By Steve Rhodes
“Bridget Higgins McCarthy and her husband, Kevin McCarthy, found themselves in a tough spot early on the morning of April 25, 2004,” the Sun-Times reports.
“Their friend Richard J. ‘R.J.’ Vanecko, a nephew of Mayor Daley, had just been involved in a drunken confrontation in the Rush Street area that left a 21-year-old man from the suburbs severely injured, the result of a single punch the police would conclude seven years later Vanecko had thrown.
“David Koschman would die in a hospital bed 11 days later of brain trauma, his mother at his side, her son never having regained consciousness.
“The McCarthys – born into wealth, with a circle of friends that includes Daley’s children, nieces and nephews – knew that their friend R.J. was the guy the police wanted to talk to but hadn’t been able to identify.
“But they weren’t telling.”
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Richard M. Daley, State of the City address, 2009:
If you know about a crime, report it. If you know who is involved in a crime, report them.
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“[During the key early hours of the initial police investigation, the McCarthys didn’t cooperate with the police.
“They not only didn’t identify Vanecko, but Kevin McCarthy also lied to the police, police reports show. Twice, he told them – at the scene and, later, at his home – that he didn’t know the two men who’d run off after one of them hit Koschman and sent him reeling backward, where he cracked his head on the street.”
Something as simple as using a cell phone to report a crime can solve a crime.
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“Why did the McCarthys delay telling the police they knew whom they were looking for?
“And why did Kevin McCarthy at first deny even knowing the two men who ran away?
“They won’t say.
“Both have declined Chicago Sun-Times requests for an interview. ‘I appreciate what you’re trying to do,’ Kevin McCarthy told reporters, ‘but I have no comment.’
“When two detectives, ordered to reinvestigate after the Sun-Times asked the police department to release records from the 7-year-old case, came to the McCarthys’ North Side home in January, Kevin McCarthy told his wife ‘not to say anything to the detectives,’ according to the police.”
For me, ending the violence is one of the most frustrating challenges we face.
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“Daley, who is leaving office today after not seeking re-election, also has declined to respond to questions about his nephew and the police department’s handling of the Koschman homicide investigation.”
I’d rather a parent be embarrassed by a knock on the door when a police officer brings a child home for violating curfew hours than for that knock on the door to be followed by news that another child has been killed.
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“McDonald, too, is a friend of Daley’s children, nieces and nephews. The police never talked with her, according to the detectives’ reports. She declined to comment to the Sun-Times.”
The code of silence in many neighborhoods that protects the gang bangers and drug dealers is killing our children. It must end.
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“Vanecko, now 36 and living in Southern California, also has never spoken with the police.”
I can’t emphasize how important it is for parents to accept their responsibility to keep their children safe.
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The Greatest Mayor Ever.
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If someone can find a single reporter who asked Daley about this in their exit interviews, let me know. I’d be shocked because, you know, it just isn’t done.
But Reporters Love Them Both
“‘Everybody knows how good the mayor was. To me, he was the best,’ said Billy Goat Tavern owner Sam Sianis,” the Sun-Times reports.
“Sianis has an outpost at O’Hare Airport that was initially placed in the name of his wife at the city’s direction. When the Chicago Sun-Times raised questions in 2005, City Hall initially removed Billy Goat IV’s certification as a women’s business enterprise, only to restore the certification.
“Asked whether he’s concerned about losing his O’Hare concession under new Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Sianis said, ‘It’s [in] my wife’s name. It’s not me there. It’s all a minority.'”
Paging Pat Fitzgerald!
Most Accessible Mayor In America
“Monday’s event was billed as an ‘open house,’ but reporters were barred from the mayor’s office. And even though there was a photo op of the handshaking, the Chicago Sun-Times, which has broken scores of stories on corruption and contract cronyism during the Daley years, was specifically excluded.”
Martial Law Declared
“A Chicago Police officer was struck by a CTA bus while chasing a man who allegedly swore at Mayor Daley as he was leaving City Hall Friday for the last time as mayor,” the Sun-Times reports.
“About 4:45 p.m. Friday, as a crowd gathered to watch Daley say goodbye to City Hall, Janusz Kopycinski, 30, allegedly yelled ‘Fuck the mayor,” police said.”
If that’s illegal now, it won’t be long before they’ll have to lock up half the city. Or at least half the teachers’ union.
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“Kopycinski, of the 6500 block of West Wellington, was charged with three counts of resisting arrest, two counts of disorderly conduct and one count of reckless conduct.”
They’ll think up more later.
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“He was arrested in 2007 for battery to police.”
But not convicted?
And if you’re gonna use criminal histories in a story like this, please include the complaint history against the cop.
Rahm’s Inauguration Day
A Beachwood Exclusive.
Bulls On The Mountaintop
“It may not get any better for the Bulls than the second half last night, but with 20 points to spare, it may not have to,” I write subbing for Jim Coffman in SportsMonday.
Now Hitting Third For The Cubs
Frank Enstein.
Retiring Paulie and Pierre
For better and worse.
Mitch Spinach
The hero of Sunchoke Elementary.
Chicago Lawn Mower For Sale
First pull every time.
The Weekend in Chicago Rock
Rise Against, The Memorials, Bad Religion, Elvis Costello, Bob Seger, Crystal Castles and more!
Mike Royko’s Revenge
The end of The Chicago Code is near.
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Stop by the Beachwood Inn and see for yourself. I’ll back behind the bar tonight slinging cold Old Styles and cheap booze off the bottom shelf. The second-to-last Chicago Code airs from 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.; it’s the world’s greatest jukebox the rest of the way. Plus, free pizza and witty banter. 5 p.m. – 2 a.m.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Code One.
Posted on May 16, 2011