CHICAGO | Politics and Current Events

[ChiMIchael]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

I doubt they are actors, but I would not be surprised if there were outside agitators involved.

My mother told me that she saw an Indiana license plate among the looters, so there were definitely people from outside the city participating.

And I don't think people were claiming they were actors, rather it was incited from the outside.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

I doubt they are actors, but I would not be surprised if there were outside agitators involved.

One of my contacts indicated a large number of cars/vans/SUVs with out of state license plates, and/or darkened or unmarked plates in her neighborhood in Chatham. Not unmarked police-type cruisers or SUVs, but regular cars. She mentioned that none of the vehicles were known to her, any of her neighbors, and started appearing somewhat en-masse late Saturday and early Sunday, just sitting there. Two primary streets in particular were mentioned. Just reported what I've been told from reliable friends.

[the urban politician]

^ So definitely organized.

Doesn’t this mean that the FBI should be involved?

[SIGSEGV]

Originally Posted by sentinel

One of my contacts indicated a large number of cars/vans/SUVs with out of state license plates, and/or darkened or unmarked plates in her neighborhood in Chatham. Not unmarked police-type cruisers or SUVs, but regular cars. She mentioned that none of the vehicles were known to her, any of her neighbors, and started appearing somewhat en-masse late Saturday and early Sunday, just sitting there. Two primary streets in particular were mentioned. Just reported what I've been told from reliable friends.

Very strange! I suppose it's possible they are a bunch of rentals but then it should be very easy to track...

[harryc]

Aug 10

Chicago | Another Morning after by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Chicago | Another Morning after by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Chicago | Another Morning after by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by sentinel

With Trump-thug and his vast network of bad players, NOTHING is off the table. I hope I'm wrong, frankly. But he is not trustworthy for anything.

Lol, Occam's razor slices your conspiracy theory to bits.

What is the simplest explanation:

1. Vast wide ranging conspiracy to maybe justify a law and order federal stance.

2. Bored youth that want free stuff use social media to get it as they have on and off for a decade now.

[Bonsai Tree]

Many times the simplest explanation is the best. Given what I've seen today on social media of people bragging about their stolen goods and attempting to sell stuff at a discount I would say with almost complete certainty that this was not some "grand conspiracy." People are simply more opportunistic than we believe. It's easy to cry conspiracy when the thin veneer of societal standards is pulled away. I think it's important for everyone to realize just how fragile our society is and how it can move towards anarchy when people choose not to follow the arbitrary rules that we have set up. I've grown to accept that the only way that society can be controlled in this city (and elsewhere) is the illusion of order. When that illusion is gone, then we are all screwed. I believe it's best that we stop pinning something like this on Trump or Soros of whoever because in the end the world is a lot more fragile than we would like to think.

[harryc]

Originally Posted by Bonsai Tree

Many times the simplest explanation is the best. Given what I've seen today on social media of people bragging about their stolen goods and attempting to sell stuff at a discount I would say with almost complete certainty that this was not some "grand conspiracy." People are simply more opportunistic than we believe. It's easy to cry conspiracy when the thin veneer of societal standards is pulled away. I think it's important for everyone to realize just how fragile our society is and how it can move towards anarchy when people choose not to follow the arbitrary rules that we have set up. I've grown to accept that the only way that society can be controlled in this city (and elsewhere) is the illusion of order. When that illusion is gone, then we are all screwed. I believe it's best that we stop pinning something like this on Trump or Soros of whoever because in the end the world is a lot more fragile than we would like to think.

Having observed some of the action first hand - GRAND conspiracy - think not. Small conspiracies - definitely - groups of young adults who are organized and prepared to seize the moment.

[glowrock]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Lol, Occam's razor slices your conspiracy theory to bits.

What is the simplest explanation:

1. Vast wide ranging conspiracy to maybe justify a law and order federal stance.

2. Bored youth that want free stuff use social media to get it as they have on and off for a decade now.

Bored youth who have learned the hard way to go outside of their neighborhood to loot and brag about their free haul (of course for sale at a major discount).

Originally Posted by Bonsai Tree

Many times the simplest explanation is the best. Given what I've seen today on social media of people bragging about their stolen goods and attempting to sell stuff at a discount I would say with almost complete certainty that this was not some "grand conspiracy." People are simply more opportunistic than we believe. It's easy to cry conspiracy when the thin veneer of societal standards is pulled away. I think it's important for everyone to realize just how fragile our society is and how it can move towards anarchy when people choose not to follow the arbitrary rules that we have set up. I've grown to accept that the only way that society can be controlled in this city (and elsewhere) is the illusion of order. When that illusion is gone, then we are all screwed. I believe it's best that we stop pinning something like this on Trump or Soros of whoever because in the end the world is a lot more fragile than we would like to think.

I totally agree with this. The moment one removes the thin veneer of societal norms, all bets are off. This entire nation is simply a powderkeg ready to explode! In many ways, our humanity is disappearing right before our eyes, and we're literally devolving into the species in which we originated from. Stress (both financial and emotional) has resulted in what we're seeing, along with systemic racism of all types. Add to it social media and we're all more or less hosed.

Aaron (Glowrock)

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Bonsai Tree

Many times the simplest explanation is the best. Given what I've seen today on social media of people bragging about their stolen goods and attempting to sell stuff at a discount I would say with almost complete certainty that this was not some "grand conspiracy." People are simply more opportunistic than we believe. It's easy to cry conspiracy when the thin veneer of societal standards is pulled away. I think it's important for everyone to realize just how fragile our society is and how it can move towards anarchy when people choose not to follow the arbitrary rules that we have set up. I've grown to accept that the only way that society can be controlled in this city (and elsewhere) is the illusion of order. When that illusion is gone, then we are all screwed. I believe it's best that we stop pinning something like this on Trump or Soros of whoever because in the end the world is a lot more fragile than we would like to think.

Very well said

[sentinel]

Edit.

[bnk]

Apparently it was just reparation's. I wonder how many more weeks of reparation's we can handle.


BTW are the bridges are still up?



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-downtown.html

[Investing In Chicago]

End of an era for me today in Chicago - Officially closed on the new house, and moving out of the Chicago house this weekend.

I'm first and foremost a New Yorker, but will always have fond memories living in Chicago. I'm very bearish on the future of Chicago, and very glad i'm "getting out" but I still have a very high financial interest in the city, so I hope it can get it's shit together.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by Investing In Chicago

End of an era for me today in Chicago - Officially closed on the new house, and moving out of the Chicago house this weekend.

I'm first and foremost a New Yorker, but will always have fond memories living in Chicago. I'm very bearish on the future of Chicago, and very glad i'm "getting out" but I still have a very high financial interest in the city, so I hope it can get it's shit together.

Congrats on selling, which it's always a relief when any type of closing is done. Are you in the suburbs or completely out of Chicagoland/IL? If the latter, will you be changing your name?

I understand how people are upset, given this year's perfect storm of absurdity/general shittiness, but I am always confused when people throw their hands up in the air and just say 'well, Chicago is dead' or some such thing. It's very frustrating to not be able to see the proverbial forest through the trees, and I remind others as well as myself that these are stressful, but hopefully finite times we live in; pandemics fade, employment goes back up, societies change, even on a micro-level..hopefully for the better.

Maybe I'm just an eternal optimist, but things get better..considering we already survived the Great Recession from 10-12 years ago and Chicago became more visible and economically relevant than ever before.

Yeah the current administration is perplexing and confusing at times, but nothing is normal right now, there is no playbook for ALL of the issues coming to a head at once. People will leave Chicago for a variety of reasons, but people will also still move here. There is still a lot of money, influence, resources, connectivity that make Chicago vital, the trick is how to keep that and make it flourish into something more.

Octavia Butler always felt that you can easily materialize your reality by your thoughts and words, so which will people want to materialize, the negative or the positive? I will still always choose the latter.

[Investing In Chicago]

Originally Posted by sentinel

Congrats on selling, which it's always a relief when any type of closing is done. Are you in the suburbs or completely out of Chicagoland/IL? If the latter, will you be changing your name?

I understand how people are upset, given this year's perfect storm of absurdity/general shittiness, but I am always confused when people throw their hands up in the air and just say 'well, Chicago is dead' or some such thing. It's very frustrating to not be able to see the proverbial forest through the trees, and I remind others as well as myself that these are stressful, but hopefully finite times we live in; pandemics fade, employment goes back up, societies change, even on a micro-level..hopefully for the better.

Maybe I'm just an eternal optimist, but things get better..considering we already survived the Great Recession from 10-12 years ago and Chicago became more visible and economically relevant than ever before.

Yeah the current administration is perplexing and confusing at times, but nothing is normal right now, there is no playbook for ALL of the issues coming to a head at once. People will leave Chicago for a variety of reasons, but people will also still move here. There is still a lot of money, influence, resources, connectivity that make Chicago vital, the trick is how to keep that and make it flourish into something more.

Octavia Butler always felt that you can easily materialize your reality by your thoughts and words, so which will people want to materialize, the negative or the positive? I will still always choose the latter.

We made the decision to leave Chicago last June, and have been building a house in Wayzata, Minnesota, on Lake Minnetonka (where my wife is from and where her family lives).

I'm just not interested in pulling the city out of it's financial mess by insane property tax hikes (my property taxes have gone from $25K to ~$50K over the last handful of years); i'm also not interested in sending my children to CPS, which is a disaster, IMO. Also, the novelty of "the city" has worn off for me, and honestly, I want nothing to do with the idiots/drug addicts/homeless that we experience daily even in the relatively affluent Southport Corridor area of Chicago.

Beyond all of that, we decided we want to raise our children outside the city and on a lake, where they can boat every night in the summer and skate every night in the winter. We will also have dozens of restaurants/shops to walk to, so it's sort of the best of both worlds for us.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by Investing In Chicago

We made the decision to leave Chicago last June, and have been building a house in Wayzata, Minnesota, on Lake Minnetonka (where my wife is from and where her family lives).

I'm just not interested in pulling the city out of it's financial mess by insane property tax hikes (my property taxes have gone from $25K to ~$50K over the last handful of years); i'm also not interested in sending my children to CPS, which is a disaster, IMO. Also, the novelty of "the city" has worn off for me, and honestly, I want nothing to do with the idiots/drug addicts/homeless that we experience daily even in the relatively affluent Southport Corridor area of Chicago.

Beyond all of that, we decided we want to raise our children outside the city and on a lake, where they can boat every night in the summer and skate every night in the winter. We will also have dozens of restaurants/shops to walk to, so it's sort of the best of both worlds for us.

Congrats, that sounds really lovely!

I left Lakeview 3 years ago and don't really miss it, even thought it was perfect for me for the 9 years I was there. I left because I couldn't rent my condo out because of dated condo association restrictions. I moved out to an older inner ring suburb here, which I still consider 'Chicago' even though it technically is not within the border - it still only takes me 20-30 minutes to get downtown if there's minimal to no traffic on the Stevenson, and 20 minutes on the Metra. My taxes are suffocating me but I recognize I'm in a very desirable burb with a still vibrant downtown; but I blame our state constitution and the idiot politicians that got us to this point with no foresight, and the current timid politicians that are too afraid of the unions to do anything.

[lakeshoredrive]

Do you all think the situation in Chicago would be worse if Rahm was still mayor?

[bnk]

Originally Posted by lakeshoredrive

Do you all think the situation in Chicago would be worse if Rahm was still mayor?

No It would not be worse. How can it get worse than this? Foxx being the mayor maybe.

[glowrock]

Originally Posted by Investing In Chicago

We made the decision to leave Chicago last June, and have been building a house in Wayzata, Minnesota, on Lake Minnetonka (where my wife is from and where her family lives).

I'm just not interested in pulling the city out of it's financial mess by insane property tax hikes (my property taxes have gone from $25K to ~$50K over the last handful of years); i'm also not interested in sending my children to CPS, which is a disaster, IMO. Also, the novelty of "the city" has worn off for me, and honestly, I want nothing to do with the idiots/drug addicts/homeless that we experience daily even in the relatively affluent Southport Corridor area of Chicago.

Beyond all of that, we decided we want to raise our children outside the city and on a lake, where they can boat every night in the summer and skate every night in the winter. We will also have dozens of restaurants/shops to walk to, so it's sort of the best of both worlds for us.

Am I the only one here who isn't exactly feeling sorry for an obviously-wealthy individual complaining about people in the Southport corridor who are actually perhaps homeless or addicts? Southport is ridiculously wealthy, but it's still in the freaking middle of the city. Of course there will be some people who aren't wealthy!

I'm sorry, but this pretty much infuriates me. Complaining about property taxes when you obviously made enough to pay them, complaining about CPS schools when many of them are, in fact excellent (of course there are horrible ones, as can be said for literally every large school system in this country!), etc... etc... Instead of blaming Chicago for your decision to move, just say you decided to move somewhere that suited your current tastes better.

Speaking as someone who's lived in MANY places throughout the years, Chicago still has an amazing value for the money. Yes, 2020 needs to be done away with (the entire country has faced serious issues, and not just health and crime-related!), but up until then, Chicago's renaissance has been nothing short of extremely impressive.

Aaron (Glowrock)

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by glowrock

Complaining about property taxes when you obviously made enough to pay them,

^ I mostly agree with your post, but his point about property taxes is justified. Being a renter I don't think you are being fair.

He said that his property taxes doubled in a few years. It shouldn't matter how "wealthy" you perceive him to be, that is pure class warfare and you're ascribing to him lower morality, in effect, by saying this. Truth is, he is far from alone in complaining about this major issue in Chicago right now. Home owners, property owners--you name it--in Chicago are really getting hammered by that.

Or, to put it another way, imagine that your rent doubled in a few years all because your landlord was a corrupt fuck who spent all his money on buying hookers for his buddies. You get the drift. Now, consider that it's far harder to sell a property than it is to simply move out of an apartment at the end of your lease and rent a cheaper place.