Updated: Media Can't Get It Right On Chicago's Uptown Shooting on June 28

JJ Peppers in Uptown, scene of gunfire on July 28, 2013
(Screenshot from WGN TV video)

June 29, 2013 - UPDATED, 2:00 PM - Chicago media can't seem to get their story straight on yesterday's shooting in Chicago's north side Uptown neighborhood. Is the number of victims five, four or six? Were they all male or were some female? How many people were actually hit by gunfire in Uptown last night? 

The shooting happened by a JJ Peppers store in a strip mall around 7:15 PM on Friday at the intersection of N. Sheridan Road and W. Lawrence Avenue. Initial news reports said that five men were hit by gunfire, four critically wounded and one seriously.

Google search for "shooting uptown peppers wgn"

On WGN TV's 9PM newscast on Friday, however, Gaynor Hall reported from the shooting scene that police had amended the number of wounded down to four, all which were in "good condition."

WGN has since removed Hall's report and edited their story to reflect what other local media are saying: SIX people were wounded, two of which were female.

A Google search for "shooting uptown peppers wgn" finds a link to WGN's story, originally headlined "Four people shot outside Uptown strip mall."

That story today, however, has the edited headline "Six people shot outside Uptown strip mall," but still has this URL: http://wgntv.com/2013/06/29/five-people-shot-on-uptown-street-corner/

NBC5's story, screenshot at 3:00 PM, June 29, 2013

Laughably, NBC5 has a story headline that is non-committal: "Several Wounded in Uptown Shooting." NBC updated their story at 10:30 last night to say that "A police department spokesman said four were injured, adding that they were four males of unknown ages."

That's what Gaynor Hall reported for WGN. NBC has apparently not felt it necessary to update their story.

Some of the blame for this confusion should probably go the the Chicago Police Department for giving out bad information to the media.

Previous Reports, Friday, June 28:

UPDATED 10: 30 PM - Four  men were hit by gunfire this evening around 7:15 PM in the Uptown neighborhood on the city's north side.

NBC5 tweet from June 28, 2013: "5 wounded, 4 critically"

WGN TV is reporting late tonight that the Chicago Police say the number of those hit was actually four. WGN quotes police officials as saying that all four victims are in good condition at Illinois Masonic and St. Francis hospitals.

The shooting happened in front of the JJ Peppers convenience store in a strip mall at the intersection of N. Sheridan Road and W. Lawrence Avenue. It's a particularly rough part of a very rough neighborhood, just  one block east of the Aragon Entertainment Center.Two people were shot at the same location on June 10. The shooting happened even as a "positive loitering" event was taking place across the street (see below).

NBC5 Chicago reported that "Shots rang out at about 7:15 p.m. in the 4800 block of North Sheridan Road, a fire department spokesperson said. Five ambulances responded to the scene. Four people were critically wounded and one person was in serious condition, the spokesperson said." NBC notes that the story is still developing.

ABC7 Chicago said that all victims are male. "Four people were critically wounded and one person was in serious condition, Fire Media Affairs said. Two males were taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and two males were taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, police News Affairs Officer Daniel O'Brien said."

Uptown Update had a first-hand report, published at 8:50 PM. Their lead story until then, ironically, was about another useless "positive loitering" event from 7-8 pm, at the southwest corner of Lawrence and Sheridan, just inches from a shooting that "positive loitering" is supposed to prevent. The shooting, in front of JJ Peppers, is at the northwest corner of the intersection.

Also See: Uptown's Positive Loiterers: Useless Chicago News Bench

Hundreds of Liberals Protest Obama's Birthday Bash in Chicago

Uptown, Chicago - On Wednesday, August 3, as many as 300 liberals demonstrated their displeasure with President Obama. They did so in Uptown, a far north neighborhood of Chicago along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. My good friend John Ruberry covered the unhappy campers in Uptown in his post, "Leftists protest Obama at 50th birthday party fundraiser in Chicago."

I lived in Uptown for two years, from late 2008 to late 2010, about two blocks from the Aragon. That's where the Obama birthday bash was held. Uptown is one of the most violent neighborhoods on Chicago's north side (as I have reported many times here on Chicago News Bench). I have personally photographed more than one murder scenes within a few blocks of the Aragon over the past three years (see here and here and here).

The protesters listed many reasons for being unhappy with Obama, as seen on their homemade signs. One reason for them to be unhappy with Obama, however, was apparently missing: He is one of the least "green" presidents we've had to suffer. As with so many of his lavish trips, Obama and his birthday entourage left a big fat carbon footprint. "Hypocrites," says the National Review, in their post titled "Trying to Add Up the Carbon Footprint of Obama’s Birthday Bashes."

The Aragon, by the way, did not turn a single light out for Earth Hour last year.

'Lake Effect News' Blog Officially Dead

Lorraine Swanson

February 24, 2011 - Chicago - A blog that promised to report news in most of the northeast portion of Chicago has disappeared. Lorraine Swanson, a well-respected Chicago-area journalist, launched her Lake Effect News (LEN) in May of 2009 after she left the Chicago Journal (of Oak Park, IL), where she was the editor of the News-Star. Swanson stopped updating the blog in September, 2010 when AOL's Patch hired her as the editor of Oak Lawn Patch.

Sadly, links cannot be provided to past LEN articles because Swanson took it down. There are no cached pages available. That's a shame, because some of the articles in LEN would still be a valuable resource for anyone researching events in Uptown over the past year. Oddly, however, the Lake Effect News store at CafePress is still up.

The death of Lake Effect News is ironic. Swanson put in many hours of devoted writing because, she said, she wanted to have "a body of work," although she already had that from her years with various local newspapers. The irony, of course, is that she has ripped her LEN body of work off of the Internet. It's a real shame - and a real loss - that nobody can dig back into LEN's archives. Many of her articles would be a good addition to any historical archive.

LEN never got close to it's stated goal of covering a large swath of Chicago. It did, however, give excellent local coverage of the 46th Ward in the Uptown neighborhood on the North Side, with an occasional article about Edgewater (48th Ward), Rogers Park (49th Ward) and West Rogers Park (50th Ward, also called West Ridge).

The Community Media Workshop had a nice article about Swanson in May, 2010.

Swanson did some good reporting for LEN, and she is a talented journalist. The graph below (click to enlarge) shows that LEN got around 8,600 unique visitors in the month of August, 2010. That went down dramatically the next month, to around 5,000.

Even after Swanson was no longer updating LEN with new articles, more than 3,000 unique visitors went to the site in October. Most of those, no doubt, realized that nothing new was going on and left, never to return. Lake Effect News was a valiant effort. We are sad that it is no longer, but Oak Lawn is richer having her there.

Michael Carroll Interview, Part 5 of 5 (Video)

Michael Carroll is a Chicago police officer who is running for alderman in the 46th Ward (see his campaign website). That encompasses portions of the Uptown neighborhood, where Helen Shiller is not running for re-election (I pronounced her political career as dead in July, 2008). Here is the final installment in our exclusive five-part series. RELATED: First Responders Endorse Michael Carroll CNB Michael Carroll on Facebook Michael Carroll on Twitter

Interview Series With Michael Carroll, 46th Ward Aldermanic Candidate

Here is Part 1 of 5 of an interview series with Michael Carroll, candidate for alderman in Chicago's troubled 46th Ward (Uptown) and former Chicago police officer. Interviewed by Tom Mannis for Chicago News Bench (www.chicagonewsbench.com) on July 28, 2010. Michael Carroll's campaign website is www.carroll46.com.

Big Week For Michael Carroll Aldermanic Campaign

There are now less than two months until Chicago's next Election Day on February 22, 2011. That's when Chicago will elect a new mayor and more than 20 new aldermen. This is a big week for Michael Carroll's aldermanic campaign. They could use your help in a number of ways, as Michael writes below. Also, please watch Part 1 (of 5) of my video interview with Michael. Our first critical campaign fundraising deadline is Friday, December 31st and we are trying to raise another $2,500 in support of the campaign before the midnight deadline. Your contribution will allow us to reach voters through direct mail, advertising, and neighborhood meet-and-greets. Please make your contribution today to help support our campaign before December 31st. The deadline will be an early indicator of which candidate has broad support across the community and the most resources to win on Election Day. Volunteers Wanted... With only eight weeks left until Election Day, we need volunteers to help power our grassroots campaign. During this time, we will need people to work in the office, canvass door-to-door in key neighborhoods, and make calls to voters in the 46th Ward. If you’d like to join our campaign team, sign up to volunteer for 2 to 3 hours over the next few weeks. Northwestern Bowl Game Watch Party on New Year's Day As an alumnus of Northwestern, I was excited to see our Wildcats make their third consecutive bowl game appearance, sending Coach Fitzgerald and the team to Dallas to take on the Red Raiders of Texas Tech in the inaugural Ticket City Bowl. Because of the excitement surrounding this game, I wanted to invite you to join me for a watch party at one of my favorite places in the 46th Ward, The Spot. They're located at 4437 N. Broadway, just north of Montrose and about a block and a half south of the Wilson stop on the Red Line. Join us New Year’s Day at the Spot All of Wildcat Nation is welcome to join us - kick-off is at 11 a.m. so get there early. If you are interested, there is an optional $20 ticket for the event for purchase at the door. The ticket includes a select open bar and food specials as well as giveaways of Northwestern gear during halftime. The food at the Spot is incredible and the bar is creating a phenomenal spread for the watch party, not to be missed. I would love to see you all there on New Year's Day, please feel free to invite friends and family. You can RSVP on Facebook for the event. Come help me cheer on Coach Fitzgerald and our Northwestern Wildcats this Saturday - and as always, Go Cats! Thanks, Michael

Dog Beach Afternoon

Chicago - It was a beautiful afternoon at the dog beach in Uptown, north of of Montrose Beach, in Lincoln Park.

Pregnant Girl, Man Shot In Uptown

Sept. 21, 2010 - Uptown, Chicago - Four Two people were shot in the 4500 block of North Sheridan Road just past 6:00 p.m. today, just south of W. Wilson Avenue in front of Midtown Medical Center. WGN TV reports that the victims were a pregnant 17-year old girl and a 29-year old man. The conditions of the victims are unknown at this time. UPDATE: Police Searching For Suspect In Tonight's Uptown Shooting

The Bloody Gutter of N. Kenmore Avenue

Blood flowed in the 4600 block of N. Kenmore at 4:00 a.m. this morning (see full story here). It quickly congealed, of course, but it flowed again hours latet at 9:05 a.m. when the Chicago Fire Department stopped by to spray down the reddened pavement. This is the usual procedure when the streets or sidewalks are stained with blood -- unceremoniously hose it down. It was off the street and into the gutter, but the process aerosolized it. The air on Kenmore, however briefly, was literally bloody.

CAPS Beats 2312, 2332, 2333 Meetings Week of Aug. 22

The next CAPS Beat 2312 meeting, in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood, will be held on Tuesday, August 17 at 7:00 PM at Aster Park. That's at 4639 N. Kenmore, between W. Wilson and W. Leland, on the east side of the street (see map here). In case you're interested, here's a concise history of Aster Park. Contact: 23rd District CAPS 312-744-0064. Beats 2332 & 2333 will have a combined meeting at the Inn at Lincoln Park, located at 601 W. Diversey (see map). Contact: 23rd District CAPS 312-744-0064.

Uptown CAPS Beat 2311 Meeting Tonight, August 10

Beat 2311 meets at 7:00 p.m. this evening at Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Avenue in the Faculty Room. Beat 2311 is bordered by W. Lawrence south to W. Montrose, and N. Clark east to N. Broadway. Beat Meeting Agenda 1. Introductions 2. Top crimes in the beat 3. Old business 4. New Business CAPS Beat 2311 meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. CLEARpath 23rd District Site: https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath/Communities/Districts/District23/Events

(Updated) 911 Call For Woman Peeing In McDonald's

She just couldn't hold it, I guess. At 11:56 a.m. today, Chicago police got a call from the security guard at the McDonald's restaurant at 1004 W. Wilson Avenue in Chicago's exotic Uptown neighborhood. A woman "urinated in the dining area" of the busy fast food joint, commonly called the GangDonalds by locals because it's frequented by the little devils. UPDATE: A security guard at the McDonalds told Chicago News Bench that the woman came in as a customer. She ordered her meal, but was apparently unhappy with the counter service. Even so, she took her food and quietly ate it at a table. Finished, she politely emptied her tray into the trash, but then silently lowered her pants and proudly pee'd on the floor in front of everybody. That was, apparently, her way of complaining about the service. She then walked out, unapprehended. No charges were filed as a result of her pissy-fit. The store is on the northwest corner of N. Sheridan Road and W. Wilson Avenue, an area notorious for gang activity. It's one of the few intersections in Uptown that has a police camera. 46th Ward Ald. Helen Shiller fought against that several years ago, but CPD and CAPS fought her hard enough to get it. To this day, there is no camera two short blocks away at W. Wilson and N. Broadway, where it is not unusual for gangs to open fire on each other from across the street. Shiller has always justified her resistance to police cameras by claiming that they discriminate against the poor. Talk to any poor person in Uptown (and they are plentiful), and most will tell you that poor folks can be crime victims too - and they like the camera at Wilson and Sheridan. Odds are good that the urinating woman at McDonald's is one of the many mentally ill people who reside in Uptown, dumped into SROs and "nursing homes." Many are heavily medicated. You can often pick them out from a block away by their slow shuffle, hunched shoulders and blank-eyed look. Most are allowed to walk around unattended, which makes them ideal victims of anybody determined to mug somebody. These poor souls are so numerous in Uptown that the neighborhood is, in effect, one big open-air insane asylum. The "46th Mental Ward" is a legacy that Helen Shiller can take to her grave. Walk through Uptown's 46th Ward and you'll likely see people urinating in the open, often making no attempt to hide what they're doing. As you step over homeless people sleeping or begging on the sidewalks, you might see the occasional pile of human excrement. Puddles of vomit are also a common sight. If you've ever wondered what it's like to walk the streets of Calcutta or Hanoi, just stroll along W. Wilson between N. Sheridan and N. Clark. You'll get the same other-worldly feeling and, with some luck, your nose will catch that same other-worldly aroma.

Help Find Doletha Parker, Missing Uptown Chicago Woman

A 60-year-old woman with Alzheimer's Disease is reported missing. The Chicago Police Department is asking for the public's help in finding her. Doletha Parker was last seen about 2:30 a.m. Friday (August 6, 2010) on the 4500 block of North Malden Street, police said (see map). That's in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood, where flyers for Ms. Parker have been seen posted on light poles and shop windows for two days now. Ms. Parker might have boarded the CTA Red Line at Wilson and Broadway, in an attempt to get to a son's house near 50th Street and Washington Park Court, police said. She recently moved to Chicago from Minnesota and is carrying Minnesota identification, and she might appear confused because of her medical condition. Ms. Parker is described in a missing person alert as black, 5-foot-6, 140 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black and white housecoat and flip-flop shoes, and was carrying a gold purse. Anyone with information is asked to call the Belmont Area Special Victims Unit at 312-744-8266. The above report was largely by Heywood Hoffman as found at Chicago Breaking News, based on information from the Chicago Police Department. Some rewrite and additional information was added by Tom Mannis.

Updated - CPD's Mobile Strike Force Invades Uptown

August 6, 2010 - 8:15 PM - CHICAGO - You'll see more police than usual on the streets of Uptown tonight. Between 40 and 44 Mobile Strike Force (MSF) vehicles are making a show of force on the troubled streets of Uptown tonight. UPDATE: Shots Fired in Uptown: 7-Eleven at 4155 N Broadway at Chicago News Report "They'll be responding in force to just about everything," a well-place CPD source told Chicago News Bench tonight. "Broken windows, prostitution, everything. They're out to clean it up." You might also see a helicopter or two tonight. The MSF consists mostly of special-duty officers who are not restricted to any particular beat or district. The MSF moves into an area as needed, and it's been decided that it's time for them to make a rare North Side appearance. The MSF was created in 2008. Uptown is on the far north side of Chicago, along the shore of Lake Michigan. Although it might not be as bad as some areas of Chicago, there are parts of it that are as bad as the notorious Austin District on the West Side. The area from N. Sheridan and W. Wilson west to N. Magnolia, for example. On July 28, two men were shot in the late afternoon in the 4500 block of N. Magnolia. One died immediately, falling dead in the street (the media reported incorrectly the nontruth from CPD that he died after 1:00 a.m. the next morning in a hospital). The next day, July 29, there was retaliatory gang shooting a few blocks away. Nobody was reported injured during that afternoon spree near W. Sunnyside and N. Sheridan. Those shooting incidents are only two of many that have occurred in Uptown's 46th Ward over the years. For more about shootings in Uptown, click here. While some may criticize the MSF presence in Uptown the sign of a "Police State," we say it's a rational, welcome and overdue response to the growing Gangster State.

UPDATED - Machine Gun Report In Uptown, Chicago

6:33 P.M., AUGUST 5, 2010 - FLASH: CPD DISPATCH REPORTS A SHOOTER NOW WITH A MACHINE GUN "FIRING INTO THE AIR" IN THE 4500 BLOCK OF N. BEACON IN CHICAGO'S UPTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD... CPD IS RESPONDING. UPDATE, 6:37 PM - CPD gave a "disregard" because they did not see anybody with a gun as they drove through the block. HOWEVER, somebody called that in. Was this bona fide, and if so, where did Mr. Machine Gun run off to? (Far too often the police respond to calls of "shots fired" by driving past the reported scene, without bothering to get out do a proper inspection or even talk to anybody.)

Idiot Shoots Self in Hand at Broadway and Sunnyside

August 5, 2010 - Chicago - At 6:00 p.m. a person suffered a gunshot wound to their own hand. The were standing at the intersection of N. Broadway and W. Sunnyside, near the new Target store in Uptown. It is not known why the person had the gun or why they shot their own hand. At 6:12 p.m., Chicago police radioed that the victim was being taken to nearby Weiss Memorial Hospital. This might be related to an earlier shooting today at 2:45 p.m. at nearby Hazel and Sunnyside. Uptown Update has that...

Chicago Shootings Continue Overnight in Uptown and Roseland

August 3, 2010 - When will it end? Despite earnest and "uneasy" candlelight vigils to remember the dead and ward off evil spirits, the gangs and criminally insane just keep killing. To wit, a shooitng last night around 11:00 p.m. in the 10500 block of South LaSalle Street, another shooting about an hour later in the 12300 block of South Normal Avenue, and a third just past 2:30 a.m. in Uptown today. According to Chicago Breaking News, "a 20-year-old man was shot in the abdomen in the 1000 block of West Lawrence Avenue. He was reported stable at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center." Details, full story... Chicago News Bench has learned that the man's first name is Warren and he was accompanied by two females when he was shot. The Lawrence Avenue shooting happened about half a block from the home of James Cappelman, candidate for 46th Ward alderman. There were no Official Positive Loiterers present to keep Lawrence Avenue free of crime. State Senator Heather Steans would not return my phone calls about her own positive loitering efforts even if I tried to call her. RELATED: Chicago Killings Continue Despite Useless Uptown Peace Vigil

The Witch Is Dead: Cappelman Statement On Shiller Retirement

46th Ward Alderman Helen Shiller proved long-standing rumors true by confirming that she will not run for re-election in February, 2011. Candidate James Cappelman issued this puzzlingly tepid response: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 46th Ward Alderman Candidate James Cappleman Statement On Alderman Shiller’s Retirement Monday August 2nd, 2010 CHICAGO: “We have learned this morning that Ald. Shiller has chosen not to run for reelection. My first memory of Ald. Shiller was witnessing her as a strong advocate for those living with HIV, during the time when the general public had such strong fears and prejudice toward those with this disease. Her support helped open the eyes of others to realize that help was sorely needed. "It’s clear that the ward was seeking a change and Ald. Shiller knew that was the case. We need someone in office who is more focused on open communication and community input. Residents living in apartments, shelters, condos, and affordable housing also wanted a more proactive response to crime in the ward. “Now is the time for true change and reform. We should not repeat our mistakes from the past, but take this opportunity to choose an alderman who knows the community well and has a track record of accomplishments improving the ward. I will continue to fight for the people of the 46th ward because we deserve better." The ward also deserves an alderman who is willing to call a witch a witch. Cappelman completely avoided calling out Shiller for her abuse of TIF funds, her confrontational attitude toward the police, and her importation of more than the ward's share of Section 8 and mental patients. Shiller single handedly turned the 46th Ward into one of the largest open air, no-walls insane asylums in the world. Mr. Cappelman offers praise for the woman that one would have expected him to savage in a debate, yet all he says about her departure is "Her support helped open the eyes of others to realize that help was sorely needed." Helen Shiller used those who needed help in a cynical and successful bid over 20 years to build her political duchy in Uptown, and Mr. Cappelman knows that. Much of the crime in Uptown is due directly to Shiller's coddling of the criminal element and those who nurture the violent ones. She may have helped others realize that help was "sorely needed," but that help remains sorely lacking. If it were up to Helen Shiller, all of the 46th Ward would have become a gargantuan public housing project. Fortunately, she only partly succeeded in achieving that part of her utopian dream. Cappelman's campaign website is http://www.jamesforchange.com/

Chicago Killings Continue Despite Useless Uptown Peace Vigil

We told you so, but we didn't need a crystal ball. We have been harshly critical of peace vigils in the past as being useless ceremonial rituals that accomplish nothing apart from offering a temporary (and false) sense by participants that they are "doing something to end violence." After last week's candlelight peace vigil at the scene of a July 28 fatal shooting in the 4500 block of N. Magnolia, we noted that it would do nothing to stop the wave of often-fatal violence in Chicago. Sometimes, we hate being right: August 2, 2010 - Chicago - At least 10 people were reported wounded overnight in separate shootings on the city's South and Northwest Sides, officials said. More at Chicago Breaking News... RELATED items from Chicago Breaking News: Autopsy: Englewood girl, 2, beaten to death August 2, 2010 Man shot, killed in West Pullman, August 1, 2010 2 killed, 2 wounded in drive-by shooting at South Side party, August 1, 2010 Woman shot in neck in domestic incident, August 1, 2010 RELATED from other sources: Best Friends Killed In Chicago And Another 14 Shot Global Grind (blog)

Humbolt Park Shooter Not Moved By Uptown Peace Vigil

July 31, 2010 - Golly, I guess the criminal who shot this guy didn't get the message from last night's peace vigil in Uptown, Chicago. Huh. A 36-year-old man was shot and critically wounded this afternoon as he stood on a corner in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood, police said. The man was in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital this evening, according to a police media release. More at Chicago Breaking News... Also: At least 10 wounded in separate Chicago shootings, Aug. 2, 2010 Chicago Breaking News