With national attention pouring in, the Peoria Journal-Star now says reports about Altamont Park's mob actions over the weekend were "exaggerated":
[Paul] Wilkinson, the president of the Altamont Park Neighborhood Association, said Sunday the neighborhood has seen its share of problems with drugs and guns in his 11 years there, but the problems have visibly increased as of late. He said police recommended residents stay inside and keep their doors locked.
The effects of the allegations were evident in the neighborhood Sunday. A police nuisance abatement truck called the Armadillo, outfitted with cameras, was parked on the side of Thrush.
Peoria City Councilwoman Barbara Van Auken said Sunday she is outraged by Wilkinson's allegations.
Van Auken, who has known Wilkinson for six years, said he's had a history of "wildly exaggerating" reports, many of them involving race. And police are well aware of it.
The rest of the Peoria Journal-Register's version is HERE.
