The rash of violence in the city is indeed shocking and distressing. Many neighborhood groups led by parents and church members are marching in the streets, hoping to interrupt the cycle of violence many nights lately.
It's a very complex problem, mostly stemming from poverty, drugs and gangs, and I am scared for our youth.
Chicago is a great city with great people, the vast majority of whom detest violence and aren't running around shooting one another. It's very easy to make snide jokes and broad, sweeping generalizations. We don't need to "be removed" from the state. We need to figure out how to solve our poverty, drug, and gang problems. And it's certainly not just Chicago... drugs are a problem nationwide and worldwide.
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"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." - Melody Beattie