EDITORIAL

More Reasons to Defend the Weapons Ordinance

Here’s why Evanston should defend its ordinance prohibiting guns in the City and why it needs a strict gun ordinance. The following incidents involving guns took place this year:

On Aug. 4, at about 10:30 p.m., three teens robbed a pizza delivery man at gunpoint in the 600 block of Mulford Street.

On July 29, at 2:55 a.m., during a foot chase that began in the 1900 block of Brown Avenue, a 19 year-old youth turned and fired two shots from a sawed-off shotgun at a police officer.

On July 6, just after midnight, a 16 year-old youth was shot by a 17 year-old youth in the parking lot of the Burger King at the corner of Dempster Street and Dodge Avenue.

On June 14, at 4 a.m. a man was robbed at gun point in the 1500 block of Dewey Avenue.

On June 7, at 12:30 a.m. a person was shot in the leg in 2000 block of Darrow Avenue.

On June 2, at 7:27 p.m. a person was shot in the buttocks in the 1900 block of Jackson Avenue.

On April 27, at 9:40 p.m., a person was robbed at gunpoint at Church Street and Dodge Avenue.

On April 23, at 9:53 p.m. two men were shot, one in the shoulder and one in the calf, while walking in the 300 block of Custer Avenue.

On April 8, at 9:30 p.m., a person was robbed at gunpoint while walking in the 1100 block of South Boulevard.

On March 21, at 11:49 p.m., a person was reportedly shot in the area of Main Street and McCormick Boulevard.

On March 10, and 9:40 p.m., a taxi cab driver was robbed at gun point by two persons he picked up in the 800 block of Milburn Street.

On March 1, at 9:58 p.m., a cab driver was robbed at gun point by a person he picked up at Greenleaf Street and Hinman Avenue.

On Feb. 28, at about 11:30 p.m., a person was robbed at gunpoint in the 200 block of Ridge Avenue after entering the vestibule of a building.

On Feb. 23, at 9:10 p.m., a cab driver was robbed at gun point by a person he picked up in the 900 block of Davis Street.

On Feb. 20, at 11:25 a.m., robbers entered a home at gunpoint in the 1300 block of Brummel Street, tied up the residents and ransacked the residence.

On Feb. 19 a 31 year-old man was shot in a gated walkway between two buildings in the 1100 block of Florence Avenue. He died from the gunshot wounds several weeks later.

On Jan. 27, at 1:22 a.m., three masked men broke into a home in the 1200 block of Pitner Avenue in the early morning and robbed the resident at gun point.

On Jan. 26, at 5:20 p.m., a person pulled out a handgun during a family altercation in the 2100 block of Emerson Street.
On Jan. 8, at 5:35 p.m., a 21 year-old male was shot in the foot at Howard and Clark streets.
(Source: Evanston Police Department)

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Defend the Weapons Ordinance

In the wake of the United States Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v Heller and an ensuing federal lawsuit filed against the City of Evanston challenging its ordinance banning handguns in the City, Evanston's City Council is considering an amendment to its gun ordinance.

In Heller, the Court held that the Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees an individual right to possess handguns. The Court struck down the District of Columbia's laws (which were federal laws) banning the possession of handguns and requiring all firearms to be stored "unloaded and disassembled or bound by a trigger lock or similar device."

The Court found, however, that the right to possess guns under the Second Amendment is not unlimited. The Court said its decision should not cast doubt on "longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms." The Court also said that banning dangerous and unusual weapons, such as M-16 rifles and sawed-off shotguns, would be acceptable. The Court expressly said this list of "presumptively lawful" restrictions should not be viewed as exhaustive.

The proposed amendments to the City's gun ordinance would make it unlawful to possess a handgun in the City except when the handgun is kept at the residence of the person for self-protection, provided the person possesses a current and valid Firearm Owner's Identification card issued by the State of Illinois. The amendments would also prohibit persons from possessing a handgun in the City if they are under 18 years of age and the handgun is small enough to be concealed upon the person; if they are under 21 years of age and have been convicted of a misdemeanor other than a traffic offense or have been adjudged delinquent. Persons who are narcotics addicts or who have been a patient in a mental hospital within the past five years or are mentally retarded would also be prohibited from handgun ownership.

While these requirements would restrict the possession of handguns in the City, we all have to recognize that once a handgun is in a home, there is a risk that someone may use it on a policeman or fireman responding to an emergency at the home. There is a risk that one family member may use it on another family member in an angry moment or even by accident. There is a risk that a person may use it to attempt or commit suicide. There is a risk that someone may use it on the streets. These are substantial risks, each with devastating consequences.

The Supreme Court held in three cases decided in the late 1800s that the Second Amendment does not apply to the states. The Court in Heller did not overrule these cases, but made some comments which questioned their continued validity.

As the law now stands, though, the Second Amendment and the Court's decision in Heller do not apply to Evanston's gun ordinance and do not make it invalid. While many legal commentators predict the Court will ultimately hold that the Second Amendment applies to state and municipal laws, no one knows how or when that will play out. Before abandoning its current ordinance prohibiting handguns, members of City Council should carefully consider all the potential costs, risks and benefits, including the loss of human life. And in evaluating the cost of defense, Council members should determine whether Evanston, the City of Chicago and the Village of Oak Park could join together in defending their respective weapons ordinances and whether Evanston could obtain pro bono legal services.

We urge City Council to adhere to its current ordinance, which contains an outright ban of handguns (with certain exceptions) and to defend its ordinance in federal court.

If City Council decides not to defend its current ordinance, we think the restrictions contained in the proposed amended ordinance should go further than they do. We urge the City to ban semi-automatic handguns, even at residences. We urge the City to make it unlawful for a person under the age of 18 to possess a handgun; for a person convicted of a felony and certain misdemeanors, such as assault and battery and breaking and entering, to possess a handgun; for persons found guilty of domestic abuse or who are subject to an order of protection, to possess a handgun. We urge the City to impose requirements concerning the safe storage of handguns in a home. We also urge the City to impose its own licensing requirements and to charge handgun owners a licensing fee that would pay for the cost of maintaining the licensing program.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley threw out the idea last week that people who insist on having guns in their homes might be required to have insurance to protect taxpayers from frivolous lawsuits. Maybe gun owners should be required to maintain insurance or to post a bond to provide a source of funds if their handguns were used to wrongfully injure someone.

The Legal Community Against Violence is preparing a model ordinance restricting the usage of handguns. Council members asked City staff to consult with an Evanston attorney who is working on the model ordinance. We encourage drawing on the expertise of that organization.

Reflections on Aging

By Charles Wilkinson

I have been at it for a few years now getting old, I mean. And, surprisingly, I have been learning some things about life and self I wish I had known years ago. I will call them discoveries rather than regrets, because I am grateful that this old dog can still be taught. There is a tangible pleasure about light bulbs coming on, the catch of breath they elicit and the challenges they offer. For instance:

Putting the past in place. The past may be denied but it can never be deleted. Being on the short end of time, I am learning to embrace my story, to own it and to live what is left of it more closely to the truth of my self. That does not preclude ignoring and respecting the truth of others.

Being present to the moment. Living ahead of one's self shortchanges the gift of life. I now know that being impatient or always in a rush take me away from where I am supposed to be. Being present - to the person I am with, to the task I am doing, to the thought I am thinking - touches the meaning of life.

Acting more than reacting. I was taught early on to live for others so I became a pleaser. In effect I let others make my choices for me. Only relatively recently have I discovered that one's life is created by one's choices, that the choice to act is closer to the truth of self than the non-choice to react.

Being spontaneous. There is nothing more affirming of life than waltzing with a whim. I do that now, more often than not, trying not to regret all the opportunities I missed along the way. It is no longer a matter of finding time as it is enjoying the freedoms of this stage of the journey. It is like getting off the expressway and discovering the joys of the back road.

Taking time to take better care of self. In the past, I could shake off or ignore my aches and pains or live into them, thinking they would cure themselves. Not any more. Oftentimes the so-called golden years feel more like fool's gold than anything else: eyesight dimming, hearing fading and arthritic joints screaming for attention - all impossible to ignore. EEGs, EKGs, MRIs and CAT Scans, as well as a glossary of daily pills are the new facts of life. When I ask myself, "What would I do without them?" the answer is clearly, "Not nearly as much!"

Getting old is not all that bad, as long as one intends to get older. At this point I am willing to admit that I need all the help I can get, realizing that most of that help has to come from within. Reminiscing about and learning from the past is important, but not as crucial as knowing that living is always about what lies ahead and choosing to make the most of the journey. I am grateful that this old dog has a curiosity that would put any cat to shame. And just maybe, eight more lives to live.

SCUM* of the Earth

By Peggy Tarr

This is dedicated to those people who have been or continue to he humiliated, insulted, and otherwise harassed by the Scum with whom they are forced to interact and from whom they get no justice.

"In a court of fowls (fouls?), the cockroach never wins his case." - Ruanda/Burundi

"The spider and the fly can't make a bargain."- Jamaica

Scum is all around us. It has no well-defined mold. It's found in every walk of life. I've seen this as well as been told. Scum, Scum is everywhere no matter the color of skin. Scum's found as dullards or teachers, laymen of preachers, as strangers or as kin. It seems that for Scum the drive is, whether in women or men, an unrelenting urge to inflict upon others scum's unfettered sin*.

"Evil enters like a needle and spreads like an oak tree" - Ethiopia.

Evil often disguises itself as something good, not infrequently wrapped in the guise of humanitarianism.

I sometimes wonder whether bad experiences have a greater and more permanent biochemical effect on us than good experiences or … does life just assault us with more bad experiences than good. Whatever the case, relatives, friends, acquaintances and strangers continually lament the pain that Scum inflicts on them. I am dismayed by what Scum does to all of us. The ______was just Scum, pathetically dumb, and depressingly glum but privileged. Scum's arrogant air showed that Scum did not care about being disliked or unfair. Scum is commonly empowered by upper-level scum, and scum rises to the top.

"Surely people of goodwill can come together to salvage the world." - Betty Shabazz, American activist and lecturer.

"The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."-attributed to Edmund Burke (1729-1797, Irish philosopher & statesman) It takes courage to effect change because it means taking risks. "Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit." - Baltasar Gracian y Morales. Here's to courage and wisdom and the education of Scum.

Scum - a low, worthless or evil person; such persons collectively; riffraff; dregs; a film of foul or extraneous matter that forms on the surface of a liquid; refuse.

Letters to the Editor

Another Idling Thought
Editor:

I read Dave Jackson's well-reasoned response to the claim in a previous article that "an idling vehicle emits 20 times more pollution than a vehicle traveling 32 miles per hour." However, there may be an explanation for how this claim came into the public domain.

As written, I agree it is false, but the problem may lie with the wording, that the idling vehicle "emits" 20 times more pollution. It may, however, pollute a particular volume of air 20 times more than would a vehicle traveling through that same volume of air at 32 miles per hour.

Of course, that would depend upon all sorts of assumptions about how large that volume is, how long the idling vehicle is sitting there, and probably a few others as well.

Similarly, a jet airplane emits a huge amount of pollutants, but the effect on our lungs here on the ground is pretty small, considering those emissions get dumped at 30,000 feet by a vehicle traveling 600 miles per hour. (Note: That statement does not justify air pollution by jet planes - it was a hopeful attempt to illustrate the concept here.)

It is a sad commentary that many people today do not possess the capability to judge whether such "facts" are true. As a service to readers who come across such junk-science statistics, I will paraphrase Yogi Berra: The key to figuring out whether something is true is 90 percent logic and the other half is just mathematics.

AT&T Boxes Unsightly
Editor:

Recently AT&T installed a large fiber-optics utility box on the public parkway in front of the meeting house (aka church) of the Evanston Friends Meeting (Quakers) at 1010 Greenleaf Ave. This unsightly installation was done with no notice or consultation with us or anyone in the neighborhood. In addition to finding it truly ugly, we are concerned it offers a palate for graffiti, an increasing problem in Evanston.

After a little research, we understand that there is a state law giving AT&T the right to do such installations in parkway space. We are not clear about why such a law was passed, but we understand it is in place. It is also our understanding that, seven days prior to installation, AT&T is required to notify those in the neighborhood by placing a doorknob hanger on each door. This was not done. AT&T is also required to notify the adjacent-property owner (Evanston Friends Meeting) of a payment of $1500 available to screen such a box, reducing the appearance of an ugly eruption in valued green space. This also was not done.

We write to you as a religious congregation in Evanston in part because we wonder if other neighborhoods are being impacted by such installations and others are not being informed or offered "compensation beautification" funds as required. If so, we urge our fellow Evanstonians to contact their aldermen and state legislators to determine what resource may be open to them.

We want to continue to be a city known for our lovely green space, not our ugly green utility boxes.
-- Clyde N. Baker, Clerk,
Evanston Friends Meeting

Kudos to Streets and San
Editor:

The Waste Reduction and Recycling Committee of the Evanston Climate Action Plan highly commends Evanston's Department of Streets and Sanitation and its superintendent, Suzette Eggleston, for organizing a variety of recycling initiatives that will go a long way to help the City's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, cut waste and pollution and preserve precious natural resources.

At both the Custer Street Fair in June and the recent Ethnic Arts Fair, as well as at the Fourth of July parade, City crews placed recycling containers and later transported hundreds of cubic yards of recyclable plastic bottles and aluminum cans that were kept out of our waste stream and sent on to be recycled into other useful products.

At the same time, the department, working in conjunction with the Department of Parks and Recreation, has established a pilot program in James Park, where thirst-quenched athletes and their fans are depositing hundreds of gallons of plastic and aluminum each week into new recycling bins placed around the playing fields. The pilot program will give the City the information it needs to begin effective recycling efforts in other parks in the future.

Scores of Evanstonians have been hard at work to implement the proposed Evanston Climate Action Plan, of which waste reduction and recycling is one spoke in the wheel.

By identifying and moving ahead in these important recycling venues, Ms. Eggleston demonstrates the commitment of the Streets and Sanitation Department -- and offers a model for other departments--to find simple, helpful solutions that can have an impact.
-- Dick Peach and Janet Reed of the Waste Reduction and Recycling Committee

The New ENH: Community Care or Cost-Center Cluster?
Editor:

The recent purchase of Rush North Shore Hospital by Evanston Northwestern Healthcare (now consisting of Evanston, Glenbrook and Highland Park Hospitals) should bring sharply into focus the issue of service to the community of nonprofit programs.

Over the past 25 years Evanston Hospital has become more and more driven by a credo which evaluates each program as a "cost center."

Years ago the burn center, known throughout the Chicago area as one of the few and one of the finest existing, was closed. The Day Hospital program in the Department of Psychiatry was called "a loser" by one of the administrators with no understanding of the role partial hospitalization plays in preventing costly inpatient treatment. Eventually, it was closed, along with almost all the outpatient services in the department. The drug abuse program was moved to Highland Park Hospital with the rationale that it was more needed there than in Evanston.

Recently the Transitional Care Unit (TCU) at Evanston, providing step-down care and reducing transfers to nursing homes, was suspended. The beds there brought in only $593 per day compared to a medical bed of $930 per day.

In addition, Phase 111 of the cardiac rehab programs at Highland Park Hospital and at Evanston Hospital was eliminated. The cardiac rehab program at Glenbrook Hospital was shut down altogether. It is well-established that the best Cardiac Rehab programs are not known to show a profit, only to save lives.

It is not farfetched to assume that the plans for Rush by ENH will be made with token regard to the quality of the programs and the many years of service by the staff. Unless the community speaks up, programs at Rush will be treated as cost centers and will be judged primarily by whether or not they meet expenses (of which 70 percent is salaries).

The observations and opinions in this letter were formed during my 30 years as a senior attending physician at Evanston Hospital.
None of the opinions expressed in this letter reflects on the excellence of the staff at any of the hospitals. I will continue to refer patients to any of our hospitals for the compassionate and high quality care given.
--Richard Eisenstein, M.D.
Senior Attending Physician Emeritus

-- Glen Madeja