Chicago School bans visiting fans from sport events

The Public League of the Chicago Public School (CPS) announced that it is taking striking and necessary actions by banning fans of visiting teams from attending sports events.

This dramatic measure is to curb a rash of violence that has erupted at CPS basketball games.

Chicago Public Schools director of sports administration Calvin Davis said three changes would be implemented for the rest of the season:

• All varsity boys basketball games will begin at 4 p.m.

• Fans from the visiting team will not be allowed to attend.

• In some cases in which there has been a history of trouble between schools, no fans will be allowed to attend the game.

On Tuesday night, North Lawndale forward Jermaine Winfield was shot in the leg during a postgame altercation in which Winfield came to the aid of a teammate. Tuesday night game was not a high alert game and so police were not present. Chicago Police say two 16-year-old boys have been charged with misdemeanor battery in connection with the Tuesday night shooting. The police also have another person in custody who hasn’t been charged. The juveniles’ names were not released.

Also Just after the North Lawndale and Marshall game, a fight between two female students turned into a bigger disturbance, with a police call for assistance resulting in eight squad cars and two paddy wagons being dispatched to Marshall.

Faced with the problems of poor academic performance, drug dealing, and gang violence – CPS plans to announce the closing or consolidation of at least 20 schools this year – up from 18 last year.

Between September 2007 – September 2008, thirty-six CPS students were killed. Twenty-six were killed during the school year and ten were killed during the summer. Thirty-three of the killings were gun related, one was stabbed, another beaten with a baseball bat and another was intentionally run over with a car.