Aug 17, 2009 9:39 pm US/Central
Uptown Alderman Under Fire Amid Street Violence
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Uptown Ald. Helen Shiller faced reporters and angry constituents Monday, following reports of brazen violence in the neighborhood.
CBS
Monday was not a good night for Ald. Helen Shiller.
Shouting "Run, Helen" and "Just talk to us," dozens of Uptown residents say they don't feel safe in their neighborhood.
Residents say
an online video of riots in their streets should be enough to get some answers and protection.
CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman was among the crowd.
When violence flared on the Uptown street below his home last week, Joe Gray recorded it, and he says it was horrifying.
Arlene Anderson knows that. Last Wednesday, she and her kids stepped out of Bible study and right into the middle of the melee.
"It happened so fast, and so we had to run through the alley," Anderson said. "We were very scared, we were very hurt, and we were very ashamed of our neighborhood with this violence."
She doesn't want it to happen again. Neither does the guy who shot the video. So he sent it to his alderman, Shiller.
"I received no response," Gray said.
He and all these other residents of the 46th Ward say they've complained about crime in the past to Shiller and they've heard nothing from her. It's why they put their frustration on public display.
If you're wondering why they brought their protest to Truman College, the answer is simple: Ald. Shiller was here for a Chicago 2016 meeting.
She sat right in the front row. When the meeting was over, she spoke with us.
"I know you're obviously here on the issue of violence," Shiller said. "I'm equally concerned as anyone else in this community."
But when the questions got tough, she left. CBS 2 followed her out, asking her if she would speak to the residents posted outside.
"It isn't an audience," she responded. "It's a handful of people that are campaigning ..."
As she left, she was heckled by constituents.
"We can't do it alone, Helen. We need your help!" one woman yelled.
One attendee, Michael Garzelle, said he was "beyond frustrated."
But another person on the scene, Derek Davis, defended Shiller. "This area is a lot better," he said. "She's definitely done a lot of different things in the area."
Shiller said she has requested increased police patrols. She said she was out of town last week when the melee video surfaced. She said staff was on hand to address concerns, but CBS 2 did not hear back from her office after leaving messages last week.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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