Yep. Grew up on the north side, a mile and a half from the lakefront. Live in the suburbs now, watching the decay from a ringside seat. Still work in the city unfortunately. Funny thing is how many people accept criminal behavior as to be expected.
It is amazing to see how the city despite it’s downtown (Michigan Ave.) beauty become more a jungle or should I say a “wild west” town since I grew up in the 60’s under old man Daley. Even as I became a teen in the 70’s the riff-raff had already started harassing and victimizing the “oppressors.”
Cops back then took justice into their own hands and kept the wolves at bay. Now, it is unfortunately a free-for-all. Rahm was Richie’s hand-picked successor pulling the typical Democrat liberal stupidity. Well, that’s how dis fiefdom is run. Luckily, some smarties over the years changed Chicago from meat packer, steel town into a more malleable and reboundable economy center. It may not become Detroit in that respect, but you’ll find fewer and fewer spenders heading into da city.
When I leave it’ll be comparable to Lot leaving Sodom and Gomorrah, good riddance. This is a perfect study of one party politics and its inevitable outcome. You ain’t seen corruption until you’ve been to Chicago.
As a native of Chicago, who left in 1969, I can remember as a teenager and young woman going down to the Magnificent Mile on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and just window shopping. I couldn’t afford to patronize the kind of stores that line Michigan Ave. But I vowed that someday when I could afford it, I would come back and spend money on all those things I coveted.
Ain’t gonna happen. I can well afford it now and if it were not for the safety issue I could do it but I’m not taking my life in my hands. Chicago is lost. I’ll remember it as it was during my growing up years but I’ll be spending my money in upscale Texas stores now.