Fight to save ShotSpotter is still alive

.

By Tim Hadac

Editor

Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound

(708)-496-0265

.

As you have read several times in the Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound, the people of Clearing and Garfield Ridge are clear in their support of keeping ShotSpotter technology deployed in Chicago, to help police fight crime.

So I won’t go over old ground. But what’s new is both aldermen serving this area—Marty Quinn (13^th) and Silvana Tabares (23^rd)—recently voting in favor of a move that could conceivably block Mayor Brandon Johnson from unilaterally cancelling the ShotSpotter contract.

13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn

How they voted was no surprise. Both Quinn and Tabares are famously pro-law enforcement and pro-ShotSpotter.

The City Council vote was 34-14. Johnson could conceivably veto the measure and implied he might. “I canceled ShotSpotter. It’s canceled,” he said in a post-Council press conference, according to published reports.

In a statement, Quinn said 13th Ward residents “are clear–they want to live in a safe community. The Chicago Police Department agrees that while it’s only one tool, ShotSpotter is helpful in fighting crime, especially when people are reluctant to call the police. Until we identify a replacement tool to track down gunshots, it’s important to retain this technology to support our police and help keep our communities safe.”

Thank you, Alderman Quinn.

The ShotSpotter fight is certainly not over. Here’s hoping our area’s aldermen keep the pressure on to save this law enforcement tool.

Mark your calendar

• Well, it’s here. The annual pet parade at Wentworth Park, 57^th and Narragansett, is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 1. There will be plenty to do and enjoy, event Chairperson Kristin Cacciottolo-Jeziorny tells me. If you are attending, you are encouraged to dress up your dog (or other pet) in a fun, whimsical costume. Sometimes, pet owners themselves also come in costume. There will be prizes for the best pet costumes.

Another popular aspect of this event is the offer of reduced-price vaccination and chipping services from staff at Chicago Animal Care and Control. But please arrive before 10. In the past, folks have started lining up quite early, as services are only provided to the first 100 dogs (or cats) belonging to city residents.

This fun event is sponsored by the Midway Chamber of Commerce, showing once again how our local business owners and managers care about this community.

Also, Kristin tells me there will be music provided by a disc jockey, a reptile show, facepainting, food trucks, vendors at various booths, baskets to be raffled off, swag bags and more. If you attend and see a news photographer taking photos, that might be me. So please smile and get your pet to smile. Except if it’s a cat. Cats don’t smile. (Just kidding, folks, I say with my own smile.)

• Speaking of the Chamber, the MCC’s popular farmers market starts its annual run on Wednesday, June 5. There will be a new location this year: the vacant lot on the northwest corner of Archer and Narragansett. (Old-timers recall this corner as the home of Five Kings Pub. Parents of old-timers recall it as the 1950s home of Cheery Lane Drive-In.)

Anyway, plans are still a bit fluid, but this year’s market should include the familiar mix of farm-fresh fruit and vegetables, honey from area apiaries, small-batch peanut butter, freshly-baked pies and other treats, flowers, candles, jewelry, craft items, food trucks and perhaps a few surprises.

Market hours are expected to be 3 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday into late September, market manager Torrey Lewis (MCC’s second vice president) tells me.

This is a new location for the farmers market, so expect a few curveballs and bumps in the road, so to speak. Thanks in advance for your patience and good cheer when you encounter them.

• Speaking of Archer Avenue, it is expected to be closed off entirely (from Normandy to Neenah) during the hours of the annual car show set for 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 21. This is a smart move on the part of the show’s hosts, the Midway Chamber of Commerce and the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch. If saw how challenging it was in years past for showgoers to cross Archer on foot, you know what I mean.

There’s no charge to participate and show off your prized classic car, muscle car, van, truck, motorcycle, ambulance, hearse, helicopter, spaceship or whatever. Show vehicles may be staged in most of the parking lots along the route, but they must be in place no later than 5:45, and all spaces are first-come, first served. In years past, some vehicles were in place hours in advance, especially in prime lots like Ridge Funeral Home, Jiffy Lube and Archer Heights Credit Union.

Bring your appetite and your cash because food trucks will be on hand, and it is anticipated that both Cheesie’s and Jibaritos y Más will be open for business.

That’s all for now. I look forward to reading what Alexis Bocanegra has to say in the space next week, as I’ll bet you do as well.