A client of my company is transferring one of their exec's to Chicago. He flew his wife in this week to look at different areas. GE was one that they were interested in. They are in the $1.2-1.5 million housing market and there seems to be just a bit of inventory at that price in Bedford Falls, I mean Glen Ellyn.

My wife, has met this woman before and wanted to give her a tour of GE and Wheaton.

This woman is staying at a hotel in Chicago and took a train to GE yesterday morning where my wife met her to start their tour.

When she got off the train, my wife suggested they stop at Starbuck's for a cup of coffee before they started.

As they crossed Crescent and neared the entrance to Starbuck's, Glen Ellyn's very own Ambassador, 50 Cent Tony blocked their path and asked for 50 cents. My wife said; "No". He then got angry, moved closer to them in a manner they thought threatening and he screamed in their faces; "How is anyone supposed to live in this town?"

My wife turned around, they got in the car and went to Wheaton to Starbuck's and toured Wheaton before coming back to GE.

What an embarrassment!! This family has 3 school aged children, all girls and the reception by 50 cent Tony was enough to "scratch" GE off her list. My wife also commented on the filth in front of Starbuck's and the overall shabby appearance of GE. What is happening to the front of the old Karmis carpet store front?

People do not move to this area to put up with that kind of crap. This guy is nuisance, panhandler and now becoming aggressive. He should be banned from the downtown area. He offers nothing and only deters from the village.

A quaint, charming village? In your dreams. George Bailey has left and is not coming back.

You know, Thursday evenings and Friday mornings are a free for all around here. Honestly, I don't think the majority of our village officials give a crap about us homeowners or potential new buyers. They figure regardless of whether people move in, the property taxes will still be paid.

For some reason, I really do think that our Police Chief is as frustrated as we are with these issues, but my gut tells me that he is succumbing to political pressures causing him to be selective when choosing which ordinances to enforce, if any. I am convinced that if Hase, with the support of our trustees told him to clean up the town, he'd have it done in a heartbeat. He is a GE resident and as a police officer, I am sure he is aware of the risks that plague our community via these 5 shelters.

Although, I am not sure whether 50 cent Tony utilizes the services of PADS, he is very offensive and everyone knows it. He should be cited, arrested or issued some sort of restraing order preventiing him from visiting the CBD.

I've told the story before, I think here...

I was in a similar situation with another young family that was moving out of the city. They wanted to move to west suburbs, and were looking at GE and Wheaton as well. I was trying to rush them on GE and how it's a great place to raise a kid.

They looked at places in GE and liked the quaintness, the older town vibe.

They went to Wheaton and met up with a real estate agent. The agent told them they were nuts to look at GE. They were told GE is a dying town. No young couples are moving there anymore. The families that moved here in the 80s and 90s during the GE heyday drove the taxes up and now that their kids are out of school, the schools and town are going down the dumper.

One funny thing they said was that GE is run by a group of retired municipal workers and ex-mailmen are making decisions for the town instead of the business executives and millionaires who don't care anymore.

50cent Tony is not homeless. He needs to be fined. He'll find out how expensive it is to live in this town when he hassles people.

This makes me so angry! I'm looking forward to our cleanup day - once Rob finalizes the plan with everyone here, I will happily call the press. Our village officials should be ashamed that they allow this crap in our town.

Is 50 cent Tony the the little pigeon-toed guy?

I think that's him. He always says, "How's it going? Spare 50 cents?"

I just e-mailed PADS requesting that they set up a meeting with village officials, the hosts of PADS facilities in GE, a county representative and GE residents with specific feedback/concerns regarding some PADS patrons. I encourage you to do the same.

Their website is: Here

Click on "Contact Form" at the bottom of the page.

I noticed PADS is having a bowl a rama at fox bowl in wheaton. Wouldn't be ironic if we helped transport all of the homeless all stars from downtown GE to the bowl a rama? It would be interesting to see how they react to the homeless infiltrating their personal time doing something they like to do.

Kind of like the homeless do when we want to take our family to Einstien Bagels or Starbucks or to pick up your wife at the train, only to have your 5 year old witness 3 guys having a swordfight pissing in the garbage can at the train station. That still irritates me...

I've been ignoring Fiddy Cent for years. Knowing that if I give him Fiddy Cents he will high tail it up to Jewel and by beer. Which is none of my business as I probably would not have put any restrictions on the spending of my spare change. Once you give it away, it is no longer yours. One reason why I rarely give my spare change to anyone but my 8 year-old who has a piggy bank collection and genuinely seems thankful for the coins. I have never seen Fiddy stand up to anyone in all the years that I have been wasting time in the CBD. Not that I doubt the story, just find it odd that he would do that. He said something to me one day after I declined to fork anything over and I spun on my heels and asked him to repeat himself. He declined. I have come to realize that he is not a well person and simply ignore him. Perhaps being in the midst of a recession has caused him to amp up his work habits.

I have sort of watched these threads play out without wanting to get involved. I have seen things that have genuinely shocked me...the unshockable. Worst of which was watching a man who did not appear to be a permanent resident of GE defecating behind the Glen Theater as I was popping out the back door of the Banyan Tree Mall. Leaning against the building and pooping. Even though he was a mere 200 feet from a bathroom at Starbucks and a block or so away from the Civic Center. I have also heard from another that said he saw the same thing behind Gearhead. In this day and age this sort of behavior is unthinkable outside of Calcutta. The police do seem to turn a blind eye to our part-time residents and I am not certain how or why this happens. The very rules and laws and ordinances that you and I are forced to follow seem to be forgotten unless you actually dial 911 and ask for them to be enforced. I once flagged down two policemen to inform them that a man was either passed out or dead on the bench in front of Costello's...at 2 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon. They got him up and moved him on. I can only imagine that he found another spot to sleep off whatever was ailing him. I saw 7 or 8 shirtless men enjoying multiple bottles of 40 ounce beverages at the park on Penn and Prospect one sunny Saturday afternoon last summer/fall. Personally, I think that would be an outstanding venue to host a cocktail party on a Friday night, but alcohol is not allowed in GE parks except at the boathouse. Yet here they were...having the time of their lives while I was running errands as mundane as picking up my cleaning from Jan. Truth be told, I wouldn't personally want to sit around town with my shirt off...but that's my problem. Beer and cards at the tables by the gazebo...why not? Seems fun.

Not sure what PADS does other than provide what I hear are some meals worth traveling for and a comfy bed, but homelessness should not mean that you cannot and will not contribute to society or yourself. How many of these cats are full-time homeless people as a way of life? And how many have jobs? I understand you can't control someone once they have left your facility, but I believe PADS has the obligation to work for the citizens of GE as much as those who only live here 2-3 days per week. To deny this fact is not only morally wrong but dangerous. NIMBY, indeed. That's just f$cked up thinking.

In regards to PADS, I sent in a request to the State's Attorney's office requesting information about the responsiblities of PADS to background check their guests. Here is their response:
......
Thank you for contacting the Office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. I am a policy specialist for Attorney General Lisa Madigan focusing on sex offender issues. This email is in response to your email regarding sex offender residency restrictions and whether they apply to the PADS shelters in your community. I apologize for the delay in responding to you.

Sex offenders whose victim was under the age of 18 are prohibited by law from living within 500 feet of schools, daycare centers, public parks, or other facilities providing services exclusively to children. This restriction applies to child sex offenders, regardless of whether they are currently required to register. For the PADS shelters in your community that have pre-school or daycare programs, a child sex offender would be prohibited from residing in that shelter or any shelter within 500 feet of a school, daycare center, public park, or other facility providing services specifically to children. A sex offender that is required to register must register an address if they are at that address for 5 days or more in a calendar year. However, on January 1, 2008, this time period will change to 3 days in a calendar year. Your local police department is the agency responsible for registering sex offenders. I encourage you to follow up on this issue with your local police department as they may have a specific protocol to this situation in your community.

If you would like additional information regarding the Illinois’ sex offender laws, please visit the Illinois State Police’s Sex Offender Registry website at http://www.isp.state.il.us/sor/ or contact the Illinois Sex Offender Registration Team Hotline at 1-888-414-7678.
......

Next I looked up the PADS shelters in GE and found the following:
Glen Ellyn-1 Handicap accessible

First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn
www.firstconge.org
535 Forest

North on Main St. Glen Ellyn from Roosevelt Rd. to Crescent. East to Forest.
Want a map?
Capacity: 55
Showers
Bus 715
Metra train
NO VEHICLES
PILGRIM Preschool is held here.
________________________________________
Glen Ellyn-2

Grace Lutheran Church
www.graceofglenellyn.org
493 Forest Ave.

South from North Ave (Rt. 64) on Glen Ellyn Rd. (Becomes Main St. in Glen Ellyn) to Crescent Blvd. Then East to Forest and North 1/2 block.
Want a map?
Capacity: 55
Bus
Metra train
NO VEHICLES
Offers Sunday School for kids.____________________________________
Glen Ellyn-3

1st Presbyterian Church
www.firstpresge.org
500 Anthony Avenue

East on Roosevelt Road to Park Blvd;
North on Park Blvd. to Pennsylvania;
Then West 2 blocks to Main Street;
North 2 blocks to Cottage;
Left on Cottage;
left into parking lot;
Enter through West door.
Want a map?

Capacity: 75
Showers
Bus
On Metra Train Line
WESTMINSTER Preschool is held here.______________________________________
Glen Ellyn-4

Evangelical Covenant Church
www.gecovenant.org
277 Hawthorne St.

Take College Ave in Wheaton East;
College Ave becomes Pennsylvania Ave in Glen Ellyn;
Go North on Kenilworth Ave to site;
Want a map?

Capacity: 45 men, 10 women
Showers
OffOffers student ministries.
________________________________________
Glen Ellyn-5

St. Barnabus Episcopal
22W415 Butterfield Rd.

East on Roosevelt Rd. to Park Blvd;
South on Park to Butterfield;
East on Butterfield. Church on South side of street.
Entrance in rear.
Want a map?

-----------------------------

Didn't someone once post that PADS does not conduct background checks?

The SA's response states that a sex offender cannot RESIDE in one of those prohibited places and that if they RESIDE at any one place for more than 3 days they have to register at that address. It seems that while a sex offender does not have to register a residence unless he or she resides there 3 days a year, the sex offender is still prohibited from residing anywhere within 500 feet of a school, park, etc.

Hate to sound like slick Willy, but if PADS is providing services to a sex offender then whether that sex offender is violating the law prohibiting him or her from "residing" within 500 feet of a school, park, etc., depends on the definition of "resides." I may have to look that one up.

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
I have seen things that have genuinely shocked me...the unshockable. Worst of which was watching a man who did not appear to be a permanent resident of GE defecating behind the Glen Theater as I was popping out the back door of the Banyan Tree Mall. Leaning against the building and pooping. Even though he was a mere 200 feet from a bathroom at Starbucks and a block or so away from the Civic Center. I have also heard from another that said he saw the same thing behind Gearhead. In this day and age this sort of behavior is unthinkable outside of Calcutta.

Once a child is toilet trained, pooping anywhere but a designated place for that event is a weapon. There is a message there.

From what I understand, PADS does not require meaningful identification upon entry. A piece of mail will more than likely suffice. The police will not conduct background checks of PADS members unless specifically requested to do so by PADS. If not asked, the police stay out of it. PADS states they do background checks, but as of last year our police department does not know how, with whom or what service these checks are done through. My guess is that they don't do any.

By Wendy Koch, USA TODAY:

quote:

MANY SEX OFFENDERS ARE OFTEN HOMELESS

Thousands of convicted sex offenders are reporting to police that they are homeless, raising concerns that their lack of a permanent address could make them difficult to track, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

Sex offenders, who are required to register with police and often barred by law from living near places where children gather, list addresses such as a tent, "near a bike path," "behind a cemetery" or "woods behind Wal-Mart."

In Boston, nearly two-thirds of 136 high-risk sex offenders lack permanent addresses. In New York City, more than 100 registered at two homeless shelters. In Miami last month, 22 reported living under the Julia Tuttle Causeway that links the city to Miami Beach.

"People should be concerned about this," says Jill Levenson, sex-crimes policy analyst at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. She says homeless sex offenders are more likely to commit another crime.

USA TODAY reviewed each state's sex-offender registry, searched tens of thousands of addresses and interviewed officials in 45 states after contacting all states. The analysis shows:

•Two-thirds of the states allow convicted sex offenders, including violent predators, to register as homeless or list a shelter or inexact location as long as they stay in touch with police.

•At least a dozen states list hundreds of sex offenders without specific addresses. California registered 2,716 as "transient." Washington state listed 564 as homeless, but the number is probably much higher, says Carolyn Sanchez of the Washington State Patrol.

•Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maine and other states say the number of homeless sex offenders is rising. Landlords often won't rent to them, and laws in dozens of states and hundreds of cities bar them from living near areas where kids play.

"Residency restrictions are the linchpin for causing homelessness among sex offenders," says Frances Breyne of the Kansas Department of Corrections.

In California, about 500 have registered as "transient" since a law last year blocked them from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park, says Bill Sessa of the California Department of Corrections. They must report daily where they'll spend the night.

An exact count of convicted sex offenders who are homeless could not be done because not all state records are online. Some states do not list homeless as an address but allow shelters, post office boxes, highway mile markers and streets without house numbers.

Illinois prefers that an offender register as homeless and report weekly to police rather than register once a year and list a shelter where he might stay one night, says Cara Smith, deputy chief of staff to the attorney general.

Some states keep sex offenders locked up until they find housing. In Michigan, they are less likely to get parole than murderers, says Russ Marlin, spokesman for the state Department of Corrections. In Georgia, sex offenders can be arrested for being homeless.

Homeless sex offenders are not necessarily more dangerous than those with housing, says Laura Rogers, director of the Justice Department's office for tracking sex offenders.

She says, "The people you need to be worried about most are the ones who aren't registering at all."

Amy and JustAResident, these are great ideas! We talked about this last year, but maybe we should get organized.

quote:

Not that I doubt the story, just find it odd that he would do that

You expect rational/consistent behavior from Tony? This man is mentally ill.

quote:

Originally posted by ear_ringer:

quote:

Not that I doubt the story, just find it odd that he would do that

You expect rational/consistent behavior from Tony? This man is mentally ill.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa....ER. I said that I did NOT doubt the story. Just said that I had never seen him standing for any reason other to get his @ss into town to work the SBUX crowd. We are on the same team, mate.

As suggested by Amy I would recommend everyone who has a concern with the way that PADS is operating their shelters in our community to send them an e-mail. I have contacted them to request a meeting. If they agree to meet I would would like those concerned to attend. I will let you know when I hear from them.

My input on this subject is that the safety of our residents is paramount. The first step towards ensuring that would be knowing if any of the transient residents who choose to stay in PADS shelters, pose any threat to anyone in our community.

Now Now. How about before he can say "How you durin?", lets ask him how HE IS then hit his *** up for 50 cents. If EVERYONE did it, it would drive him up a frickin wall.

quote:

As they crossed Crescent and neared the entrance to Starbuck's, Glen Ellyn's very own Ambassador, 50 Cent Tony blocked their path and asked for 50 cents. My wife said; "No". He then got angry, moved closer to them in a manner they thought threatening and he screamed in their faces; "How is anyone supposed to live in this town?"

If I thought that someone was threatening me, the next time I would be carrying pepper spray.

Or you could just move to Wisconsin

quote:

Originally posted by NATIVEHEAT65:
Now Now. How about before he can say "How you durin?", lets ask him how HE IS then hit his *** up for 50 cents. If EVERYONE did it, it would drive him up a frickin wall.

Foe once we are in total agreement. Or ask him for a business case on why he needs the money, how it will be spent and the anticipated ROI. No business plan, no money.

honestly, you are all here talking about it. yet none of you are doing anything about it. way to set a great example for your children, you all keep complaining but you wont get off your butts to do anything about it! If this bothers you soo much. GO DO SOMETHING don't sit on the computer bitching about it.