[Onward Allusion]

^^^
Man, I couldn't have said it better.

I was in the Loop for a meeting last month and someone asked me if I came into Chicago for the nightlife/culture...etc because I live relatively close. I told him that I had many opportunities to attend various sporting events, cultural events, and charity events due to my position. However, I avoid Chicago like the plague and that I make it a point to not come into or through Chicago unless absolute required for business business.

He seem taken aback and asked whether I had formed that opinion as a result of something bad happening to me. I laughed and informed him that I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, am still a Sox fan but when I lived in Chicago I had my apartment burglarized into twice, cars broken into a half dozen times, and had to pull guns on bad guys on a couple of different occasions (oh, you pious ones - don't go there...)

I then told him that just because we're currently sitting in a high rise office building by Michigan Ave, it doesn't mean he won't get mugged on the way to his car or jack'd going home regardless of where he lived. The crap has migrated from Englewood, Humbolt, West Lake St, & Washington Park. Yeah...he didn't talk to me much the rest of the day.

The decent people of Chicago are victims waiting to be robbed, assaulted, raped, or murdered. The unfortunate part is that many of them don't acknowledge it or believe it. What the citizens of Chicago need is to fire each and/or toss in prison every crook in political office. BTW, most of the street cops are probably the only decent ones working the city. Some of them will tell you straight up - you're stupid if you don't have a gun and live in the City. The other old-timer's saying is "better to be judged by 12...etc."