WARNING to those who run LATE on the Chicago Lakefront path

UncleB wrote:

The ignorance and racism of the letsrun posters never disappoints

Then go take a run down there at 8pm my friend.

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this, but why were so many people congregated down on the path on this particular evening? It sounds like it was an abnormally large group. Is that true?

So, jjjjjj, what part of the lakefront do you live at?

Please share your experience of how the path has changed the last few years.

Please share more of your intimate knowledge of the culture of the area so we can all benefit from your depth of experience

latently homosexual teenager wrote:

UncleB wrote:

The ignorance and racism of the letsrun posters never disappoints

Then go take a run down there at 8pm my friend.

Way more people get hurt running by being hit by cars in the suburbs than being attacked by gangs in the city.

Where is the thread on the danger of soccer moms? Oh wait. That's right. They are white and you are white

Even if few will admit it, race is certainly involved. This is real-world stuff; let's be big boys and girls about it.

Where I live the majority of accidents in the suburbs tend to be caused by non-licensed drunk illegals. Accidents are accidents. I've never had a soccer mom start gunning the car toward me and laugh at me for being scared.

You're a big jerk for not recognizing that intimidation is personal. Hoping Chicago figures this out. Too beautiful an oasis to hand over to punks. Scary times.

CARA and the Police should get on this quick. It'll get worse over the summer if not corrected.

Violence near the lake in the summer isn't anything new. 1968, 1919, even 1893. This too shall pass.

Love when a dumbass like you pulls a meaningless statistic out of his ass to rationalize a behaviour.

I bet you can finf more right? Just as long and this stuff doesn't happen in your backyard. Maybe you can take your family on vacation so your wife and kids can interact with the honor students you are defending?

Time to start pulling "mayor of texas". We are going to have to start running with guns on our hips. That will show those punks. Our shorts may be short, but we are packing heat in them.

I've lived in the city for several years and have run on the lakefront path nearly everyday since moving here. I tend to enter around the Museum Campus (Roosevelt Rd.) and so I am near the center of the 18 mile stretch.

What have I learned and witnessed?

It is ironic that the attacks (that started this tread) were on the north side - as I have always felt more uneasy about running south at night (less runners/people using the path - more persons of suspicion).

However, I cannot recall seeing many patrols (yes, there are police patrol units on the path at certain times of night) on the north side of the path (too crowded, not conducive to cars, or racism, I don't know).

Additionally, two of my friends had a similar run in with a group of kids last summer - it ended with my buddies being pelted with rocks (better than bullets), and this occurred near Navy Pier (Grand Ave.).

So, it appears that in regards to the path, while the north side may appear or feel safer - stay south if you can.

Also, who really says "on your left" when running past a group of kids - just hammer past them, don't look back, and don't do anything to taunt or even acknowledge them. Also, don't get close enough that they can reach you. (Yes, the incident listed in the article happened in a tunnel - my advice is not applicable, but if you have a bad feeling - wait for the tunnel to clear or find another route).

Good luck to all those who run on the path with me (especially those who do so year round), and may we have a safe summer.

Uncle B - I understand the history of racism in this country.

But the amount of black crime (and frankly, black on black crime) that occurs is so disproportional that it has long been an epidemic. Discussing it openly does not make one a racist. We have spent billions on social programs (one can assert that they were not well constructed), yet the problem of crime (and particularly violent crime) in the black community rarely shows improvement.

And I am surprised at your reaction. Clearly crime committed by black youths in Chicago is an awful problem by any measure. But I would think that the point you would make is not to deny it, but rather I think you would conclude that only when the victims are well off citizens on the beach at North Avenue does the high incidence of crime become noticed. In other words, one would think that your meme instead would be that this is what well meaning citizens in the black community have to live with every day. The people commenting here are not to my mind racist; no rather, they are commenting on a very dismal reality. It is a tough pill to swallow, no doubt, because in spite of the racism of our past, it is difficult to deny that many of the current wounds are self-inflicted. I doubt you will accept this, but it reflects a balanced and fair view.

This concerns me because my father is in his 70's and lives aobut 4 blocks south of North Avenue. He still runs, is in great shape, and I am proud of him for it. He is a former all around athlete (and before he went into business, one of the state's most successful high school coaches). He knows how to take care of himself, but nevertheless, he would be no match for a gang of toughs. He knows how to tap the power structure in Chicago, having lived there for over 30 years and owned a business that contributes to the city. This posting is a good reminder for me to call him about this problem.

this is not a "black" problem - it is a economically disadvantaged problem. There are plenty of middle class blacks in chicago - these aren't their kids.

Neb wrote:

this is not a "black" problem - it is a economically disadvantaged problem. There are plenty of middle class blacks in chicago - these aren't their kids.

You are either incredibly naïve or an incredible liar.

uncle b - face the facts wrote:

It is a tough pill to swallow, no doubt, because in spite of the racism of our past, it is difficult to deny that many of the current wounds are self-inflicted. I doubt you will accept this, but it reflects a balanced and fair view.

Very well put.

Noooo, idiot, it's because millions more people actually run in the suburbs. People don't run in the cities because of this crap.

Once again, "thank you UncleB and friends."

The stories here remind me of what Central Park in New York was like in the mid 1980s. It was essentially a no-go zone after dark and was dicey even during the day north of 96th street. Now you can run in the Park around the clock. The police presence is palpable with rolling as well as parked vehicles all over the place. A city can decide to protect is law-abiding citizens if it wants to do so.

chicago guy wrote:

So, jjjjjj, what part of the lakefront do you live at?

Please share your experience of how the path has changed the last few years.

Please share more of your intimate knowledge of the culture of the area so we can all benefit from your depth of experience

I lived in Rogers Park (North border of Chicago) for four years in the 1990s when the murder total in Chicago (pop. 3.2 million) exceeded that of New York (pop. 8 million). I knew many people who got mugged in Rogers Park on their way home from bars and dep't parties, and many who had shots go through their windows, etc. So, I know the city and these incidents are minor in the scope of things.

Chicago is out of control. The murder rate is off the charts. After decades of torture and abuse, the people in the hood have no desire to work with the Chicago police or prosecutors. And the Chicago police are understaffed, overworked and do not want to be proactive for fear of political backlash. That leaves the punks feeling like they own the city. And when it is hot out, the kids don't want to sit inside and sweat. So, they go out looking for trouble.

There is no easy solution. I lived in Cincinnati and have seen similar problems long ago. In Cincinnati, punks would come up to the UC campus from the Over the Rhine neighborhood. They would hide in alleys and jump people who were walking to bars. Dozens of police would converge on Vine street to sweep out the hoodlums once the bars closed. After a while, the punks got tired of getting busted by the cops and gave up.

That is what it will take in Chicago. Police need to get on bikes on the trail and have wagons ready to take dozens to jail if need be. If Chicago loses control of the Lakefront, they will lose tourism and people will retreat to the suburbs again, draining the city of tax dollars. New York fought back from the same spot. Central Park was once much worse. Chicago can get it done. But it looks like it will be a long summer.

i've ran on the lakefront path (fullerton start point) 3x times per week for the past few years and never once did i feel unsafe. that being said, i ran last night and noticed a lot of cops on the trail...obviously because of what had happened the previous morning.

the reason for the build-up is because the past 3 days it's been pushing 90 degrees in chicago, so EVERYONE is at the lakefront between fullerton and North ave.