After my first week on the job after having moved to Chicago in 1982, I decided to go shopping at the Century Mall at 2828 North Clark Street. As I was about to walk in the door, a black teen in white leather sneakers rushed out past me, quickly followed by two Mexican security guards in hard black leather shoes. As they sprinted north on Clark, the black outdistancing the mestizos, I watched with great interest. Then the criminal made a sharp left turn on Orchard St, followed by his pursuers. As they disappeared from my sight, it occurred to me that this had been an important career decision the crook had just made in case Orchard turned out to be a dead end.
This reminded me of the time while snorkeling in Mexico I had obnoxiously chased a colorful clown fish until, apparently, he had finally arrived back in his own territory in the coral reef, at which point he stopped fleeing and turned to fight, baring his alarmingly sharp teeth at me. I prudently backed off.
Evidently, it’s important to have your own turf where you feel comfortable that you know all its ins and outs so in cases of push comes to shove you can maneuver adroitly, such as the Clark Street criminal needed to know whether or not turning left on Orchard would be a wise long-term decision.
Eventually, this struck me as having implications for real estate decision-making. Some neighborhoods in Chicago have radically higher crime rates than others, depending upon how familiar the criminally-inclined are with the neighborhood. You want to live in neighborhoods that the criminally-inclined don’t find familiar.
But this kind of learning experience is, evidently, racist. From Fox 32 Chicago:
Chicago cops may soon need permission before chasing a suspect on foot
By Mike Flannery Published 6 hours ago
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is considering a momentous change to Chicago police procedure: requiring officers to get a supervisor’s permission before beginning a foot chase. This comes after the shooting of Adam Toledo.
CHICAGO – Mayor Lori Lightfoot is considering a momentous change to Chicago police procedure: requiring officers to get a supervisor’s permission before beginning a foot chase.
For decades, the faster races deserve to outrun the slower races with their ill-gotten gains. But isn’t that racially bigoted? Why shouldn’t criminals from the slower races be entitled to simply walk away from the scene of their crimes?
What other steps can our elected leaders undertake to ensure mob rule?
