"Hello. I am writing to you about an incident that took place between 4:10am and 4:30am on Sunday morning September 25, 2011.
I was riding a red line train Sunday morning (going home from work). I had gotten on at Belmont (945 West Belmont Avenue), traveling northbound. The train was fairly full, and a group of young men entered the fourth (last) car through the "emergency" door from the third car.
I don't know which stop they actually got on at, somewhere between Belmont and Wilson. They (5 or 6 of them) were singing/rapping/chanting some song about "Blood Money" and were having a great time standing on the seats, going from one end of the car to the other, and generally intimidating and causing a ruckus.
3 or 4 girls also joined the group a few minutes later, but they didn't do anything besides add to the volume of the group.
This went on between Wilson and Bryn Mawr, when many of them started to exit the train. One of them called the others back, and held the train doors open until they agreed to stay on until Thorndale (1118 West Thorndale Avenue).
This was the first alert, I think, that the driver had there might be trouble. The driver had to tell them over the PA more than once to stop blocking the doors.
While I was on "high alert" with my spidey senses sounding an alarm, they hadn't actually done anything harmful, and I didn't want to draw attention to myself by crossing the car to call the driver prior to Bryn Mawr. (I was across from where the (emergency) button is).
However, after the train started moving away from Bryn Mawr (1119 West Bryn Mawr Avenue), someone seated near the center of the car said something that two of the group overheard. They proceeded to start beating him - he was still seated against the window with nowhere to go, and they were on top of him and pummeling his face.
At that point, everyone else seated (all double seats had at least one person in each, many had two) started leaving their seats to move to each end of the train car. At that point, I called the driver with the emergency button and told him what was going on. He said he had already radioed CPD.
I then moved forward through a group of passengers and yelled at the (obviously by now) gangbangers to KNOCK IT OFF! And sprayed one of them with my Mace (got his chest, missed his face - I regret that). It was enough to get them to stop, and by then the train was pulling into Thorndale. All the 'bangers got off and sauntered down the stairs, followed by the guy they beat up. He was bleeding profusely from his nose and mouth.
The train moved on, and I conversed briefly with several of the group who had congregated at the far end of the train car near where I had been seated. We then noticed a knife in the aisle. I had a receipt in my bag and used that to pick it up, and then we were nearing Loyola (1200 West Loyola Avenue), which is my stop and also the stop for the group I had spoken with.
We ran to the front of the train to speak in person with the operator and give our account of what happened. He said after a few moments that he heard back from the police and that there was no one around the stop at Thorndale, where the 'bangers had exited, and that no report would be filed because they didn't find anything. I asked him what to do with the knife, since it was evidence, and he said it didn't matter because there was no report filed.
The driver left the front car and walked back to the fourth car to see the blood splattered all over the seat and wall, and splattered along the aisle out the door. He moved everyone left from that car to the third one and closed the fourth car up.
At that point, there was nothing left to talk about, so I left with the knife still wrapped in the receipt and headed to the 24th district police station to drop it off. I told them what happened and didn't get much reaction from them, either, but they took the knife from me, still wrapped in the receipt, and said they would 'enter it.'"
Signed, Kat E.
And these types of incidents will continue to occur because CPD doesn't care. They honestly don't care and seem very uninterested when a person reports acts of violence. Sometimes it seems like it's a bother to them when taking a report or pretend to investigate an incident.
ReplyDeleteCTA trains are beyond dangerous!!!! I used to think the trains were a little safer on the north side. Not anyone. Most of the south side and west side trash has infested the north side by a of CTA. Now riding the train is a complete gamble!
ReplyDeleteAs the writer of the email, all I can say is: I'm getting a bigger can of Mace! I could switch to buses, but that would add significantly to my commute. I live right next to the El.
ReplyDelete@Kat,
ReplyDeleteGood for you for using that mace. Just be careful and AIM:)
@ Anonymous 7:46: Instead of blaming police, blame your mayor. He is the one refusing to replace the over 3000 (soon to be over 4000) empty police positions. The CPD is severely understaffed. That is why these animals feel free to move around areas that were once well patrolled. Educate yourself on what the real issues are and put the blame where it belongs.
ReplyDeleteI agree the police are overwhelmed with these animals. I lived on the South side and was afraid to take the train, but then I moved to the North side and thought it was safe up here to take public transportation...Boy was I wrong. These animals are no longer afraid to venture up north and attack whitey! No part of the city is immune from these savages. Good job with the mace Kat.
ReplyDeleteHey Kat, On Amazon I saw a Mace gun that looks like a starter's pistol, shoots really far and accurate. Even comes with pressurized water cartridges so you can practice your aim. I'm getting one myself
ReplyDeleteI've considered that Mace gun. It's a little bulky for my taste. I have the Magnum-size Pepper Gel by Mace, it has up to 18 feet as the range, which seems OK with me. I was 10-12 feet from the guy I maced, I got his chest because I didn't account for the arc. Hopefully there won't be a next time, but I'm more prepared now. Anyway, thanks for all y'all's support!
ReplyDeleteTo say the cops don't care...you are out of your mind. Listen to the police scanner on any given night....Those cops are running around ragged trying to stop the lunacy. If I was a cop I would lose it. I will post the link to the online police scanner so you can listen for yourself on any night. I thought the cops were part of the problem too until I listen to the calls that they all respond too. You can't have a cop on every corner unless you want to pay for it. I'm sure you would then complain about all the taxes. If you see weirdness or something that's not right call 911 before an incident happens. Also make sure you give them 100% good details because a ton of calls come in with not enough info. Why don't YOU try and be proactive instead of complaining about the police. You WOULDN'T want their job for all the money in the world.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious why the person who was beaten got off at the same stop. If you had been the one beaten, would you get off at the same stop? When I was followed from the brown line and attacked [happily not hurt] the thug who was caught and I identified was 14 years old and had been hauled in every day for the previous two weeks by the police for similar crimes. I hear he has been sentenced to 6 years for a greater crime
ReplyDeleteNot to mention the first responders (police & firefighters) don't get paid nearly enough for what they have to do and put up with. Who can blame them for not being "Officer Friendly?" When I was younger, we respected the police and if I did some of the things or talked the way some of these ghetto thugs talk, I'd still be grounded!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous@8:29 - I linked this on EveryBlock and the question came up there, too. The bloodied guy had gotten on at Belmont, the same as me. I had already noticed him as trouble then. He was harassing people about being gay. My best guess is he couldn't keep his trap shut when the group started getting rowdier, which is why they turned on him. My bet is he's a rival 'banger. It's not like he would seek medical attention (unless incapacitated) or press charges. The group ran out of there, and he sort of sauntered out long after them,just before the doors closed, trying to be casual (was probably a little shocky, too) going down the stairs. Another bet is that was his stop anyway, and he needed to get home. Since he was still conscious and able to walk, that's what he did.
ReplyDeletethank you for posting what happened.
ReplyDeleteScrew that other website, here's how a typical thread over there goes:
ReplyDeleteSomebody complains about something legitimate, like giant baby strollers or psycho homeless, being very careful to make the post as PC as possible (when it doesn't need to be)
Then, a few minutes pass. Some know it all liberal nitpicks one word or phrase in the post, they release the pheremones that summon the other liberals and then all the know it all liberals (usually social workers or mental health professionals) dogpile the thread originator.
Yet another person is run off from the site.
Hi there Peter.
ReplyDeleteHere's a copy-and-paste of what I posted today on EveryBlock:
ReplyDeleteSmall update - I saw the guy I Maced today, around 4pm 9/30/11. He was with a group of people, 5-6, and got on the Red Line southbound at Granville. The same car that I was in!
I got up, he would have come in the doors I was sitting right in front of, and moved to the other end of the car. The doors stayed open for long enough for me to turn chicken and exit. I was trying to sort of discreetly watch him, and he looked in my direction a couple of times - I didn't see a look of recognition, though.
I have a feeling this isn't the last time I'm going to see him, and that maybe I've seen him before but just never noticed because there wasn't any reason to. My game plan for next time is to try to switch cars asap and call 911. I can't do nothing, but I have to stay safe, too
I have run ins with crackheads and other wastes of air all the time, believe me they never really recognize me again after the initial confrontation. I've heard more than once "All you white people look alike".
ReplyDeleteI'm getting a video camera real soon and I'm going to start filming the ghetto action I see so frequently and contribute to this website quite a bit. Wait for it.
I have lived in Bowmanville,Lincoln Square for over thirty years, ride the EL almost every day, walk my dog day and night and have never had a bad experience with crime or "Gang Bangers". I know there's plenty of crime in Chicago especially in certain neighborhoods but you people make it sound like it's out of control outside the "bad areas". Chicago's a great city.
ReplyDeleteWell, Anon at 10:12am, just go hang around Uptown for a few hours, bask in the glow of Wilson and Broadway, then saunter over to JJ Peppers and the Lawrence House for a bit. Top it off with hanging near the Wilson's Mens club and Truman, then wait for the 151 to take you away at Wilson and Sheridan, you'll lose faith in humanity after a day or two of seeing that crap.
ReplyDelete