Page 48 - July 2017 Newsletter

9th District CAPS aims to unify community
n BY NICK SWEDBERG
Officer John Verta wants to see neighbors in the 9th Dis- trict start breaking the ice to get back to the days when everyone recognized everyone.
“When I was a kid, I knew everybody on my block. Now- adays, people don’t know who lives on their block,” said Verta, of the 9th District CAPS office.
The motivation to unify the communities in the Deering-area district prompted several events in June and plans for more throughout the summer. Among the activities was a series of cookouts that served as an ex- tension of regular beat meetings and encouraged the idea that people should get to know their neighbors.
Verta said he spoke to one man who lives in the 3300 block of Leavitt Street and had never been one block west of his home before coming to one of the barbecue events. Verta cited it as an example of how the dynamic in Chica- go has changed.
Another factor involved is the location. The cookouts
have been hosted at places in the district where violence, or the concern about it, has been prominent.
“We do a barbecue to spike up neighborhood interest
48 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JULY 2017