“Two More Violent Nights on the North Side,” Reprint
by Steven Larsen, News-Star, September 29 - October 5, 2021, pp. 9-10, (Permission to reprint granted by Inside Publications)
The attacks on two crazy summer nights remind us of the violent and lawless acts happening around us in most any neighborhood in the city. I reported on the attack on the senior citizen that occurred in Edgewater on June 17 of this year (News Star, July 14, 2021, p. 7, News for Chicago's North Side (insideonline.com)). Three young people beat a man over the head with a walking cane—a dangerous attack because such violent trauma to the head can often be fatal.
To refresh the readers’ memory, in this attack three suspects for random reasons attacked a senior citizen on the patio in front of the McDonalds Restaurant at 6231 N. Broadway, then followed him to the corner of Broadway and Granville, where they added a walking stick to the attack to hit him over the head countless times (eyewitnesses provide different accounts of the approximate number of blows, ranging from “about a dozen” to “it was maybe 30 but a lot yeah”) and finally into the CVS Store at 6150 N. Broadway, where the attack intensified.
Eyewitnesses to the Edgewater attack have since provided additional information over what was reported in that first article. For example, one of the eyewitnesses claims he had words with two of the suspects and confronted the third—the main culprit leading the beating of the senior citizen. George B. just this week provided a great deal more information on what went on inside the store. This is very helpful because I was never in the store, having remained on the corner with the other witnesses who were trying to figure out exactly what was happening and why.
In the Edgewater attack, there are three known eyewitnesses and myself. Each of us saw different parts of the incident. Two witnesses have agreed to provide information and the same two have provided additional information—and clarification of earlier statements—during the week of September 6.
The second attack occurred in River North, with two suspects beating and robbing a middle-age man in the middle of State Street (Two men beaten and robbed in middle of street in River North as bystanders dance — and police take 6 minutes to respond - Chicago Sun-Times (suntimes.com)). Various clear videos have aired on the news and on the Internet. In this attack, one of the actions discussed the most is the onlookers who danced during the beating. Onlookers did nothing to help the victim, in fact helping to rob him, strip his clothing off, and beat him. Then a second victim was added to the beating and robbery. It seemed to be something like a mob action, once the attack on the first victim got to a certain level of insult and injury.
In the River North case, there are many eyewitnesses, some of whom videotapted the attack. Two men have been charged, and it is assumed they will be found guilty because of the existence of so many videotapes of the entire incident. One of the men charged apparently drove to the neighborhood in a stolen car (https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2021/9/9/22664692/river-north-video-beating-mekiel-hampton).
One similarity in the attacks is the brazen nature of the suspects. In Edgewater, three young men launched the attack as they laughed and started this evening of violence apparently without any provocation whatsoever. Tony G. says that although one guy tried to stop the attack by picking up the main suspect and carrying him out into the street, this did not do any good. The suspect simply ran back to the senior and started hitting him again. It is still not known if there was a problem between the victim and the suspects. The suspects simply continued their attack as if they answer to nobody, have fear of nobody. In the case of the River North beating, witnesses speak of some sort of “argument” and a disagreement that interested some other people who were within ear shot.
Another similarity in the two attacks is that very few people assist the victim. In the Edgewater case, in fact, George B. says that he stopped two of the suspects from attacking the victim and escorted one of them out of the store, a young man who said he would get him killed for having done so. George B. emphasized his amazement none of the people in the store—about 10 of them—did anything while the attack on the senior continued. Other than yelling, nobody tried to separate the suspects from the victim or physically stop the assault—such as by taking the stick out of the main suspect’s hand. George B. said he even “called them out” for doing nothing to help the senior who “could have been killed in that store.”
According to George B., even the security guard stood by doing nothing to intervene as the beating went on, with the senior eventually unable to get off the floor. He explained, “The security guard was a short female, who I think would have been injured if she intervened.” The suspects were brawling in the aisle and knocking everything down, he further stated. It was a violent attack, and the guard “was just standing there in disbelief frozen.”
In the River North case, onlookers danced and “twerked” as people took video of both the dancing and the beating. Such lack of interest in helping the victim is difficult to understand. The videos are now famous—having been played over and over.
Yet another similarity is the long response time—and perhaps lack of interest—of the police arriving. In the case of the Edgewater activity, police and paramedics arrived only after the three men had already left the CVS Store. In addition, some of the police are told by another eyewitness that the three men walking past the group on the corner were in fact the suspects responsible for the trouble and the beating. As the July 14 article revealed, the police ignored the witness who told them about the suspects more than once, and the police instead proceeded over to the store where the other police officers and the paramedics were entering and congregating.
Perhaps an important lesson for persons wanting to remain safe and sound in this city is the fact that the attackers and victims in both cases were strangers to each other. The senior citizen in Edgewater did not know the three suspects, and the victim in River North did not seem to know those two suspects.
Different from the Edgewater case—in which none of the three criminals has been arrested though they frequent the neighborhood—in the River North case two suspects were arrested and charged (River North robberies: Chicago man 2nd to be charged in robbery, beating caught on video on State Street, CPD says - ABC7 Chicago). Both suspects were charged with aggravated battery on the 40 year old man they knocked down and robbed. One of the suspects—only 19 years old—was charged with aggravated battery on another victim, this one in his 50s, just a few days before this attack.
Also different in the attacks is that the River North beating took place in a heavy bar and business location. Presumably many of the persons present during the beating and robbery had come there from other neighborhoods—or from out of town—to celebrate or shop there. The Edgewater setting, in contrast, contained more persons who are actual local “neighbors” who knew each other well and who could continue to help with more information to get the three suspects into custody and off the streets. These are streets which are being made so dangerous by such brazen and random young people who do not respect older persons. We can at least hope neighbors will continue to help.
Brazen undisciplined men are taking to the streets to do whatever they wish and for random reasons. Said George B. about the victim in Edgewater, “He is the nicest guy I know.” Tony G. echoed this, saying that many people know him and he is cheerful as he greets people. Tony G. also said he still has trouble believing the attack happened, and that on that summer night he thought the victim “might die right in the street.” George B. said that once the suspects had chased the victim into the store, he “thought they were going to kill him.”
Tony G. exclaimed it was the most sickening thing he had ever seen happen on that corner—saying he thought he “might vomit from the roughness and all the blood.” Thinking back, George B. told of how he intervened—and seemed to be the only one who did so in a major way—and how others were too stunned or confused perhaps to do so. He himself was the one who chased the three suspects out of the CVS Store.
Some suspects go to jail; others walk the streets potentially continuing to menace, attack, and maybe eventually murder. Last year, shootings and homicides reportedly increased by 50 per cent. Over Labor Day weekend alone, 58 people were shot in this city (https://news.yahoo.com/least-58-people-shot-over-214800055.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall).
Yet, some insist there is hope. Peace may come from Chicago neighbors themselves, if there is too little intervention on the part of police officers and other forces charged with protecting Chicago from what clearly seems to be a big increase in violent crime. George B. sent this plea out to readers: “We are all brothers and sisters in this community and we should protect our community and help them from those who feel as if they can walk around with impunity and assault good upstanding members of it.”
At the end of the day, are we all alone?