By: Matt Rosenberg
Over 2021 and into 2022 major crimes have spread from Chicago’s South and West Sides to the city’s downtown and upscale neighborhoods north and south. Now Chicago’s seemingly intractable crime problem is spreading across city and county lines, as well. This is what happens when basic principles of policing and law and order are subverted by a political establishment which puts the rights of the accused ahead of the rights of victims.
It is less than six months until cash bail is illegal in Illinois, but we are already reaping the whirlwind of what passes for “criminal justice” in Cook County. That is: failure to detain high-risk suspects before trial, deadly-low sentencing standards, and violent, corrosive antipathy to police. In addition, state lawmakers have already implemented an array of measures harmful to police morale. These include anonymous complaints and contemplation of an end to so-called ‘qualified immunity,” which protects cops from lawsuits for doing their duty. It all amounts to a green light for lawbreakers.
The threat is not only to life and limb: it has become economic, too, as spreading crime chases away major employers and taxable wealth. Job one must be to stop the hemorrhaging. That takes more than a band-aid. It only happens with better policies and better policy-makers. We all bear responsibility.
It’s urgent. The landscape in Cook County and its collar counties is increasingly dotted with alarming reports. From Oak Park to Evanston to Waukegan and North Chicago. From Chicago to Cicero, to Stickney; to Maywood, Melrose Park, and Willowbrook. The unraveling grows a bit more every week. And the cancer that is violent crime in Chicago continues to spread outward, absent the civic and electoral engagement which firmly puts community safety first.
Can we not manage to ensure that repeat felony gun offenders aren’t free to roam the region with impunity? Sadly, right now, based on whom we have elected and the policies they’ve adopted, it seems too much to ask. Prosecutors in the Office of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx recently botched another case that shows how poor risk assessment in one jurisdiction can quickly become another jurisdiction’s problem.
Foxx’s staff signed off on the pretrial release on cash bail of a felony suspect arrested for being an armed habitual criminal. He had also been charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and two other crimes. Hours later that same day the suspect, Lamarcus Washington, was busted in DuPage County for illegal possession of a loaded weapon and was jailed before trial with no bail.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said, “It is alleged that Mr. Washington, a convicted felon who posted $3,000 bond on armed habitual criminal and other charges in Cook County, thumbed his nose once again at the law by illegally possessing a loaded handgun as well as approximately 115 grams of cannabis,” Berlin said. “This is the second time in as many days and the fifth time within one month that a DuPage County judge has denied bail for a defendant accused of serious crimes. Again, the message coming from DuPage County is crystal clear, career criminals are not welcome.”
Though DuPage maintains a strong stand against criminal behavior, including pre-trial detention for high-risk suspects, in neighboring Cook County anything goes.
Adding to growing lawlessness regionally is the spread of violent crime from Chicago to outlying communities once rarely touched by trouble. One case in point is in Chicago’s neighboring city of Oak Park. It has been enduring an alarming violent crime wave this year, particularly late nights at gas stations.
One young victim – an 18-year-old student at Oak Park River Forest High School named Jailyn Logan-Bledsoe, was robbed, carjacked, and killed. A Chicago brother and sister, 17 and 21, were charged. By all accounts it appears they were just looking for a victim to rob and carjack. As is increasingly common now, the carjacking victim was also killed in the bargain. Our leaders are fumbling the ball. Through almost the end of July, Oak Park Police report that there’ve been 18 violent crimes at local gas stations, 13 of them in the late night / early morning hours.
Cross-border crime in Chicagoland is trending. Chicago Police in late July issued a warning about an armed foursome that carjacks Uber vehicles and then goes on armed robbery and carjacking sprees on the city’s West Side and into nearby western suburbs such as Cicero, Stickney, Maywood, and Melrose Park.
Farther still to the north, Waukegan and North Chicago in Lake County, have been beset by shootings. It’s almost as if the gangbangers of Chicago have opened up new franchises. In Lake County there were eight shootings, one fatal, in one recent night. This is Chicago-style violence. Halfway to Wisconsin. Something is very wrong. The Lake County state’s attorney recently called an emergency town hall meeting in the wake of a more-than-doubling of shots fired since 2017.
At another public meeting in Waukegan, one commenter accented a point often heard in Chicago: witnesses fear retaliation if they talk to police. The go-to response from the state on down has been lip service to witness relocation programs. But there’s no evidence those programs work for urban violence prosecutions; the fear remains and people are hesitant to upend their lives.
How bad are things in northeast Illinois? Even leafy, wealthy North Shore suburbs are suffering from the post-George Floyd unraveling of America. Bordering Chicago to the immediate northeast, Evanston’s demoralized police have been quitting at a worrisome pace. Evanston Police supervisors say city council support for the “defund the police” movement has contributed to the departures. The resulting game of musical chairs has left detectives so shorthanded that certain types of crime in Evanston are no longer being investigated.
In Oak Park, the city council is mulling whether to order gas stations closed during late night hours. Similarly one Chicago alderman wants to revoke the late night licenses of bars outside of which customers have gotten violent around closing time. But this is treating the symptom rather than the root cause. It is unfettered sociopathic behavior – like growing carjackings, and escalating violent crime on regional transit – which is the elephant in the room.
And those weak responses underscore the need to stop the bleeding first. With better policies enacted by better leaders. This goes to the root of representative democracy. It is what we make it. Or conversely, what we fail to make it. We wear the jacket for our own predicament.
After we stop the bleeding, the body must be made more healthy. Violence prevention is not a “program.‘ It occurs at the root, through parenting and high expectations education, whether college- or trade-focused. But that is too much for our political class, mired in the guilty rhetoric of disparities and discrimination.
The one clear takeaway right now is that whether the subject is crime, taxes, pension reform, corruption, or school choice – political leadership in Illinois matters deeply. In our city halls, our county buildings, and our statehouse. And unless voters awaken from their self-induced torpor, transformative change which assures our communities are safe will remain a distant dream.
Read more from Wirepoints:
- Read the BGA’s report on Chicago’s overblown anti-violence programs
- Illinois officials ignore mass-shooting risks: 1,800 Cook County residents deemed “clear and present danger” still hold FOID cards
- CTA crime problem begs for real deterrence: Half-measures won’t do
- Chicago carjackings on pace for a 22-year high – and they’re getting more and more weaponized
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.
What a sad situation we find ourselves in here in Chicago. Thank you for this illuminating article. And by the way, congratulations on the review I just read of your book in Claremont Review of Books. Fascinating.
The above statement considering balancing the accused with their communities to safe streets and public places.
Unfortunately the balance has leaned in the direction of the bad equal opportunity offenders. No bail? I wonder how many will show up in court.
Law and order are necessary in order for communities to realize full potential for their citizens. It is basic and foundational. laws are useless without enforcement and until we change leadership there will be more of the same. Time to clean house and elect people who will enforce laws and put lawbreakers behind bars. No cash bail for felonious law breaking is an example of erosion of foundational law.
Law (and the rule of law) has little meaning if it is not enforced both consistently and even-handedly. Inevitably, this involves some discretion because not every freeway speeder will get a ticket nor will every tax cheater get caught. But I fear we have reached the point that observation of the law has become optional. I spent 50+ years as a lawyer and I saw the system evolve from clients who ask “how do I conform to the law” to “what are the chances of my getting caught.” The proliferation of lawyers has adjusted due to advertising and competition and… Read more »
Well the 1st step is getting rid of the massive amount of lawyers in this country.
As the saying goes the only difference between a lawyer and liar is the spelling.
Plus 80% of congress is made up of lawyers.
About 35 years ago, two articles were published in EDN , a journal for electronic engineers regarding differences between lawyers and engineers. Engineers need the truth to solve problems while lawyers obfuscate to protect their clients. Engineering is a people serving profession where the engineers seeks to make the pie bigger for all while lawyers want a bigger piece of the pie. Law is perceived as a scummy profession and this why few Christians are in it.
There may be a few bad apples in the barrel or many. My career took me to Asia where I ran into some engineers from Siemens who candidly admitted that they hoped to win a contract by offering bigger bribes to the President than were being offered by their Chinese counterparts who were bidding on the same contract. Perhaps it was the MBAs and not the “real engineers” who were the bagmen, but I’ve seen a lot of news stories about bridges that are closed because of some cost-cutting in the construction. The view I was hoping to express was… Read more »
Thanks for that long-term perspective, and I totally agree.
The divide among those commenting is plainly evident. However, only one side can be ‘in charge.’ Certain smugness accompanies their assertions that the rest of us are free to go, when that same purposeful smugness taints their heartfelt expressions of abiding concern. Not even THEY are that ‘born yesterday’ about such matters. “Who can we trigger today?”
Thank you for yet another compelling and well-sourced article. Terrifying how things are developing — no-one is safe anywhere in the greater Chicagoland area, it seems. My neighbor was carjacked in her own driveway, at 5 p.m. in the afternoon — broad daylight in a middle class, safe area. The thugs followed her to her home from Oak Park. All three had guns – it’s a miracle they didn’t kill her.
The political class must live in gated communities. Amazing how nothing seems to happen to them.
You mean like the guards at Pritzker’s Chicago mansion or the heavy-duty full-time bodyguards Lori has ? These public servants are so valuable to us citizens that we must protect them. (And yes, this is sarcasm).
Kim Foxx lives in sleepy little crime-free Flossmoor. Population 9700. Surrounded by golf courses, not the ghetto.
Flossmoor would be a peaceful, safe place to hold a “victims of crime” march.
Sleepy little Flossmoor isn’t so sleepy when Kelley and Kim Foxx get going and the police are called to quiet the disturbance like happened a few months ago.
Better policies will only be achieved when better public servants are elected. Not everyone is suited to be involved in government. Raise the standards, require candidates to have a acquired knowledge of local and state government . Can you imagine if Doctors were elected to do their jobs without getting trained?
Democrats in action, just another reason to vote Republican
I believe this all started with the miserable conditions found at the Cook County Jail. Also run by the Democrats. Then came along Kim Foxx and her ilk as funded by Soros. Rather than fix the problem by clean up the jail (PS no diff than Riker’s Island in NYC another Democrat Paradise) they simply ditched the system and went woke. Free ‘em all.
I just don’t understand why anyone would be for no cash bail
Whatever party your associated with it’s going to hurt the common person, with more crime especially in low income areas
Terrible cause it’s all for getting votes not the good of the citizens
After st Floyd died, The public demanded that police and prosecutors stop harassing black criminals. And they stopped. And predictably, crime increased. now the high crime areas of cook county kind of like it, and they re-elected kim foxx with 90%+ of their votes. It’s a successful electoral strategy in many urban areas.
I’m going to address the other elephant in the room. For as long as I can remember, Chicago and Cook County have been run by democrats. The problem is, so very few discerning democrats realize that the problems were created by their own party. Even fewer wish to get involved or even speak up about necessary reforms. Apparenty it doesnt hurt enough, yet.
Yeah, the Democrats have run Chicago for nearly a century—-the last Republican being William Hale Thompson. One party rule for that long can’t help but breed corruption. But the Democrats know this. Believe me, they know it and use it to keep the lower classes in line. They love this! They capitalize on it.
you’re much too kind to them. Don’t be fooled.
Look, this exactly what tge democrats want. Their agenda is to create a chaotic environment so there’ll be a real need to put the hammer down to stop it. By stopping it will mean more control of people. By that time most of the law abiding people will be consumed by those who break the law and will have trust in any kind of government, which will entice either anarchy or a civil war. More possibly the latter. Sorry, but this is path we are looking at and will be living through.
As we look at the violence that is allowed in Chicago and other large metropolitan areas it really seems as though this is being done on purpose. The question is what is gained by allowing and accepting this kind of behavior?
Power.
With leftists, it is always about a quest for power.
The good, law abiding citizen is always in their way.
Remember the tanks crushing protesters in Tiananmen Square?
This is the softer, drawn out version.
Except the Democrats’ constituents are the criminals and their families and communities. They like the soft on crime policies. They overwhelming vote for soros prosecutors over and over again.
So pitiful. So many comments that think voting is the solution.
Democracy – the opiate of the masses who actually believe their votes count.
George Carlin said it best:
“If you vote and elect dishonest incompetent’s people then you are responsible for the mess they created”
You get more of what you allow. Always. No what it is. When public officials are seriously talking about forcing private businesses to shut down during certain hours because govt is failing to meet its core responsibility, the plot has been lost. Apparently, the crime wave has not spread far enough. It must reach the shores of the enclaves in which these officials live; they must feel the effect first-hand. Only then will something more than approaches that do not even rise to Band-Aid status enter the discussion.
Matt Rosenberg’s last sentence here says it all, “Unless voters awaken from their self-induced torpor, transformative change…will remain a distant dream.” And it will remain a distant dream. Voters will remain in “torpor.” Here is the definition of TORPOR: a state of mental and motor inactivity with partial or total insensibility. Hummingbirds, among my favorite photography subjects, enter this state a night. Matt has used the word perfectly in his analogy. The voters, a.k.a. “the people” of Chicago, are in such a state. They have elected and reelect so-called leaders who cynically capitalize. Why? It appears that the criminal class and their… Read more »
Dave, When Lightfoot allowed BLM rioters to loot Chicago twice she started the ball rolling on a Chicago becoming a food desert. It can happen and I can speak from experience living in Detroit. From 2007 to 2016 there was not a single major chain grocery store operating within the entire city limits of Detroit! Yes, you read that right. Imagine Chicago without a single Jewel and you’ll get the picture. If a Detroiter wanted to shop at a chain store he had to drive to the burbs. The few grocery stores within the city limits of Detroit were small… Read more »
Dave, Lori started the “food desert” ball rolling by allowing BLM looters to sack Chicago twice. What business won’t take another potential looting into account when setting up shop in Chicago? It can happen and I speak from experience living in Detroit. From 2007 to 2016 there wasn’t a major chain grocery store located within the entire city limits of Detroit! Yes, you read that right. Imagine Chicago without a Jewel or Marianos and you’ll get the picture. If a Detroiter wanted to shop at a chain grocery store he had to drive to the burbs. The few grocery stores… Read more »
Great column. Unfortunately, disturbing though.
We live in scary times! Our communities are on the brink of lawlessness – which is exactly what the Dems and their progressive policies are after. They want to create chaos and take away our right to defend ourselves – making us dependent on the government. The only way out is to elect Republicans and reinstate law and order by making the criminals accountable!!
Or just move away from those progressive utopias and let those naïve *activists* suffer the consequences of their dreamland.
Though this movement seems to be by design it’s the voters who become the useful idiots that enable this. Especially the low information voters fed by a feeble … what passes for … press that under reports or just omits the truth.
Thank you Matt for being a clarion !
Basic 101 Facts of life: 1) When you do not feel safe, then nothing is possible. As Mr. Rosenberg describes, the economy starts to shut down, employers leave, and eventually, you have nothing. 2) Government’s primary duty is to do for the citizens what they cannot do for themselves. Protecting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is the moral responsibility of government be it in Chicago or any country. Clearly, Chicago’s leadership class is failing at this responsibility. (And, note the Democrats’ insistence on killing life at conception is indicative of their response to life at all ages: they… Read more »
As long as the current trend of demonizing law enforcement and celebrating lawlessness by the promoters of “social justice”, Chicago and all cities will continue to slide into violence and chaos.
!!!*** INDY: After trying to be Silent on your shocking, Extremely Crude & Totally Disgusting remarks:
“But Hey maybe after you are mugged, shot, run over or car jacked you’ll get it” I wouldn’t wish that on anyone I didn’t like or disagreed with!!!
Why are you even on this website??? You are so Pathetic, I feel sorry for you!!! Learn how to be kind to someone that still wants to live here & doesn’t want to give up, or move, & let this City become another Detroit… Also I’m unable to afford to move!!! Grow up!!!
Your mentally fragile rants aren’t helping draw up sympathy for you.
2nd if you think you can’t afford to move now how will you afford to move when you are homeless?
If you really cared about moving and enjoying a better life you would find a way. 10+ Million Ukrainians have done just that.
Indy is not the problem. He got off his bottom and got out. Wake up Beth. Life can be good again outside of Illinois.
Exactly. All my friends and family have left Illinois except for 2 of them.
They didn’t sit there whining with the attitude *Oh it sucks here but I won’t move*
Instead they used their courage, pulled up their bootstraps and moved on.
Its no different than an abusive relationship. If your partner is beating, assaulting, bullying and harming you then you walk away. Not stay there and conjure up excuses defending his/her behavior.
Say, aren’t you the guy who is moving to the COVID free police state of Australia to avoid a nuclear attack?
Police state lololol.
Your Ignorance about Australia is noted though. But hey I’ll survive any Nuclear War in Australia while you stay & starve.
That crazy & evil person in the Kremlin hasn’t gotten any less crazy in the past 6 months.
Not exactly the catbird seat, but I spent nearly 30 years in Elgin observing from a safe distance Chicago’s suicide attempt. Suicide? Sure seems like it. For many years one of my goals was to visit Chicago’s major museums, and some of the not-so-major annually. But it’s been years since we’ve crossed the Chicago city limits. No museums, no white table cloth dinners, no concerts, no plays. Why? Because we’d like to live a while longer. Overreacting? Perhaps, but with an a prosecutor hand selected by notorious quisling George Soros, a discouraged police force with thoughts in the backs of… Read more »
This is really right on, Matt. The problem is that there are so many components to crime it can seem overwhelming to try and solve any of it. I just thought that maybe if it were possible to try and get a huge summit together of leaders with a vested interest in solutions, perhaps that would help.
I live in the heart of DuPage County. The bleeding of violent crime into the collar counties has already happened. I personally was the victim of a residential burglary 2 1/2 years ago. Was wiped out. Never caught the criminals. If you only knew the desperate meetings in the collar county law enforcement community that are regularly taking place to try to plan for the bomb that is about to hit us on January 1st, you’d be amazed. You’d be amazed because they have no answers. We have been dealt a loaded gun and the game is Russian Roulette because… Read more »
You understand the problem. I’m sure you also understand the solution is not to live in Illinois.
Is that the solution, or just the escape?
They’re going to hold as many criminals in jail indefinitely without bail. You’ll be locked up for months for jaywalking. They can’t say it out loud but it’s already happening in DuPage. Guy caught with loaded gun and held no bail. It will be like this in lots of counties.
It will only ruin your life if you stay in Illinois.
You have the freedom to move to another state.
Time for DuPage people to lock&load
Many Illinoisans think the massive crime wave is simply a Chicago problem. Since consequences were taken away for criminal behavior in our courts, crime has spread to be a Cook County problem. Residents are finding out the hard way that this has now spread further to become an Illinois problem. In 2023, Illinoisans will feel the full effects of the governor’s reckless signing of the SAFE-T act. I try to be optimistic, but I cannot see an end to this bloodshed.
It would seem idiots are in charge.
What is the end game? A city of nothing but dead bodies? All businesses closed. A ghost town left behind. How is any of this good?
Why can a perp be held for bail in DuPage and not in Cook? Who makes the rules?
If there is nothing to deter criminals why would they stop? How often do we see stories of smash and grabs, or folks just walking out of stores with a bagful of stolen goods?
More and more are voting with their feet.
Thanks for your article Matt.
Reading Facebook post regarding Chicago crime, there are many people who defend the city saying that we’re not even in the top 20 for crime Well the truth is, I pity the other cities who have more crime than Chicago. People are in denial about the crime. I’m not understanding why, when it’s on the news every single night. And Matt is right, it is spreading out into the suburbs that were usually crime free. I know so many people who will not even bother to go downtown anymore. And forget about writing the el. And the way the laws… Read more »
I live in the 60060 zip and have not been to Chicago in 16 year . I go to Milwaukee for live music quite often . But I’m sure that may someday be a problem too.
Unfortunately, Milwaukee has a very serious crime problem, too. In fact I believe the murder rate is higher than Chicago. Yes, I know people who enjoy going to Milwaukee from the northern Chicago suburbs for music, to see the Cubs play—don’t want to go to Chicago even to cheer for the Cubs!! I lived there for almost four years about forty years ago and loved it. But, I’m afraid Milwaukee is going the way of all blue cities. Damned shame.
Doubters argue the tipping point vanished from our midst right around the time Mayer Brown lost track of its star partner. Now doubters on the future of a once-great city feel as confined as the cornered animals committing all the violent crimes with firearms. They are not Americans. Laws apply to Americans. There’s the diff.
INDY: I’d say the opposite “YOU” should go live in those Communist Countries!!! I thought people on This Website were more open minded in a positive way & commented with dignity & respectful response’s … we all can have a difference of opinions, but answer more intelligently instead of “Child-minded/uniformed
Opinions “ You have some real soul searching to do!!! God help you!!! Beth
You’ll find most people on here are open minded and positive and would like things to be better. You’ll also find people that have moved out and they provide very good info on what it’s like where they moved to. Then there’s only like two people here who think they’re really smart because they moved out. They are actually kind of trollish and don’t really add to the discussion.
The only soul searching that needs to be done is for you to stop being so weak, gullible and stubborn.
You are an enabler to the crime & corruption of Chicago. Staying will have serious consequences for your entire family & unless you have lived under a rock this is not a new concept. Chicago has been violent & morally/fiscally bankrupt for the past 20+ years.
For decades I’ve been aware of parts of Evanston, North Chicago, Waukegan, Winthrop Harbor, Zion and other suburbs that, like areas of Chicago, you do not venture into at night and maybe not even during the day. And it’s true that the gangs recruit and set up ‘satellite offices’ in poorer parts of those suburbs. It’s just plain fact. Even my own growing-up beloved village of Skokie–and I’ve heard this stated verbatim by Skokie coppers–has square block areas that are like the South Side at night. The difference since the looters of summer 2020 is that now mall parking lots… Read more »
THIS RESPONSE IS FOR: Indy!!! Extremely lame, disrespectful response, I’m a conservative & I should be able to live anywhere I choose & feel safe!!! I want Chicago to be strong & safe again (It’s Beautiful!) in addition to having Our Police respected for law & order we once had… Beginning from the Top…Mayor LightFoot, Kim Fox. & our Police Superintendent need to go!!!! This once was a Thriving, Huge Tourist City, Great Business’s (large & small CO’s!) Now they are leaving due to all the crime & corruption!!! You seem to be part of the problem being so narrow… Read more »
Blah Blah Blah. Why don’t you go live in North Korea or China with that *I should be able to live anywhere I choose!* logic.
You will never be safe in Chicago but hey maybe after you are mugged, shot, ran over, or carjacked you’ll get it.
Every human being has a breaking point. Even the most stubborn Chicagoans like you will be broken and forced out of the city. Rather you like it or not.
Moving is a tough decision and is up to the individual. Some circumstances make leaving difficult. I will say that Indy’s doom and gloom views are an echo of those who left Detroit in the 80’s and 90’s. Same tone, same conclusion. I get where he is coming from. I also get those who want to fight and stay. Catastrophic decline is not mono-causal, but the one common driver about Detroit’s decline was and is crime. Ditto for Baltimore, a city arguably more troubled than any other. And while the crime statistics in Chicago land are getting worse, what matters… Read more »
Moving is only a tough decision when you sit there and relentlessly complain about how bad things are yet refuse to conjure up the courage to do the right thing and move on. We are at 10 Million and counting Ukrainians that have had to move due to the war. Do you think those that have moved sat there and relentlessly complained about the Russian bombs being dropped in their back yards? Nope. they summoned the courage to do what is right & necessary to protect their family and moved to safety. That’s one of many reasons the Ukrainians are… Read more »
Beth,
i can’t speak for Indy but I believe the issue is that if you are not willing to help yourself, then quit complaining. Moving is the simplest thing. Just move out of Illinois and you are free from the democrap BS that is Illinois. Beth, no you can’t live anywhere you want and live as a conservative because if the inaction of folks such as yourself for far too long. Far too long. Now, you refusing to leave is an extension of that original problem. Can you see the issue? Just more cuckservatives in action.
Very well written and accurate article. Most people will never know the true damage that has been caused. This article just starts to touch how bad things are getting everywhere.
Crime is up everywhere, especially violent crime. Politicians have let crime get out of control and it exacerbated during the pandemic and isn’t being mitigated by understaffed police forces and feckless politicians and incompetent state’s attorneys.
Move out of Chicagoland. Simple as that. Or at the very least into Indiana & Wisconsin.
The problem with your logic is that some day an empty headed president may take office and print a lot of meaningless money to fund urban crime toilets. Prices and taxes will rise for all citizens to keep those places afloat. We are all headed for last stand hill. Those who stay and fight locally are limiting the damage and hoping politics change!
Those who stay and fight in Illinois are wasting their effort. Better to fight in a different state.
Excellent article Matt as always! FYI a new theft ring is going around all over city: Gangbangers on Bikes are riding by fast & ripping Necklaces off women walking! After what just happened with our former President-who do we as law abiding citizens Trust??? OUR Current High Up Government (so-called Leaders: HAH!) are so corrupt: Most FBI Agent’s & DOJ’S & The White House Administration are a TOTAL JOKE!!! We are already being run by a “Communist Regime” & acting like a “3rd World Country”!!! We need Strong Conservative Leadership running our cities & Country To Drain The Swamp Again!!!… Read more »
With the exception of Stickney all the burbs you mentioned are Liberal sanctuary cities. How can so called well educated, intelligent people not see the consequences of their stupid ideas. Criminals are just that, crime seeking individuals that love preying on people where politicians think the criminal will reform if they’re released with no bail. Victims suffer, crime goes on and Liberals continue to reelect stupid policy makers.
Why not mention in these chats the woman in Woodlawn who shot the kid when his gang had designs on stealing her vehicle? She had a valid Illinois handgun license and she used it for its intended purpose: to defend her life and property when under imminent and deadly threat. The kid later died at Comer. Perhaps his gang buddies will engage in more peaceful hobbies. Until fed-up citizens see that they must take matters into their own hands, regardless of how much tax money they’re paying for “public safety”, LOL, and this message gets across to the overpaid, Soros-funded… Read more »
That self-defense case spurred first by an attempted car theft, then the perps pulling a gun on the vic, was notable. I may work it in to a future story. Dovetails with the recent two instances of self-defense (with knives) on the CTA. It’s coming to this, people. One shudders. But there it is.
Another well researched and well written article. Thank you, Matt. I hope there is a payoff for your efforts down the road.
As aways by this author, savvy advice is offered. Will anyone listen?
Our future depends on it!
When the politicians protect the criminal ask why? Breakdown in society then rebuild it into their vision of central control. No more community policing. Bring in the federal force
Ann Marie’s comment concisely explains the current situation. The good people commenting on this thread and wondering why this is happening are using the logic of good, honest people, to their credit. However, the people in charge in Illinois and Chicago are not good, honest people. They are the architects of the current mayhem, and they are doing it purposely! There is no other explanation. All the good people who leave Illinois solidify the hold on power by the evil people. They want to rule over a wasteland where they do not have to answer to anyone. It’s all about… Read more »
I kinda disagree, the simple answer is that after st floyd, and leading up to his overdose, our black leaders wanted police and prosecutors to leave black people alone, stop bothering them with arrests and convictions. We now have this. Black people are thrilled while the rest of us are pretty freaked out because crime is soaring. And now high crime is simply something we are going to have to live with until society flips back the other way and decides that urban blacks no longer get a get out of jail free card. It’s going to be a long… Read more »
I’m interested in understanding why this Cook County Attorney General , our Mayor and our Governor hope to accomplish by not charging criminals for their crimes. Whatever it is, it’s not working. Chicago is becoming one of the most dangerous cities in our country to live in. Do our elected officials have even an ounce of sense? If people want this to change they better get to the ballot box in November.
But IT IS WORKING for those in power and their voters, many of them in the criminal class. It’s just not working for good, honest people, but those in power do not care about good, honest people. They only care about their personal power. The good people are even funding their power agenda, and their tax receipts fund the evil people who are 100% opposed to the good people’s values and way of life. All of this may not make sense to you, but to those in power, it makes perfect sense. They have implemented their power agenda with 100%… Read more »
You are right about this. Maybe I misunderstood your post above when I said I disagree but you were right about this. This soft on crime approach is extremely popular in urban areas. Both of the 1970s a little bit of the 80s and all the 90s were high crime eras with levels of crime that exceeded even what we have today. We still have a long way to go before anything changes
The exodus from Illinois continues. Three close friends are all contemplating voting with their feet, and tax dollars, to other, friendlier and safer places. Places like Tennessee, Texas and Florida. Why haven’t they moved yet? Job related issues, finance related difficulties in the short term, and children in college are a few of the reasons. The housing market isn’t helping, either. These friends grieve for America. They all say this isn’t America anymore. And they all think that civil war is in the offing, if not already here: one told me it started several years ago. Another said with the… Read more »
While Civil War is a real possibility what is much more likely to destroy America is a Nuclear War with Russia. The risk for that is very high especially with the war in Ukraine dragging on and on.
The only safe place from nuclear war is the southern hemisphere & Australia/New Zealand.
Well thanks to Biden we are currently at war with Russia. Ukraine is an excuse for Biden.
No thank you to both Australia and New Zealand which became police states under Covid restrictions. I ain’t goin’.
Well you can stay and die from either fireball, radiation or famine from a Nuclear War with Russia. Biden’s foolish proxy war with Russia isn’t going away and when the Putin Regime is about to collapse he will play the *I lose everyone loses card*
I’ll be alive, safe and continuing to enjoy live down south.
Spot on! We are allowing the inmates to rule the roost. Police hands are tied. No accountability. We need drastic changes quick or it’s going to get much worse.
The big question 🤔 is it too late for Illinois? The voters of Illinois have spoken clearly by continuing to vote for Liberals that promise more destruction and chaos. Those that have had enough are taking exit stage right to other states to save their families.
Illinois has long been a lost cause and unsalvageable. Its just now becoming so blatantly obvious to even the most stubborn.
Agatha, a popular excuse for staying is families. In reality, the best thing anyone could do for their family is to lead the way to a red state. Also, some Illinois residents pretend staying and fighting is the noble thing to do. I don’t buy it.
I agree, had we stayed we would have lost our businesses. My husband was a smart man and got us out in time.
Matt, your observations are summed up well in this sentence; “It is unfettered sociopathic behavior – like growing carjackings, and escalating violent crime on regional transit – which is the elephant in the room.” … or should we say donkey?
Thanks again, Mr. Rosenberg, for an outstanding, thoughtful article. I, too, live in a suburb that shares a Chicago boundary though not either of the two you named. We are just off a major expressway and CTA station. Easy access for the criminally inclined. Also, a major grocery chain has a large store right on the border and a large gas station across the street. What a bonanza! I myself have had my wallet lifted from my purse (and yes, I know it is stupid to have your purse open in a shopping cart, but I was expecting an important text and…..well, you know the rest).… Read more »
Or just move out Chicagoland and stop funding/enabling this crap.
Chicago crime is spilling everywhere. DuPage County is strict, they will not tolerate the thuggery. The problem is the thugs don’t give a shit. It’s anybody’s guess in Chicago where crime is going to occur. It is everywhere! There are no safe neighborhoods anymore. I live in the far Northwest Side of the city, safest of the safe. Well, last week we had 2 asshats shooting at cops at 3am less than a half mile from my house. The blue line, the safest El in the city is a joke, good luck riding on that. There is a blue line… Read more »
I’m sure on January 1, 2023 when Illinois implements no cash bail, everything will be just fine.