durable materials possible. That space won't ever be pristine and protected. What's most interesting, however, is that despite co-existing with small children for decades, there are parts of the murals that are in pretty good shape. The severe damage that needs to be repaired was a result of roof repair that was not completed in a timely manner.

Candace

Ann,
The loiterers on Brummel have been leaving an enormous amount of trash behind each night. Would it make any sense to fine the owners of the properties where they hang out for all the garbage? Maybe this would make the owners try to keep these large groups from hanging out on their front lawns for hours on end. Or at least make them clean up early every morning.

Edited by author 07-02-2006 01:26 AM
Some concerns & other items:

* The trash continues to infect the Custer & Brummel Area. The Police were out in force at Custer & Brummel Saturday Night/Sunday Morning (12:45AM)breaking up a very large group of trash hanging around.

* The Evanston Police need to start holding roll-calls in the middle of Custer & Brummel (at night). It will be a very long summer if not.

* For Sale Signs are going up in the area again. Not a good sign.

* The neighbors are the ones calling the police. The police need to be more proactive and detect problems before incidents occur, not having residents call when something occurs all the time. I really believe they (police) just drive by large groups and do nothing anymore.

* I see very little foot patrol anymore, if any at all.

* Move the Command Van closer to Custer & Brummel. If the Evanston Police can't handle the trash, maybe they should request help from another law enforcement agency.

* It just doesn't appear as if they are as effective like they use to be down here.

* Chicago Police had a very large roll-call at Damen & Howard on Thursday Night? No Evanston Police around from what I could see.

I think that an early curfew for this area needs to be instituted immediately as an emergency measure until these groups of individuals can get their intense need to beat the crap out of each other out of their systems. I did not pay upwards of a quarter million dollars for a front row ticket to monthly riots, stabbings and beatings. Tonight someone was taken away in an ambulance. It's only a matter of time until someone gets killed.

Hey there everybody! I don't usually post on this board, but I figured I'd relay my experience of seeing a man get beaten unconscious in front of my house, right here in the 8th ward.

I came home from a concert (Nine Inch Nails, great show) at about 12:45 am to find my wife Kristin in the window watching a group of young people (about 30 or so) gather at Custer and Brummel. They were arguing and shouting about something. Eventually several cars stopped at the stop sign on Custer there, prevented from moving due to the group blocking their way. There seemed to be some altercation between those in the group and those in the cars, and possibly others in the group.

Finally a larger man (I didn't see where he came from) started to go after one of the skinnier guys. It didn't take long before the skinny guy was smacked in the head, and went down. The bigger guy proceeded to whale on him -- just hitting him and kicking him again and again in the head until he stopped moving. I felt like I was watching TV. A strange experience.

We had called the police multiple times over the past ten minutes as things started to escalate. Just as the larger man finished with the smaller man and had made it about 50 feet away the first police car showed up. The large man, blood on his hands, took off jogging between buildings -- the police were more concerned about the unconscious man in the street than they were about catching the perp (I agree with that prioritization). Eventually the guy woke up, and was carted away in an ambulance. He seemed to have a hard time getting up -- not surprisingly. I think he should be lucky he's alive -- there have been multiple stabbings in this neighborhood, and I'm just waiting for the day when the bullets start flying.

I think this was a great example of what can be prevented by having a more steady police presence at Custer and Brummel, Custer and Dobson, and the park down the street. This is not the first time groups of young poeple have grown, argued, escalated, and gotten violent. By having just a few police officers around from 9 pm to 3 am they can use their networking tools to pull in back-up when things start to get nasty. If they had been there this whole thing (and many other incidents like it) would never have happened. I'm not blaming the police -- I am sure that they would love to be here but they are busy in other areas. This just means we need more police -- I would be more than happy to have my taxes raised to cover the additional cost (security costs money, unfortunately).

In addition, I think our curfew rules need to get stricter, or more strictly enforced. There is really no reason for large groups of people under 18 to amass in the street at all hours of the night -- I think it's perfectly reasonable to require that children go home after a certain hour. That could help the police deal with large groups like this more effectively, I would think. Of course, I'm sure many of those involved tonight were over 18, but hey, it's a start.

OK, I think that's all for now ...

Edited by author 07-02-2006 02:25 AM
I just got home and read the messages. I immediately called the patrol supervisor to get their account of what happened and the kid that got beat up is Christopher Smith of 717 Seward, I think something was mentioned about Des Plaines, not sure.

I said the same things you all are saying and demanded police presence throughout the night which I was assured there would be. I have fired off your comments to the chief and manager and will ask for a meeting on Monday.

I was told that the incident took place when cops left the area to bring in 2 for curfew. I also explained that if another incident took place I would call both the chief and the city manager at home regardless of time. The sgt assured me that police are present now and will be present all night.

Please let me know, when you all called the EPD about the groups did the cops come?

My husband Dave just posted, but I feel the need to add my voice to the conversation to emphasize how many people are concerned about the situation on the corner of Custer and Brummel.

I don't really know what to say. Dave described what happened quite well. I am very aware of the ramifications of my words, and so I am trying to choose them carefully. I want to be sensitive to everyone involved, especially the police (with whom I hope to work as a chaplain soon) ... And yet I also feel the need to relay the details of the event in an honest way in order to let everyone know what occurred, and to put forth observations on how the brawl could have been prevented.

I was in my study with the windows open around 12:30 Saturday night/ Sunday morning, when I heard loud voices coming from the street. I went to investigate, and saw a large group (about 20-30) of young people confronting people in an old white car that was stopped in the middle of the 100 block of Custer (pretty much in front of my building). Almost as soon as I got to my window, it became clear that an altercation was breaking out. I immediately called the police (and left my name and number, as I have been well-trained to do!). The person at the desk told me that there had already been calls and the police were on their way.

While I was waiting, the car pulled away and turned east down Brummel. The crowd did not disperse, but largely stayed on the corner of Custer and Brummel and milled about.

About ten minutes later, the police still had not come and my husband came home from his concert. A few minutes after that, a commotion seemed to come from the western portion of Brummel and reached the Custer/Brummel corner again. Things started to heat up; people were milling in the streets, blocking cars in the intersection. When it became very clear that another altercation was arising and the police were still not there, I called the EPD again.

At this point, as Dave has described, it got very violent. The victim was beaten to the ground, and lay motionless in the Custer/Brummel intersection. A large crowd had gathered by this time -- perhaps 40-50 people -- and many were screaming, yelling, and crying. Just as I dialed 911, the cops came and the crowd began to disperse. It was amazing how quickly some of them could move when motivated.

I can't emphasize enough how much I respect the police, and how quickly and efficiently the situation was contained once they arrived. The problem was in their arrival time. Perhaps part of the fault was mine, since I called the non-emergency number the first two times. But I tried to make it very clear that this was a potentially serious situation, not just a "loud kids on the corner" call.

As important as it is for the neighbors in this area to be actively involved in "crime watch," a civilian cannot be expected to walk into that kind of situation to diffuse the tension. This is something only the police can do. I am thus very concerned that we will be losing the regular presence of the paddy wagon soon, and that officials (police? city counsel? who knows?) feel the need to redistribute resources to other areas of Evanston. I try to keep up with Evanston news via EvanstonNow, police reports, and this board, and nowhere do I see the level, depth, and persistence of violence that I view when I look out my front window.

Crime in the rest of Evanston is egregious and must not be tolerated -- but often it seems to be of an essentially random nature (such as opportunistic car break-ins or a small-to-medium group of people robbing someone of their wallet). Again, I do not mean to minimize this. But the problems we are seeing in the Brummel Park area are systemic and chronic. There are people loitering on the Custer/Brummel corner EVERY DAY. I do not think it is a coincidence that we have had a major fight in the park (remember the 200+ kids with the broken bottles and baseball bats?), the Memorial Day Custer brawl (remember half of Evanston's police force on our one block?), and now this. This type of large-scale disruption happens nowhere else in Evanston. I will get up on any table presented to me and scream along with our alderman that WE NEED HELP.

I don't like to say this, but someone needs to express it. I met a new neighbor tonight. (It is unfortunate that my introduction to many of my neighbors has happened when we all come out of our homes bleary-eyed in the middle of the night to ask what on earth is happening.) She has been a resident of the area for a long time, but says that things are worse than she has ever seen them. She has decided that she will put her property up for sale soon and will move away to a more peaceful area.

We are losing people, and will continue to do so as long as this kind of thing happens in front of our buildings. I agree with Rachel, I did not pay a large amount of money for my property in order to be harassed by people on the corner daily and witness major brawls monthly. If we are not careful, people with the means to get out will do so -- and everyone who remains will be the worse for it.

I support Gordon's suggestions, namely that the paddywagon be moved closer to (if not ON) the corner of Custer and Brummel, and that there be more visible police presence on foot patrol in this area. Perhaps it would also help if we strengthened some of our laws, including imposing an earlier curfew on weekends, making sure we enforce noise and littering violations, and (I don't know whether these last two are constitutional) perhaps establishing anti-loitering ordinances and allowing the police's peace to be disturbed.

Something must be done. This kind of behavior is NOT OKAY, and we need to send an unequivocal message that we will not tolerate this kind of occurrence in our neighborhood.

I want to reiterate what Kristin said: this sort of altercation is NOT something for Neighborhood Watch members (or any neighbor, for that matter) to handle. Calling 911 is your best option, although you should be getting a quick response from non-emergency as well.

What about the parent(s)/guardian(s) of these people. Under or over 18, if they are in their teens, are they renting on their own?

Assuming there is police presence, do they move elsewhere and still do what they do? Spread the "joy" around?

What does it take to evict these people?

How many are from Chicago?

How many of these people are housed under HCVs?

Or are we too PC to ask such questions?

Friday night my family went over to the newly re-done Eiden Park on Washington Street. It was filled with children having fun and parents chatting. The neighborhood around it is filled with apartment buildings -- some condo, but many rental. Yet, there were no firecrackers, no wafting pot smoke, no roving groups of screaming, cursing people in white T-shirts, no unaccompanied young children -- none of the problems we are having here. What is the difference? Why is this happening here and not there?

Fights like the three that Kristin mentioned are the reason the police get so many non-emergency calls about large, noisy groups congregating. Lately, I feel as if these concerns are dismissed by the police and some members of the community as us being insensitive to cultural differences and not respecting the groups' right to gather. But look at what happens when these groups get out of hand -- we should all be concerned.

Tonight I plan to put on my neighborhood watch shirt, bring my chair outside, and sit out on the corner of Custer and Brummel after 10:00.