For nearly 3 weeks, CWB readers have know about a series of arsons that have struck in Boystown and nearby Lake View. One wave hit on August 31 and another hit last weekend.
Yesterday, finally, Alderman Tom Tunney made his first effort to tell constituents about the problem—via a post on his Facebook page.
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| “Safety” is the February 2015 topic of the month in Alderman Tom Tunney’s ward calendar. Insert eye roll here. (Image: CWB Reader) |
Why, suddenly, did the alderman decide yesterday to tell the public about the overnight fires that have burned out a garage, gutted a coach house, burned two vehicles, and torched innumerable garbage cans?
Because a TV station called him yesterday.
He would have been just fine letting this all continue, leaving the vast majority of citizens unaware. After all, if the public knew about an arsonist on the loose, they would think bad things about the alderman and Lake View. Well, that’s how his mind works, any way.
CWB firmly believes that information is a friend of the public and an enemy of criminals. The more people are aware, the safer everyone will be.
It’s unfortunate to see that, even after being nailed on his years-long deception about our neighborhood’s robbery problem, we have an alderman who would still rather conceal vital information than share it.
“Public safety is always a top priority in the 44th Ward and I have been closely monitoring this [arson] pattern with the Chicago Police Department,” Tunney wrote in his Facebook message.
Sadly, as we see his ongoing pattern of containing information rather than sharing it, we have to believe that his “top priority” is the alderman’s self-image.
