From Chicago Breaking News:Around 4am, "...two men -- ages 35 and 27 -- were shot in the 5100 block of North Broadway in the Uptown neighborhood, police said. The 35-year-old was shot in the left leg, and the 27-year-old was shot in the right arm. Both were taken to Illinois Masonic, but their conditions were unavailable."
SHOCKING.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I live a little south of where most of the violence takes place, but we're not going to be sad to move away from all the gunfire at the end of the month (moving for non-gun-violence-related reasons). We've lived in the area for the past two years as renters and it seems like this summer has seen a drastic uptick either in the violence or its reporting on this blog and elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that awfully close to the alder-critter's home for more fisticuffs?
ReplyDeleteBrent -- I think you raise a good point. I think the violence has been consistently bad, but we are more aware of it now for better or worse.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Why are these guys always taken to the emergency room at Masonic rather than Weiss, Thorek or Methodist (Paulina/Winnemac)? Aren't ambulances supposed to take "trauma victims" to the NEAREST emergency room for treatment?
ReplyDeleteOr is somebody at the ambulance co. getting payoffs from Masonic?
Local Lassie,
ReplyDeleteMasonic is a designated trauma center and had better facilities to deal with gun shot or major accident victims.
On Da sout Side you'll notice many such victims are taken to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn.
As for ambulance company that's likely to be the Chicago Fire Department. Private ambulances in Chicago mostly take people between various hospitals and nursing homes etc.
I did not realize that the city has already released firearm owner cards.
ReplyDeleteThe shooter must have been one of the first to get his FOID card, take time off of work to go to the only place you can get the application (CPD headquarters) during the only hours they are open (closed at 3:30 pm), completed his four hours of safety courses plus one hour of range work, passed the fingerprinting background check, paid his $100 fee plus $15 for each gun, purchased a weapon from a licensed dealer, waiting for the mandatory background check.
Daley is so off the mark with this nonsense. No wonder he has a 37% approval rating.
I'd like to see more police patrols on bikes like I did back in 2008. I don't hardly see them anymore.
ReplyDeleteI take Local Lassie's point. The City of Chicago routinely sends all our gang bangers involved in shootings to the very best medical care the city has to offer - i.e. Illinois Masonic, which is 1 of only 4 Level 1 Trauma Centers in the city. And, the taxpayers get the bill.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Chicago fire department ambulance rules require that we ordinary tax paying schmucks be sent to the closest hospital, even when that hospital (Weiss) is ranked as one of the worst in the state and better hospitals are only a few blocks further away.
If they now allow children to attend better schools outside their neighborhood when their local schools suck, why can't the city allow persons needing immediate hospitalization bypass those hospitals that fail to meet minimum standards of care?
Meanwhile, do what all the seniors in this neighborhood have learned to do. Call MedEx ambulances instead of 911 when you need immediate transport and choose your own destination hospital. Medicare only pays for one transport and you don't want to spend an additional $600 out of pocket to get moved to a quality facility when you need good care.
Local Lassie
ReplyDeleteREALLY?????
How long have you lived in Chicago? Haven't you ever noticed those Big shiny Red fire engines and trucks and the ambulances that say Chicago Fire Department on their sides ?
911 = Chicago Fire &/or Chicago Police (PERIOD). We do not make decisions based on "Payoffs". We know exactly where to go, why and when. We deal with life and death 24 hours at a time. We are highly trained. We get more EMS and Fire experience in a year then most other Department FF/EMT's get in a career. Maybe you should educate yourself alittle, at the very least open your eyes and move to the right when you see big shiny lights.