Chicago's gang problem (Washington, Huey: income, safety, backyard)

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by Midwesterns45

new york might be dirty but it really doesn't have a 'gang problem' also consedering that its america's largest city!!!

there are some bad neighborhoods in harlem and brooklyn but none of them compare to the problems in near by newark, nj or irvington.

They've just been priced out of NYC and moved to the closest affordable locations. It's part of what is happening in Chicago this summer, gentrification in many neighborhoods have displaced gangs into other gang territories and created conflicts.

[SAI126]

Originally Posted by David Hammond

I lived in Albany Park and I knew some jewish gangs that were literally filled with HATE and were racist against non-Jews.

When was that?

[noid_1985]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

It is called Mob Action or Loitering.

Loitering is a law used by local governments for people who are suspected to be in gangs or drug dealers- it's legal harassment.

[HUEY P]

Do any of you guys know or ever talk to a "Gang member" personally or actually live in the neighborhoods that are plagued with the worst problems?Just a question?

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by SAI126

When was that?

1935. My Dad remembers the Jews and Poles battling in Lawndale, the Jewish kids learned to box at the BBR. I knew an old Bohemian guy from 22nd and Millard who in the old days was jumped by Jews in Douglas Park because they thought he was Polish. They were gonna drown him in the lagoon as he desperately shouted "I'm not a Polock, I'm a Bohunk". So they cut him loose.

When I hung around at Madison and Central (the MCs) back in 60s most of the guys on the corner were Irish and Italian but we had two Jews, Rueben and Maury.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by HUEY P

Do any of you guys know or ever talk to a "Gang member" personally or actually live in the neighborhoods that are plagued with the worst problems?Just a question?

Well, they talk to me. And by "talk to", I mean "harass". And they certainly like to make comments to all of the women in the neighborhood.

So the answer to your question is, yes, I live around some gangs. And I'd like nothing more than to see them whisked away to Gitmo for the rest of their lives. And I'm a Democrat who doesn't believe in the concept of Gitmo. But if you deal with these gang bangers even occasionally, you learn to despise them. It's people in the suburbs who can sit around and make stupid self-righteous comments like yours.

[Ron.]

In this big country we live in, you don't think you can escape it? You most certainly can. Stop going to the major, hip/happening cities.

Do you know that there are cities/towns in this country that don't have an ounce of crime? I'll be moving to one next year. No, I don't mean small town of 2,365 people either.

As long as you continue to go to the most popular cities, you'll always be in a "big mess"!


Ron

Originally Posted by chicagocubs

hi, everyone...I am a Chicago-born transplant that moved south to get away from the crime. Now, Charlotte (NC) has such a huge gang problem that we have become the focus of an Federal Government (FBI) investigation. Our biggest problems here have been the ostrich-in-the-sand approach that our gov't has taken up until the last few years. I saw gang tagging when I moved here in 1989 and was told..."NO, Charlotte doesn't have gangs!" Later, they developed a gang task force of 1 (yes, one) for the city, population at the time about 300k. (our populatin now is around 600k and growing) Just last year, the state of NC voted down legislation making gang activity a felony offense saying that our problem isn't "that bad". Now that the Feds are involved, we MIGHT get some relief.

The other issue that we have are the gang wanna-bes who are not real gangs but want to act like they are. They are very stupid, but, dangerous in that they are really irratic in their behaviour. With real gangs, if you live in their hood and you don't bother them, you usually are ok. Not with the wanna-bes. They have no clue. Yes, they get arrested, but, with our lax laws here, they are out in a week or so...to do it all over again. The cops estimate that a local crime ring (whose headquarters are a 1/2 block from my house) generates anywhere from $10-$20k weekly in stolen goods. So, if one of them goes to jail and maybe pays a fine of $5k, it is nothing. This has become their job.

Seriously thinking of moving back to the city. there really does not seem to be an escape.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by HUEY P

Do any of you guys know or ever talk to a "Gang member" personally or actually live in the neighborhoods that are plagued with the worst problems?Just a question?

Neighborhoods with the "worst problems"? No. But with problems? Yes. I tutored at Roberto Clemente in the early/mid 90's and knew quite a few kids who were involved in gangs at that time. I knew a few gang members who sold pot and drank beer on the corner of Wood and Augusta in the late 90's. Currently my next door neighbor was in a gang until 6 or 7 years ago, and he's pointed out a kids on our street who belong to a gang that is just a little West of us. I've talked to him quite a bit about gangs in Logan Square and Humboldt Park.

On the street level most gangs are not that organized. It is kids selling pot and maybe stealing cars and anything they see that they can easily grab (grills out of backyards, iPods out of cars, etc.). They need to buy and fence through other gang members, but they don't usually receive orders from anyone other than where to deal. At most they have a system of lookouts among a group of 5 to 10 kids who are dealing. Many don't have guns, but having a gun is seen as a sign of being more serious about what you're doing.

There is a culture in gangs that creates an inflated sense of offense at slights real or imagined. Some kids get into that to either prove themselves or because they are just basically violent. That is where the trouble really starts. Almost all of the random gang related shooting that occur come from these kids, it isn't part of any larger plan it is just dumb kids shooting at someone because they're pissed at them for something, to prove something to friends, or just because they got a gun - and what good is a gun if you don't shoot it?

There is much more organization at the higher level in gangs, but conflicts at that level are not really resolved by wild shooting out on the street.

Oh, and I agree - &$@! that stupid smoking law!

[HUEY P]

Originally Posted by Attrill

Neighborhoods with the "worst problems"? No. But with problems? Yes. I tutored at Roberto Clemente in the early/mid 90's and knew quite a few kids who were involved in gangs at that time. I knew a few gang members who sold pot and drank beer on the corner of Wood and Augusta in the late 90's. Currently my next door neighbor was in a gang until 6 or 7 years ago, and he's pointed out a kids on our street who belong to a gang that is just a little West of us. I've talked to him quite a bit about gangs in Logan Square and Humboldt Park.

On the street level most gangs are not that organized. It is kids selling pot and maybe stealing cars and anything they see that they can easily grab (grills out of backyards, iPods out of cars, etc.). They need to buy and fence through other gang members, but they don't usually receive orders from anyone other than where to deal. At most they have a system of lookouts among a group of 5 to 10 kids who are dealing. Many don't have guns, but having a gun is seen as a sign of being more serious about what you're doing.

There is a culture in gangs that creates an inflated sense of offense at slights real or imagined. Some kids get into that to either prove themselves or because they are just basically violent. That is where the trouble really starts. Almost all of the random gang related shooting that occur come from these kids, it isn't part of any larger plan it is just dumb kids shooting at someone because they're pissed at them for something, to prove something to friends, or just because they got a gun - and what good is a gun if you don't shoot it?

There is much more organization at the higher level in gangs, but conflicts at that level are not really resolved by wild shooting out on the street.

Oh, and I agree - &$@! that stupid smoking law!

That was very insightful and on point!

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by HUEY P

You are the self righteous person here and extremely out of line.

Maybe, but I'm sick of people making excuses for gang activity and gang members, and that is what I inferred from your post. People who have no regard for innocent human life around them should be punished with the umost severity. Just a few blocks north of my house there have been a large number of daylight shootings on crowded streets this summer, and I'm getting really mad about it. I'm on the verge of condoning vigilante justice is this doesn't calm down soon. Lawrence and Sheridan is a busy street with people of all walks of life coming and going at all times of day, and is no place for wild west shootouts. To hell with those idiot gang members. I could care less about them or their "difficult home situations" anymore.