A video of a weekend fight among a crowd of youths in the Boystown section of Lakeview has increased community concerns about the number of young people gathering late night on the sidewalks and street corners, particularly along Halsted Street.
Some residents say such crowds have led to a jump in crime and made them afraid to walk the streets at night. Others denounce such concerns and say it’s a case of white residents being intolerant of young black people who visit the neighborhood from other parts of the city.
This debate in what has long been the hub of Chicago’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community will be the focus of a Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) meeting tonight in Lakeview.
“To sit and say we’re just trying to kick out the youth or the gay youth or the gay black youth is totally unfair to everyone who is showing concern,” said John Cunningham, whose partner videotaped the Sunday night fight, in which a 25-year-old man was stabbed and hospitalized. “We want the neighborhood to be safe and friendly and a good place for everyone involved. Not only for those who come to visit but also for those of us who live here.”
A Chicago police spokesman said Tuesday that the fight in the 3300 block of North Halsted Street is still being investigated. Witnesses told police a group of young people walking south on Halsted began yelling at two people walking north at about 11:45 p.m. Sunday, leading to a fight that ended with one man stabbed multiple times.
Police do not believe there is a racial motive to the stabbing. Authorities said the fight was primarily between two black youths and that the victim knew the nickname of the offender. They also said this is at least the second stabbing in that area within the last few weeks, though police don’t believe the incidents were related or were hate crimes.
“It should be noted that this is the only reported incident in this community in recent weeks when a group of individuals has been involved,” 23rd District Cmdr. Kathleen Boehmer said at a news conference Tuesday night. “This is still a good neighborhood.”
Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th, released a statement Tuesday saying that he is “extremely concerned about the recent attacks that have taken place in our neighborhood” and that police are working to put more officers on the beat.
Some of the recent conflicts involving young people led to the creation of a Facebook group called “Take Back Boystown,” which as of late Tuesday had more than 2,220 fans.
James Tyrcha, 34, is one of those fans. He said he moved out of Boystown last January because he no longer felt safe.
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“It’s terrifying to walk down the street at all anymore in the evening time,” Tyrcha said. “It’s not about race. If they were Hispanic it would be the same thing. If they were white it would be the same thing.”
Some believe that the influx of young people from other neighborhoods can be traced to youth programs at the Center on Halsted, an LGBT community center. Many minority LGBT youth don’t feel comfortable or safe being themselves in their own neighborhoods, so they come to the center, which offers everything from a safe space to interact with friends to mentoring and even job-training courses.
Modesto Valle, the center’s executive director, said he’s concerned about the crimes that have been committed but thinks it’s unfair to lump the young people who come to the center for help or friendship with those causing problems on the streets.
“People are judging the book by the cover, when in reality many of these young people mean no harm,” Valle said. “If we could all come to the table and respect one another and hear solutions, I think we can get there. It’s a very complicated situation and it’s going to take all voices being heard.”
Darrell Snyder, 42, has lived in Boystown for 20 years. He said he’s concerned about the attacks, but not surprised.
“You do see here and there little gangs of people, and as much as I love the Center on Halsted, it can still bring in a lot of young people who don’t have a purpose beyond the center,” he said. “They may be participating in activities at the center, but when they get out on the street, it’s a different matter.
“I don’t want them gone,” Snyder said. “I just want them to stop hanging out in large groups and to find something to do when they’re not at the center.
Erica Chu, a Loyola student who volunteers with LGBT youth in the neighborhood, said the community — made up of many who have faced discrimination themselves — should come together to find a way to support the young people who hang out there. Instead, Chu said, it seems there are “biases about race and class that inform their attempts to make the neighborhood safer.”
“I think we should celebrate the fact that they’re coming,” Chu said. “And also, since they lack financial resources and many of them have been kicked out of their homes and are living on the streets, we should find ways to help them. I think it’s the responsibility of the (LGBT) community to take care of them.”
Liam Ford contributed to this story.
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