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| An unhoused woman on the CTA Blue Line's Forest Park platform in March, 2021. |
The Night Ministry is the last strand in Chicago's social safety net, helping those who have nowhere else to turn. If, after reading this, you'd like to donate to The Night Ministry to support their life-saving work, you can do so by clicking here.
Four Chicagoans were killed on the Blue Line Monday. Execution style.
Five days have passed, and already the crime is being crowded out by more recent atrocities; another four people — two students, two teachers — gunned down Wednesday at a high school in Georgia. A 14-year-old has been charged.
But I want to think about that first quartet, on the "L" train. Something should be said. Officials certainly didn't waste time before stepping up and making pronouncements.
"We believe it's isolated," said Forest Park Deputy Police Chief Chris Chin — the bodies were discovered at the Forest Park station, where the Blue Line ends after its 26.9-mile journey from O'Hare International Airport. "We believe it's random."
Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx called the murders "inexplicable."
I disagree with both Chin and Foxx. I believe the crime is not isolated, random, or inexplicable. Just the opposite. It is part of a widespread, systemic and easily understood pattern.
What is the most common form of political discourse? Identifying groups of people who are different, then conjuring up and exaggerating harms they may commit to justify oppressing them. Because they are unworthy, practically inhuman.
"Our country is being poisoned," said Donald Trump, a note he has struck many times. Immigrants are "poisoning the blood" of the nation. They are "vermin." There's a list. Immigrants. LGBTQ+. And, at the very bottom, unhoused people. An eyesore and a menace.
I don't want to make the common media mistake of leaping into the head of a murderer. Police have arrested a suspect, who's been charged with four counts of murder. Maybe they're mentally ill and thought they were shooting into four bags of laundry. We may never know.
Four Chicagoans were killed on the Blue Line Monday. Execution style.
Five days have passed, and already the crime is being crowded out by more recent atrocities; another four people — two students, two teachers — gunned down Wednesday at a high school in Georgia. A 14-year-old has been charged.
But I want to think about that first quartet, on the "L" train. Something should be said. Officials certainly didn't waste time before stepping up and making pronouncements.
"We believe it's isolated," said Forest Park Deputy Police Chief Chris Chin — the bodies were discovered at the Forest Park station, where the Blue Line ends after its 26.9-mile journey from O'Hare International Airport. "We believe it's random."
Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx called the murders "inexplicable."
I disagree with both Chin and Foxx. I believe the crime is not isolated, random, or inexplicable. Just the opposite. It is part of a widespread, systemic and easily understood pattern.
What is the most common form of political discourse? Identifying groups of people who are different, then conjuring up and exaggerating harms they may commit to justify oppressing them. Because they are unworthy, practically inhuman.
"Our country is being poisoned," said Donald Trump, a note he has struck many times. Immigrants are "poisoning the blood" of the nation. They are "vermin." There's a list. Immigrants. LGBTQ+. And, at the very bottom, unhoused people. An eyesore and a menace.
I don't want to make the common media mistake of leaping into the head of a murderer. Police have arrested a suspect, who's been charged with four counts of murder. Maybe they're mentally ill and thought they were shooting into four bags of laundry. We may never know.
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I doubt those killings would've happened if we didn't such a totally incompetent state's attorney here in Cook County!
ReplyDeleteThere were two previous misdemeanor cases where the killer, Rhanni Davis was arrested, charged, but never showed up in court again, but the prosecutors dropped the charges. We see this constantly here, plus for one crime, another misdemeanor, he was convicted & given exactly one day in jail for it, which means he went home immediately, because he obviously had been jailed at least a day after his original arrest, so he had time served applied to that sentence. That they simply drop the charges & then don't seek felony charges for not showing up is itself criminal. And the utterly incompetent judges we have here are yet another part of this intractable mess!
And now we have that ridiculous no bail law, which might work, but it was so atrociously written, people arrested carrying a gun on the street without a FOID card, let alone the required Concealed Carry license, are just sent home on their own recognizance. Anyone arrested carrying a gun illegally should be remanded to the jail until trial & if convicted, get a mandatory ten years in prison & zero time off for good behavior, for a first offense. A second offense would be 25 years in prison & a third would be life without any possibility of release!
I agree with you about everything that you've said, but if you're looking for competent law enforcement and judicial action, think about what happened with the school shooter. The FBI went and talked to him a year ago and nothing happened. They didn't take the guns away from those people with a red flag. They never circled back again to see if he was a threat and there's the secret service that couldn't protect a presidential candidate. It's not just here
DeleteSome research suggests that at any given time, 20% of Americans are suffering from some form of mental or emotional illness. The GOP and the conservative Supreme Court, along with the NRA, have somehow created a culture where battlefield weaponry available to all, including the mentally ill. This is the inevitable result. The only mention of regulation in the Constitution is in the 2nd Amendment.
ReplyDeleteI believe it’s been established that the mentally ill are more likely to be victims, rather than perpetrators, of crime.
DeleteCoey
Hi, Coey.
DeleteThis is silly, but I'm just wondering why a hall-of-fame commenter such as yourself, who's been around EGD forever, chooses to use "Anonymous" with your name below the comment, rather than selecting the Name / URL option and having your name in bold letters above the comment. This seems like about the fourth time I've seen you do that lately. ??? : )
Four people were murdered on an El train in Chicago. People described as unhoused and who were sleeping in what they thought was safety. Four people were murdered in a school near Atlanta. People identified as two students and two teachers, doing the normal jobs of learning and teaching in a supposedly safe place. Both assailants were relatively young with some history of mental issues. The first incident got local attention but was barely a blip nationally. The second has been all over national news for days. I am struck by the difference in attention. I wonder what causes that difference, though I have an idea.
ReplyDeleteIt made the nightly news on all the networks, and I heard about it in my car, on CBS. But only for a day. School shootings make national news for a couple of days...three or four, tops...and then fade from view. Depends on the body count. More bodies, longer coverage. They're like traffic accidents now.
DeleteCBS News said it's been an average of fifteen fatal school shootings yearly, since Columbine (1999), with an average of 21 deaths a year. But usually many more. Sometimes, that many...or more...in one terrible day. And the truth is, unhoused people, sleeping on a train...especially people of color... don't really count for much.
I learned about the Night Ministry when I inquired (in a neighborhood social media group) if anyone knew where I could donate unmatched socks. My younger daughter had passed away at the age of 24, and the cleaning of her room yielded a 13-gallon-size bag of great condition, clean-but-unmatched socks. I was astounded when a neighbor from the Night Ministry offered to take all of them off my hands! They explained that the socks would be given to our unhoused neighbors. In my naivete, I expressed surprise that anyone would want to wear unmatched socks, until I realized that unmatched socks are far better than no socks at all. I happily donated my very large supply of unmatched socks, and I felt a measure of peace in knowing that some of my daughter's things were being used to help others.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit off-topic here, but I should mention that I had the same complaint about our daughter's mismatched socks piling up in the laundry, but was informed by, um, people in the family who know such things that wearing mismatched socks is, like, the fashion these days. No one wastes time matching their socks. Apparently I don't know anything.
DeleteI'm very sorry about your daughter, 8:49 Anonymous, but kinda baffled by "I expressed surprise that anyone would want to wear unmatched socks." It seems that your daughter liked the new fashion referred to by Andy in his reply to your comment. Isn't that why she had "a 13-gallon-size bag of great condition, clean-but-unmatched socks" in her room, or am I missing something?
DeleteThey're so busy, and their time is so valuable. Yeah, right.
DeleteMatching socks might cut into their precious screen time.
So laziness is a fashion statement now? Jeeze, Louise...
Like the mechanics say: "Gimme a brake..."
I buy the same socks every time I go to the uniform store for working guys on Cicero South Irving. I bought these same white socks now 15 years. Very comfortable. Very expensive. Never have to worry about matching a pair
Deletethen I have the black ones the same deal. But only three or four pair .The only way I could mismatch my socks is to wear one white one and one black one. I too am very sorry for the loss of your daughter
And you obviously were not typing your comment in front of a screen. Now tell those kids to get off your lawn!
DeleteFME,
DeleteIf you check back here, I just want to say I apologize if my recent "black sheep" comment was not to your liking. I hoped, given some of our previous exchanges, that it would be okay. I certainly understand if you thought it was obnoxious, rather than cheeky in a fun way, as I intended.
Jakash' I'm not sure to what you are referring, but your astute commentary ,very insightful often. Funny. Sometimes irritating is welcomed in all. Regards
DeleteI was referring to my reply to you on the "Some insults cannot be ignored" post on Sept. 1. Maybe you didn't read it. Anyway, thanks for the kind words.
DeleteA gun will almost never solve a problem. Anyone who believes it will is just as much responsible for these four deaths as the individual who pulled the trigger.
ReplyDeleteBut what do we expect in a world where we are encouraged to stab our coworkers in the back for a 35 cent raise or the right to take Christmas eve off.
Sometimes i feel as though our countries motto -- e pluribus unum -- is painfully accurate when shown inward instead of outward; "out of all you other Americans, I alone matter."
However, I am continuously reminded of stark contrasts between our two political parties. At least in our current political landscape, Democrats seem to try and help the "masses" and the poorer. I won't pretend all Democrats are good, but on the average their policies and actions are light years ahead of where republicans sit. Why does this matter? I believe it is important to remind everyone -- as you have done here Neil -- to the importance of how we normalized hating the other and how only one party has done that (yes yes i know that's not really true, but its mostly true). One issue voters leave a bad taste in my mouth precisely because of this. You are willing to turn a blind eye to everything that is bad because you feel like you believe the Indiana cake people shouldn't have to sell cakes to gay people. Or you don't believe abortion should be legal (and apparently that adults shouldn't have the right to make that decision for themselves, privately) and you want to make it illegal so its OK if the republicans act like dictators for 24 hours if it means we don't have abortion. Or perhaps you believe that billionaires shouldn't have to pay their fair share in taxes because they "make jobs," so you're OK with all the other crap because maybe it will save a billionaire enough money to maybe hire you for $60,000 a year.
The truth is, all of these policies add up to exactly what you point out in your piece, Neil. They add up to the idea that "I" am the only one that matters. "I" am right and everyone one else is just like me so the laws and rules won't effect them.
Growing up in Chicago, and now living and working here as an adult, I have always enjoyed (and been told to enjoy) our differences, because that's what makes us America. Tacos, Thai Chi, Chicken Tikka, Gefelite fish, Packsis, empenadas, pho, peanuts, malts, blue jeans, polish sausages stuffed into italian beef, bagels, lox, square dancing, hambergers, chicago hot dogs, new york style pizza, deep dish, the pink line, the red line, the blue line, the CSO, Pot Stickers, dumplings, pale ales, rose, hitops, low tops, big families, small familes, pools and splash-pads, and everything in between. We too often forget that we are one, not individuals. and it's time we started treating people with the respect they deserve. And as odd as it sounds, that means getting rid of the right wing.
It is amazing how many people support the policies of the Republicans. I believe it has to do with misplaced anger. Most people work hard, very hard at their jobs and they have seen their pay fall below inflation. The perception is the taxes that they pay are going to help the ne'er-do-well. They do not see these people as individuals but see them as a group of freeloaders.
DeleteRather than blame the Republicans whose policies and business practices has put the average worker pay and benefits (company paid health insurance and pensions) fall below what it was in earlier decades (60s and 70s adjusted for inflation) the anger is directed towards the Democrats who policies aim to help the less fortunate.
A common joke in the union is a worker who votes for the Republicans is like a chicken who votes for Colonel Sanders. The ultra wealthy has somehow convinced the worker if we make it better (taxes) for the rich guy it will somehow help the lowly worker. I have heard that since the 80s. I'm still waiting for it to trickle down.
Matt W
You will have a long, long wait, dude. It will never happen...not even after you're dead. waiting for that trickle to reach you is akin to being trapped in a mine cave-in without any water, and having to survive on water dripping from a crack in the ceiling, one drop at a time. You will die of thirst.
DeleteOr, in desperation, you might choose to do what trapped miners have done in past disasters... they drank their own urine. That's like drinking sea water, though...and over time, it will eventually do you in.
But it's what the Republicans would most likely suggest,.
Even while they're saying "Hang on, Sloopy, help is coning."
Yeah...right.. Unfortunately for you, they'll be rescuing your corpse.
We need LESS Republicans (in fa t, zero would be the best number), and more Democrats. Period.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, one party ruled does not sound like the solution
DeleteEither a Brand New Party... consisting of more moderate and center-right conservatives, under a totally new name...or else a totally cleansed and overhauled GOP, one that is purged of every last fascist. Either carried out from within...or by other means. Don't really care how anymore. Just do it.
DeleteAs it stands now, the Republican Party is a terrorist organization that threatens the security of the nation, and its citizens. Terrorism is defined as violence, or the threat of violence, in pursuit of a political aim.
I believe the opposite. Where would you like to be imprisoned work camp? No worries, I'll decide that too.
DeleteYou might suggest to the personnel of the digital issue that the new plan of making you watch a video or donate is not working well. I watched the vid and it sent me to the donate page. When I went back to the home page and reclicked on the article the process started all over. Signing into my account made no difference. I am putting this here since I think Neil might have some way to mention this to those who control it. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteOh he doesn't and I went through the same malarkey the bag for money model is never the way to run a business. Just put up a paywall and see how that goes for you
DeleteThe "old" Sun-Times had that...and the "new" Sun-Times regime did away with it. Apparently, the voluntary donation plan failed to generate the anticipated revenue. So more austere measures seem to have become necessary. First, what you label as "begging"-- and then--probably the return of the paywall. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
DeleteOr maybe the Second Amendment rights proponents are correct - the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. They should provide firearms and training to homeless people and school students. And Immigrants. And LGBTQ+. That would make everyone safe.
ReplyDeleteRight. Nothing could go wrong with even more guns in the mix.
DeleteTerry you may have inadvertently left off the sarcasm notification...
DeleteFrom what I understand Houston addressed their homeless problem by deciding to address the “homeless “ issue first, followed by efforts to diagnose and address the problems that caused the people to be homeless. Somehow they managed to find or construct the housing and have gone a fair distance in solving the worst of the bad situation. Why can’t Chicago do the same?
ReplyDeleteWhere's the money for that, Chicago is broke?
DeleteI don't believe municipalities want the homeless problem to go away. It's good for tourism
DeleteJust a side complaint. I am sick of the powers that be changing, aka "cleansing", of certain words and phrases such as "unhoused" instead of the more accurate and politically and societally pointed "homeless".
ReplyDelete