Despite the important stories and insightful commentary that you've provided this week, I have to say that the Dirty Dancing to Muppet Theme video tops the charts for me. Thanks for the smile!
We watched the mayhem at North Ave. Beach from our condo and it was scary. The papers said that the kids were between 14 and 21 (all minors) and that they did search backpacks and confiscate alcohol at the beach. In the suburbs, if alcohol or drugs were found on a minor, they would be arrested for under age possession and taken to the station, parents called, and subsequent court appearances. Knowing those consequences would prevent a gathering like this to begin with. The rise in crime and mayhem that is ruining our wonderful city and causing businesses and residents to leave is the direct result of people seeing the a lack of swift consequences for their bad behavior. I realize that you are laughing at the notion that CPD has the manpower to arrest kids for under-age possession but......something has to be done to stop these "trends" and making it unpleasant for them have them to begin with is one idea.
I agree with you about sportscasters ... mostly. I do however tend to mute Tony Romo, who offers good insights but doesn't know when to stop talking. His incessant chatter grates on me. And I love Jason Benetti and Steve Stone. They made me want to watch the Sox. BTW, it seems like all NBA play-by-play people sound like Marv Albert. Is that a requirement?
Theee Mayor Daley. The Mayor that was not concerned about losing his job and/or what consequences he would need to pay for public sentiment. Spare the rod and you spoil the child seems to work quite well in certain situations. I sincerely believe this is one of those situations.
I agree with Eric's comments on Richardson. I also think that it is perfectly reasonable for Richardson to believe that he might sustain great bodily harm. There is no reason to believe that a group that uses diversion to initiate an attack by more than one assailant has any intention of exercising restraint or limiting the injuries to bruises. This is not a description of a fistfight between two willing combatants. But Richardson should be prosecuted for carrying the concealed, illegal firearm. As should the two others that had guns on the scene. And all of the others involved should be charged with assault or mob action.
"Some 10,000 women from surrounding states are already traveling to Illinois each year to obtain abortions, and providers are reportedly predicting they’ll see an additional 14,000 such patients when almost all the Midwest bans the practice." Add that to marijuana purchases and casino growth and JB is finally accomplishing his dream of dollars coming into the state rather than leaving. ;)
Listened to Heather Mac Donald podcast yesterday about "mass mayhem'. Don't agree with everything she says, but some of her statistics were eye opening.
1. There are some laws against some of the behavior displayed by the mob: jaywalking, jumping on a car that's not yours, obstructing traffic, not obeying traffic signals (by pedestrians), etc. Many tickets could be issued for these examples of disorderly conduct (a whole separate category!).
2. Unless all the people in these mobs were dropped off by people driving cars, nearly all of them arrived by CTA. CTA has surveillance cameras on most buses, 'L' cars, and stations. CTA also has ways of recording fare payment on buses and 'L' system turnstiles. CTA probably has stats on the changing rates of passenger usage per dates and times of day. Could CTA have noticed a sharp rise in passenger use when the mob people were heading to the Loop? CTA surely could be monitoring its surveillance cameras 24/7 in real time, to be able to dispatch police to a disturbance. If there is a sharp rise in usage by people going to these mob scenes, correlations could be made between fare payments and surveillance images, to possibly collect images of potential participants, for possible law enforcement use in the future.
3. Millennium Park could conceivably be closed rather early in the evening, except for explicit events which last later, and whose entry and exit paths could be fenced and controlled, for participants only.
4. No suggestions requiring law enforcement are worth a darned thing if the enforcement won't be done. Same with the idea of having people monitor CTA's surveillance cameras to be able to quickly dispatch police to a scene: I think it's been done before, and remains technically feasible - but if CTA and law enforcement refuse to do it, I'm frankly not interested in their other ideas, such as unarmed "security guards" (who don't even have black belts).
I found the following online -- a DOJ community policing "resource" published in 2009 about "Disorderly Youth in Public Places." It's not the most impressive document -- no silver bullets, no sources cited, many anecdotes from other countries, few solutions appropriate for our problem.
For public property at night, its answers seem to be (1) make the space too inconvenient, (2) use camera surveillance, and/or (3) enforce curfews. It doesn't like simply increasing patrols, but it seems to me that would be necessary in order to do (3). The nice thing about a curfew, assuming it's legal, is that it doesn't require officers to observe and document a separate violation before taking action. (1) might make sense for beaches after hours where there are relatively few places of ingress and egress, but I, for one, don't like that Millennium Park is already surrounded by ugly temporary fencing that doesn't seem to deter anyone -- making the space inconvenient or unpleasant for unruly kids makes it inconvenient or unpleasant for everyone else too. One exception is the "mosquito" noise machine that plays an annoying high-pitched frequency only young people can hear. But even if it's effective "teenager repellant" for outside a 7-11, say, it would unfairly annoy kids with their families. Maybe it could be turned on after the park or beach is closed to everyone. If only Daley had it in '68, his cops wouldn't have had to bust quite so many heads!
By the way, I am aware of myself becoming a conservative curmudgeon -- these kids today, and so on -- but we're talking about guns, about behavior that seems about to turn into a riot, and so on. (I was always with ending the war and drugs, but for replacing it with a war on guns and violence.) It's ruining the city's image, especially as the Wall Street Journal seems to have an editorial desk devoted to blasting Lightfoot.
Progressives are overcorrecting. I always felt, as a liberal who came of intellectual age during the Clinton years, that I was on the reasonable side. Democrats then, even or especially black Democrats, had no time for soft-on-crime stuff; now you have to abjectly apologize for that stance. The Democratic position on abortion was "safe, legal, and rare." The immigration position was "path to citizenship for good guys in exchange for increased border enforcement." They accepted the conservative charge of welfare dependency and abuse to an extent and sought to help those truly in need. And all that brought the Democrats back from the wilderness at a time when, looking at presidential election maps, there had been hardly any blue states to speak of. Now the crazies are on both sides and are even crazier. Theirs are still worse, but it's disconcerting.
No Mow is an almost perfect virtue signal. It begins by taking literally no effort - you don’t even need to put up a sign. It is backed by just-so science stories published in Home and Garden and the NYT Magazine. It allows you to passively annoy your benighted neighbors who are working to maintain their lawns AND GARDENS free of dandelions and weeds. The upside of “cultivating” dandelions is said to include making salads and tea - something almost no one does. And, the topper, like wearing essentially cosmetic cloth masks, is that the science behind the benefits of dandelions to pollinators is not “settled.” You can find just-so stories, which in fact have many more believable observations, and even some data, suggesting dandelions are unimportant at least to bees. https://www.gardenmyths.com/dandelions-important-bees/
In short, it’s a do-nothing gesture that passive-aggressively harms some of your nearest neighbors and has a good chance of being pointless.
The very large groups of "youths" (the popular euphemism for these black teenagers out of fear of being branded racist for accurately describing what is occurring) acting belligerently and breaking laws is much the result of the Kim Foxx refusal to properly charge, prosecute and punish lawbreakers who are black in a perverted attempt at what she terms social justice.
Removing consequences for bad and criminal behavior guarantees more bad and criminal behavior. Charging a 15 year old who carjacks at gunpoint in juvenile court with misdemeanor trespass to a vehicle with very little
consequences makes it a joke and is a prime factor in the many serial repeat carjacking offenders.
In a democratic society it is said that citizens get the governance they deserve (because they voted for it). So now the good citizens of Cook County are enjoying the fruits of harvest from electing Kim Foxx.
"Every day fistfight?" Eric Zorn seems like a very even tempered guy. Is he getting in fistfights every day? I guess if I see him on the street I will be sure to keep my distance. ;)
Violent flash mobs were a big thing around 2010 - 2011, and throwing everything from curfews to blocking wifi at points on transit did slow it down. All of these draw ire from the ACLU, but there comes a time, and we're there. Here's quite a speech from Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter about the subject at that time:
Long term solutions are a different story. We had a drop in violent crime in every major city from 1995 - 2015. Then came the Great Awokening. and the trend reversed. Criminal Justice Professor Peter Moskos has put together an excellent collection of essays from those in the know, including a few specific to the situation in Chicago, like "Let Police Police":
Eric, my wife and I moved back to Chicago in August of 2020( long story) after 20 years in Indiana. We missed everything this great city has to offer. I’m a 63 year old oncologist. We live on LSD and love the sunrises over the lake. We don’t fell unsafe, but the headlines and what is happening does create an underlying concern. Our biggest worry is that the perception of safety matters more than the statistics. If (when)businesses and residents leave downtown, the problem is real. Agreed that the root causes matter, but IMHO as a doctor, we must stop the bleeding before we fix the cause. I’m of the opinion that mayhem is worse than violence. This includes noise, traffic violations and acts that have no consequences. This feeds a climate of total chaos where anything goes. Violence usually occurs in a permissive environment of anarchy. That’s what I feel when I take a stroll down Michigan avenue, go to Millenium Park. We are having second thoughts about renewing our symphony hall series. Waiting for a bus in the loop at 10:30 PM? No, thank you.
Despite the important stories and insightful commentary that you've provided this week, I have to say that the Dirty Dancing to Muppet Theme video tops the charts for me. Thanks for the smile!
We watched the mayhem at North Ave. Beach from our condo and it was scary. The papers said that the kids were between 14 and 21 (all minors) and that they did search backpacks and confiscate alcohol at the beach. In the suburbs, if alcohol or drugs were found on a minor, they would be arrested for under age possession and taken to the station, parents called, and subsequent court appearances. Knowing those consequences would prevent a gathering like this to begin with. The rise in crime and mayhem that is ruining our wonderful city and causing businesses and residents to leave is the direct result of people seeing the a lack of swift consequences for their bad behavior. I realize that you are laughing at the notion that CPD has the manpower to arrest kids for under-age possession but......something has to be done to stop these "trends" and making it unpleasant for them have them to begin with is one idea.
I think one of the main reasons these "trends" turn violent is youth disagreement over whether a room is a foyer or vestibule.
I agree, swift consequences is the key. It's going to need to get ugly before it can get better.
Let's bring Rahm Emanual back and give him the authority to do whatever is necessary to nip this nonsense in the bud. Think Mayor Daley here!!
I agree with you about sportscasters ... mostly. I do however tend to mute Tony Romo, who offers good insights but doesn't know when to stop talking. His incessant chatter grates on me. And I love Jason Benetti and Steve Stone. They made me want to watch the Sox. BTW, it seems like all NBA play-by-play people sound like Marv Albert. Is that a requirement?
Theee Mayor Daley. The Mayor that was not concerned about losing his job and/or what consequences he would need to pay for public sentiment. Spare the rod and you spoil the child seems to work quite well in certain situations. I sincerely believe this is one of those situations.
I agree with Eric's comments on Richardson. I also think that it is perfectly reasonable for Richardson to believe that he might sustain great bodily harm. There is no reason to believe that a group that uses diversion to initiate an attack by more than one assailant has any intention of exercising restraint or limiting the injuries to bruises. This is not a description of a fistfight between two willing combatants. But Richardson should be prosecuted for carrying the concealed, illegal firearm. As should the two others that had guns on the scene. And all of the others involved should be charged with assault or mob action.
"Some 10,000 women from surrounding states are already traveling to Illinois each year to obtain abortions, and providers are reportedly predicting they’ll see an additional 14,000 such patients when almost all the Midwest bans the practice." Add that to marijuana purchases and casino growth and JB is finally accomplishing his dream of dollars coming into the state rather than leaving. ;)
Listened to Heather Mac Donald podcast yesterday about "mass mayhem'. Don't agree with everything she says, but some of her statistics were eye opening.
https://wgnradio.com/wgn-plus/thechicagoway/the-chicago-way-w-john-kass-big-thinker-heather-mac-donald-tackles-the-war-on-cops/
One more song containing the word "vestibule": Oscar Brand's version of Humoresque. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyiMYI4oQTU
Some short-term ideas to quell the mob mayhem.
1. There are some laws against some of the behavior displayed by the mob: jaywalking, jumping on a car that's not yours, obstructing traffic, not obeying traffic signals (by pedestrians), etc. Many tickets could be issued for these examples of disorderly conduct (a whole separate category!).
2. Unless all the people in these mobs were dropped off by people driving cars, nearly all of them arrived by CTA. CTA has surveillance cameras on most buses, 'L' cars, and stations. CTA also has ways of recording fare payment on buses and 'L' system turnstiles. CTA probably has stats on the changing rates of passenger usage per dates and times of day. Could CTA have noticed a sharp rise in passenger use when the mob people were heading to the Loop? CTA surely could be monitoring its surveillance cameras 24/7 in real time, to be able to dispatch police to a disturbance. If there is a sharp rise in usage by people going to these mob scenes, correlations could be made between fare payments and surveillance images, to possibly collect images of potential participants, for possible law enforcement use in the future.
3. Millennium Park could conceivably be closed rather early in the evening, except for explicit events which last later, and whose entry and exit paths could be fenced and controlled, for participants only.
4. No suggestions requiring law enforcement are worth a darned thing if the enforcement won't be done. Same with the idea of having people monitor CTA's surveillance cameras to be able to quickly dispatch police to a scene: I think it's been done before, and remains technically feasible - but if CTA and law enforcement refuse to do it, I'm frankly not interested in their other ideas, such as unarmed "security guards" (who don't even have black belts).
I found the following online -- a DOJ community policing "resource" published in 2009 about "Disorderly Youth in Public Places." It's not the most impressive document -- no silver bullets, no sources cited, many anecdotes from other countries, few solutions appropriate for our problem.
For public property at night, its answers seem to be (1) make the space too inconvenient, (2) use camera surveillance, and/or (3) enforce curfews. It doesn't like simply increasing patrols, but it seems to me that would be necessary in order to do (3). The nice thing about a curfew, assuming it's legal, is that it doesn't require officers to observe and document a separate violation before taking action. (1) might make sense for beaches after hours where there are relatively few places of ingress and egress, but I, for one, don't like that Millennium Park is already surrounded by ugly temporary fencing that doesn't seem to deter anyone -- making the space inconvenient or unpleasant for unruly kids makes it inconvenient or unpleasant for everyone else too. One exception is the "mosquito" noise machine that plays an annoying high-pitched frequency only young people can hear. But even if it's effective "teenager repellant" for outside a 7-11, say, it would unfairly annoy kids with their families. Maybe it could be turned on after the park or beach is closed to everyone. If only Daley had it in '68, his cops wouldn't have had to bust quite so many heads!
By the way, I am aware of myself becoming a conservative curmudgeon -- these kids today, and so on -- but we're talking about guns, about behavior that seems about to turn into a riot, and so on. (I was always with ending the war and drugs, but for replacing it with a war on guns and violence.) It's ruining the city's image, especially as the Wall Street Journal seems to have an editorial desk devoted to blasting Lightfoot.
Progressives are overcorrecting. I always felt, as a liberal who came of intellectual age during the Clinton years, that I was on the reasonable side. Democrats then, even or especially black Democrats, had no time for soft-on-crime stuff; now you have to abjectly apologize for that stance. The Democratic position on abortion was "safe, legal, and rare." The immigration position was "path to citizenship for good guys in exchange for increased border enforcement." They accepted the conservative charge of welfare dependency and abuse to an extent and sought to help those truly in need. And all that brought the Democrats back from the wilderness at a time when, looking at presidential election maps, there had been hardly any blue states to speak of. Now the crazies are on both sides and are even crazier. Theirs are still worse, but it's disconcerting.
https://media.law.wisc.edu/m/ntkzy/disorderly_youth_in_public_places.pdf
No Mow is an almost perfect virtue signal. It begins by taking literally no effort - you don’t even need to put up a sign. It is backed by just-so science stories published in Home and Garden and the NYT Magazine. It allows you to passively annoy your benighted neighbors who are working to maintain their lawns AND GARDENS free of dandelions and weeds. The upside of “cultivating” dandelions is said to include making salads and tea - something almost no one does. And, the topper, like wearing essentially cosmetic cloth masks, is that the science behind the benefits of dandelions to pollinators is not “settled.” You can find just-so stories, which in fact have many more believable observations, and even some data, suggesting dandelions are unimportant at least to bees. https://www.gardenmyths.com/dandelions-important-bees/
In short, it’s a do-nothing gesture that passive-aggressively harms some of your nearest neighbors and has a good chance of being pointless.
The very large groups of "youths" (the popular euphemism for these black teenagers out of fear of being branded racist for accurately describing what is occurring) acting belligerently and breaking laws is much the result of the Kim Foxx refusal to properly charge, prosecute and punish lawbreakers who are black in a perverted attempt at what she terms social justice.
Removing consequences for bad and criminal behavior guarantees more bad and criminal behavior. Charging a 15 year old who carjacks at gunpoint in juvenile court with misdemeanor trespass to a vehicle with very little
consequences makes it a joke and is a prime factor in the many serial repeat carjacking offenders.
In a democratic society it is said that citizens get the governance they deserve (because they voted for it). So now the good citizens of Cook County are enjoying the fruits of harvest from electing Kim Foxx.
"Every day fistfight?" Eric Zorn seems like a very even tempered guy. Is he getting in fistfights every day? I guess if I see him on the street I will be sure to keep my distance. ;)
Violent flash mobs were a big thing around 2010 - 2011, and throwing everything from curfews to blocking wifi at points on transit did slow it down. All of these draw ire from the ACLU, but there comes a time, and we're there. Here's quite a speech from Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter about the subject at that time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL0QFZBLca4
Long term solutions are a different story. We had a drop in violent crime in every major city from 1995 - 2015. Then came the Great Awokening. and the trend reversed. Criminal Justice Professor Peter Moskos has put together an excellent collection of essays from those in the know, including a few specific to the situation in Chicago, like "Let Police Police":
https://qualitypolicing.com/violencereduction/
Eric, my wife and I moved back to Chicago in August of 2020( long story) after 20 years in Indiana. We missed everything this great city has to offer. I’m a 63 year old oncologist. We live on LSD and love the sunrises over the lake. We don’t fell unsafe, but the headlines and what is happening does create an underlying concern. Our biggest worry is that the perception of safety matters more than the statistics. If (when)businesses and residents leave downtown, the problem is real. Agreed that the root causes matter, but IMHO as a doctor, we must stop the bleeding before we fix the cause. I’m of the opinion that mayhem is worse than violence. This includes noise, traffic violations and acts that have no consequences. This feeds a climate of total chaos where anything goes. Violence usually occurs in a permissive environment of anarchy. That’s what I feel when I take a stroll down Michigan avenue, go to Millenium Park. We are having second thoughts about renewing our symphony hall series. Waiting for a bus in the loop at 10:30 PM? No, thank you.