Chicago residents fed up, hold meeting with city leaders after elderly victims robbed at gunpoint

CHICAGO - A community meeting was held Wednesday night to address a recent string of armed robberies that are targeting elderly people on the South Side.

There have been at least three reports since late December in the Avalon Park, Calumet Heights, and South Deering communities.

Neighbors say they are worried the suspects are following the victims as they run errands.

Police and multiple aldermen took part in the gathering.

"Our communities are under siege because young folks, young people — a child!," said Alderwoman Michelle Harris.

One of the armed robberies occurred in her 8th ward in the 8900 block of South Creiger Avenue — a 78-year-old woman was robbed at gunpoint.

"We are senior citizens, and we are afraid to go get our medicines," one resident said.

This resident is talking about an 82-year-old woman that was robbed in the 9100 block of South Luella. The woman was in her front yard when suspects put a gun in her face.

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Neighbors fear the suspects are casing out their victims.

"They were coming back from running errands, so the thought might be they are tracking them from where they're coming from," said resident Paul Chester.

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown was slammed with questions from angry residents demanding answers on what will be done about the crime.

"The fourth district along with all our other districts are short police officers," Brown said.

Three judges from the juvenile courts were also present. Judge Darrell Jones answered a question about the young offenders committing most of the crimes not being held in custody.

"We have to follow the law and the law, the first option is not to hold in custody. Sometimes it's necessary, sometimes we have to. But that's not what the law want us to do as the first choice," Jones said.

Supt. Brown says officers are placed in areas based on crime trends in the communities, and that the department will review where officers are deployed based on resident feedback tonight.