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Chicago Thu Jul 16 2009
The streets are hot. What's the solution?
...the Olympics, of course.
Seriously though, crime in Chicago is on the rise. Entire neighborhoods are turning into killing fields, and no part of the city is inured to this. Crime moves. Danger moves. The Daleys of the world tend to think the solution is just to privatize security--in other words, make sure just the well off are protected. Privatizing public space is his thing, after all. But the best crime fighting program is secure, well-paying entry level jobs.
Check out this breathless report from the Sun-Times:
Three men were fatally shot. One man was fatally stabbed. Police shot one man and at least seven other people were wounded by gunfire -- including an 8-year-old boy sitting in his bedroom -- during an especially violent six hours late Wednesday and early Thursday mainly on the South and West Sides.
....About 12:30 a.m. Thursday, a man in his 20s was shot in the head at 1109 N. Wood St. -- less than a block from numerous busy Division Street bars and restaurants, police said.
At 12:37 a.m., a 24-year-old man was shot at 7935 S. Cottage Grove Ave, according to police, who said the shooting appears to have been over a $15 debt.
About 12:50 a.m. Thursday, a male was shot in the leg during an argument with a person he knew in the 3500 block of South Western Avenue, police said.
Near northwest side, southwest side, south side--this violence is everywhere and spreading. I don't know what the answer is--but I do know that the Earned Income Tax Credit and community college are not it. This is a class problem and requires a class solution.
Jason / July 16, 2009 1:44 PM
Lets be honest. The crime is mostly limited to the west side and the south side. We live in a big city, there's going to be shootings elsewhere every so often... I honestly can't remember the last time I read about one on the north side that didn't involve Rogers Park.
There are parts of the city that are cesspools and there are parts that are just fine. The Wire isn't just a TV show in Baltimore... it's the ganglands of Chicago too.