Chicago Police Search for Missing Down's Syndrome Boy

11:30 AM, July 9 - Police and neighbors are now looking for a missing Hispanic boy who has Down's syndrome. He was reported missing from his home in the 4700 block of N. Malden in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. The boy is described as "small for his age" with "long straight hair." This is from police scanner chatter, 23rd District. We assume the boy's hair is black, and police are saying they have no clothing description. If you see the boy please call 911. Leave a Comment... See Our Online Store Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...

Don't Feed the Pigeons

Many people assume that cops must be experts about law. They're not. I don't mean this post as an insult to police officers, but the blunt truth is that the vast majority did not go to law school. And some, as we see here, don't even know an ordinance that's widely posted in their own city.

CNB photo archives

It is illegal to feed the pigeons in Chicago. So says Chicago Municipal Code Section 728-710, which calls for a fine of up to $500 for throwing food to the filthy, flying poop droppers. Addendum: After a writer wrote that "there is no Section 728-710," I felt compelled to add a link to the section in question (also see my response to "Roderick" in the comments). Read the entire Section 728-710 here. 

Unfortunately, some CPD officers seem unaware of this well-known, well-posted law. At 5:18 p.m. today, a call went out from the 24th District CPD dispatcher.

"Woman feeding pigeons at Howard and Paulina, causing a disturbance," she called out.

Immediately, an officer radioed back, "That is not illegal."

"Yeah," came the dispatcher's response. After half an hour of listening, I never heard a followup to that disturbance call.

Okay, I know, feed the pigeons is no emergency. Yes, it helps a disease-spreading pest breed and multiply, but what the heck - we allow unregulated food carts to sell unrefrigerated, unlicensed, uninspected food to humans, right? So what's one more health threat?

The big deal is that a police officer (a) did not know that it's illegal to feed pigeons, even though it's one of the most posted laws in the city, and (b) an ignorant officer overrode his ignorant dispatcher with an ignorant remark. How many other, more serious calls are called off in the same manner?

Is This Post Racist?

I'm on a police scanner kick lately. You learn a lot by listening in on what the police are saying to each other. I have been harshly critical of Chicago police in the past, but generally I am a big supporter and admirer of good police officers.

One of the first things an attentive listener learns while listening to a scanner is the sincerity of the police in trying to accomplish their mission of serving and protecting. Most of the CPD dispatchers sound African American; I cannot find statistics on this, but that's my impression.

Another phenomenon that the scanner listener becomes aware of quickly is just how disproportionately represented Blacks and Hispanics are as persons for the police to pay attention to. That is, an astounding number of calls go out regarding, for example, a "black male" waving a gun, waving a baseball bat, a knife, or who just ran out of liquor store without paying for that 12 pack under his arm. Hispanics, too, are disproportionately represented. Blacks and Hispanics, in Chicago anyway, are the subject of 911 calls and - resultantly - police dispatches. Sure, you hear "white male" sometimes. But you can listen for hours and only hear "Black" and "Hispanic" as descriptions of suspected bad guys. "Asian" is so rarely heard on the Chicago Police Department airwaves in the context of being suspects of bad behavior that it would seem to be insignificant.

Is that the result of a racist justice system? Hardly. The justice system does not (a) make the Blacks and Hispanics break out car windows, wave weapons on the street, or beat each other up, nor does it (b) make citizens call 911 with imaginary distress calls in which Blacks and Hispanics are the - ahem - alleged bad guys. Many of the dispatched events result in arrests or reports. Many of those wind up in court, in hearings and trials. Sometimes convictions are the result.

So, is the justice system biased? Surely, there are individual judges and jurors with racist attitudes. But the majority? The whole system? Does it have nothing to do with bad behavior to begin with? You would have to be the ultimate paranoid to believe that 911 calls about Whites behaving badly are selectively filtered out by the police dispatchers.

Mind you, I am NOT saying that Whites are better than non-Whites. I am NOT saying that there is some genetic predisposition for criminal behavior. But is seems reasonable to assert that there are strong cultural factors that influence behavior, from bad parenting to a general disregard for the value of other people's lives.

Let's turn to a thoughtful article by favorite writer Heather Mac Donald. In the Spring volume of City Journal, her article "Is the Criminal-Justice System Racist?" looks at this recurring question. Her conclusion: No. Her explanation is worth reading.

An excerpt [emphasis added]:

Robert Grace, the Los Angeles prosecutor, is acutely aware of the fragility and preciousness of the rule of law. “As a civilized society, we can’t allow what’s happening in Latin America to take over here,” he says. “Venezuela and Mexico are awash in appalling violence because they don’t respect the law.” Thus, when prominent figures like Barack Obama make sweeping claims about racial unfairness in the criminal-justice system, they play with fire. “For any political candidate to make such claims out of expediency is wrong,” Grace says. “If they have statistics that back up the claim, I’d like to see them. But to create phony perceptions of injustice is as wrong as not doing anything about the real thing.” FULL ARTICLE at City Journal...

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It's Worse Than You Know, Chicago

Fasten your seatbelts. Here is some scanner action, night of Friday, May 2 into the morning of Saturday, May 03, 2008. Much of the action heard is not included here - only the most violent. Parking violations, noise complaints and other minor incidents are not included in this report. There was plenty of violence, most of which you will never hear about on the evening news or read about in the Chicago Tribune or Chicago Sun-Times. Keep in mind that this is a small portion of the night: From 11:39 p.m. Friday to 1:42 a.m. Saturday. It is, unfortunately, fairly representative of what happens in Chicago on a typical weekend night. The excerpts below are as I wrote them down as I heard them, and are from a variety of Chicago Police districts around the city. Exact addresses are changed to blocks and peoples’ names omitted to protect privacy. 11:30 PM - Shots fired, 1200 block N. Campbell - “gang” 11:47 PM - Man with a gun walking around at 47th and Ashland 11:50 PM - Person shot, 1800 block N. California, police looking for “two male Hispanics” 11:51 PM - Man has a gun, 1800 block N. Kedzie 11:54 PM - Dispatcher says there is a “wolf or coyote” spotted at Clybourn and Fullerton. Cops on radio enjoy this. “Can we shoot?” “Tranquilizer darts.” “Come on, it’s only a wolf, you don’t have to shoot it.” “Can we shoot?” “Wolves are endangered.” 12:02 AM - Officer arranges for “removal” of a dead 19 year old female, gunshot to the head, from the ER of South Shore Hospital. 12:05 AM - Man “masturbating in the park.” 12:08 AM - Man with a gun threatened to shoot the caller on 5500 block W. Diversey, caller says he is now walking back toward him. 12:09 AM - Person down, 1400 block W. Farragut Avenue. 12:11 AM - Need evidence technician (ET) to photograph “the victim,” who is in critical condition at Mt. Sinai Hospital. 12:12 AM - Persons waving guns at 53rd and Ashland. They are driving a white Pontiac Bonneville. Reported by people who waved down a police officer. 12:20 AM - Shots fired, 1300 block of (unintelligible). 12:28 AM - ET requested in 10th District to photograph a victim, a “26 year old male black.” One of the perpetrators is in custody. 12:31 AM - Van hit a female “on the expressway” near 1800 block of N. Ashland. Illinois State Police are investigating. 12:34 AM - Two female Hispanics flashed a gun at Ohio and Ashland, then drove eastward. Purple car - another officer calls in that car is seen going northbound on Ashland, chase ensues. “Approaching Augusta…” Moments go by; “Stopped them in 1000 block of N. Ashland. “Request a female officer for a search." 12:38 AM - Requesting backup for large fight at a house, 800 block of Sacramento. 12:42 AM - Cop radios from house fight, “disregard” 12:42 AM - Person with a gun, somebody’s girlfriend driving dark red or maroon Pontiac with Texas plates. “They’re still in the area” (13th, 14th Districts). Search ensues. Cop on radio, “That car’s been up in this area all night, by Potomac and (unintelligible), was in the are when those shots were fired.” 12:44 AM - (Responding to above) “We stopped that car earlier… We’ll get those plates to you…” 12:47 AM - Person shot, Belmont and (?) 12:47 AM - “We’ve rounded everybody up at (2900 block, Devon).” 12:48 AM - Assault, victim being followed by assailant in 7000 block, N. California. “No further info.” 12:54 AM - “You can cancel that ambulance.” 12:55 AM - Officer reports that a victim is “stable, gunshot wound to the right arm,” ET requested to photograph a silver Ford Taurus. Nobody in custody in the 11th District. 12:59 AM - 5800 block, N. Magnolia - 30 kids fighting out front. 1:05 AM - “Everybody’s dispersed” from fight on Magnolia. 1:04 AM - Robbery; two male blacks, 300 block E. Garfield on Green Line CTA train, took two cell phones and $60.00 cash. 1:14 AM - 8500 block, Marquette; breaking into house, man banging on windows and doors. 1:22 AM - “Shots fired.” “MORE SHOTS!” at Spaulding and Kimball. 1:26 AM - “Subjects ran south from Evergreen.” 1:38 AM - Male posing as a cop, 4400 block, S. ???. 1:39 AM - Westbound SUV on Division, people throwing beer cans as they drive. 1:42 AM - Male Hispanic walking with a gun, 47th and Troupe. 1:42 AM - 50 people fighting on street, 16th and Karlov, throwing bottles at police.

Friday Night's Alright for Fighting

Mayor Dick Daley's Magical Emergency Meeting on Violence didn't seem to help much. Seems the nutjobs and criminals don't pay much attention to what he wants them to do - or not do. Here are just a few snippets that I jotted down while listening to my police scanner Friday evening. People, I urge you to get a scanner. You will be amazed at what is not reported to us by the big media, the police and our aldermen. 8:46 PM - black male, early/mid 20s running south on Glenwood from Pratt, beat up an "old man" 10:15 PM - Windsor and Sunnyside, 6-12 shots fired from park (23rd district)... "on Hazel," said a pedestrian. Black/dark vehicle, no license or description. 10:25 PM - 18th and Lovitt (sp?) - Shots fired... Gangster Disciples? 10:40 PM - Chicago Pie Company, manager George - burglary? 10:40 PM - 1052 Corliss - 2 shots fired 10:45 PM - Male Hispanic running with a gun, 1246 N. Campbell 10:55 PM - Shooting, 1832 S. Oakley, request Evidence Technician for shell casings and photos; victim shot in leg, good condition, taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital. 11:07 PM - Shots fired at 14th and S. Halsted