Blog Question

Do you think President Barack Obama should provide federal stimulus and earmark money directly to Chatham, bypassing Mayor Richard Daley, to build infrastructure, like new libraries and schools, for bike paths, bike lanes and bike racks, and provide funds to local business to expand and employ young people in the neighborhood, and encourage new trendy business like gift shops, antique stores, boutiques, nightclubs, Internet cafes, comedy clubs, sports pro shops and the like. Leave your comments on the comment line.

2 charged in shoe store robbery in Chatham

Two men face armed-robbery charges after they allegedly held up a shoe store with something made to look like a handgun, authorities said.

Joshua Bradley and Brian Brittnum, both 23 and both of the 8200 block of South Throop Street, were charged late Wednesday.

Surveillance video from Payless Shoe Source, 8552 S. Cottage Grove Ave., shows two robbers enter the store about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday and display something that looks like a gun. It turned out to be a staple gun or wrench covered with duct tape, authorities said.

Police said the video showed a bizarre scene.

"This one kid comes into the store, he realized he forgot to pull the ski mask down so he pulled it down real quick -- so the eye holes were off, causing him to begin stumbling around" before adjusting it, a police source said.

And a customer talked on her cell phone during the entire robbery -- didn't even move -- and walked out after purchasing shoes while still on her cell phone, the source said.

Bradley and Brittnum allegedly took cash from the register, then drove off in a 1990 Honda Accord. A person gave the license plate number to police, who traced it to an address in the 8300 block of South Ingleside Avenue.

Officers found the two men and proceeds from the robbery, the masks and the makeshift weapon at the house on Ingleside. Bradley and Brittnum were arrested about a half an hour after robbing the Payless, police said.

Calumet Area detectives are investigating.

Cops: 2 accused of using fake gun to rob shoe store

Two men are accused of using a fake gun to rob a Chatham shoe store Tuesday night, Chicago police said this morning.

Joshua Bradley and Brian Brittnum, both 23 and of the 8200 block of South Throop Street, have been charged with two counts each of armed robbery in connection with the Tuesday night holdup at the Payless Shoe Source in the East Chatham neighborhood.

The men, wearing ski masks, walked into the Payless, 8552 S. Cottage Grove Ave., about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday and held it up with a fake gun that police described as a drill wrapped in duct tape. Police said the two were given an undisclosed amount of money and fled.

As the pair made their escape, one of the people in the store was able to get the license plate number of their vehicle. Police traced the plate number to a residence in the 8300 block of South Ingleside Avenue.

Soon thereafter when police went to the residence, the girlfriend of one of the suspects answered the door, police said. The girlfriend, to whom the vehicle was registered, gave police permission to search the residence, and Bradley and Brittnum were found in a back room, police said.

The stolen money, the fake gun and ski masks were recovered at the scene.

Bradley and Brittnum are due to appear for their bond hearing today in Cook County Criminal Court.

Beat Statistics for Chatham

Homicides Robbery Burglary Call for Service
623 3 110 172 28,577
624 6 155 183 33,255

631 4 94 223 22,924
632 3 111 149 20,366

ARREST
Juvenile Adult
623 835 65
624 1326 225

631 669 52
632 527 113

National Caucus and Center on Black Aged, Inc.

The National Caucus and Center on Black Aged, Inc. is recruiting seniors age 55 years and older capable of performing part-time work, with paid training, as long as you reside in the State of Illinois. For further information, call now at (312) 567-0318, Monday thru Thursday, 7:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and Friday, 7:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.

Beat 624 Meeting

The Beat 624 Meeting will be at St. Dorothy Catholic Church at 450 E. 78th Street at 6:00 P.M. TONIGHT!

Blog Question

Do you think the crime wave in Chatham is caused by the fact that 13 of every 100 black teens are employed versus 49 of every 100 white affluent teens in Chicago? Leave your comments on the comment line.