Natasha McShane Fights Back!

Just got home from Leo and found this very happy news from Chicago Tribune! I donated and will again. The Party at Local 399 will be a great way to celebrate this tough little girl's victory over the two savages who attacked her. Get on over to the new Local 399 and Party Hardy!


Donations can be sent to:
Natasha McShane Fund
c/o Signature Bank
191 N. Wacker Drive,
Chicago, IL 60606.

Natasha McShane has started talking for the first time since she was brutally beaten with a baseball bat while celebrating with a friend in Bucktown, her family says.

"She's whispering," her grandmother Bernadette McShane said today. "She's trying to talk."

Natasha McShane is speaking "odd words" like "yes" and "no" - not sentences - but slow progress is still progress, her grandmother said.
"I think it's brilliant because there were stories that she would never walk or talk, but I never believed that. I never went down that road," Bernadette McShane said.

"She's a very strong-willed girl, and if anyone can do it, Natasha can," she said.

Natasha McShane, the 23-year-old from Northern Ireland, was one of two women beaten with a baseball bat in April. She was transferred from Northwestern Memorial Hospital to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago last month.

McShane and Stacy Starl Jurich, 24, were walking home from Cans Bar when they were attacked by a man who stole their purses. The two people accused in the attack face a long list of charges, including attempted murder, armed robbery and aggravated battery.

The community has rallied to support the women. Jurich, whose injuries were not as severe as her friend's, is undergoing rehab.

Retired Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheahan and others will host a benefit for Natasha McShane on Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Local 399 (Operating Engineers) hall, 2260 South Grove St. in Chicago.

Dubbing June 13 as Natasha McShane Day, the Irish community is planning two fundraisers in her honor. The first will be from 1 to 9 p.m. at the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 North Knox Ave., Chicago. A noon mass will precede the event.

Also on the 13th, the public is invited to a benefit at Gaelic Park, 6119 W. 147th Street, Oak Forest, from 3 to 9 p.m. For more information, visit helpnatasha.net or mcshanefund.com.

-- Duaa Eldeibf

Scott Waguespack Responds to My Call About the Savage Beating of Two Young Women

The Alderman is going door-to-door to fin the savage who beat two girls in Bucktown
Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen with Natasha McShane

32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack promptly returned my call concerning the savage beating of two young women in the Bucktown Area*. Having been given a pretty harsh treatment by me in my Saturday's Blog Post, I must compliment the the young Alderman for his sober and very forthright response. I would not be anywhere near as measured abd clear were I to respond to my angry tone.

Bucktown appears to have a pretty solid guy in that office.

I believe that the two women were savagely beaten because they were white, as well as vulnerable. It is very sad that American society has taken the path that tags race hate, but what makes things worse is the injudicious manner of meting out Hate Crime Crimes when perpetrated. Black on white crime is no more ugly than black on black crime. If Hate Crimes are on the books they should be logged no matter what race the perpetrator. It is ridiculous to have a person charged with a Hate Crime for making a snotty remark in a Wal-Mart and ignore the bloody bat beating.
Mr. Waguespack gave me his reasons for not going to the press. Here, is the nub of Alderman Waguespack's response to me.

" Hello Mr. Hickey, I am glad that you are a reporter for Chicago Daily Observer. . .This was a savage attack. . .I haven't been running around to the press. I have been going door-to door to try and find witnesses. I have been helping the police try to identify this man, getting rides for people who need them and trying to help out in a positive way. I don't run to the press everytime that there is a problem. Please call my office if you have any more questions."

Thank you, for your prompt and dignified answer, Alderman.

Not running to the press is something elected officials generally take a pass on - This speaks very Well of Mr. Waguespack.

Likewise, the Alderman of Bucktown indicates that he is a service oriented public official - another rarity. I believe that Scott Waguespack should demand upping the charge at the savage who horrifically bludgeoned these girls. However, that will be up to Alderman Waguespack.

I will call Mr. Waguespack next week and try to bring this to full circle in an Article that I will submit for publication with Chicago Daily Observer.



*

Natasha McShane remains in a critical condition in a Chicago hospital Monday after being brutally beaten by a baseball bat early last Friday morning in the Bucktown area of the city, and her family is in shock as the 23-year-old has never been involved in anything like this in her life.

“Her parents are devastated,” grandmother Bernadette McShane told the Belfast Telegraph.

The Irish student is the eldest of a family of five and her parents are with her as she fights for her life.

“They are at her bedside. She is getting first class treatment at the hospital. We are just waiting on news. We hope to get her back the way she was.”

McShane remains critical, and though Doctors at the Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center carried out a procedure to relieve some of the pressure on her brain, the exact nature of the her injuries are not yet known.

McShane was on her way home with friend Stacey Jurich, who is in a stable condition, when the attack occurred. Jurich was able to give a description of the attacker but no arrests have been made.

Chicago police departments, Sgt Walter Chudzik said the two women were attacked from behind.

“The area where it happened has a lot of bars and restaurants and people hanging around at that time of night. There are predators there that prey on people on a night out. There are robberies every few weeks,” said Chudzik.

Due to the savage nature of the attack, Chudzik said that the police department made the decision to assign many officers to the case.