Rahm, Herbie Pulgar and the winning design.
I’m an art teacher. When my kids draw hearts, former Chicago police commissioner Jody Weis claims they are drawings of a well-known gang symbol. A drawing of hands? They must be members of the Maniac Latin Disciples.
Who knew?
Right here in Park Ridge.
How foolish. And heart breaking for young Herbie Pulgar whose design for Chicago’s car sticker won a city-wide contest. The sticker design honors first responders and Herbie said he was just trying to do something good. But the City withdrew the award and the sticker. They claim it is full of secret gang symbols.
Noted professor and researcher on urban gangs, John Hagedorn, writes on his blog:
But let’s add a note of seriousness to a thoroughly ridiculous story. One reason why Jody Weis is so concerned about gangs can be seen in the pages of the Chicago Crime Commission’s newly released 2012 edition of the Gang Book. For Weis, along with CPD Superintendent McCarthy, wants to elevate gangs to Public Enemy #1. They both want their claim to fame to be the “eradication” of Chicago gangs. Good luck. What is most likely to happen is their war will keep hostility between black and Latino youth and the police high and keep our jails, prisons, and Temporary Juvenile Detention Center over capacity. And the gangs will shift with police pressure from one corner to another and grow in strength behind bars. Weis and McCarthy will be long gone and our institutionalized gangs will still be here. The Gang Book claims there are maybe more than 100,000 gang members in Chicago. Gangs, it says, are the new “organized crime.” Well, there are a few big time gangsters within the street gangs. The violence around the drug business is no laughing matter. But take a gander just one column to the right of the Sun Times story of “Jody and the Stickers.” There you find a piece about a real gangster, Cicero Outfit boss Michael “The Large Guy” Sarno who got 25 years for bombings, robberies, and serial mayhem. Ever since 1969, when Richard J. Daley and States Attorney Edward J. Hanrahan declared “war” on gangs, the attention of the CPD has been focused away from the Outfit and toward minority youth. Only the feds ever seem to indict mafia guys.
Fred Klonsky 
I’m confused (which is not unusal)- isn’t that Rahm standing WITH the winner? The mayor stands with the winner and the prize is taken away? Hey whatever happened to Stand for Children?
Maybe Rahm is a secret member of the Latin Disciples.
This is another one of those stories where others’ words (notably, politicians’ & other leaderless leaders) are taken seriously, but not those of a student, a parent & ESPECIALLY not that of a teacher. Herbie’s Art Teacher was NOT asked about her student & his work before all the hoopla began. Today’s Sun-Times carried a picture of the book cover (ironically, the title of that book is Teaching Children How to Succeed {apparently, though, NOT by having them copy the pictured hands!} And–wait!–it also has 5-pointed stars {yet ANOTHER gang symbol!}–but Herbie did NOT copy those!)
Having worked in three different middle schools (for 23 years) rife with gang culture, & having had gang I.D. training from the p.d. myself, those drawn hands are about as indicative of the Maniac Latin Disciples’ hand gestures (see p.12 of yesterday’s SunTimes–the picture of the REAL gang hand symbol shows fingers extended far out enough to resemble a pitchfork; not so the fingers on Herbie’s drawing)–as those 6-pointed stars that are emblematic of the City of Chicago are actually representing Folk (or People–I can’t remember the names, & mix up the 5-pointed & 6-pointed affiliations, & I gave my guide to the new police liaison at the last school)!!!
The Sun-Times reported that Jody Weis said, “We’ll never know what was in this young man’s heart.”
Well, why didn’t you ASK first? ASK his teacher, ASK his parent, ASK HIM.
I’m bothered by the tone of the quote you cited from Hagedorn. It seems to suggest that the gang problem isn’t really all that bad and that police should be focused on the outfit rather than the street gangs.
How can anyone possibly make such a case while Chicago’s kids are being gunned down by the hundreds? The crime is the city is shocking and horrifying. Hagedorn seems to be making this a race issue – that the police are focusing on the urban street gangs BECAUSE they are of color. This is a horrendous glossing over the issue.
You can argue that asinine drug enforcement policy has caused the violence, and that poverty is the root cause of the problem – with both of which I would agree – but to claim that police should focus on the largely defunct Chicago outfit rather than these terrorist street gangs is nothing more than pandering.
If the drawing depicts gang signs it would be absolutely asinine to allow it to appear on every car in the city. Better to make another choice without any possible gang affiliation. Fred do you contend that there is no chance that the drawing depicts gang signs? Wouldn’t it be best to eliminate the possibility completely and just choose another student’s work? I’m sure there are many other worthy options.
The sole source for the contention that Herbie’s drawing had gang symbols was former Chicago police commissioner Jody Weis. He is the only source. Nobody talked to Herbie, his family or his teacher who worked with him on the drawing.
Jodi Weis needs to go back where he came from he doesn’t understand Chicago, the biggest gang in Chicago is the CPD (chicago police)…sad but true from extorsion to murder hands down they got everybody beat.
It seems to me that if the city clerks and police officials of such a violent metropolis were so worked up about hearts depicting specific gangs, they would have no hesitation of banning all valentine symbols and candy boxes throughout all stores open to the public. This is an asinine rejection of an upcoming artist who deserves more recognition and praise. I truly hope his family’s lawyer can help to sue those responsible. It is not his fault gangs have become so prevalent around him. Why should his efforts suffer?
I totally agree that someone should’ve consulted Herbie and his art teacher, but a more basic question remains in my mind: what kid entering a car sticker contest and expecting to win would portray gang messages to begin with? It doesn’t begin to make sense, as gang members are not “first responders.” Most educators woud laugh at the idea of hey I’m a gang member posing as an art student to get recognized by the city for my gang affiliation. @@
Score one for the student and ZERO for the idiot who wants to sell books..
The irony is that the sticker and the “gang symbols” have now been seen by many more people than ever.
I have an idea How about some I heart Herbie posters or something to that effect? We love students who particpate, and applaud them on Valeintine’s Day. A little contest between the good people of Chicago vs the self appointed art critic 🙂
Now, Fred, stop including that 5-pointed star on the right upper corner of your replies!!!!
And, again, I would strongly urge the City of Chicago to delete those 6-pointed stars from
the city flag!!!
The 5 pointed star is a secret gang code made up by Fred and his BFF gang member Rahm. Ooh….the secret is out.