Just four days after a fatal shooting on the border between Chicago and Evanston, a group of local activists on Saturday gathered at the scene of the shooting to encourage their neighbors to reclaim the streets.
Michele Hays, a member of the Brummel Park Neighbors group, organized the rally after a man was shot and killed Tuesday night on the Chicago side of Howard Street. The shooting occurred in front of Tasty Sub, 2001 W. Howard, and this weekend’s demonstration took place just across the street.
At its height the rally drew 12 supporters, who carried signs encouraging residents to report crimes to the police, attend neighborhood meetings and boycott businesses that tolerate gangs.
Hays said Tasty Sub and other businesses that stay open late attract crime. She said Tasty Sub’s 4 a.m. closing time “gives people who have no business being there a reason to be there that the police can’t do anything about.”
Shahid Pervaiz, a Tasty Sub employee, said his business didn’t want gang members there either.
“We don’t allow anybody to hang inside,” he said. “Outside is a city problem, not my problem.”
Six Evanston Police Department officers, including Chief Frank Kaminski, also appeared at the rally to show support. Kaminski said rallies like this prove the neighborhood can’t be taken over by “a few bad guys.”
One reason crime is a problem on Howard, Kaminski said, is because it’s easy for fleeing perpetrators to cross from Evanston into Chicago and escape EPD’s jurisdiction. This is a common problem on many city borders.
The demonstrators urged residents to report all crimes to police. Kaminski said small details most people might dismiss can be useful to police in catching criminals.
Ald. Ann Rainey (8th), whose ward includes the Howard area, also attended the rally. She declined to comment.
Hays said Evanston officials and police are particularly responsive to her neighborhood’s concerns, an advantage residents of the Chicago side of the street might not enjoy.
“In Evanston I can call up the chief of police if I really want to,” she said. “I don’t think citizens on (the Chicago) side of the street have this much access.”
Amy Babinec, who recently bought a condominium at the corner of Brummel Street and Elmwood Avenue, said she found out about the rally from a flier on her door. Babinec had moved from the intersection of Elmwood and Reba Place, further north in Evanston.
“They had crime there, too,” Babinec said, “but I don’t think it was this bad.”
Hays stressed that most of the time, her community is safe.
“Our neighborhood often gets a lot of press about crime,” she said. “Certainly there are crime issues that need to be addressed, but that’s not what the neighborhood is about.”
The Daily’s Scott Gordon contributed to this report.
