COPS WARN CHICAGO THAT TOURISTS SOON WILL BE ARMED - GOOD!

http://www.wnd.com/2013/04/cops-warns-chicago-tourists-soon-will-be-armed/

 

WND EXCLUSIVE

Cops warn Chicago tourists soon will be armed

'You don't hear about it because they aren't usually confronted by criminals'

Published: 15 hours ago

John T. Bennett is a contributing writer to WND. A former Army officer with tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and Djibouti, Africa, he holds an M.A. from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from Emory University School of Law. In addition to WND, Bennett's articles have also appeared in the American Thinker, the Chicago Tribune, Townhall.com, Accuracy in Media and FrontPage Magazine.More ↓Less ↑

In light of the high level of crime, murder and mob violence in Chicago, new warnings from police there should probably get attention.

Second City Cop, a widely read blog run by current and former Chicago police officers, now has shared an ominous prediction with WND:

[I]t is almost a certainty that if these "wildings" continue, the casual tourist will become a rarity in short order, and a tourist intent on enjoying Chicago will come to town armed, as many already do. You don't hear about it because they aren't usually confronted by criminals.

Given the "current lawless climate" in the city, "it is likely, almost a certainty that someone will have to defend themselves or a loved one from the out-of-control individuals currently prowling through Chicago."

John Lott Jr., author of "At the Brink: Will Obama Push Us Over the Edge?" tells WND, "If someone did defend themselves against violence, that seems to me to be a good thing. If the police can't protect people against these mobs, why shouldn't people be able to defend themselves and others if that would improve safety?"

An attorney within the State's Attorney's office, which prosecutes Chicago crime, tells WND, on condition of anonymity, "These wildings are a good example of social media misused, further alienating people from actual human contact."

He's worried the wildings will increase in number.

For the first time, the mainstream media also has admitted that "mobs of unruly black teens" are at fault for flash mob violence, at least in Chicago.

New details are emerging into mob violence that took place in an upscale, ordinarily safe part of Chicago over the weekend. Witnesses report that up to 500 "teens" assaulted pedestrians and shoppers with no provocation, hospitalizing at least one.

One victim claimed that her attackers had "knives or box cutters, and padlocks possibly placed inside socks."

Unlike their timely response to prevent a similar attack earlier this month, the police were not prepared for this attack.

One target of the attacks was a 27-year-old woman returning from dinner with her mother on Chicago public transportation. According to a Chicago Tribune report, the woman saw a "group of girls" boarding the train who "appeared to want to pick a fight."

"This girl started blowing smoke in my face, and she flicked her cigarette ashes at me," the woman said. "I said: 'You need to put that out,' and the next thing I know there's all these girls that jumped on top of us."

At that point, the group started to punch her face and grab at her hair to attack her. The woman reportedly claimed that the group "had knives or box cutters, and padlocks possibly placed inside socks."

The woman described her attempts to protect herself: "I put my head down between my legs so they would stop beating me in the face, but they were trying to pull my face up and hit me more," she said. "They ripped out chunks of my hair, and I've got a black eye and bruises on my face, and all over my back and shoulder."

"I've never been scared like this before," the woman said. "We were just minding our own business. … It was really, really violent."

Mob violence of this nature has been occurring around the country for several years. After last weekend, a new detail emerged on the process by which the attackers organize and agree to carry out these crimes.

Following the attack on the 27-year-old described above, 11 teenagers were arrested. Based on police conversations with those 11 authorities said, "It appeared that several of those arrested had not met before Saturday," the day of the attack.

Dr. Stanton Samenow, of Alexandria, Va., is a clinical psychologist, Reagan appointee, and author of the seminal work, "Inside the Criminal Mind." Samenow shared his assessment of the flash mobs with WND.

He said criminal minds, which are nothing new, now have access to instant communication. He analogized sexual predators, whose crimes are easier to commit by using the Internet. "The Internet doesn't revolutionize crime, but it does facilitate crime by making it easier, giving more like-minded people the opportunities to commit crime, and reducing the risk of crime."

Samenow says that the attackers "are seeking excitement at the expense of others, reducing them to a quivering, pleading speck of humanity." He also rejects the typical explanations offered for flash mobs:

The mobs aren't caused by past discrimination, institutionalized discrimination, or social policy. These attackers elevate themselves by looking down on others.

While it is difficult to know the outcome of these attacks, Dr. Samenow sees trouble ahead.

"We can't predict how lethal the outcome will be, but there will unfortunately be more such outcomes."

Police officers in Chicago are facing an unusual form of crime, in the midst of what some in Chicago are calling a police shortage.

There is some indication that gang members are taking part in the mob violence.

Chicago has between 68,000 and 150,000 gang members, according to Chicago police research. By contrast, there are approximately 13,400 police officers in Chicago. However, only about half of that number are beat cops. Assuming that the remaining officers are dedicated to staff and administrative positions, this leaves an effective gang member-to-police officer ratio of 10:1, at best. Using the high estimate of gang member, the ratio is 22:1 in favor of gang members.

The police response to this weekend's mob attacks stands in contrast to the effective police action that thwarted a mall attack last month.

In early March, Chicago police were able to prevent a flash mob that had been planned to attack Chicago's Ridge Mall. Ridge Mall was the intended target of an estimated 300 "teens." However, tips from teachers and a Chicago Police anti-gang unit enabled store security and shop owners to close down prior to the attacks.

Officers "saw buses of teens arriving, but retreating once they saw the officers," according to a local CBS outlet. The teens used Twitter to announce that their plans had been prevented.

In February, police were not as aware or prepared for a mob attack at a different Chicago mall. Some 19 "teens" were arrested and charged with battery or misdemeanor mob action for attacking mall security guards and walking on top of cars. Those arrested ranged from 13 to 18 years of age. One witness said, "They busted a lady's windshield in the back of her car. They knocked the rearview mirrors off."

The video of that event shows "teens" stopping traffic, breaking car windows, and walking on top of cars. The cars were driven by people who evidently didn't invite the youths to walk on their vehicles.

Another witness told local news, "It's like a mob scene, just jumping on cars, breaking windows."

Even when police anticipate the mob attacks, the likelihood that participants will provide information is very low. A uniquely pervasive "no-snitching" code in Chicago hampers law enforcement. Chicago Sun-Times reporter Frank Main was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the "no-snitching" mentality. Witnesses with specific, significant information about crimes regularly refuse to cooperate with investigators.

Even victims and their families often refuse to cooperate. According to Main, in 2009, "fewer than one in 10 nonfatal shootings resulted in charges."

Because last weekend's mobs swarmed into the usually safe, pleasant business district in Chicago's Miracle Mile, victims and many witnesses were not of the "no-snitching" culture, and as a result more information about the violence is available.

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