At Bowling Green State University (my Alma Mater), there is a middle aged man who rides around campus all day (if weather permits) blasting Top 40 radio and generally broadcasting a giant smile. A couple things to note on this man. One, where do you get a boombox these days? Two, this man was considered a harmless institution at BGSU. He never seemed to bother any of the student body. He rarely even spoke to students, he simply rode his bike and spread pop music across campus (much like an unemployed, musical Johnny Appleseed). The Boombox Guy even has his own Facebook fan group. By the time a student is settling in for graduation, they barely even notice this once odd-seeming BGSU tradition.
The Boombox Guy is a tolerable public character. Miscreants who assault random L Train riders are not.
Somehow the culture in Chicago has allowed for multiple nuisances to achieve "institution" status. Today, there is a report of one man who has been arrested over 150 times due to his action on the Red Line. Not to be outdone, another man was reported to have been arrested nearly 180 times based on his misdeeds on the Green Line. After getting over my initial awe that these men were able to separate the criminal turf and stay on their respective train lines, I began to feel more and more perturbed. How did this become acceptable? How did these types of guys become part of the background noise on the trains? I always thought that arrests had some sort of impact. I would have imagined that after ten or fifteen repeated offenses, one would not be allowed back on the streets. Apparently I am way off. There must be a line drawn at some point; sadly, 180 arrests does not seem to toe this line.
Everyone has been on a CTA route when one of these creeps comes on board. The reaction is always the same.
Look forward or look out the window. Do not make eye contact. Any sign of life will lead to either a request for money or a rambling, incoherent conversation. If they do approach, just give a slight smile and act like you don't understand what is going on.
When one of these people does hook their claws into an innocent person, the rest of the train/bus peers on out of the corner of their eyes. It is a relief, at least it is someone else this time, not me. But invariably, they move on. Turned away from Person #1, they return back to the hunt. Now the fear returns, you could be the next victim.
Look forward or look out the window. Do not make eye contact. When is my stop? Soon I hope.
Women and couples have it worse. For a woman, the fear must be intensified. For a couple, a sense of protection sets in. Most times the stop comes or the creep moves on or they pass out in an abandoned seat. But other times the outcome isn't this simple. Other times, the results are something like this:
A convicted felon with more than 150 arrests in his background was charged after he tried to steal a 35-year-old woman's briefcase on the CTA's Red Line on Monday, officials said today.
Or:
A man who has been arrested almost 180 times...has been arrested again. Clarence Ervin...was arrested Saturday and charged with battery, criminal trespassing and obstructing identification.These two men alone have accumulated over 300 arrests between them. Both of these men are going to be going back to "work" tonight. If you take the Red Line, Keith may be coming into your train car in an attempt to reach his daily $55 panhandling quota. If you are hopping onto the Green Line, don't lose focus because Ervin will surely be lurking somewhere, waiting to make his next move. When does it come to a point when these men, and other like them, are not given another chance? Innocent people are placed in a dangerous position for no reason. There must be action. How do you think the accosted woman feels today when she finds out that the man who assaulted her and attempted the robbery had been in police custody 150 times in the past? Why was he even in the position to cause this harm? As a Chicago resident who often uses the services of the CTA, I find this to be a gross injustice. There are countless cases of victimless crimes which lead to immediate jail sentences. These rail line abuses are affecting people every time. And yet, their punishments remain laughable.
After Mr. Ervin's arrest, he was released on his own recognizance instead of being held on bail. The report goes on to detail that more often than not, Mr. Ervin does not appear for his court dates. The cycle continues to spin.
It is time for the police responsible for these types of criminals to stop considering these acts as harmless. These nuisances are not just Chicago's response to the Boombox Guy. They cannot sit back and say, "Oh, it's just you again. Run along". No more wrist slaps. No more innocent victims. No more chances. The next arrest needs to be the last.
GRM
4 Comments
Lauren Strec said:
Always so awkward! This entry is on today's "Hot on ChicagoNow:"
http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/hot-on-chicagonow/2010/03/hot-on-chicagonow-march-17-2010.html
Joe the Cop said:
I assume that one of the men you're talking about is Clarence Ervin. I wrote about Ervin, and people like him, here http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/arresting-tales/2010/02/crime-cameras-public-transit-and-security-theater.html
You seem to believe that the presence of men like Ervin is a result of police not taking his crimes seriously. That is not correct. The police are more than happy to arrest people who harass and steal from citizens. The problem lies in two places:
First, with the public mental health system, which has no way of containing and treating people with severe mental illness, and
Second, with the courts, who routinely release repeat offenders back onto the streets. Another problem is that most of the crimes that Ervin is charged with are misdemeanors. Even if you wanted to see that he got the maximum sentence, you're talking about him being locked up for 6 months to a year. The streets are full of offenders who are essentially serving life sentences, but on the installment plan--a few months, or a year or two, at a time.
Glenn McBride said:
Thanks for the comment Joe!
I agree that the public mental health system needs to be stronger. I am not a strong supporter of throwing people in jail who will not be helped by that institution.
As to your second comment, I will defer to you and others when it comes to the the punishments allowable by law. You mention that the misdemeanors at the center of these cases would only allow for 6 months in jail. This only refers to each individual crime, but what about the entirety of the crimes? Remember in Office Space how the scam was to steal just a tiny amount of money over and over again? Well, each of the transactions is not a major deal, all together they represent a major problem. Each of Ervin's crimes may be minor, but all together they represent a major problem.
Thanks for what you do and keep up the good work!
WillDecker said:
I am from Oklahoma but will be moving to Chicago in a year. Also, I am a Senior (68). If you are harassed by one of these individuals would it be OK to stand up, exit the train at the next stop and if the individual follows you spray him with the pepper spray I always carry? Then get on the following car and be on my way.
Will
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