Cop called ‘racist’, accused of ignoring crime in Boystown

Are Chicago police officers looking the other way while hoodlums -- often mislabeled as disenfranchised, black, gay youth -- run amuck in Chicago’s Boystown neighborhood?

Monday, at 12:54 a.m., a man reported several black males throwing bottles at passing cars outside Spin Nightclub at 800 West Belmont Avenue, near Halsted and Belmont.

Before authorities could respond, the same man dialed 911 a second time claiming a group of black males threatened him with a knife.

Almost five minutes later, around 12:59 a.m., the man called police, again. This time he said 100 black males were throwing bricks.

According to the cop who allegedly spoke with the 911 caller, the complainant called the officer a racist and accused the officer of not doing his job.

“I didn’t like his attitude,” said the investigating officer to police dispatch. “He called me a racist and said I wasn’t doing my job, because the people out here are black.”

Meanwhile, a slew of emergency calls from multiple citizens, suggested the serial 911 caller wasn’t the only person complaining about Boystown’s unwanted gests.

At 1:17 a.m., police responded to the 7-Eleven at 3407 North Halsted Street after a large crowd took over the convenience store’s parking lot.

A female officer dispersed the crowd around 1:24 a.m. and coded the job as a 5-Paul: A street disturbance/other police service.

Around the same time the disturbance occurred outside the Lake View 7-Eleven, a similar incident was reported in front of D.S. Tequila Company at 3352 North Halsted Street.

A black Chevy was parked in front of the business with its doors open and music blasting, according to police dispatch reports.

A subsequent complaint indicated several people were also blocking the bar’s entrance.

With the action on Halsted Street showing no signs of slowing down, several black youths on the 3200 block of North Halsted Street were accused of criminal property damage and attacking a Chicago cab driver, at 1:40 a.m.

According to one source, the group was blocking the street and when a cab driver blew his horn at them, they attacked his vehicle.

It’s unclear if any arrests were made, but at the time of this report, police were interviewing the taxi driver.

Although we understand the first 911 caller’s frustration, filing a false police report -- if in fact, that’s what he did -- is illegal and a waste of valuable police resources.

Over-exaggerating the circumstances surrounding a 911 call may get you a quicker response, but once investigators realize you are lying, your credibility immediately goes out the window.

However, one question remains: Could the police do more to discourage criminal behavior in Boystown, or are their hands tied due to a manpower shortage and the threat of lawsuits... which may result in the loss of their pensions?

Photo credit: NationalJournal.com/NATO protester yells at officer.