Father Pfleger: Comcast Refused Service Over Neighborhood Violence

Comcast technicians showed up at his church around 4 p.m. and fixed computer problems

Father Michael Pfleger on Wednesday said Comcast initially refused to send technicians to repair Internet service at his South Side Chicago church because the neighborhood is too violent.

Pfleger wrote in a Facebook post that Comcast couldn't send a technician to St. Sabina Church “because our area has too much violence.”

"It's insulting and its unacceptable," Pfleger said before Comcast before technicians arrived at the church.

Comcast said in a statement that police said “there was a potential for violence in the area today and to ensure the health and safety of employees we decided to reschedule the appointments.”

“We postponed jobs and are working on rescheduling for a later date,” Comcast’s statement continued. “We proactively reached out to customers and are working with them to reschedule the appointments. We serve this area and all of Chicago every day. We do hundreds of thousands of visits to homes and businesses every year and we are committed to serving this area and the rest of the city as we have for many years.”

The company also said it attempted to contact Father Pfleger. Although those attempts were unsuccessful, the company said it was rescheduling his appointment.

Comcast technicians showed up around 4 p.m. and fixed computer problems.

The city has been on alert over violence in the city. The recent fatal shooting of Tyshawn Lee, a 9-year-old boy in the South Side, sparked an uproar nationwide.

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