I have an online acquaintance who's a Chicago Copper. He often refers to & recommends this site: HeyJackass! Illustrating Chicago's values. is that all about? Before anyone jumps to any assumptions: Don't get me wrong; I am absolutely not against the US's levels of gun ownership, nor even see an easy correlation between high ownership & stats like those illustrated (I hear Chicago even has some of the strictest guns laws in the US). I really don't wish to start yet another 'conventional' gun control thread and perhaps even wonder, given the stats, that they'd be at it with knives & bricks if guns weren't available. I'm more interested in the depressing 'normality' talked about by people covering the murder/shooting rate in that town. Matey served in the Gulf (Army Infantry), but the impression he gives is that was relatively minor compared to protecting & Serving in his own fair city. What's it all about, Septic chaps? How does it happen, and even become seen as day-to-day? There are entire countries that don't reach that city's levels of strangeness. Grim, but fascinating to me here on the outside.
Can't speak for Chicago, but I don't even bat an eye when gun violence occurs in the large city near where I live, unless it occurs in the parts of the city not inhabited by the usual suspects. On the page you listed, the "deadliest 'hoods" all pretty much have at least one thing in common and until that particular group of people, specifically the men, decides as a group to change their deadly habits, you will continue to see such apathy exhibited by the rest of the population. Also, a reminder, this is NOT a gun control thread, as requested by the OP.
What is it really all about? An underclass raised within a welfare scheme that rewards poor women with more money for every new infant they spit out. That's the nexus of all of this. If they get married, they lose benefits. They're uneducated, so by the the time they spit out that 2nd or 3rd kid there is no way any job they can get can equal their welfare benefit, so... they have more kids, for more money. And what happens to those kids? They weren't wanted in the first place, and they know that. They have no fathers or positive male role models. They're raised in housing projects with thousands of other unwanted kids. The schools are crime circuses. Many of them can't even speak understandable English, much less read and write it. Many of them simply go feral. Theft, drugs, gangs... Welcome to Chicago!
It is not just Chicago, I live about 90 minutes outside Houston Texas and receive their local TV news.I have noticed a spike in violent crimes being reported. Murder's, assaults, break in's and a new popular trend where they ram a pick up truck into the front entrance of a business to steal ATM's and even hair extension's (apparently there is considerable money in those). A big reason I suspect for the spike is that for many urban areas is the prolonged economic downturn. These crimes always happen of course, but more people who normally work (or sponge off those who do) have to find new sources of income. Hence the crime.
Sweet home Chicago. Can of worms this topic is, seeing as I live in Chicago. The other place I've spent a lot of time is Toronto, which is an interesting foil to the perceived killing fields of the Windy City. July 4th weekend is a notorious for violence here, with an amazing 82 people shot, 16 killed during our last one. I like that Hey Jackass! website, it contains a lot of good info. It's pretty clear from the maps that there are a few incredibly lethal neighborhoods. Englewood in particular is not a place I'd ever go. The map does a good job showing that violence in Chicago is focused in some very specific areas. The police here implement a very interesting sort of border patrolling that keeps a lot of the crime contained in those known bad areas. I feel as safe as in my new home as I did back in Canada. While we are comparing the two cities of Chicago and Toronto, we might as well mention the fact that over 10 million people live in and around Chicago which is about a third the population of all of Canada. A very small number of those 10 million live in high density subsidized housing, have very little education or opportunity, and are members of gangs. These are the people doing the killing. Chicago is a massive city in terms of geographic area, and while it is a bit disturbing that the violence here is really so routine, but I can't say I ever come across any of it since it happens "over there."
I confirm, when I lived in Milwaukee I used to hang out in Chicago quite often and the most dangerous place I saw was..... Six Flags on lake Michigan. I remember going to the Summer Jazz festival and never got in trouble. We just knew there were some neigbourhoods to avoid (except the 24 hour liquor stores there).
Quite interesting, Otto, as he (online copper mate) mentions 'A tale of two cities', and I was indeed staring at the maps where the madness concentration in two areas is severe. Will have to ask him how deliberate the 'border control' is. Summat poisonous. I'm as cynical as they come, but when the 'kultur' becomes so focused on all this big dog bullshit, it's time for people to take a long hard look at themselves beyond any human nature 'these things happen'. Sadly that seems unlikely... I'm no bleeding heart either. Doesn't affect me one iota; but I do look at these stats & think 'What the F can anyone do about that?'. Not something you can cleanly legislate away (is anything...), but requiring some sort of root & branch impetus, which I can't see coming from anywhere any time soon. Maybe a neutron bomb or two... Anyway, thanks for the comments, chaps. Still scratching my head. He tells me I live in Hobbiton, while he wants to leave his Mordor address. on that at least, I think I understand.
I think you pretty much understand it, Adam, as far as how violent crime is concentrated in specific areas. I generally avoid such locales and interaction with its inhabitants. I am usually armed when I travel at night but not because of who I will be around at my destination, but who I might meet on the way there. Some places we frequent require us to travel near Thugland and they occasionally leave their turf, so I am prepared to bark at them with a hog-leg were the need arise. Being in a vehicle, though, is usually protection enough. I've only had to brandish a weapon once and that was in New Orleans, where a would-be mugger assumed that I was an unarmed tourist. He was half right. What is the answer? Who knows. Perhaps our media outlets could quit playing to the lowest common denominator? When it gets down to it, people by and large make their own choices to live in the manner that they live. The trick is, I guess, how to make them want better and work to that end.
Most areas of Chicago are quite similar to Toronto, maybe especially similar. I've traveled to many places, and I'd have to say no two cities are closer in look, feel and culture than Chicago and Toronto. They have similar climates due to similar distance from the North Pole Chicago (41.8369° N, 87.6847° W), Toronto (43.7000° N, 79.4000° W), Toronto being just 130 miles further north than Chicago. They are both lakefront cities with generally similar layouts, even the alleys look alike. The major difference is that Chicago has a couple very concentrated areas with abominable conditions. Call it what you will; the inner city, ghettos, projects, etc, there is absolutely no equivalent to these areas anywhere in Canada. Yes there are bad neighborhoods in Canada, but nothing even compares to a few cross streets in the Englewood neighborhood. It's probably worth mentioning that the murder rate in Chicago today is less than half of what it was in the early 90's. We are actually doing better now than we have been.
A funny ( Now) true Chicago story. Many years ago when I was a young teacher I took a class to Chicago to look at it's wonderful architecture. The Palmer House had a great student rate so we stayed there. One thing we wanted to see was Frank Lloyd Wright's Robbie House now owned by the University of Chicago. When we left the hotel I ask two Chicago cops the best way for us to get there, 16 in all. They said take the "L:", where to get off and what bus to take. Off we go , all over dressed. Soon the landscape or cityscape, changed fron downtown Chicago to something resembling Sarajevo after the war, really scary. The station was no better so rather than wait on the bus I decided we should walk toward the University. I had visions of us being shipped home in body bags. After about three blocks a buss pulled over and the door opened and the driver said "What in the hell do you all think you are doing. I explained we were going to the University of Chicago and he said well you want make it so get on the bus. Everyone scrambled to get money and he refused to let us pay. He then drove a bit off his route to deliver us to trhe Robbie House after he ask specifically where we wanted to go.. Before we got out he said please do not take that way back and told us a safe route. I again tried to pay him for the fair or just as a jesture of thanks and again he refused.. Interesting insights into the city. Ironically my daughter just flew there this week to visit museums on a solo vacation and had a blast. I agree with Jeff, we both live near the same city and I am amazed as the amount of gunfire and death but have come to think it normal. That is sad for the good people who live there.. Our college town of Auburn is not immune either.. Gaines
Who would have thunk, Chicago was once pretty cool- World's Columbian Exposition - Wikipedia Look at those 14 great buildings!
