I went home to Chicago last week for the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals. Their were 46 shootings last weekend, all gang and/or drug related and to my understanding all in the areas of the greatest minority population.
One thing I noticed, especially after the second game last Saturday was on Michigan Ave. The buss let us off at Randolph and we had decided to walk back to the Omni about 3/4 of a mile down the road. Another person who had been on the bus with us stopped us and asked where we were going. When told, he gave me a look that can only be described as a cross between fear and being stunned by what we were going to do. He asked if we were from there and of course we told hem no, but that I was born there. all he said was Please, do not take your life into your hands. Wait for the next bus with me. This city is to dangerous to be out on the streets at anytime, but especially at night. While waiting, he told me of a close friend who had been shot a couple weeks before and how little use he had for the so called gu=n laws and the mayor of his once great city.
The thing is, I saw that fear in others' faces also, especially the closer we got to downtown. Great post doug!
I went home to Chicago last week for the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals. Their were 46 shootings last weekend, all gang and/or drug related and to my understanding all in the areas of the greatest minority population.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I noticed, especially after the second game last Saturday was on Michigan Ave. The buss let us off at Randolph and we had decided to walk back to the Omni about 3/4 of a mile down the road. Another person who had been on the bus with us stopped us and asked where we were going. When told, he gave me a look that can only be described as a cross between fear and being stunned by what we were going to do. He asked if we were from there and of course we told hem no, but that I was born there. all he said was Please, do not take your life into your hands. Wait for the next bus with me. This city is to dangerous to be out on the streets at anytime, but especially at night. While waiting, he told me of a close friend who had been shot a couple weeks before and how little use he had for the so called gu=n laws and the mayor of his once great city.
The thing is, I saw that fear in others' faces also, especially the closer we got to downtown. Great post doug!