#Tucker on the crime problem and the grinches who rob volunteers and burn down Christmas trees

 

[VIDEO] I'm sharing this segment from Tucker Carlson Tonight on FOX News with you today because the commentary you see by host Tucker Carlson discusses some local events that perhaps you missed. Most certainly I missed these events.

To bring home some of the points Carlson is discussing here is there needs to be a reckoning on the crime issue nationally. Certainly it's an issue not just in the city where last weekend a group of youths converged near Millennium Park to cause enough issues for the police to start making plans to address any future disturbances. Basically as a reaction problem as this issue has been going on for a while as this isn't the first time I wrote about youths coming to downtown to cause problems as theft, vandalism, or even just causing major disturbances.

So he starts off with attacks on Christmas trees because well tis the season. And the first thing he mentions was that a group of My Block My Hood My City volunteers were robbed putting up holiday decorations in the history south side Bronzeville neighborhood. 

BTW, if you don't want to listen to Carlson here's a story from CBS Chicago. According to the article this crime occurred at 48th & King Drive and part of a team of volunteers putting up Christmas decorations from  35th Street to 115th Street.

WGN: Over 60 arrested after chaos ensues in Chicago's Loop

 

[VIDEO] I think what was alluded to by these WGN anchors on Monday was the planning and assurance by the Chicago Police there won't be many issues then we hear over 60 people were arrested causing issues in the Loop. We hear about a large crowd (or mob) of unruly young people came downtown setting off fireworks and setting fires in garbage cans.

This seems to be a recurring theme unfortunately. Often we're hearing about large gatherings of young people in downtown Chicago. And sometimes they do cause issues.

CBS Chicago: CPD Responds To Large Group Of Rowdy Teens Moving Through The Loop

 

[VIDEO] Was caught up in some of this last night. In fact some of the teens you might see in this footage took the Red Line back to the south side and made a lot of noise in doing so. It's very unfortunate that on our local news stations this is the image their viewing audience has of our young people.

ABC7Chicago: Chicago skyline goes dark in memory of COVID-19 victims

 

[VIDEO] Last night the Chicago skyline went dark to honor those hundreds of thousands of people across America who died in this coronavirus pandemic.

CBS Chicago: Large Crowds Show Up In Chicago Loop, Prompting Police Response

 

[VIDEO] I got caught up in this on Saturday night. Thankfully I was away from the action as I saw a line of Chicago Police vehicles along Washington Blvd from State to Wabash and then to Michigan Avenue at least. It appeared the focus was near the Christmas tree in Millenium Park.

What happened this weekend with the Dan Ryan protests

On Saturday morning, I wrote a post about a planned protest on the Dan Ryan. I reminded everyone about the Dan Ryan protest held further south near 79th street back in 2018 which was held without incident though controversial as this one was more controversial considering the times we're living in right now.

We have a pandemic going on and not only that the week before downtown Chicago and 87th street evidently had events of mass looting. Then we still have unrest around the nation especially since the death of George Floyd which largely hadn't settled down and every urban area has experienced some form of civil unrest.

Thankfully there was no protest on the Dan Ryan which would've started near 47th Street on Saturday. I wrote that post assuming many of you read the blog before you do anything else in the AM, although I don't always post in the morning though my goal is to post at 8:30 AM when possible.

According to this report from CBS 2, protesters didn't have the turnout they expected to hit the Dan Ryan on Saturday. Instead they marched through the Bronzeville neighborhood and found their way to Grant Park downtown where clashes between these so-called protestors and police happened. [VIDEO]

There were videos of people trying to get to their homes in Bronzeville, but not allowed to walk down their street due to the police presence. The language here in coarse so it's not safe for work of some Bronzeville residents going back and forth with a wall of state police blocking their street.

NO, not this again!!! Looting downtown overnight

[VIDEO] The last time this activity happened downtown, especially in the last weekend of may in national demonstrations over what happened with George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn - it came here. Peaceful demonstrations great and then came the rioting, vandalism, and looting. Worse still once it happened downtown, it came to the neighborhoods on the west and south sides which are still recovering from them.

I'd say check out the comments in the above video. A lot of people making their own references to who committed the most recent acts of looting and violence downtown. Some of it offensive from some of you.

It lets me know that we really haven't settled down from what happened over two months ago. We're still under some forms of unrest in this city. Granted there were other hiccups such as what happened at a Christopher Columbus statue on the lakefront.

And you know 2nd City Cop had something to say about this and noting that Mayor Lightfoot over the weekend crashed Montrose Beach after a significant group of people congregated there during a pandemic.

I want to share this video from The Hill which often covers what's going on in the US Congress about the chaos from overnight. Even they're paying attention. [VIDEO]

I hate to ask this question, have we started to lose control?

Crain's: Our lawless downtown is threatening our city's economy

I suppose one way to look at this is some of the crime in the more violent neighborhoods of the city's south and west sides are beginning to bleed into the Loop or areas of downtown Chicago. As seen in this article gunfire at Water Tower Place, carjackings in the Gold Coast, a police commander shot to death near the Thompson Center.

That sense of security is under threat: The Loop saw a 14 percent rise in overall crime in the first quarter of this year compared to the last, with a 30 percent rise in violent crime driven largely by muggings, according to police data analyzed by CWBChicago.com. And a series of recent incidents has revived old worries about crime in the city. A police commander shot to death amid weekday crowds in the Loop. Cars commandeered at gunpoint in the Gold Coast and other neighborhoods across Chicago and the suburbs. A 15-year-old boy hit by stray gunfire as he rode a city bus. Just last week, a federal law enforcement agent was shot in the face as he worked to combat gun violence in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Shots fired inside Water Tower Place on the Mag Mile.

All those events got national media attention, adding to a steady drumbeat of stories that raise questions about safety in Chicago. These questions trouble not only those of us who live here, but also those who might be considering a move to Chicago.

Most prominent among them is Amazon, which is vetting cities for a second headquarters that it says would bring tens of thousands of well-paid jobs to the winner. Chicago badly wants the prize, and by all rights should have a strong chance. The city has many of the attributes Amazon wants in a second headquarters—a deep talent pool, a world-class airport and an extensive public transit system, to name a few key selling points. But none of those advantages will matter if the e-tailing giant concludes its employees wouldn't be safe here.

If crime is going up in the Loop area then this is certainly a problem the city will solve. Hopefully these same resources could be used in many of Chicago's long suffering neighborhoods. What do you think?

h/t Newsalert!