They Start So Early

It's just sad how young today's dope addicts start:

• PCP and cocaine was found in a sick 1-year-old baby who was brought to a West Side hospital by its parents early Sunday, police said.

  About 3:20 a.m., the parents of a sick 1-year-old baby arrived at Mount Sinai Hospital where it was discovered that there was PCP and cocaine in the baby’s system, according to Harrison District police. The baby's condition was unknown early Sunday.

  The parents live in public housing on the 3600 block of 5th Avenue, police said.

One-year-old and already strung out on PCP and coke. Probably started out on cannabis at 3 or four months, moved on to heroin by 8 months old and now doing PCP and cocaine. Is there no level to the depravity of mankind?

What's that? Parents' stash? You mean...oh. Oops, sorry. our bad. We were confused. Carry on.

Manpower Again

From Saturday's comments:

• For everyone's information today:13 P.O'S &1 Sgt. only will be on the street in 011 for 2nd Watch. No rapids, and 2 beats will have no car.
  
  
• Same is 003 except 003 is 12 beats with a couple of foot post. and 003 has a higher population than 011
  
  
• 7 one man cars on third watch in 20 on 3rd watch.

Be careful out there.

Ride to Remember

900 bikes and a beautiful day to ride:

• The large showing of support means a great deal to the victims' families, said Donna Marquez, president of Chicago Police Department Gold Star Families, which represents the families of fallen officers.
  
  Marquez echoed the demand that officials made at Bailey's funeral. "We need to help our neighborhoods and our communities. We cannot be afraid, and we cannot be silent," she said.

God Bless all of the Fallen.

An Interesting Take on Things

From a CPD Lieutenant:

• Everyone in Chicago knows it. Almost everyone in America knows it. In fact, a lot of people throughout the world know. Chicago is a city at war with itself - fast tracking to anarchy.
  
  
  Leading us there have been two major root causes - public violence and public corruption. While Chicago has been under attack with its people fearful and hiding, its police department was twisted into paralysis by organizational decimation, incompetent leadership, self-serving politics and corruption.
  
  
  After three dead cops in less than 60 days, the men and women of the Chicago Police Department are saying, "Enough!!!" We are sickened that our world-class police department has deteriorated into ruin in only a few short years. We are tired of a leaderless department. We are angry at an unsupportive mayor.

He names names, blasts Carothers, Masters and Weis, and generally outlines problems with an eye toward solutions. A bit on the "rah-rah" side, but a decent summation of the uphill battle we face.

Don't look for this guy on any exempt orders in the near future.

Tapa nº 189

25.07.2010 - Calígula - Riquelme recibió la última propuesta de Boca vía mail. Insiste en que su problema no es de dinero (cobraría unos u$s 5 millones por 4 años) pero no aclara de qué es y declara que hace esfuerzos para quedarse en el club.

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El fútbol inventado en Paraguay.

25.07.2010 - Calígula - Según el periodista Gainpaolo Romanato, “Los guaraníes inventaron el fútbol”. Así titula su artículo publicado hace unos días en el diario oficial del Vaticano, “L’Osservatore Romano”, basado en el relato de un jesuita catalán, José Manuel Peramás, que pasó unos años en San Ignacio de Miní, al sur de la ciudad de Asunción, una de las 30 Reducciones que había en el Paraguay colonial.

Don José describió en su obra, “De vita et moribus tredecim virorum paraguaycorum” (1793), que los guaraníes con quienes convivía “solían también jugar con un balón, que, aun siendo de goma llena, era tan ligero y rápido que, en vez que lo golpeaban, seguía rebotando algún tiempo, sin pararse, impulsado por su propio peso. No lanzaban la pelota con la mano, como nosotros, sino con la parte superior del pie desnudo, pasándola y recibiéndola con gran agilidad y precisión"...

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Why They Won't Stop Shooting

Big article in the Sun Times pointing out how a weekend in April of 2008 involving over 40 shootings has resulted in zero prosecutions:

• This is the story of why they won’t stop shooting in Chicago.

  It’s told by the wounded, the accused and the officers who were on the street during a weekend in April 2008 when 40 people were shot, seven fatally.

  Two years later, the grim reality is this: Nearly all of the shooters from that weekend have escaped charges.

We'll spare you the anticipation and let you know exactly who's to blame - according to one of the honor-roll altar boys who got hisself shotified:

• Gamble also said authorities should have done a better job of investigating, putting together a stronger case and getting their facts straight since a judge might not believe a guy like him.

The "guy like him" has an extensive rap sheet and a history of not cooperating with the police, but of course, it's our fault he's out there slinging dope and rubbing elbows with other "pillars of society."

And it's funny how we've been sounding the alarm (along with our readers) about the clearance rate and manpower issues for the past few years, but until some shitheads with rap sheets miles long start mouthing off about how the authorities should have done a better job protecting them from their dumbass lifestyle choices, the Sun Times is finally seeing the light? What a bunch of asshats.

A Blog Supporting the Police?

Seriously. Someone sent us a link and everything:

• I went on the blog today to read about the gang fight between the Vice Lords and the Black P Stones that occurred at the intersection of Wilson and Broadway at 4pm on Thursday, July 22, and to my surprise it wasn't mentioned.
  
  Two Vice Lords were arrested, one was tased. Both are convicted felons. A few "concerned citizens" actually went to the 023 police station to complain that police used unnecessary force (tasing) on the young poor black kid (a convicted felon who detectives believe did a shooting two months ago on Magnolia against the Black P Stones).

The comment section is alive with praise for the police and accolades for the one who tasered the resistor. It's kind of refreshing to see some citizen support for the CPD.

Reward Rises

And it's going to take a reward seeing as how the "subjects of interest" were released earlier today:

• Hoping for any clue or connection to Chicago Police Officer Michael Bailey's killer, roughly two dozen Chicago Police Department employees and volunteers spent Saturday distributing reward fliers near the slain officer's Park Manor home.

  Bailey was shot to death July 18 as he returned from guarding Mayor Richard Daley's home, making him the third Chicago police officer to be killed in two months.

  The reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of Bailey's killer was raised Saturday from $70,000 to $100,000, after the FBI contributed the extra money--on top of $20,000 the agency had already pledged, officials said.

  While several people have been questioned by police, police said no one was in custody one week after Bailey's slaying.

Keep plugging away detectives. Someone is bound to crack eventually.

Sava vuelve a Ferro

24.07.2010 - Calígula - Ferro (1993), Boca, Gimnasia, Fulham, Celta, Lorca, Rácing, Arsenal, Quilmes y… Ferro (2010): la carrera de Facundo Sava (36) que acaba de firmar contrato con la entidad que lo vio debutar en Primera División, poco después de presentar su libro “Los colores del fútbol” (Ediciones Al Arco): “allí toco temas muy interesantes de circunstancias que he vivido en tantos años de fútbol desde que vestí por primera vez la camiseta de Ferro. De manera especial recomiendo lo que tiene que ver con las cábalas de mis colegas y de los técnicos, se van a divertir muchísimo”.

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Three Arrests in Bailey Murder

We're thinking some very unkind thoughts about now, but we will endeavor to remain professional. We urge everyone else to do the same in our comment section:

• Just hours after the funeral for slain off-duty Chicago Police Officer Michael R. Bailey, three South Side teenagers were arrested on suspicion they were involved in his murder Sunday outside the officer’s Park Manor home on the South Side.

  [...] The three males, 16, 17 and 18, were all placed in custody at Calumet Area headquarters, 727 E. 111th St., late Friday afternoon on the suspicion they had some involvement in the officer’s death, according to police.

An arranged surrender? Details to follow eventually.

Easy Weekend

We aren't going to try too hard this weekend. We'll be in and out, moderating comments and such, and we'll even post a thread or two as usual. But we are some kind of tired lately. We're sure it has to do with the heat, the funerals, the general malaise around these parts.

Open thread for you all to post questions, information or rumors. Keep it reasonably clean.

Empty Words

This is insulting:

• Supt. Jody Weis spoke as well, and he drew applause when he vowed justice would be done.
  
  "These individuals who hide in the night and look to exploit any advantage they can have thrown down the gauntlet and invited a fight; not one that we asked for, but one that will accept," he said. "I have one piece of advice for those who think that they can attack the police and the community and get away with it: lay down your arms and run."

Sorry if our readers disagree, but nothing J-Fled has done since he arrived in town encourages any sort of belief that he would ever (A) give the order to take back the streets or (B) have our backs once that order came from Shortshanks.

The car cameras are still operating, right? The pods are up and running? IPRA exists? The mayoral appointed Police Board, long rumored to be accepting "donations" to reinstate the politically-connected still meets monthly?

That's what we thought. And every one of those thing isn't there for "officer safety," as J-Fled and his minions insist. It is there to bear witness should you step out of line. Don't believe us?

• (from the Sun Times) - "If some police officer comes out and starts whacking people around here, you'll have an outrage," [Daley] said. "We are a country of laws."
  
  
• (from the comments) - J-Fled also gave a good speech, just didn't know when to keep his damn mouth shut. All that talk about bringing justice for Mike was fine until you just had to go on about doing it "lawfully and justly and within the boundaries of the law"

They don't want us to "take back the streets." They want us to smile and eat shit every time an officer is hurt, wounded or killed.

More Layoffs

Won't somebody think of the children?!?!

• The Chicago Public Schools plan to lay off 400 classroom teachers and 200 support personnel by the end of the week as the district deals with a record $370 million budget deficit.
  
  Notices began going out Wednesday to the affected employees, who work in about 200 elementary schools that start their year earlier than most schools, on Aug. 10.

And there's another 1,000 layoffs in the pipeline, as Daley continues to drive the City into the ground.

Siem De Jong a Ross Turnbull.

23.07.2010 - Calígula - El Chelsea llegó al Amsterdan Arena para enfrentar al Ajax (amistoso). Ancelotti (Chelsea) puso un equipo muy joven (entre ellos Franco Di Santo de titular) que no pudo contener al anfitrión (1-3).

Alex y Petr Cech (lesionados) se quedaron en Inglaterra. Jeffrey Bruma y Ross Turnbull (respectivamente) entraron en sus puestos.

Obviamente, los medios británicos, ya calificaron a Turnbull como “no apto” para sustituir a Cech.

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Mascherano a Inter.

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Wake/Funeral Remembrances

Final goodbyes for Officer Michael Bailey:

• A visitation Thursday for slain Chicago police officer Michael Bailey included a continued call for witnesses to come forward and break the code of silence.
  
  Colleagues, family and friends gathered Thursday afternoon at the A.R. Leak and Sons Funeral Home, at 7838 S. Cottage Grove, to bid farewell.

RIP Officer. We are truly sorry you were denied the chance to enjoy your golden years with your friends, family and community.

Ignorant Comment

This one appeared in our comment section the day before yesterday in response to someone wanting certain units disbanded to bolster patrol:

• to the dirt bag saying disband the units:
  
  F*** YOU, units are the only ones doing anything out there. if you arent making an arrest a day working a beat car you have no room to talk s***.
  
  go have your 3rd lunch of the day and come back to talk to me. yes, we are short on officers, but that doesnt mean we put "working officers" on meaningless beat cars to handle back logs.
  
  -working copper

As far as we're concerned, there's only one dirt-bag in this conversation.

"Working officers"? "Meaningless beat cars"? These are the words of an idiot and a clout baby who spent little to no time in a beat car. And claiming anyone gets three lunches? Newsflash Einstein - units not tied to the radio are those beneficiaries, not us in the trenches. Asshat.

Daley Not Running?

So claims Skippy:

• I was here two nights ago, talking about Mayor Daley running or not running for re-election and how every politician in town is talking about it, including the mayor's brother, Bill, who is the only person in town -- other than the mayor himself and his wife, Maggie -- who knows what Rich Daley plans to do.
  
  I reported that brother Bill has been saying, in private, that the mayor is intending not to run.
  
  Bill Daley called me and the Channel 2 news director and said angrily it's a lie, that he has never said to anyone his brother intends not to run, and he asked me to retract what I reported. I told him no because I trust my source, who has no reason to lie. But to be fair to Bill Daley, I should report tonight that he says he believes his brother will run for re-election.

Ten bucks says Skippy is being played by the mayor. And twenty bucks says Shortshanks is putting his underwear on Jacobson's head the way the Cubs used to do when Skippy was their bat-boy

Another Photo Op?

Really?

• Holding up a five-inch thick stack of work orders to fix jail doors, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart on Wednesday hailed a new law making it a felony for inmates to jam objects into cell doors to prevent them from locking.

  Gov. Quinn signed the bill into law Wednesday at a news conference with Dart in a maximum-security wing of the Cook County Jail.

  "It is no small issue for us," Dart said.

Did anyone think that prisoners aren't going to damage things, make life difficult for guards, not try to move contraband in and out of cells?

Of course, this could probably be nothing more than another photo-op for Dart and has aspirations for higher office.