A recent string of late-night armed robberies in high-profile North Side neighborhoods sends an unsettling message: Grabbing an Uber after a night out in Chicago’s nightlife areas requires some personal caution.
To be sure, this rash of robberies pales in comparison with the crime levels afflicting less affluent neighborhoods on the South and West sides. So stipulated. But this trend, if unaddressed, could damage the post-grad culture that draws so many young people to our city and generates revenue (and tax receipts) in bars, clubs and late-night eateries.
In the short term, the nightspots may see less traffic. Over the longer haul, if this narrative catches hold, the pipeline of newcomers to the city could be disrupted more significantly.
The Chicago Police Department is telling people going out at night in Wrigleyville and the Gold Coast to be aware of their surroundings, recently issuing a community alert regarding a string of armed robberies that have taken place from January through the end of last month in which a crew of young men approached people waiting for an Uber or Lyft home from the bars. Victims told police the men threatened them with a handgun and sometimes used force to steal cash and other valuable property. In several incidents, robbers accessed the victims’ banking information through their phones. We’ve heard similar tales from victims who have been forced to transfer large sums of money electronically for fear of violence.
These crimes are horrifying for victims, harmful to tavern owners and restaurateurs and alarming for anyone considering a night out. Several of the robberies occurred right by Wrigley Field, on a stretch of Clark Street home to familiar names such as Sluggers and the Cubby Bear, and others occurred at Clark and Division in the Gold Coast along a busy strip of well-known bars including Butch McGuire’s and She-nannigans.
These incidents took place between 1:30 and 3:45 a.m., just as people were finishing a night out. We can imagine that many of these bargoers were sitting ducks for anyone with a mind to commit robbery.
Anyone who’s lived in or around the city for a while can tell you that anytime you’re out at night, you have to keep your head on a swivel. There’s a certain amount of street smarts every city dweller must acquire, but the shorthand is: Don’t put yourself in dangerous situations. What that typically means is you shouldn’t walk alone on an empty street or fumble idly through your wallet on the sidewalk. It doesn’t typically mean you shouldn’t use ride-share on a busy public thoroughfare to get home.
Notably, this trend isn’t just limited to the North Side — in Hyde Park on the South Side, three University of Chicago students walking together early on Saturday morning were robbed at gunpoint.
These stories instill fear. And people who are scared are less likely to want to stay here. It’s not uncommon for victims of gun-related crimes to flee for safer confines. At the very least, we doubt anyone recently robbed at gunpoint will feel safe venturing out again for a while.
Part of the fun of being young and living in Chicago is experiencing the city’s neighborhoods and everything they have to offer — including memorable nightlife.
For college graduates who want to stay in the Midwest but still get the big-city experience, Chicago is the only logical choice. If we want to keep that pipeline flowing, city leaders need to tackle this problem head-on.
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