I have been following the story of the migrant families at West Ridge YMCA having to move to the far South Side. This makes absolutely no sense at all! Why can’t the migrants at the police stations go directly to Daley College, to prevent extra trauma from unnecessary moves?
Moving the families out of the YMCA to Daley College, only to then move the migrants at the police stations to the Y, makes no sense. This disruption to the West Ridge Y community shows a gross disregard for the needs of the new community members, as well as the teachers and supportive organizations who have kindly stepped up to welcome the families.
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Mayor Brandon Johnson had an opportunity to listen to the community and the families who have created a stable environment in the West Ridge neighborhood. Instead, he sent the families to a neighborhood hours away by CTA. I was hopeful for his fresh perspective, but I don’t see anything happening yet I can agree with. What a disappointment!
Bonnie Richardson, Edgewater
Connect the dots between drug prohibition and Chicago violence
The strip mall gun battle in Willowbrook this past weekend is a reflection of typical, irrational and prolific gun violence across America every weekend. Why?
Drug prohibition arms some kids with guns enabling them to compete in the lucrative, heartless and competitive illegal drug business, and other kids (like many adults) take up arms in an effort to protect themselves from random violence commonly experienced anywhere and everywhere, for any reason or no reason, in the drug-war environment in which we all live.
There is no stopping such violence or dependence on firearms as a survival strategy without legalizing drug sales for all commonly used mind-altering substances, as we Americans once did with all alcohol varieties for the same reason — to stop the violence.
Sadly, no local, state or federal public officials or candidates for public office are calling for drug legalization to stop the killing. Also notice that no religious, business, violence interrupter or nonprofit organization leaders are even discussing the contribution of drug prohibition to gun violence. No leader is connecting the dots.
Instead, leaders issue statements condemning the violence and, at best, support a plethora of root-cause solutions that always exclude consideration of dispensing with drug prohibition.
Exclusion of the idea of drug legalization has been off the table in Chicago and across America since “the shooting ‘90s,” and dependable, re-occurring violence is the result.
Meanwhile, the drug trade grows, adapts and flourishes. Let’s start talking sense and implementing change. Let’s start talking about the legalization, regulation and control of mind-altering substances to stop violence and prevent accidental overdose.
James E. Gierach, Palos Park
