Getting the boot: West Loop leads city in cars clamped, but South Side also high

Motorists who park their cars in the booming West Loop and Near West Side have gotten the boot more times this year than those in other neighborhoods, according to figures released to aldermen last week.

The 27th Ward, which includes parts of the Near West and North sides and is represented by Alderman Walter Burnett, topped the list with 1,374 boot scofflaws from Jan. 1 through June 30.

The 41st Ward, which includes O'Hare Airport, was third, with 1,033 boots.

But overall, eight of the 10 most booted wards in the city are on the South and West sides.

Alderman Leslie Harrison's 5th Ward, which includes South Shore and Hyde Park, had 1,007 cars clamped.

That comes as no surprise to LaVont'e Stewart Sr., a South Shore resident. He received tickets for the same offense within hours of each other from different city workers last summer.

"I want to use the word 'victim' here," said Stewart, the founder of Lost Boyz Inc., a nonprofit that uses baseball to teach civic awareness. " … It makes you think about why black communities are ticketed and booted more."

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