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Yesterday, the mayor (finally) responded to the gang violence at the Taste this year. "We had 3.5 million people. It's only one shooting—and all of the sudden, you're describing it as chaotic. It's not chaotic. ... This is very safe," said Daley. The mayor, who was at an Academy of Achievement conference in Florida when the shootings took place, said that the police were present at the Taste, but were powerless to stop the violence.
"You come out of the L. You're a gang-banger. But, what is a gang-banger? Is [it] a kid that has pants, a hat and a shirt? He thinks he's a gang member. ... Can you see the police stopping every person coming down who looks like a gang-banger [based on] how people dress?" Daley said."You have to be cautious. You can't just send a hundred policemen and—say if it's Gang X African-Americans—and start grabbing every African-American [in the area]. You'd have a full-scale riot. You have to use common sense. ... Everybody's not involved in a gang, too. Let's put everything in perspective."
The mayor also rejected the notion that the city's Olympic bid was jeopardized by the shootings.
"We've had issues like this in the last 10 years in the city, 15 years. You know that [on] July 3rd. Police know how to handle it. You have to work it. ... They know who they are. We had good police down there. They walk up. ... They talk to 'em [and say], 'You're here with your family. This is a great 4th of July celebration.' They get it," Daley said."Yes, we had gang bangers down there. I'll be very frank. Yeah. They didn't do anything wrong. They come down there—and they did. They came down with families ... Everybody knows that. We had no problems. We had a number of of individuals in and around the CTA, had a disagreement, they all knew each other and started shooting."
Regardless, Police Supt. Jody Weis is looking into the circumstances that surrounded shootings, and whether a better police response could have mitigated the violence. "He still wants to know what happened and wants full detail of how it was handled. He has not made a judgment on that. He's still gathering the facts," a City Hall source told the Sun-Times. "You'd best believe he wanted to know what happened. He's reserving judgment until he finds out what happened," the source said.
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It's getting a little old in my opinion to relate every problem this city experiences into our chance to get the olympics.
China still regularly rounds up political dissidents and sends them to work camps (or worse), and the IOC gave them an olympics. Do you think an L derailment or a gang shooting during a large public gathering is really going to freak the IOC out in comparison?
"There were only a few flipper-babies!"
Everyone I've spoken to about this who was at taste said there was a more than noticeable "thug" element out and about, especially on the 3rd.
And no, these people aren't all lily-white suburban types who clutch their purses when anyone with a tan walks by. A good friend of mine who is black and grew up in Austin was working the taste and said it was "getting pretty damn ghetto".
Well if your black friend said it Albany, it absolutely must be true.
Jesus, the mayor is right. If they stopped any of the so called "thug" element, it would have been racial profiling.
People in gangs like fireworks too, it is their city too. What, are we suppoed to do seperate fireworks on the southside so they don't bother all the people from Naperville.
In 3.5 million people, a shooting between two related gangs is par for the course.
... it is their city too ...
Uh, no.
Yes, they live here, and one can make a plausible argument that the actions of THE MAN over the decades have left some youth with little alternative but to join gangs and engage in destructive behavior.
But through the actions of gangs, the city is less safe, and honest people must fear more for their safety. Those honest people must always fight to keep the city from slipping into even more of a shithole, which results, in large part, from the actions of gangs.
It is not the gangs' city, not for anyone who really cares about quality of life here. It is our city--that is, the good, decent, honest people.
Until we adopt such an attitude, we get the same old shit year after year.
I don't care whether gangbangers like fireworks. I care only that they follow the rules and do not seek the ruin the experience for the good and decent people who also like fireworks.
While we're at it, can we also let them know that the size/price sticker is supposed to be removed from their f*king gang-colored ball caps? Or are bangers taking their fashion cues from Minnie Pearl now?
Wow. Utterly amazed at the comments of our mayor who probably didn't even attend the Taste. I stood by Buckingham Fountain on the 3rd and watched two fights between groups that countless others have described as throwing gang signs and then fighting. I watched people flee in a stampede from the fountain because of fights, and because of fireworks being thrown into a group and everyone thinking it was gunshots. I have read plenty of comments on the Sun Times site and other web sites of people being completely disrespected by young people - not neccessarily gangs in this case - but by youths with no regard for courtesy of others.
I've read accounts of people watching police run from fight after fight after fight on July 3rd unable to really do anything. I saw a few arrests made, but they were understaffed and unprepared, no doubt about it.
My suggestion to our mayor and our city is to charge admission to the Taste, but in such a way that your admission fee is the mandatory purchase of food and beverage tickets to enter. None of those gangbangers were there to attend the Taste and buy food. They were there to fight and cause trouble and that's it. Please don't call that profiling - I watched it with my own eyes all night long.
Our mayor lives in a fantasy world if he can actually say the gunshots and murder on July 3rd had nothing to do with the Taste as I'm inferring him to have said. Every gang in the city was there that night! Whether the shooting happened in Grant Park or away from it, the gang element was present and scattered all over that portion of downtown as a result of being at the Taste.
Finally, to quote Daley and agree with him, the police "were powerless to stop the violence." His words from the story above. The power of the police in this city is fading. They are working without a contract and without proper staffing levels, not to mention working WITH the constant fear of lawsuits should they do anything considered to be racial profiling even in the worst parts of the city.
Portions of this city are going down the toilet and the city government could care less. Olympics, Olympics, Olympics... Frankly, it is absurd to me that Chicago even made it this far. The Olympics have no business being in Chicago at all. This city is falling apart in so many areas; we all see it everyday. Too bad the mayor doesn't.
Well if your black friend said it Albany, it absolutely must be true.
Oh blow it out your condescending ass. My friend worked taste for her restaurant and grew up in a damn hard area. She's a better litmus test for me than Richie Daley doing a drive through on a golf cart surrounded by off-duty cops.
My friend was the one who was told by her boss to "not bother" chasing people who grabbed food and ran off and to "not argue" with anyone after a "customer" almost punched someone on the first day.
People in gangs like fireworks too, it is their city too.
Sure. And when they bring their gang nonsense out in public, act like thugs and brutes they should be dealt with efficiently. The people who bring ruckus to these events don't get a free pass. If you can't act like an adult and not get into a fist fight over someone smudging your puma, you need some quiet time in a cell.
(Credit to Chris Rock for the Puma line)
Albany: being rude isn't against the law.
What is "acting like a thug"? Actually shooting someone? It seems to be that most of this vitrol is blatant classism at the very least.
Let's stratify the Taste by making it cost money so the poors can't get in and ruin it.
Saying that you listen to a black comedian and claiming to have black friends doesn't make you less of a racist.
Jenny, I'm pretty sure he meant shooting people.
Working understaffed and without a contract will not be a motivator to any officer who has to work in crowds of this size and calibre.
Why doesn't Richie and our $330K/year Chief of Police address the issue of the police contract and the number of officers necessary to protect and serve this city?
Honestly, where is their contract?
Let's stratify the Taste by making it cost money so the poors can't get in and ruin it.
Yes, that's exactly what everyone is saying.
Did me acknowledging your knee-jerk reaction make it any more true?
Taste needs better security, better crowd control, better organization and better planning overall.
Saying that you listen to a black comedian and claiming to have black friends doesn't make you less of a racist.
I thought I was a classist? Dear, do you know what words even mean? Racism means you think one race inherently inferior or superior. I don't believe that. Nor have I said that.
I gather from your jibes that you think I'm a white person who casually tosses in "oh, my BLACK friend said..." I don't. I mentioned my friend's race initially because I was referring to a predominantly black neighborhood which is, at best, economically disadvantaged. Her assessment is informed by her racial background and her youth spent in what can be charitably described as a "rough neighborhood". Or as she calls it "a ghetto". Seems you like simple perjorative. Simple answers for a simple mind.
You want to toss around simplistic accusations, be my guest, but it does nothing to bolster whatever argument you have. Do you even have one? Besides that disruptive gangbangers love fireworks too?