Lincoln Library, the public library in Springfield, became an unauthorized homeless shelter of sorts the summer of 2007. For some reason, numerous homeless people began spending their days and nights hanging around and sleeping on the sidewalks outside the library instead of at the shelters downtown.

Things came to a head one night in July, when one homeless man beat and stomped to death another homeless man outside the library. I learned that the victim, Timothy Ryan, hadn’t always been homeless and that he, in fact, had family here in the city.

I attended Tim’s funeral and remember looking at all the photographs of him as a child and a teenager, wondering how he got into the situation he was in and thinking about how difficult it must be for a parent to watch it happen.

Homeless man beaten at library / On life support; suspect in custody
July 28, 2007

A 45-year-old homeless man on Friday remained hospitalized in critical condition after having his head stomped on, allegedly by another homeless man, outside Lincoln Library Thursday night.

The victim was on life support at St. John’s Hospital, authorities said.

Robert B. Jones, 45, was arrested a short time after the attack.

He was charged with aggravated battery and is being held in the Sangamon County Jail on $200,000 bond.

The attack happened about 8:40 p.m. Thursday on the north side of the library, 326 S. Seventh St. Police have not said if they know what prompted the attack.

For more than a year, the library has been the center of a communitywide debate about how the city deals with its homeless population. A dozen or more homeless men and women have congregated on the property day and night, setting up sleeping areas on the plaza and keeping mounds of tarpaulin-wrapped belongings with them.

Police have received complaints about homeless people pestering passers-by, urinating on the outside of the building, fighting with each other and using drugs or alcohol.

The city this summer began paying for a storage unit elsewhere for the library homeless to keep their belongings during the day.

In addition, city workers began documenting all the homeless people at the library in order to try to help them with such needs as jobs, housing and transportation to other cities.

Sandy Robinson, the city’s director of community relations, who has been involved with the assistance effort, called Thursday’s attack disappointing.

“It’s sad and tragic, really, that we seem to be making progress with these issues on a number of fronts and seem to have outside influences that continue to throw up additional hurdles,” he said.

“This is what appears to be an incident that could have occurred virtually anywhere in the city – two individuals get into an altercation and something tragic happens. I don’t think it has anything to do with them being homeless, but it obviously is going to take on that perspective.”

Robinson said he is familiar with both men, but more so with Jones, who had been scheduled to meet Friday with city employees to talk about housing. Jones was a regular user of the storage unit – he was there as recently as 4:30 p.m. Thursday – and has had some “pretty significant interaction” with city employees.

Jones, who has a regular income, had stayed at one of the local shelters for a couple of weeks within the last month, but then returned to the street, Robinson said.

He said Jones was soft-spoken and withdrawn, and case managers who had talked to him thought the attack seemed out of character.

However, arrest records tell a different story.

Jones was arrested about 9:30 p.m. June 21 at Ninth and Carpenter streets, where he allegedly had attacked a 50-year-old stranger. A witness flagged down a patrol officer, who reported he had seen Jones kicking the man multiple times in the head and body.

When the officer ordered Jones to the ground so he could be arrested, Jones allegedly tucked his arms under his body so he couldn’t be handcuffed. He cooperated after the officer threatened to use pepper spray on him.

The victim said he had never seen or talked to Jones before.

Jones also was arrested May 18, after he and his girlfriend were caught trespassing at St. John’s Hospital. According to police, a security guard at the hospital about 9 a.m. told Jones and Dorothy J. Valentine, 46, who also is homeless, that they had to leave or be arrested for trespassing.

Six hours later, the guard found them having sex in a fifth-floor restroom and had them arrested.

Ward 5 Ald. Sam Cahnman, whose area includes the library, said that while he agrees Thursday night’s incident could happen anywhere, it’s more likely to happen where people congregate, which underscores the need to find a solution to the homeless problem at the library.

Cahnman is drafting an ordinance that would allow a homeless fund check-off on all City Water, Light and Power bills. Customers could choose to have their bills rounded up to the next dollar, and the difference would be used to help the homeless.

“I think there’s been a lot of improvement recently with the introduction of the (storage unit),” Cahnman said. “It seems like there are a lot fewer people out on the north end of the library than there used to be.”

Another ordinance awaiting city council approval would authorize the library to spend $18,050 on 16 security cameras to be installed inside and outside the building, including in the parking garage. Guards would monitor the cameras.

“It didn’t really have anything to do with the homeless, it’s just a security thing,” said Ernie Slottag, spokesman for the mayor’s office. “We have them on the other buildings already, and since the library is part of the municipal complex, it’s only fitting that they have them too.”

Robinson said he believes the attack will prompt some community discussion.

“I’m just hoping that, like many tragedies, that something positive can come from it,” he said.
Murder victim recalled fondly / Hadn’t always been homeless
July 31, 2007

It takes a special person to play Santa Claus effectively, but Timothy Ryan had what it takes.

He was cheery and compassionate – a real people person, said those who knew and loved him, including his father.

“I worked for the state, and one Christmas, he came walking past my office into the back area of the building where the state had a print shop, and he walked around and gave candy canes to all my employees, calling them by name,” an emotional Don Ryan recalled Monday.

“When he walked out of the building, he said, ‘Merry Christmas to all, and Merry Christmas to you, too, Don.’ It was three days before I realized it was him.”

Those are the type of memories that are helping Timothy Ryan’s family and friends cope with his murder.

Ryan, 45, died Friday after being beaten outside the north side of Lincoln Library the evening before. The attacker stomped on Ryan’s head for reasons unknown, police said. A homeless man, Robert B. Jones, is being held in the attack.

Ryan, who also was homeless, at one time worked in mail and messenger service for the Illinois Department of Central Management Services and in the duplicating area for the state Department of Professional Regulation.

His father said his son’s death is difficult to talk about and declined to discuss the circumstances of Ryan’s homelessness.

“This is a celebration of life, and we want to talk about the good aspects. That’s the way I want to remember him,” Don Ryan said. “I hope something good comes of it with the library situation. It’s very unfortunate, and some of those people are wonderful people.”

Charges against Jones, 45, were upgraded to first-degree murder on Monday. He made his first appearance in court and did not respond to any questions from Associate Circuit Judge Robert Hall, instead standing still with his head cocked to the right.

First assistant state’s attorney Steve Weinhoeft cited Jones’ 29 prior arrests and eight convictions dating back to 1980 in asking that his bond be increased to $500,000 from $200,000. Hall agreed.

Jones had been charged with aggravated battery, but Weinhoeft asked the court to dismiss that charge in favor of three counts of first-degree murder.

Jones’ last conviction was for misdemeanor battery earlier this year.

Hall appointed the Sangamon County public defender’s office to represent Jones. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 16.

The attack on Ryan happened about 8:40 p.m. Thursday. Police have not yet said what they believe prompted it.

“We’re still trying to determine the exact motive,” said Springfield police spokesman Sgt. Pat Ross.

Sangamon County Coroner Susan Boone said an autopsy showed the fatal injury was to the back of Ryan’s head behind his ear. She said he had no other injuries.

Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, on Monday said he knew Timothy Ryan in the 1990s from Play It Again Sam’s, a bar that used to be on Monroe Street near the Stratton Building. Brown said he wanted people who may have encountered Ryan to be able to put a face to his name.

“He was a funny and kind of playful guy. Like just about anybody, when he had too much to drink, he could be kind of obnoxious,” Brown said.

“I knew he had taken a turn sort of for the worst, but I don’t know that he ever was a menace to anybody or harmed anybody, and he certainly didn’t deserve the fate it is alleged he was dealt.”