PHOTO & VIDEO DOCUMENTATION OF
CHICAGO POLICE & EMERGENCY VEHICLE
RESPONSE TO ONGOING NIGHTCLUB PROBLEMS
The following photos are random, and do NOT document ALL incidents
requiring supervision or response by the CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT
WARNING! The following video clips contain offensive language and depict actual violence.
· Most video clips have been shortened to accommodate this web format, but remain chronological.
· All views are of Lake Street looking south, with Halsted on the left & Green St on the right.
· ALL video sound files (including any background music) were recorded with the images,
AS ACTUALLY HEARD ON THE STREET. The sound has NOT been enhanced, supplemented or amplified.
NOTE:
Every once in a while, one of our embedded YouTube videos GETS ALL CRAZY
and either DISAPPEARS or MORPHS INTO ANOTHER VIDEO. Don't get all CRANKY PANTS on us!
Since they're linked to YouTube.com, WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THIS.
Just take a deep breath, think happy thoughts and refresh your browser, come back later or
view the video directly at
YouTube.com (And lay off that caffeine!)
The Lake Street nightclubs close at 2:00 AM, Mon thru Sat, and 3:00 AM, Sunday morning.
Other clubs in the vicinity have a Late Night Licence, closing at 4:00 AM, Mon thru Sat, and 5:00 AM, Sun morning.
~BLUE CIRCLES on photos denote POLICE and EMERGENCY VEHICLES~
Scores of patrons with pre-purchased concert tickets swarm CHROMIUM when they're unable to enter once the club
reached "maximum occupancy". Someone loose count? (of course, it depends on WHICH occupancy you're using...
the original 728 occupancy limit Tony Perez stated at the 1/10/06 City Hall Meeting... or the 400 occupancy limit
Mr. Perez said he's now using...hmm...a BIT confusing, to say the least)
In either case, there were a whole lotta angry patrons crowding the streets, which prompted 12th District Commander, Ron Sodini
to make a personal appearance and call in the Chicago Fire Department for a CHROMIUM occupancy check. The Chicago Police
cleared the streets of the miscounted patrons.
9/24/06 - Chicago Police clear the streets
WONDER WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY MAJOR GANG FIGHTING RECENTLY OUTSIDE THE NIGHTCLUBS?
12th District Police Officers continue the LAKE STREET LOCKDOWN, and are stationed outside the clubs
every Saturday night and other nights when large crowds are present. After midnight, Lake Street,
between Halsted and Green, is shut down to all traffic. Around closing time, additional Officers
and Police vehicles are also present along Lake Street.
See the PHOTO below
It's a two-paddy wagon night as the clubs close early Sunday morning.
Flashing lights & sirens motivate club patrons to clear the streets.
5/21/06 - REUNION NIGHTCLUB MOB STREET BRAWL
See the PHOTO below
2:32 AM: The Saturday night/Sunday morning club closing activities began early with a woman screaming
and trying to get away from a man on the north side of Lake Street. (we use the word "man" advisedly, since a
real "MAN" doesn't bully women) Alert Security from both clubs were quick to intervene and Police Tactical Officers,
stationed nearby, moved in for the arrest when the man became belligerent.
2:53 AM: Shouting amidst an exiting REUNION crowd, accumulated outside the door, rapidly escalated
into shoves and punches. To REUNION Security's credit, they reacted immediately and grabbed several of the culprits,
separating them from one another. The aggressors, however, were intent on continuing the brawl. Two Police Officers
stationed at Green called for backup and moved in, as club Security grappled with the men in the street. This was
NOT the typical girl/girl "keep your hands off-MY-man" fight. This was a MOB of angry guys who absolutely refused
to settle down!
REUNION Security and several Chicago Police Officers who'd arrived at the scene, kept the rabble-rousers moving east,
and traffic was interrupted at Halsted as the mob moved back and forth across the intersection. All the while,
club Security and Police Officers were standing between the feuding factions to prevent them from reaching each other.
It was ONLY the quick response of club Security and Chicago Police Officers stationed at the site, that prevented
the mob from turning into a knock-down-and-drag-out fistfight.
3:00 AM: CHROMIUM patrons were exiting as Police Officers and Security walked back west to the clubs.
The presence of several Police squads and Tac cars may have persuaded CHROMIUM patrons from potential misbehavior.
3:20 AM: It seemed as though things had wound down, till several men from the initial mob of
REUNION patrons rounded the corner at Green Street, after circling the block. Although some of the Police squads
had already left, squad cars returned and were accompanied by a Police Paddy Wagon. Once again, Club Security and
Chicago Police Officers intervened and escorted the mini-mob east again.
"Sarge", head of CHROMIUM security, and fellow CHROMIUM employees surround a patron and herd him west along
Lake Street. Sarge continues arguing with the patron as tempers rise. Dino Perez (CHROMIUM'S resident DJ) pulls
Sarge away as Raul Perez gestures for Sarge to leave. Although several CHROMIUM employees attempt to get between
Sarge and the patron, Sarge approaches the patron again and a shoving match follows. Dino throws up his arms in
frustration as a scuffle ensues. 2 Police Officers try to wrestle the patron away from the group, when a man from
the crowd jumps on the patron and throws him to the street.
The Police Officers attempt to handcuff the patron, yet when Chromium's security start to run over to assist the
Officers, Sarge stops them. It becomes evident that the man who is "assisting" the police, by holding the patron down,
also has a personal grudge with the patron. As the patron is lying in the street, his girlfriend tries to intervene
and slips out of her coat when one Officer tries to get her to leave. While the Officer is distracted, the man who was
"assisting" the Police gets up and kicks the handcuffed patron. When the Officer notices the patron being kicked, he
steps between the patron and man. The man temporarily walks away.
At the same time, Sarge and Chris (REUNION'S security guy) hold the patron's girlfriend and keep her away from the Police.
After the Police struggle to handcuff the patron, the kicking man returns, bends over the handcuffed patron, spits on him,
kicks him some more, then spits again. The handcuffed patron may have been injured by the unknown man kicking him, as an
ambulance arrives shortly. The patron's girlfriend was uneventfully led away in handcuffs.
In spite of the LAKE STREET LOCKDOWN and FOUR Chicago Police Officers on foot patrol
outside CHROMIUM, the onset of warm weather "kicks off" the Lake Street fight season.
After CHROMIUM'S 3:00 AM closing, fighting among CHROMIUM'S security staff and club patrons
requires the intervention of several Police & Fire Department emergency vehicles.
At the 3:00 AM closing, with a Chicago Police paddy wagon at one end of the block,
2 squad cars at the other end and a 3rd squad driving by, a brawl erupts in front of the clubs.
Security from both clubs is assisted by the Chicago Police before further escalation.
Several Chicago Police Squad and Tac cars are present most of the night
till after closing time, to manage unruly crowds attending a CHROMIUM special event.
A digital photo taken as the nightclubs close, shows a large crowd outside Club Reunion.
Several people engage in a domestic disturbance in the street next to a paddy wagon.
Officers from 2 additional Police squad cars are called to assist.
3 photos taken from surveillance videos, show the REUNION patron arrests.
Chromium security has become lax again and the Police Officers on duty arrange Chromium's crowd control barricades.
As the club exits, no one is moving the crowds along anymore and a mob congregates with several people yelling
threats, intent on fighting.
A man approaches from the parking lot adjacent to Chromium and threatens the Police Officers with upheld fists.
As he is subdued and arrested, several other men join the mob action in front of Chromium. Eight Chicago Police
squad cars and two police wagons are required to bring the crowd under control.
CPD Officers stationed in a police wagon intercede when a skirmish starts outside Chromium. A few minutes
later an argument breaks out in the street and ties up traffic till the Police intercede again and get the
cars moving. Since Chromium's security doesn't appear to be managing the valet traffic, the Police begin
directing cars to keep the street clear.
