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Chicago (and elsewhere) has residents that do not know how to talk out problems. It has residents that have low self-esteem so that a "look" by someone else can set you off. There are no learned de-escalation skills. In some cases, this is learned behavior by parents or other people in the vicinity.
This is why I feel social programs, sports, martial arts, etc. is so vital for the youth.
I've offered to run seminars in various schools and parks in Chicago. I certainly tried to give to the cause.
You're going to see a 'Ferguson effect' across the country. Law enforcement officers are going to be more cautious in their interventions, and it will spark a crime wave of unknown magnitude. People should not be surprised that the police 'allowed' much of the rioting and looting to go on instead of risking making an intervention that would further inflame the situation.
True. Although for Chicago, these numbers have been the norm every summer weekend over the last decade (well before the current events). If there is a new "Ferguson effect," then that may mean the numbers going forward will be even worse, which is scary.
As long as there are headlines with these types of numbers, the reputation of Chicago and violent crime will continue.
[b]That leaves the whites. This group in the past was responsible for "make no small plans" and creating the city that once was higher ranked on the items listed. The white population of Chicago today is greatly diminished as compared to our ancestors. Today, 90% of the whites in Chicago are ultra-liberal, support LGBT agenda, are unmarried, many are feminist and not having offspring. All of this leads to decay when it comes to topics like engineering feats,starting major corporations, increasing the population # of the city, having a city of real production, and producing high culture & virtue, etc.
This post is rather easily confused in its appeal. Your fantasy of a once great white race of Chicagoans leading an era of propserity and innovation that exalted the city which has now succumbed to radical liberals that have forsaken the city's legacy with their capitulating agendas killing off the great entrepreneurial spirit is rather desperate and fraught with a willful ignorance.
It is not "Socialist Liberals" among the donor class in the Gold Coast, Streeterville, Lincoln Park, etc. that have formed activist, Alinsky-esque community organizations comprised of former city/zoning officials, lawyers, architects, historians, proffessors, engineers and doctors that have the disposable financial rescources to mount frivilous legal battles lasting years that cost millions of dollars to stifle developments that draw their ire. These endeavors are the exact opposite of 'progressive.'
These same types fight incessantly over affordable housing being proposed on city owned land in Logan Square over sacred parking space, perceived loss in property values, fear of increase in crime and people whom have the harrowing displeasure of being encroached upon by outsiders that might dare drive on the same road or take the blue line at the same time they might engage in those protected activities.
The "engineering feats" that you fondly remember that are now elusive is strictly the result of capitalism enduring in its purest form. Accountants rather than architects design towers now and when we are finally graced with a supertall clad in terra-cotta that was masterfully incorporating Chicago's most innovative design languages, the residents along North Water Street flooded Alderman Reilly with hostile threats detailing a future where they envisioned hotel guests ventruing past their quasi-gated communities on public riverwalks and ride sharing services traveling their quiet streets was all too cataclysmic to allow and he predictably folds to their pressures. Which class of people do you think can hold a public lakefront adjacent property hostage and influene developments to cater to their whims?
"Make no small plans" was a once great mantra but in reality Chicago has been historically hypocritical in execution. There is no generational public transportation investments, the city still forces parking minimums keeping the city reliant on auto uses that has led to mass suburbinization of the city's built environment and towers on raised parking podiums at street level creating dead zones lacking vitality.
These were the same reductive motives that slaughtered Chicago's 700,000 manufacturing jobs to seek overseas cheap labor markets and automation cost reduction efforts. You speak of growing a population when the city reserves 96% of the land single-family and only allows multi-family in very limited areas and at the restriction of only 4 stories. The city also widely supports deconversions of 3/4-flats to single-family Mc'Mansions that has taken thousands of dwellings out of Lincoln Park alone. One of the city's most desireable neighborhoods has lost housing units when the demographic to afford living in Lincoln Park has exploded. "Starting a corporation" in the city is as easy as ever and Chicago is in the top 5 of VC money and highly ranked for tech startups. We just don't create heavy industry anymore that employs masses at a living wage. The conservative agenda has obviously won out here.
I believe it is a bit of too much blame that Chicago had itself to blame for Manufacturing moving to Asia. First it was Japan then Taiwan before the Beast of Mainland China Corporate America fast forwarded thru the 20th century. ALL the North Small cities to our largest this occurred. My old hometown in PA a small city had every kind of garment factory, Shoe factory, Shirt factory, Dress etc. They were greatly already hurting though the 60s into the 70s yet some managed what was like new suburban Industrial park moving the mills too. They the forces to Asia where under a $1 a hour was paid was something you could not compete with.
It could be noted too Chicago was booming though the 20s and despite the Al Capone Era of that time, but the Depression helped few cities, but Chicago came full-steam building again for the War Effort again.
On thing that hurt any chance for a integrate Chicago was how Real Estate pricing was dire if a Black family moved in and God forbid another etc. Your home value then plummeted. Who do we blame for that? Why should they drastically lower home values just because a minority moved in if they could afford the home? It did happen and the result was severe. It may have built the Northwest and Southwest sides, but other then that it was a perfect storm with White-Flight and loosing manufacturing to Suburbs and then Asia that incentives were even offered to move to Asia. Who is to blame?
Debt especially Pension debt that never can catch up was not the blame in past decades de-industrialization and White- Flight eras.
Chicago was lucky to have had Visionaries influence governmental decisions of the past like Montgomery Ward and Marshal Field. Protecting the Lakefront from more industry was a HARD FOUGHT fight. Chicago's creation of its Craftsmen Bungalow Belt was literally creating a new kind of Middle-Class home as LA did its Arts and Crafts Bungalows. Powers that be maintained a level of quality and standard street-grid and Alleys were continued more then any other city in the Nation and Chicago at 90% of the city with alleys is up there internationally also. The ability to place the power-grid in the alleyways was a great aesthetics booster for the city vs other where fronts were blemished with the power-grid poles.
The claim that Chicago suppresses the ability to build more highrises though the city may be true, but not unusual for most N.A cities even Toronto. SF did in a extreme way as a peninsula that could look like Hong Kong today if they could build over old SF. Then we would not have SF as we do good or bad as it is. Chicago has plenty near core areas and corridors out main streets that can have highrises and higher in zoning. Not every neighborhood needs to be leveled for a new multi-residential city with huge HOA fees too.
Does anyone believe a Ukrainian Village or Logan Square should be much more leveled for highrises? Do we think the degree of leveling of old wealthy Chicago up the Gold Coast for highrises in past decades was best or too much of Chicago's gorgeous past housing had to be lost before Preservationist saved some and did a lot of saving just in the Loop. Can we imagine Chicago without most of its Loop Theaters? The Chicago Theater was very close to being lost. Should it have been another Skyscraper instead?
Though I understand lost old housing in Lincoln Park mentioned for new still great looking quality built new infill. I do not call them McMansions because they are not cheaply built at all. Still they serve a purpose and IMO look great. They are as the Classic old Gilded-Age Mansions that graced many neighborhoods. Sure a more fabricated version but again, not cheaply built and will last. IMO.
I do not think every scaled down skyscraper is some drastic political nimby catastrophic change. I will await the new Spire replacement towers that though not one supertall. The large block podium gone was I believe a good call. Besides another Hotel is not quite what is needed at this time. I expect them to still look awesome.
I remember the Spire era and though it was awesome to think Chicago getting a new tallest mega-tall. I really did not like this huge screw growing out of the lakefront. That was my perception at that time. Hopeful but I was not a huge fan of the location for such a spike of a building.
No one looks at Chicago's skyline or visits its street-level attractions and look and sees a city that could have been a hellofalotmore. At least not downtown. Not saying I would have loved ever supertall pre-crash and after were still not built. Just how many other US cities got supertalls even imagined? Most that did never got theirs apparently. I also believe it would be rediculous to totally rip-down the Thompson Center.....
This post is rather easily confused in its appeal……..
These were the same reductive motives that slaughtered Chicago's 700,000 manufacturing jobs to seek overseas cheap labor markets and automation cost reduction efforts. You speak of growing a population when the city reserves 96% of the land single-family and only allows multi-family in very limited areas and at the restriction of only 4 stories. The city also widely supports deconversions of 3/4-flats to single-family Mc'Mansions that has taken thousands of dwellings out of Lincoln Park alone. One of the city's most desireable neighborhoods has lost housing units when the demographic to afford living in Lincoln Park has exploded. "Starting a corporation" in the city is as easy as ever and Chicago is in the top 5 of VC money and highly ranked for tech startups. We just don't create heavy industry anymore that employs masses at a living wage. The conservative agenda has obviously won out here.
I also lament Chicago's loss of manufacturing jobs, I remember Western Electric Hawthorne Works, American Can, Continental Can, Motorola, Westinghouse, Rheem, Peter Pan, the Nabisco plant on the south side still there but a shadow of what it once was), and mostly, General Foods Kool Aid plant (I myself did seven months there as a kid). There was a time when I too blamed their demise on "greedy manufacturers" who closed their plants to move manufacturing either overseas or to southern states, but in reality, if they did not do so, then their competitor would, and could heavily undercut them in the marketplace, and they would have gone out of business. What CEO would make the second of these two choices? So they moved. Do not dismiss the cost of Chicago unions in those decisions as well.
So, I mostly blame "Globalization", our insistence on having "Free Trade" with countries that simply did not reciprocate, and the American consumer themselves, whose only loyalty was to the lowest price possible, and hence we got Walmart (Wasn't it Clinton who set up NAFTA?). The flip side to that argument, was that who could blame someone for buying a much more reliable, fuel efficient Toyota rather than a 1981 Ford Crown Vic that had a carburetor the size of a toaster, that would start rusting out before the last payment coupon was sent? As a result, Detroit lost out to Mexico and Tokyo, and Chicago to Taiwan, and now Beijing. The bottom line, the loss of Chicago's manufacturing base is a bit more complicated than "Conservative Agenda". But if you care to explain your position, I would love to learn something new today.
This one thing has hit me in a strange way. I am hearing on the news all the shootings like the 104 over the past weekend. Well it happens every summer. But its getting worse.
Then i have been hearing from several news reporters and they say "chicago is one of the most dangerous cities"
If i were not living here, i'd look at chicago like i look at Detroit, Gary, IN, or Beirut. I'd be thinking, wow im glad i dont live here.
But my reality is this - i am living in one of the safest areas of the city, not every inch o chicago is a war zone. i do have city street smarts, so i know where to go, when,etc.
its just surrealistic for me to realize i live in one of themost dangerous cities. Because i look out my window and you would never guess this. I live in a bubble of sorts, as my world is pretty much in this one part of the city. sometimes i have to venture out though, i know this sounds silly, but i dont feel scared when traveling where i have to go.
But its just weird hearing this. i almost cant believe it.
Since Chicago is a sanctuary city, and since Chicago has liberal politics, could that be a huge contributor?
The shootings that happen in the city - seems like the teens or young people (o even older people, i dont know the age) but when you see them on tv.. they have this rage in their eye, they are waving the gun around and now fireworks - they showed a clip on tv of a raving wild teen plopping a firework onto the lap of a homeless person and set them on fire. the camera showed his face and you see his teeth blaring in a wide smile.. he thinks this is funny to set a person on fire. Where are this kids parents? do they care? or have they given up their teen to the wild?
Since Chicago is a sanctuary city, and since Chicago has liberal politics, could that be a huge contributor?
The lion's share of large cities and urban counties in the U.S. are sanctuary cities/counties. This aspect has nothing to do with why the gap between Chicago and NYC/LA is increasing, and why Chicago is losing parity amongst its peers (most of which are sanctuary cities and/or in sanctuary counties and/or in sanctuary states).
This one thing has hit me in a strange way. I am hearing on the news all the shootings like the 104 over the past weekend. Well it happens every summer. But its getting worse.
Then i have been hearing from several news reporters and they say "chicago is one of the most dangerous cities"
If i were not living here, i'd look at chicago like i look at Detroit, Gary, IN, or Beirut. I'd be thinking, wow im glad i dont live here.
But my reality is this - i am living in one of the safest areas of the city, not every inch o chicago is a war zone. i do have city street smarts, so i know where to go, when,etc.
its just surrealistic for me to realize i live in one of themost dangerous cities. Because i look out my window and you would never guess this. I live in a bubble of sorts, as my world is pretty much in this one part of the city. sometimes i have to venture out though, i know this sounds silly, but i dont feel scared when traveling where i have to go.
But its just weird hearing this. i almost cant believe it.
I completely agree with this. I have been saying for the longest time. It is strange because since about 2012/2013 these gaudy headline numbers just continue to come out. There is an occasionally lull, but just when you think things may be getting better, headlines like last weekend's come out for the nation to see.
It is why Chicago, while statistically not the most crime-ridden city, has the worst reputation because of the raw numbers that make headlines around the world. The term "Chiraq" also started to become ubiquitous around the country around 2012/2013, which made things worse. Fortunately, the Spike Lee movie flopped, but even the fact that trailers and media attention was given to it, further perpetuated Chicago's negative reputation.
It is crazy because I live in the North Side, and it is one of the most vibrant and best places I've ever lived in my life. Being in downtown and in my neighborhood I have never once felt unsafe. Many tourists to the downtown core don't see anything that resembles the negative media attention.
But Chicago's reputation to the outside (and globally to some extent) suffers. It goes to show you just how bad the "bad" areas are.
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