Protecting schools with armed guards won’t do a thing. In fact, it’s one of the worst ideas I’ve heard in a long time. Believe me, I understand why people like the idea – especially those who live closest to Newtown, CT, where a gunman opened fire in an elementary school last month, killing 20 kids and adults. Their worlds are shattered. They’re in shock. They’re angry and they never want to see something like it happen again. But it will, and a guard at the front door with a pistol won’t save anyone from a determined individual armed with intent and a gun. It’s time everyone stops the …

Earlier this week, I shared the first part of my conversation with Tracey Wallace, founder of Black Men Against Violence. He formed the group shortly after the shooting death of 19-year-old Justin Murray in late November. Since then, he and his group have held several meetings, and now he’s trying to put some of the group’s ideas into practice. Click here to read the first part of our conversation, or read on for the second part, when Tracey Wallace talked about some of the programs he hopes to implement. Conception To College In his vision, Black Men Against Violence will tailor programs and…

Tracey Wallace tells it like it is. “I’ll never run for office, because sometimes I get in trouble,” says the recent founder of Black Men Against Violence. “I don’t say what people want to hear. I say what’s on my mind.” Lately, Wallace has a lot on his mind that Evanston residents — and beyond — need to hear. I spoke to Wallace this weekend, when he told me how the shooting death of 19-year-old Justin Murray spurred him into action.  “The shooting triggered something in me,” Wallace says. “I went from rage to fear.” Starting on Facebook, Wallace formed a group called Black Men Against …

If you know someone who struggles with substance abuse, you know that this time of year presents excruciating challenges for those trying to manage their addictive behaviors. According to The Pat Moore Foundation, an alcohol and drug treatment center, the period from Thanksgiving to New Year's often results in increased drug and alcohol abuse, as addicts try to ignore their condition in order to participate in family gatherings and other festivities. I speak from firsthand knowledge. My biological father was an alcoholic. Growing up, I preferred my happy, jovial, light-hearted father with a …

After two fatal shootings in less than three months, I had several questions about crime in Evanston. So I sat down with Police Chief Richard Eddington to ask him about the police presence around the high school, what police are doing to stop gang violence and whether guns could be banned in Evanston, among other questions. Part one of my interview with the chief was published Tuesday; here is the second part of our conversation. To read the first part of my Q&A with the chief, follow this link. Do you think crime has increased in Evanston in the past several years? If so, why? Overall …

Hours after I posted an article on Monday, Dec. 3, about a second young man shot and killed near Evanston Township High School in less than three months, I was copied on an email from Evanston’s City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz. In the e-mail, Bobkiewicz asked Evanston Police Chief Richard Eddington to respond to the questions I’d posed at the end of the piece. I asked about the police presence around the high school—where there has been a shocking amount of recent crime—what police are doing to stop gang violence and whether guns could be banned in Evanston, among other questions. Eddington …

A belated Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. At this time of year, many of us stop to ask what we cherish most. It's not uncommon to hear the following top the list: family, friends and neighbors, good health, a paying job, or a roof over our heads. In addition to the abovementioned, this year I'm especially thankful for having seen Nichols Middle School 7th graders attending a special screening of the movie Lincoln on Friday, November 16th. As I peeked in the theater before the house lights went down, I stood in awe, looking at the multitude of faces, races and cultures represented in those …

When I first moved to Evanston in 1997, I made a daily commute to and from my office in Chicago on the Metra line. It wasn’t a long commute from the Davis Street station to the city, but it felt like a grind, especially since I was pregnant. Now that I write from my home, however, I’m envious of the Metra morning commuters traveling from Evanston’s Central Street Station, where Upstairs Café just opened. Evanston residents and friends Elizabeth Hubbard, Gail Doeff, and Shelley Patterson opened Upstairs Café on Nov. 5, 2012. They bought the business from Mary Lou Smith and her husband, Bill, …

It's got to be hard to be a Republican in Evanston right now, and not just because Barack Obama was re-elected last week. Yard signs, grocery store conversations, and bumper stickers suggest Evanston’s a solidly Democratic town, and these numbers prove the point: nearly 85% of the November 6th votes cast in Evanston went to Barack Obama and Joe Biden. In a city like Evanston -- where we pride ourselves on our diversity -- what does it feel like to be in the political minority? I can’t imagine it’s been easy. Evanston Township High School's newspaper, The Evanstonian, recently ran a column by …

On Sept. 22, 2012, Dajae Coleman was shot and killed less than one mile from his home in Evanston,  just two weeks into his freshman year of high school. His death has touched every generation in this suburb north of Chicago: parents knowing “this could have been my child”; high school students wearing “stop the violence” wristbands in the slain boy’s honor; elementary students whispering about the big kid shot on Church Street. The community has gathered in a multitude of ways. Students created a Stop The Violence In Evanston Facebook page. Residents gathered at two community-wide meetings, …

The 2012 Presidential Election is eight days away. You’ve watched the debates, seen how close the polls are, and received far too many requests for campaign donations. Do you know who you’re voting for? If you’re still on the fence, why? What does a candidate still need to demonstrate in order to earn your vote? Are we better off than we were four years ago? Why or why not? There are no wrong answers here. Let’s put aside the smarmy grins and the horse-toothed interruptions. Let’s lay down our bayonets and stack those binders full of women on a shelf. Let’s agree we all have our off nights …

An email circulated recently among parents about District 65’s Body Mass Index testing in middle school physical education classes. The writer’s concern was not about the test itself, but about whether kids at this age are emotionally ready to handle such information. It’s a complicated issue. On one hand, I’m thrilled that kids are learning how to calculate this index and, more importantly, being made aware of this aspect of their overall health. On the other hand, I too am concerned whether kids can handle this information in a mature way, and also wonder what the kids are expected to do …

Last week, my nine-year-old son asked, “What does it mean when someone gets the keys to the city?” For whatever reason, a scene from The Wizard of Oz popped to mind -- the one in which the Mayor of Munchkinland presents Dorothy with a key to the city after dropping a house on the Wicked Witch of the West. Unfortunately, my memory was incorrect, because Dorothy never got the key (trust me, in the name of journalistic integrity, I watched this video three times). Despite numerous missed opportunities on the part of Munchkinland officials, they came up short (ha!), offering Dorothy 1) a regal …

Although I'd hoped to attend the mayor's meeting on Tuesday, called in response to the shooting death of 14-year-old Evanston Township High School freshman Dajae Coleman, my family had a prior commitment. We were invited to eat dinner with our neighbors under the sukkot they build every year in their backyard following Yom Kippur. My family is not Jewish, so we were particularly honored to receive our neighbors’ invitation. Since their children are grown and no longer live in Evanston, I walked over to their house wondering whether our hosts had been following news of Dajae Coleman’s murder. …

One week after 14-year-old Evanston Township High School Freshman Dajae Coleman was shot and killed, thousands attended his funeral. My son and I approached the church just as Dajae’s family arrived. Despite the hundreds of people lined up outside the building, I have never heard such silence. The line inched forward as mourners entered and left the church, paying their respects to Coleman’s family. I saw women in their finest, babies in strollers, and mothers and fathers with arms around older children. Boys with “R.I.P. Dajae” shaved into their hair. City officials, educators, clergy. And …

This year, having three kids in three different Evanston schools was a tougher adjustment than I'd counted on. But last week, I'd just begun to feel that back-to-school equilibrium. I told myself, "As soon as I get through this last curriculum night, we'll fall into a routine and things will run a little smoother." By then, I thought, I'd have all the important dates entered into the family calendar, all the who-needs-to-be-where-and-when questions answered, all the forms signed and returned to teachers and all the random requests for 2"-white binders and index cards checked off the to-do …

Chances are, you’ll answer “yes” to at least one of these questions: 1. Do you know a bully or someone who’s felt the wrath of one? 2. Have you ever been bullied? 3. Ever bullied someone? 4. Have you grown tired of hearing about bullying in the media? Regarding that last question, I’ll offer one of the most upsetting examples of bullying I’ve ever seen by way of this schoolyard video – though it’s not for the faint of heart. The first time I watched it – last week -- I literally covered my mouth, screamed, and sat frozen for 30 seconds with my eyes clamped shut. Now that I have your attention…

I have no doubt that managing a city like Evanston requires superhuman coordination and forethought. In the case of the intersection of Church and Dodge, however, I worry that someone accidentally approved the plans after a carb crash after lunch. As mentioned in a previous column, I spend a significant amount of time at that intersection taking my kids to Boocoo for music lessons and performances. Over the summer, while the intersection was under construction, I wondered when the metered spaces in front of Boocoo would return. Patience, I told myself. All in good time. When one of my sons …

On Monday, I shared the response I got from city officials to readers' gripes and questions about parking in Evanston. (Posted in the comments section on two columns, Parking In Evanston: The Next Olympic Sport and What Are Your Gripes About Parking In Evanston?). Today, I'd like to share the rest of the answers from city officials Rickey Voss (Division Manager, Parking & Revenue) and Marty Lyons (Assistant City Manager / Chief Financial Officer).  A note to readers—I have edited the questions, concerns and answers for length, grammar, spelling and clarity. Here’s the first half of the city’s…

In response to two recent columns, Parking In Evanston: The Next Olympic Sport and What Are Your Gripes About Parking In Evanston?, city officials Rickey Voss (Division Manager, Parking & Revenue) and Marty Lyons (Assistant City Manager / Chief Financial Officer) addressed readers’ questions and concerns about parking issues around town.  “In a densely populated community like Evanston, parking is a service and a resource that always takes monitoring, management and adjustments based on the needs of the total community,” Lyons wrote in his e-mail. He also passed along some information posted …