Life would truly be wonderful if a Ferris Wheel ride ... |
ALTHOUGH
I CAN’T help but feel an ominous feel in the air as we consider the level of
violence that is falling upon us. We seem to be in a mood of anger that is
pushing the number of outbursts to alarming levels.
Which
is appalling because the record-high levels we reached in the late 1980s had
declined to such significantly low levels that many of us probably were deluded
into thinking we had “solved” this particular problem.
What
caught my attention was a Chicago Tribune story published Monday morning that
pointed out the 27 shootings that occurred this past weekend – including a pair
of incidents involving girls ages 12 and 11.
That’s
a lot of people lingering in hospital bed who may well have lapsed into death
by the time you actually read this Tuesday morning.
NOW
I NOTICED these incidents were confined to neighborhoods of a certain
socio-economic status that makes the bulk of Chicagoans want to ignore them.
For all I know, there are people out there reading this who think I’m engaging
in extremely poor taste by bringing up dead people – instead of the chance the
Chicago White Sox will actually be able to get some talent in exchange for
their current ace pitcher Jose Quintaña.
... or a 2nd all-Chicago World Series could be top concern |
Yet
it’s because of the fact that many of us would be inclined to ignore the
bloodshed that I feel compelled to bring it up. I always was, and likely will
be, a malcontent cuss like that – which may be the reason I’m currently not
seeing anyone steadily on this Valentine’s Day.
Because
we have to take one fact into account.
There
have been 69 homicides in Chicago the first month-and-a-half of 2017 – compared
to 78 for the same amount of time last year, according to the Chicago Tribune. Technically,
we’re down.
Will urban youth live long enough to attend Chgo St.? |
BUT
DOES ANYBODY feel that as a literal truth?
Now
I don’t want to hear from the ideological crackpots who are going to start raging
that Donald Trump is telling the truth whenever he goes on his near daily rants
about how Chicago is all fouled up.
For
I know the truth is that Trump is very much a part of the problem, and could
care less about finding a solution. If anything, I suspect he needs for Chicago
to have a high homicide rate because it gives him something to complain about. I doubt he's willing to do a thing that would actually help resolve the problem of urban violence rates in Chicago. The talk that passed between White House and D.C.-based officials and Mayor Rahm Emanuel likely is just idle chatter.
Besides,
it seems that the people who are suffering are the ones who didn’t vote for
him. Maybe he thinks a re-election strategy is to let his detractors kill each
other off?!?
SO
WILL SERIOUS help come from Trump? No! Although I doubt that image of National
Guard troops in Chicago would come either, because then people could blame
Trump for anything wrong those part-time soldiers would do – and accepting
blame for wrong-doing is as far removed from the Trump experience as anything!
Chance got his recognition -- a Grammy |
The
year 2017 is one in which we have our share of troubles. Bloodshed we consider
to be ignorable, similar to another “story” I encountered Monday – the New York
Times reported on the financial struggles of the athletic program at Chicago State
University, which are the extreme end of the financial troubles many state
colleges are facing these days because of the Illinois government budget fiasco.
Which
also is ignorable because of the many of us who dismiss Chicago State as just
some sort of school for the few people in select South and West side
neighborhoods who manage to live long-enough to even consider attending
college.
Although
the Chicago kid known as “Chance, the Rapper” did manage to win a Grammy Award
this weekend. All in all, a heck of a way for 2017 to say, “Happy Valentine’s
Day.”
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment