Chicago Police: Failure To Communicate

The Chicago Police are lying to me. I know, I know. You must be as shocked as I am.

There was a "large fight" involving "high school kids" at or very near the intersection of N. Broadway and W. Thorndale in the Edgewater neighborhood. At least some of the kids involved attend Nicholas Senn High School at 5900 N. Glenwood Avenue.

Senn lies within Police Beat 2013. The corner of W. Thorndale and N. Broadway lies along the northeastern edge of Beat 2013.

Although residents nearby confirmed a "large fight," both CPD and Senn H.S. principal Richard Norman denied such an event took place, even as they stood in what amounted to a high-security scenario at 3:15 p.m. on Friday, March 9.

Last Friday I was in a friend's car riding northbound on N. Broadway. I noticed a lot of police cars, both marked and unmarked, zipping through traffic with lights on, some with sirens. I saw at least 20 squad cars and several officers on foot. Traffic was heavy, I had my camera, so I jumped out of the car. "See you later guys, I said, "there's something going on here."

I KNOW NOTHING!

I snapped a couple of photos, spotted a young man who looked like a high school student. He was standing next to squad car, speaking with its occupants. As the car drove away, I approached him and asked if he knew why there were so many police swarming around.

"There was a big fight last week, high school kids," he said.

No reason this kid would lie about that, I thought. So I walked around, snapping more photos. I then approached a heavy female police officer (Officer Kuehn) and a heavy man (Richard Norman, principal of Senn since July 1, 2005). Both held walkie-talkies.

"Hi," I said to both of them, "I understand there was a big fight here last week. Is that why there are so many police in the area right now?"

There wasn't a fight," Officer Kuehn said flatly.

"I was just told by a resident there was," I said. "If not, why are there so many police here right now?"

"Well," Kuehn said, "it's a warm spring day out and kids are frisky."

"It's like this all over Chicago, so are there this many police swarming around every intersection near every high school in the city?" I asked.

"Nothing happened here," Kuehn said.

It was obvious that I would learn nothing here except that the truth was being covered up. So I walked a few yards away and approached three young men, probably high schoolers.

"Excuse me guys, do you know if there was a big fight here last week?" They looked at me funny for a second, but then one of them nodded and said yes, there had been. But at that moment both Kuehn and Norman approached.

"You can't talk with these guys," Kuehn said, and gave me some bull crap about being their guardian and I didn't have permission to speak to minors or high school students.

"You're telling me," I said, "that it's illegal for me to speak with a minor? I doubt that, and am I supposed to ask people for ID before speaking to them?" I was told to move along.

Do you think it's standard procedure for a couple of dozen squad cars to swarm around the neighborhod because it's a warm day and some kids might be "frisky?" Or for a principal to stand with a cop, walkie-talkie in hand, because some kid might have spring fever?

Calling Chicago Police did not prove any less frustrating. A woman who answered insisted that she knew nothing about what amounts to a major police activity, insisted that CPD cannot, does not and never has commented on anything having to do with juvenile. Ridiculous. And just try to find Superintendent Cline's phone number.

Nothing on the CAPS sites, either.

I am waiting for a call back from Alex in Alderman Smith's office. I hope they are more forthcoming than the Chicago Police Department or Principal Norman.