Gun Reported in Aggravated Assualt

h m July 30, 2012 at 11:31 am

Please don't start with the Section-8 housing comments - We have all heard them before

SuburbanMary July 30, 2012 at 01:38 pm

There is no "Kenny" street in Skokie. The intersection would have been Knox and Keeney.

George Slefo (Editor) July 30, 2012 at 01:40 pm

Thanks for the catch! Updating now.

Frank July 30, 2012 at 03:56 pm

I do think the Village police need to adopt the strategy that has worked well in Chicago targeting problem areas and putting more police efforts into those areas.

Marlena Jayatilake July 30, 2012 at 04:46 pm

I miss the "old" Skokie......you can point the finger for all of the good that will do :(

d w July 30, 2012 at 05:15 pm

U say dont start with the section 8 housing comments but we all know that is the problem.

Adam Davis July 30, 2012 at 05:54 pm

I live around the corner. We came home last night around 10 and 3 squad cars were there responding to an attempted break in. On talking to one officer, I got the impression that SPD is pretty fed up with the hijinks. They are well aware of the problem and I've seen them at that address twice in a month but are having difficulty getting cooperation from neighbors who 'dont want to get involved.'
I dont know if its a reference to the 'don't talk' phenomenon or what, but if you live in the area, please help the cops. Keep your eyes open, video incidents and get to know your neighbors and call them if there's the slightest issue. Is there some sort of CAPS program or neighborhood watch for this area?

Marlene July 30, 2012 at 06:28 pm

good ideas Adam. Why shouldn't we have problems in Skokie? We are very near a big city. There are bad people everywhere. People that live in gated communities or "good neighborhoods" are fooling themselves into thinking that they are safe. I'd rather be aware.

Steve Mottel July 30, 2012 at 07:02 pm

I also miss the "old Skokie."
Where did Skokie go wrong?

Old Timer July 31, 2012 at 03:15 am

"Where did Skokie go wrong?"
Skokie went wrong when the "Powers That Be" allowed allowed section 8 thugs into the village.

anna July 31, 2012 at 07:22 am

To Old Timer and others who harp on Section 8:
The "powers that be" can't "allow" anyone in particular into the Village or keep anyone out. Landlords in the private sector choose (or choose not) to rent to voucher holders and others. It's a free-market decision. Vouchers are issued by the county to recipients who meet federal criteria. Skokie officials do not decide who gets the vouchers or what housing they occupy. If we want to know where the Village went and continues to go wrong, look to our elected officials and village manager, who are not allocating sufficient resources to the Skokie Police Department. We don't need cops on every corner, but we need more cops on certain corners in several neighborhoods where trouble is happening more frequently than ever before. This can happen only if budgetary priorities are realigned and more funds are allocated to the SPD for manpower. Taxes don't have to go up. But budget lines have to be readjusted. The next Village election is in April 2013. The noticeable decline in public safety in many neighborhoods should be the first and foremost issue that all candidates -- especially those seeking to get re-elected on the Skokie Caucus Party ticket -- should have to answer to. But that will only happen if the people wake up, get their facts straight and get involved. Keep our leaders accountable and vote. That means we have to do more than just sit in front of our computers and blow off steam.

Tom Gross August 19, 2012 at 06:08 pm

The problem is not as simple as section 8 housing. It's about unfit parents, and a culture that is so broken and dysfunctional, there may not actually be a solution. The idea that people would come to Skokie, to get a better education, appears to not work. Without good parents, these kids have no chance. Who do they look up to? Rappers and athletes, both make for terrible role models. The only way to fix the problem is get the 14-20 year-olds, who aren't ready to be parents, to stop reproducing. Until that is fixed, the problems in their culture, which seems to put an emphasis on being uneducated, will never be corrected. I will note, every culture has this problem, it is just much worse in the African American communities.

Tom Gross August 19, 2012 at 06:12 pm

It's not just section 8, it's also assisted living and low rent caused by the 2008 financial crisses. While its unfair to let anyone live in an area that they can't pay for themselves, the only real fix is for real estate prices to go back up, making it too expensive for vouchers or low income renters. I still baffles my mind how low-income people are given a great neighborhood to live in, and all they want to do is screw it up. There was low income 20 years ago, but they were not from a broken culture.