By: Matt Rosenberg
Weekend shootings and killings are growing as warm weather begins to break through Chicago’s chilly, damp spring. Lakefront communities are suffering a doubling of vehicle thefts since 2019, and in some cases also stark jumps in robbery, criminal sexual assault, and theft. Downtown is under siege. But Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her police superintendent David Brown can only run through musty scripts in response. Several Chicagoans we’ve spoken to recently have said they feel their city is being stolen from them, and they want it back. But real political leadership has gone missing and their patience is wearing thin.
One such Chicagoan is Beth Scott, 65. She lives on the Gold Coast and owns a small condo. Don’t call her some rich white lady, she says. She’s on Social Security and disability, with a small pension. She worked hard to pay off her 800-square foot unit; she managed to get a great deal on it in the first place. She has nowhere to move to, even if she wanted out of Chicago – which she doesn’t.
She’s a die-hard Chicago-lover but is worried and dismayed about what’s been happening on the city’s streets. She says she feels as if the city she knows has been taken away from her. Scott has been paying close attention to the backdrop. And what a backdrop it’s been recently.
Eight were killed and 42 shot citywide during a warm weekend in late April. The carnage came with a side order of surging throngs running wild downtown and the violent swarming of vehicles in traffic on Lakeview streets. Another warm weekend in early May left 6 dead among 24 shot. In Lakeview last weekend a culinary student who resisted armed robbers stealing his phone was shot in the head and was clinging to life. Police said the perps were suspected in seven other North Side armed robberies. Chief Brown reprised an old theme: more cops downtown and revocation of one day off per week for officers.
Recent data add heft to growing concerns. North Side lakefront communities are getting a real dose of trouble.
Chicago Police District 18 runs from the Chicago River north to Fullerton Avenue and includes River North, Streeterville, North Michigan Avenue, the Gold Coast, and Lincoln Park. Vehicle thefts there this year through Week 19 were up 92 percent compared to the pre-Covid, pre-George Floyd benchmark year of 2019. Criminal sexual assaults were up 77 percent – to 76 reported incidents from 43 in 2019.
In District 19 to the immediate north, covering Lakeview, vehicle thefts are up 65 percent since three years ago, and robberies 47 percent from 2019. In District 24 at the city’s northeastern edge in Rogers Park, vehicle thefts are up 57 percent over 2019, thefts 71 percent, criminal sexual assault 44 percent, robberies 37 percent, and aggravated battery 58 percent.
For Scott, it all adds up to a city she loves but can’t enjoy any more. Dinners out with her elderly mother from Aurora in downtown Chicago or on the Near North Side after attending the Lyric Opera, are now off the table. She says that’s due to rising predatory crime. She adds that it’s not just a north-of-the-Chicago-River thing. And she’s right.
The South Loop and Near South Side are also afflicted with growing crime. In Police District 1, from the Chicago River south to 31st Street, shooting incidents are up 220 percent so far this year, to 16 from 5 in 2019. Motor vehicle thefts are up a remarkable 280 percent to 357 from 94, three years ago. Robberies in District 1 are up 51 percent, and burglaries 28 percent. Murders remain concentrated on the South Side. Second among Chicago’s five broad CPD Areas in murders this year is Area 2 on the far South and Southeast Sides, with 59 murders through last Sunday. That’s a 51 percent bump up from 2019.
Scott says she’s well aware that on the South Side, people continue to talk about not feeling comfortable hanging out on their front stoops or in city parks. Errant bullets are a life and death matter. Scott says she’s tightening up her routine too. Enjoying picnics in Millenium Park with her mom is another lost pleasure of city living. Using transit, whether the CTA or Metra? Too dodgy now, she says. She’d feel like a sitting duck for robbers. Shopping at the Jewel supermarket at Clark and Division Streets? Not a chance any more, she says. The CTA Red Line station there “is just so populated with drug dealers and gangs.”
Scott says she used to dress up; she worked in fashion publicity and enjoyed stepping out in style. Not any more. Nondescript clothes and a canvas bag from Trader Joe’s have replaced her get-up. She doesn’t want to look like a target. Her apartment key is wound around her upper arm and her cell phone is in her boots or her panty hose. Just two credit cards plus her driver’s license and medical card are in a fanny pack hidden beneath her clothes.
She and her boyfriend, whom she calls her life partner, are both street smart. Always taking stock of their surroundings. But it’s gotten spooky since the post-George Floyd riots downtown. They’ve endured a simulated drive-by with car passengers mimicking shooting guns with their hands. A friend of hers who worked in an Oak Street boutique left at day’s end but was yanked back into a storage room by the owner because a rapper had just been slain outside.
Dining outdoors at cafes, Scott says, there’ve been homeless guys leaning across stanchions yelling angrily for money. There are custom motorcycles blaring rap. “And the cops are out on the block, on Oak Street and all over pretty much, and there’s nothing they can do.” As for enjoying her balcony, even a movie indoors? The thumping bumping street music is a constant at all hours as the weather warms up, according to Scott.
First-world problems? She begs to differ. Let the little stuff go and it’s a force multiplier, she says.
Despite it all, Scott’s not about to turn tail. “I cannot afford to move, nor do I want to move…where am I gonna go? I’m not going to move to Texas. I’m not going to move to Florida. I don’t like the climates…I’m praying and hoping that the city will eventually change.”
She’s almost stunned, she says, having grown up during the civil rights era. She wonders, is all this what was supposed to result from the battery of Great Society social programs?
“I don’t know how to fix it other than we need more police” deployed smartly, including undercover. She adds, “so many times the police are afraid, they’re targets. I would never in my wildest dreams have thought when I was growing up in the 60s that we would be where we are today with racial issues and crime. It’s almost like the Charles Bronson movie Death Wish; and also the Mad Max movies.”
In years past and despite Chicago’s rotten political corruption, Scott says, “people respected cops, people respected law and order. There’s none of that today, there is no limit. You can go as far as you want here. The main thing is, it’s going to get worse. You have to have strong leadership in a community and we need to get that back in Chicago. It’s a beautiful city, it’s gorgeous. I’m a normal person just trying to live my life. But it’s just so changed.”
A lot of Chicagoans are thinking the same thing. Will the city’s leaders do more than just talk about it, anytime soon? This summer will be telling.
Read more from Wirepoints:
- Fresh CPD data: No, Chief Brown, carjackings are not down in Chicago. Not anymore.
- Chief Executive Magazine ranks Illinois third-worst state for doing business, yet Illinois politicians think businesses will move here because of…“equity!”
- Chicago car thefts spike sharply in 2022, up 100% along lakefront compared to 2019
- Close the revolving door for high-risk offenders in Cook County
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
It’s not a question of the haves vs the have-nots. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…. It’s the cans vs the won’ts. The cans are willing to help the can’ts. But it’s impossible to support both the can’ts and the won’ts. Democrat policies have enabled,emboldened, and enlarged the ranks of the won’ts. And frankly, the cans are too tired, overworked and disheartened to “rise up” and give an ounce more.
Oh, and politicians are neither cans, nor can’ts, nor won’ts. They are “takes”.
Regarding the cans and wonts, notice no side in the last 40 years has just pointed at the demise of the manufacturing sector and it’s proven employment multiplier and said we need to to do more of that? One side says those jobs are worthless, diminishing, dead end, replaceable, etc. The other side says they arent good jobs but we’ll take them but only if they are union. For 40 years Ive watched this debate in the blue states rage while the southern states grow and grow off these “bad jobs”. In 1976 IL was larger than TX and FL.… Read more »
100% agree. Also supported by the demise (thanks CPS and CTU) of vocational high schools in the late 80s/90s and early 00s. Because, you know, if you don’t go to college, then we have failed as educators – completely missing the point of education. But surprise! Guess what kinds of programs are making a resurgence in CPS high schools?!? Now if only the pols would get on board to give these kids a place to work once they graduate. I’m not holding my breath.
“It’s almost like the Charles Bronson movie Death Wish; and also the Mad Max movies.”
If it was like the Death wish movie, scumbags would be getting shot instead of doing the shooting. Citizens could shoot back with no ramifications.
I apologize to Beth for my earlier comment lumping her into the majority of gold coast condo dwellers as a wokester. Assuming she was a democrat and votes democrat for the current leadership in Chicago was wrong. I’m glad she is really a republican.
When called out, many Democrats will profess to be Independents. Just sayin’.
All that matters is the vote in the booth.
What people *say* they are means nothing.
I wonder what Chicagoan Beth Scott’s voting record is like.
#notfoolvotingblue
You interviewed ONE FUCKNG PERSON for this ‘article.’
Billy Joe, we have objective data up the wazoo posted in other articles on the same topic. Occasional stories giving a personal angle on that data are entirely appropriate. And clean up your language or go elsewhere.
Democrats use vulgar language when they are trying to demonstrate that they are really, REALLY angry. I always envision a 22 year old woke female using the f-word twice a sentence to demonstrate that “she means it!”
These people are unserious, emotional baskets of mindlessness. Pay them no heed.
They also drop f-bombs at you when you ask them a simple question that they cannot answer because it will induce cognitive dissonance.
I second the personal stories. I like the Your Story section on Illinois Policy as it drives home what regular people are going through with no spin or slant.
Lurk for a year, then comment.
Oh Billy you fool.
Stay in Chicago and suffer.
Maybe Adolf Putler will nuke Chicago and put you out of your misery.
Thanks for the coverage…We need new political leadership that actually cares about working Americans.
I’m Replying to Marko, you owe me $10 + I’ve never voted Democrat!!! Assuming I’m not a Liberal doesn’t say I’m a Democrat. I know this city is mostly Liberal, but just because the majority is I should be able to still live here in Chgo. Safely!!! Try to be more open minded & sensitive to other people & not just assume!!!!
We are all so divided today!!! Imagine if we could try to work together & try to solve crime issues instead of criticizing one another – you not knowing who I really am! Beth
Good to know you’re not a Democrat. But 99% of your neighbors are which is why you were unfairly maligned as democrat trash.
Hi debtsor…my business is in the city, and I can tell you that I know a number of other business owners who live in the city that are staunchly conservative. I’m not saying that we are the majority, but there are more of us than you might think. The problem is that the Machine is so strong and so corrupt, and the Republican party is so decentralized and disorganized that we don’t have much time to organize and resist the nonsense that is modern day Chicago. It also used to be that the Irish Democrats were mostly (secretly) conservative in… Read more »
Its always the war wars between haves vs. have-nots. The “haves” think they are deserving of recognition, financial success and political power. The “have nots” think—or at least hope—that sociey at large should care about their personal welfare in all such categories. There’s some eternal truths in both such arguments, but the extremes of both sides are the problem areas of politics. Nothing new here. I’m just pondering the whole aura of politics at the moment.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/11/04/just-1-chicago-ward-voted-for-president-trump-over-joe-biden/
Chicago was 82D-18R with that little bit of Trump support mostly concentrated in the NW, SW and Bridgeport areas. I too was once a Republican living in Chicago. It totally sucked. Now I live in a island that is moderate, surrounded by a sea of blue, and it’s only slightly better, but the progressives here are all female, between the ages of 35 and 65, militant, highly educated and extremely bitter. So basically insane leftist moms. I’ve yet to meet a male progressive here. Every male I’ve met over 30 is either a conservative or secretly votes conservative.
Well said! You have right to feel like you do and express your opinions here where liberty and freedom of the press still exists. The Chicago media has tried to avoid covering these stories until a few brave reporters and real journalists started talking about it.
I AM NOT A LIBERAL!!! Nor have I voted for liberals!!! But years ago, we didn’t have the HUGE/SERIOUS ISSUES WITH CRIME!!! I worked hard my entire life since 6th grade, creating my own Baby Sitting business! I have a home that I want to remain in & not be afraid to go out independently as a woman…I don’t drive, because a long ago serious accident while temporarily residing in LA, (Also I can’t afford a car!!!) I’ve lived in several other cities/States, but Chicago I have always loved & considered my home! Absolutely beautiful lakefront- like an ocean(not seeing… Read more »
$10 bucks she voted Democrat and thought the orange guy was mean. But not a liberal so not her fault.
kudos to you beth for standing up for yourself
Beth, shame on those commenters here who made assumptions about you. Some people need to learn how to read. There is nothing whatsoever in the column that indicates you are just another leftist.
Lightfoot upset the status quo and the Democrat establishment (Preckwinkle, Foxx, Evans, Dart) are teaching her a lesson by allowing her to fail and take the fall for the whole thing.
You never see Preckwinkle on the news – she’s pissed because she was trounced in the election and it’s payback time.
They don’t care about Chicago, they care about teaching Lightfoot a lesson: “Challenge me and bear the consequences.”
What’s missing in all the reports of crime is the race of the perpetrators and their victims.
Lori blames whites from over 100 years ago for rioting, yet mentions nothing about the race of today’s rioters/criminals.
Why is that?
I’m asking for a friend.
She is part of the problem. The thugs and city employees control the city and won’t give up that control and you can’t vote them out of office. The choice is to leave. Why live like a prisoner when there are lots of places she can live free? And YES, she can afford to move, if she had to. If her place burned down tomorrow she’d have to leave and she’d do just fine. She is just hoping for something that won’t ever happen. Betty Smith wrote a wonderful book called “Tomorrow Will Be Better,” about how people just hope… Read more »
She truly is a prisoner in her own City. It is pathetic. Those who should be in prison are running the streets and terrorizing her. At the same time, she is imprisoned in her own home through no fault of her own. It doesn’t make sense. She didn’t work all of her life to deserve this. While at the same time Lori Lightfoot really believe she’s doing a good job. Again how pathetic. I understand not being able to afford to get out. I just don’t understand what happened to Chicago. God Bless you, Ms Scott.
The key difference is a Prison has walls & bars to physically keep you inside.
Unless they built a Berlin kind of wall around Chicago in the past 2 years no physical barriers stop people from leaving Chicago. It’s only mental weakness.
And money. Remember BS talks and money walks. If you got no money you’re not walking.
“Let the little stuff go and it’s a force multiplier, she says. … ‘I don’t know how to fix it other than we need more police’ deployed smartly, including undercover. …” Yes, exactly. Whether Beth Scott knows it, she’s just endorsed the “Broken Windows” theory of policing, https://cebcp.org/evidence-based-policing/what-works-in-policing/research-evidence-review/broken-windows-policing/: “Briefly, the model focuses on the importance of disorder (e.g., broken windows) in generating and sustaining more serious crime. Disorder is not directly linked to serious crime; instead, disorder leads to increased fear and withdrawal from residents, which then allows more serious crime to move in because of decreased levels of informal social… Read more »
Wonderful article. Thank you Ms. Beth Scott for your honesty, and bravery. Great interview Matt. Now I’m going to start. Cracking my knuckles in readiness. What is happening now is happening because the powers that be wish it to be so. The politicians of Illinois are inept. How were they even elected? Lori is ready to announce her renewal for Mayor. I’m sorry is laughing out loud rude? She’s a disaster. Kim Foxx all one can say is WTH? Taxwinkle gets a pass. But we know. We see and we know. Lady check your hands they are not clean. Governor… Read more »
The decay and loss of real estate due to crime was viewed with blinders by the Socialist Liberal types. It didn’t affect them, and those mostly educated, or indoctrinated folks believed it was all due to racism and discrimination. Now that the downtown and lakefront has become “Candyland” to those wishing to steal and assault, reality has hit home. Those of us that have spent decades dealing with this behavior know all to well the sad consequences wrought by the soulless criminal types. They can shoot a little kid on a bike and laugh about it, mortally wound a Senior… Read more »
Instead of making nasty comments about Beth maybe you all should mobilize and change the future of Chicago and see how far you all get. It seems many were led astray and voted for what they thought was a better choice now you can all vote for someone else and see what happens.
In Chicago you can vote for someone else as long as they’re a Democrat. There has not been an effective Republican Party in Chicago for about 60 years. The last Republican mayor was William Hale Thompson, a corrupt Republican. Lori was an Independent, so-called. In Chicago, that only means you’re politically to the Left of the Democrats. Not much choice. And no, I don’t know what can be done to save Chicago. If it’s any consolation we’re not alone. Virtually every major big city in the U.S. controlled by the Democrats are in the same situation, more or less.
Chicago needs to figure it out and Democrats in charge of the City and Cook County are not up to the task. The crime in this city has been a generational problem that has been going on in Chicago since Jane Byrne was mayor.
The gullibility in Chicagoans really knows no bounds.
So if your weak will is going to stop you Beth Scott from leaving Chicago and keeping yourself safe then you know what the alternative is? Be the next person in the line of fire & dead from the gun violence.
Those that have the courage to do the right thing and leave Chicago will be judged positively by history & the moral society. Those that stay and subject themselves to this endless abuse by the city & criminals will get no sympathy from the rest of America or the world.
How small-minded of you to berate someone who is willing to stay. sometimes I wish I had stayed. sadly the only way out of this is to get rid of all current politicians and stop being easy on criminals.
It’s not small minded to berate enablers to the corruption & rot of Chicago.
ALL corruption requires $$$$. It is the lifeblood that sustains it. By living in Chicago and paying taxes you are funding & enabling the corrupt government.
No different than the Europeans that have been buying Blood Oil from Russia these past 2 decades.
I also concur with many others. Hats off to Wirepoints and Matt Rosenberg for trying to provide sunlight to these issues. Unbelievable work and kudos to all of you. Chicagoans of all stripes are proud of where we are from and reading your articles I can feel the pride.
Saying you are proud to be a Chicagoan is like saying you are proud to be a Russian.
Weak, Cowardly & Gullible is not something to be proud of.
Bravery, Honesty and Honor is something to be proud of. Like what Zelensky and Ukraine stand for. Slava Ukraini.
The city’s tepid response to the George Floyd rioting — police ordered to stand down and observe looters trashing south side shopping malls and causing mayhem downtown and near north because this was officially classified as a protest and not a riot — was a dog whistle to organized disruptors that it was open season. If protests are allowed to devolve into rioting and looting the city will truly be lost, if not already. The loss of Boeing may signal an exodus of corporate departures from the CBD. I’m sorry, but I do not buy the excuse that Boeing opted… Read more »
LL blamed the 1619 virus and the red summer of 1919 for the rioting. Yes, she blamed your racist and bigoted ancestors, fresh off the boat from Southern and Eastern Europe, over 101 years ago, for the 2020’s looting of Michigan Ave. She really did that. Historians universally blame the riots on angry white mobs attacking African-Americans, but after what I’ve seen with the 68 riots and the 2020 riots, I’m very skeptical of this claim. Every riot since 1919 has been the same MO – rioters destroying their own neighborhoods. It you take the premise that historians are as… Read more »
At least Lori is trying to lure businesses to Chicago.
https://wirepoints.org/chicago-wants-to-attract-texas-businesses-good-luck-with-that-wirepoints/
Lol. The only thing lightfoot is attracting is thugs and gang bangers.
5 downvotes, I guess I need to indicate when I’m being sarcastic.
The big problem with the riots now is that since they occurred, and there were no consequences, they are more likely to happen again. There are no positive happenings in Chicago. Maybe when you get lucky and you’re able to reserve a U-Haul to make your exit.
I can’t fault Beth for feeling the way she does. Those that post comments here on Wirepoints are fairly educated and aware of current issues affecting Chicago, Cook County and in general the entire country. Many people don’t turn on the news due to negativity and may not be necessarily “engaged” either online or otherwise. You would have to be blind to not see the chaos that is now engulfed Chicago. Not taking anything away from Beth, but regardless of her political affiliation, it sounds like people are waking up to this Marxist Destruction. Most people were fooled when these… Read more »
Bolsheviks. They’re all Bolsheviks in all but name. The first thing the red army did was free the convicts from jail just like Kim Foxx. Soon enough they’ll call on the convicts to take up arms against their own countrymen. Whether or not that possible in today’s environment remains to be seen, because unlike the Kulaks, today’s suburbanites – especially in IL – are heavily armed to the teeth.
Destruction of community doesn’t happen overnight. John Adams and other founders expected an INFORMED electorate to sustain this experiment in self government. “Here are some goodies the other guys don’t get. Now, do me a favor, pull lever A or punch ten and it’ll only get better.” The fault lies with us. Many, too many, refuse to admit this.
They’re informed. Criminals know Kim Foxx will let them out of jail!
Excellent column that perfectly describes the fallout of the new direction/ideology the democrat party has taken. I’ve lived in Chicago for nearly 50 years. Democrats have been in charge forever. But there has never been this kind of open lawlessness. Ever. Not a fan of Rahm. But he had law and order. So did Daley. This is also the result of CRT and BLM dividing people and opening old wounds that had healed. The key line for me the one about growing up in the 60’s, seeing all the progress we made as a country and then to see where… Read more »
Things were bad in the late 60s and early 70s too – riots, lawlessness and hatred of law enforcement.
The public is oblivious to what’s happening locally and nationally. They get their news in tweets and it’s oftentimes dribble about the Kardashians.
What happened to serious reporting in Chicago? Since Alden’s takeover of the Tribune, it’s barely worth reading. The Sun Times is right down there with the Trib. CBS, NBC, ABC? Biased news, lots of weather and sports, and infotainment. Talking heads who emote so you know how you’re supposed to react to what they are reading.
The fibune wasn’t worth reading before the take over. Why would you think it would be worth reading now. You can put a new engine in a Renault, but that doesn’t make it a Corvette. It is still a lousy Renault..
12% = 80% of the damage! Just sayin’ and lookin’ at stats!
That’s it in a nutshell.
Those who choose in their comments to malign Beth Scott for her views are hammer-headed indeed. Ms. Scott loves the city as much as I do and is simply relating her amazement at the sheer degradation of law-and-order, and to be honest human decency as well. She didn’t ask for this, and doesn’t deserve the criminal element creeping into her neighborhood.
The situation is dire & truth be told has moved way past politicizing. Last I checked, we can’t fire up Mr. Peabody’s wayback machine 2-3 generations ago and guide minorities on the benefits of preserving the family unit.
She absolutely asked for this every time she voted Democrat and supported progressive policies. Now she’s shocked at how bad things are. This is basically how every liberal thinks. This theme is repeated over and over all over the country, and every time, the voter is shocked that voting for bad leaders with bad policies leads to bad places to live. We’ve been watching this in real time for 2 years now! This is not some external shock to the system, like the Mother Russia invading Ukraine; this is entirely self-inflicted by the residents who live there.
“She absolutely asked for this every time she voted Democrat”. I don’t think I’ve ever read a more moronic statement. It’s not party or progressivism, as other nations have these and are not as crime ridden. All we need is Richard Irvin, huh? Maybe George Ryan.
This left right bullshit is getting old. We need honest people who have a sense of duty to the community.
Rob, it’s not about blaming as such. But it is important for people to start to understand that policies have consequences. We have too many people who vote for something because it sounds so great and virtuous. Then when things go (predictably) south after implementing the plan, they say they didn’t know, or worse, they claim the only problem is lack of sufficient money. This type of thinking has got to stop. “But I didn’t mean for it to happen” is getting old.
Most people are honest and have a sense of community. But they also vote to keep the criminals on the street in the name of social and racial justice. That wrecks it for everyone. Chicago’s crime rate (and most cities nationally) dropped from the mid-90’s until May 2020 because they embraced typically Republican ‘Law & Order’ policies. Then these same Democrats, in their infinite wisdom, voted to release criminals from jail, and refused to prosecute new criminals, and what do you know, crime shot up. It’s once of the easiest cause and effects to understand in all of sociology and… Read more »
Let’s not discount the fake pandemic and it’s overly draconian response in blue cities. Locking down large portions of the populous – often poor, in small apartments, taking away their livelihoods and social outlets, caused untold stress and strain as well as mental health problems, drug and alcohol abuse, depression, etc. The progressives 100% own this. In fact they are culpable. If there was ever a time for use of force against the government, this is it. 80% of the country was just fine and didnt do half the stuff NY, Chicago, LA, SF, Seattle, Etc. did. They destroyed their… Read more »
Sorry Rob, ultimately all the problems in Chicago ARE the fault of the voters perpetuating The Machine. Before when Chicago was The City That Worked, it was the corruption in the shadows and occasionally in the light, now it’s overt criminality directly caused by elected leaders. Comparisons to homogeneous countries don’t cut it. Richard Irvin may not be the solution, but he’s not JB. Just like the next mayor’s claim to fame will be that they’re not LL. That the best Illinois can do apparently. Your left/right issue falls flat because there are no honest Dems in Illinois. No matter… Read more »
Debstor, you are usually better than this. You have no basis for ascribing those views to her.
By “minorities” you mean blacks right? Blacks abort their babies at 4 times the rate of others, not very family-friendly. Government welfare incentivizes single mothers to stay single. Lumping all “minorities” into having poor families is not right. Mexicans and other ethnic minorities don’t abort at these rates. Sure their families may not be nuclear either, often piling three families into one apartment. But still there is a mom and father or father figure there, big combined families are still good.
Again saying she loves the city and is proud of it is like someone saying they love Russia and are proud to be a Russian.
After the despicable war crimes being committed by Russians in Ukraine and the gullible support of Putin among a large chunk of the Russian Population those that continue to support Russia/Putin deserve nothing less than pure hostility, isolation, and zero respect.
Same goes for those that continue to gullibly defend the morally bankrupt rotten city of Chicago.
Just because politicians are morally corrupt in today’s Chicago does not mean she should not love Chicago. My heart breaks every time I read the weekend shootouts and death. I never voted for a democrat. Kennedy’s democrat party is dead, and a new Marxist one has emerged. We allowed our children to be educated by socialist and Marxist universities, and you think blaming one woman who chooses to stay is what is wrong??
As George Carlin said back in 1996 “These Politicians don’t fall out of the sky, they don’t pass through a membrane from another reality, they come from American families, businesses, schools and they are elected by the American people”
As long as you live in Chicago and fund/vote for these crooks you have no right to complain nor do you deserve sympathy.
To Beth, …enjoy your liberal utopia.
To Everyone Else, …by now it should be obvious the future being offered by Chicago/Illinois. Beth has made her choice. If you make the same choice, whatever happens is on you.
Ms Scott, I truly feel your pain. I grew up on the north side in the 60’s and the 70’s I moved to the suburbs in the 80’s after watching one too many drug deals happen in my alley. When the apartment below are was burglarized in the middle of the day, while my wife and children were up stairs it was the final straw. You are concerned with what the Chicago leaders are not doing. My advice would be this “ Lead, follow or get out of the way. “ What I mean is this : There are now… Read more »
There are some presumptuous nasty comments here directed at Beth. Pretty sad they come from supposed conservatives. Sure, her demographic leads me to think she is/was a Democrat. But at 65, she’s old enough to have voted for a very different Democrat party than we see today. I think she’s being a bit overly cautious, but the stats are real. Chicago has become a very nasty place, and she’s wise to be careful. But she likely needs to consider getting out, regardless of her love of the city in a bygone era. Texas and Florida are too hot? Well, she… Read more »
It will only become worse
Ms Scott – typical long term Democrat. When everything turns to crap, whines ‘What happened!?’
I’d like to see some pressure put on Preckwinkle, she has some control over Dart and Foxx and has some ability to influence them. She’s been able to stay out of the “limelight” and you don’t see the media putting any pressure on her. Lori is a good punching bag because she doesn’t handle the media well but the media is lax in not putting heat on Dart, Foxx and Preckwinkle.
Some people don’t want the 9 to 5 life. You could throw all the school and social funding at these people from birth through adulthood and they’d still choose the hustler lifestyle. Contrary to progressive beliefs, you can’t save everyone.
The question then amounts to who is the guinea pig in this grand experiment? Is it the rotten few spoiling it for everyone else, or is it everyone else? Foxx has made it quite clear it’s the latter.
To put it simply, evil exists, and it always will.
So true, but I remember a time when evil was controlled, even punished. Imagine…
Chicago has always had problems, like any big city. But the last 2 years has seen an unbelievable change in the degree of uncivil behavior. All with the blessings of our elected “ representatives”- who only represent carnage.
The citizens of Chicago and cook county believe it’s better to release criminals back into the streets for racial justice reasons. This policy causes higher crime and other bad economic problem, but, from a social justice perspective, it’s working with fewer BIPOC filling up jails. Except that it isn’t. Because releasing criminals and keeping their records clean was supposed to reduce crime in the medium to long run as former criminals got their life back on track. But that’s not happening at all. Unfortunately, Chicago folx like what they see as Kim Foxx is wildly popular in most county and… Read more »
yea,so quit whining chicagoans,ya get wat ya vote for
Beth says… “In years past and despite Chicago’s rotten political corruption, Scott says, “people respected cops, people respected law and order”. Well Beth if you recall Lightfoot came into office openly disrespecting cops, especially their union. Lightfoot also called for defunding and still believes that although covers it up now. Something more is going on though. No single politician can F’ things up this bad. The fabric of society is simply decaying. Respect for life is no more, entitlement and “equity” are expected, hard work is now racist, blame is rampant, God is dead, babies can be killed after birth… Read more »
Yes, the degenerate values of lakeshore liberals like Beth are the cause of Chicago’s decay.
Well said Rick! Typical response from a liberal – “I don’t know what happened!”. They never own it!
Rick, you made up a caricature of her that is entirely untrue and groundless.
One of my employees 35 years ago swore never to go downtown Chicago because it was too dangerous. She lived in Hoffman Estates and said, “We have everything here,” to which I would just shake my head. Fast forward to 2022. Now I’m in her camp. The odds have increased that we’ll become victims, and we know how they’re treated by the mayor and the county prosecutor. So, Chicago won’t see my money and I won’t see the things that made the city great. Fair trade. Lots and lots of other places to enjoy.
I’ve reached the point where Chicgoans have become so woke they would rather leave than fight. Some have predicted vigilanteism will start. I say no. If Lighthead and Brown won’t stand up, why should the residents.
It’s bye, bye American Pride. Lori drove her Chevy to the levy and watched the city die.
Fight? Chicago is not worth fighting for. Its a dishonorable savage shithole.
Ukraine is worth fighting for. Chicago is not and never will be at this state.
Eat it Beth. You probably voted for this with your I’m with her bumper sticker and I bet you were out there in your pink hat too, marching against the patriarchy. Enjoy your liberal utopia.
“She’s almost stunned, she says, having grown up during the civil rights era. She wonders, is all this what was supposed to result from the battery of Great Society social programs?”
Liberals continue to be amazed that policies have consequences, and not the consequences they expected. They thought reality would conform to wishes.
Marko, you lost the bet. See her comment above.
.
Beth is: Pick one
A) foolish not to move
B) brave to stay
FYI: If her solution is more police, she can expect her taxes to go up to pay for them.
More police would only make a difference if the thugs were not instantly released. Beth sounds like she is a good person, but she needs to recognize that the fearful situation she is living in is not healthy in the long term. There are no improvements coming to make the city better in her lifetime, none. She can afford to move if she fully explores her options, and moving is the only option for her to live a better, safer life. Older people become prey for the thugs. There are countless examples of violence against seniors downtown in the past… Read more »
Chicago should shut down the public housing in the downtown core, just close it up. Lose federal funds? So what. It’s better than losing tax payers. We all know who the problem is and where they come from but nobody is willing to say it or do anything about it.
ive said the same thing on here numerous times,just watch the news,every night,same demographic of people causing most of the crime and problems,any one with a brain knows what race im referring to
You forgot:
C) To weak minded to move and ends up shot dead in the gun violence.