Walking into Tuesday night’s meeting at Redmon & Lee Community Center, a young boy playing basketball yelled out to me.

"Where is everybody going?" he said.

To a meeting, was the reply.

"Oh," said the boy. "This is about the Chicago people, isn’t it?"

Well, yes and no.

Concerned citizens gathered with city leaders to address growing gang-related violence in the Frederick Ball housing project area. The two-hour meeting was constructive and a lot of topics were discussed.

Quincy Police Chief Rob Copley took the bull by the horns and told the assembled throng from the start his officers were going to stop people for vehicle violations and for breaking the law. Some didn’t like it, and there were questions asked about racial profiling and selective enforcement.

Copley said his officers don’t stop people because of race, which drew a negative response.

But Copley didn’t back down and quite a few people in the room, residents included, nodded their heads when he talked about enforcing the law and getting gang members out of the neighborhood.

Most gang members come from Chicago to set up shop and sell drugs, the chief said. A couple of people at the meeting said they were Chicago transplants and appreciated the fact the neighborhood came together.

There was a lot of talk. Now we’ll see what kind of action comes from this. Frederick Ball residents don’t want to live in fear, and nobody wants to see another homicide like the July 15 incident on North 12th.

People in Quincy swear they heard the weather warning sirens go off Sunday night as a nasty storm smacked us.

911 Director Steve Rowlands says the sirens were never activated. I live one block from one of the sirens and I never heard it. Yet a couple of people in the neighborhood say they heard the wailing sound.

Here’s some information about the system from Rowlands you might find interesting.

1. The system is an outdoor severe weather warning system designed to notify people outdoors within the city limits of a tornado warning with a severe storm cell tracking towards Quincy or in Quincy.

2. It is not designed or intended to be a warning system for people indoors. Local radio and television stations are main public sources, as are weather radios.

3. The Quincy Fire Department is responsible for the equipment and operation of the system.

4. The Quincy/Adams County 911 Center is responsible for activating the system upon direction or for monthly or other periodic testing.

5. Sirens activate for three minutes with an alternating pitch wail. There is no signal for all clear as each activation indicates a severe weather warning.

6.  Criteria for Activation: The 911 Center will activate the warning sirens when officially notified by telephone or by portable or mobile radio by a person authorized to initiate the activation.  The criteria used by the authorized personnel includes the following:
— A National Weather Service tornado warning with a severe storm cell tracking towards Quincy or in Quincy.
— Selected personnel from television channels KHQA or WGEM confirm by Doppler radar a tornado tracking towards Quincy.
— Visual sighing by Quincy police or fire personnel, Adams County Sheriff or Illinois State Police personnel or Quincy Ambulance personnel of a cloud rotation, funnel aloft or a tornado on the ground. 
— A confirmed sighting, by a trained weather spotter, of severe winds causing structural damage within five miles of the community.

7. The Weather Warning Siren System is  tested on the first Tuesday of every month at 10 a.m. in accordance with state requirements. The 911 Center and Quincy Fire Department personnel conduct this test. The siren system may be tested at other times, when necessary, when directed. Monthly testing will not be conducted in case of possible severe weather.

SIREN LOCATIONS:
Vermont between 10th and 11th
23rd and Chestnut
33rd and Harrison
46th and Broadway
Eighth and Koch’s Lane
Eighth between Monroe and Adams
27th and Spruce (Titan Wheel owned)

Kudos to the West Central Illinois Center For Independent Living, which put on the annual Americans With Disabilities Act celebration Thursday at the Quincy Senior and Family Resource Center.

The CIL hasn’t had an easy year, with the former director in legal trouble for theft and forgery, and another former employee charged with murder after she left the agency.

Executive Director Glenda Farkas and her staff deserve credit for hanging in there during tough times and making sure taking care of clients is the priority.

Thursday’s celebration was highlighted by LuAnn Kleemeyer talking about her experiences after she lost a leg in a motorcycle accident. She gave a tremendous speech and encouraged those with disabilities to remain as independent as possible, but to use resources like the CIL.

It was uplifting and a testimony to everybody affiliated with the CIL.

Blues fans remember Albert Cummings and his blazing set at the Bluesfest in Washington Park four years ago.

Cummings certainly hasn’t forgotten.

"I’ve been looking forward to coming back to Quincy for a long time," Cummings said Wednesday during a phone interview. "What I remember most is that it was a really enthusiastic crowd, and that’s what makes perfomers want to play."

Cummings headlines Saturday night’s Bluesfest. You’ll hear the Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan influences from his Fender Strat, but he’s very much his own man when it comes to playing music.

"We don’t plan out our set, we’ll just go out and play," Cummings said. "We’ll do a lot of originals and maybe a few covers, whatever comes to mind."

Cummings and his band, drummer Aaron Scapin and bass player Dan Broad, are staying busy. They leave for Norway in a couple of weeks.

"There’s a lot of world out there," says Cummings, who has played in Spain and France. "I’m getting my shoe in there and starting to see some different things."

Cummings runs a construction company in his native Massachusetts, endearing him even more to the working-class blues fans of Quincy.

"The people in Quincy sure know how to have fun," Cummings said.

These guys defy time.

The Who has announced a 2008 U.S. tour. Roger Daltrey is now 64 years old, with Pete Townshend just a year younger. They aren’t playing anywhere near Chicago or St. Louis just yet, maybe more dates will be added.

Saw them twice in the 1980s and the second time from a very good seat, and I think my ears are still ringing.

I loved the raw power of Townshends angry power chords, Daltrey’s vocal bellowings, Keith Moons frantic thrashings behind the drums and the string-bending riffs of bass player John Entwistle.

The first album I owned was Who’s Next. Played it until the tape fell apart.

Over the years they’ve come back in various forms. I bought "Endless Wire," the latest CD, and didn’t think much of it.

Had chances to see them too, but tickets are outrageous. Rock and roll is a corporate game now, and you’ll pay through the nose to see your favorite band from a good seat.

Rock on, Roger and Pete. I’ll read all about it later, I guess.

I’ve received some calls from people upset with my Tuesday column about handicapped parking.

The point I tried to make was people should not park in the spots. They are there for a reason.

I’ve seen with my own eyes people abusing and illegally parking in the spots, then walk into the store. They look perfectly healthy and didn’t appear to have issues.

I understand appearances can be deceiving. A person can look normal and not appear to have anything wrong with them, like a lung or heart condition.

One caller said she looked normal but had a condition making it difficult to breathe. You would think that would be noticeable, but maybe not.

The people I saw looked healthy, and in at least two cases I knew them, and there were NO issues with their health.

My point remains the same — don’t park in the handicapped spots unless you have a placard and truly need to be close to your destination.

Just some stuff to ponder as we enter the July 4 weekend …

— Glad to see crews working on the Lincoln-Douglas monument in Washington Park. Rupp Masonry crews were there this morning building a wall. It’s been an eyesore this summer, especially during events like Blues In The District.

— Further down Fifth Street, the Salvation Army demolition continues. It’s strange looking at the old gymnasium. I played church basketball in there for a few years so there’s some good memories.

— It was also strange driving back to Quincy over the Memorial Bridge Wednesday. Drivers did a good job on the Bayview Bridge when there was two-way traffic.

— Also really glad Ill. 57 opened back up. The truck traffic on Eighth and Jefferson was terrible. Those massive rigs were not designed for city streets and the intersection took quite a beating, with at least one bad crash due to extended detour traffic.

— Is this July or April? Not complaining, mind you ….