Category: Chicago

14-year-old Boy Severely Beaten, Skull Fractured

Posted on by TL

From the Chicago Tribune:

A 14-year-old boy severely beaten in Chicago’s  Edgewater neighborhood was able to talk to detectives Thursday after undergoing surgery for a fractured skull, police said.

The boy, a freshman at Mather High School, was chased down the 6300 block of North Paulina Street on Wednesday evening by three males who beat him, police said. One hit him with a pipe, they said.

“The victim spoke briefly with detectives and was able to relay some details of the incident,” Police Officer Gabrielle Lesniak said. “His account is still a little shaky.”

The boy was in critical condition at Children’s Memorial Hospital but expected to live, police said. No one is in custody, but officers believe the beating is gang-related, Police Supt. Jody Weis said.

“That doesn’t take away from the violence that he faced,” said Weis, who indicated that police have identified members of a particular gang as the assailants.

Gangs.  This was all about gangs.  14-years-old.

Again, we need to stop and consider.  These are our children doing this.

Our children.

Memorial for Derrion Albert Goes All Wrong…

Posted on by TL

I can’t even imagine the emotions….

From the  Chicago Sun-Times:

About 250 neighbors, Fenger graduates and self-proclaimed community activists angrily shouted at each other during a boiling protest of street violence during the vigil called in response to the Thursday mob beating that took Derrion’s life.

One neighborhood activist who called herself, “Queen Sister,” chanted through a bull horn and led a group of people to the school’s front door demanding to be let in before being turned away. Some people stood nose-to-nose arguing over whether the gathering should be in memory of Derrion or a protest of the violence that killed him. Chicago police were there to calm the crowd.

“Our community has been reduced to nothing more than a killing field,” Queen Sister said.

Fenger graduate Charles Barkley, 18, said “Our community needs to be saved. … We need to reach out to our youth and let them know the right way to go. All this gang banging, there ain’t no reason for it.”

Earlier this afternoon, three teenagers were ordered held without bail for the vicious beating death of Derrion, who was 16.

Four teens now have been charged.

Enough is enough.

We need to take a good, hard look at how this happened in the first place.

It was about gangs.  And this honor student was pulled in, and he lost his life.  And at least four teens have lost the rest of their lives as well.

This cannot happen again. Ever.

16-year-old Derrion Albert Beaten to Death in a Mob of Children

Posted on by TL

According to police, 16-year-old Derrion Albert was an innocent victim who was dragged into a mob of teens fighting on Chicago’s South Side.

The news comes from WLS-TV, ABC 7 in Chicago:

Authorities say 16-year-old Derrion Albert was walking from school in broad daylight when he was beaten to death.

It happened on Thursday in Chicago’s Roseland community on the far South Side in the 300-block of West 111th Street.

According to authorities, Derrion Albert was kicked, punched and beaten to death by several teens near the Agape Community Center.

Police say about a dozen teens were in a massive fight with sticks around 2:30 p.m. Albert got dragged into the mob.

Albert was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and pronounced dead around 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

Witnesses say the fight that Albert appeared to have walked into was between mostly students from his school, Fenger High, identified by the uniforms they wore.

"These were kids beating kids," said Milton Massie, director, Agape Community Center.

Police are studying video from outside the Agape Community Center. One witness said she saw kids go in after Albert with two-by-fours:

"It looked like 100 kids. We’re talking about kids all over the place, in every direction…On the video, there were kids hopping over cars. The kids had huge sticks. They were going after each other. It seemed as if it was not so much a targeted, but it was random," said Massie.

"Everyone was just letting him get beat…it was basically like he was really by himself," said Tynesha Jackson, witness.

"He was down and they started kicking him. Then I saw they had, like two-by-fours, that’s when we realized that someone need to do something," said Linda Cotton, Agape Community Center.

The center employees pulled Albert’s beaten body to safety.

"He would gasp for a breath a few times but he was unconscious and lying there," said Cotton.

But it was too late.

According to his grandfather who raised him, Albert attended Bible class on Tuesday evenings and church on Sunday.

Our children did this.

I’m simply stunned at this point. I need to reflect and pray about this, how this could have possibly happened. We need to reflect and pray about this one, and for Derrion Albert and his family.

Our children did this.

Read the entire report here.

The Terrible Tragedy of Chris Kelly’s Death

Posted on by TL

I absolutely feel nothing but profound regret learning of the death of Chris Kelly, one of the ex-governor’s closest friends and advisers.  I fear that this terrible tragedy is only harbinger of things to come in the weird mess that is Rod Blagojevich’s soap opera.

I can’t even comment on Blago’s response in the aftermath of Kelly’s death, today ruled a suicide by Country Club Hills police.

From the Sun-Times:

Country Club Hills police confirmed today that Chris Kelly — a one-time top aide to former Gov. Blagojevich — committed suicide Saturday.

No one else is believed to have been involved in his death.

The political insider, who sources said ingested an “extraordinarily large dose of aspirin,’’ did so in a construction trailer in a lot where he kept construction equipment, police said.

A sleeping bag, photos of his three children, an empty bottle of Aleve, and an unopened box of rat poison were found at the scene near 173rd and Cicero, police said.

How tragic.  What a terrible way to go.

And it’s not over.  The legacy of Rod Blagojevich is shrouded in the blood of his friends.

From the Chicago Tribune:

[Country Club Hills Police Chief Regina] Evans said the suburb’s investigation has concluded the death “was an apparent suicide” and no one else was involved. “There is no evidence whatsoever of involvement by other persons.”

The chief said a friend of Kelly’s gave police a note that may have been written by Kelly. She stopped short of calling it a suicide note, and declined to describe its contents in deference to Kelly’s family. 

Evans described the note as rambling and “personal in nature,” but not addressed to anyone in particular.

She said it hasn’t even been confirmed it was written by Kelly, but the “implication was it may have been.” The note has been sent to the state crime lab for analysis, she said.

What a mess.  Thanks, Rod.  Continue to argue for your innocence.

But, remember, Rod, the death of Chris Kelly is now your legacy.

Judy Baar Topinka, Make-Up and All, Running For State Comptroller

Posted on by TL

Judy Baar Topinka is running for State Comptroller.

I wish her luck.  Really.  And have a “Close Encounters of the Judy Kind” story to share.

First, from CBS 2 Chicago:

Judy Baar Topinka, once the main face of the Illinois Republican Party, is staging a political comeback after being defeated in the 2006 governor’s race by the since-indicted Rod Blagojevich. 

But she’s not setting her sights on the top of the 2010 Republican ticket and mounting an “I-told-you-so” campaign this time. Instead, the former three-term state treasurer sees the bottom of the ticket as the place to reinvigorate her political career. 

Topinka is circulating voter petitions to get on the Feb. 2 ballot as a candidate for state comptroller, the post that Democrat Dan Hynes will vacate to campaign against Gov. Quinn in his party’s gubernatorial primary. 

With the soreness of her 2006 loss having eased, Topinka, 65, comes at this election having warned voters — long before his ouster from office and indictment — that Blagojevich was a political time bomb waiting to explode.

She was right about Blago.  I have no idea if she’s right for State Comptroller.

At any rate, a few years ago, during the gubernatorial campaign in Illinois, I had the opportunity to accompany some Young Democrats to the IVI-IPO’s annual awards dinner in Chicago.

As we entered the ballroom, we located our table and found Judy Baar Topinka herself standing right next to our table chatting with folks, holding a 20 oz. cup of coffee.

The Young Dems, a high school group I shepherded for several years, took their seats at their table.

Just then, Judy finished chatting with whoever she was chatting with, and turned and faced those of us seated at this table.

The next moment was strange, and left us all with an eerie feeling.

Ms. Topinka looked at my group seated at the table and swooped her face over us, literally, bellowing, “Hello-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!”

It was quite odd.  The high school kids just froze and looked at each other. I recall that her make-up looked pasty white.  Pasty white.  No kidding.

The silence lasted a breath or two.

At this point, Ms. Topinka muttered something, and walked away.

After she left, one of the kids told us Topinka said, “Must be a liberal table!” And with that, she strolled away.

Look, I honestly wish Ms. Topinka well in the upcoming election cycle.  Certainly Rod (“What’s she thinking?!?!?!?) Blagojevich was the wrong man for the job.  Judy should have won.  But I’m not about to vote for her for Comptroller out of sympathy.  I’m looking very closely at David Miller right now.

But, Judy?  She needs to remember, in politics and elsewhere in life, first impressions are everything.

And we’ll always have Chicago.

“Hello-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!”

Chicago Argus: Democratic Senate Primary in Illinois No-Name Candidates

Posted on by TL

I enjoy Gregory Tajeda’s blog, Chicago Argus.  And while I like Alexi Giannoulias personally, Tajeda has a point when he accuses the current Democratic pols vying for Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat a bunch of no-names.

Giannoulias is fresh on the political scene.  And everyone else?

From Chicago Argus:

Am I losing my memory, or was there once a time when we political observers who are Illinois-oriented were talking about how our state’s campaign for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in 2010 could wind up being a fight between a Kennedy, a Jackson, and maybe even a Madigan?

So what happened?

IT SEEMS NOW like we’re going to get a scrap between a Giannoulias, a Hoffman and a Jackson. And by the latter, I mean Cheryle, not Jesse Jr.

And Tajeda is not very impressed with Republican David Hoffman either:

Inspector General for Chicago city government. In theory, that means he’s in charge of ferreting out corruption within city government, and there are those people who think that Hoffman was an annoyance to Mayor Richard M. Daley because of the way that his office pointed out that the leasing out of city parking meters to a private company became a public mess.

BOTTOM LINE AS far as most people are concerned – Hoffman has an incredible grasp of the obvious. Some might want to argue that corruption doesn’t appear to be on the decline due to Hoffman, so how much could he have succeeded?

Anyway, Hoffman is now unemployed. He quit his post on Wednesday so he could devote his full time to a campaign for Senate.

Look, I believe Tajeda raises some valid points.  Democrats need to consider this race carefully.  Playing pick-up basketball with Barack Obama does not alone qualify one to be a U.S. Senator.

I’d like to know more as well.

Click here and read the rest.

Scott Fawell, All Smiles Out of Prison, Not Sorry About Anything

Posted on by TL

When I think about how over-scrupulous I’ve been at times during my life, I have to wonder about the apparent lack of  scruples among some pols and certain others in government.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Scott Fawell turned on Gov. George Ryan “to save the love of his life,” not because it was the right thing to do.

Well, good for him.  Losing any sleep over the six children who were killed in a fiery crash?

Not at all.

Consider:

Less than a year after his release from the U.S. prison system, Scott Fawell isn’t all that sorry.

Sure, he pleaded guilty and testified against his now-imprisoned ex-boss and mentor, former GOP Gov. George Ryan. But Fawell — Ryan’s onetime chief of staff and campaign manager — says he turned against Ryan to save the woman he loves.

Yes, he understands the public’s perception that the licenses-for-bribes scandal under Ryan led to the deaths of six children in a fiery highway crash. But “do I feel any responsibility?” he says. “No I really don’t.”

And what about all those political friends that Fawell carefully cataloged in lists that the feds seized and used to put Ryan and him away?

They’ve deserted him.

“I’ve been very disappointed in the people that are friends of mine,” Fawell said. “If it was a reverse situation and one of my friends of mine came back, I would have done anything I could to help. You know, that’s friendship. And friendship should go beyond prison.”

Fawell and his co-defendant and fiancée, Andrea Coutretsis, broke six years of silence Wednesday night on WTTW-Channel 11’s “Chicago Tonight.” In a 25-minute interview, they tackled subjects including the despair of leaving their families for prison to the plight of Ryan’s successor, recently indicted ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and Blagojevich’s co-defendants.

Kudos to Carol Marin for landing this interview, and for conducting it so eloquently.

Watch it here.

You know what?  Stick to your scruples. Keep your soul.  Whether you believe in a Higher Power or not, you don’t want to rush in where angels fear to tread.

Sun-Times: Todd Stroger Will Promote You If You Give Him Money

Posted on by TL

All patronage in Chicago and everywhere else in government must cease.  Now.  No excuses.  No Loopholes.  No exceptions.

The latest from the Chicago Sun-Times about wannabe wunderkind Todd Stroger:

Patronage workers with the Cook County Forest Preserve District are seeing more green these days — in their paychecks.

With people everywhere facing tough financial times, the 28 forest preserve patronage workers who’ve been on the payroll since 2006 all got hefty raises in the following two years, an analysis by the Chicago Sun-Times and the Better Government Association has found. They’re among 38 forest preserve workers who are exempt from the Shakman court order that bans political hiring in city and county government.

On average, the exempt employees were paid $98,071 last year. Nine of them saw their salaries increase 19 percent or more between 2006 and 2008.

Most of the Shakman-exempt employees — 24 in all — have contributed to the campaign funds of Cook County Board President Todd Stroger; his late father, former board President John Stroger; or the 8th Ward Regular Democratic Organization that John Stroger controlled.

The Strogers and the party organization have gotten a total of $49,870 in campaign contributions from the exempt employees since the mid-1990s. The biggest contributor: Deputy Comptroller Alvin Lee ($12,100), followed by district police chief Richard Waszak ($8,050).

That’s their right, says district spokesman Steve Mayberry, who says Todd Stroger never has solicited forest preserve employees for campaign cash.

“It is the First Amendment right of all private citizens … to make political contributions to whomever they please,” says Mayberry, himself a Shakman-exempt employee who has given $3,905 to Stroger organizations.

So this is a First Amendment issue?  Let me exercise my First Amendment rights: This is an abuse. It smells bad because it is bad.

A friend in Chicago tells me if you work for the city, you vote Democratic.  If you don’t vote Democratic, you won’t work for the city for long.

This has to stop.

Sorry, but I do not consider many Chicago Democrats to be true Democrats.  They are people doing favors for a select group with public money.  And that’s wrong.

My friends who defend Todd Stroger will tell me, “That’s just the way it is.  You don’t understand how things work.”

No, I don’t understand.  Patronage makes for extremely expensive government.  It’s a horribly inefficient way to run any governmental body.

And it must stop.

I strongly urge the State Legislature to close these loopholes that allow for “Shakman-exempt employees.”

11-year-old Adonis Bell Saves His Family

Posted on by TL

Adonis Bell saved the lives of his family early Wednesday morning when a fire broke out in his grandma’s Roselind two-flat.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

At 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, the 11-year-old woke up when a fan started pushing heavy black smoke into the room where he slept.

He was the only one in his grandma’s Roseland two-flat to notice.

Barefoot in a tank top and jogging pants, Adonis went to the kitchen where he saw the ceiling on fire near his bedroom — billowing black smoke and orange flames that were gnawing a giant hole above the kitchen stove.

The boy remained calm.

“I knew what to do,” Adonis said. “A fireman came to our school.”

He ran to wake his mother, who told him to get his 2-year-old godsister, Jordan Hobbs, out of the house.

That’s what the fireman at school said, too. “Get myself and everybody out. He told us not to grab any stuff,” Adonis remembered. “Just get out.”

Firefighters tell us every second counts in a structure fire.  I saw a controlled demonstration of such a fire once in Park Forest.  The flames grew tall and hot very fast.

Quick thinking, Mr. Bell.  Kudos to you, sir.  You saved the lives of every member of your family in the house that night.

Mayor Daley, this young man deserves official recognition from your office.  He’s one of Chicago’s finest.

Read the rest of the story here.

Patrick Kane Pleads Not Guilty; Looks So, So Young

Posted on by TL

I really feel for Patrick Kane’s parents.

As the father of a 23-year-old, I can’t imagine what these two are going through watching their 20-year-old son paraded in front of the cameras over misdemeanor charges for allegedly roughing up a cab driver.

He looked every one of his 20 years as he spoke to the press.

Kane is lucky he was not charged with a felony.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Blackhawks star winger Patrick Kane and his cousin pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges in Buffalo, N.Y. Thursday for allegedly roughing up a cab driver during an argument.

“Today was a tough day for us,” Kane, 20, said following his afternoon arraignment, which lasted about five minutes.

“You know, I just reiterated to the judge that I’m not guilty of any crime. . . .Right now, much more can’t be said. I’m confident in the legal process. I believe in it, and hopefully this time will be behind me.”

On Wednesday, an Erie County, N.Y. grand jury threw out the more serious second-degree robbery felony charges against Kane and his cousin, James Kane, 21, but indicted them on third-degree assault, theft of services and harassment.

The cousins’ next court date is scheduled for Thursday morning, but they are not required to appear at that hearing.

The pair, who are free without bail, are allegedly working on a plea agreement, according to the Buffalo News.

Click on the link above and read the Sun-Times’ account of the incident.  It sounds bad.

Mom and Dad, you’ll get through this.  But your son must face the music.