So, in response to an alderman’s call for a curfew for minors after the recent vicious assault of a couple in Streeterville, Mayor Brandon Johnson said, “Helping young people find their purpose is the most important thing we can do as government.” I wonder what dream world the mayor is living in and what he would say if his family member were attacked by these offenders.
The mayor needs to vocally support Ald. Brian Hopkins’ proposed ordinance and change his focus to the reality of what’s happening as a result of street takeovers by unsupervised and out-of-control young people. They do not own the streets, and the mayor has to make it crystal clear that he and the Chicago Police Department will act quickly to stop this kind of violence. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx also needs to step up and send a message that these crimes will be charged as felonies.
The bottom line is that the mayor needs to refocus his so-called progressive agenda from that of enabling wrongdoers to enforcing the law and showing some sympathy for the victims of these attacks.
— Kevin Garvey, Chicago
Rethink DNC protests
The headline of the article reads, “’This will not be 1968’” (June 9). Well, by limiting Democratic National Convention protesters to Grant Park this time, 1968 will surely repeat itself; it’s too visually and dramatically interesting not to!
This will just spread the protests throughout downtown and toward the West Loop rather than confining them to the target audience — attendees of the DNC.
I suggest reducing the United Center parking lot by half, letting the protesters have their say and letting Chicago residents enjoy their downtown.
— Anne Neri Kostiner, Chicago
Gratitude for Chicago
Chicago receives its share of bad press (some deserved, some not), but I recently had an experience that I think reflects the true spirit of the city and its institutions.
A recent Sunday, I was on my way to the Goodman Theatre to meet friends and see the play “English.” I had almost reached the theater when I tripped and did a face plant on the sidewalk. I jumped up immediately but was bleeding profusely from a gash to my forehead as well as a broken nose.
I want to thank the theater personnel who kept bringing me stacks of paper napkins in an attempt to control the bleeding and who notified my friends that I had had an accident. I want to thank the passerby who called 911. I want to thank the paramedics who showed up very quickly and who were the epitome of professionalism, efficiency and courtesy in performing initial first aid and in getting me to the Northwestern Hospital emergency room. And I want to thank the emergency room staff members who saw me immediately and quickly addressed the immediate issues and checked for potential complications.
Chicago has its problems, but on that Sunday afternoon, the helpfulness of its citizens and the efficiency of its institutions could not have been better.
— Kevin Busath, Geneva
Trip to Cicada-land
I recently drove from Chicago to a medical appointment in Hinsdale. I had read about the 17-year cicada brood emergence this year, but in the West Ridge neighborhood, there were none to be found. So imagine my surprise when I exited Interstate 294 onto Ogden Avenue and cicadas began hitting my windshield! When I arrived at my appointment and opened the car door, my ears were met with a buzz so loud and strange it seemed like the electrical hum of a space ship. Welcome to Cicada-land.
If there was ever a tale of two cities, this was it. In the leafy suburbs of Cicada-land, these black bugs with red eyes ruled the roost and the soundscape in overwhelming numbers. Yet when I drove back to Chicago, the cicadas vanished. When I mentioned to a co-worker about witnessing this winged horde, they just looked at me perplexed like I was crazy.
I have since heard from experts on the cicada emergence that because Chicago is constantly changing, with new buildings going up, the soil is turned over, and older trees are felled. Such actions lead to cicada larvae not surviving.
So if you want to witness an event more fun than a sports game or movie, drive out or take a train to Cicada-land to enjoy Mother Nature’s show.
But don’t delay because Cicada-land will vanish, like Brigadoon, by the Fourth of July.
— Christopher Lynch, Chicago
GOP needs change
First off, I regard myself as a Ronald Reagan Republican. I am a former Army commissioned officer who served stateside as an information officer during the Vietnam era from 1968 to 1970.
But to the point at hand, I find that Will County leader Steve Balich’s action to fly our American flag upside down at a municipal building reprehensible, and his petulant actions border on bullying, regardless of his conservative beliefs.
More and more, I find the Illinois Republican Party dysfunctional and out of touch with reality. And the evidence is punctuated by Republicans like me who have long supported moderate Republicans and abstained from supporting the political philosophies of right-wing conservatives like Balich; former Illinois state Sen. Darren Bailey, who was shellacked in the last gubernatorial election; and, many years before that, radio talk show host Alan Keyes, who ran against Barack Obama for U.S. Senate in 2004. Bailey and Keyes lost by what can only be described politely as wide margins as their positions resonated poorly with moderate Republicans, independents and Democrats.
If there is any hope of the Illinois GOP being turned around, people like Balich, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy and others in their inner circle should start listening to the opinions and heed the advice of such respected Republican moderates as former Gov. Jim Edgar, Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso and former Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, who collectively see political realities as they are — not what Bailey, Tracy and other ultraconservatives who back Trump would like them to be.
Bullying doesn’t square with moderates, regardless of party affiliation, and even more so with independents.
When I go to vote this November, I’ll write in Ronald Reagan for president and vote for Republican Dennis Reboletti over Democrat Marti Deuter for state representative and Republican Niki Conforti over Democratic incumbent Sean Casten for Congress as I see these GOP candidates as being more in touch with reality and common sense.
And I’ll feel good at having my vote tallied accurately because I believe the system is not rigged.
— A.J. Parrino, Western Springs
Double standard clear
Can anyone explain to me why some people were outraged when NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick chose to kneel during the national anthem in protest over the unfair application of justice toward Black people in our country, yet Steve Balich flying the U.S. flag upside down at Homer Township offices seems to be a perfectly acceptable way to protest?
I can think of one clear reason, and personally, I’m outraged over it.
— Beth Carter, Naperville
GOP leader’s ‘distress’
Regarding Will County Board member Steve Balich, I find it “distressing” that he would use his political position to fly the U.S. flag upside down representing his “distress” after the verdict in Donald Trump’s recent trial. What happened to the GOP ideal of nonintrusive government? I am confident that if Democrats used that form of protest in response to Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016, the GOP would be loud and clear on the lack of patriotism and intrusion of the display on government grounds (and rightly so).
And regarding Balich saying the “Constitution is under attack,” how does the trial verdict compare with fake electors for a fully litigated election result and literal attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop the formalization of the election results? Trump’s case was reviewed and approved by a grand jury and decided by 12 vetted jurors in a unanimous verdict.
— Dave Beinor, Forest Park
Support for hemp products
I am a disabled senior citizen who has used intoxicating and non-intoxicating hemp products therapeutically for 27 years. With the help of these products, I have gotten my life back by getting off 12 daily medications. I am an educated consumer, and I prefer some of the milder hemp products to the cannabis I would get at a dispensary.
That’s why I was happy to read the editorial “Hemp can get you high. Illinois needs to better protect its minors.” (June 2). I am all for protecting children, including my children and grandchildren, as well as consumers. But I hope that this can be accomplished without banning products that I depend on and putting the local hemp people I know and trust out of business.
I urge state officials to work toward a reasonable compromise based on facts rather than fearmongering.
— Vicky Crouse, Industry, Illinois
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