Boystown Safety Group Seeks Watchful Eyes Of Dog Owners
CHICAGO (CBS) – Last weekend's North Halsted Street beating that was caught on video continues to prompt residents of Boystown to come up with new ways to fight street crime.
The latest is to enlist dog owners, CBS 2's Mike Parker reports.
Some residents are asking dog owners to use their daily strolling time to keep an eye on things, carry their cell phones and report any suspicious activity.
Dog owner Gary Johnson thinks it's a good idea.
"I guess it's a good thing for anybody to do if they're taking a part in being a good community member," he says.
"We're not a vigilante group," the organizers say on the Facebook group "Take Back Boys Town." They say they only want to report violent crimes for the quickest possible police response.
"Everybody's got to look after their own," dog owner Joshua Novak says. "If you're on a bike or you're walking, just keep your eyes and ears open."
Organizers say participants should remember that dogs "are never to be used aggressively."
Meanwhile, activist priest Michael Pfleger says that while the Halsted Street beating was terrible, he wants to see equal concern and outrage over the child killings within his South Side. Pfleger talked about Wednesday night's CAPS meeting in Lakeview that drew some 600 concerned residents.
"We need to have a town hall meeting when somebody's shot or somebody's killed, and back it up and demand the same kind of attention," Pfleger said.
Another violent home video has surfaced from the Lakeview area. It shows four or five people involved in an ugly street brawl Friday night at Clark and Sheffield near Wrigley Field. It's another sign of what Lakeview neighbors are concerned about.
