Wisdom Bridge Theatre meeting with developer Rich Aronson

I asked Rich Aronson if he plans on working with the IEPA on the contaminated land issue. He answered, No.

Swanette Triem, infamous for the North Shore School teardown and IEPA stop work order, was looking a little pale when this was mentioned.

Michael Luckenbach asked Rich Aronson if he currently owns the Wisdom Bridge property. Rich Aronson answered evasively. The answer is No.

Another resident asked Rich Aronson if he had funding for this building. Rich Aronson answered, No.

Rich Aronson stated that he currently has no interested tenants.

Rich Aronson also stated that he may not be able to acquire a loan to fund the project.

Partner, Scott Sinar was not in attendance for this meeting.


In my opinion, the citizens of Rogers Park deserve better.

My final analysis is that this project will not go through. The three main reasons are:

1. The land contamination issue. The IEPA will make the demolition of the Wisdom Bridge Theatre cost prohibitive. If Rich Aronson hires a dubious demolition crew that demo's during nights and weekends, the land will be further contaminated. We learned this from Swanette Triem. It will remain an empty lot or dangerous hole in the ground for years to come.

2. The money issue. Rich Aronson always states that if the project becomes cost prohibitive, he will abandon it and move on. As stated earlier, He cannot fund the project independently, he has no tenants lined up, he even has doubts that the bank will give him a loan.

3. Community opposition. Rich Aronson also has a reputation for buckling under the pressure of community opposition. This was proven with the abandonment of his 7315 N. Sheridan Road project after our community strongly opposed it. I'm not putting the guy down here. I'm just saying that if he has to fight at all, he considers his projects a waste of time and money.


One more note: RP1000 will continue to follow the progress or decay of this project closely with photography, videos and words.

Save the Wisdom Bridge Theatre

Developers: Richard Aronson and Scott Sinar

Email blast from Alderman Joe Moore: Yes

Developer history of campaign contributions to Alderman Joe Moore: Yes


Attend this meeting to oppose the demolition of the Historic Wisdom Bridge Theatre. Rich Aronson is known as a lightweight developer who often buckles under pressure.

As with all 49th Ward developer meetings, Alderman Joe Moore has previously been paid-off and will be in support of the project.

Developers stick together, so many former pay-offs will be seeded in the meeting to show support. Although the deck is loaded, outstanding community opposition can sink this project.


Please attend the meeting at:

Willye B. White Recreation Center 1610 W. Howard Street Chicago, IL. 60626, on

Wednesday, May 5th 7pm.

Community policing

Community policing

Community policing or neighbourhood policing is a policing strategy and philosophy based on the notion that community interaction and support can help control crime, with community members helping to identify suspects, and bring problems to the attention of police.[1]

With community policing, the police and police department are involved as members of the community. Cities and counties that subscribe to this philosophy tend to do much more community work than traditional police departments. This often includes having more police officers who "walk the beat" as opposed to driving around in police cars. The basic idea is to create bonds of trust and reliance between police and the public.

This approach requires officers to be open minded, unbiased, and sensitive to the concerns and problems of others; also known as the new policing paradigm. Even if officers do not agree with a complainant's viewpoint, they should try to listen and understand the problem. Police should display empathy and compassion with sincerity, not in a rehearsed way. Police must also develop skill in planning, problem solving, organization, interpersonal communications, and perhaps most importantly critical thinking.

At the heart of the police transition to community policing is the question: "How do the police identify and deliver high-quality services to the community?" In the past, the delivery of police services was accomplished in a reactive and unscientific manner, with little attention given to proactive policing. Today, the efficient delivery of police services requires a systematic process to:

1) assess the needs of the public and
2) translate those needs into police services and programs that can be efficiently and effectively delivered to the community. In this way, police are becoming more sensitive to the needs of the community. They also have a better understanding of how their work affects the social environment.

Some believe Tom Potter, the former police chief of Portland, Oregon, developed the philosophy while he was walking the beat as a young police officer, though others credit Sir Robert Peel, who came up with 9 principles of policing that form the basis of modern policing.



See also

Community Oriented Policing Services

Police Community Support Officer