Messagae from Alderman Reilly – Reilly Reports 8/5/2020
Dear Neighbors,
Yesterday, shortly after 4:00pm, three individuals were shot on Oak Street, between Rush Street and Michigan Avenue. One victim succumbed to his injuries; he was later identified as Carlton Weekly, also known as rapper ‘FBG Duck.’ Weekly’s associate and his girlfriend were also shot and were transported to local hospitals for immediate care.
This was a targeted attack and an isolated incident. Weekly was a gang member who had been involved in an ongoing conflict with another rival gang. Recently, Weekly had taken to social media to taunt rival gang members and was widely broadcasting his location via social media yesterday when offenders shot him on Oak Street.
Chicago Police Department officers were already in the Gold Coast yesterday prior to the shooting, responding to reports of an individual with a gun on the same block of Oak. Shortly after, two cars pulled up and four gunmen emerged, shot Weekly, his associate, and his girlfriend, and fled the scene. The officers who responded to the earlier call requested backup immediately upon hearing the shots and were on the scene within minutes.
The Chicago Police Department is reviewing security footage from the area, and I am hopeful they will be able to identify and arrest these brazen criminals.
As Alderman, I do not have jurisdiction over Chicago Police Department staffing or deployment downtown. I have been working around the clock these past few months with the Chicago Police Department, Mayor Lightfoot and her team, and other City safety agencies to review security issues in detail and discuss the Department’s plan to address ongoing safety concerns in downtown Chicago.
In fact, at the time of this incident, I was in a meeting with Mayor Lightfoot, Superintendent Brown, Deputy Chief O’Shea, Commander Stevens, Alderman Hopkins, representatives from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, and other stakeholders to discuss safety concerns downtown and near the Magnificent Mile. We are working on strategies to address crime downtown, and I will keep you updated on these collaborative efforts.
One strategy that has recently been implemented is the Chicago Police Department’s new Critical Incident Response Team, comprised of 200 officers who provide rapid response to large-scale events requiring Police attention. This team supplements the downtown Police districts when not dispatched to large events. This year, protests have been a significant drain on local district resources, and this team will provide real-time response, allowing the districts to free up their resources to maintain public safety downtown.
Chicago has some of the strictest gun control legislation of any major city in the United States. However due to relaxed laws in neighboring states like Indiana, it is easy to obtain illegal firearms and difficult for our laws to be effective. I am hopeful that with the addition of a new Federal initiative targeting gun trafficking and violent crime, that will change.
As many of you may know, Operation Legend is a new Federal law enforcement initiative in Chicago, which adds personnel and much-needed resources to fight violent crime in Chicago.
Under the leadership of John R. Lausch Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, the federal government is sending hundreds of personnel from the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Task Force, and Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to supplement state and local law enforcement agencies in their efforts to fight violent crime, particularly gun violence.
These personnel will work to supplement the Chicago Police Department’s efforts to conduct investigations into gangs, narcotics traffickers, violent offenders, and firearms traffickers.
To further support the Chicago Police Department in reducing violent crime, ATF has deployed its national Crime Gun Intelligence Mobile Command Vehicle to assist local law enforcement with analysis of crime scenes and spent shell casings, providing timely, efficient analysis of ballistic evidence from shootings in order to quickly disrupt violent criminals and prosecute those prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law.
Additionally, the Federal government has made $9.375 million available to the Chicago Police Department to fund hiring of 75 police officers.
A major benefit of the federal assistance is that their arrests will be federally prosecuted – which will likely result in stiffer penalties and real consequences for offenders.
I recently spoke with Anna Davlantes on WGN Radio to share updates on steps I’ve taken regarding the recent rise in crime and our need for additional resources.
Gun violence and brazen crime downtown – or any other neighborhood in the City – is unacceptable. The 42nd Ward is the economic engine of Chicago and we need additional police resources to ensure the financial gears of the City keep turning, tourists continue to visit, businesses are able to serve patrons to the best of their ability, and residents feel safe in their neighborhoods.
Please keep reporting your concerns, in real-time, by calling 9-1-1. CPD is a statistics-based department: the frequency of 9-1-1 calls goes a long way toward determining the amount of resources dedicated to address issues at specific locations.
Chicago has faced extraordinary circumstances this past year, a pandemic, severe economic distress, righteous civil unrest and the unintended consequences that come with it. Chicago is a resilient City and we are going to be okay.
It is my honor to serve as your Alderman and I will continue to advocate on behalf of my constituents. Please contact my office if we can be of assistance to you in the future.
Sincerely,
Brendan Reilly
President Pro Tempore
Alderman, 42nd Ward
