At the October Police Board meeting, the President of the Police Board commended CANA for the manner and content of its presentation. Four of the eight CANA members in attendance made presentations on the issues and concerns in our area. When a CANA member spoke, the entire group stood to show solidarity.
Although there were more than 150 people in attendance, CANA members made more presentations than were made by all the others present (3). Our presentations covered the following areas of concern:
- Allocation of police manpower that reflects the frequency and quantity of crime, without regard to ward and district lines.
- The moral imperative created by the lack of attention to our safety needs
- The concern expressed by business owners about the lack of police response to their complaints about loitering in front of their stores
- The high level of drug activity taking place within one block of the police station
- The number of cases dismissed in court because police do not show up for the hearing
John Escalante, Deputy Police Chief of Area 5, met with CANA members at the end of the Police Board meeting.( Our District 15 is just one of 5 districts under his control.) He asked for the specific addresses and locations of our concerns. He expressed a willingness to meet with us within 4 days to review our concerns in more detail.
We must not stop here. Our goal is to keep our concerns at the top of the list and in front of senior management.
You must be there to present your concerns. Transportation can be arranged.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010, AT 7:30 PM
AT 3510 S. MICHIGAN AVE.
