Shootings are definitely on the upswing in Chicago, but with the exception of the July 3rd gang related-bloodshed in Chicago's Loop during the Taste of Chicago festival, the turmoil is concentrated in parts of the city--and this is going to sound heartless--where less violent periods are followed by more violent ones.
Englewoood is one of those neighgorhoods. I was there two days ago to take photographs for my Obama's boondoggle post.
So here I am, a 46 year-old white guy, hanging around a vacant lot in an all-black neighborhood for a half hour (I had to wait for the el train to run past--it was not a fluke that I captured that shot) and do you know what? No one bothered me. Then I drove around Englewood for a while--and no one bothered me.
Here's an ironic aside: Three miles to the south of Englewood is Jeremiah Wright's Trinity United Church of Christ. I took some photographs of the church in April--no one threatened me--but drivers were making rude gestures in my direction, honked their horns, and one person shouted something at me, in a menacing fashion, as I snapped away on my Canon. TUCC is in a better neighborhood, and after ten minutes of this treatment, I thought it was at best to scram from there.
Let's get back to Blagojevich. The Chicago Democrat is very unpopular--he has higher disapproval ratings than President Bush--and this is deep-blue Illinois. After his pal Tony Rezko's corruption conviction (Rezko got around), the local scuttlebutt was that a Blagojevich federal indictment was imminent. It will probably happen. Even if it doesn't, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, another Chicago Democrat, an ally of Mayor Richard M. Daley, might begin impeachment proceedings against "Blago."
Madigan and Blagojevich locking horns over the state budget. So to draw attention from his failures as governor, Blagojevich calls a press conference, and says "violent crime in Chicago is out of control." Meanwhile his legacy after five and half years as governor consists of grandstanding, obfuscation, fiscal gimmicks, and corruption.
That's the way it really is. Or at least the way I see it. If you don't get it, that's because it's a Chicago thing--you wouldn't understand.
Should Blagojevich become the first Illinois governor to be impeached, his chances, at least for now, are pretty good in the State Senate. Emil Jones, who is, you guessed it, a Chicago Democrat, is in addition being close to Barack Obama, happens to be very friendly with the governor.
Tom at The Bench has more.
Related posts:
Ill. GOP to Gov. Blagojevich: Give back the Rezko cash
Impeachment talk about Gov. Blagojevich continues
Obama's state legislative record--he got a lot of help
Recall amendment dies in Ill. State Senate
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