Chicago's gang problem (Madison, Polo, Sheridan: condo, neighborhood, to buy)

[noid_1985]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Gangs are a plague. If it was legal to take it upon ourselves to get rid of them, they'd be gone overnight. Could you imagine if Daley gave us permission, for just one night, to arm ourselves and put an end to gangs? I guarantee come morning the gutters would be flowing with red, thats how much gangs are despised. Where is the old Wild West justice when you need it?

I think people in outside communities still look at it as "their problem"- let them kill themselves- if you know what I mean. Gangs as a whole isn't looked at as an American issue- it's an issue that a lot of so called Americans use to make stereotypes and point fingers.

[Venom]

Originally Posted by Drover

And a lot of those old angry white people you're puzzled about used to be from these neighborhoods too. They're angry that they had to leave the places their families had lived for generations so that they and their kids wouldn't wind up on the front page of the Tribune only to have their murders flippantly dismissed by people who are incapable of empathy because "they were all from the neighborhood."

You're right.
I'm just a kid, I don't know much...

[Venom]

Originally Posted by aragx6

So just because they were "from the neighborhood" I'm not allowed to care that they were murdered because I'm white? That's bull.

One is allowed to care. Who said otherwise?

[katrose]

I really don't care if the gangs kill each other. And I am sick and tired of the mom and family talk about their gangbanging son. He is such a wonderful son, he never hurt nobody he was such a good boy. Well your good son has a lengthy record and has been in a gang since he has been introduce to it by your nephew. You know the one who you thought was so wonderful for taking your son under his wing. Or that uncle or family member who you knew had some kind of problem but to you it wasn't much.
Yes that once little boy who doesn't know who his father is and was subject to getting close to one of mom's boyfriend only to get replace by another. As far as school goes mom never really instilled the importance of a education, why should she she herself never cared for it either and to her she is doing alright. After all she is told its everyone else fault for her failures in life, makes it so much easier doesn't. When you and others walk in those marches against gangs in the neighorhood, how many of you are actually walking against your own sons who still live with you. To stop future gangs from devoloping it must be stopped in the home when they are very young. Stop making excuses and blaming others, only you can change the neighborhood by changing your behavior towards eachother and your kids. Keep your self and kids away from bad influences even if its your own family member.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by Venom

One is allowed to care. Who said otherwise?

Well you said you don't understand why older white people get "worked up" about gangs and then when someone gave you examples of why they get worked up, you said those kids were "all from the neighborhood" which I, perhaps unfairly and incorrectly, took to mean you were saying that there was no reason for a white person to care about what happened to those people because they weren't from "our" neighborhood.

[Venom]

Originally Posted by aragx6

Well you said you don't understand why older white people get "worked up" about gangs and then when someone gave you examples of why they get worked up, you said those kids were "all from the neighborhood" which I, perhaps unfairly and incorrectly, took to mean you were saying that there was no reason for a white person to care about what happened to those people because they weren't from "our" neighborhood.

I was just thinking of a time one guy was worried of walking from a train station to his job when gang members are present in the corner. I just meant that gangs won't bother you if you don't look like an intentional target. Not speaking of a fight which is a different situation

[Chicago60614]

Right, I walk through Uptown (where I just moved), and it's obviously MUCH different than Lincoln Park where I had been. I like the atmosphere though, and it's a much more "real" neighborhood.

The downside is the crazy amount of shootings and a few murders we've had up here this summer. Mostly crazy because they're happening during sunny afternoons on crowded street corners. It's a very unique neighborhood because it's about half middle/upper class whites, and half poor. 95% of the people in the area are good people, but the 5% that are bad are REALLY bad.

If I walk down the street near Broadway and Wilson though, or Lawrence, the gang-bangers and crazys on the street could care less about me. The people being shot and killed are almost always other gang members, not that this IN ANY WAY means people shouldn't care, it's outrageous, but in general gangbangers attack other gangbangers.

We did have an innocent immigrant on his way to school killed up here a few months ago in cross-fire, and a few kids down on the south/west side as well this week. Those are the most disturbing to me. I suppose it should be most disturbing that EVERY murder isn't disturbing to me anymore...what a wonderful world we live in.

I wish I could go back to growing up in Iowa City in the 1980's! Maybe one murder in the metro area every 5 years, always extremely tramatizing for the entire community.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by Venom

I just meant that gangs won't bother you if you don't look like an intentional target.

Gang members shoot bystanders almost weekly - That was the point of the links I posted. Does that not count as "bothering" people?

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Venom

I was just thinking of a time one guy was worried of walking from a train station to his job when gang members are present in the corner. I just meant that gangs won't bother you if you don't look like an intentional target. Not speaking of a fight which is a different situation

And this is where you're wrong. Some gangs won't bother you if you're not from a rival gang. But some will. Some will take anything from anyone who looks like they have something worth taking. And there's no sure way to know which group of little thuglets will leave you alone and which ones won't. And some will escalate the most innocuous perceived slight to violence no matter who you are. Regardless, virtually none of them give a s*#t about who else gets hurt, innocent or otherwise.

[tb4000]

The whole thing is a cycle. You have kids as young as 6 and 7 raised by parents who are still kids themselves, and the gang life is all they know. And the cycle repeats itself.