COMMENT BY
Realistic from Chicago, IL
COMMENT ABOUT PLACE
Chicago, IL
COMMENT
A Living Hell
I grew up here, and have lived many places in the city & suburbs. I've also lived in other states, so I know what life is like elsewhere.
As of 6/2019, this is the worst I've ever seen it here. I'm going to leave my elderly parents alone (bad!) because I hardly leave the house at night (I currently reside downtown, in a heavily touristy area).. and I've traveled all over the world, sometimes by myself.
The crime has been unthinkable (recently a mother and daughter murdered a pregnant woman and cut out her baby, for ex.), atrocious, violent (they shoot people at funerals, hospitals, around schools.. babies, kids, grandparents, innocents, does not matter), filled with hate (they don't only rob people, they beat them up first unnecessarily), and non-stop. (This past weekend only, 52 shootings, 10 people dead). See: cwbchicago.com (newspaper), or heyjackass.com (yes, that's the name, it's crime statistics), or Chicago Tribune. Right now - one person is shot every 3 minutes.
The south and west sides have it the worst, and downtown and all around city has all kinds of incidents frequently, and it's moved out into the suburbs. The criminals have no fear of law enforcement, they drive in stolen cars and run into police to get away. They call cops names to their faces and get away with it.
It's a very pretty place downtown.. but all this goes on, too, and people don't think it does that don't pay attention.. people have stopped reading the news because it's so bad.
The racial tension is the worst I've seen.
The post office doesn't deliver mail several days a week, and if you inquire about it, they stop delivering it (no escalation path.)
"The City that Works" - not so much anymore. So much cronyism, half the gov't employees don't work at all. (i.e. only 1 postal work is out in the front at one office at any time, the rest are in the back.)
The people were my favorite part.. the diversity.. so many great things going on here... but it's changed... people have become more hardened, more embittered, more depressed, more prejudiced, more unloving.
What good is the sports, music, restaurants, etc. if no one is safe?
And IL is a mess - when I went to get my driver's license and asked for a rules of the road book at the Drivers License facility where you take the test, the front desk clerk said, "IL is bankrupt", we don't have any books. ... uh? ok? I had to wing it.
And so.. only a very small percentage of crime gets solved and prosecuted.. (see the Trip for an article on it) Then the state cuts a deal, because they don't want to pay for more jails to be built. After the people go up there as witnesses and the police spend their time on it.
In the center of "The Heartland" ... there is so much unrest it feels like there isn't any heart.
500 plus teenagers flash mob during Spring Break, stealing sell phones, food from places, etc. The police showed up (200 of them) or it would've been way worse. But not ONE, not even ONE reporter brought up - where is the parent's responsibility for making sure their teens are not up to no good? All that was said was "they say they're bored" WTF... minors are the responsibility of parents.. but here.. in Chicago.. there seems to be no accountability.
The flash mobs have been going on for a few years. No excuse.
If you're a nice person/company, ethical, hard working, loving, like your freedom and a high quality of life.. this isn't the City for you.
Maybe the new Mayor will lead change, so check back in a few years.