Is the violence in Chicago out of control? (statistics, estimate)

[Aleking]

Originally Posted by SmartGXL

Urza - To answer your question, although I am not originally "from" Chicago, I have lived in IL since 1998. I have lived in Lakeview (in the East Lakeview/Central Lakeview/Boystown area) since 2002 (except for a 2 year stint over in Wicker Park from 2009 until April 2011). Before moving away - the neighborhood was as close to Utopia as it gets. You could walk around without feeling "menaced" by packs of low class idiots. And I used to visit a lot during the 2 years that I lived over in Wicker Park and it always felt 'safe'. There was never any reason to think that anything had changed. So I moved back at the end of April of this year, and after Memorial day, everything suddenly had changed...(and not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but it almost seems like this is being directed or coordinated at a higher level)...every night, large packs of a-holes walking all up and down Halsted and Belmont too, harrassing and menacing people, fighting, pushing people off the sidewalks etc. In the boystown area this summer, there have been DOZENS of violent attacks of one sort or another: Muggings, beating, stabbings, at least one rape (took place on a sidewalk), numerous apartment break-ins, etc. Someone took a crowbar and tried to pry open our front door. Two gay men in my building have had their face smashed by random thugs walking around. A large pack of thugs stood outside Steamworks and was harrassing and attacking gay men, who were minding their own business, coming in and out of that place. And this is on top of the normal, isolated crime incidents that normally take place, and are to be expected on some level or another but are usually low impact to the community (fights between drunken frat bros who know each other, inside "Vines" Bar are not really a menace to the general safety of the neighborhood).

Since deploying more police, the situation has gotten better...so the answer is to flood the area with even more police, maybe two or 3 on every block, plus amp up the volunteer dog-walking teams, etc.

[SmartGXL]

Aleking - it SEEMS like it is being encouraged...it literally started happening right after memorial day...everything was fine until after that weekend. This also ties in with the flash mobs that have been taking place, plus with the riots in London...it just seems...I dont know the word...suspicious?

And, as a matter of fact, there was a blogger encouraging violence during Urban Beach Weekend over Memorial Day.

[Aleking]

Originally Posted by SmartGXL

Aleking - it SEEMS like it is being encouraged...it literally started happening right after memorial day...everything was fine until after that weekend. This also ties in with the flash mobs that have been taking place, plus with the riots in London...it just seems...I dont know the word...suspicious?

And, as a matter of fact, there was a blogger encouraging violence during Urban Beach Weekend over Memorial Day.

how is a blogger a "higher level" and really you're tying this into London...suspicious, no, stupid, yes.

[SmartGXL]

Originally Posted by Aleking

how is a blogger a "higher level" and really you're tying this into London...suspicious, no, stupid, yes.

I DONT KNOW who is doing it. All I am saying is that it seems suspicious, that is all.

Doesnt matter though, as the police have been coming on and arresting a lot of the crooks, so I am happy about that. The people who have been vocally supporting the criminals, and who like crime and are glad that criminals are attacking Lakeview, keep getting defeated and pwned in that regards.

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Originally Posted by SmartGXL

Urza - To answer your question, although I am not originally "from" Chicago, I have lived in IL since 1998. I have lived in Lakeview (in the East Lakeview/Central Lakeview/Boystown area) since 2002 (except for a 2 year stint over in Wicker Park from 2009 until April 2011). Before moving away - the neighborhood was as close to Utopia as it gets. You could walk around without feeling "menaced" by packs of low class idiots. And I used to visit a lot during the 2 years that I lived over in Wicker Park and it always felt 'safe'. There was never any reason to think that anything had changed. So I moved back at the end of April of this year, and after Memorial day, everything suddenly had changed...(and not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but it almost seems like this is being directed or coordinated at a higher level)...every night, large packs of a-holes walking all up and down Halsted and Belmont too, harrassing and menacing people, fighting, pushing people off the sidewalks etc. In the boystown area this summer, there have been DOZENS of violent attacks of one sort or another: Muggings, beating, stabbings, at least one rape (took place on a sidewalk), numerous apartment break-ins, etc. Someone took a crowbar and tried to pry open our front door. Two gay men in my building have had their face smashed by random thugs walking around. A large pack of thugs stood outside Steamworks and was harrassing and attacking gay men, who were minding their own business, coming in and out of that place. And this is on top of the normal, isolated crime incidents that normally take place, and are to be expected on some level or another but are usually low impact to the community (fights between drunken frat bros who know each other, inside "Vines" Bar are not really a menace to the general safety of the neighborhood).

Since deploying more police, the situation has gotten better...so the answer is to flood the area with even more police, maybe two or 3 on every block, plus amp up the volunteer dog-walking teams, etc.

Wow that is bad-

[Atizstr8]

[Alacran]

Flood the cops in to boystown?

You're crazy.

They need to be sent to better served areas.

Lol boystown needs more cops

[SmartGXL]

Originally Posted by Alacran

Flood the cops in to boystown?

You're crazy.

They need to be sent to better served areas.

Lol boystown needs more cops

The ENTIRE CITY needs more cops. The city has lost 4000 police officers due to retirements etc and so without the additional help, yes crime will go up as the police are short staffed.

But regarding Lakeview - it is a tourist destination, and generates a lot of revenue for the city. The only way to fix the issue with the troublemakers is to get more police here, this scares them away. It is working because when they started having more police, the troublemakers magically disappeared.

[mjtinmemphis]

Originally Posted by SmartGXL

Aleking - it SEEMS like it is being encouraged...it literally started happening right after memorial day...everything was fine until after that weekend. This also ties in with the flash mobs that have been taking place, plus with the riots in London...it just seems...I dont know the word...suspicious?

And, as a matter of fact, there was a blogger encouraging violence during Urban Beach Weekend over Memorial Day.

I use to think the mob action was targeted at vulnerable communities. The more I read into it, it seems more racially motivated with blacks attacking whites. There was a recent incident in Mississippi where a group of whites travelled into a black community to kill a black person. that and many other incidents is showing signs that someone is attempting a race war.

This is not what we need as a nation. We are living in times that we need to be taking care of each other and not fighting. Where are these kids getting this type of hate? They havent lived long enough to experience anything to make them that way? We've got to get a grip on this. May be we could organise a multicultural peace mob through twitter and show that there are more of us then them.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis

I use to think the mob action was targeted at vulnerable communities. The more I read into it, it seems more racially motivated with blacks attacking whites. There was a recent incident in Mississippi where a group of whites travelled into a black community to kill a black person. that and many other incidents is showing signs that someone is attempting a race war.

This is not what we need as a nation. We are living in times that we need to be taking care of each other and not fighting. Where are these kids getting this type of hate? They havent lived long enough to experience anything to make them that way? We've got to get a grip on this. May be we could organise a multicultural peace mob through twitter and show that there are more of us then them.

Bad economic times bring out the racists, xenophobes, and conspiracy-mongers. Happened during the Great Depression and you can see it happening now.