Residents of Chicago neighborhood plead with city to do more about crime

CHICAGO (CBS) -- City leaders and residents in the West Town community are calling on the Mayor's office to do more to tackle violent crime.

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) held a rally with community activists Wednesday. Villegas said he has seen a direct correlation between the uptick in crime with the closure of the Wood Street police station – and he is calling on Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling to reopen the station, or to create satellite offices near Chicago and Ashland avenues.

The Wood (13th) District used to span the section of the present-day Near West District north of Madison Street, while the old 12th District – formerly called the Monroe District – was only south of Madison Street. Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed the Wood District station a decade ago and combined the two districts.

The old Wood District station, 937 N. Wood St., is now used as the Cook County Sheriff's Office Central Warrant Unit Headquarters. The current Near West District station is located at 1412 S. Blue Island Ave. – miles from Ukrainian Village.

Victims of recent crimes also shared their stories.

"Now I don't know what to do about my son and our neighborhood," said one woman, who said a group of thieves who held up her son at knifepoint. "I want him to have a child that's safe – and we can't."

Another woman said she was targeted by armed robbers while pregnant. She said four men exited a vehicle – one with a semiautomatic weapon and the other with a handgun, both pointed at her. They opened the door to the woman's car, pulled her out, and demanded the password to her cellphone.

"I was sure the trauma of that day ended my long-awaited pregnancy. Thankfully, that was not the case," she said. "As the days and weeks went on, all I could think about was, what if I had my children in the car that day?"

"When two people run at you, and they point a gun at your head and at your chest, and then they force you down to the ground, all you can think about is just, 'Please, please don't kill me,'" a man said.

"Two men approached us with guns, threw us to the ground, and took all our belongings," another woman said. "I was three houses from my home."

A public safety meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, 2247 W. Chicago Ave.