In response to “We left Chicago, just in time,” in the Monday Perspective, I have little doubt that the author feels his family is much safer in the southern suburb where he has chosen to live.
I perhaps should have also left the city many years ago. Moving here in 1968 right after the Democratic National Convention, I was warned that the city was in dire straits, anarchy controlled the streets, and the city wasn’t a good place for a single woman. But I stayed.
In 1975, after I moved into a new North Side neighborhood, two gang members were killed in an alley a half of a block from my apartment. Graffiti and tagging notified the residents as to who really controlled the neighborhood. A pervert exposed himself to me as I was walking to the bus one morning. Our local high school was posting record low scores in math and reading. Chicago had one of its worst-ever murder rates that particular year. I probably should have moved to the suburbs, but instead bought a home in another North Side neighborhood.
And now, after 37 years in our Chicago home, two separate shootings have occurred in alleys within one block of our home. I probably should move to a safer neighborhood or suburb, but have always found the word “safety” too elusive upon which to base a life decision. Where is “safety” to be found?
Admittedly, some suburbs are less prone to shootings and gangs, and there is a feeling of security for individuals and families. But what is lost in achieving this sense of security?
What is lost is the heartbeat and vibrancy of a thriving city, the mix of cultures and races, the beauty of our physical environment, the theater, the art, the music, the pace of a people trying better themselves. What is lost is the attitude that we can confront our problems and work together to solve whatever issues conflict our people. The greatness of a city is not defined by the problems, but how the problems are approached and resolved.
When you live here, the city is at hand, at the doorstep, not a train ride into town twice a year. By leaving Chicago, you acknowledge that a bunch of bad seeds are able to control your destiny — and that knowledge is disguised as the pursuit of “safety.”
— Lorraine Klabunde, Chicago
