You can print guns from a 3D printer now!

I find this terrifying...and it throws a wrench in the whole gun control/gang violence debate.

Last Night's Fire Displaced 28 Albany Parkers

....reports the Twitter stream of the American Red Cross.

Volunteers providing shelter for 28 local people displaced by a fire in Albany Park.
— ChicagoRedCross (@ChicagoRedCross) March 17, 2013

 
The blaze began around 4am on Sunday morning, on the back porch of a three-story apartment building. No one was injured. From the Tribune's "overnight violence and mayhem" reporter Peter Nickeas:

Fire engines, trucks and ambulances jammed the blocks surrounding the building, in the 4800 block of North Lawndale Avenue, as crews worked to extinguish the blaze.

Nickeas snapped this pic, as well as this one he shared on Twitter:

Fire: 4800 block of North Lawndale Avenue. ow.ly/i/1HzU0 #chicago #albanypark
— Peter Nickeas (@PeterNickeas) March 17, 2013

 
Meanwhile CBS/WBBM Radio, who made a note to mention the CTA's "warming buses" for the people displaced, is reporting that 4800 North Lawndale Avenue is "Avondale."

What? Avondale is Lawrence between Kimball and Pulaski? They're trolling me, right... Right???

Take Congressman Mike Quigley's Survey on Gun Violence

It's actually only one question, but a good one.

And here is Quigley with some NIU students recently, taken from his official Twitter stream. (In case you can't tell, I also think Quigley is a good civil servant.)

 

Gunman Killed by Albany Park Police this morning

Happened around 4am on Wilson Ave, reports all the presses. The man was speeding down Wilson and probably drunk as he crashed into & sideswiped a bunch of parked cars before getting out of his vehicle and shooting at the approaching police.

The two officers suffered "bruises and contusions" when they dove for cover.  

Police Shoot, Kill Man in Albany Park After Exchanging Gunfire

Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130316/albany-park/police-shoot-kill-man-albany-park-after-exchanging-gunfire#ixzz2NjOyVx3F

Police shoot, kill man in Albany Park neighborhood 

 Read more: http://www.suntimes.com/news/18893726-418/police-shoot-kill-man-in-albany-park-neighborhood.html

Police: Man killed after exchanging gunfire with officers

Read more, with video: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-police-kill-man-in-albany-park-20130316,0,4396546.story

Alderman Laurino Spring Newsletter includes an O'Hare traffic & noise meeting!!!

(cut and pasted from my email for your viewing pleasure, now that EveryBlock is gone...)

Issue: 202

March 14, 2013

O'Hare traffic and noise meeting Alderman Laurino is hosting an informational meeting about O'Hare traffic and noise over the Thorndale corridor. Invited speakers will be from the Chicago Department of Aviation, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission.

Thursday, April 4, at 6:00 pm. North Park Village, 5801 N. Pulaski, H-Building Community Room.

Clean and Green April 20 is Clean and Green day! Clean and Green is Chicago's annual community clean up day! Meet your neighbors and make your neighborhood more beautiful. If you'd like to start a volunteer group, or join an existing group, call Jonathan at Alderman Laurino's office, 773-736-5594.

Boys Basketball Tournament

Congratulations to all the participants in Alderman Laurino's Eleventh Annual Boys Basketball Tournament! It was a lively competition, and a great time was had by all. Thorp won first place in the 5th and 6th grade division, while St. Edward finished second. Brentano won the 7th-8th grade division, while Volta finished second. Also participating were Gray, Farnsworth, Hibbard, Marshall, Newberry, Portage and Saugansh.

The APCC has moved? Did this neighborhood even need the APCC?

 Pardon me for being late to this news, as I was in India for a month, but the Albany Park Community Center is now located in Ravenswood!?

Can someone explain to me how the APCC will continue to serve the community if it is no longer located in Albany Park, but two well-to-do neighborhoods away and towards the lake?

Well, that's the thing: the APCC is now trying to be a city-wide service, as opposed to a neighborhood service.  The APCC isn't really concerned about serving Albany Park any more, they say. They want to serve the whole city.

Is this a sign of Illinois' economic times? In an interview, APCC president did say they are depending less and less on government and state funding.

Huh.

According to Patch (which is now covering Lincoln Square for some reason - no wonder Fourcher felt threatened), the move allows the APCC to employ more people, provides a better social and working atmosphere as the organization is no longer split between 2 floors, and offers bigger space for cheaper rent. Programs offered at the APCC include employment training and the rehabilitation of veterans, but something about Ravenswood and its comparable wealth really rubs me the wrong way.  It's all about location, right?

You'd think that if the APCC was trying to reach more people in need of their services, they'd move to a less affluent neighborhood.  You know, a neighborhood where their services are actually needed and wanted.

Are you really going to make poor people commute farther to your center? Where they'll walk past pretty boutiques and manicured streets with flower boxes - aka, feel more shitty about their economic level and life - to go take job training classes and learn how to speak English?  Well, yes.  Yes you are.

At least Albany Park still has Our Lady of Mercy, which many would argue is the real community center here in Albany Park.  And we have the APNC and NRC, which actually provide real services to the community.

Sigh. I don't know why I am angry about this.

Oh, no, yes I do.

I hate it when we lose nonprofits and neighborhood services. I was pissed when Blue Sky Bakery left, when they reduced CAPS meetings for every other month for my police district, and then when they closed down the library at Kimball & Foster.

Now this???   

pro tip on how to get out a gang!

Other blogs covering Albany Park!

... besides the fun Fuck Yeah Albany Park tumblr, some new ones have popped up in the last year:

60625news, which is written by a former CSJ writer and the comic book artist Sarah Morton!  She focuses on the Lincoln Square area, hence the zipcode.


Albany Park Neighbors, a new community group that I may or may not check out in March. 

 

Shadow was 19-year-old Andre Ephrame...

...who died on 9/15/11 at 10:30 p.m

According to the RedEye's homicide map, Andre died on the same block as the RIP graffiti. The Chicago Tribune is reporting the killer's motive was "retaliation" for a shooting in California, that Ephrame was in no way a part as he was on the other side of the country, except, of course, for being in the same gang.

"Cook County prosecutors said Miguel Ruiz, 20, of the 4600 block of North Central Park Avenue, was driving around with his friend Alfredo Carranza, 25, on Thursday, looking for members of rival gangs to shoot.

Carranza's brother had recently been shot in California by a gang member there, which was why he was hunting for other gang members in Chicago.

Eventually they found Andre Ephrame, 19, and Carranza shot and killed him in the 4900 block of North Troy Street, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Melissa Howlett said in court Saturday."  

Un-fucking-believable. 

What solidifies my theory that Andre was Shadow, is an RIP Latin Kings tribute video made about an Andre Ephrame who went by the name of "Shadow." The 1 minute 45 second video is full of images of Andre goofing off with his friends interspersed with Latin Kings imagery. At the end, the video lists his place of death as on "4900 block Lkst," which is in keeping with media and official reports of his place of death.

Gone but never forgotten. 

Here is Andre's mug shot, taken in May 2011, for carrying a firearm illegally.  Andre lived in Little India. 

Win a Dinner for Two at Semiramis!

You just have to take a related photo, and tag them on Facebook. See the photo below:

"Something in Korean"

News and Maps on Gang-related Homicides

Given my last post was about gang violence in my neighborhood, I would be amiss to not mention WBEZ's interactive gang map and accompanying article, of which most of this post is derived from. 

I actually wasn't that impressed with the interactive map portion of the post- which used Google Maps so it's fine I guess but for the lack of detail. The accompanying PDFs, however, were perfect. 

I had no idea there were that many gangs in the 17th Police district.

RIP Shadow, a member of the Latin Kings

"RIP Shadow LKst" reads the black writing on the brick wall, on my way to grab some takeout.

The apartment complex along Ainslie is actually covered in related gang graffiti, all seemingly mourning the death of a comrade. 

We have really cool party flyers here...

 

 "Not drag queens"

by Proxy Indian 

Temporary Library Protests Show Alderman Laurino's Corrupt Side

“The people, united, will never be defeated” the motley crew of all ages and races chant, angry at what appears to be the smell of corruption and neglect wafting from 39th ward Alderman Laurino. The protesters wave their signs and an occasional passing car honks. They even say their chant in Spanish: “el pueblo unido, jamas en concedo!”   

It is a Saturday afternoon in Chicago -  September 1st to be exact - and it is supposed to rain any minute. This group of 20 or so are not Occupy protesters though the chant is the same, nor are they members of the Chicago Teachers Union (though there are rumblings of an impending strike already):  they are here on this day, at the corner of Kimball and Foster to protest a library - but really they’re pissed off at Laurino who won’t give them the time of day.