Carjackings are spiking across the city of Chicago and the Chicagoland area. Recently, several close friends of The Royko Group have been victims of these crimes. Among them is a founding partner of The Royko Group, Sam Royko’s girlfriend, Erin Groble, who was carjacked while driving Sam’s car in Wicker Park this past weekend.
Luckily, Erin is physically unharmed, but as a result of the traumatic incident, Sam is looking into what we can do to help combat the recent slew of carjackings. Sam is committed to the search for both short-term and long-term solutions to not only help our citizens feel safer but also to consider the systemic issues that plague all of our neighborhoods and contribute to the desperation that fuels these types of crimes. The Royko Group supports Sam’s efforts to improve the safety of our city.
Sam has contacted several aldermen including Dan La Spata and Brian Hopkins and spoken to multiple news outlets including CBS, NBC, ABC, and Block Club, where he made a call to action to the city and city officials. Sam will also be working with Kelly Millan, another carjacking victim, to reach out over the next several weeks and months to the media, city officials, and important organizations across Chicago to push for immediate and long-term change on a city-wide level.
Locally, Sam is attending public safety meetings in his own neighborhood, West Town. Additionally, Sam and Lauren Young, a member of the West Town community, are looking to re-launch the West Town Public Safety Committee, a resident-run committee dedicated to the safety of citizens in West Town. The committee will brainstorm new ideas to combat the short-term and long-term problems this city faces.
We believe it is important to find short-term solutions to ensure public safety, but it is also necessary to address the inequality and desperation that leads people to commit these crimes. Systemic change is needed, and The Royko Group remains dedicated to building a safer and more equitable Chicago.
The Royko Group will still be serving its clients throughout this time, but as a community-oriented law firm, The Royko Group also believes we need to be part of the discussion on safety and the well-being of our city and residents. We invite any other individuals or companies who are interested in pursuing these goals to join us.
For more information, please visit CBS and NBC interviews with Sam Royko and Erin Groble here::
