Man stabbed to death at CTA Blue Line station in The Loop; no one in custody
Chicago police are still looking for a person they say stabbed a 37-year-old man to death on a CTA Blue Line train early Saturday morning.
The stabbing comes as the city is under a microscope by the federal government to get a safety plan in place for the public transportation agency. All the while, people who are trying to curb the violence are also explaining what it will take for riders to feel safe at all hours of the day.
The stabbing occurred inside a Blue Line train car at the Clark and Lake stop downtown just before 2:30 a.m. It was in that car that police said a man was stabbed in the chest and abdomen. A suspect remains on the loose.
"These things set it back. People are afraid to ride, the press coverage is enormous, and it's just a sign we have a lot of work to do here," said Joe Schwieterman.
Schwieterman, a DePaul University transportation professor, said even though city crime statistics are down, the CTA is a major problem. It's a problem organizations like the Violence Interrupters are trying to solve.
"We can diffuse potential deadly or potential violent situations before anybody's injured or killed," said Tio Hardiman.
Hardiman, founder of Violence Interrupters, said they have been going on CTA trains for the last month to de-escalate situations. He said so far they mediated 20 conflicts.
"We had two guys that were looking to rob an older couple. We talked them down," he said.
Hardiman said they have nearly 40 volunteers with 100 people on standby who want to join. Now, he said, the city is getting involved.
He said the CTA reached out to his group to submit a proposal for one of their two new pilot projects. Both projects would have specialists on trains. One helps those in a crisis, the other works with Chicago teens who are causing problems on the CTA before they arise.
The pilot programs would take place on certain trains during specific times. While it will be months before anyone sees these specialists on trains, Schwieterman said it's a step in the right direction.
"We know we want ambassadors on the train, official people who are at the platforms occasionally riding, watching things, helping people, giving people a sense of trust because we can't just have armed officers on every couple cars of the train," He said.
Chicago police couldn't say if the stabbing was targeted, but are continuing to investigate.