I grew up in Cabrini Green. Although I have a lot of positive memories of living there, there are also a number of negative memories. My mother, starting around Memorial Day, would always lament about the “long hot summer.” It was her way of acknowledging that it would not be a quiet or peaceful time. And she was right.
The final summer we lived there, I got into a fight. As my mother came out to break it up, the girl’s sister, heavily pregnant, jumped on my mother. The pregnant teenager beat my mother to a pulp, breaking her glasses and tearing out her hearing aid. Without her glasses, my mother could not see or function. And glasses usually took weeks to come in when they were ordered.
I can still recall accompanying her to King Optical at Chicago and Milwaukee avenues as they were a manufacturer of glasses. She was able to get a replacement pair in hours as opposed to days. Those vivid memories have stayed with me over 55 years and are the basis for a lot of my sentiments regarding crime and criminals.
Chicago is getting ready for a “long hot summer.” Every day now in the news, there is a stabbing. Stabbing used to be occasional situations, but they’re now becoming commonplace, so much so that even coworkers are stabbing one another.
There is even a video of a vicious fight just off Michigan Avenue and Walton right by the John Hancock building. Two guys with knives can be seen making huge stabbing motions at each other. The blades of those knives appear to be at least a foot long. As each of the men went at each other, there were at least 10 other people involved in the melee supporting either side. Those knives were long, so they appear to be 12-inch butcher knives or small machetes. As a society, we’ve been able to monitor/regulate guns to a certain degree. We can’t with knives!
Leadership during this time is important. Sadly the leadership coming out of the fifth floor at City Hall is lacking in a plethora of ways. Mayor Brandon Johnson has proven that he has taken on more that he is physically/mentally capable of. His support from his core constituency is wavering. And with every major policy loss, his capacity to act as a leader is slipping away.
Last week I wrote about how his “Bring Home Chicago” initiative was a flop. Now his decision to eliminate Shot Spotter will not happen. I, for one, am grateful for that loss. One can no longer expect people to automatically call the police when they hear gunshots. One alderwoman pointed out that over 90 rounds went off in her ward, from six shooters, and no one called the police. Shot spotter will do what the population won’t.
As the Democratic National Convention gets ready to take place, Aug 19-22, it could be the climax of a long, hot summer. First there is the contentious race for president. The convention will generate very strong feelings as to who will be the next president. Then we have the protesters of the war in Gaza. For years, Israel has been able to paint any criticism of itself as being antisemitic. The pro-Palestinian protesters are doing a good job of chipping away at that narrative.
Meanwhile with the police busy with the convention, the regular criminal element will be looking for opportunities to create more chaos.
Be prepared, Chicago, the long, hot summer is upon us!