Chicago alderman leads 'safety walk' on North Side amid crime surge
CHICAGO - Eleven robberies and carjackings since December 6th: the Alderman of the 43rd ward calls the situation "frightening" and "frustrating."
Thursday night on the 2100 block of North Fremont, Alderman Michele Smith led the first of a series of "safety walks," to show neighborhood strength.
"We're going to show that we don't accept crime happening in our community," Smith said.
She says while other violent crime is down in her ward, carjackings and robberies have skyrocketed. Of late, these crimes have featured 2 or 3 crews who drive through the neighborhood and commit several crimes within rapid succession of one another. Smith says the spree shows the absolute brazenness of criminals right now.
"There's been a lot," she said. "I think I counted eleven in two weeks, which is just unacceptable. It's an unacceptable number."
Most of the crimes are unsolved, but police did arrest 19-year old Emanuel Rivera for the Tuesday carjacking of a 59-year old man near Orchard and Webster, whose car was later recovered. The Chicago Police Department has assigned up to 51 more officers to patrol Lincoln Park & Lakeview — both bike patrols and marked and unmarked squad patrols.
"I will not put up with the notion that it is unsafe to walk in our neighborhood. I will not surrender that right to fear," Smith said.
Smith will be leading another safety walk Friday night on the 1800 Block of North Dayton; she says the walks will continue indefinitely as a show of community strength.