Being the Trib, they just couldn't help themselves from playing the "haves vs. haves-not" game, but they also did a nice job of reporting on the shootings and gang violence we've been complaining about for months. They interviewed everyone from the alderman to the security guard at MickeyD's, Jon "Tattoos" Trott to Katharine Boyda. Read on..."Tensions rising between neighbors, community groups"
By James Janega, Chicago Tribune
Updating Uptown was no easy feat. It took a generation of house-to-house rehabs, a fight to save affordable housing, and exacting police work that for years steadily knocked down crime in the diverse North Side neighborhood.
Then came daylight shootings this summer that unsettled Uptown and widened gaps within the community. Frustrated residents worry they have taken two steps forward and one step back in efforts to improve the quality of life while trying to hold onto its quilt of ethnicities, classes and interest groups.
Battles for gang leadership in the lakefront neighborhood have upset that delicate balance, officials said, fueling an already uneasy political standoff that mainly pits poor renters against professionals and homeowners. At stake, many fear, is the future of Chicago's most diverse neighborhood.
"How do you build a community of people who come from different places and react to the same experiences differently?" Ald. Helen Shiller (46th) said. "The danger we face is not building one community."
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"How do you build a community of people who come from different places and react to the same experiences differently?" Ald. Helen Shiller (46th) said. "The danger we face is not building one community."
ReplyDeleteSo she admits it, she can't handle her job in such a diverse ward. Is she basically saying that there's a group of people in Uptown who like the violence? TIME TO STEP DOWN HELEN! There's people out there willing to work together, give them a chance to run this ward.
The danger we face is idiot scumbag gang bangers firing weapons at one another. The only community we should be interested in building is one where bullets don't fly through the air and violence is unknown.
ReplyDeleteAll decent people can agree on that.
The idea of building "one community" is fundamentally silly. This is not one large 46th Ward/Uptown Jesus People community where we all need to drink the same kook aid. I do mean "kook" by the way. Mao is dead. Long live diversity in thought and everything else.
Fundamentally, all people want to be free to walk the streets not fearing violence. They want decent retail, jobs, good schools, good tranportation, parks etc.
GRRRRRRRR. Too early to get angry.
At the risk of getting tomatoes thrown at me...I don't get what is so wrong with what she said? I do acknowledge that the statement is hypocritical given her actions....but still...I think the sentiment is perfect.
ReplyDelete"How do you build a community of people who come from different places and react to the same experiences differently?" I mean, people who have lived in more violent neighborhoods may take a more "Denice Davis" approach to the crime whereas people who grew up in the suburbs are abhorred. It is not the say that the violence is acceptable, right or wanted but when people have different perceptions of it they may come to different ways that are acceptable to resolve the problem. That former suburban person might want to see an absolute crackdown and nothing but and the other person might be afraid that will be bad for some teenagers who are doing milder stuff (but still not good) and they will end up developing a record.
If Helen Shiller is willing to wonder this sentence aloud...and it is more than just "show" for the Chicago Tribune then the only answer I can come up with is that she has got to fundamentally question a lot of the dogmas she has been laboring under for a long time. We do face a danger of not building one community. But how the hell is demonizing one group and subjecting them to dirty tricks going to ever move us in that direction???
Native Americans leave Uptown. The reporter needs to do a little research beyond 10 or 20 year old data pulled off the web.
ReplyDeleteI could slice and dice this reporters story on multiple issues.
But being that I am well know for my moderation and that I'm glad the Tribune even bothered to do a story I won't.
I think the story is great, comprehensive, and even handed. It's further proof that real newspapers (due to their professional staffs) have the upperhand in "real" reporting over most blogs. I also second Saskia's compliment re Shiller's quote.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Saskia. There is a big difference between how a lifelong city dweller reacts to violence versus a suburbanite. Having been both at one time or another in my life, I have noticed a huge difference in my own reaction in terms of However, INHO, the answer to Shiller's question is simple: As our alderwoman, stop doing everything in your power to emphasize the differences among all your constituents and try instead to unite them in the things they have in common starting with the idea that no one likes random violence and crime that threatens lives of innocent people.
ReplyDeleteI am grateful for any coverage at all in a major paper about what is going on here. I was just wondering how Mr. Janega managed to even talk to Shiller long enough to get a quote!
And how about that woman who shielded her baby being Jon Trott's daughter? That was a little twist in the story that only true Uptowners could appreciate!
ReplyDeleteSaskia.. ARE YOU FOR REAL? Shiller has not gone to ONE CAPS MEETING, BLOCK CLUB, Etc.... Of course there is no way to build one community under her. SHE NEVER LISTENS TO ANYONE that has not been her ardent supporters in years!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, shame on ANYONE that is trying to make Shiller out to be anything more than a $100k a year Andersonville resident that is completely caulous towards those of us that desire a safe and clean neighborhood...
Saskia, I was thinking the same thing! When Trott stood up at the Town Hall meeting and gave his crocodile-tear filled speech, I am almost certain he said his "beautiful daughter" was walking somewhere around Hazel or Windsor and Sunnyside--not sure but way EAST of Malden and Leland. In fact, the actual mother walking with her baby at that location who got caught in the crossfire had a husband who was fighting in Afghanistan at the time. Maybe I am mistaken but either way, Trott is making...(sob sob)...stuff...(weeping)....up...(boohoohoo).
ReplyDeletethank you superhero, you saved me from typing...
ReplyDeleteSaskia,
ReplyDeleteMy problem with the Shiller quote is that she clearly has no plans to bring the community together. That might require actual work.
She clearly gets how violent the neighborhood is, or else she wouldn't have moved to Andersonville.
Uptown superhero, I said "her statement was hypocritical given her actions."
ReplyDeleteNo doubt she either has to majorly change her tune or get out. I was just commenting that the statement itself was perfect. For someone tasked with leading this entire diverse community this is the question that you must ask yourself. I never meant to imply that she has come up with an adequate answer.
Should we post the web address for UU or Fix Wilson Yard in the comments section of the trib article? Or is that in poor taste to promote our causes in that manner?
ReplyDeleteSigh...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the Trib wrote a story.
In my opinion, the only reason why there is such division between the supposed have and have-nots in Uptown is because Shiller and her minions created it to keep her as Alderman, she fosters it in the way she runs her Ward, and she cites it whenever it serves her purpose, such as this article.
If the poor cry out against violence or stage rallies against gun violence - they are doing so because they are the target of the violence, and no one is listening to them, and they don't have a voice, the police don't care, etc.
If anyone who qualifies as middle income or above cries out against violence and stages rallies. Well, they are just rich suburbanites that don't know any better because they haven't earned their street cred living in the city. They are whiners, they hate the poor, they are racist and ignorant, and they should just move to Lincoln Park.
Basically, if you just happen to own a home in Uptown, you are fighting a useless battle to improve the neighborhood because no one ever sees your actions for what they truly are - you are automatically dismissed.
Guess this is exactly what Shiller wanted. Well done Helen.
I think the author would be very interested, if he wishes to follow this story, to check out UU and especially FWY, though that is more about the "clout" article than this one, but UU for sure.
ReplyDeleteAll except for the Micky D's security guard everyone else in the story has an axe to grind.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they should try to interview some people who are not the ussual suspects. I allready know how Shiller, Trott, and Boyda feel. Hell who in Uptown doesn't? Are people outside of Uptown going to read this and think any different about it? It's still a puchline to them.
Thanks trib for bring no new angle to the same tired problem we have faced for years. zzzzzzzzzzzz.
I think at this point I'm almost certain that Billy Joe is Helen Shiller. Cmon Billy Joe, admit it, you're Helen.
ReplyDeleteHow you could call this evenhanded is crazy. Where is the huge tension between the haves and have nots in Uptown? It doesn't exist. Shiller, Billy Joe and the rest of her gang seek to create those tensions for political gain.
Helen's dream of one community is one community worshiping her as god in the highest. She craves power and obedience from her lapdogs. That quote from her would be inspiring, if we didn't know what she really meant.
"Where is the huge tension between the haves and have nots in Uptown? It doesn't exist."
ReplyDeleteOh yeah? I have two words for that assertion: Wilson Yard
The issue with WY is not about the haves and the have nots.
ReplyDeleteIt's about a project that is being build with a proven model that has failed all over Chicago.
I might add at a cost per units to building that most of the condos for sale in Uptown.
The quote by Helen is at BEST heavy-handed.
ReplyDeleteMy take:
She says"How do you build a community of people who...react to the same experiences differently?"--This is poorly chosen when the conversation is about gang violence. Every law-abiding citizen responds to gang violence similarly.
"The danger we face is not building one community."--To this point, she has been a big part of the problem. I hope she gets her act together and starts working with EVERYONE.
The problem with.. ""The danger we face is not building one community."
ReplyDeleteIs that her "community" is unsafe, dangerous, and wreckless. The problem with her "community" is that is comes paid for by the tax payers and puts those same taxpayers in danger.
She reminds me of the Superbowl season the Bears had a few years back. We were all praying for Grossman not to screw up. Well she is our Grossman and her WY is going to wreck uptown just like he wrecked our chance to win the Superbowl.
I can here Lovie Smith right now..
Helen Shiller is our Aldermen.
Helen please stop trying to loose the game for us!
Wilson Yard? Really Billy Joe? That is the source of the tension?
ReplyDeletePlease tell me why Wilson Yard, in its current iteration is GOOD for Uptown?
Please tell me why a failed housing model is being replicated in Uptown, and how that is a GOOD thing?
If Wilson Yard was a mixed-income building, with retail space, that wasn't a bunch of high rises, that complimented the neighborhood...and was using TIF money appropriately... that there wouldn't be any 'tension' in Uptown?
Spare me!
Professional urban developers that don't live in Uptown and have no stake in this building have evaluated Wilson Yard and called it the future slum of Uptown. I trust them more than I trust a Shillerista who doesn't even live in Uptown - therefore his taxes WON'T be used to pay for this building. And his property value WON'T be affected by the building of it.
I am a new Chicago resident living in Uptown. I was glad to find these neighborhood blogs, but I have since become concerned with the neighborhood. I am probably one of the suburbanites that some referenced in the comments as I moved here from Louisville, KY. I am not so sheltered that I expect no violence, however when I see the shootings that take place mere blocks from here I do get a little concerned.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Ald Shiller, I have never met her and I don't know her, but I would hope that if she does read this that she takes the concerns seriously. Sure, there are some flippant remarks and accusations that may not be valid in her eyes, but perception is everything. If this is the perception that people, especially new residents, are getting then at a minimum she has a PR problem to address. However, all things considered, it seems that if she did address some or all of the issues put forth here that she might gain some respect back.
Regardless of where we come from, there are certainly some common threads that we share, namely the desire to be able to walk around the neighborhood without the fear (real or perceived) of getting shot, mugged, or otherwise bothered.
Wilson Yard seems to be a real fiasco and I hope that it can be salvaged into something more desirable for the community. Before moving here I had heard about how great it was going to be and from reading this blog and the fix wilson yard site, I have learned that plans have changed.
I grew up a suburbanite and live in Uptown, but it doesn't matter where you come from. Growing up in the city and being used to violence doesn't make it right. Why do some people think it's ok? Uptown should be as safe as Lakeview. So should Rogers Park. So should the west side or the south side.
ReplyDeleteAnybody who thinks that violence is ok because "it's Uptown" or "it's the city" and believes it's cultural so it's "ok" is just an idiot.
Of course we in the 'hoods are grateful for ANY coverage, but where's the news in this Trib article? Sure, it's a collection of current Uptown residents' views, but the only event referenced in this article was the community meeting last month. It's clear to me the success of the Chicago Journal coaxed one of the bigs into sending a reporter into the 'hood.
ReplyDeleteJimo: Thanks for reconfirming my assertion that the tension in Uptown revolves around Wilson Yard.
ReplyDeletePS: Im voting for the "Messiah" (I'm guessing youre referring to Barack Obama in the mocking way your talk radio gurus Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh have encouraged you to do). I don't expect President Obama to "fix" Wilson Yard or all other US ills; however, it will be nice to have people want to talk to me about my unique leader and compliment US voters for their choice when I travel outside the US--as opposed to the way most foreigners have viewed the US and its citizens during the past eight years.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm a "have" since I own (with my bank) a 2 bed/2 bath condo which I purchased about 18 months ago for significantly less than $300K. I'll admit I resent having to pay for the "have-nots" $400k+ housing as well.
ReplyDeleteJason, I don't think anyone is saying that city people think violence is "right" and suburbanites don't. Come on, that would be rather silly, no? But come on, is it hard to imagine that where a person grew up and the level of violence/illegal activity he or she encountered on a daily basis certainly would inform how he or she reacts to it? I also grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and no, I can't say that there were drug dealers on my corner and shootings in my neighborhood...EVER. I moved to Uptown in January but had been living in Chicago on and off for the last 17 years ago. Uptown is a whole new ballgame in many respects. At first, I was like Chicken Little every time I saw a gang banger or heard of a shooting. You should see my friends' faces when they come to visit and the whole damn gang is out in full force doing their business at the Sunnyside Mall! Good times.
ReplyDeleteBut living in a constant state of panic is no way to be happy and is certainly no less condoning of violence than learning how to deal with it by doing everything you can to make your neighborhood better and praying the bullets don't find you while you are doing it. IOW, freaking out isn't the only way to show you don't approve of it.
And for the record, "safe" is a relative term. Lakeview, Lincoln Park and even the posh areas downtown have their fair share of crime even if it isn't as openly reported on as in Uptown. Kinda like the way they "under report" crime on college campuses. There is a reason for that.
Let's skip the comments about other people who comment.
ReplyDeleteI will agree that a person's background plays a major role in the way in which they deal with day to day life in Uptown.
ReplyDeleteAfter 4 years here,I am no longer shocked by the things I see, I am used to it. That doesn't mean I think it is right or I don't want things to change, I just expect there to be drunks and gangbangers, and no response from our elected officials when the community needs them the most.
My expectations have hit an all time low, which in my eyes means the only way to go is up.
Well said, pablo!
ReplyDeleteI agree with b. The Wilson Yard issue has nothing to do with the tension between the haves and have-nots. It has to do with building a structure that is based on a failed public housing model, that is wildly over budget, and that has been repeatedly misrepresented by its proponents in terms of what and who will be going in it.
ReplyDeleteFrankly thanks to Uptown Update I'm a lot more cynical about Uptown then ever before. Maybe ignorance is bliss?
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to join the "Fix Wilson Yard" group on Facebook.
ReplyDelete"My expectations have hit an all time low, which in my eyes means the only way to go is up."
ReplyDeleteMine too. However, the only way I see to go is to move out, which I am in the process of doing. With unresponsive elected officials and the downturn in the economy, Uptown is only going to get seedier and more violent. There are other nice, family-oriented, relatively affordable neighborhoods nearby. If people insist on living in squalor, let them and take your money elsewhere. Invest it another neighborhood.
I agree with much of the discussion happening here. I am glad that the Trib published an article specifically pointing out some of the issues facing this community. I am as concerned as everyone else about the future of Uptown. I did email the Mr. Janega to both thank him for shedding some public light on what's going here, even if it only scratches the surface, and to send him the links to both the Fix Wilson Yard and the UNC websites. I hope that someone will look more closely into it.
ReplyDeleteI live steps from the Wilson Yard Project, and gravely fear the consequences of what will become of this area if the project goes through in its current form, and it has less to do with the resale value of my property and more to do with my ability to walk down the street without dodging gunfire or muggers or sex offenders. We, as a community, are on the brink of becoming another wasteland. What do we do to turn that around?
I am as offended as everyone else that, just because I am a condo owner, my opinions as to the decline in safety and increase in crime in this neighborhood is viewed as racist or as a wish to push out impoverished residents. I want to be safe in the neighborhood I decided to plant roots in, as we all do. If I wanted to live in a cookie cutter neighborhood, I'd be pregnant lunching with my girlfriends and their toddlers in Lincoln Park or Wicker Park (not that there's anything wrong with that), but I love the fact that I live in a community with others from all walks of life from every corner of the world.
That is something to be proud of and to celebrate, but for such a diverse community, we are so divided. What should be coming out of the Alderman's office, are community meetings and workshops about culture and diversity, and working together to solve the problems we face as a community, both the haves and have nots. It is sad that our Alderman does not see the opportunities of such a diverse and unique neighborhood and take advantage of that and utilize the resources she has available instead of seeing them as a threat.
I think you got a little shout-out in this article, UU. The first line is "Updating Uptown..."
ReplyDeleteDidn't anyone else think that was rather contrived...the idea that a neighborhood can be somehow "updated"? I am choosing to believe that the Trib has been looking at this blog, reading the News-Star, seeing the Medill pieces and has finally grasped that what is going on here is interesting.
Their business division should also have caught on that Uptown (and Rogers Park which shares similar issues) are so bloggy. That translates into page hits which can translate into revenue for the Tribune.
Go hyperlocal, Chicago Tribune! You won't be sorry! Right now you are facing a hungry demand...
You can't fix something you don't allow to fail. The ability to fail is so critical in our society and in Uptown, really the 46th ward, you have an elected structure that thinks they can control outcomes.
ReplyDeleteI admit it too. There are too sides of Uptown. There are panhandlers that say "may I have a quarter" and panhandlers that say "give me a quarter".
Shiller appears to believe that anyone can come to the 46th Ward without any consequence at all unless your a property owner that isn't playing ball for her team.
Clinics, SROs, day labor, low income housing, very low income housing, extremely low income housing: Welcome to the 46th Ward.
Property owners, college graduates with children, working professionals: GET LOST!
"She's being investigated by the feds for voter fraud."
ReplyDeleteIs there any truth to this claim by downinuptown?
I haven't heard anything about it.
Oh yeah? I have two words for that assertion: Wilson Yard
ReplyDeleteBilly Joe Shiller, how is Wilson Yard a battle between the have's and have nots? Clearly you don't understand whats going on.
On one hand you have an Alderman who needs an permanent voting block that she can pander to so she can stay in power. These people will fill Wilson Yard. Every four years Helen will escort them to the polling places and then promptly ignore them.
Then there is everyone else who is horribly concerned at the increase in crime that Wilson Yard is going to cause. Some of these people are haves, and some are nots. What unifies them is their lack of enjoyment of crimes, shootings and rapes.
You've said that you don't live here Billy Joe, and you don't come to any of the community meetings, nor do you have any idea what is actually going on other than your pre-conceived notions. It must be fun to be a smug ignorant SOB like yourself.
downinuptown,
ReplyDeleteNice bantering! Quite frankly, I agree with nearly all of your post. The architectural elements in this neighborhood are stunning, if you know here to look. My own building has a number of little touches that are just, simply put, cool. The more restorations that are completed, the better this neighborhood is and could be.
This community needs a number of things and we are getting one of the most important: an active, participating and LOUD network of people interested in the direction of it. I've lived in enough Chicago neighborhoods, blissfully unaware. Uptown demands the attention or you'll get run over. It's time for me to donate to Fix Wilson Yard (if you can wait till payday)!
Saskia,
Totally agree on the "Updating Uptown..." First thing I thought of when I started reading the article...some people are being heard by the media.
Billy Joe Shiller, how is Wilson Yard a battle between the have's and have nots?
ReplyDeleteHave Nots: " . . . These people will fill Wilson Yard. Every four years Helen will escort them to the polling places and then promptly ignore them."
Haves: " . . .is everyone else who is horribly concerned at the increase in crime that Wilson Yard is going to cause. Some of these people are haves."
See WindyCityEagle: You answered your own question.
She's being investigated by the feds for voter fraud.
ReplyDeleteWhoa. WHOA! Do tell please.
"She has declined an agreement that would have beautified the west corridor of our neighborhood on the downtrodden stretch of clark between lawrence and Irving Park."
ReplyDeleteWhat does this mean? I haven't heard about this either.
If BJ was HS, you'd have REALLY long comments that meander between 5-10 subjects, confuse the hell out of readers, and leave you saying "What the Helen?"
ReplyDeleteNo it does matter where you come from. Those of us that have traveled the US and lived in many states/large cities are fed up with the outright nepotism and corruption in Crook County and the State of IL.
ReplyDeleteThose that have lived here keep driking the Kool Aid and put up with crooked elected officials that don't give a damn about the people they are supposed to represent.
Politics is the new legal mafia and Chicago is the model of corruption.
I'm glad you said it, b.
ReplyDeleteSee WindyCityEagle: You answered your own question.
ReplyDeleteNo BJ - you mutilated his answer to suit your purposes. How very Shiller of you! She would be so proud!
"Then there is everyone else who is horribly concerned at the increase in crime that Wilson Yard is going to cause. Some of these people are haves, and some are nots. What unifies them is their lack of enjoyment of crimes, shootings and rapes."-WCE
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy name is not important and I am using my sisters blogger name to state some things.I am Jon Trott's daughter. I was born and raised in uptown and I am a single mother of a beautiful baby girl,who is about to turn 8 mo. old.I live on leland and malden and on the day of the shooting I had just exited my building and started walking towards wilson.If I had been paying attention I would have noticed a group of young men on my side of the street having words with another group on the other side of wilson.In a flash the group was running towards me away from the other group,they chose to cross into the middle of the street as one of them pulled out a gun and soon there were shots being fired back and forth ,without trying my brain counted 14 shots,had they not gone into the middle of the street,I would have been directly in there line of fire.I didn't have time to "dive on top of my baby" rather I started screaming please stop and crouched down with my arm over the stroller.I felt so helpless so like a little girl I closed my eyes tight.We were not hit,as the boys ran away I quickly turned down wilson and ducked into a store I needed a cigarette like never before!!A man outside the store asked me if I were ok and said I should get off the street,with my baby cuz it wasn't over.As for my fathers tearful rendition of this story at the meeting,we teased him about it afterward.If you are a father the thought of your youngest child and her baby, your only grandchild,possibly losing their lives on a sunny late afternon,is enough to make even the hardest of you cry and not quite make sense.In closing yes that was me and my daughter,yes we are fine no I don't have a husband in the army,maybe there was another mom and baby in a similar situation.Mocking and speculating about someone making up a story as serious as this is silly and pathetic.I am a resident of uptown who is struggling to provide for my child and myself,and of course I don't ever want to be in that situation I was in that day again.I want unity!!!We have to be creative or we can do it the old way which would mean fuller jails,babies with no fathers,separation,displacement animosity,and HATE.YOU MIGHT FEEL SAFER THOUGH!!
Babies with no fathers? That is what is going on right now. But just because people have kids does not mean that if they break the law they shouldn't go to jail. These thugs are living on our dime and shooting up our streets.
ReplyDeleteThis empidemic started because of the lack of fathers. Yet Ive seen you out many times (over 75) but have never, NOT ONCE, seen a father with you and your baby. Ive seen you pass her around with friends but NEVER with a dad. Why is that? Did us bad Condo owners lock him up? Were people not "creative" witn him? Please do not try to make this the fault of the good Citizens of Uptown. We are trying.
In the name of the Dead Beat Dad, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Amen
We have to be creative or we can do it the old way which would mean fuller jails,babies with no fathers,separation,displacement animosity,and HATE.
ReplyDeleteSo what do you suggest? I can probably provide you with a more thorough explanation for why the shooters were shooting on that street that day than Helen Shiller or COURAJ. But at the end of the day, we have to draw the line and take a stand against such violence even if it means that person needs to get locked away ruining their life and perhaps even the life of their child. Everyone in Uptown is well aware of how that all turns out. Talk to some of the men at Wilson Club and in Mercy Housing about how they regret things they did in their youth and how they don't know their children anymore. Many of us "get it." But what about the obligation we have to protect your child or Francis Oduro or those little kids who were trailing the group the night he died???
The dealers doing the shooting have accepted what their life is and are foolishly thinking that they are smarter and faster and won't be caught. In a lot of ways I think it is more humane to stop them before they kill someone and are gone for good. For the most part these are still kids we are talking about. Call it tough love or whatever you want to call it but ignoring the problem and blaming the victims is 100% not the answer.
There are so many fatherless babies being born and people in prison because of a lack of responsibility and accountability on part of those individuals.
ReplyDeleteUnity is a two way street. There is plenty of that and compassion in the world.
Ultimately - no one likes feeling as they are being taken advantage of. Hardworking taxpayers are getting a bit frustrated with footing the bill for all the fatherless homes and filled prisons.
there you guys go again. a young lady puts up an impassioned post detailing her experience with gangland crossfire, sticking up for her dad and saying the violence has to stop and you guys are putting her to trial for having a baby out of wedlock.
ReplyDeletewhat is it with you guys?
whirlofagirl...
ReplyDeleteWhile I disagree with condemning this young lady for having a baby out of wedlock, I have no issue with those taking her to task over her final comments of having compassion for gangbangers and not locking them up because it means more fatherless children.
I would like to hear what she means about 'being more creative' to help them and keep them out of jail though.
For me, it depends on the situation. Is this a young person who is a first time offender selling drugs or involved in a gang fight (not with guns) who is repentent and might be saved? Yes, I'm all for finding creative ways to work with this young person and help turn his/her life around before he/she is lost to the system.
But if its a gangbanger with a criminal record as long as a receipt for a car purchase, who cares nothing for anyone, who thinks he has the right to shoot up the street to defend some 'turf' that isn't his to begin with, who takes the life of an innocent baby and had no issue with that? A person who is repeatedly caught selling drugs and doesn't care? These are the people that I have zero sympathy for. The 'system' does make efforts to help these people turn their lives around. What other country provides the opportunity for people to get a college degree in jail? I don't know of any others... many jails offer programs to help these guys get out of gangs too. Yes, there is a risk they may get killed. But its just as likely they will get killed while in the gang too. If they have the balls to join it in the first place, they should have the balls to get out too, if they want to.
I guess the young Miss Trott is more forgiving than I am. But if a bunch or gangbangers nearly killed my infant daughter because of their ignorance and selfishness... I don't think I would be preaching forgiveness or creative ways of helping them. I'd be finding ways to expedite their sorry asses to jail.
farrell... i don't see where she says anything like that in her post. what i do see is that the old way of doing things isn't doing anything good at all and we can expect the problem to escalate if we don't address it in a different manner. i don't see she has answers for how.
ReplyDeletewe're all speaking the same language over here, am i that far off?
the old way of doing things isn't doing anything good at all and we can expect the problem to escalate if we don't address it in a different manner.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of "liberal" residents generally agree with this sentiment. But Uptown is not an island and we can't make up whatever social policy we want here. I think there is a fair amount of agreement that opportunities have been lacking for many of the families dug deep into the drug trade. You can approach the situation from a lot of angles (affordable housing, healthcare, welfare reform, the judicial system, the penal system, discrimination, the foster care system, education, unemployment, political corruption, redlining, crack v. cocaine sentences, perennial lack of funding for job training and youth programs...) Really the list could go on & on but in the end it really doesn't matter which one thing is more important or what has been left off this list. Inequality is real in this country and obviously, its effects are going to be felt.
For the life of me, I have never understood why the Shillerites don't say of course poverty is likely to produce bad situations where people can make bad choices that may lock them into even more bad situations. I mean do we really need to spell out that it sucks to be poor and that faced with hardship some people will do things that may seem to help the situation but only make it worse?!?
The Uptown establishment is locked in this "groundhog day"-like discussion about what is wrong in the world...how it should be. But it is always an "anti" position...anti-gentrification, anti-police brutality, anti-discrimination. Believe me, I am very sympathetic to the "what should be." However, you've got to pursue justice in other ways besides railing against the unjust. The world happens around us and in relation to us and merely rejecting what you don't want of the world leaves you with very little to work with to grow something better. We simply don't have the resources to kick the CPD to the curb and create a more just policing mechanism. Instead, we are left with little to nothing. If you kick away local investment you have to ask for cash from people outside and then you risk becoming politically beholden (i.e., TIFs) or risk unreliable funding streams.
This community will raise somewhere in the neighborhood of $75,000 for lawsuits this year. Has anyone ever wondered what might have been done over the years if there had been some plans and a spirit of community to address some of Uptown's issues? I mean, you've got all of these college-educated new residents with decent jobs who are being completely shut out. Yet a lot of suffering exists around here. Wouldn't it have been more expedient to try to embrace these new residents and say that their presence was valued here rather than stupidly shouting at them for being a huge problem??? They are only a problem because they disrupt the political detente. It is sheer hubris of gigantic proportions to think that a small cabal can more effectively be the voice of the people than the actual people themselves. It is sheer hubris to think that this cabal would be more effective in getting the community what it needs than the actual community banding together and growing it in multiple directions. At present, Uptown is nothing more than another fiefdom with a self-styled benevolent dictator.
I am sorry for spouting off and producing this tome...but we really, really need someone to give voice to the people rather than to be the voice of the people. When will Uptown be free of this madness?
"babies with no fathers,separation,displacement animosity"
ReplyDeleteThat is why I took her to task. Not judging her. As long as she is not taking government handouts I really don't care about her breeding styles. That will be for her daughter to hold her accountable someday.
What is this "Old" way of dealing with criminals? Last time I checked our system is a revolving door with no limit. Look at the record on the kid who shot that detective. Thats a joke.
"We have to be creative or we can do it the old way which would mean fuller jails,babies with no fathers,separation,displacement animosity,and HATE.YOU MIGHT FEEL SAFER THOUGH!!"
ReplyDeleteWhirlofagirl, My interpretation of this statement is that we need to stop putting men who break the law in jail. How else can this statement be read?
I'm of the mind, you break the law, you pay the consequences. Everyone knows what those consequences are.
There is a far cry between a man who robs a store (without harming anyone) to feed his family because he can't find a job, and a gang banger who kills people for being on his 'turf'.
Personally, I think part of the problem is that our laws have become too lax, the punishments too lax, and these lawbreakers know that all they need is to get a lawyer to tell the court how horrible their life is, and after they all stop crying, he'll get a slap on the wrist and will be back on the street. How else do you explain these criminals who have rap sheets two blocks long, and they stay on the street, and then they kill someone, or rape someone, and everyone screams of the injustice of this criminal being out on the street.
Sorry for my rant, but I guess I will never understand, or agree with those who absolve others of their personal responsibility to do the right thing, simply because of the circumstances they grew up in. (not saying you are doing that, but many people that post here do). Most people in this world have faced serious hardship in their life, whether it was abuse, neglect, poverty, whatever, but they don't become criminals for it.
We need creative ways to stop these kids from joining gangs and going into a life of crime - yes. If they are first time offendors and can be helped - yes, let's help them. But cold criminals belong in jail. That's why jails were built to begin with. As far as their children being fatherless - well, the thug obviously didn't care enough about his own kid to stay out of trouble, so why should that become the responsibility of society?
There is only so much our government can do - much of what has been done has backfired on us already - there is only so much well meaning volunteers and activists can do to. It all boils down to personal responsibility. If you can't get those who are breaking the law to stop, then they belong in jail. Plain and simple.
Saskia...you ROCK!! I think you've summed up in your last post what the situation in this ward really is, and what direction it needs to go if it is to avoid spinning itself into oblivion. Keep up the thoughtful responses...your positive and constructive ways of pointing out the problems just may crystallize things for this neighborhood yet. THANK YOU.
ReplyDeleteok.... so this is tabitha.... but you have labeled me as jon trotts' daughter... which is amusing... so anyways i get attacked for being a "unwed" mother... so chipdouglas i am glad you are not judging me as long as i am not taking "government handouts" as you call them,which only furthers how ignorant you are and sound.
ReplyDeleteNumber 1: NO my childs' father is NOT in jail and has never been... but thanks.
Number 2: Why are you watching me,and counting when you see me or who you think is me... and why dont you have the balls to introduce yourself so we can have a conversation face to face?????
Number 3: You must not know that when you are a single mother HOW are you supposed to work full time, go to school and watch your child all BY YOURSELF. You might consider "welfare" a handout from your pocket.... just as i consider my tax dollars and a handout paying for the WAR in iraq. (by the way NO i am not getting welfare checks). You obviously have lived a priviledged and sheltered life full of advantages. lucky you.
Nember 4: I never said that nobody should be put in jail. If you read up the prison system you might find that the general consensus is that jail time without rehabilitation only perpetuates the disfunction and in most cases does more damage than good of course there are some people that DO need to go to jail. These children on the streets of uptown are NOT unreacheable criminals that we need to lock away out of sight out of mind. I dont have the answers on how to fix the violence and poverty that surrounds this neighborhood but i DO know some of the people on here need to step back and try to live a day i someone elses shoes. WE can stop the violence with programs to keep kids busy and off the streets.lets find a better way.
ONE LOVE,ONE WORLD
Being a mom is hard work. Doing it alone is even harder. Let's keep the discussion here about Uptown's issues. It has to be fair to say that none of us would want aspects of our personal lives to become fodder for a blog. None of us are perfect.
ReplyDelete