Are there gangs in your neighborhood? One sign of gang activity is the graffiti they leave behind on light poles, playground equipment, traffic signs, commercial buildings, fences and garage doors—all canvasses for Oak Lawn-area gangbangers.
Whether gang members are hanging out at the corner park or just passing through—the presence of gang graffiti is an indication that your neighborhood has been claimed or being eyed as gang turf.
READ: Gangbangers Leave Mark on Oak Lawn
Patch’s interactive map shows where gang graffiti has been found in the past year, documented in . What gangs are active in and around Oak Lawn? Some of the names we’ve come across in police reports are Satan’s Disciples, Latin Counts, Latin Kings, Ambrose (aka as Almighty Ambrose) and Gangster Two-Six.
Did you find a Playboy rabbit head logo spray-painted on your garage door? A Hef fan didn’t leave it—that’s a prominent symbol of Gangster Two-Six Nation, aka as GTS, G26 and TSN (“Two-Six Nation,” get it?). Chicago police describe G26 as one of the largest Mexican street gangs in Chicago, originating 30 years ago in Little Village along 26th Street. The gang has spread to other towns and counties. Sworn enemies of the Latin Kings, G26 includes large contingents of Hispanic and white members.
If you find gang graffiti on residential, commercial or illage-owned property, it’s important to get rid of it as fast as you can. Call the non-emergency number, 708-499-7721, to report incidents of gang graffiti, so police can track gang factions’ movements throughout the village.
Take a picture of the graffiti; you may need it for insurance purposes and also send the photo to Oak Lawn Patch editor Lorraine Swanson at lorraine.swanson@patch.com. Include the block or intersection where the graffiti was found and we’ll add it to the gallery of gang graffiti, so other residents can also know where gangs are in the village.
Patch has also emailed a list of questions about gang activity in Oak Lawn to OLPD. As soon as we get answers, we'll do a follow-up story.
We haven’t recorded all of the incidents of gang graffiti, but we’re going to be paying more attention from now on. We’ll update the map on Patch when new graffiti is reported.
We've also included incidents of tagging on the map. While usually not gang-related, taggers' defacement of private and public property is not only annoying and destructive, it costs taxpayers money to clean it off of government-owned property.
Reporting gang graffiti to police lets the gangbangers know that this is our neighborhood--not theirs!
Did we miss some gang graffiti? Let us know in the comments and we'll add it to the map.
ALL teens want to belong to something
*10801 S. Lawler - a sign of a deteriorating neighborhood and community. A rotting brown curtain drapes over one front window (although part is hanging down). the other broken out - then covered with a garish wooden plank, that plank now painted white (asif to make it invisible??) *A few houses away and on the opposite side of the street, a house in sad state bears a real estate sign and now an auction sign due to foreclosure. Previously this house had been surrounded by yellow crime site tabe, ringed by police cars and police with search dogs and an eviction noticed slapped on the front door, *Is this the inner city? Does anyone care? Ar there no laws to enforce property maintenance or fines to be levied when the city takes its responsibility and covers up the signs of decay. *Defend out property taxes in neighborhoods that deteriorate if you can! *Please take action .... this is a sad comment - and one that has continued longer than 2 years.
Rental market is high because, as you say, very few have the downpayment, or, even more likely, they do not have the credit scores to qualify for a loan. Robert, anybody can go on the county sites and find out who owns what proerty in any town, including Oak Lawn...Brokers are NOT buying up all the properties and putting section eight in them. It just isn't happening. If you want to move, move. Don't create falsehoods out of wholecloth, though...there is no need to stir up fear and racism with lies, just leave. The town will try to struggle by without you. Also, a 'priced right' house might very well leave the owners upside-down on their mortgage, causing a short sale, causing their credit to bottom out, meaning they will not be able to buy anything else anytime soon. Thus, zula5's saying they are stuck, even if they wanted to leave. By all means, though, you go on without us, RobertS, as callingYouOut, recommends. When you do, we can have a 'Gone away party.'
The "going away party" is a concern to the bosses.. Who would be the wheat if the lower class left to lala land.... Something about piranhas in a shrinking pond.... Good luck god bless! Post how good you have it....Will serve as motivation to leave or get better
10:01 am on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 "This just sickens me... Our neighborhoods are changing so quickly and it's getting tougher to move, lets invite more Section 8 into the community, that'll fix it!" It is ABOVE^ here, on this thread. Look like a 'misquote' to anybody? Does any rational adult believe they do NOT know what RobertS was implying when he mentioned section eight? (The first time, not the next time where you, RobertS, just outright imply a lie that there is some en masse movement or cabal amongst Realtors to buy up properties and put in section eight voucher holders...there is not.) We Americans choose to be happy when you are gone. Thus the party...nno, you cannot come. Go drink beer in whatever mountain shack you think will keep you 'safe' from the 'bad' people out to get you. Anywhere else, sorry, you will not be alone enough. "They" will find you.
I honestly love Oak Lawn, I was born here and have spent my life here, but just like our parents and our grandparents, I have decided it is time to relocate for a multitude of reasons, some personal, some political, some economic. I do want to emphasize one thing, it's not just people of color that are in gangs nowadays, it can be any race, any social class and we cannot/must not start racial stereotyping. There are many communities that are diverse and they are prospering, I honestly think for Oak Lawn it has been bad government that has gotten her in this position, and I honestly pray it will change. There are a lot of great people in this community and I wish them all well... Again, thank you.
I am not offended by you disagreeing with me, it is just intellectually faulty to do so without anything resembling remotely facts or logic. You only whine and complain about people that you have some agenda against for reasons known only to you. I will keep saying it...pick a place, public or private, and I will meet to discuss anything you want rationally. Anybody, anytime, anywhere. I am the one saying this...not you, not RobertS, or snagear...you are the cowards and bullies. I have posted this before, and you repeat your complaints, but you never take up the offer. Isn't that interesting, you keyboard kahonas? Why are you afraid to talk to somebody in person? I don't care if you a trustee, the mayor, some clerk, work at some fast food place. Your opinion is valid, but if I disagree with you, you have no logic or rationale to back up your side, so you attack. CLASSIC bullying. Pick a place...if you need to not be 'outed' I can assue you I can keep that secret for you...I'm interested in a spirited dialogue, not ruining your career or humiliating you for sport. I will gladly back up what I say here in person. Will you?
I really think we should just drop this issue, it's obvious Dave W. is the know-it-all that we all wish we could be—not! Humoring someone like this only makes them toxic and dangerous. I am done with this thread...it simply isn't worth beating my head with it. We're all entitled to our opinions, we live in America...
What does what you said have to do with ANYTHING anybody above mentioned? What does a 'true Realtor' realize? Anybody can own property pretty much anywhere not government owned in America. Any true upright walking primate would realize THAT. Are YOU saying that there are a bunch of Oak Lawn residents that ALSO own property in gang-infested areas? By extension of THAT thought, do you think they are serving as outposts for those gangs? TO BE CLEAR: I do not know what you are implying, and I'm NOT being sarcastic in that question. I don't know; perhaps you have knowledge of this taking place. Is this fact or is it some presumptive theory to fit a predisposition? If it is fact...wow, that is scary. If it is the latter...wow, nice scare tactic, you should work for the other two on this thread of like mind. (Also, couldn't help but notice that you spelled "Einstein" incorrectly, of all things.) As noted above, a 'true Realtor' cannot discriminate, even if they were raised by small-minded hooligans with no imaginations or their racism was 'hidden' behind what they would claim would be concern for 'their' town. The folly of such thought processes is documented throughout history. It never works in the long term, and only causes additional strife in the short term. Lastly, a few complain that they don't like what I write, but no one has comeback with anything resembling facts or points of logic. Just more of how I 'claim' to be right. By ALL means, prove me wrong!
Why? Life goes on...We are all entitled to our opinions and beliefs. One man's reality is another man's fantasy. Have a great day!
Sounds eiriely like the 95th and Harlem deal Lucky that one ws dismissed... But bigger point why involve the fed about housing discrimination? When it is easier just to make things hard on any undesirable tenant or business owner with selective enforcement...
Could you describe a 'Ghetto friendly' agent? What was supposes to happen at 95th and Harlem? It isn't a matter of agents (well, usually) involving the fed with housing discrimination. A simple phone call by any client who even suspects discrimination is all it takes to unleash a torrent of bureaucratic pain on an office and/or agent. The government follows up allegations like that seriously. I've been doing this since well before the current administration, it doesn't matter who is in charge, it is federal law. Even people that rent property (or sell) without an agent get caught for discrimination, all the time. Any agent redlining people will NOT have a place to be an agent for long. "Undesireable" strictly from the legal perspective, is somebody that has 'bad' financials. Anything else is a lawsuit waiting to happen.