Four months after violent shootout, residents of one proud Chicago block still waiting for answers from police
CHICAGO - In seconds, North Karlov turned into a battleground. Four people shot, cars smashed up, shell casings all over the street.
Lori Pierson got to the window in time to see gunmen still firing near Iowa Street and Karlov Avenue in the West Side neighborhood. She called 911 and huddled with Chicago police officers who promised someone would get back to her.
For nearly four months, Pierson did not hear from anyone. The shooting remains unsolved, like dozens of others from the first weekend in August, when at least 75 people were shot - the most violent weekend in Chicago in years.
She and her neighbors were left to wonder what was being done to keep their neighborhood from becoming more dangerous. Were they losing ground in this community of Dutch colonial-style homes that some call their "Oak Park"?
"I appreciate the work police officers do," Pierson said. "They have the hardest job. Police officers and teachers. They are always under a microscope. They are always under scrutiny. I can't even fathom how hard it is to be a Chicago police officer in Chicago at this time.
"But it is still," she said, her voice trailing off. "This is our community. It's frustrating, of course.
