Comments

Very Diverse — 4 Comments

  1. A very good choice for V! I took it in the other direction, since I keep hearing about the violence in Chicago, and it makes me wonder about whether or not the city is truly that different from another other major metropolis in the U.S. Why so much gang violence? And why not learn from other cities who\’ve dealt with the same problems? LA is notorious for gang wars, too… NYC used to be little more than drug dealers and burnt-out buildings… the times and the people change, right? And maybe it\’s just a matter of pushing the problem somewhere else, but eventually this stuff has to be dealt with. Can\’t have V for victory without facing the V for violence. That\’s my thought, anyway.

    • Thanks, Laura! I was a little nervous posting it, because I try not to get political on our website because it can turn readers off. But I felt it needed to be said.

      I\’m puzzled by the increase in violence, too. I think it\’s driven by a couple things: prolonged inner-city unemployment and lack of prospects; state defunded programs for social services; the guns have to be coming from somewhere and I see an apparent increase of that, and wonder if it\’s related to cartels trying to gain a foothold; and gang turf wars. Usually, gangs don\’t erupt into visible violence unless there are shifting boundaries to be fought over. The increase in shootings, and their locations, makes me think there\’s a serious power struggle going on.

      A point my coworker made recently is the attitude toward police in Chicago right now. They\’re under incredible public scrutiny for excessive use of force and police shootings; his theory is that makes them less willing to use lethal force in situations for fear of backlash. I think that\’s simplistic, but it\’s indicative of the problem: not enough information about what\’s actually going on, and a lack of frank discussion between citizens and the police about how to solve it. Our police force has been rife with corruption and violence for years; now, people are more unwilling to stand for it. We\’ve been luckier than other cities in that regard, (St. Louis comes to mind), but not by much. The Chief of Police and Mayor Emanuel have come under direct fire from advocacy groups for police brutality and there are some calls for his resignation. Emanuel fired the superintendent in December, but that was seen by many as too little, too late.

      As a \”veteran\” of the Rodney King situation and having dealt with the police in Irvine, California, in the early 90\’s, I know what corrupt police forces can do to a city. Chicago\’s has been more under the thumb for entrenched problems that are finally coming to light; your comparison to Los Angeles in this sense is apt. My gut feels like Chicago now and Los Angeles then are very similar.

      But I fear for my city. Most of the violence is far from here, on the south or west sides. But there was a shooting a mile from my office last month and the bank branch where we make our weekly deposits was held up at gunpoint. So it\’s not something we can ignore; it\’s in our streets and neighborhoods.

      If you\’re in Chicago and reading this, go to your CAPS meetings: Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy. It\’s arranged by precinct; you can find your specific precinct and when your meetings are by visiting https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath/Get%20Involved/How%20CAPS%20works/What%20is%20CAPS.

  2. Totally with you. Include, don\’t exclude. Inclusion is def not a popular philosophy where I live now, so I find myself shaking my head a lot. The latest local \’anti\’ conversations I heard about from friends (who were also shaking their heads) were targeted at people like me who have tattoos, and Catholics. Catholics?? Really? Thought we had gotten past that. I guess some people will always be looking for an ax to grind.

    • Lord. It\’s 2016, people!! ~shakes head~

      But thank you for stopping by! I appreciate you including a comment today too. (See how I did that? ~grin~)

      Happy blogging!