Today’s number: 15 children under 10
Wednesday, Jul 20, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP…
[Chicago] Police records through the end of June showed 15 children younger than 10 years old had been shot, which is seven more young shooting victims than the same span last year.
* A few of the victims…
- Six-year-old Jaylene Bermeo was drawing with sidewalk chalk on the evening of June 6 in the Logan Square neighborhood on the city’s northwest side when she was shot in the back, the bullet puncturing her lung and lodging near her heart. Police say a 17-year-old boy accidentally shot the girl when he opened fire on rival gang members as he drove down the block.
- Three-year-old Devon Quinn was with his dad on Father’s Day in a car in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side when someone pulled up and fired at least 10 shots at the vehicle. Prosecutors say the gunman was a gang member who opened fire in a rival gang’s territory to pay tribute to a dead member of his own gang. At a court hearing, prosecutors said the boy was left paralyzed from the chest down and that he will never be able to move his limbs or even breathe on his own.
- Five-year-old Taniyah Williams and her 8-year-old cousin, Corey Bondurant, were playing with sparklers on the evening of July 4 in the West Englewood neighborhood on the South Side when someone sprayed the area with bullets. Taniyah was struck in the leg, as were a 19-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man. After the commotion, relatives discovered that 8-year-old Corey was also shot in the leg.
So far, luckily, none have been killed.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 11:32 am:
Purely horrific
- independent - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 11:34 am:
Maybe we need to arm all children so they can protect themselves from bad guys with guns.
- Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 11:35 am:
Why can’t someone introduce a bill that will increase the penalty for carrying an illegal gun in Illinois? I see no action other that rhetoric from the Mayor and the elected officials from these areas with the high crime rates.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 11:45 am:
=Why can’t someone introduce a bill that will increase the penalty for carrying an illegal gun in Illinois?=
Can you forward the NRA template to the Mayor’s office?
- DuPage - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 11:48 am:
More buy-backs might help, wouldn’t hurt.
- Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 11:54 am:
All they have to do is copy what is working in other big cities like New York. Increase the penalties for illegal weapons.
- AlfondoGonz - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 11:57 am:
In order for me to try and understand this, I force myself to believe that these thugs don’t see the children when they open fire or, alternatively, don’t consider their presence. I would lose my hope that it can be fixed if the gunmen process that there are small children present before choosing to fire anyway.
- Cook County Commoner - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 12:06 pm:
It seems portions of Chicago are approaching anarchy. Chicago is unwilling (fiscally incapable) to saturate the areas with the required police for an extended period. The Mayor could ask for help, but that would be politically uncomfortable.
More laws and gun buybacks don’t seem to be the answer.
The real issue is the relative complacency of the general public. One would think that the “nice” people on the North Side would be protesting vociferously. Maybe black live really don’t matter.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 12:15 pm:
The children are not the targets (except in the Tyshawn Lee case). In some of the reports it is clear however, that these children were in close proximity to known gang members who were the likely targets. And too often, the families know exactly why the shooting started, and have a good idea of who did it, but do not cooperate with police. It’s maddening.
Until families kick these people out of their homes, bar them from events where children will be present, and otherwise keep the gang-bangers away from innocent children, kids will continue to be caught in the cross fire.
These punks are bullet-magnets. Keep as far away from them as possible.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 12:18 pm:
based on the numbers in that Sun Times article, Chicago is sending lots of police to neighborhoods that are affected by resident on resident violence. too bad almost any of “Make America Safe Again” didn’t come up with policy to help.
- Last Bull Moose - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 12:22 pm:
Gun buybacks are mainly public relations. City of Chicago staff have recognized that for years. They give the impression that the City is active.
- Sue - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 1:20 pm:
Asked a police friend today why the surge in shootings. He himself is electing to retire a year early. Police are furious with the Mayor who they maintain is more concerned with politics then law and order. He said Daley had their back and would never tolerate this level of shootings. Might be wrong but he claims that the Mayor could be doing something but he is too mindful of not wanting to be tagged by protesters. In any event it’s a mesx. Expect a big uptick in retirements both with CPD and Cook County Sheriff Dept
- Ron - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 1:31 pm:
Gun buybacks do nothing.
- Ron - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 1:32 pm:
What should nice North Side people protest? And only nice North side people?
- Last Bull Moose - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 1:34 pm:
My worry is that other serious problems are being ignored while everyone is focused on shootings. Lead in the water and paint chips can kill and damage even more children.
How do shootings compare to drug overdoses?
- Downstate - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 1:37 pm:
I’m absolutely horrified by these incidences in Chicago. But, I’m not dejected enough to think that their can’t be a solution.
There are lots of low cost camera solutions that are now available ($20-$30/unit). What if, as an experiment, the city provided every house in the neighborhood with a small digital camera to put in their front window? (And include signage that indicates that the street has XXX number of cameras that are recording.)
Every camera won’t capture everything, but with day and time stamps, the crime scene can be put together. It’s a little like a neighborhood watch, but where the camera is always on.
Outfit two or three streets in the toughest neighborhoods and see if it has an impact on crime.
It’s only an idea. Would be curious on other solutions others might have.
- downstate hack - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 1:49 pm:
Horrific, tragic and sad happenings. Even more sad is the non reaction from Chicago leaders. Where is the Mayor, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Black Live Matters etc. They should be outraged and demanding action.
- crazybleedingheart - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 2:06 pm:
There is no nonreaction.
But if there were, no, it would not be even more sad than children being shot.
Maybe the gunshot children can be spared being used as a political cudgel by people who clearly don’t know or understand Chicago, or much care to.
For one hot second.
- downstate commissioner - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 2:14 pm:
“boy was left paralyzed from the chest down and that he will never be able to move his limbs or even breathe on his own.”
“luckily none have been killed”
Might ask the shooter which punishment he would prefer… and then give it to him.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 2:45 pm:
any Chicago police who claim, “Daley had their back” are pretending they did not hate that mayor too. some of them are now claiming that they miss Garry and Jody Weis and hate the new supt. after loving him when he first got in. I support the women and men in blue, but it is astounding how much chain of command complaining occurs in that organization.
- FormerParatrooper - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 3:02 pm:
47th Ward at 12:15-
Well said Sir.
- crazybleedingheart - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 4:10 pm:
My 1:45pm comment does not appear
- Payback - Wednesday, Jul 20, 16 @ 7:30 pm:
@Downstate- “What if, as an experiment, the city provided every house in the neighborhood with a small digital camera to put in their front window?”
Wow, great idea to normalize the total surveillance society! How about you start in your burg? You could feed right into the local P.D. or Sheriff’s dept. Sounds great!
I find it interesting how many times I hear people from majority white small towns south of Joliet suggesting police state measures in Chicago like it’s a human science experiment for their amusement. Much more ridiculous is the associated childish belief that unconstitutional infringements on their own basic freedoms will never happen in smallville, because “everyone knows me around here.”
- Downstate - Thursday, Jul 21, 16 @ 7:54 am:
Payback,
I’m not saying it’s mandatory (camera installation), rather it offers citizens a chance to get involved in policing their own neighborhoods, if they want. It actually harkens back to the days of the neighborhoods where the Mrs. Kravitzs of the world kept their eyes on the street to inform on the wayward youth.
Simply trying to come up with alternative ideas for solving an epic crisis. And in no way did I suggest that the cameras would be “feed right into the local PD”. I would only suggest offering citizens a standalone camera that can be offered voluntarily to the police if an incident occurs.
- Downstate - Thursday, Jul 21, 16 @ 8:34 am:
Payback,
My idea was not a system tied into the Pd. Rather, simply a voluntary program that allows ciitzens to provide their cameras to the police if an incident occurs. It’s akin to people deciding that becoming a Mrs. Kravitz in their block might have an impact.
It was just an idea.