Formerly the W.I.M.

Block Association

Meet the New GCA

Community Patrol Volunteers
Dear GCA members & Chatham neighbors:
I would like to thank those neighbors in our
community who have volunteered their time
to join the GCA Security Patrol.

We ha d a g re a t re sp on s e an d ou r
Executive Board was very pleased! At
MAY 2010 Meeting our May meeting, I will be introducing many
Saturday,
Saturday , May 15 of them to you.
11:00 a.m. – 1 2 : 3 0 p . m . However, with summer ahead of us, and the
St. James Lutheran Church thugs, burglars, robbers and other rift-raft
invading our streets, we could always use
8 0 0 0 S. M i c h i g a n more help.
N o w a c c e p t i n g G C A $ 3 0 y e a r l yWhether you want to patrol the streets, or
member dues per family for 2010. become a part of the GCA I-view network,
One vote per membership please call me at 773.635.6500.
Women are encouraged to join as well.
L i n n a e B r y a n t , P r e s i d e n t We’re taking our streets back!! Or call me to
7 7 3 . 6 3 5 . 6 5 0 0 for more info report a crime so we can alert every- one.
R E Q U E S T O U R E - N E W S L E T T E R VThanks
IA again for your support.
email: gcahonor@sbcglobal.net
TOYA BEY, GCA Safety & Security Chair
Light Refreshments Served
A G E N D A

1. Meeting Open & Minutes Read
2. Treasury Report
3. President’s Opening Remarks
4. Report on meeting with Alderman Lyle.
Committee Chair updates:
5. Membership Chair Arthur Turnbull cont’d
to Safety & Security.
6. Safety & Security Chair Toya Bey’s
and President Bryant’s meeting with
6th District Police Commander Eddie
Johnson. Crime Alerts Inside!
GCA SURVEY ON BACK
Please take the time to respond to our
GCA survey. If you are planning to attend
our meeting, bring it with you.
If you can’t attend, there are two other
options you can use to respond: drop it
off to our new address or mail back.
 CRIME ALERTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS: Late March – April 2010
Reported to Toya Bey, GCA Safety & Security Chair – We can’t know what’s
happening in our area unless you call me at 773.635.6500 after you call the police.
Then I can alert everyone as well. Afraid, I will report the crime for you!

Always call 911 first! Then call the 6th District Watch Commander’s Direct Phone:
312.745.3610 to additionally report a crime in action or suspicious people.
A shooting took place at Cole Park, 85th & King Drive on Thursday, March 18 around 6:37 p.m. A 19
year old boy was shot at Cole Park. There was some sort of fight & he tried to break it up. At the time,
there were adults & children in and near the park. (This was not the recent one that occurred when
guys on bikes shot some boys playing basketball last week.) A house was burglarized on 80th S.
Wabash on Wednesday, March 24. They gained entry by busting in the homeowner's garage door.
Then they kicked in the back door to the house. Stolen: all the electronic items in the home. On
Sunday, March 28, a burglary attempt on a house on the 8400 block of Calumet. The owner of the
home was at home at the time. The burglars kicked in his basement door & when he went to investi-
gate, they were already in his house. The burglars fled! Chicago Police were called & they "showed"
up in 5 minutes. If you can afford a steel security door for your basement and back doors, "Do It!"
On Tuesday, March 30, 2010, a house at 84th & Indiana was burglarized. The incident happened
while the owners were at work. The security doors on the house were old. The burglars pried the
security door off of the house & kick the door in. Items taken: 3 flat screen TV sets & 2 lap tops.
A burglary occurred in the 8300 block of S.Michigan on Monday, March 22. The front of the resi-
dence was kicked in & a flat screen TV was taken. There was a security system at this home. However,
the burglars cut the wires. They were seen running from the scene & entered into a rusty multi-colored
van. Regular wired, security systems are useless now. Upgrade to a wireless system! In the
8200 S. Wabash block, a beefy looking guy, 5'9" or 5'10", with braids (sometimes worn in a ponytail)
has been walking a dog in the area. The dog is medium size, brown & may be a mixed breed. No one
has seen this guy in the area before. He could be casing. Men walking dogs is a new casing tactic. If
you see someone on your block that you have never seen, write down a description of him/her. If you
are outside, speak to him/ her so they know you have noticed them. If you can, ask them where they live.
On Monday, April 12, a neighbor on 82nd & Indiana, was looking out of his window and noticed 3
teenagers with backpacks casing a two flat building. He took photos of the 3 teens. An hour later, he
noticed that the Police arrived in front of the building. The 3 teens kicked the back door in on the 2nd
floor apartment & set the alarm off. They stole cash, a X-Box system & more. The quick-thinking neigh-
bor printed the photos out & gave them to the Police. The woman who lived there realized that one of
the teens was a relative. It was also mentioned to us later that these kids fit the description of some
teens robbing folks on 87th Street. In review of the recent home break-in at 80th & Wabash: the first
incident, the suspects took a few electronic items & no one was at home. They struck again. But the
owner came home from work & found them in his house. They fled! Repeat hits are now occurring.
Check this out: area burglars are riding in vans containing crews with 2-3 guys. Also a Black Kia
Truck was parked in the alley behind a neighbor’s shed in the 82nd & Wabash block around 11:40 a.m.
on Wednesday, April 14. When questioned, the late 20’s or 30’s year old man drove off. He was casing!
Several sightings about a white van with tinted windows. I also have seen a suspicious gold van with
3 persons. Be on the lookout for the 65+ year old man on the bicycle. I know he was arrested in Mt.
Greenwood for casing. Police officers living in that area said he was on parole for burglary. It’s
imperative to get a steel door or some type of steel casing for you garage doors and especially the
back and basement doors of your house. Ironically, while the April GCA Meeting was taking place on
Saturday, April 17, some thieves kicked in the garage door at a home in the 8400 Block of S. Wabash
Ave. The suspects then got in & kicked in the back door of the home, which did not have a security
door attached & walked in on the family who were having breakfast. The surprised suspects fled in a 4
door Buick LaSabre. A neighbor who saw the suspects driving off got the license plate. But it was a
stolen car! Always, get the license plates anyway!
GCA CRIME ALERTS cont’d On Sunday, April 18, 2010, an African-American male was seen
casing the homes in the 8200 Block of S. Prairie. The suspect is described as wearing an Afro, glasses
& a brown jacket. The suspect was seen walking up and down the block & also seen walking in the alley.
In the area of 8200 S. Indiana: a man in a Buick is frequenting the area, along with 2 males in a white
van. There is possibly a female involved who may or may not live on that block. The person who saw
them said it appears that the male in the Buick and a man from the van were walking the block. A female
was spotted pulling up her vehicle behind them. There was some type of motioning going on between
the 2 males in the street. Then they both jumped in their cars & sped off. Be on the lookout! There has
already been a break-in on that block. There was a very recent theft of copper wire from a Central Air
Conditioning unit located at the 8100 Block of S State. Get at least a 6 ft o 7 ft fence if you can. A chain
link fence is about $2,100.00. Wouldn't it make sense that you buy that instead of buying a new Central
Air System? The week of May 3 in the block of 81st & Prairie, a man entered the residence of a 2 flat
building with a lost key. The daughter of one of the tenants lost her keys in the winter snow. It’s
assumed that the suspect found the keys. Another resident, who was home at the time, opened his
door to see who was there. The suspect saw the resident & ran. He got into a White Astrovan & sped
off. The keys on the front entrance were then changed. But the suspect came back the next day & tried
to gain entry. He fled in a 4-door Green Toyota. The suspect: a Black male wearing gray sweat pants.
VALUABLE TIPS TO HELP YOU SECURE YOUR HOME & WELL-BEING
PADILOCK HAS LOUD SIREN TO STOP THIEVES: Can be purchased at Home Depot, Menard,
Lowe’s or it can be ordered through Harriet Carter: Call 1-800-377-7878 or online at HarrietCarter.com
 DELUXE DOOR GUARD: Can be purchased through Harriet Carter: 1-800-377-7878 OR online
HarrietCarter.com and the Tool Shop: 1-800-776-7897 OR online: http://sportys.com/ToolShop. This is
a great door guard because it come WITH OR WITHOUT AN ALARM. This is good because it keeps the
thieves from kicking in your door!  4-SECURITY CAMERA SYSTEM with MOTION-ACTIVATED
RECORDING, PAN & TILT ROBOTICS & MORE! Cost–– $269.99: You get FOUR Mini, Wireless
Security Cameras that can be set up indoors or out. Two (2) are Full Color Cameras and two (2) are Low-
Light/Daylight Cameras that work 24 hours a day. They wirelessly transmit crisp, clear video right to your TV.
Simply switch over from whatever you're watching on TV to view LIVE feeds from your security cameras. Flip
through all four cameras with the touch of a button on your camera remote as you relax on your couch. Also
included a Robotic Pan & Tilt Base with a Remote. Use it with any of the four cameras and remotely sweep it
left, right, up and down. Increase any camera's viewing range X4! Set up to four pre- set positions - just hit a
button on the remote and the camera will move to that preset! Plus, you can even set it on autopilot, so it will
automatically sweep through all preset positions. Now you'll be able to use one camera to watch over your en-
tire porch, side yard and driveways. Even if you're out of town, at work or just out and about, you can rest easy
knowing your surveillance system is doing it's job. With Motion-Activated PC/DVR/VCR Recording, any time
someone sets foot on your property, their every action will be captured on tape, DVR or your computer's hard
drive! Plus PC/Web Software - this PREMIER Vanguard Internet Control Software allows you to monitor your
cameras LIVE on your TV. But you can watch and control from your home PC or via the Internet from anywhere
in the world. You can even control the Pan & Tilt Base with a click of your mouse! Again, everything you need
is included! Call 800-316-0075  STEERING WHEEL LOCK – better than “The Club” for cars parked
outdoor. Totally surrounds & covers the steering wheel with a locked mechanism. Available at Auto
Sport: call 1.800.726.1196  PEPPER SPRAY STICKS LIKE GLUE TO UNLUCKY PERPETRATORS:
Can be purchased from the TOOL SHOP: 1-800-776-7897 or online: SPORTYS.COM This particular pepper
spray has an illuminator spray that lights up the suspects face yellow and stings his eyes.

This GCA Flyer sponsored by

327 E. 79th St. Chicago, IL 60619 773.783.2880

Greater Chatham Alliance Survey

Dear Neighbor,
Greater Chatham Alliance (GCA) is interested in understanding
what are the needs and priorities in our community. Your participation will
assist GCA in choosing the issues and concerns to address during the remainder
of this year. Listed below are some of the issues that the GCA general
membership indicated were important. We encourage you to rank the issues
listed on the back from 1- 4. Please read the definitions and then put one number
(1 to 4) next to the issues listed below.
Example:
1 I believe that new street lights are important.
2 I believe we need a new fire department.

DEFINITIONS
Community Safety and Security – promoting adequate policing of our community,
crime prevention and intervention methods
Business and Economic Development – supporting a variety of businesses and
companies that will increase employment and commerce in the community.
Residential Improvement and Stability – supporting companies and practices that
continue to improve or stabilize housing in our community.
Traffic Congestion and Flow – make suggestions and support methods that improve
traffic congestion and flow through our community.
Please rank the issues listed below (use each number ONLY once).
1= least important to you
2= somewhat important to you
3= important to you
4= most important to you
____ Community Safety and Security
____ Business and Economic Development
____ Residential Improvement and Stability
____ Traffic Congestion and Flow
____ Other __________________________________________
Please provide specific information if you checked
other.
Please list any other concerns that you might have below.

Thank you for taking the time to assist us in serving the needs of our community.
YOU CAN RETURN THIS SURVEY USING THREE OPTIONS: 1. BRING IT to our
May meeting. 2. DROP IT OFF to GCA at 8200 S. King Drive at the American
Family Insurance Office or 3. MAIL BACK your survey to the above address.