Kids and Chicago Gang Violence

It's really awful and one of the top three reasons why we left the city. It is very much out of control. My husband was mugged and beaten at gun/knife point, and he's pretty certain it was part of a gang initiation. We lived in fear after that, but it's nothing compared to what people in poorer neighborhoods live with every day. It will only get worse, especially with the school closings in low income areas (thanks, Rahm). It's forcing gang members into different schools, and that is creating a lot of tension and violence between the different gangs.

I saw it too. I am not going to pretend to know the solutions needed to stop the violence, but as long as the violence continues, kids are going to grow up to become gang members. That cycle needs to stop. Those poor families.

And I heard there are about 100,000 gang members in Chicago. That is insane. Naive question I'm sure, but what causes such a huge number of kids to join gangs? I'm thinking peer pressure, bad situation at home, and no adult role models to help these kids see that there are better opportunities out there. But 100,000...I don't know why that number shocked me but it did.

That seems...odd. My initial reaction is that this is punishing people who are legally purchasing their guns and bullets because I am fairly certain gang members aren't going through the proper channels to obtain their guns.

I had to Google who he was.

And not to pick on you at all, so please do not be in ANY way offended, but this goes SQUARELY back to Summer's point. Oh look little lost white lady, the minorities are killing each other, we don't want anything to happen to you.

Let this happen in the rich, upper-crust areas of town, then you'll see some heads rolling and folks getting locked the hell up.

Yea, that was the general area if I recall correctly. I have no idea how I ended up over there but I don't generally drive in the city so I got all sorts of turned around.

I was really taken aback when the cops told me that they had only stopped me to direct me out of the area. I was really pissed off at the time because I was hungry and running late to the midwife consultation and I thought they were going to harass me for a blinker or something. Never did I think they were just going to escort me out. I don't think I've ever felt so uncomfortable as I was when everyone on the street was looking at the little white girl being escorted out of the area.

I've heard of this happening to other women too, so apparently it's a thing.

When Daley was mayor he tore down Cabrini Green and tried to disperse gangs from there, right? That was about 10 years ago? If I recall correctly from my family in Chicago it worked well for awhile but then new gangs formed and things are even worse. Chicago has a lot of problems and although I'm not crazy about the Daleys or Rahm, they've really busted their asses to fix things, from what my relatives have said. There are no easy solutions.

There is an interesting documentary called "The Interrupters" about a group of volunteers (mostly ex-gang members) that walk around the streets and try to stop bad situations when they become tense. It talks about closing down schools and how that has forced the different gangs to be together (like mentioned above). It seems the The Interrupters tried to warn people about what an awful idea it was. What really struck me about this documentary was how helpless the scenario seems.

Honestly, this is Memphis too. Crime is high, but relatively contained to person you "know." So, if there is an issue with drug/gang violence, the only person getting shot is the person who stiffed the dealer or another gang member. We do have some robberies and break-ins, but typically, you will find the break-ins occur when no one is home. Plus, I think the criminals know a lot of folks pack heat around here, and if you break in you will get shot. People using the Castle Doctrine are rarely, if ever, prosecuted.

I need to show this thread to my H. He's all Chicago is AWESOME and shit. I'm just, dude no. I can't live any place where there can be snow on the ground in April. Having watched that Nightline show last night and reading this thread, I sure in the hell hope all of ya'll can eventually just move. I don't know how you save a city where you just randomly punch people for no good reason.

You can move to Evanston (Northwestern) but they have some gangs, too these days.
Evanston was the sheezy back when I grew up there. There was a fantastic racial, social mix. It was utopia. Now, not so much, but still alright sorta.

My extended fam lived on the South Side and gangs were always a problem (I still don't wear black/blue or black/red) and the city itself is super segregated like PPs have said.

When I went to U of C, the white kids had little to do with the surrounding area. I worked in the neighborhood and as a Black person found it generally easy to go in and out of both worlds and no one bothered me. Regular hood rules, Nitaw.

But the thing is, my family who live there, live there. They live in subsidized housing and its not easy just to up and move to the suburbs. So all that crime that everyone else gets to avoid, they live and raise children in.

*sidenote/anecdote: I have never met more pretentious, snobby undergrads then those that were a U of C when I was in grad school. It always blew my mind that they landed in the middle of South Side (though relatively protected). Whenever I saw them out in the community volunteering and what not, the things that came out of their mouths.....

I live in Lincoln Park. All this makes me so sad, because I adore Chicago, but we won't be settling here for all the reasons mentioned in this thread. A lot of the gang violence is seen mostly in the same areas, but its spreading and I don't feel like its going to be controlled and that it will only get worse. I generally feel comfortable and have never felt threatened by anyone downtown (I frequently walk around the loop and goldcoast by myself), and I'm a small white girl. DH and I love going to more ethnic areas for food and thus far haven't had any problems. DH was trying to get me to move to Pilsen originally, but I wasn't feeling it.

Aside from the gang violence, we've had recent cases of 'flash mob' attacks. Young people in groups charging in stores in coordinated attacks and looting, or just ambushing and robbing/beating the hell out of random people, even in real toursity/generally nice areas. Its freaky.

Chicago can be amazing--the food, the theaters, the comedy shows, the diversity of culture. And all the people I've met have been so nice--I can always ask for directions or food recomendations. I love going to Chinatown, and there are some awesome Indian restaurants around town. Every area has its own feel to it and I love that. The architecture in some areas is gorgeous. I love how I can walk/train/bus it almost anywhere I want to go.

But the violence isn't toning down, its getting worse. Also, Rahm annoys me. He keeps saying there's a ''perception problem" and not a crime problem. That overall crime has decreased. Um dude, I think don't think there's a perception problem. We have the highest murder rate of young people in the nation last I checked.

Others have already explained some of the issues there have been in controlling it. It makes me so sad.

Hypothetically speaking let’s say a few black females were going to have a GTG in Chitown. They would be renting a place, where can they stay and (1) Not get shot (2) Not be racially profiled. As I fear these females would all end up in jail and would need representation.

Mag Mile for sure. You'll be racially profiled every where, unfortunately, but it won't be as blatant out there.

I just had a GTG with a bunch of ladies from another board I'm on, and we stayed at the Congress Plaza. Very reasonable when split with a group, and the area is nice. Easy to walk to shops, right by the lake, tons of transit access and taxis, right by the Bean.

Summer - As far as Wilmette and Skokie, I don't really consider those part of the city limits. I think you would be more than fine living in those areas. I also have friends that live in the Hoffman Estates/Elk Grove area and love it.