I write to share my visceral reaction to the article “Motion to dismiss a former player’s negligence lawsuit denied” (March 15).
All who read the article should be disturbed by what looks to be a nonresponse by the Chicago Blackhawks. A judge rejected the Blackhawks’ request to dismiss a sexual abuse lawsuit by a former young player in their system. My understanding is that the civil lawsuit says that a player, “John Doe,” was abused by the Blackhawks’ video coach at the time. However, when his story was shared with the Hawk’s front office, he was brushed off and told to “move on with his life.”
As a seasoned social worker who has supported hundreds and hundreds of children and adults who have been sexually assaulted, I find that response repulsive; insensitive, to say the least; and sadly common. In this day and age, aren’t we a little more evolved as a community to understand that responses like that just compound the trauma of an abuse survivor?
The most disconcerting fact is the same coach was identified in 2021 when player Kyle Beach came forward with his own allegations of sexual abuse. This forced the Blackhawks to eventually commission a large report by Jenner & Block, which corroborated the abuse and found it was poorly handled. The team promised the community it had made changes and would commit to having a team culture that would not tolerate any type of sexual abuse.
Do we have another Catholic Church situation in which all involved turn a blind eye?
As a longtime Chicagoan, I encourage Blackhawks team leaders to speak up and step into this important moment. Silence shames and retraumatizes survivors and discourages others to come forward — even when they are athletes we perceive to be superheroes.
I challenge the Blackhawks to show us how they’ve changed and that they want to be a leader on this incredibly important issue for our community.
Survivors of abuse and all those who care for them are watching and waiting.
— Maria Nanos, licensed clinical social worker, Chicago
TikTok, yes, but not gun violence
Why is it that the U.S. House can quickly rally to ban TikTok but can’t do a thing about bump stocks?
— Dan McGee, Oak Park
Chinese company should give way
To be clear, the bill passed by the House would not “ban” TikTok. It would, however, require TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform to an American company in order to continue operating in the United States.
We understand that TikTok has inspired joy and creativity for millions of users. But we also know that the Chinese Communist Party has used similar technology to steal sensitive information and make Americans less safe.
We simply cannot allow entertainment software — no matter how fun and engaging it may be — to compromise our national security. Therefore, I support this bill and encourage ByteDance to divest, so that Americans can continue to enjoy TikTok with peace of mind.
— Paul Bacon, Hallandale Beach, Florida
Chicago shines for St. Pat’s Day
This past weekend was a wonderful time to be in Chicago.
I have lived in metro Chicago all my life. This past weekend, I was downtown with two of my children for the dyeing of the river and the St. Patrick’s Day parade.
My children are old enough to have an adult beverage. There were thousands of people downtown for a beautiful day. The streets and the bars were crowded. The people were polite and respectful. There were no mass fights. No looting. Just people enjoying themselves. We never felt like we were in danger. The sounds of gunfire didn’t materialize.
I wish this was highlighted and reported. Our city showed up and showed off — be it downtown on Saturday or the South and Northwest sides on Sunday.
People can have fun in our city when you leave the guns at home. Chicago is the engine that drives the entire metro area.
I hope the nice weather brings more people to the city. We can all enjoy our city together.
— Patrick Mulchrone, Burr Ridge
Dismal state of the White Sox
The Chicago White Sox no longer exist. They are, and have been for some years now, the South Side Reinsdorfs. The incomprehensible manner in which Jerry Reinsdorf and his minions run the franchise has reduced it to the baseball equivalent of “The Walking Dead.”
A once-again uneventful offseason in which no blue-chip free agents were pursued with any seriousness; a lackluster spring training with one of the worst records of all 30 MLB teams; and the departure of Dylan Cease to San Diego, along with the relegation of Michael Kopech to the bullpen (again), presages another dismal season.
With no noteworthy starting pitchers on the staff, this benighted ball club, which lost more than 100 games last year, could easily lose more than 110 this year. Like many longtime White Sox fans, I stopped following the team after the dispiriting series of events last August. Since then, a significant number of family and friends, all South Siders and multigenerational White Sox fans, have washed their hands of the club. We’re no longer White Sox fans. More than a few have elected to choose a new favorite team over the course of the offseason. The Arizona Diamondbacks have been a popular choice.
As for me, the connection has been broken. I still love the game of baseball, but I no longer have a team to root for. Only a change in ownership could bring me back. Sell the team, Reinsdorf!
— Chet Alexander, Alsip
Raise age for gun ownership
Oak Lawn has raised the age for purchasing cigarettes to 21 years old. No one will complain. It makes sense.
I propose raising the age for the purchase and ownership of any firearm in the United States to 30 years old — unless you have served or currently serve in the military, law enforcement or a sports shooting club. Anyone currently owning a firearm who is younger than 30 would be grandfathered in.
This would prevent parents from buying firearms for their underage kids. Signing a form to have kids own firearms shouldn’t be allowed.
With age comes wisdom.
— Roberto L. Garcia, Chicago
Let’s not raise the birth rate
The birth rate in the United States is 1.6 children per woman. We hear that we need immigrants to raise it. Why? If our population decreases, maybe we won’t need to put more farmland under warehouses and housing developments. Maybe we could revitalize our cities instead of tearing down old houses to create more landfill. Maybe we could live within our energy budget instead of always needing more.
Here’s to fewer people and more room for the planet to recuperate!
— Georgiana Dodd, Homewood
Happy to have a better carrier
I have been receiving the Tribune since I was a child. First through my parents while growing up and then continuing the tradition as I grew older. But all is not joyous. The delivery was so bad I contemplated several times canceling, but I just couldn’t give up the tactile joy of the daily paper. I was forever wondering: Would it be there? On my driveway? Neighbor’s yard? Gulley by the road, in water?
Then Dave Murdoch took over. Joy to the world! No more angst. Just great pleasure reading it and of course doing the Jumbles.
Thank you for the great service.
— Thomas Taylor, La Grange Highlands
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