Residents Say Police Botched Harris Case

By: Jennifer MorrillEnglewood residents say their neighborhood is safe, though many have been victims of violent crimes. Community policing is working, but few attend local beat meetings. Police are doing a decent job, but they bungled the investigation into the murder of 11-year-old Ryan Harris.

Those views emerged from a telephone survey of 304 residents in the Englewood Police District conducted by graduate students at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

The Harris case prompted harsh views on policing in the district. About 85 percent of the respondents said police could have improved the way they handled the murder inquiry. Sixty-five percent said police did not question enough people or devote enough time to the investigation.

And nearly nine in 10 respondents said they did not believe initial media reports, in August 1998, that two young boys, ages 7 and 8, had committed the crime. Prosecutors later dropped the charges against the boys when DNA evidence linked Floyd Durr, a 30-year-old convicted sex offender, to the murder.

Tommie Lee Jones, 46, an asbestos remover who lives on the 6800 block of South Peoria Street, said police handled the case poorly. "I would never have arrested these boys and put them on house arrest," Jones said. "It was too traumatizing."

Residents gave higher marks to the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy, the city’s community policing program. About 63 percent said they believe the strategy is working in Englewood.

But three of four respondents said they had not participated in the program, and 86.5 percent said relations between police and residents needed to improve.

While the population of the Englewood District is about 99 percent black, 71 percent of the respondents said more black officers would not improve relations. District Commander Maurice Ford said about 40 percent of his officers are black and about 60 percent are white.

Aretha Smith, 59, of the 7000 block of South Normal Avenue, said "maybe white police are just as good, but it would be good for more black police to get in with the community and show they care about their own race."

Nearly 71 percent said they feel safe in Englewood, though 22.3 percent said they had been victims of violent crimes, including robbery, assault and attempted murder.

"I am not a person who runs away from a challenge," added Gigi Vaughn, 35, who lives on the 6900 block of South Halsted Street. "But I am tired of being woken up in the middle of the night by gunshots."

Residents said their biggest crime problems are gangs and drugs. "I feel OK walking around the neighborhood as long as I don’t go past any of those gang-bangers selling drugs," said Arma Franklin, 39, a nursing assistant from the 7200 block of South Marshfield Avenue. "The neighborhood’s not dangerous, the gang-bangers are."

Added Annie Fernandez, 54, of the 7100 block of South Sangamon Street: "People watch out for each other here and the crime is not as bad as everyone thinks."

And many residents believe the area is improving. Rev. Anthony Williams, pastor of St. Stephens Lutheran Church, 910 W. 65th St., said Harris’ murder pulled residents together, inspiring them to work harder to combat violence and poverty.

"Basically a lot of people in Englewood are working people and [the media] portrays it like it’s Robert Taylor Homes or something like that," said Angela Burdett, 40, of the 6800 block of South Perry Avenue.

Nearly eight of 10 respondents said media can do a better job of covering their community. Patrician Riley, of the 6800 block of South Perry Avenue, said there is "a lot of good in Englewood that the average listener or reader would not hear about—new buildings, restoration going on. I could live on the Gold Coast and get robbed every day."

This survey was conducted by John Cloutman, Cristina Domingues, Laureen Fagan, Michael Gannon, Renae Hall, Erica Hurtt, Allison Kaden, Ruth Ann Keyso, Heather MacDonald, Molly McCarthy, Jennifer Morrill, Sarah O’Kelley, Brian Peters, Lauren Roth, Holly M. Sanders, Shannon Shelton, Suzanne Smalley, Tonya Weger and Tara Wenner.