UPDATED September 7th

FIRST – The person we want everyone to keep an eye out for, is still in the park AS WE SPEAK. He did shave his beard recently. But he is living in the encampment underneath the tree canopy directly along Lakeshore Drive, behind 5455. More about him can be reviewed in our earlier posts below.

Most Recently Though, Representatives Of Management Met With The 48th Ward Office And Representatives Of CAPS And The Park District

On Thursday August 29th, we (Tim Patricio and Scott Turton) met at the 48th Ward office on Bryn Mawr with management representatives from 5445 and 5455, as well as representatives from ASCO. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the escalating concerns and incidents related the tent dwellers and encampments in the meadows. The Alderwoman was not in attendance.

My overall feeling following the meeting, which I believe was shared by the other managers, was that not much would be changing. We definitely got more information about how the park dweller issue is being handled and what they do specifically to try to address encampments. They listened and did appear legitimately sympathetic and understanding of the problems, and had a heightened awareness due to the recent incidents we reported. I tried to emphasize repeatedly that we are not just addressing dangerous individuals, but the unsafe and unsanitary conditions as well. Albeit, dangerous persons clearly needs to be a priority.

Our efforts at communicating with them and warnings about particular individuals have gotten through. However, they could not say much in the end but – in not so many words – our hands are tied.

Here are somethings I learned that I want to share with Owners and residents:

1. DFSS and the Park District coordinate so called “clean ups” once a month. We saw this in action in the Meadows last Friday 8/30, and they said with the heightened awareness of the problems at our location, there will likely be more of theses. This is where DFSS, the Park District and CPD mobilize all at once, clear out any tents that are empty, clear waste and debris, and try to relocate any “unhoused” individuals if they are willing. In the end though, if someone is occupying a tent and they don’t want to move, they won’t force them. I asked about that later in the meeting, “Is it that you ‘will not’ force them, or you cannot force them?” And the response was that there hands are tied by City Hall and Springfield. They said the colder weather will help as more of them tend to accept offers to move due to the conditions. Even so, all too often people who are located to housing and even given jobs, all to often end up back out on the street or in tents again, but DFSS keeps at it with whatever resources they get to try to help them.
2. CAPS said that CPD is committed to keeping watch over problem individuals. We just need to keep calling 911 when necessary and following up if we have any further encounters or incidents. They said it is tough because the courts are not helpful. Even problem individuals tend to get released unless they are charged with a felony. Even then, courts are refusing to issue warrants and orders of protection (aka restraining orders) particularly for those who do not have identification or a permanent address. The officer we spoke to seemed to suggest as ridiculous as it sounds that a judge won’t issue a warrant if the individual does not have a known address. (???) They did say that as a group, police in the area are on heightened alert status for the 5200-5500 blocks along Sheridan and that barring other events and issues, we should see faster police response when 911 is called. With what has transpired in recent months, they do know this is an area that needs more focus.
3. The park District said they are trying to track all tents and encampments. They write up incident reports and take pictures and then share those with DFSS. This is apparently how they determine where it is best to allocate resources. They emphasized that heightened awareness of any problem areas or individuals will help their effort, and encouraged us to continue communicating concerns.
4. The 48th Ward team emphasized that efforts are restricted due to present government policy and “legal considerations” which were not clearly defined. We wanted to discuss that further and I had several questions but we ran out of time. They said the Alderwoman was “pushing” a concept of accelerated “moving events”. That is, the monthly cleanups where all the entities and resources are brought together to hopefully relocate tent dwellers and clean up the encampments – more often and more widespread. But resources are limited so that is something to consider going forward. The only other way forward is to push changes in policy. We did not get to discuss specifics or suggestions on how to push such changes, but they committed to meeting again and keeping line of communication open.
5. We expressed interest in knowing dates and times for any court action against violent individuals. They said “show of force” attendance at hearings can help push judges to take more palpable action.

After the meeting I spoke with the reps from ASCO and 5445 and 5455. None of us felt much was accomplished in the short term to get the park area back to normal, but the show of force and our united approach definitely has their attention. It was helpful to start understanding what they do and the process they follow. I guess I would admit, they aren’t sitting on their hands. But their hands ARE tied.

If we want more done, it seems that would need to be the communities focus…how do we untie their hands?

I’m very interested in our team meeting with them again. We will keep everyone in the loop if and when we learn more and we will push for additional meetings. Hopefully at some point with the Alderwoman herself.

UPDATED August 22nd

Thanks To Everyone Who Has Been Writing And E-mailing The Alderman’s Office And Park District

WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP

But first, our messages are being heard, and many of our neighboring buildings and neighbors have concerned Owners and Residents as well writing to both the 48th Ward office and the Park District. 

I want to assure Owners and Residents we are not sitting on our hands. We are continuing our work expanding camera coverage and parts and materials are on order for a fob reader and intercom at the North lobby door. AND, I can also report that we will be installing an intercom at the dock door. Once that is installed, the fob reader will be adjusted and the dock door will be locked 24/7. We also held meetings with the staff to discuss building security and our responsibility to the PT community. An updated emergency plan was distributed and we reviewed some specifics about responding to Active Shooters and Hostile Individuals. The biggest point we emphasized though, which is fair for everyone to keep in mind, is that we are all eyes, ears, noses, hands and feet that can help observe and respond to any threat or potential threat to security.

That extends to Owners and residents as well. The best thing we can suggest is for you to be prepared, be aware and be vigilant. For a copy of our Resident Emergency Procedures Manual, Click Here. This covers many topics including fires, floods, electrical outages, severe weather and more. As it relates to recent events though, being prepared for an Active Shooter or Hostile Individual is undoubtedly on a lot of residents minds. Procedures and guidance for responding to such events can be found on pages 10-13.

We’re also keeping the pressure on our local leaders. In fact, the managers at 5445, 5455 and I joined forces and co-wrote a letter to our Alderwoman and the Park District, stating in part, “Over the past several months, with an increasing frequency, our residents and staff have been dealing with an escalating series of interactions with the people currently camping in Lincoln Park. While previous incidents involved verbal abuse, trash littering the park, and trespassing, things have recently escalated. Security staff at 5415 N. Sheridan Road were assaulted by a man wielding a broomstick, who also punched holes in walls, and repeatedly harassed passers-by in the park.”

Many of you helped the effort to express our collective concern by writing yourselves. Thank you. Many of you shared the response you are getting from the 48th Ward office. If you wrote and received a response, does this look familiar:

“Thanks for reaching out to the 48th Ward office. We want to acknowledge the concerns that have been raised about the tents near 5415 N Sheridan Rd and the impact this situation is having on our community…We understand that this situation can be distressing, and we are committed to finding a resolution that supports both the residents of our neighborhood and those experiencing homelessness…Due to DFSS policies and legal considerations, the city is limited in its ability to remove individuals experiencing homelessness unless certain conditions are met. These include trespassing on private property, the presence of hazardous materials, or if a tent is abandoned during a scheduled cleanup…However, please know that we are not ignoring the issue. We have contacted the DFSS Homeless Outreach Team to engage with those living in the tents and to offer them services and possible relocation via shelter placements (this work remains ongoing). In terms of the safety issues that are recurring, with our help, we connected the property manager and the 20th Police District so they can begin conversations to address any safety concerns, and we have asked the police to keep a closer watch on the area…If you witness any violent or criminal behavior, we urge you to call 911 immediately. Click our Safe 48 guide for more information on public safety information in the 48th Ward…Please know that we are working diligently to address this situation. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work towards a solution.”

That seems to be consistent with the response most folks are receiving, and oddly it is almost the exact same message I got back more than once when I’ve written as PTCA’s Manager. Eerily, it is almost word for word the response I and my colleagues received to our co-written letter. Sadly, it seems to be a canned response and does not do much to boost confidence that we won’t be dealing with these problems for the foreseeable future.

To start, they need to understand this situation is not just “distressing”. It has become dangerous at times.

In addition, the statement in reference to my inquiries, “…with our help, we connected the property manager and the 20th Police District so they can begin conversations to address any safety concerns…”, is seriously misleading. The fact is, they did not connect us. Yes, there was an e-mail with a CC, basically saying the police will help you with the safety related issues. It was not a meaningful connection and has resulted in no reasonable progress. And your team here was already in contact with the 20^th district police, trying to get them to arrest the dangerous individual we were able to identify as trespassing and assaulting an employee. AND THEY WOULDN’T! The damage was done, an employee was assaulted, and we had already told them we know this guy was in a tent in the back. A meaningful response would have been, “we are sending someone to pick this guy up!” And our Alderwoman and her staff do not seem to be acknowledging this.

So, the 48th Ward is not hearing us, the police did not respond as we’d expect, and this is what resulted:

Special thanks to Unit Owner Albert Heber for sharing the video.

This is the gentleman in question (same as from the pictures in our original post, with the white patch on his chin). We learned that after this fire, he was arrested. When we learned he was arrested, I wrote our “connection” from the 48th Ward office at the 20th District and said we wished to press charges and file a restraining order. We did not get a response. AND NOW, two days later he is back and already trespassing again, making a mess dumpster diving. We are only left to assume problems will continue and escalate again based on his past behavior.

So, while we realize there are issues here such as homelessness and mental heath that present serious challenges, and those deserve a discussion, we don’t believe public safety is something to debate or brush off with canned responses. Particularly when there are individuals who have proven to be dangerous. If DFSS policies and “legal considerations” are allowing dangerous and unsanitary conditions to accumulate and fester in the park, we could argue it’s time public leaders need to recognize those are a part of the problem too and need to evolve. Furthermore, if someone proven dangerous is arrested and back out there two days later, that is a problem that needs work as well. Whatever processes and policies led to this point need some serious scrutiny and adjustment.

So please keep writing! And if you get the CUT and PASTE response, we suggest writing again and again, and urge the 48th Ward Office and Park District to do more.

For the Alderwoman:

info@the48thward.org

For the Park District

play@chicagoparkdistrict.com

UPDATED August 15th

What Are We Doing?

Aside From Raising Awareness [See Below] And Poking Our Alderwoman’s Office Repeatedly, As Well As Communicating With The Chicago Park District, Internally We Are Doing Several Things

Our team is waiting for a proposal to install an intercom on the back dock door. Assuming that is approved, we could then keep that fob station on 24/7. We can’t do that right now due to the amount and size of deliveries and traffic that must come through the back during the day.

And AS WE SPEAK, 7 new cameras are being added throughout the building, and work was approved to fob and place an intercom at the exterior of the North lobby door – that is the double set of doors that automatically open near the high rise elevators. After that is done, we expect the revolving doors will be locked overnight, and residents will enter the north door during the overnight hours. Guests will buzz the doorman via an intercom to be announced before being allowed to enter.

All this has been a work in progress for many months.

ORIGINAL NOTICE:

We Want To Bring Your Attention To Three Individuals Who Have Trespassed On Park Tower Property Recently

BUT FIRST – WE WANT TO EMPHASIZE AND URGE YOU TO REMEMBER – Be vigilant, be aware, don’t let people you do not know follow you into the building and particularly any fobbed locations. If they cannot present a fob, they should not go through into the Tower. ALSO, if you suspect anything suspicious, contact our team immediately, and if your gut tells you the situations warrants it, call 911! But always, if you see something, say something. During business hours, 773-769-3250 and/or parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com. After hours, reach our front desk at 773-769-3083.

FIRST – BE ON THE LOOK OUT! The following person we know to be dangerous – and he lives in the park in a tent in ‘The Meadows’ – often seen with the woman in the photo here – apologies for the poor quality. (She too trespassed at least on one occasion.) He has approached residents on our property aggressively and entered the building very recently swinging a broomstick at our guard, putting two holes into the wall next to our security office. We contacted the police who have not acted to apprehend this person. We have since been communicating with the Alderwoman’s office about this…so far we cannot tell that anything is being done, though they have looped in CAPS. We are awaiting follow up.

So…here are pictures of these persons – if you encounter them or observe them, avoid them. We suggest walking away, but if they do approach you or become confrontational or aggressive and/or you see them on Park Tower property, call the police and then contact our staff:

Also,  another person has trespassed into our building (today) multiple times…he keeps getting intercepted, but given his repeated incursions we wanted to include him. We don’t know where he is from and perhaps he has just been coming in to enjoy the AC, but he has no business here, and if you see him on Park Tower Property call the police and alert the staff.

I’m sure the presence of the tents in the park behind our building, and the tolerance of their behavior is only acting to embolden such individuals. Without consequences and accountability, I’m afraid it only seems this type of activity may only continue worsening.

We encourage everyone to write the Alderwoman’s Office and the Chicago Park District.

For the Alderwoman:

info@the48thward.org

For the Park District

play@chicagoparkdistrict.com

Be aware, be vigilant, stay safe.