Hundreds of people looted high-end shops on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile overnight and early Monday morning with police officers exchanging gunfire with at least one individual, according to Chicago officials.
Law enforcement officials say the violence was linked to social media calls for looting after police shot and injured a [20-yr old] male suspect in Englewood, on the city’s South Side, on Sunday afternoon.
“To be clear, this had nothing to do with legitimate protected First Amendment expression,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday. “What occurred downtown and in surrounding communities was abject criminal behavior, pure and simple … This was straight-up felony criminal conduct.”
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In a Chicago burb. That was the 1st thing I heard on the radio when my alarm went off this a.m., but I haven’t listened to the news since or made any further attempt to check it out.
Sounded pretty much like looting of high priced stores in the area.
Yes it happened.
But not quite as reported.
Originally, it was thought that the person shot by the police was 15. Turns out he’s a young looking 20, and may have shot back at police. But the neighborhood, believing he was a child started to demonstrate against the police. The police responded by sending dozens of officers to into the neighborhood to quell the protest. The neighborhood didn’t like this police action so calls went out on social media to go downtown.
By this time both sides were itching for a fight and they got it.
I know it’s trite to say nowadays, but both sides are to blame here. The “protest” against the police was misguided and quickly turned angry and violent. But the cops added to the unrest with silence about the initial arrest and an overreaction to the initial protest.
After all this city has been thought this year it was a powderkeg waiting to explode. And I’m afraid there are dozens more waiting.
Another Chicago 'burb here - woke up this morning and the news was full of this. Based on what was said, and some of the footage shown, my guess is that a bunch of the folks who have engaged in smash-and-grab robberies in the high-rent area of downtown used a shooting/general unrest as an excuse for thievery. For the most part. Nothing looked like any kind of protest, it looked like people busting into stores and taking stuff. Including one group that must have gotten peckish because they broke into a Potbelly’s sandwich shop and stole food and beverages. Didn’t even seem to be any confrontation with cops - when cops showed up the looters scattered, often dropping what they were carrying.
Seemed to be more about stealing and less about anything else this time around.
I’m in the South Loop. I was awakened a couple of times overnight by sirens, so I knew something was happening.
My area wasn’t as much affected as May 31, though apparently they hit the Target a block away. I’m pretty sure they also hit the adjacent strip center; tonight there were scanner reports of guys roaming through that center with bowling balls. I had the police scanner on this morning; mostly just aftermath and cleanup. “We’ve got an ATM carcass at Madison & Franklin. Any idea what bank it was pulled out of?” This evening they were warily watching a protest at the First District Police Station, about a quarter-mile from me, and chasing a few suspicious cars and rental trucks around downtown. Downtown has limited access tonight, but not as locked down as early June. Officials were worried about looting spreading to the outlying neighborhoods tonight, as it did in June, but I don’t know if it did. As if police didn’t have enough to worry about, we had a very destructive derecho blow through late this afternoon, leaving fallen trees and power lines all over town.
This was simply spontaneous organized burglary; no pretense of protest at all—though apparently some of it was touched off by erroneous social media posts about the young man shot yesterday by police. Vehicles arriving, apparently some coming downtown in caravans, and people emerging with rolling suitcases to fill up at the Mag Mile and nearby stores.
I live about a mile north of the epicenter of the lootings. According to local news reports, the triggering incident started in a south-side neighborhood with a young miscreant shooting at the police, who understandably shot back. Then more miscreants jumped on the opportunity to organize a riot, which they did through social media. There were no reports of any sort of actual protests on any particular issues. Over a hundred looters were arrested, who the local DA will no doubt decline to prosecute as usual.
My impression as well. Which makes me wonder, what is the appropriate response to/defense against such activity?
I try not to be alarmist, but I have long wondered about such activity occurring/increasing as we seemingly intentionally (or dispassionately) increase the disparity between the haves and have nots, and reduce the options available to the least fortunate,
Well, it’s gonna be hard to keep this topic from getting moved to GD.
I’m growing very concerned about income inequality and the magnifying effects of the pandemic—but I have a lot of trouble seeing this as have-nots seeking reparations from the haves. No one looted any grocery stores. As Mike Huckabee cringingly pointed out last time, when they cleaned out the shoe stores . . . they left the work boots on the shelves.
I think we just have to trust that the level of frustration in society will eventually be reduced and the delicate business of social control restored. The ability to swiftly organize on social media flashmobs and looting caravans is something police intelligence monitoring will eventually catch up with. The inability to trust that there are knowable, verifiable facts (rumors about the dead teenager were apparently a big factor in spurring this unrest) is a much more worrisome prospect in the new age of everyone being a publisher.
This isn’t Le Mis. They’re not going into the most affluent neighborhoods to feed themselves. It’s to draw attention to their plight. The citzens of the south side, and Englewood in particular, have been reeling for years under a crime spree that TPTB seem unable or unwilling to do anything about. For God’s sake, over half a dozen CHILDREN have been innocent victims in as many months and all the police do is throw their hands up and say, “Yeah, that’s a problem”. But you break a few windows on Michigan Ave and suddenly the Chief of Police cancels days off and authorizes whatever resources are needed to protect those precious shops.
It’s motivation plain and simple. “If you cant make our neighborhood safe then your neighborhood wont be safe either. What part of No Justice No peace dont you understand!”
The best Convention I ever attended was in Chicago. The hotel was only a short walk from the Shedd Aquarium and Natural History museum.
I was so surprised at how clean and safe it was in Chicago. Loved walking along the lake. A huge difference from our convention in LA. We were warned to only walk in groups and only ventured a block from the Biltmore.
I always wanted to go back and vacation in Chicago. Visit the Museum of Contemporary art and shop.
It’s heart breaking to see what’s happening in Chicago. I’m thankful we got to visit 25 years ago before all this happened.
Yes, there are people who use social unrest and protest as an excuse and a cloak for criminal behavior, and the newest manifestation of this is what I can only call, “Professional Looting”.
These people aren’t people who become enraged, burst onto the streets, and destroy and loot out of emotional impulse. These people are organized, they pick their targets, and they plan their raids carefully.
I hate to say it, but the military approach of shooting looters is probably the answer. You wouldn’t have to shoot many. It would stop pretty quickly. Right now, they are basically getting away with this stuff.
It’s only going to get worse. Defunding the police will open the door to complete anarchy. It’ll make New York in the late 70’s look like the good old days.
The Seattle Police chief just quit. The 100 cops who are supposed to be fired? Most are minorities who were hired to add diversity.
Way to ignore the countless hours that business owners pour into their business. Just to lose almost everything in a few minutes. Their lives, the lives of their employees and all the families matter too.
Not having big ole plate glass windows, for one thing. Just like 9/11 led to all sorts of heavy “decorative” planters and bollards designed to keep a car or truck from reaching the building, I’d expect stores to find ways to incorporate additional security features into their storefronts to make it much harder for someone to bust into the building, hopefully delaying any looting until the police can respond.