Chicago, Chicago: A Helluva Town
Although the phrase “Helluva Town” originally referred to New York City in Leonard Bernstein’s musical “On The Town”, the phrase is often sung in the Wilber/Fisher song “Chicago” (One version of which was made famous by Frank Sinatra). Although the original lyrics say “toddling town”, it’s often sung:
“Chicago, Chicago: It’s A Helluva Town”.
Turns out that this phrase has become incredibly apt, but not, unfortunately, in the way the singers intended.
The windy city just had quite a busy weekend. In the short span of just three days, Chicago would experience a total of SEVENTY ONE SHOOTINGS, TWELVE of which were fatal. (source: USA Today). THIRTY of these occurred in just a three HOUR period, between midnight and 3:00 early Sunday morning. Chicago’s streets were, literally, flowing with blood.
I haven’t yet seen a racial tabulation of the victims published, but I think it’s safe to assume that the majority were black. So, where are the protests? The demonstrations? What ever happened to “Black Lives Matter”? They matter A LOT, apparently, when shot be police officers. Not so much when shot by other blacks.
And, don’t assume that the victims were all gang members who “got what they deserved”. It appears that many of the victims were NOT gang members and were completely innocent; much of the shooting was reportedly INDISCRIMINATE firing into crowds!
And, don’t assume that it’s “only” murders that have exploded in Chicago. A headline from the Chicago Tribune: “Robberies spike in Loop and other downtown areas” (3/30/18). In fact, murders AND robberies, AND rapes AND “other” crimes have all increased.
And, don’t assume that all this murder and mayhem is due to the high summer heat. A quick perusal of Chicago headlines online shows that its crime and violence occur through out the frigid Chicago winters as well, and, basically, at any time during the year.
A particularly ironic example of Chicago’s crime wave is the three assailant robbery of Aaron Goldstein, candidate for Illinois Attorney General, in January, WHILE OUTDOORS HAVING CAMPAIGN PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN! Think of it: robbing a candidate for ATTORNEY GENERAL and doing so IN FRONT OF A CAMERA. Hard to believe, isn’t it?
This spree of murder and crime in Chicago is not a fluke. It is NOT an aberration. It does NOT defy explanation. It is the direct result of two things: 1: the culture of Chicago’s minority communities. And: 2: The liberal policies of the police and Mayor Rham Emmanuel.
1: Chicago’s minority communities are literally seething with anti Law Enforcement hatred. It seems that every minority OIS (Officers Involved Shooting) is commemorated with demonstrations and/or riots. The officers involved are automatically on the defensive, find themselves in extreme legal jeopardy, and are, invariably, “guilty until proven innocent”. Chicago’s most recent case involved the fatal shooting of Harith Augustus just a few weeks back. Although demonstrators claimed Augustus was unarmed, the police body cam video shows him clearly having a hand gun tucked into his pants at the waist, and then clearly shows him reaching for the gun as he tries to escape. Angry demonstrations followed the incident, and CONTINUED even after the body cam video was released. The police simply can not do their job in such a poisoned environment. And, on top of this, the wrong headed animosity of the community results in lack of informants and witnesses that could help the police combat crime.
2: Police leaders and municipal officials as policy makers have acquiesced to the community protests and the demands of leftist/liberal agitators. Techniques and strategies that have proven effective elsewhere to control crime and violence, are prohibited on political grounds. So called “broken windows” policing (the idea that penalizing miscreants for “small crimes” helps to prevent later “big crimes”) is verboten. Programs such as “stop and frisk” (in which suspicious individuals are scrutinized even in the absence of outright commission of a crime, and frequently turn up guns, drugs and other contraband) are forbidden. And, when criminals ARE finally detained and brought to court, plea bargains and short sentences are the rule. And, with very short stays in the “pen”, LONG “rap sheets” are common.
In order to control the explosion of crime and violence in Chicago, both the minority culture and the police and municipal policies will have to change. If not, cauldrons like Chicago will become worse than the lawlessness of the “wild west” ever was.
Why are the newspapers not covering this story??All the shooting were with illegal guns not a word in the news…WHY?? thank you Bob.