Pfleger: Comcast wouldn't repair Internet service at Englewood church due to neighborhood violence

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FOX 32 Photo | Lisa Chavarria

CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) - On Wednesday, Father Michael Pfleger said that Comcast will not come out and fix the Internet connection at St. Sabina Church because of the neighborhood violence in Englewood.

Classes in the St. Sabina computer lab were disrupted in the morning, not by violence outside, but by Internet problems that made doing anything online slow or impossible.

The director called Comcast and set up a repair appointment for the afternoon only to have it canceled five minutes later.

“They told me due to the violence in the area, the increased violence in the area, that they were not dispatching any technicians into the area,” said Phil Hunter, who's the Director of the St. Sabina Community Employment Center.

Father Pfleger vented his frustrations on Facebook.

"A Supervisor at Comcast just informed us that they couldn't send their technician to repair our internet service today because our area has too much violence.....ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????? Oh Hell No!!!!!!!"

Then, when Comcast said the cancelation was based on information from police, Pfleger called police.

“And they said no, not only had they not put anything out, they're not aware of anything else being put out by the police department, that's not true,” Father Pfleger said.

Comcast told FOX 32 that other appointments in the area were also canceled out of concern for employee safety.

But then a short time later, technicians showed up to do the repairs at the computer lab.

Father Pfleger said he was grateful, but still frustrated with Comcast.

“If they would do that to St. Sabina Church in an afternoon in the middle of the week, what are they doing to Ms. Jones, to this house and to that house, and that's not acceptable,” Pfleger said.

It's this kind of concern that drew Anderson Cooper to Saint Sabina to talk with Father Pfleger and film maker Spike Lee.

“This is ground zero and I've always been a believer and I'll go to my grave believing this,” Lee said on CNN, “That art can affect change.”

Change that Father Pfleger believes this city desperately needs to break the cycle of hopelessness and violence.

“How do you keep handling when the national landmarks in your neighborhoods are not new businesses or Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, but teddy bears and yellow police tape and balloons,” Pfleger said.

He knows the Chi-Raq movie won’t solve the violence, but hopes it will get people to look at black on black crime and some of the issues that fuel the violence.