Home confinement

The cops told me to shut up and shut the door

08/25/2010 0:04 AM

By Bonnie McGrath

5 Comments - Add Your Comment


Looking through my window (photo by Bonnie McGrath)

A couple of my neighbors had prowlers last night and we're all a little skittish tonight. So when the cops blocked off State Street a little while ago at Roosevelt with their cop cars, lights flashing, and began instituting martial law, I thought they were taking some meaningful action. I wanted to see what was going on--but when I opened my door, a burly copper told me to "get in the house and shut the door!"


Then I really got scared. Maybe these prowlers want more than some CDs from the car. Or a bike. Or a barbecue grill. Maybe they murdered someone in one of our houses and made off with all the jewelry. Or took the kids or something.

But I started looking out the windows--let them try to stop me from doing that, I dare them--and they looked awfully casual to me, a big crime having just been committed. And then I remembered a notice that came in my mailbox. I had already used the back of it to print something out on earlier (I'm a big recycler) but I fetched it and turned it over. It turns out that until 5 AM, the street on which I live is being taken over--"with the full cooperation of the Mayor's Film Office, the Illinois film office and the Chicago Police Department"--by the filming of the movie Colombiana.

So, prowlers, have a field day, the cops are busy. They're having a field day tonight making a movie. The only person they seem to be locking up is me.


5 Comments - Add Your Comment



By joann
Posted: 08/30/2010 9:27 PM

It doesn't sound like the Chicago Cops have changed one bit from the days I lived on Addison St by the old police station. They were rude then and it sounds like they still are.


By Lake from South Loop
Posted: 08/27/2010 5:46 PM

Ok L Trucano-Harp same applies as to my previous post. As to the "package" , suspicious is just that. It was an Unattended item by a L station. Here in America they don't send in cops to "open" the package. I wouldn't do it nor would you. And yes the package was detonated and rendered safe. By the way What would you want done to it? You're probably a business manager looking at his/her watch and the bottom company line barking orders to your staff "Hurry up do something with it it's costing us"


By Lake from South Loop
Posted: 08/27/2010 5:38 PM

Depends on where you live. There was a bomb scare at the Roosevelt L station between State and Wabash. Cops finally detonated the "package". Then Columbiana was filming at 14 & State @ the CTA Access door at the end of east 14th off State. If you live near Roosevelt then it was for your own good but if you live near 14th and State then the cops were being over zealous.


By Bonnie McGrath from South Loop
Posted: 08/25/2010 8:13 AM

Maybe something really WAS wrong? Tribune says a mysterious "package" on roosevelt and I did hear an explosion after 1 am. But I also saw quite a few movie trucks leaving after that... http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/08/suspicious-package-probe-snarls-traffic-in-south-loop.html


By L Trucano-Harp
Posted: 08/25/2010 2:39 AM

Yep, I got the same treatment -- but I made all the way from my house to the corner before he saw me. (His yelling REALLY freaked out my youngest.). He was back-lit, so I couldn't tell if he was a CPD officer or an over-exuberant rent-a-cop trying to keep me out of a film shoot! But that loud BOOM a bit ago? Per Trib site: "a suspicious package" was found by the el stop. (Bomb&Arson folks, come on down!)Wonder what made it "suspicious"& not plain old trash. And do they knowfor sure NOW???