Condo association wants to arm residents with pepper spray

25-Oct-11 – Responding to a verbal assault of a resident two weeks ago, and a perceived decrease in safety in the neighborhood, the condo association at Marina City has apparently purchased pepper spray for resale to residents.

In a recent memo to residents, property manager David Gantt described an incident on October 11 at about 6:30 a.m. in which a woman who lives at Marina City was “accosted on the State Street Bridge by two well-dressed and well-groomed Caucasian/Hispanic males who did not appear to be homeless.”

While one of the men sat on the bridge, “the other was shouting obscene taunts right in her face.”

A police report was not filed but the woman, who was unharmed, did call 911. According to Gantt, she was told “there are now hidden cameras on the bridges.” It is not known if police found the men.

Gantt (left) says the condo association has ordered “a stock” of pepper spray and will sell cans to residents at $5 each. Canisters selling at that price generally contain half an ounce of pepper spray, have a range of eight to ten feet, and can fit on a keychain.

Considered non-lethal and legal in all 50 states, pepper spray is a chemical compound that causes breathing difficulty, tears, and the eyes to close, resulting in temporary blindness. Effects last 30 to 45 minutes with no long-term damage in most cases.

Details sketchy of two other assaults

A Marina City resident says a woman who threatened to stab her “over and over again” assaulted her in her home late last month. It happened on September 28 at about 7 p.m. The resident described the woman as African-American but the police report lists no other details. There is evidence from the report that police know the name of the suspect.

Meanwhile, Chicago police have suspended investigation of a reported battery on the sidewalk east of Marina City three weeks ago. On October 3, a woman who lives south of 103rd Street told police she was “jumped and beaten” by two men, one black and the other Hispanic, at about 1:15 a.m. According to the police report, her details were “sketchy.”