Birds on the Brain

michaelgizzi:

Food for thought…

Last night 19 people were shot on Chicago’s south and west sides.   

Nineteen people were shot across the South and West sides from Thursday evening through early Friday morning — 13 of them wounded over a 30-minute period, authorities say.

The overnight shootings peaked between 9:15 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. That’s when eight people, many of them teens, were shot at 79th Street and Essex Avenue about 9:30 p.m.

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-shootings-chicago-violence-august-23-august-24-violence-gunfire-20120823,0,49779.story

While I don’t have the data to prove it, I’d hazard a guess that these were poor people; these  were most likely minorities.  These crimes did not occur on the Gold Coast, in Lincoln Park, in the wealthy areas of Chicago. They occured on the SOUTH SIDE and on the WEST SIDE.  In places people tend to ignore and avoid if they can.   

While 19 shootings in one evening is a lot for even Chicago, the reality is this is a common occurrence in the  poorest areas of the city — and other than this one story from the Tribune, the story will get very little play - and will quickly fade away.  

As I was reading the Tribune story, Breaking News flashed across my screen.  There was a shooting outside the Empire State Building in NY.   2 are dead (one the shooter, killed by NYPD), 8 more are shot.   The Empire State Building is in mid-town Manhattan.  It is in the business district.   These are probably not poor people.  And I guarantee much more press coverage on this event.   But nothing will change…   

Hmmm…  why is this Breaking News, but when 13 people are shot in a 30 minute period it is not?