Emanuel To Guardian Angels: Please Stay Off Michigan Avenue

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 25, 2013 4:00PM

Mayor Rahm Emanuel responded to the Guardian Angels’ efforts to help reduce muggings on Michigan Avenue by saying while he appreciated the concern, maybe their efforts would be best served elsewhere.

Emanuel addressed the Guardian Angels’ outreach on Boul Mich, where they’ve passed out fliers warning passersby of a spate of recent muggings and dubbed the popular shopping district “Muggers’ Mile,” at a news conference after Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

"I think the Guardian Angels are interested in safety and security," Emanuel allowed when asked about their Michigan Avenue presence. "There's a lot of areas in the city where they can work in partnership" with police.

Such as?

"There's gonna be a lot of safe-passage routes for kids," he said, referring to the longer distances students will have to walk in the fall in light of school closings. "Come work those."

Oh, don’t test them, sir; they may wind up patrolling Safe Passage routes before the police. What Emanuel didn't say was, with Chicago setting record tourism numbers in the first half of the year, the last things he wants to see is a group of volunteers in red berets scaring visitors to the city along one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city with warnings to keep their wallets close and their smartphones closer because they’re on the “Muggers’ Mile.”

A series of muggings and social media-fueled mob actions have centered on Michigan Avenue and Streeterville the past two years. Chicago Police said only three muggings in the past month have been reported and cited increased police presence as a deterrent.