The CTA has teamed up with famed Chicago musical artist Chance the Rapper as the agency urges us to “enjoy the ride.”
That’s the slogan for a new collaboration to promote the CTA.
It features two announcements by Chance that are playing at rail stations across the system. The recorded messages plug the CTA to the tune “Ride” from Chance’s latest album.
As he reminisces in one greeting, “Growing up in Chicago on the South Side, I took the CTA Red Line from 79th almost every day,” he said. “I won’t ever stop loving the CTA, and I encourage you to keep supporting public transit and its workers. Be safe and just enjoy the ride!”
Acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen touted the collaboration as “a unique partnership between two Chicago icons — CTA and Chance — that allows us to celebrate the special meaning they both have for our great city.”
Chance, an international celebrity and multiple Grammy winner, is a welcome evangelist for Chicago. I am delighted that he is assisting the CTA. I am also a native South Sider who grew up on the Red Line. I still take the CTA daily, sometimes several times a day.
So, as I slide into my seat on the “L,” I could be jamming to his “Ride.”
I may also have to jump out of my seat to keep from getting robbed or worse. Growing up, I was never nervous on the CTA. But in the wake of the pandemic-fueled disruption of the system, the ride can be nerve-racking.
Enjoy the ride? I regularly encounter passengers who are disruptive, aggressive or even violent.
In November, violent crimes on buses, platforms, stations and trains increased by 6.6% from the yearly average over the three prior years, ABC affiliate WLS-Ch. 7 Chicago reported.
“Over the past year and a half, there have been bullet holes in CTA bus windows, people standing with long guns on public transportation and weapons recovered,” the station reported.
That’s why the Donald Trump administration is right to call out Chicago’s CTA safety issues.
On Dec. 8, Marc Molinaro, administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, wrote Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker to demand that the CTA deliver a “verifiable security enhancement plan.” The agency threatened to withhold federal funds from the CTA if it does not comply.
Molinaro highlighted the recent horrific attack on Bethany MaGee, which he said “reflects systemic failures in both leadership and accountability on all levels.”
Last month, MaGee was riding a Blue Line train when Lawrence Reed approached her, poured gasoline on her and set her on fire, according to the Chicago police and federal prosecutors. Reed, 50, who was arrested, “has violated the conditions of his home confinement and has previously been arrested 72 times,” Block Club Chicago reported.
“Reporting to FTA shows CTA’s violent crime rate is nearly four times the national average, with four homicides in the past 18 months,” Molinaro wrote.
On Monday, the CTA wrote to ABC 7: “The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has submitted its response to the FTA Special Directive with the requested timeframe.” The CTA has released no details.
Johnson pledged to comply with the federal request but said he is already working on the issue.
“As I’ve said repeatedly, we do have to look at what the security apparatus looks like for public transportation. (The Chicago Police Department) plays a role in that. The city Department of Public Health plays a role in that. All of us play a role in ensuring that CTA riders experience maximum safety,” Johnson said in response to the letter.
He went on to attack the Trump administration, saying it “continues to politicize on what really could be addressed collectively.”
On Tuesday, Pritzker signed a major transit funding bill passed by the Illinois legislature that includes a safety plan and the creation of a “sworn law enforcement officer crime prevention program” that will include participation of the Cook County sheriff’s office, Chicago police and other local municipalities, ABC 7 reported.
These politicians don’t have to ride the CTA daily to get to work, school and the grocery store. Riders who depend on the system are at the mercy of people who are roaming the system in search of victims.
In one recorded message, Chance urges CTA passengers to “be safe.”
Chance, my man, hip rap songs are a fun treat, but they won’t soothe our fears. Let’s hope the pressure from the feds will pump up the volume on safety and security on the CTA.
Laura Washington is a political commentator and longtime Chicago journalist. Her columns appear in the Tribune each Wednesday. Write to her at LauraLauraWashington@gmail.com.
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