A series of robberies on the city’s Near West Side has residents on high alert, and many are blaming the surge in crime on the closing of a police station in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood.
John Brady and his wife Rachel Lindy were the latest victims of a violent armed robbery on Saturday. The couple was walking to dinner in the 800 block of North Campbell when they walked past a pair of men wearing hoodies.
One of the men turned around and grabbed Lindy’s purse, and the other stayed on the sidewalk, according to the couple.
When a passing motorist stopped to help the couple, one of the robbers brandished a weapon and threatened the driver.
“The guy on the side of the street pulled out something from his pocket and started to say ‘I have a gun….gonna shoot, gonna shoot,” Brady said.
A few minutes later, Chicago police said another couple was robbed in the 2600 block of West Iowa. The suspects in that theft punched a 63-year-old woman when she refused to give up her purse, according to police.
Residents in the area are blaming the recent surge in crime on the closing of the 13th District police station in the 900 block of North Wood, which resulted in significantly less police officers being deployed in the area.
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“If we had more police I think we’d all feel safer,” Brady said. “I don’t know if it’ll fix crime, but it would go a long way toward feeling safe walking around the neighborhood. Right now, I don’t feel safe.”
Chicago police issued a statement on the recent robberies, saying that they are “always listening to community concerns.”
“Robberies on the West Side are actually down five percent year over year, and this week alone we’ve made two significant arrests,” Chicago Police Communications Officer Anthony Guglielmi said.
Brady and Lindy say they feel lucky they weren’t hurt, but they’re hoping the recent string of thefts will prompt police to step up their presence in the area.
To that end, the couple is encouraging people in the neighborhood to attend a town hall meeting at Talbot Elementary School. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m., and Lindy is hopeful that residents will be able to convince police to return to the neighborhood in greater numbers.
“We need to make sure everyone feels safe, not just in my community but north, south, and west too,” Lindy said. “Everyone needs to feel safe, represented, and protected.”
