I once worked at a business where the owner had placed in the breakroom a plaque with the saying: “The beatings will continue until morale improves.” This cynical, tongue-in-cheek display was understood as a reflection of my boss’s wacky sense of humor. So I was dismayed to hear Mayor Brandon Johnson suggest a similar strategy in response to the spate of gun violence that gripped our city this past weekend. When questioned about it, he responded by suggesting that since we haven’t solved the issue of poverty, we should expect this sort of violence as an end result.
Most reasonable people agree on the fact that systemic poverty and disinvestment in certain communities have given rise to an increase in crime in those neighborhoods, and combating it is a multifaceted task. That being said, confronting that level of criminal behavior takes a head-on strategy of both deterrence and proactive policing, as well as social programming.
We cannot afford to wait years, even decades, to eradicate the societal problems that poverty spawns while people die or are injured needlessly.
— Thomas Mulcrone, Chicago
I have been getting my news from the Tribune for more than 70 years. No matter where I am in the world, the Tribune is my paper. I don’t think I have any special treatment coming; that said, I have a question. Chicago has just endured its most violent Memorial Day weekend in seven years. From early Friday evening until Tuesday morning, 12 people were killed and at least 48 shot — according to other news sources.
Why has the Tribune not mentioned this in its news coverage? Tribune readers deserve an explanation.
— Bob Angone, retired Chicago police lieutenant, Austin, Texas
In arguing against a cash bail system (“Bail can’t fight crime,” May 30), letter writer Steven H. Mora of Palatine asks, “Why should a rich person who has committed, say, an armed robbery or a sexual assault, be able to avoid detention but a less wealthy person cannot?”
In response, I would ask, when is the last time he heard of a “rich” person committing an armed robbery or a sexual assault? Evidence suggests that the vast majority of violent crimes — including armed robberies and sexual assaults — are committed by a small number of recidivists, typically men ages 18 to 24. (Carjackings may be the exception; car theft rings seem to be recruiting increasingly younger perpetrators they know will receive more lenient treatment.). Very few of them, I’ll wager, are rich.
People in the U.S. are generally not arrested, indicted or jailed pending trial without probable cause to believe that they have actually committed a crime, typically after a preliminary hearing at which evidence connecting them to the crime has been presented to a judge.
In determining the appropriate bail, a judge considers the likelihood of the defendant committing further crimes and the likelihood of the defendant fleeing before trial, just as Mora suggests. The likelihood of committing further crimes argues in favor of pretrial detention, and the likelihood of fleeing before trial argues in favor of setting a bail high enough to encourage the defendant to show up for trial.
In the final analysis, poverty doesn’t cause crime; crime causes poverty, as anyone who ever played the Parker Brothers Monopoly game should know. We don’t jail people pending trial because they are poor; we jail them to make the rest of us safer and less poor.
As for addressing the root causes of crime, I suggest talking to recently elected Mayor Brandon Johnson about how to improve the public education system with which he has been so intimately involved his entire career. I’d start by requiring students to stay in school until they can read, write and do math at a high school senior level and by returning shop classes and civics classes to the curriculum.
— David L. Applegate, Huntley
This past weekend, we saw powerful operas commemorating the Holocaust by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer presented jointly by Music of Remembrance and Chicago Opera Theater. One of the pieces, “For a Look or a Touch,” tells the story of how gay people were treated by the Nazis, marked by pink triangles and sent to concentration camps.
I wish that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could see this and perhaps understand where his “Don’t Say Gay” cruelty could lead.
— Eileen G Soderstrom, Chicago
I was dismayed to read in the paper that Awake Americans, affiliated with Awake Illinois, has been accepted as a member of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce. Awake Illinois is a divisive organization that does not in any way represent the welcoming, inclusive nature of our community, and it does not deserve being given legitimacy by the NACC.
I would hope the NACC will withdraw its approval promptly.
— Barbara Lipkin, Naperville
Our 5-year-old granddaughter was explaining what she would do if there were a fire in her home or school. She told us that she would go into a closet, stay very quiet and not answer if someone called. This is the correct procedure for sheltering, but the exact opposite of the directives firefighters have been stressing for years. The “hiding” plan makes it almost impossible for a firefighter to find and rescue kids in a smoky situation.
During scary times, a young child might become confused about which routine to follow: get out or shelter in place. Perhaps teachers need to stress the escape plan during a fire with greater emphasis and tone down sheltering in place. Emphasize “getting out” plans, since they are much more likely to be needed than hiding from active shooters. Don’t confuse the little ones.
— Mary Ann Kehl, Wilmette
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Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
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