Joseph Kromelis, 75, also known as the Walking Man or Walking Dude, was released from the hospital to a nursing rehabilitation facility. Four months ago, he was set on fire while sleeping in the underground Wacker Drive. The offender doused him with gasoline and lit him on fire. According to doctors, he was burned over fifty percent of his body. He was not expected to survive. A few years ago, he survived a beating with a baseball bat. He was hospitalized and then sent to rehab. Mr. Kromelis has a long road to recovery, with more surgeries ahead. It is a miracle he survived this latest horrendous attack.
Mr. Kromelis has been a familiar figure in the Near Northside for decades. He could be seen walking in all kinds of weather. He is easily recognizable by his shoulder length gray hair and mustache. According to relatives, he is not mentally ill, he just loves to walk and loves Chicago.
People would photograph him. He became very good at avoiding being photographed or moving quickly to blur them. There is a Facebook page dedicated to him and there was a YouTube documentary.
Mr. Kromelis might be homeless, but he has siblings, nieces, and nephews. According to various sources, his family moved to Chicago from Lithuania when he was a child. His father owned a tavern. The family moved to Michigan after selling the bar. Kromelis returned to Chicago, obtained a peddler’s license, and began selling jewelry and watches on the streets. He lived in an SRO until a developer converted it to condos.
Violence against the homeless is not new and is increasing. “Homelessness is a very dangerous undertaking,” especially for women, older adults, people with severe mental health issues, and people with substance abuse issues, who “are more likely to be attacked or victimized on the street,” said Donald Whitehead, executive director for the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), who himself was previously homeless. “These kinds of activities are happening all the time.”
The various homeless camps in Chicago offer some havens, as there is safety in numbers, especially at night when people are asleep. But there have been instances of people starting tents on fire or burning camps down when people are not there.
It is estimated that the homeless population in Chicago is over 16,000 people, including those who temporarily move in with friends or relatives, couch surfers. The city is doing little to assist them, contrary to what they claim, just like their lies about public safety.
The city is doing everything to assist developers to build mid and high rises for people with money. There is no push for housing the homeless in residences with various social services. There is no push to develop or repurpose housing for the homeless. But, hey, look what they are doing for the whiny bitchy bike people? They bend over backwards for those over privileged entitled stinking sweat hogs.
Chicago is a city run by scoundrels. The NIMBYs are just as evil. Chicago has no values except greed, lust for power, and apathy towards the most vulnerable in society. The motto of Chicago should be non Damnare, “We don’t give a damn.”