All hell broke loose in Chicago last night

10 August 2020, 08:57 AM

Woke up this morning to news reports of huge crowds engaging in coordinated looting all over the city. Mag Mile and north.

Local reporting:

https://abc7chicago.com/chicag...ridges-road/6363619/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mZ1f_8YOEc

Live coverage on the local ABC affiliate (as of 8 am CT):

https://abc7chicago.com/

There are already neighborhood volunteers out at the stores cleaning everything up....

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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training

10 August 2020, 09:05 AM

rontuner

Ugh.

10 August 2020, 09:22 AM

jodi

Jesus.

10 August 2020, 09:23 AM

wtg

Press conference now:

https://abc7chicago.com/

10 August 2020, 09:31 AM

ShiroKuro

10 August 2020, 09:40 AM

Daniel

OT, but I found this:

https://abc7chicago.com/califo...aten-stolen/6357662/

Who carries $200,000 cash? Smh.

10 August 2020, 09:47 AM

wtg

Another OT. Quite amusing. Watch the video (it's short).

https://abc7chicago.com/pets-a...-in-germany/6362848/

10 August 2020, 09:52 AM

wtg

The mayor got really pissed at one reporter's questions. She handled it really well, and told him that this is serious business and that he needs to stop trying to bait people and attempt to pit various members of the administration against each other.

It was classic Lightfoot, and she was spot on. She dressed him down and then just moved on.

The reporter is on live now and looks suitably chastised.

10 August 2020, 09:52 AM

rontuner

Looks like mostly north of us... but we haven't been outside yet.

10 August 2020, 09:55 AM

wtg

I think the police superintendent said they got warning that something was going to start up in Englewood, but as soon as the cops showed up there a car caravan of looters headed north.

10 August 2020, 10:13 AM

Piano*Dad

Sadly, what would stop this are armed store owners shooting a few people dead right in the middle of their looting spree. If police are unwilling to tackle this, private justice will spread.

10 August 2020, 10:15 AM

ShiroKuro

Is there any idea of why now?

Also, from what I read, it looks like coordinated looting (as opposed to a protest with some bad apples, or a planned protest that got out of hand). Is that accurate?

(Apologies, I didn't read all the links you've posted, but I couldn't tell from just skimming)

10 August 2020, 10:32 AM

ShiroKuro

quote:
Is there any idea of why now?

from:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/cro...ntown-100903478.html

quote:
Police Superintendent David Brown said it “was not an organized protest” but instead “an incident of pure criminality” that began following the shooting of a person by police the previous day in the city's Englewood neighborhood.

So, there's a "precipitating" event... (not saying that condones it, I'm just trying to understand why this now).

10 August 2020, 10:34 AM

wtg

quote:
Originally posted by Piano*Dad:
Sadly, what would stop this are armed store owners shooting a few people dead right in the middle of their looting spree. If police are unwilling to tackle this, private justice will spread.

I don't think it's the police being unwilling. They were outnumbered and outmaneuvered. In fact, the whole looting episode started as a result of a police shooting earlier in the day.

The looters have a sense of immunity, in part because they weren't prosecuted for the looting that happened a few months back. In that case, there was a mix of protestors and looters and the numbers were much larger, making it nearly impossible to sort out who was who.

This time they have lots of HD video of faces and license plates, and the only people out there were looters.

The mayor made it a point to reach out to the community and to ask for people to turn the looters in. They know who they are.

One store owner was at his store when the looters arrived. He asked them if they would spare his store. Their answer was "no, sorry, we can't". The store owner said the whole exchange was very polite and he didn't feel threatened, but it was clear they were going to proceed.

10 August 2020, 11:21 AM

wtg

Just heard another store owner who said he and two other store owners stood their ground, armed with bats and guns. Looters were driving U-Haul trucks and challenged one store owner and he told them he was armed and would defend his store. The looters said they didn't care but eventually backed down without looting the convenience store.

This went on for four hours. The main action was a block away and that's where the police were.

This is insane.