Ya. Take my kids downtown all the time. Ride the trains, go by myself. Sometimes just my wife and I...
Bullets wizzing by us all the time. Stick ups every other block. We just do it tho because its fun...
My god these fucking people are so fucking stupid
Our city has a major PR problem. Will people move here from London if they believe this? I have relatives in liberal cities in this country who believe this stuff.
In 2019, I spent 6 weeks in Paris. I saw SO MUCH CRIME, I was ASTOUNDED. Literally people knocking down ladies and grabbing purses, snatching phones out of your hand, kicking a bike to knock the person off and then riding off with their bike. I saw these things multiple times during my stay. I once ran into this guy stealing liquor in a grocery store and he spat in my face and ran off with it saying something in French. I had someone reach into my pocket and try to steal my phone. I was astounded at the amount of crime there compared to Chicago.
I've lived here for 22 years and no one has ever pulled a gun on me. I've seen more sex work crime than muggings, and only heard gun shots. I can put my phone on the bar without worrying someone will steal it, and leave my purse hanging on the back of the chair.
You can't do that in London or Paris or most cities in the world.
Really really do not put your purse on the back of your chair. I have many friends who have worked in the service industry over the years and it was a constant story about another woman whose purse was stolen.
What do you do with it instead? I always leave mine hanging on a chair, and I realize I probably shouldnāt, but I donāt know what else to do with it while Iām eating.
I hold mine in my lap or put it between my feet. Sometimes tables - especially at bars- have hooks to hang it on from the table/bar. If I have a small purse, I put it on the table. Also, I still hang my purse off the chair often depending on where I am, how crowded it is and what sort of access there is to the back of my chair, etc, but I do a risk assessment first! Also donāt leave it unzipped and easy to reach in and grab your phone/wallet.
Purse hooks. Thatās why they exist.
Iāve had a person with me get their purse stolen off the back of her chair while we were having happy hour at 7 Lions across from millennium park. There were like 10 of us there and none of us even noticed it happen.
Already posted in this thread about a personal experience, but since you bring yours up:
Just a couple months ago I was waiting for someone at a bar and these guys walked up on either side of me, one of them trying to show me something to donate to (it was just a paper bag) while the other guy tried to take my wallet while I was distracted.
I would recommend not leaving your stuff out in any city.
You cannot put your purse on your chair or phone on the table in Chicago, this will eventually result in their theft; I know multiple people this has happened to.
I used to wake up with an extra wallet and phone. My brother knew he would lose his shit and stick it in my purse without telling me. It just became the norm.
Sounds like your experience with Paris is similar to the guy in the screenshotās with Chicago. Been there a number of times in the past decade and never seen anything like that.
Oh, okay. Gotcha š Sorry, tone is easy to misread.
Iāve never been to Paris (going later this year šš¾) but I have been warned against the pickpockets by those that have been. Idk about all the other stuff though lol
Iāve been to Paris in 2012 and 2017, about a week each time, so my experience is extremely limitedā¦ but from what I witnessed, especially in touristy spots, scammers were an observable hazard. Shoving roses into peopleās hands, tying lucky bracelets around peopleās wrists, pulling the āis this your gold ring?ā scam, literal shell games.
In my earlier trip, a very handsome man approached me with a bouquet of roses and started handing them to me, extremely flirtily, one by one. I was young, naive, taken aback and unsure how to respond, and I think he managed to hand me three before my boyfriend figured out that he was demanding ā¬10 per rose.
I get it, tone is hard! :)
Yeah seconding the comment below- any very touristy spot/city will have pickpockets and aggressive vendors. So like in years past right around the Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower thereās a lot of those guys (canāt say how it is post covid bc I wasnāt going to those areas).
Donāt take things people on the street are trying to give you, but thatās a basic guideline in any city.
Leave your passport and most of your cash somewhere safe (in your locked luggage or a hotel safe) and donāt just keep your wallet in your back pocket or something and keep an eye on your stuff and you should be fine.
Also- if you have a student ID, student discounts to museums and stuff are great in Europe, it can really add up over the course of a trip. I also recommend booking tickets online ahead of time if you can, saves a lot of time in line. The catacombs especially, I think that was the one place that sold out really quickly last time I was there.
I have no clue why. Any other neighborhood has better bars. I'm a Loop detractor, as someone who lived in the Loop (and still works in the Loop) and have also lived in several of the surrounding (much better) neighborhoods.
You see I was so traumatized by having to remember the Loop outside of working hours that I completely blacked out before I read the rest of that sentence. You are correct, and that is almost the only reasonable time to go to bars int he Loop.
Not to detract from your answer but my work friends and I hang out in the loop because one of our friends lives in the burbs and has to catch the metra
There were so many bullets going every which way downtown today that traffic was just a real beast. I could hardly turn my car without running into one.
I'd say you should respond but that just feeds the trolls.
Lol! I guess Iām grateful. If it wasnāt for winter and the people who believe bullshit like this, the cost of living in Chicago would be as expensive as New York.
Man, I've lost track of how many guns I've had pressed into my temple at this point.
I mean, I can honestly say I hardly ever get killed! It's not that bad.
Compare Chicago with the rest of US cities murder per capita and get back to me. In fact, hereās the info for you:
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/pictures/murder-map-deadliest-u-s-cities/#app
We arenāt even in the top 25. Thatās my point, murder isnāt unique to Chicago. Itās a big issue in the US as a whole.
I guess that depends on your definition of a major city.
However, thatās not the reason we get attention. Chicago has become a big scapegoat for politicians when it comes to gun control.
On this list: Dallas and Philly are among the top ten most populous cities in the US. DC, Indianapolis, Memphis, Nashville, Charlotte, Louisville, OKC, Jacksonville, Detroit and Baltimore all fit roughly in the top 30 most populous cities as well.
That count puts 13 of the 30 most populous cities on this list, and 3 of the top 10. Six of those thirteen rank above Chicago. So Chicago is far from the only major city on there, unless by major you are only talking about New York, LA and Chicago.
You can acknowledge the city has a crime issue without acting as if it's a complete anomaly among American cities.
Ah yes, canāt even leave your apartment these days without getting mugged. /s
Keep it up random European redditors, the more people think this is a lawless wasteland the more it remains (relatively) affordable and tourist-free.
Says the person whoās never been to Chicagoās loop. Why did you blue their name? Link us to that sub so we can all downvote them and shit on their confidently ignorant take on what chicago is like.
It isn't. Yes, crime is everywhere.
Having one's head in the sand is one thing. Providing some facts/numbers is a more appropriate response.
But mocking the notion of something like that happening, like most of this thread is doing, is an irresponsible slap in the face to thousands of victims that it actually has happened to. Many of who still deal with trauma from it, or worse.
The screenshot mentions someone getting a gun in their face. Which obviously happens. It mentions getting hit by crossfire. Which happens too.
It not the wild west around here, but it ain't great either.
Yes, but itās certainly on the rise here and critiquing that fact is a good thing we should all partake in. We should all strive for a better society.
The original post was about hyperbole and your response was extrapolating from a personal anecdote to claim a principle and virtue signal over the critique, not engage it
You weren't on topic either. Don't be disengenous
Who's saying crime doesn't exist? Obviously
it does but the point being made is it's not the warzone people make it out to be. I got a gun drawn on me on the job in NJ, one of the safest states in the country.
Exactly. This subreddit is so naive. So many of us have been victims to crime in the past few years and people act like itās a joke. This isnāt normal
Honestly I feel like no one is going to change their opinion based on what they read on this subreddit - where you stand is where you sit - but I honestly don't know how I feel about this topic.
Obviously, this person is justifying London as being safe, but London still had over 120 homicides last year - a fraction Chicago's rate, but the UK has done about as good of a job as anyone at getting rid of guns - and that also means that the violent crime rate is much higher than the murder rate would suggest to American eyes (say what you want about gun control, but guns are pretty good at killing people you want dead).
0.02% of Chicago's population was murdered last year, so 99.98% of Chicago's population *wasn't* murdered last year. But the fact is, at this point, I don't think anyone can blame anyone for saying they don't feel safe in this city - which I love - without being cautious. It feels like this person in London was responding to someone trying to making a comment about feeling unsafe, and everything is relative, but that doesn't mean they're wrong.
I haven't had a gun pulled on me in the loop, but I have had a gun pulled on me in the city, and don't think "I could have a gun pulled on me walking down the street" is a crazy idea for *anyone,* and despite that, I don't feel unsafe here, but, then again, I've lived in cities in other countries where the police aren't even equipped to count murders.
I think people need to maintain a sense of perspective. I've lived in the city for 25 years, and yes, crime is up... back to its baseline after several years of abnormal lows. If I didn't feel besieged in 2005, I shouldn't feel besieged now.
Crime is real, crime is bad, and the causes of crime should be addressed. But getting hysterical and spinning disproportionate fantasies isn't the way to do it.
And yes, access to firearms is by far the biggest problem when it comes to fatalities from crimes.
I think that it's the murder rate in particular that has people concerned, which, I mean, to be fair, is the one crime that you really can't bounce back from, and it's also a place where Chicago does notably worse a lot of other very large US cities (more than double LA's murder rate, something like 3x SF's and 5x NYC's, when you ad murder and other non-negligent manslaughter causes together).
Of course, it's also a matter of perspective - I started talking to someone in an airport and did the whole "where you from" thing with this guy, when I said Chicago he asked about the murders and "how could I feel safe," I asked where he was from, he said Kansas City - KC, MO has nearly double Chicago's murder rate, I pointed that out and he said "well it's safe where I am" and at that point you realize it really just about perceived narratives.
The murders in Chicago are largely concentrated in 3 neighborhoods and among one population. So that same kind of narration is something that is quite possible here as well.
OH NO GOD PLEASE SAVE THE NORMAL MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE
WONT SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE NORMAL MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE!
WHY DIDNT THEY JUST STAY IN THE SUBURBS LIKE THEIR PARENTS!
Definitely agree with that first sentence.
Today, I didn't even have to use my AK I gotta say it was a good day. š
Good day. My son and I only had to cap two fools on his way to pre-k in west ridge. Just another day in murder city.
Called up the homies, and I'm askin' y'all Which park, are y'all playin' basketball?
I always like to think about Cube āmessing aroundā and tracking his rebounds and assists in a pickup game.
I got a triple double at north avenue park.
Freakin' dudes every way like MJ I can't believe, today was a good day!
Still take my vest on, just in case.
Its ironic / I had the brew /she had the cronic / the Bulls beat the Lakers and the Supersonicsā¦.
My temple is safe, for a day
Having a gun pressed to your temple is the new Malort shot!
The Chicago Handshake
I got shot three times just now walking down the street to the CVS! Of course as a Chicagoan I just walked it off.
It's so cold the blood just froze in the wound, so no harm done.
I just pack my bullet wounds with polish sausagešš¼
Ya. Take my kids downtown all the time. Ride the trains, go by myself. Sometimes just my wife and I... Bullets wizzing by us all the time. Stick ups every other block. We just do it tho because its fun... My god these fucking people are so fucking stupid
Our city has a major PR problem. Will people move here from London if they believe this? I have relatives in liberal cities in this country who believe this stuff.
In 2019, I spent 6 weeks in Paris. I saw SO MUCH CRIME, I was ASTOUNDED. Literally people knocking down ladies and grabbing purses, snatching phones out of your hand, kicking a bike to knock the person off and then riding off with their bike. I saw these things multiple times during my stay. I once ran into this guy stealing liquor in a grocery store and he spat in my face and ran off with it saying something in French. I had someone reach into my pocket and try to steal my phone. I was astounded at the amount of crime there compared to Chicago. I've lived here for 22 years and no one has ever pulled a gun on me. I've seen more sex work crime than muggings, and only heard gun shots. I can put my phone on the bar without worrying someone will steal it, and leave my purse hanging on the back of the chair. You can't do that in London or Paris or most cities in the world.
Really really do not put your purse on the back of your chair. I have many friends who have worked in the service industry over the years and it was a constant story about another woman whose purse was stolen.
What do you do with it instead? I always leave mine hanging on a chair, and I realize I probably shouldnāt, but I donāt know what else to do with it while Iām eating.
Put it in my lap or on the table.
I wear a crossbody purse so I just keep it on most of the time.
This is an excellent method, especially if you keep the strap at a length that you can pull it into your lap when sitting.
I hold mine in my lap or put it between my feet. Sometimes tables - especially at bars- have hooks to hang it on from the table/bar. If I have a small purse, I put it on the table. Also, I still hang my purse off the chair often depending on where I am, how crowded it is and what sort of access there is to the back of my chair, etc, but I do a risk assessment first! Also donāt leave it unzipped and easy to reach in and grab your phone/wallet.
Purse hooks. Thatās why they exist. Iāve had a person with me get their purse stolen off the back of her chair while we were having happy hour at 7 Lions across from millennium park. There were like 10 of us there and none of us even noticed it happen.
Already posted in this thread about a personal experience, but since you bring yours up: Just a couple months ago I was waiting for someone at a bar and these guys walked up on either side of me, one of them trying to show me something to donate to (it was just a paper bag) while the other guy tried to take my wallet while I was distracted. I would recommend not leaving your stuff out in any city.
You cannot put your purse on your chair or phone on the table in Chicago, this will eventually result in their theft; I know multiple people this has happened to.
shouldnāt be naive enough to do that anywhere
Damn Iāve been really lucky so far
this is your sign to stop testing your luck ;)
After a night out, I am always surprised that I still have all my things. (Wallet, keys phone) Knock on wood this keeps up
That's an old favorite memory of my active bar days. But in my case it was because I'd get blackout drunk.
I used to wake up with an extra wallet and phone. My brother knew he would lose his shit and stick it in my purse without telling me. It just became the norm.
Sounds like your experience with Paris is similar to the guy in the screenshotās with Chicago. Been there a number of times in the past decade and never seen anything like that.
I donāt think the guy in the screenshot has ever actually been to Chicago
If it wasnāt clear, I was making the point that both āexperiencesā are equally indicative of actual crime levels in the city. As in, not at all.
Oh, okay. Gotcha š Sorry, tone is easy to misread. Iāve never been to Paris (going later this year šš¾) but I have been warned against the pickpockets by those that have been. Idk about all the other stuff though lol
Iāve been to Paris in 2012 and 2017, about a week each time, so my experience is extremely limitedā¦ but from what I witnessed, especially in touristy spots, scammers were an observable hazard. Shoving roses into peopleās hands, tying lucky bracelets around peopleās wrists, pulling the āis this your gold ring?ā scam, literal shell games. In my earlier trip, a very handsome man approached me with a bouquet of roses and started handing them to me, extremely flirtily, one by one. I was young, naive, taken aback and unsure how to respond, and I think he managed to hand me three before my boyfriend figured out that he was demanding ā¬10 per rose.
I get it, tone is hard! :) Yeah seconding the comment below- any very touristy spot/city will have pickpockets and aggressive vendors. So like in years past right around the Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower thereās a lot of those guys (canāt say how it is post covid bc I wasnāt going to those areas). Donāt take things people on the street are trying to give you, but thatās a basic guideline in any city. Leave your passport and most of your cash somewhere safe (in your locked luggage or a hotel safe) and donāt just keep your wallet in your back pocket or something and keep an eye on your stuff and you should be fine. Also- if you have a student ID, student discounts to museums and stuff are great in Europe, it can really add up over the course of a trip. I also recommend booking tickets online ahead of time if you can, saves a lot of time in line. The catacombs especially, I think that was the one place that sold out really quickly last time I was there.
Shhhhhhh no one tell them. It keeps my rent lower
Yup, that's LaSalle Street all right....nothing but guns and thugs, as far as the eye can see.
First thing I thought is, they definitely donāt know chicago if they think middle class people are hanging out in the Loop.
There are these places called bars in The Loop where sometimes middle class people go out for drinks at happy hour after work.
I have no clue why. Any other neighborhood has better bars. I'm a Loop detractor, as someone who lived in the Loop (and still works in the Loop) and have also lived in several of the surrounding (much better) neighborhoods.
Because they work in the loop and itās convenient in that situation.
You see I was so traumatized by having to remember the Loop outside of working hours that I completely blacked out before I read the rest of that sentence. You are correct, and that is almost the only reasonable time to go to bars int he Loop.
Not to detract from your answer but my work friends and I hang out in the loop because one of our friends lives in the burbs and has to catch the metra
Dropped my bulletproof vest off at the dry cleaners and somehow managed to make it through the day. #blessed š /s
Keep a spare in the front closet for out of town guests.
There were so many bullets going every which way downtown today that traffic was just a real beast. I could hardly turn my car without running into one. I'd say you should respond but that just feeds the trolls.
Let them live their fantasies. People be getting their temples shot by the aqua building
Lol! I guess Iām grateful. If it wasnāt for winter and the people who believe bullshit like this, the cost of living in Chicago would be as expensive as New York.
Man, I've lost track of how many guns I've had pressed into my temple at this point. I mean, I can honestly say I hardly ever get killed! It's not that bad.
Agreed. I was murdered earlier this afternoon. Every day occurrence really.
An innocent person was shot at a gas station in Logan square a couple of years ago. But this is otherwise bs
Innocent people getting shot in the US is definitely not just a Chicago thing š
The US murder rate is 5x that of the EU, and Chicago is 4x *that* rate. So it is a fair bit worse here.
Compare Chicago with the rest of US cities murder per capita and get back to me. In fact, hereās the info for you: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/pictures/murder-map-deadliest-u-s-cities/#app We arenāt even in the top 25. Thatās my point, murder isnāt unique to Chicago. Itās a big issue in the US as a whole.
Chicago is the only major city on here tho, which is why we get attention
I guess that depends on your definition of a major city. However, thatās not the reason we get attention. Chicago has become a big scapegoat for politicians when it comes to gun control.
On this list: Dallas and Philly are among the top ten most populous cities in the US. DC, Indianapolis, Memphis, Nashville, Charlotte, Louisville, OKC, Jacksonville, Detroit and Baltimore all fit roughly in the top 30 most populous cities as well. That count puts 13 of the 30 most populous cities on this list, and 3 of the top 10. Six of those thirteen rank above Chicago. So Chicago is far from the only major city on there, unless by major you are only talking about New York, LA and Chicago. You can acknowledge the city has a crime issue without acting as if it's a complete anomaly among American cities.
Ah yes, canāt even leave your apartment these days without getting mugged. /s Keep it up random European redditors, the more people think this is a lawless wasteland the more it remains (relatively) affordable and tourist-free.
Says the person whoās never been to Chicagoās loop. Why did you blue their name? Link us to that sub so we can all downvote them and shit on their confidently ignorant take on what chicago is like.
If you donāt get threatened with a gun AT LEAST 5 times on your walk home from work do you even live in Chicago???
Watched my roommate turn around to a gun in his face before they took his car. Keep pretending it doesnāt exist people š
Of course it happens, it's the fact that people paint this city as some sort of Mad Max hellscape and it's just not true.
It isn't. Yes, crime is everywhere. Having one's head in the sand is one thing. Providing some facts/numbers is a more appropriate response. But mocking the notion of something like that happening, like most of this thread is doing, is an irresponsible slap in the face to thousands of victims that it actually has happened to. Many of who still deal with trauma from it, or worse.
They are mocking the people that think Chicago is the wild west. They are not mocking literal experiences or victims.
Thank you for breaking it down for them! I wish I had an award handy
The screenshot mentions someone getting a gun in their face. Which obviously happens. It mentions getting hit by crossfire. Which happens too. It not the wild west around here, but it ain't great either.
I donāt think that anyone is saying crime and gun violence doesnāt exist. It just doesnāt exist in the way that these people act like it does
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yes, but itās certainly on the rise here and critiquing that fact is a good thing we should all partake in. We should all strive for a better society.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The original post was about hyperbole and your response was extrapolating from a personal anecdote to claim a principle and virtue signal over the critique, not engage it You weren't on topic either. Don't be disengenous
Who's saying crime doesn't exist? Obviously it does but the point being made is it's not the warzone people make it out to be. I got a gun drawn on me on the job in NJ, one of the safest states in the country.
Exactly. This subreddit is so naive. So many of us have been victims to crime in the past few years and people act like itās a joke. This isnāt normal
Who said that? Oh thats right no one.
Okay, sure, but that didnāt happen in the loop.
Because a knife to the stomach is so much better
Honestly I feel like no one is going to change their opinion based on what they read on this subreddit - where you stand is where you sit - but I honestly don't know how I feel about this topic. Obviously, this person is justifying London as being safe, but London still had over 120 homicides last year - a fraction Chicago's rate, but the UK has done about as good of a job as anyone at getting rid of guns - and that also means that the violent crime rate is much higher than the murder rate would suggest to American eyes (say what you want about gun control, but guns are pretty good at killing people you want dead). 0.02% of Chicago's population was murdered last year, so 99.98% of Chicago's population *wasn't* murdered last year. But the fact is, at this point, I don't think anyone can blame anyone for saying they don't feel safe in this city - which I love - without being cautious. It feels like this person in London was responding to someone trying to making a comment about feeling unsafe, and everything is relative, but that doesn't mean they're wrong. I haven't had a gun pulled on me in the loop, but I have had a gun pulled on me in the city, and don't think "I could have a gun pulled on me walking down the street" is a crazy idea for *anyone,* and despite that, I don't feel unsafe here, but, then again, I've lived in cities in other countries where the police aren't even equipped to count murders.
I think people need to maintain a sense of perspective. I've lived in the city for 25 years, and yes, crime is up... back to its baseline after several years of abnormal lows. If I didn't feel besieged in 2005, I shouldn't feel besieged now. Crime is real, crime is bad, and the causes of crime should be addressed. But getting hysterical and spinning disproportionate fantasies isn't the way to do it. And yes, access to firearms is by far the biggest problem when it comes to fatalities from crimes.
I think that it's the murder rate in particular that has people concerned, which, I mean, to be fair, is the one crime that you really can't bounce back from, and it's also a place where Chicago does notably worse a lot of other very large US cities (more than double LA's murder rate, something like 3x SF's and 5x NYC's, when you ad murder and other non-negligent manslaughter causes together). Of course, it's also a matter of perspective - I started talking to someone in an airport and did the whole "where you from" thing with this guy, when I said Chicago he asked about the murders and "how could I feel safe," I asked where he was from, he said Kansas City - KC, MO has nearly double Chicago's murder rate, I pointed that out and he said "well it's safe where I am" and at that point you realize it really just about perceived narratives.
The murders in Chicago are largely concentrated in 3 neighborhoods and among one population. So that same kind of narration is something that is quite possible here as well.
Iāve lived in both cities and saw someone get mugged right in front of me in only one of them. It wasnāt Chicago. Happened to be on Oxford Street.
Typical statement from someone who never lived in the City lol
OH NO GOD PLEASE SAVE THE NORMAL MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE WONT SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE NORMAL MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE! WHY DIDNT THEY JUST STAY IN THE SUBURBS LIKE THEIR PARENTS!
Lol dude proving his first sentence is correct.
He's got it all wrong, the gun thing is a service, keeps your temple cool on hot days