Chicago's Mayor Continues Harmful Closure of Mag Mile

Chicago is a city under siege — from within. It breaks my heart to say it, but the majority of Chicagoans have made this possible by decades of voting for Democrats. Most of the City Council members have been more interested in buying votes with corrupt TIF money giveaways and being "liberal" and soft on crime, and now the proverbial chickens have come home to roost.

Rioting, mass looting, and wanton violence are the specters hovering over the city. This weekend, the so-far-ineffectual mayor Lori Lightfoot has ordered a 9:00 PM curfew

On Monday, August 10 there was an "orchestrated" invasion of the city's Magnificent Mile, which is a mixed neighborhood of residential and commercial buildings.  Much of it is within the zip code 60611, one of the nation's wealthiest. 

Mayor Lightfoot

The "Mag Mile" is an upscale strip of North Michigan Avenue that runs north from the Chicago River up to Oak Street Beach. Between N. Michigan Aven and Lake Michigan, a few blocks east is a neighborhood called "Streeterville." The greater Magnificent Mile area has been a major attraction for locals and international tourists for many years.

After the events of a week ago, however, businesses are hurt and many may never fully recover. Some businesses were badly damaged. Some have "merely" lost business. 

People who have enjoyed going into the Mag Mile district for years are now reluctant, afraid that violence could suddenly pop up out of nowhere like a summer storm in South Texas.

Much of the blame falls squarely in the laps of city and county officials, all well-entrenched Democrats. City Journal sums it up:

The sacking of Chicago’s North Side was more than a tactical failure. For months, key officials—the state’s attorney responsible for prosecution, the mayor, and the governor—have failed to condemn criminals sufficiently or act with necessary force against such violence. They have contributed to a culture of impunity that tolerates mobs and hoodlums.

Kim Foxx, the state’s attorney for Cook County, has already become nationally notorious for refusing to prosecute Jussie Smollett, the actor who lied to the police that he was a victim of racial violence. But her offenses against public order are far worse than her condoning of a provocateur who tried to fracture the city with a falsehood. Foxx has dismissed felony cases brought by the police at a rate 35 percent higher than her predecessor. She raised the threshold for felony shoplifting from $300 to $1,000—and as a result, thieves steal brazenly in broad daylight as well as under cover of darkness. Chicago police chief David Brown suggested that Foxx’s failure to prosecute looters from the previous sacking of the city in June was partly responsible for emboldening the current round of looting.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is also responsible. She has hardly been enforcing a zero-tolerance policy against lawless mobs. (Full article at City Journal)

The mayor, indeed the city, needs help from beyond its own ranks. It has been clearly demonstrated that they cannot protect the safety of residents and businesses without such help, yet Mayor Lightfoot has refused to ask for assistance from the federal or even from the Illinois National Guard. Such reinforcements could greatly help her police force to really get the situation under control.

Instead, Mayor Lightfoot makes speeches and decrees that will solve nothing.

Tyler Durden at Zero Hedge noted this today (my emphasis added):

Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot desperately wants the world to believe that she has the situation in her city under control and that she doesn't need help from the federal government - nor would she ever need it from President Trump. 

But while she puts that facade on during interviews and press conferences with national media, the reality of constant looting, rioting and crime in Chicago continues to unfold; as do its consequences.

For example, this weekend, the city will shut down its Central Business District overnight, effective at 9PM each night. The decision comes "in the wake of looting and unrest downtown, on the Magnificent Mile, and in Streeterville, River North, and the area near North and Sheffield avenues," according to CBS Chicago. 

Durden detailed the specifics of what-and-where the shutdown would affect, such as river bridges being up to block traffic, blocking part of Lake Shore Drive, ramps on expressways, and interruptions of bus and train service to the area. This, however, is not exactly new: It is an extension of Lightfoot's virtual shutdown of the area.

On August 13, the Chicago Loop Alliance published this advisory:

Through Monday, August 17, at 6 a.m., access to the downtown area will be temporarily restricted from 9 p.m.–6 a.m. The restricted access to the downtown area is NOT a curfew. All residents, workers and employers whose businesses are located downtown will have access at all times. (Read full statement here)

The City of Chicago published this notice on August 12:

Restricted Access to Downtown will continue tonight and through the Weekend from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.–ending at 6 a.m. on Monday, August 17 (Read full statement here)

Rather than increasing police patrols or bringing in additional law enforcement personnel, Lightfoot has effectively surrendered to the chaos. The Mag Mile, along with the adjacent downtown "Loop," River North and River West are areas in which restaurants, bars and theaters are normally open until well after midnight. Stunting their business additionally will help nobody.

You can bet the police are not happy with Lightfoot. On August 12, the police union's president John Catanzara urged tougher measures. He suggested bringing in tow trucks to haul looters' cars away, thereby taking away their ability to escape arrest. Caravans of cars were seen bringing people into the Mag Mile to loot on August 10.

“Car caravans are the biggest problem. They can relocate all of their criminal behavior two miles away within five minutes. We can’t deploy 400 officers two miles away in that same amount of time. They can go where the police are not in a split second. By the time we show up there, we get the stragglers when the main force has already moved on to the next target,” Catanzara said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, agitators continue to urge chaos, and Black Lives Matter is openly endorsing looting.

BLM Chicago Leader on the looting of stores: "That is reparations.... anything they want to take, take it because these businesses have insurance..." pic.twitter.com/uB9GAGmkLu

— ForAmerica (@ForAmerica) August 11, 2020

Related:

• When Authority Vanishes: Chicago’s leaders have surrendered to vandals. - City Journal, 14 Aug 2020
• Chicago restaurant owner on 'disturbing' looting and rioting: 'Business is terrible, the streets are empty' - Fox News, 11 Aug 2020
• Chicago politician calls mayor ‘unprepared,’ wants to call in the feds - New York Post, 11 Aug 2020
• Democrat Chicago alderman says city is in 'total unrest' and 'mayor has lost control' - Fox News, 12 Aug 2020
• Chicago’s Magnificent Mile at risk for massive store closures, alderman says - CBS-2 Chicago, 7 Aug 2020
• Democrats Can’t Stop the Monster They Created - BuckSexton.com, 11 Aug 2020
• CPD patrols stepped up as businesses hunker down for stay-at-home order - Chicago Sun-Times, 21 March 2020

Over 100 Arrests in Violent Chicago Looting Spree

The scope of last night's looting, violence and wanton destruction in Chicago is stunning.

AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

As I reported late last night, huge crowds of people overwhelmed the police and smashed their way into many of the city's finest retailers in the world-famous "Magnificent Mile" on N. Michigan Avenue. Chaos and confusion were the order of the moment.

Chicago's Mayor Lori Lightfoot held a press conference this morning.

“We are waking up in shock this morning,” she said, and referred to the looting as “brazen criminal looting and destruction.” Lightfoot has been harshly criticized as not doing enough to quell violence in Chicago. She added, "This was straight up, felony criminal conduct," said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. "This was an assault on our city."

"Widespread damage was reported throughout Chicago after looting and rioting began around midnight Monday," reported WGN-TV9. "Witnesses reported hundreds of people smashing their way into stores throughout Michigan Avenue, areas in the South Loop and the Near North Side."

Today we get a clearer picture of what went down. From the Chicago Tribune:

More than 100 people were arrested as of 9 a.m., according to Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown. Thirteen officers were injured during the unrest, including a sergeant who was hit by a bottle. A civilian and private security guard were shot and wounded. 

[...]  

City officials said the seeds for the violent crime spree were sown on social media Sunday afternoon following an officer involved shooting in the Englewood neighborhood. Officers shot and wounded a 20-year-old man Sunday after he fired shots at them while being chased, authorities said. 

The man was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center and is expected to survive, Brown said. 

The Civilian Office Police Accountability, the city agency that investigates all officer-involved shootings, released a statement confirming Brown’s assertion that the wounded male is an adult. Some social media accounts that authorities say fueled the unrest referred to him as a 15-year-old boy.

The Tribune report noted that there are renewed calls for the Illinois Nationa Guard to be called in to keep order. Many of the looters and rioters were spurred on by social media. The Trib has a related article worth reading: Live updates: Here’s the latest on the aftermath of overnight looting and vandalism in Chicago.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the police presence will be beefed up in response.

Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said police will not stand by and watch downtown Chicago become “someplace people fear.” He promised a “heavy police presence” to restore order, and said access to downtown will be restricted from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., effective Monday night.

Brown said “the seeds for the shameful destruction we saw last night” started in Englewood Sunday afternoon. About 2:30 p.m., officers responded to a report of a man with a gun. He fled as they arrived, Brown said, and fired at officers. They returned fire, striking the man, who was taken to the University of Chicago Hospital and is expected to survive. The 20-year-old man had previously faced charges of domestic battery, reckless conduct and child endangerment, Brown said.

Shortly after that, police became aware of “several social media posts” about looting planned downtown, Brown said, and as a result, the department reacted by deploying 400 officers to the downtown area.

One of Chicago's most outspoken civil rights personalities, Michael Pfleger, actually said the looting seemed "orchestrated." The Associated Press has this (emphasis added):

Along the Magnificent Mile, people were seen going in and out of stores carrying shopping bags full of merchandise as well as at a bank, the Chicago Tribune reported, and as the crowd grew vehicles dropped off more people in the area. On streets throughout the downtown area, empty cash drawers from stores were strewn about and ATMs were ripped open. 

Stores miles from downtown were also ransacked, with parking lots littered with glass and items from inside the stores. Clothes hangers and boxes that once contained television sets and other electronics were seen — evidence that thieves had taken racks of clothes and removed them from the hangers. 

"This was obviously very orchestrated," the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a prominent Roman Catholic priest and activist on the city's South Side, told WBBM-TV as cameras panned the downtown area.

Pfleger's "orchestrated" statement is supported by many other accounts. Police Superintendent David Brown said that "caravans" of people were seen on their way to the Mag Mile and the Loop to loot.

Brown and Lightfoot both emphasized that the looting should not be mistaken for protesting. “This was not an organized protest,” Brown said. “This was an incident of pure criminality.”

Looter uses vehicle to break into a business at the Chicago BLM riot overnight. #BlackLivesMatter #ChicagoRiots pic.twitter.com/9CaddwItYO

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 10, 2020

Operation LeGend: Trump Sending Fed Agents to Chicago, Albuquerque, Already In Kansas City

President Trump says he will send federal law enforcement agents to Chicago, IL and Albuquerque, NM in a federal effort to fight the violent crime by expanding "Operation LeGend." This comes after weeks of Trump's threats do to this. Both cities are controlled by Democrats.

This from KMBC News 9 in Kansas City, MO (emphasis added):

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday an expansion of a federal law enforcement operation currently underway in Kansas City to the cities of Chicago, Illinois, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The operation – called Operation LeGend for 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was killed when shots were fired into his Kansas City home as he slept – involves agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

KMBC continued:

Authorities say that more than 225 federal law enforcement personnel have arrived in Kansas City to assist in curbing the violent crime that claimed [LeGend] Taliferro’s life.

[...]

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas welcomed federal help but also said it doesn’t diminish the role of the Kansas City Police Department.

"This operation is not tanks in the streets,” Lucas said. “This operation is not a substitute patrol force.”

Breitbart quotes a report from McClatchy (at kansascity.com), the title of which is "Trump expanding Justice Department’s Operation Legend to Chicago, Albuquerque."

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Avenatti Arrest Mugshot (LOL)

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that anti-Trump attorney Michael Avenatti was arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 14 on suspicion of physical violence against a woman.

Photo manipulation by T. Mannis for CNB

Michael Avenatti, who became famous for representing Stormy Daniels in her battle with President Trump, has been arrested for felony domestic violence ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Our law enforcement sources say Avenatti was arrested Wednesday after a woman filed a felony DV report. We're told her face was "swollen and bruised" with "red marks" on both cheeks.

TMZ first reported that Avenatti allegedly struck his estranged wife, but later said it was another woman. Avenatti is out on $50,000 bail and his first court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 5 in Los Angeles Superior Court, CNBC reports.

Since no official Avenatti mugshot has been released by LAPD, we made our own.

Updated: Justin Bieber Surrenders To Toronto Police For Allegedly Assaulting Limo Driver

Bieber faces the music, Toronto, 29 Jan 2014 - CTV News

January 29, 2014 - Pop singer Justin Bieber is in trouble up in Canada.

"Toronto police said in late December they were looking into allegations that a member of Bieber's entourage assaulted a limo driver who was driving the Canadian pop star and several others. Police said at the time that it was unclear whether Bieber was involved," reports ABC this evening.

CBC's John Lancaster tweeted this:
#JustinBieber surrender had been in works for a couple of days. Happening tonight. He will NOT be held for a bail hearing.  ~ @jlancasterCBC

Here are some early tweets about Bieber's surrender to police:

With No Gun, Crazed Man Slaughters Five in Brooklyn

Police lead the suspected killer away
from the Brooklyn murder scene.
Photo: Paul Martinka / New York Post

October 27, 2013 - Horror in New York, on Saturday night: A mother and four children were stabbed to death in an apartment on 57th Street near Ninth Avenue. A machete and scissors were taken from the apartment by police as evidence. 

"A crazed man turned a Sunset Park, Brooklyn, home into a slaughterhouse late Saturday, leaving a 37-year-old mom and her four young children stabbed to death," reports the New York Post. "A 25-year-old suspect - preliminarily identified as the children’s mentally troubled older cousin - was arrested after being subdued at the scene, his feet bare and soaked in blood."

"The toddler and two girls....were already dead from their wounds when paramedics arrived just after 11 p.m.," reports New York Daily News. The mother and [a] boy were taken to local hospitals, "but doctors were unable to save them, officials said."

Police released the five victims' names on Sunday: 37-year-old Qiao Zhen Li and her children, 9-year-old Linda Zhuo, 7-year-old Amy Zhuo, 5-year-old Kevin Zhuo, and 1-year-old William Zhuo.

Nobody has yet called for a national discussion about knife or blade control. There have been no calls in the past for tighter controls on how the mentally ill obtain sharp objects such as steak knives, machetes, ice picks and other potentially dangerous non-guns things.

Update 2: Witness Says Sparks Middle School Shooter Wore School Uniform

HERO: Teacher Michael Landsberry
died while protecting students

October 21, 2013 - A teen aged gunman shot and killed a math teacher, wounded two 12-year old male students at Sparks Middle School in Nevada around 7:15 this morning. The "gunman," a 12-year old 7th grader at the school, then fatally shot himself with his 9-millimeter Ruger seminautomatic handgun.

Update: The teacher killed in the attack was Michael Landsberry, 45, a former US Marine and member of the Nevada Air National Guard. He is survived by his wife and two step-daughters. More...

Update, Oct. 25: The 12-year old shooter has been identified as Jose Reyes. Tthe city of Sparks released the 12-year-old boy’s name on Thursday afternoon (Oct. 24). "The Reno Gazette-Journal had requested the name Tuesday after Sparks police said in a news conference they would not release it," reports the Reno Gazette-Journal. "The RGJ editorial board called on Sparks to release the name, arguing that Sparks police needed to follow the state’s public records laws."

The two wounded students were taken to Renown Regional Medical Center in critical condition. One is out of surgery and the other is doing well, reports Associated Press.

A witness to the Sparks Middle School shooting, 13-year old Kyle Nucum, describes the shooting in this video:

“We heard a pop, like a loud pop, and everybody was screaming and the teacher came to investigate,” Nucum told RGJ Media this morning. “I thought it was a firecracker at first, but the student was pointing a gun at the teacher after the teacher told him to put it down, and the student fired a shot at the teacher and the teacher fell and everybody ran away. And we ran across the field to get somewhere safe and while we were running we heard about four or five more shots and we just got somewhere safe. This lady let us into her house.”

Another student who saw the shooting said, “I heard him saying, ‘Why you people making fun of me, why you laughing at me.’” More at RGJ.com...

Classes at Spark Middle School have been cancelled for the rest of the week. Sparks is located just east of Reno (see map).

Also See:

• Timeline for Sparks Middle School shooting  - Reno Gazette-Journal
• Sparks students say school shooter may have been bullied LA Times
• Shooting at middle school in Sparks, Nev.: Slain teacher identified LA Times
• Gang Members Arrested For Beating 12-year-old Boy - KTVN
• How an Armed Assistant Principal Stopped a School Shooter - Chicago News Bench

Updated: Marcy Cruz Pleads Guilty To Attempted Murder for Brutal Bucktown Bat Attack

Evil Incarnate: Marcy Cruz

Update, October 22, 2013 - Bat-beating trial jurors hear defendant's jailhouse recordings - Suspect in Bucktown attack says in phone conversation he needed money for drugs, reports the Chicago Trib.

Update, July 10, 2013 - Three years ago, we called Marcy Cruz a "rabid dog." Yesterday, she pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder for her part in a brutal attack in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood on April 23, 2010.

Cruz, 28, is one of two people accused of the 2010 baseball bat attack in Bucktown, in the 1800 block of North Damen Avenue. Cruz pleaded guilty on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 and will testify against her co-defendant," reports ABC-7 Chicago.

The two counts of the attempted murder against Cruz are for part in the attack on Stacy Jurich, then 24, and Natasha McShane, then 23. 

The bat attack caused severe brain damage to McShane, and she returned to her homeland in Ireland for brain surgery. She was in Chicago to study urban planning. McShane still "cannot speak beyond mumbles and she cannot walk or take care of herself," said a friend quoted by DNAInfo.

Marcy Cruz (Cook County Sheriff’s office)

Cruz's sentence is a mere 11 years in prison for each count, and to add insult to injury  her sentences will be served consecutively. Cruz must serve at least 85 percent before being eligible for parole, reports ABC-7.

11 years is not nearly long enough in our opinion, but at least this dangerous b*tch will be off the streets for a decade or more. We can only hope that she gets the living hell beaten out of her while in prison, just badly enough that when she's released she will be in a vegetative condition. In an ideal world, her sentence would have been longer, but in a plea deal she agreed to testify against co-defendant and fellow scumbag  Heriberto Viramontes, 34.  Viramontes has felony convictions for burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle, and about 30 other arrests on his record, reports CBS-2 Chicago. His trial is scheduled for September 9, 2013.

Earlier report: "No Pity For Rabid Dog Marcy Cruz"

May 4, 2010 - Edwin Cruz wants you to pity a rabid dog. It's not the rabid dog's fault, you see, that it has rabies. The rabid dog is Edwin Cruz's daughter Marcy (photo, CPD mugshot), accused of being the accomplice in the savage and cold-blooded attack on two women in Chicago on April 23, 2010. Cruz says his daughter Marcy is mentally ill and was off her prescribed medication.

Rabid Dogs: Marcy Cruz and Heriberto Viramontes

Call us cold hearted, but we really don't give a damn. If fact, we think Marcy Cruz should be executed along with accomplice Heriberto Viramontes. Here's why:

Two women, Natasha McShane, 23 and Stacy Jurich, 24, were brutally beaten with a baseball bat Friday, April 23 at about 3:00 a.m. They were walking in the 1800 block of N. Damen Avenue. Both victims were struck in the head with a wooden bat. McShane is still in a medically-induced coma and in critical condition. She is a UIC grad student from Northern Ireland who came to Chicago four months. Stacy Jurich, 24 was released from the hospital last week. (Post Script, July 12, 2011: Natasha McShane was flown home to Ireland for more brain surgery.)

Two suspects were quickly arrested by Chicago Police: Heriberto Viramontes and Marcy Cruz, boyfriend and girlfriend. Viramontes, say the police, swung the bat into the skulls of the two young women. Marcy Cruz, it is said, stayed in their van smoking dope while her man Heriberto went hunting for purses. Chicago police say they were able to find the two by tracking cell phones and credit cards stolen from the victims. ABC7 Chicago reported that "A follow-up investigation also reportedly included surveillance video recorded as the credit cards were being used. Police said they found other items belonging to McShane and Jurich when they searched the suspect's homes. Officials said they also have the bat."

Irish Central reports that Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Erin Antonietti said, "Cruz pointed out the potential victims to Viramontes after he told her he needed 'quick money for drugs.' Cruz told police that she 'smoked a blunt' of marijuana before the attack took place." When Cruz spotted Natasha McShane and Stacy Jurich, she said to Heriberto Viramontes, "look at all those drunk assholes coming out of the bar." Police also said they tracked down the suspects after they used cell phones and credit cards stolen during the attack.

Now, Marcy's father wants us to pity her. Chicagoist notes that "the father of Marcy Cruz, the female half of the couple being held in the late-April bat beating of two women in Bucktown, has come to her defense, saying Cruz is mentally ill and was off her prescribed medication. Saying that his daughter is bipolar, Edwin Cruz put a lot of the blame on Heriberto Viramontes, the man accused of wielding the bats in the attack: 'This guy, well, he was a manipulator. He's good with ladies, he's got sweet talk, he's got green eyes, he's pretty boy.' Both Cruz and Viramontes have been charged with aggravated battery and armed robbery for the attacks. 'It's very sad. It hurts all of us,' said Edwin. '(But) I don't think she should be (incarcerated). … She's not all there in her mind.'" 

Cruz: One sick b*tch

Edwin Cruz wants us to believe, apparently, that all bi-polar people who stop taking their meds lurk in vans waiting for the right victims to pulverize and rob. Cruz claims his "mentally ill" daughter is really a sweet kid, and blames the bad boyfriend Viramontes. He seems in denial about the fact that his lovely daughter was hanging out with a vile scumbag, with an arrest as long as, well, a baseball bat.

According to NBC5 Chicago, "His rap sheet includes convictions for possession of a stolen motor vehicle, burglary and domestic battery, Cook County court records show. He also has a conviction for possession of a controlled substance, police said. His current stay in the jail is his 19th time in the facility."

Cruz the father claims that daughter Marcy did the bidding of Viramontes because he's "good with the ladies." Yeah, especially while he's swinging a baseball bat. Most "ladies," by the way, do not hang out and do the bidding of guys who behave as Viramontes allegedly did. Perhaps Daddy Cruz is unaware of the fact that his daughter is something of a looker herself, leaving open the possibility that Viramontes was actually the one acting under sexual influence. Is it not possible that Marcy Cruz was the "manipulator?"

Can You Help a Homeless Patriot? Please Give To My Homeless Survival Fund! Keep Me Alive and Fighting!

Papa Cruz says his daughter should not be behind bars because "she's not all there in her mind." Perhaps he's unaware of the fact that there are plenty of people who are "criminally insane." The fact that she might be crazy does not change the fact that she is a danger to other people.

Let's say you're walking down the street, and you're lucky enough to be carrying a gun. You turn a corner and find yourself confronted by a growling dog, foam oozing from its mouth, a crazed look in its eyes. You realize the dog is rabid, out of its mind. You back off and try to get away, but the dog starts running toward you.

You have a split-second decision to make. Do you (a) draw your gun and shoot the insane beast before it kills you or infects you with rabies, and perhaps other people too, or (b) show compassion and pity for the poor thing because you know it is not in control of its own actions due to the rabies.

The second choice, of course, might be fatal. You shoot the rabid dog, and you are not required to show remorse for having done so. It was self defense, and the dog no longer poses a threat to anybody else.

Marcy Cruz is an (allegedly) rabid dog who needs to be put down. To excuse her (allegedly) criminal behavior on the grounds of being off her bi-polar meds is to insult millions of law abiding bi-polar people who do not associate with criminal scum and then urge them to go crack skulls to bring back stolen booty.

Update 3: Nine Shot When Brooklyn BBQ Blasted By Bullets

616 E. 52nd Street, Brooklyn NY (Google Maps)

June 30, 2013 - 1:30 AM EDT - Eight people - four men and four women - were injured in a multiple shooting incident early at 12:50 AM EDT at 616 E. 52nd Street. The residence, located  near Clarendon Road, is in Brooklyn's East Flatbush neighborhood. Reports say a barbecue was being held at the home "when a gunman fired a barrage of bullets," reports NY Daily News at 2:11 AM EDT.

Update, July 2: 
NBC New York reports that "Nine people were wounded at the party on East 52nd Street in East Flatbush when gunfire erupted shortly before 1 a.m., according to NYPD. The victims suffered a range of injuries, including gunshot wounds to the side, lower back, calf and foot, but all are expected to be OK." More at NBC...

The New York Daily News reports that "A fugitive suspected of shooting and wounding nine people outside of a wild weekend house party on E. 52nd St. in Brooklyn was apprehended Tuesday at the Holland Tunnel. Tyrone Brown, 24, was pinched when Port Authority officer Michael Cerullo spotted the hulking suspect in a white Nissan Altima in Jersey City, near the Holland Tunnel, just before 4 p.m., sources said." More at nydailynews.com...  Brown, of Crown Heights, has been charged with "attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment," reports WPTV.

At 2:14 AM EDT, ‏@NewsBreaker tweeted this:
CONFIRMED: NYPD tells @NewsBreaker 7 people shot at a residence in Brooklyn:
*Domestic dispute *1 critical *6 non life threatening injuries

At the same time, @NYCityAlerts tweeted this: 
Brooklyn: Clarendon Rd & East 52 St. NYPD o/s with 7 people shot 1 in traumatic arrest 4 in serious condition. Level 1 called.

At 2:25 AM EDT, @TheNewsHQ tweeted:
Brooklyn U/D: NYPD Says 1 woman is in critical condition other 6 are stable, Shooting started at a BBQ party, No arrest has been made.

Russia Today (RT) reproduced one of the tweets from Twitter. "Seven people were reportedly shot at in Brooklyn, New York, while at a barbecue. A nearby hospital is preparing to receive the injured, with one reported in critical condition," reported RT.

DEVELOPING STORY......

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

Updated: Man Held in UK Mosque Stabbing of Four Including Police Officer

Washwood Heath Muslim Centre ~ Google Maps

June 15, 2013 - A quiet residential neighborhood in Birmingham, England was shaken by a multiple stabbing incident Saturday night. The incident seems to have nothing to do with terrorism or hate crimes.

"Four men including a police officer have been taken to hospital after being stabbed in a mosque in Birmingham," reports Sky News tonight. "The officer was stabbed as he arrived at a mosque in Birmingham where three people had been attacked by a knifeman." Sky News says that all four men are hospitalized and a 32-year old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Police tape off Washwood Heath Muslim Centre, 15 June
Photo: Sky News

UPDATE, 16 June: "Two worshippers, a 28-year-old man who suffered multiple stab wounds and a 36-year-old man who suffered a single stab wound to the thigh, were also being treated in hospital," reports The Guardian UK. "Another worshipper suffered a hand injury but did not need hospital treatment. All were given first aid at the scene by police officers and worshippers, who included an off-duty surgeon." The Guardian also reports that attacker's motivation for Saturday's attack are not known, "but there was no evidence it was a hate crime or linked to any other incidents." The Guardian says that the 32-year-old murder suspect "was transferred to a secure mental health facility on Sunday after he was deemed unfit to be interviewed by police."

The mosque is the Washwood Heath Muslim Centre at 790-792 Washwood Heath Road, Ward End, Birmingham, West Midlands. (See map and photo.) Listed at the same address is a school called Madrasah Qasim ul Uloom and a majid called Anwar-ul-Madina.

The West Midlands Police press release said that "Officers arrived at the incident and whilst the suspect was being detained, one police officer also suffered stab wounds. The three men and the male police constable were taken to hospital; all four men are currently described as being in a stable condition and their injuries are not believed to be life threatening. The man was arrested at the mosque on suspicion of attempt murder and is currently in custody. Officers are conducting patrols in the area in a bid to reassure local people and a cordon is in place whilst investigations continue at this time."

Ward End is an area of Birmingham, England. It covers the area between Saltley, Hodge Hill and Stechford and includes Ward End Park, according to Wikipedia, which also notes that "there are a large number of mosques, located on Ward End, Washwood Heath, Hodge Hill and Alum Rock Road or nearby." The UK Mosque Searcher lists nine mosques in Ward End.

Taliban Beheads Two Boys In Kandahar, But Media Has Food Fight Over Motive

June 10, 2013 - The bodies of two boys named Khan and Hameedullah, 10 and 16, were discovered with their heads cut off. And the media can't get the motivation straight.

Map of ISAF regional commands in Afghanistan Provinces
Source: undispatch.com

"News of the 10-year-old's death was all over Twitter yesterday, but "later on Monday the Kandahar provincial government office confirmed that a second boy had also been beheaded," says BBC News today. Many reports are saying that the Taliban killed the boys, but they deny responsibility for the murders. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi "insisted to the BBC the group had not beheaded any children in the area."

Kandahar's governor, Dr. Toryalay Wessa, condemned the killings as inhumane and un-Islamic and insists the Taliban is guilty of killing the boy. A manhunt for the killers has been ordered.

"The boys were on their way back ... when they were stopped by Taliban insurgents who beheaded them," the chief of Zhari district, Jamal Agha, told Reuters. "Both of them were innocent children and had nothing to do with government or foreigners."

Were They Looking for Food? 

There is media confusion over the motivation behind the killing of the two boys. Many reports say the boys were killed while seeking food, but at least one report says that the boys may have actually been selling food.  

The Kandahar provincial government office issued a statement last night that said the boys were probably suspected by the Taliban of giving information to police in exchange for food, says The Telegraph. "In separate incident, it was claimed, the boys were questioned about spying and their heads were then cut off."  A Reuters report at Gulf News says that Khan and Hameedullah "had traveled to Afghan army and police checkpoints near their home in the southern province of Kandahar, scrounging for leftover food to bring to their families, the officials said."

Which is it? Were the boys scrounging for food or given food in exchange for information?

Or Were They Selling Yogurt?
However, a very different report from Voice of Journalists (VOJ) says that the boys may have been killed "because they sold yogurt to Afghan Police and Army personnel. The boys were warned that they should not have any business dealings with any Afghan official. However, today when the boys were coming back after selling their 'Lassi', a yogurt-based drink, they were captured and then ruthlessly beheaded."

Video: In 2012, Taliban Islamist insurgents beheaded 17 party-goers.

A spokesperson of Kandaha governor said that the boys had a flock of sheep and goats, reports VOJ.  "They would create lassi out of yogurt and then swap this drink with Afghan Police and Army to get some food in return. For this reason, they were warned by the Taliban. They were asked not to conduct any business with Afghan Police or help them in any matter."

The Telegraph also notes that "Afghans officials believe the Taliban carried out the executions as a 'warning' to other youngsters not to co-operate with the Coalition forces at a time when they are launching fresh attacks in Afghan cities on Western and Afghan forces as part of their Spring offensive which has so far seen a series of high profile attacks."

Woman Stabs Baby to Death, Then Stabs Herself, at Diplomat Motel, Chicago (Updated)

Diplomat Motel (Photo: A Chicago Sojourn)

May 30, 2013 - Half a dozen Chicago police vehicles and yellow crime scene tape indicated that something was wrong at the Diplomat Motel late this morning.

Police officers and their vehicles, some parked at crazy angles across the street from a Dominick's grocery story, guarded a quiet homicide scene at 5230 N. Lincoln Avenue.

"A 5-month-old baby boy was killed and his mother seriously wounded," reports the Chicago Tribune, quoting authorities, "in an apparent murder-suicide attempt at a motel on North Lincoln Avenue this morning."

Baby Killer Kermit Gosnell Gets Life In Prison, Not Death

May 14, 2013 - A Philadelphia abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, will not get the death penalty but will get two consecutive life terms instead.

Gosnell was convicted yesterday of first-degree murder in the deaths of three babies who were delivered alive and then killed in his clinic.

"Gosnell gave up his appeal rights Tuesday, and prosecutors agreed to two life sentences without parole," reports Associated Press.

AP Photo/Philadelphia Daily News, Yong Kim

Prosecutors had asked for the death penalty because Gosnell committed multiple murders. "Gosnell is to be sentenced Wednesday in the death of the third baby," says AP, "an involuntary manslaughter conviction in the death of a patient and hundreds of lesser counts."

"Pennsylvania authorities failed to conduct routine inspections of all its abortion clinics for 15 years by the time Gosnell's facility was raided," reports ABC News. "In the scandal's aftermath, two top state health officials were fired, and Pennsylvania imposed tougher rules for clinics."

Earlier: Abortion Doctor Kermit Gosnell Guilty on Three Counts of First-Degree Murder

Abortion Doctor Kermit Gosnell Guilty on Three Counts of First-Degree Murder (Updated)

UPDATE, MAY 14: Baby Killer Kermit Gosnell Gets Life In Prison, Not Death

Kermit Gosnell - philly.com

May 13, 2013 - Abortionist Kermit Gosnell was found guilty today of three counts of first-degree murder for killing babies born alive in his clinic. He was acquitted on a fourth count. Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty, which Gosnell is eligible for under Pennsylvania law.

House of Horrors: "Prosecutors say the 72-year-old Gosnell delivered babies alive and had their spines severed with scissors to kill them. They say the baby whose death he was cleared in let out a soft whimper before Gosnell cut its neck." (Associated Press)

Gosnell operated the Family Women's Medical Society clinic at 3801 Lancaster Ave. from 1979 to 2010, when it was closed after a federal-state drug raid.

Gosnell's House of Horrors

Gosnell was charged with four counts of first-degree murder, of babies allegedly born alive during illegal late-term abortions and killed by Gosnell or staff. Gosnell was charged with 227 counts of violating the state's 24-hour waiting period before a woman has an abortion, and also a count of third-degree murder in the 2009 death of an abortion patient allegedly overdosed on Demerol by Gosnell's untrained staff. More at Philly.com.

A Delaware woman who worked at Gosnell’s abortion clinic testified on April 9 that it was “standard procedure” to snip the necks of babies that were delivered by patients before the abortion due to labor-inducing drugs. Eight former staffers of Gosnell’s clinic have pleaded guilty to a variety of charges and are awaiting sentencing.

Also See:

• Gosnell guilty of first-degree murder Delaware Online
• Kermit Gosnell convicted on 3 of 4 counts of murdering babies LifeSiteNews
• 56 Days Later, ABC Ends Blackout, Covers Gosnell 'House of Horrors' Newsbusters
• Gosnell Found Guilty Of 3 Counts Of First Degree Murder CBS Philly
• Kermit Gosnell Found Guilty on Three First-Degree Murder Charges LifeNews
• Dr. Kermit Gosnell found guilty on three murder counts, acquitted on fourth count KTRK TV
• Why Obama and the Left Don't Care About Kermit Gosnell Human Events
• Kudos to Kermit Gosnell and Ariel Castro American Thinker

Bullet Hits Popular Coffee House in Rogers Park, Chicago

Common Cup - Chicago News Bench file photo

May 11, 2013 - An apparent drive-by shooting today has shaken up a quiet coffee shop on Chicago's far northeast side. Gunshots were fired around 12:30 p.m. today in the 1500 block of W. Morse Avenue in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood today. An excellent report at Chicago News Report says that "an investigating officer discovered a bullet hole in a window at 1501 West Morse." That's where Common Cup coffee house sits on the southwest corner of Morse and N. Greenview.

The CNR report noted that a woman was walking along Morse Avenue "when she heard gunshots behind her… when she turned around, a black sedan zoomed passed her, said authorities. Another eyewitness saw a silver car and two black males flee the area of the shooting. One male was limping… possibly, from an injury sustained in the shooting. The limping suspect was last seen going into a gangway near 1443 West Morse, said police."

An update to the CNR report said police were looking at an abandoned vehicle, in which they found shell casings. "Authorities believe the car was used in the Morse Avenue shooting," said CNR.

Also See:

• Common Cup Drive By Shooting Chevanston Rogers Park
• Coffee Bean And Tea Leaf Beverage Capsule Carousel (Google Affiliate Ad)

Charles Ramsey, The Man Who Ended Amanda Berry's 10-Year Kidnapping Nightmare (Updated)

Amanda Marie Berry: 
undated handout, FBI

UPDATE -- MAY, May 9: This post now includes videos of  Charles Ramsey's interviews on Good Morning America,  WKYC Channel 3, and Anderson Cooper 360.

May 5, 2013 - She was kidnapped on April 21, 2003 as she left her job at a Burger King. Amanda Marie Berry was missing ever since. Tonight, however, she and two other kidnapped women are free thanks to the heroic efforts of neighbor Charles Ramsey.

According to police, reports CBS News, "a woman claiming to be Amanda Berry called 911 Monday. She said she was kidnapped 10 years ago and said she is currently at a home at 2210 Seymour.  She also told the dispatcher that Gina DeJesus was with her. A third missing woman, 32-year old Michelle Knight, was also at the location with Berry and DeJesus. It's believed Knight disappeared in 2000."

There are some odd discrepancies in the reporting of this story. CBS reports that a witness "says he saw Amanda Berry come running out of the house kicking and screaming 'Help me!,' and carrying a baby in her arms." That makes no sense, however. Kicking? The man who held her captive had reportedly left the house. Why was she kicking? It makes even less sense after you watch the Fox8-Cleveland news video below, in which we see neighbor Charles Ramsey let her out. It was from Ramsey's cell phone that Berry made her frantic call to 911 (hear the audio below).   

HERO: In the Fox8 video report, Charles Ramsey told Fox8 that he heard Berry screaming from inside the house next to his. In the video below, Ramsey says that he ran next door and Berry identified herself to him, and he says he let her out.

"I heard this girl screaming," Ramsey said, "and she's going nuts." He said nobody knew there was any females in the house, and so her screaming was "a dead giveaway that something's wrong. And I came to the front door and looked at her, she said 'My name is Amanda Berry, please, get me out of this house'." Ramsey said that the police arrested a suspect at a nearby McDonald's, which the Fox reporter confirmed.

911 CALL: "Help me! I'm Amanda Berry. I've been kidnapped and I've been missing for 10 years and I'm here. I'm free now," Berry told a 911 operator. The recording was released by Cleveland police and posted on the website of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. You can hear the audio here. You can hear Charles Ramsey's 911 call at The Cleveland Plain Dealer (language advisory). Fox8 reports that three suspects were arrested late this evening. "The men, ages 54, 52 and 50, are brothers. One of them has been identified as Ariel Castro." Cleveland police will have a news conference on Tuesday morning.

Injustice Delivered: Pizza Hut Demotes Delivery Guy For Defending Himself

Dec. 30, 2012 - I don't usually go for boycotts, but Pizza Hut needs to be on the receiving end of one for this. Sam Swicegood, college student and pizza delivery man in Maryland, defended himself against attackers while delivering pizzas. His mistake: He used a "weapon." To show him their moral support and compassion, Pizza Hut demoted him.

The trouble began as Swicegood tried to deliver pizza. He said he was "sucker punched" and his glasses flew off his face. Dropping the pizzas, he swung a piece of a tent pole he had up his sleeve.

“It’s a little fiberglass [rod] I had up my sleeve not thinking I would actually have to use it but more or less having a little comfort up my sleeve,” recalled Sam. Swicegood faced five attackers and said those odds “is just not a good situation to be in.” The rod is part of a tent pole, he explained, and it might have saved him from being more seriously injured. Hat tip to Freedom Outpost.

Swicegood said he was attacked previously, "so before he got out of his car, he grabbed something to protect himself," reported Fox News Balitmore on Dec. 28. Fox News also said that one of Sam’s co-workers was held at gunpoint last month and robbed "in the same area Sam was attacked; luckily in Sam’s case police arrested 3 out of 5 of the individuals - all of which are juveniles."

Pizza Hut: Now crap in my eyes.

Pizza Hut's outrageous reaction to Swicegood protecting himself: They demoted him, making him a cook earning less money than as a driver. Why? Because he violated Pizza Hut's no-weapon policy that forbids drivers from being armed.

Comment:  Suppose, instead of the tent pole rod, Swicegood hit his attackers with a pizza box? Those boxes are stiff and have sharp corners. You could take an eye out with ont. Could a Pizza Hut box be considered a weapon? After all, any solid object could be used as a weapon. A ball point, for example, is not a "weapon" until it is intentionally plunged into somebody's throat. 

Sam Swicegood deserves to work for a better employer. Here's a link to his resume. Additionally, there is a Facebook group now called "Support Sam Swicegood," so please check it out, "Like" it and share it. And the next time you want to go out for pizza, forget about Pizza Hut. At the Facebook page, somebody wrote the following:

Keep the pressure on Pizza Hut to reverse their silly decision to demote someone for protecting their life while delivering their product. I am not saying they need to be armed, but if in the course of defending oneself they pick something up to use as a defensive instrument, they should not be demoted or fired.

Pizza Hut Corporate Office Headquarters
14841 Dallas Parkway 
Dallas TX 75254
Phone: 800-948-8488