Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Ravenswood muggers made woman lay down, count to 20: cops

A woman robbed in Chicago’s North Side, Ravenswood community was forced to lie on the ground and count to 20 while the offenders escaped, said police.

Around 10:35 p.m., several males ambushed a woman on the 4400 block of North Wolcott Avenue, near Wolcott and Montrose. 

An unspecified number of offenders approached the woman from behind, shoved a hard object in her back, and demanded her valuables, said police.

Investigators said the victim did not see the robbers’ faces, but based on their voices, the victim believes the offenders are black.

The thieves stole the woman’s purse and a backpack containing a laptop, said authorities.

The victim was unable to tell police which way the suspects fled, because she was forced to lie on the ground and count while the thieves made their getaway, said a responding officer.

Photo credit: Google Maps 

34 comments:

  1. Laughing Gas SalesmanJuly 18, 2012 at 11:29 PM

    Catch them and kill them. Kill them all.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hmmm this one sounds a little fishy.
    "Stranger danger" and black too.
    Maybe they werent exactly strangers after all.
    False alligator?

    ReplyDelete
  3. "Ravenswood" was yet ANOTHER one of those "up and coming neighborhoods" hyped places they tried to get me to buy here in 2005.

    "Well he bought in Ravenswood", said the Jewish woman that well knew what they themselves did to Uptown and Edgewater.

    "I'm still not impressed", said I.

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  4. But I really/truly wonder what these "neighborhoods" were like back in their heyday (just like Detroit). It was "grand", said my Grandmother.

    Our forefathers built these places. My great-grandfather built and designed some beautiful churches only for me to watch them be turned into "charter schools" a couple of generations later.

    The only consolation for me is that they are not here to see this.

    All I see now are huts built out of discarded wooden pallets during business trips to Mexico and iron security bars on the windows of those beautiful Tudor mansions and apartment buildings in Chicago.

    (The "greystones" are depressing looking, too repetitive here and remind me of watching The Munsters).

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  5. Why are there so many incidents along Wolcott, near Montrose? It seems like a disproportionate amount of crime in the area happens there. On the surface, it's as nice as anyplace else in Ravenswood, Lincoln Square and North Center. There is the el, yet there are also stops at Western, Damen and Irving Park that don't seem to have as many incidents. So what's the explanation? Statistical fluke? Organizations like Thresholds and Heartland?

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  6. Because that is a known gang set turf. Montrose and Wolcott set.

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  7. That same idiot that puts "" around half his posts rambling about how smart he was not to buy a condo in whatever neighborhood is still text vomiting all over this site. Nobody cares about where you bought a condo, or how how many times you ramble about Detroit. Stfu. None of your posts make any sense. It's all worthless babble from a clueless retard.

    Your great grandfather didn't build shit, and would be embarrassed if he knew how stupid you are.

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  8. I lived at Wolcott & Sunnyside from 2006-2008 and never felt unsafe. This is a quiet neighborhood with a lot of businesses on Montrose. 10:30 pm isn't that late to be out. I feel bad for this woman and I hope the thugs are caught!

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  9. Most of the Thresholds people are just annoying weirdo types, they just wander around picking up cigarette butts, begging and thinking that they are a 17 year old black kid (when they are 50, white and fat).

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  10. Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling there's more section 8 housing that's gone up East of Ravenswood and Montrose. Seeing people who don't appear to be working anywhere in the area, just lurking. And I'm aware of the day labor guys who wait for rides near the L stop, not talking about them.

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  11. Not sure if it is related- but I think there are many apartments around this block, (vs single family homes) some of which have registered child offenders living there, so not sure what the overall mix of tenants is like. I always seem to get notices that this neighborhood has someone on the registry moving in/out so perhaps more transient than the typical blocks in Ravenswood area.

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  12. I was robbed last year on Francisco near Montrose. I don't think it has anything to do with section 8 or gangs. Just opportunic young punks. Makes me angry I no longer feel safe though I was not hurt in any way. Got everything back except my cell phone.

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    Replies
    1. Also the 'Threshold' types are not wierdos they are mentally ill with very few resources. Perhaps we should worry more about them than the stray cats.

      Delete
    2. Right, because Uncle Sam has declared that if you are mentally ill, you have to live in horrific poverty. They are punishing people for being sick.

      Delete
  13. One of the guys who work at the CTA Brown line stop says that the trouble stems from the all the rental apartments near the Montrose stop, not the single family homes. I hope alderman Pawar is paying attention. Maybe some better lighting along Wolcott people.

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  14. Known Latin King set, but they don't rob and steal on there own block this only brings unwanted attention to them. section 8 is a good place to start, notice all the loitering at the building on Sunnyside and the alley just east of the hospital (the old E.R ramp.) You'll find you perps.

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  15. Who wrote this? "IN Chicago's North Side COMMA Ravenswood community?"

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  16. I know they have difficulty: reading, paying bills, being on time, keeping their hands off of fat women, spending only 7 hours a day hanging out in front of liquor stores, and not taking care of their kids....but counting to 20? As if they would even know if she was counting in the proper order. 1...17...105....4.....333....20! Can I go now??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, please go now and hopefully you won't add to the gene pool with your flawed logic. Oh, and while you're at it, stay away. No one needs to see you clog up a perfectly good blog forum with racist, sexist, impulsive word vomit while you're in the manic phase of your un-treated Bipolar episode. You need help!

      Delete
  17. It seems like it is getting more like Hyde Park, when Kenwood High School students would rob people on their lunch hour.

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  18. In an economy as desperate as ours, socio-economic divides grow deeper. There are a lot of young folks out there who are taking advantage of the fact that there's an opportunity to victimize people who have access to more things than they have. We on the north side tend to be lured into this false sense of security with this notion that we are protected against the ailments of crime that have commonly been associated with less economically-fortunate neighborhoods. Let's face it, we have access to more disposable income, more objects of want, and our guards are down. We shouldn't have to fear walking the streets at night, we shouldn't have to worry about having expensive electronics on us; but with the advent of improved, accessible technology, coupled with declining employment, racial marginalization, degrading schools, and a lack of positive outlets for our youth, we have a recipe for class warfare, where the 'have-nots' go up against the 'haves.' It's not a purely racial thing, as many on here like to argue. There are plenty of white youth across this country who do the same things that were described here. It's class and economic disparity that causes people, especially disenfranchised youth, to resort to criminal behavior.

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  19. And then there's the added 'notariety' that's tagged onto it when the word gets out that they were a part of this ill behavior. They brag to their friends, upload video of it to social networking sites, get 'props' from friends, or get 'respect' for their ballsey-ness. This fuels the desire for one-up-manship. So you get copycats and emulators. It's all about veying for power and control in a world where economic and class power continues to go into fewer hands. I don't blame the victim, but we have to come to terms with our city's situation. We can't sit back and blame those we assume are perpetrators because they are 'outsiders' living in our community. People come from all around the city to commit crimes, and many know that most north siders have expensive technologies or extra cash on them, so it's more opportunistic to go to these communities and get 'their share.' It's horribly unfortunate, but we can't just put the blame on others without taking responsibility for trying to correct the disparities and inequities in our city.

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  20. The rise in crime is proportionate to the rise in aggregated wealth that is held in the hands of the middle and upper-middle class. I live in a neighborhood that is highly gentrified, and we do not have a certain so-called element that has moved in to cause disturbances, yet the uptick in crime has affected us as well. I can't sit here and blame low-income black neighbors of mine - they're not here to blame. There are people who come in knowing they will have a harder time being seen, and have less police response (because officers have been allocated to areas with more violent crime) so that they can get away with what they do much more easily than they could in less 'advantaged' neighborhoods. Something to think about - crime is everywhere and no neighborhood is immune to any degree of it. Granted, some communities have it better than others, but if you look all around the country in most urban, and even now, suburban areas, crime has increased. We need to be more careful, make safer choices about where we go and when, report things to police, work together in our neighborhoods, and do our part to help improve schools, encourage alderman to give others better access to resources, and do less racial blaming, which only adds to the ire of the marginalized and disenfranchised people of our community. How can we be an inclusive society when we hide behind our racial power and exclude our community members based on assumption?

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  21. People living on Section 8 are not to blame for poverty and want on our society. I lived in Section 8 housing. I went to public schools - both magnet. My high school ranked 10th in the city and I graduated 24th in my class of 280 students. I received a BA from DePaul and a Masters from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I have been successfull employed for over 10 years. If I hadn't had access to stable housing, I doubt I'd be as successful as I am. Think twice before you blanketly accuse people who use community support of causing all the ills in the neighborhood. Remember, crime is crime. Look at all the banks and mortgage companies that contributed to the downfall of most American's lives. Those crimes, on a grander scale, are not any different from someone stealing a valuable. Not being able to have retirement or your home is a huge crime, and that kind of crime is often committed by upper-class white men. It's all perspective.

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  22. ...and I did catch my spelling error - I intended to write "successfully," not "successfull."

    That's the end of my rant. For those of you who hide behind your racism and classist-thinking, take a bite of that and digest it for a while; but, as I know all too well, racist and classist thinkers tend not to be persuaded by counter-arguments, so I guess my point is moot.

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  23. Hey Freddie, It seems most crimes and victims are on the Southside. You don't see shootings in Andersonville or Lincoln Square, do you? I'm not racist by any means, but those are the facts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually, I do see and hear shootings in Andersonville and Lincoln Square. If you only base your knowledge of such things on what you hear in the news, your exposure is quite limited. Try attending a CAPS meeting if you want real information. Don't allow yourself to be limited by biased regurgitated information that's geared toward sensationalism.

      In terms of your declaration of facts, absolutist thinking is a reflection of an unwillingness to see all angles and experiences and just an argumentative trap. We can throw around stats and numbers, quote sources, etc., but a lot of what goes unreported isn't captured in recorded data. By the way, if you aren't a racist, then there's no need to predicate your declaration with that warning. Those who are always make themselves known, one way or another.

      Delete
  24. freddie is just a nig lover.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love all people, including those who enjoy seeing themselves rant on blog pages. I'm sure in your day-to-day life you don't allow others see your hateful side. Hiding behind the anonymity of social media is such a safe thing to do. I don't blame you, because if people you know really knew this side of you, they probably would withdraw their love for you. You, of all, need the most protection and love, lest you be an outcast...

      That, or your mental health issues have gone unchecked. Either way, you need help and protecting.

      Delete
  25. Hey Anonymous @ 10:36 AM: It's people like you that perpetuate hate (I'm sure you need to look up the word PERPETUATE). Go back to throwin' back the Pabst in your lawn chair set up in the garage. Uneducated idiot.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I once was fucked in the ass by an old white dude in Ravenswood. The only thing stolen was my anal virginity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ...and how old are you? That's so juvenile...

      Delete
  27. 10:04 Very insightful.

    That said, the savages are destroying this city (again).

    Been around, seen that.

    ReplyDelete
  28. It's LIE down, not "lay" down. Journalists should know better.

    ReplyDelete

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