I haven’t ranted in a while. So let me get some things that are bothering me off my mind.
Where is the leadership in the city? Let’s start at the top. The current mayor is proving to be a complete failure — because she has no plans, no solutions. Chicago can only be a “respond as you go” situation for a mayor if the mayor has plans already. Because she hasn’t given much thought to solutions, she doesn’t have any. Plus her choice of a police superintendent from outside this city has been one of the biggest farces ever perpetrated on us.
In a recent television broadcast, the superintendent started talking about violence on the freeways. I had to wonder if he thought we were in California. Because in this city, we have expressways! And words do matter. If the police superintendent does not know and understand the Chicago neighborhoods and their nuances, how can he effectively address the issues that are occurring there? I don’t know who is planning to run against “One-Term Lori,” but I wish they would hurry up and announce.
Speaking of politics, where is the rest of the political leadership in this city? As I write this column, over 53 shootings have occurred. A 2-year-old was shot on Friday evening near 26th and California. Two police officers were shot in Lawndale on Sunday morning. Where is the political leadership (especially the Black leaders) to take a pro-active stance?
We have Blacks as the head of the Cook County board, the mayor, and the police superintendent. So relying on blaming the white man as the excuse is moot. What solutions are they advocating to address the issue? Children are being killed, and the silence from them is deafening.
The murder of Jaslyn Adams in the drive-thru at McDonald’s should have resulted in massive demonstrations against the criminal element and not just a balloon release! The shootout at Grand and State in the parking garage which left Rapper Lil Reese injured should have brought a further outcry. Instead we hear nothing. Any politician from this city talking about running for a statewide seat when they have been completely incompetent at the local level should be laughed off the ballot.
Lastly, let’s not forget about religious leadership and the lack thereof. If we had had a police-involved shooting, we would hear and see them at every opportunity. But if they don’t have the opportunity to grandstand, they’re invisible. And though I’m not a devotee of his, the archdiocese’s slow movement on the allegations against Father Pfleger has silenced one of the few voices that always spoke up. The rest of them have proven to be the charlatans they always were.
It is time for some bold and decisive leadership to emerge. We need a new mayor! We need a new police superintendent! We need new ideas and solutions! We need people to truly be sick of being sick and tired!
