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Celebrating New Years that special East End kind of way
12/31/2011 12:25 PM by John M
If you’re new to the neighborhood: New Year’s can be kind of shooty up here (mp3). Just don’t look up.
I will be in the bathtub wearing a stockpot on my head as a helmet. Gotta look out for those strays.
Think of it as nocturnal, urban woodpeckers. (Gotta look for the positive, right?)
Where do the shootings occur, usually? I remember hearing them last year and the year before, but now I have to worry about my son in his room alone. I mean, I hate to be this guy and sound like such a scaredy cat, but should I worry about stray bullets and windows?
Have a neighbor who once convinced his insurance company that the hole in the roof was caused by a stray bullet falling back to earth on New Year’s Eve. Claimed the insurance company paid up, too.
Love it. As if it weren’t enought to deal with the murders lately. I heard them last night. Can’t wait. Maybe I’ll just get wasted and not worry about it 🙂 Happy New Year’s!
crd- That’s not so unusual…I personally had it happen to my roof. The roofer pulled the casing out of the roof deck. My insurance also paid for the repair which was very expensive…My roof was new metal and I refused to have it patched-they replaced the panel. A neighbor’s car was also damaged my a bullet penetrating the trunk lid. What goes up-must come down.
If I hear gunfire in my area (doesn’t really happen anymore) I’m gonna call 911 immediately…I recommend others do the same. There are a lot of idiots in this world.
7:42… kinda early? Still hering a few shots at 7:48…
8:53 – 8:57 and I’m hearing the first five volley of shots. Hope all of those rounds fall to earth and hit the idiots square in the ass. Happy New Year everyone!
Lucky , I’ve heard at least 45 shots. Might be wearing a motorbike helmet to ride my bicycle uptown.
It’s picked up… and I’m hearing sirens all over the place.
They are still going strong. All the kids are camping out in my room tonight. Away from the windows.
Jaime…i venture to guess most are coming from north of venble. I hear them but they aren’t as close sounding as a few nights ago.
I heard them last night, as well.
It’s already starting over here in South Side too. We lost a rear windshield a few years back on New Years.
Nothing like playing “name that gauge” to ring in a new year…
I actually had to work tonight, got home just a few minutes after midnight and heard what could have been a string of firecrackers or gunfire, and called it in. It was coming from somewhere north of Broad, in the vicinity of 25th. Could have been as far north as Venable, not sure…I’m near 26th and Broad.
Laura, thanks for the validation.
Anne, yes it happens elsewhere as well.
I saw firecrackers coming from the ally between 25th and 24th between cedar and m at midnight. But also heard gunshots a little too close as well.
It was terrible last night! Many of the shots were far away but some sounded like they were coming from 26th between Clay and Leigh. At one point, there were 20 rounds shot off one right after the other. There was also a random shot that sounded like it came from very close by several hours after midnight.
Hi Clay street –
I was alarmed too at the sounds off of 26th in that area until I realized they were coming from a friends house. They were having a party with mini-fireworks (a couple of big booms) and lots of fire crackers.
Most of what I heard sounded like fireworks / firecrackers. Didn’t hear anything that sounded like a gun.
I’m at n 32nd and Marshall. Lots of gun shots as early as 10 pm. I heard the big booms and fireworks too. More gunshots this year than I’ve heard in previous years but they were north and west of us. Nothing in our immediate area.
Funny, I actually didn’t think it was that bad this year. You can tell the fireworks from the gun shots because they fizzle out at the end.
@LuckyCanine-I’m in roughly the same area and the gun to firework ratio did seem to skew a little more gun this year. I could begin to tell you where it was coming from–we get some funky echos and reverbs. I’m guessing they were fairly far away because the dogs and cats were unfazed.
Two sad stories – two days ago in Florida and one from the year before in Georgia.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/01/us/florida-celebratory-gunfire/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
http://www.11alive.com/rss/article/219370/40/DEKALB–Marquels-Pledge-aims-to-end-celebratory-gunfire
You remember New Year’s Eve when– after one of those surprising deluges months later– your house becomes a shower and you discover a bullet hole in the roof. (Always wondered where Saddam Hussein’s celebratory bullets landed…)
@K.M. – we’ve been calling the game “Gunfire vs. Fireworks”. Have to say that the “ringing in” of 2012 was way over the top in gunfire. Most we’ve heard in 10 years. I think the game is over now. This time the gun fire seemed to be coming from all directions and it went on forever. It was pretty unnerving. We are pretty disgusted by the thought of so many idiots owning guns and residing in our neighborhood. We have a brand new roof. Something tells me this one isn’t going to last as long as the original (103 years!).
How can we tell the difference between gunfire and firecrackers? Firecrackers are pretty commonly heard on this day and sound very much like gunfire. Confusing.
While no doubt the average thugtard is irresponsibly lobbing up live ammo, where I growed up in the country, people buy blanks(no bullet) and pop those off. I always liked to hear that.
@Chimbo Resident-after midnight, we refined to “Name that Gauge.”
Before I moved to CH, I couldn’t tell gunfire from fireworks. While I don’t think I can successfully compete in a round of “Name That Gauge”, I can tell the difference between gunfire and fireworks. Gunfire is very sharp. Fireworks have a fade at the end. The gunfire was very bad this year. Friends who were at 24th and Clay told me it was pretty close to them.
@K.M. – not to downplay the seriousness of this matter, but “Name that Guage” is quite brilliant. Kidding aside, what to do about this ongoing NYE and July 4th problem.