The Vigil outside the home where four people were murdered and two others shot in Chicago.
In the past two weeks the headlines have been chock full of news stories about the increasing violence in Chicago. The rise in gun violence, a correlation to the higher temperatures, are leaving ridiculous amounts of people wounded and several dead in small windows of time. But this is typical Chicago right? Last year, in the midst of a cooler than usual summer a few of my friends and I joked that God was punishing Chicago with bad weather, because people here don't know how to act when the weather is nice.
I mean warm weather and violence have gone hand in hand in sociological studies since I don't know when. Yet and still, something is different here. Contrary to popular beliefs this is NOT typical Chicago. The violence here has just become excessive. Unfortunately, with violence headlining on a regular basis we are becoming increasingly desensitized. I typically read stories regarding the shootings and killings on Chicago Breaking News. While on there yesterday, I was horrified by a comment I read asking why coverage of a shooting was considered "Breaking News" since it was becoming such a regular occurrence.
So many times, more than not, we read these stories, shake our heads, and go about our day. I can't say this hasn't been my reaction as well. Not only that, but I would be wrong to omit my own hypocrisy in dealing with this violence. I have to admit, the same person I read about in these stories could probably be the same person I wince at when I'm on the bus and they board dressed in all black EVERYTHING. Not only that, but I purposely shied away from a lot of the "we shall overcome talk" from this post, because I admit my only real solution to this violence in Chicago has to do with me packing up and moving.
I think there is something in this damn water and I want no more parts of it. Folks are losing their minds! Oh and I am a part time conspiracy theorist, so I really do think there is something in the water. A chemical imbalance coupled with not enough hugs as a child will surely make someone snap. **Sidenote: Check out Dick Gregory if you need a little history regarding the potential effects of chemicals in our drinking water.
iDigress. I am seriously afraid for my life! My only hope is that this fear doesn't paralyze me, any more than it has. There is a fine line between cautious and paranoid and I know I'm treading on it. I've already decided to become a hermit for the summer. No, I don't engage in any high risk behavior, I don't tend to walk the streets past dark, and I'm not a young African American male. Only NONE of that matters anymore. I can no longer afford to be so aloof as not to notice my own vulnerability. None of us can. Something seriously has to be done about this violence. *sigh*
