Divvy is a popular bike-sharing system in the Chicago metro area with more than 650 stations and 5,000 bicycles. More than 3 million people take advantage of the service every year — including several armed robbers who are accosting people late at night and taking their valuables. There have been at least 16 armed robberies in recent days, and police are asking the public’s help in capturing them.
“I just think it’s nuts, like, the whole idea. They just get on these bikes and go away,” said Felicia Davis, who works downtown.
The first robbery happened on June 19 at about 2:30 a.m. Then six more robberies occurred on June 25 with another six happening a day later. Most of the robberies went down in the North Loop.
Police are searching for two to four Black and white Hispanic males between the ages of 15-25. They wore dark hooded sweatshirts, dark jeans and black ski masks.
It is important to always be aware of your surroundings, police said.
One usually doesn’t worry that much when walking in downtown Chicago even if it is the middle of the night. But it’s the choice of Divvy bikes that has the police and public scratching their heads.
The choice of Divvy bikes as a means of transportation for these robberies raises eyebrows and skepticism among both law enforcement and the public. Divvy bikes are easily identifiable and can potentially be traced, making them an unconventional choice for criminals seeking anonymity. However, it is important to note that Divvy bikes can be rented using a credit card, which may complicate efforts to identify the culprits solely based on bike usage.
Another note: the robberies should be seen in the context of skyrocketing burglaries and strong-arm robberies hitting Chicago’s outlying neighborhoods. Typical is this report from a neighborhood news source detailing serious crime over a week’s period.
- On Monday morning, a group of men armed with handguns and at least one rifle went on a cross-town robbery spree stretching from the Loop through Lincoln Park to the Northwest Side.
- Eight women were robbed in about 11 minutes in Lincoln Park Tuesday morning by a crew that traveled in an SUV carjacked from Chinatown. Prosecutors charged a man with participating in the hijacking, but he is not accused of robbing any of the Lincoln Park victims.
- Wednesday night into Thursday morning, five businesses and some of their customers were robbed.
- Three more robberies were reported in Lincoln Park early last Friday. A DePaul student was among four people robbed in the neighborhood the night before.
These crimes never make it to major media. But the impact on the victims is just as serious as any shooting or killing you read about elsewhere in local media. This is what a crime “wave” looks like, and Mayor Brandon Johnson and his pals in the defund the police movement aren’t paying attention.
They’re too busy calling the police “racists.”
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