Chicago

[Deleted User 289]

Just ONE of so many stories.......

KILWINS Ice Cream.....

“My daughter and I are business partners. My daughter had been working for the store since she was 14 years old, so when she graduated from college, she was granted a partnership. We’ve been in business for 12 years and we’ve been at 310 S. Michigan Ave. for three years now. We have one in Hyde Park and we are in the process of opening one at Navy Pier. Because of the pandemic, we have decided to postpone that until next year.

“When Feb. 29 came, we were 50% up and we were able to write that March check. That meant we were out of the woods. Two weeks after that, we had to close our doors because of the pandemic.

“We save all our money from the summer. We do Lollapalooza and all kinds of festivals. We get a lot of foot traffic.

“As of today, we’re 73% down for the entire year. Because there are no festivals, by the end of the year it’s probably going to be zero. That’s a big concern because we’ve never missed paying our rent.

“After we made everything all over again, we were looted. Then that caused us to close up for about 30 more days. When they broke in here, the entire store became contaminated; we couldn’t use anything.

“When we got here, there were six police officers inside the store, but they had to leave, so it was just my daughter and I. The police said to keep the lights off and we stood by the window and watched carloads of people come and take stuff from CVS.

“Someone threw a watermelon on the front glass and it didn’t break. I dropped a pen on the floor and I looked up and saw all my glass shatter.

“When they saw a big open window, then they came to come in. We gave out chocolates. This was a bathroom stop.

“I just said, ‘Please you can take whatever you want. Just don’t smash anything.’ They took the iPad, the laptop; they even took stuff that doesn’t make sense. I just said, ‘Please don’t take the phone. This is all we have.’ The guy was like, ‘OK. I’m going to need you to make a phone call for me.’ We were scared to give him the phone, but he was nice, so he just called someone to tell him where he was located so they could come around with the car and he could take all of his loaded stuff. It was a free-for-all so it was very scary.

“A couple of blocks away there was another African American owner outside sweeping some glass and he was knocked unconscious. Never again would I try to protect anything; it’s just not worth my life.

“We tried to work out something with the landlord, so for July and August we paid the taxes but we recently got a letter from the landlord saying he’s going to send us a default notice because the rent is at about $70,000. I was like, ‘Where are we going to get the money from?’

“I guess Mayor Lightfoot has a program and that’s going to be a $4,000 grant. I did get a letter stating we would get that. What was really disappointing was that Economic Injury Disaster Loan for $10,000 that everybody received. I just learned yesterday we wouldn’t be getting that grant because they ran out of money.

“The city is losing a lot of money in revenue and taxes so there is only so much they can do. The same thing with the landlords. I do understand they have responsibilities. All this just needs to be deferred. I’m a landlord. I do have a building that I mortgaged to get this store. Hardly any of my tenants have been paying rent, but I can’t evict them. I do see that some of them aren’t working so I do have compassion.

“We gave out 2,020 free ice cream cones for all the graduates to bring community and awareness to the store, hoping that would generate buzz. That had started, but since that last [looting on Aug. 10], it’s back to the way it was before.

“We’re very hurt, we’re disappointed and we’re frustrated with what has happened with the city. We don’t want to pack up and leave. We have too much invested. We were safe this past weekend, but it still effects us because nobody wants to come down.

“There’s insurance, phone bills, bills you wouldn’t even think about. Minimum wage is $13.50 and we don’t pay our average employee minimum wage; we have to give them a little bit more. It’s really expensive to run this place. You take that $14,000 for rent, all the utilities, the franchise fee and a marketing fee, there’s no money.

“We lost a majority of our employees. We lost them because the unemployment benefits were so beautiful. An extra $600 a week. We have to pay into that.

“Now with wearing the mask and the social distancing, you have a lot of customers coming in who don’t want to wear a mask. They’re very hostile. Some of the employees are intimidated and are quitting because they don’t know what to do and the customers are being rude to them. Then I have customers sending in complaints saying they don’t like the service they got from my employees because they were asked to put on a mask.

“I do believe one day business will come back. The pandemic will be over and the city of Chicago will get in control of the problems and will come up with solutions, but I do need a partnership with the landlord.

“I’m willing to wait it out and I do have confidence in the city of Chicago. I love it, it’s beautiful; I was born and raised here. This city is too fabulous to let it just get taken away. We have to stand strong and have to come here as a community and take it back. We have to take it back.”

Jackie Jackson
Co-franchise owner, Kilwins
Chicago, Illinois

[twocoach]

I can't imagine living in a city with so much crime and violence. I wonder how much of the looting and destruction is being done by frustrated citizens wanting change and how much is being done by gangs looking to take advantage of the opportunities for their own gain.

[Deleted User 310]

I can't imagine living in a city with so much crime and violence. I wonder how much of the looting and destruction is being done by frustrated citizens wanting change and how much is being done by gangs looking to take advantage of the opportunities for their own gain.

My guess is almost none is done by frustrated citizens wanting to change things....my golf buddy was staying in a hotel right across from many of the retail stores being looted (he has a child with a brain issue and was in chicago to see a specialist when things went south...needless to say they were unable to see the doctor because of the craziness going on because they had to close the doctors office that next day...he videotaped from his hotel room....and caravan of cars pulled up, numerous people jumped out, broke a window, stole shit, and drove off...it was clearly a coordinated robbery for lack of a better phrase.

These vast majority of these people are not protestors. They are opportunists.

[chiknbut]

I can't imagine living in a city with so much crime and violence. I wonder how much of the looting and destruction is being done by frustrated citizens wanting change and how much is being done by gangs looking to take advantage of the opportunities for their own gain.

You have to remember this is a HUGE city. I don't like the violence and looting, but I also haven't seen it on my door step (like Gutter) and I live about a mile and a half from the Michigan Avenue area where the majority of the damage was done.

I took my daughter to two very peaceful protests that involved no violence, no arrests and no looting. The people protesting are not the people causing the violence. The looters are taking advantage of the situation.

[Deleted User 310]

The people protesting are not the people causing the violence. The looters are taking advantage of the situation.

Same experience in my city....although we had no looting or violence...but a few times the protestors actually stopped looting as it was beginning to happen. The groups arent the same and there is very little crossover imo.

[Deleted User 289]

Such an abundance of paranoid people in this city. Some rightfully so, some not.
Can't go 6 hours without reports of "shots fired" in the "GOOD" neighborhoods that turn out to be false alarms. Just happened a few blocks from me less than an hour ago. All it was - is a big metal/steel sheet on the ground for construction purposes that cars have been driving over. Not sure how that could be mistaken for gun shots but it was.
I joked that it's gotten to the point if someone farts everyone runs for cover and calls 911.
It's not funny.

That being said, there are too many REAL "shots fired" that are happening and how fucking ridiculous is this (see link below)?
Apparently they were NOT the intended targets.
I don't have the answer as to how to make this stop. I'm not sure anyone does.
I don't see it ever stopping and that's what is so sad and pathetic to me.

https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/chi ... west-side/

[chiknbut]

It's not going to stop overnight, Gutter. It's going to take years and years. People of color have been shoveled into bad neighborhoods for a century. Their schools crumble along with any support system that may have been in place. Until we figure out a way to provide these people with hope, this will continue.

Generation upon generation have lived in dire poverty. Crime and violence is an ever-day event in these neighborhoods.

Maybe this is an answer. At the moment it's a weak band-aid. But maybe it's a start.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/sa ... r-BB16uVwm

[Deleted User 89]

i know this is out of left field, but it wouldn’t surprise me one bit of food deserts played a non-insignificant role in all this

[Walrus]

The problem is, the protesting often leads to this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60cqUPxYThY

[Mjl]

Does the fact that people sometimes drive drunk and kill people mean that all driving and drivers are bad?

[chiknbut]

Does the fact that people sometimes drive drunk and kill people mean that all driving and drivers are bad?

Think first if you've earned the right to address Walrus/Lobby's bullshit post.

That's all I'm saying.

[PhDhawk]

Does the fact that people sometimes drive drunk and kill people mean that all driving and drivers are bad?

Think first if you've earned the right to address Walrus/Lobby's bullshit post.

That's all I'm saying.

We also need to consider whether he posted it for humor or not. You know since he doesn't know what humor is.

[Deleted User 289]

Example of careful what you wish for?
It's impossible not to notice there has been a huge police presence in the Gold Coast, Mag Mile, Streeterville, River East, and North Loop areas. Literally multiple cops (some "undercover", some "detectives") every few blocks - pretty much ALL over the place/s.
STILL......
Last night around 9:00pm a person was "assaulted" about 7-8 blocks south of where I live. At around 10:00pm a man was "robbed" 2-3 blocks west of where I live. At around 11:00pm there were "shots fired" after a 4 car crash 6-7 blocks from where I live. About 4 hours ago there was an "armed assault" about 7-8 blocks away from where I live. NO GOOD!
This morning while looking out my window I noticed two cop cars pulled up on the BIKE/WALKING path right along side the lake. I'm thinking WTF? I zoom in with my camera and I see TEN (10) cops what appears to be "harassing" a group of about 8-10 kids who were sitting watching the sunrise.
Obviously I don't know the exact circumstance/s but it sure seemed excessive (and unnecessary) to me.
It's a GOOD day/night when the police are around and are able to prevent "assaults", "shots fired" and "robberies" but last night there were at least 4 incidents within a mile of me that were NOT prevented.
It's a BAD day/night when the police are around and an over abundance of them are able to harass(?) kids who are seemingly not committing any crimes other than possibly drinking some beer - although I don't see any alcohol.
Also, the police left and the kids are still there - so they must not have done anything so terrible.

[Deleted User 289]

Yesterday Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago tweeted about the fiasco in Kenosha. She received over 7000 responses to her first tweet in which I would estimate 5000 people BLASTED her for the fact that she is the Mayor of Chicago and our city is a disaster in terms of criminal activity. To the best of my knowledge, she didn't respond to a single tweet. Granted, I wouldn't respond to disrespectful attacks either but many of the comments are 100% spot on and people are trying to engage her - to address their concerns.
I think I have mentioned I have her personal email address and have emailed her twice expressing respectful but stern comments, concerns, and questions. She responded to neither of them.
I understand she is a busy women with HUGE fish to fry but it's frustrating that she's a one way street in terms of her often tweeting her feelings, accomplishments, etc., but then when addressed directly in response - she ignores people.
I guess that's the age we live in - where people want attention, are quick to express their thoughts and feelings, and then don't care about the responses.
So how are we supposed to come together and have "dialogue" and work on solutions to problems when people are not receptive to having the conversation/s?

https://twitter.com/chicagosmayor/statu ... 5909048320

[Cascadia]

Lobster just doesn’t know what the word “often” means.


His post would be more factual if he replaced “often” with “occasionally” or “rarely”


But, he’s not interested in facts, he’s just here to troll.

[Deleted User 89]

but wait, i thought trolling was against the bored rules?

[Deleted User 289]

Just had an incident on Michigan Avenue in the "heart" of Chicago about 45 minutes to an hour ago.
I'm done. If my mother was no longer living I would try and leave the city tomorrow.
Long story NOT short......

Group of about 10 kids (late teens/early 20s) walking around taking up the entire sidewalk and not giving a shit who is in their way or who they were in the way of. Swearing, smoking weed, crossing in the middle of the street against the light and staring down motorists and giving them the finger and yelling fuck you at them.

Cops IN CARS all up and down Michigan Avenue and on the side streets. Cop car pulls up to a few of them and they all have a stare down - but that was it. The kids kept walking and the Cops didn't do a thing.
I figured that was the end of it.

Fast forward 5 minutes. I'm walking a few blocks further down (south) on Michigan Avenue and I see some commotion. Same group of 10 kids giving two other kids a tough time. Yelling things such as fuck you at them and just getting in their faces. A few seconds later one of the kids in the group hauled off and punched one of the two kids in the back of the head. Knocked the kid down but thankfully not out.
One kid was standing over him. I ran over and yelled "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?!?"
There were a bunch of people around them including a woman with a baby in a stroller and an older (I would guess about 70 years old) couple. They look terrified.
As I was about 15-20 feet away from them - the one kid who punched the other kid backed off.
A few of them continued to yell at the two kids. I heard, "fuck you bitch ass nigger" and "you better get on the bus you fucking pussy - get the fuck out of here". Me being me, I couldn't mind my own business and shut up and walk away. Instead I looked at each and everyone of them in the eyes as I yelled back - "NO! YOU GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE"!
Well, they didn't take too kindly to that and then decided to make me their target and started approaching me.
I pretty much ran in the middle of traffic on Michigan Avenue and told the two cops sitting in the unmarked blue SUV what was going on. They had been completely oblivious.
HOW COULD THEY NOT SEE (and hear) IT? That is their damn job! That's why they are there - to pay attention to what is going on around them. To "serve and protect".
For now the second time in the last 3 weeks I have actually had to tell the police to please keep an eye on people and make sure they don't follow me - while legitimately being scared for my life.
When the kids first saw me approach the cops they just basically stood on the sidewalk and looked at me. Then when the cops got out of the car and quickly approached them - they scattered like rats.
I beelined our of there and made it home - alive.

Yes folks, this is what the "Mag Mile" has become. A complete shithole.
Fuck this city, fuck our Mayor, fuck our Police Commissioner, and fuck way too many of the citizens.

[Wiff]

I'm not a fan of Chicago either. I was on Michigan Avenue today, and Gutter yelled at me for punching a kick in the back of the head.

[Deleted User 289]

Something tells me you aren't the kid who threw the punch. If you are, bravo!
This is probably going to make me come off as being racist and frankly if it does, my attitude right now is - so be it.
Today helped reinforce my feeling that my initial assessments are usually right.
I was extremely confident these kids were trouble the first seconds (plural - I took a few seconds to observe them) I saw them.
Which brings us to "profiling". I'm generally against it but depending on the situation and circumstances I choose to be aware of what I feel could easily happen. I was never a Boy Scout but I am a fan of "be prepared".

[Cascadia]

but wait, i thought trolling was against the bored rules?

Well, how can it be, pdub also trolls most days