Chicago Residents Overrule Mayor Lightfoot, Hire Armed Private Security Officers To Patrol Neighborhood
Frustrated Chicago residents overruled failed mayor Lori Lightfoot and made the extraordinary move of hiring private armed security guards to patrol a portion of the city. The Bucktown Neighbors Association is hiring P4, a private security firm, to do what the failed mayor and the failed DA refuse to do.
The association wrote to residents explaining why they were doing this: “To help deter the rash of crime in Bucktown, neighbors between Winchester and Paulina are organizing a private security patrol.
“There are similar patrol programs in place in nearby neighborhoods. Our program is being coordinated by the newly established non-profit, the Bucktown Neighbors Association.”
The group said it is “coordinating efforts on behalf of over 120+ households who are supporting a program that they think can help deter the rash of crime that has taken place in the area.
A resident named Vanessa told WGN News:
“I recently heard about a dad taking his baby out of the back and was carjacked and so now with a newborn I am more scared about it.
Alderman Brian Hopkins who represents the area said:
“They are taking matters into their own hands out of frustration and fear and they feel like they’re being targeted and preyed upon on a nightly basis. Which they are.”
From Blockclubchicago:
The effort comes as Bucktown and all of Chicago have seen a surge in carjackings the past few years.
Through Dec. 9, Chicago has reported 1,658 carjackings in 2021, up from 1,303 in 2020 and 544 in 2019 during the same time period. The 14th District — which includes Bucktown, Logan Square and parts of Wicker Park — has seen 86 carjackings so far this year, up from 53 over the same period in 2020.
This fall, local alderpeople and police organized community meetings to raise awareness of the surge and provide updates on policing strategies being implemented to deter carjackings and other crime.
At the time, Ald. Brian Hopkins’ (2nd) office said eight carjackings were reported Sept. 13-20 in the Bucktown and Wicker Park area.
More recently, police reported a 22-year-old woman was “forced her out her vehicle at gunpoint” at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 8 in the 1900 block of West Potomac Avenue in Wicker Park.
Bucktown residents hire private security firm to patrol neighborhood https://t.co/RJ2p1svKI5
— Chi-Live:PD (@ChiLivePD) December 15, 2021
⚠️ GRAPHIC: 71 year old Asian man murdered this afternoon in broad daylight in Chicago pic.twitter.com/WWssSO1sun
— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) December 8, 2021