BEAT 1431 CAPS
Meeting Minutes
November 5th, 2009

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 7:00 pm at Chase School, 2021 N. Point.

Officers Present: SGT Belicki, PO Smith, PO Trempe

Number of Beat 1431 residents present: 18

Go directly to the following sections:
General Announcements
CLEARMap
Court Advocacy
Reported Shots Fired Beat Map
Beat 1431 Section Reports

General Announcements


Salvation Army "STOP IT" Initiative Against Human Trafficking
A representative from the Salvation Army provided an overview of "Stop It", a Chicago initiative against human trafficking. This program supports victims of human trafficking - when a person is used against their will by force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of cheap labor, domestic servitude, or sexual services. The two most prevalent forms of trafficking in the Chicagoland area include labor and sexual services. The representative strongly urged community members to report any suspicious activity that could be the result of human trafficking by calling 1-877-606-3158.

CLEARMap (formerly Citizen ICAM)
From October 1st - 31st, according to CLEARMap, Beat 1431 suffered 77 crimes, an increase of 1 from last month (76):
- 1 AGGRAVATED BATTERY *
- 2 BURGLARY *
- 1 DRUG ABUSE VIOLATIONS
- 1 FORGERY AND COUNTERFEITING
- 2 FRAUD
- 1 HOMICIDE - 1ST OR 2ND DEGREE *
- 24 LARCENY THEFT *
- 1 LIQUOR LICENSE VIOLATION
- 5 MISCELLANEOUS NON-INDEX OFFENSES
- 11 MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT *
- 2 ROBBERY *
- 10 SIMPLE BATTERY
- 15 VANDALISM
- 1 WEAPONS VIOLATION

* indicates index crimes (most serious offenses)

Click here to view table of all reported crimes (new window)

Beat 1431 Court Advocacy Report
- The 4 individuals involved in the homicide at VLive (Club 2047) are going to court on December 4th at 9am. Representatives from Club 2047 were told to be sure to be present at this hearing.
- Antolino Philips charged in the shooting death of Derek Tate Jr. on June 6th, 2003, took a plea deal for 35 years in prison with no option for an early release. As part of this deal, he identified Alex Medina as the individual who supplied him with the gun. Medina remains free on bail.

Reported Shots Fired Beat Map

Beat 1431 Section Reports
SECTION 1 (Borders: California, Milwaukee, Armitage)
1) Graffiti in this section continues to be a major problem.
2) Gang graffiti was reported on a garage at Point and Francis.
3) The entire alley behind St. Helen St. was tagged with gang graffiti over the last month.
4) PO Trempe mentioned that there was a "shots fired" service call made in the area of Point and Francis around the last week of October. MLD Gang activity from Rockwell and Cortland has reportedly been entering this section against rival gangs including, Vice Lords, Cobras and Spanish Lords.
action: Residents are urged to continue calling 911 to report criminal activity.

SECTION 2 (Borders: Rockwell, Lyndale, Western, Milwaukee)
1) A representative from Congress Pizza was present and reported that it continues to be generally quiet around the restaurant. Helping to reduce the criminal activity, notorious problem residents on the 2400 block of McLean have moved away from the area.
2) Max, a representative from Congress Theater, announced that October was their most active month for events and that it will be ramping down for the remainder of the year. Residents should expect less traffic issues.
A resident did mention, however, that the traffic flow gates at Francis and Milwaukee during events is making it difficult for residents to turn onto Francis.
- In response to a question posed by Jim Rhodes on how the theater prevents guns from entering the property, Max responded that every single person entering the theater is searched for guns and any other illegal items.
3) Representatives from Club 2047 who own and run VLive were present to respond to questions regarding the homicide of a 17 year old male attending a 21 their VLive club, Thursday, October 15th.
They were asked the following questions:
- Why was a 17 year old allowed into a place that serves drinks?
- Why was a 17 year old out after curfew?
- Why were patrons not searched for guns?
Based upon what the representatives of the club understand at this time while the investigation continues, the 17 year old victim had 2 legal IDs, one that indicated he was 21 and another that indicated he was 17. Club representatives mentioned that no one under the age of 18 is allowed in the club at any time. VLive checks the IDs of patrons twice upon entry and the victim was allowed entry using his ID that falsely indicated he was 21. Representatives also mentioned that he was carrying a large amount of money in cash and driving an expensive car.
The shooting took place while everyone was watching a live performance, once the shooting occurred club members immediately started to disperse. Despite the presence of many security cameras in the club, the shooting was not caught on the security camera. The club representatives do not know how a gun made it on the premises.
Wristbands are used to indicate if patrons can be served alcohol and no patron under 21 can be served alcohol.
Since the shooting, based upon the suggestion of the police, the club has made a series of changes, including:
- The purchase of 9 metal detectors that all patrons are required to pass through
- Additional security cameras are in place and are filming everyone entering and leaving the club
- IDs are being scanned and recorded
- An increase of physical security in the club and in the parking lots. (The security company they use is a professional company that is licensed by the state of Illinois.)
4) The grandmother of the troubled Hispanic male who has been living unsupervised on the 2400 block of Palmer is believed to have returned. This property continues to be a constant nuisance. A resident called the police to report that individuals frequenting the property have been trying to illegally turn on the gas utility that has been shut off.
action: Residents are strongly urged to call 911 for any gang related activity or criminal activity related to Congress Pizza, Congress Theater and VLive (Club 2047).

SECTION 3 (Borders: Rockwell, Fullerton, Western, Lyndale)
1) On October 9th, there was a shooting reported at Lyndale and Campbell. PO Trempe reported that this shooting was the result of a single gang member shooting himself in the hand.
2) A resident reported that illegal dumping of construction material continues to occur within the vacant lot between the tire shop and the flag shop on Western avenue.

SECTION 4 (Borders: California, Fullerton, Rockwell, Milwaukee)
1) PO Trempe reported that there was an arrest made on Halloween on the 2200 block of Talman involving Spanish Cobra gang members, Ricky Vasquez and Lino Quinn, who were breaking car windows with wrenches to steal cellphones. Apparently they were only charged with misdemeanors.
2) A resident reported that there continues to be problems with people parking in the Goethe Elementary School diagonal parking along Talman, drinking and littering and being extremely loud at 2am when local clubs such as Tini Martini close.
action: Residents are strongly urged to call 911 to report gang activity and 311 for graffiti.

SECTION 5 (Borders: California, Logan Boulevard, Rockwell, Fullerton)
No activity was reported in this section.

SECTION 6 (Borders: Rockwell, Logan Boulevard, Western, Fullerton)
1) Non-gang graffiti continues to be a nuisance in this section, particularly along Fullerton.
2) The skate park continues to be a big success in the section, attracting kids and families. A resident remarked, however, that it would be very helpful to slow traffic down around Logan Blvd by the park to minimize the risk of potential accidents. The resident suggested creating a speed trap or using cameras to help protect the safety around the park. A bicyclist was killed at the intersection at Logan and Western a year ago.
3) A resident also inquired on the status of a homeless person in the area who was hit by a car on Fullerton during the last week of October. The officers present did not have any information on this incident.
action: Police officers are encouraging residents to call 911 if they hear or see any suspicious activity.

Recurring Problem Areas for BEAT 1431
1) Gang graffiti
2) Gang drug activity
3) Gang weapons violence

DISCLAIMER
Beat 1431 CAPS volunteers prepared these meeting minutes to the best of their ability.