Hampton lost this battle Absolute filth In Every Room of the Monroe Street Rathole No more violence at least from Hampton Fred Hampton in Life Chicago, IL —This was the top story on December 4, 1969 when war broke out at 2337 West Monroe Street. The Black Panthers were at war with cops nationwide.   Cops were being ambushed and murdered from coast to coast.   The BP threat was very real and cops were understandably on guard for violence. This chapter began when the FBI recruited a troubled fellow, William O’Neal who cooperated in order to mitigate his own crimes.   O’Neal became a part of Hoover’s infamous COINTELPRO program, as both a snitch and as an agent provocateur.   O’Neal successfully created a rift between the Panthers and Black Chicago street gangs.   That act alone was incredibly helpful for the safety and well being of Chicago cops. It was O’Neal, who told police the Monroe Street apartment was being used by the Bla...

Warning—there are plenty of graphic details in this story. Chicago, IL —It was May 25, 1979 at 3:15 in the afternoon. Weather in the Windy City could not be nicer. We were just told to switch to short sleeves in a uniform directive. I was on a one-man car mail delivery run and in the vicinity of West Touhy Ave near O’Hare Airport. I heard an officer come on my radio with emergency traffic saying that a DC-10 airplane was going down. There was genuine panic in that officer’s voice. Back then, I did not know a DC10 from Piper Cub, just that it was an airplane. I felt warm air hit my left arm that was out my car window. I saw a mushroom shaped cloud appear nearby. I snapped on my lights and siren and raced about two blocks to the scene. I did not know it but I was about to arrive at the largest airplane disaster to date in U.S history. The crash of American Airlines, flight #191 happened on takeoff from O’Hare to Los Angeles. A wing engine fell off, due to mainten...

Chicago, IL —During a recent trip to Chicago involving a criminal trial I wanted to take my blog visitors inside the historic criminal courthouse. This is where the infamous mobster, Al Capone was tried and convicted for Income Tax Evasion. Long ago the Federal Judiciary used some of these facilities for their business too. The movie, The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford was filmed is a courtroom here too. It’s a rare day when cameras are allowed in and never during court proceedings. In 1971 a violent and dangerous criminal, Eugene “Iceman” Lewis’ attempted a daring escape from Judge Earl Strayhorn’s 7th floor judge’s chambers. Lewis, a well know militant Black thug was already under one well-deserved death sentence and was about to receive another for the cold-blooded killing of a Thillen’s Security guard servicing the Sebring Jukebox Company’s payroll more than a year earlier. Lewis took a bailiff and assistant state’s attorney hostage with a gun provided by a court clerk who...

Chicago, IL —On December 1, 1958 I was a fifth grader at Hyde Park’s St. Thomas Apostle . One of my mother’s boyfriends was buying me a bicycle as an early Christmas present. The old black & white TV was on at the Ace Bicycle Shop on 55th Street. At the time we lived in an apartment on Hyde Park Blvd just East of Dorchester. The gray haired shop owner was really upset. There had been an inferno at Our Lady Of Angles School. The police and firemen being interviewed were all crying and the pictures were graphic and awful. An army of first responders were all carrying dead children in their arms. Before it was over 92 children and three Catholic nuns were dead. Scores of other were injured. I think I really learned that I was only a mortal that day. Even kids my age could die. Before then this notion was unthinkable. I think every kid in Chicago got extra hugs that day. The horrible fire was not unnoticed at St. Thomas. The nuns began working with firemen holding fire dril...

I don’t know how Chicago’s Mayors never get sent to Club Fed. I’ve been hearing juicy rumors for four years that Richard M. Daley may get a vacation there soon but who knows for sure. As for the Governors of Illinois, I’ve seen three get sentenced to the club. Otto Kerner, who had a brilliant military career, served on important Presidential Commissions, was elected Governor, and resigned to accept a seat as a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals. Kerner fell from Judgeship for corruption as Governor right into a prison cell. Kerner died a defeated man in 1976. I met Kerner’s beautiful daughter and her brother just after the old man died. These fine kids suffered tremendously as a result of Judge Kerner’s crimes. Dan Walker, a political gadfly, and lawyer worked for Chicago’s Montgomery Wards. Walker won the Governor’s office as a Maverick, Left Wing Democrat after he walked the entire state in an unusual campaign. Walker after leaving office got caught with his hands in the coo...