Marauding Gangs in the Windy City

Chicago-based financial analyst Janet Tavakoli writes that civil unrest is escalating in the great city of Chicago, as the downturn, and reckless spending, squeeze the city budget.

Janet sends along this double action clip. First it shows a gang fight in the middle of a street, followed by angry residents chasing the local alderman, Helen Shiller, down the street. They chase her down the street yelling, "Run Helen run!"



Janet writes:

Chicago is beautiful in the summer for lucky people like me. It offers outdoor symphony concerts, boat trips on the lake, bike outings, outdoor festivals, art fairs, hiking and more. But the picture would not be complete if I didn’t mention that I believe the city budget is running out of money, and crime is on the rise...

Chicago news shows have provided little coverage up until now; but at least one community—Chicago’s Uptown area—is forcing the issue. [The above] video was shot by a frightened citizen during recent gang violence at Leland and Sheridan, a neighborhood in the process of gentrifying...

In the upscale Lincoln Park area, just a little further south of [the above] unrest, men alone at night have been accosted by groups of three to six men and severely beaten, robbed, and hospitalized this summer. This news account of seven muggings is from a five-day period from July 30 to August 4....This activity is unusual for Chicago, at least it was until very recently. Almost all of these men were attacked from behind and could not identify their attackers. This crime is now commonplace at night in this prosperous neighborhood.