Author: pvbella

Documentaries on how movies are made

Published by pvbella on October 20, 2021

Over the past week, I watched a documentary, Who Needs Sleep, and a docuseries, The Movies that made us. They give an inside look into the movie business. Who Needs Sleep was produced by award winning cinematographer, Haskell Wexler. Wexler was born and got his start in film in Chicago.

Who Needs Sleep, released in 2006, delves into the decade long fight for production crews to get a twelve-hour day. Up to that time, production crews, including writers, cinematographers, make-up artists, trades people, and anyone who was not an actor/actress, worked 14–19-hour days, sometimes seven days a week. Depending on the location, they may have to drive hours to get home, rest, and go back the next day.

There are interviews with crew members on the hardships on their families and lives working such long hours. There are dangers too. The issue at the time was budgets. Most movies had to be filmed over a set number of days. This was set by the studios.

Wexler documents the resistance of the studios, unions, and professional associations to get involved. He interviews the various stakeholders, including actors/actresses, directors, producers, union and association officials. It is an inside baseball look at how movies were produced on a strict timeline without regard for workers.

The Movies That Made us is a three-season docuseries about making several popular movies and how they made directs, producers, screenplay writers famous. Movies included, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Pretty Woman, Coming to America, Forrest Gump, and several more.

The docuseries shows how movies that may never see the light of day were made into blockbusters. It is a very detailed series, right down to the small intricacies, like finding specific fabrics for costumes, makeup casting, and lighting, script reading and rewriting, It delves into the fight to get screenplays on the big screen.

Stars, directors, producers, writers, special effects artists, executives, brokers, and a host of other people in the movie business. Some scenes are like watching the proverbial sausage being made. You find out things you may not even wanted to know but are interesting. For example, for one horror movie, they reveal the ingredients used to make realistic looking blood or how they made various slashings and stabbings look so, well, horrible.

Some stories relate the background of the various people involved and how they started working in the film business. The series also tells how some, including directors, producers, and actors/actresses shot to stardom after making some of these films.

You also learn about the movie business and some of its cutthroat actions, especially when it comes to financing and budgets. There were fights to get financing, disputes over budgets and cost overruns, and distribution.

“Who Needs Sleep is free on Vimeo. “The Movies That Made Us is on Netflix, so you need a subscription.

If you are interested in how movies re made, including the sausage making, both documentaries are well worth your time.

Congrats to the Chicago Sky

Published by pvbella on October 19, 2021

On Sunday, the Chicago Sky brought Chicago a world championship title in their hometown, the first in their franchise history. The reaction in this city, meh.

There was more disappointment when the Sox were eliminated in the post-season than celebrating the Sky’s win. On Monday, all we heard were more excuses from the loser Bears.

There was no emptying of bars on the streets in Wrigleyville or the Near North Side Sunday night. There were no masses of police officers to keep the crowds in order. Hell, there was a major shortage of championship merchandise. When other professional sports teams win championships, the merchandise is readily available. It is made ahead of time.

Unlike the Bulls, Hawks, Cubs, White Sox, and Bears, the Sky is a women’s basketball team. Except for golf, women’s professional sports are not considered top tier. They do not get the publicity or fan love that other professional sports get.

Mayor Lightfoot quickly planned and executed a parade and celebration for the team. She is a fan and was at the game. Thousands showed up to cheer the team. The governor and other dignitaries gave speeches. With all the bad news in this city, we needed this championship.

The Chicago Sky is the hottest team in sports in this town of struggling losers. They did not only bring a world champion title this year. It is the first professional world title for Chicago in a long time. Yet, they received second-rate treatment by the sports media and citizens the night they won and the day after.

I started watching women’s basketball some years back during the Final Four. UConn won that year. They played harder than any men’s team I ever watched. When the US Women’s soccer team played their championship game, they played harder than the men. It piqued my interest in soccer.

It is past time we pay more attention to women’s professional sports. It is time they get paid the same as their male counterparts, along with the hefty endorsement deals. They are not treated as superstars like players on even some of the worst men’s teams.

Hopefully, that will change soon. The women play hard. They play to win. They are as tough and resilient as the men and can even trash talk with the best. It is high time we treat them with the same respect and hero worship.

The Sky bringing home the world title to and in Chicago is a big bleeping deal. We finally have a championship team after a long drought. They should be celebrated as the champions they are.

Chicago is a city of scoundrels

Published by pvbella on October 17, 2021

“When will there be justice in Athens? There will be justice in Athens when those who are not injured are as outraged as those who are.” (Thucydides)

When will there be justice in Chicago? When will there be anger over the daily carnage on our streets? Every day the death toll mounts. Every day people are wounded. Where is the outrage that leads to justice?

The criminal justice system in Chicago is dysfunctional. The warfare between the police, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, and the courts is a disgrace.

The politics in this city is the root cause of violent crime. Criminals know there will be few, if any consequences, for their actions. Justice is a revolving door. It is worse now than when corruption and bribery ruled over the system.

Cui bono? Who benefits? Who profits? The answer is the politicians. They get to keep their jobs because the voters in this city refuse to hold their feet to the fire over their epic failure to protect the public. In effect, voters voted against their self-interest, public safety.

They reelected Machine Boss Toni Preckwinkle and her minion, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. They will probably reelect them. Mayor Lori Lightfoot is twisting in the wind, which is where Preckwinkle wants her. It is a good bet Preckwinkle already picked Lightfoot’s replacement. Lightfoot will not win 49 wards next time. She burned too many bridges.

We are witnessing machine politics at its worst. People are dying, including children, and the three frenemies pretend to make nice. This is not and never was about progressive ideas, social justice, or correcting wrongs. This is pure machine politics. And you, the voters, believe the lies. So does the aiding and abetting news media in this city of scoundrels.

So-called reform politicians love the words accountability and transparency. They toss them around like kids pitching pennies. Yet, there is no accountability or transparency. It does not exist. The proof is the dead and wounded. Over 3700 people have been shot in Chicago so far this year, 641 fatally. Those figures do not include people shot on the expressways*.

The State’s Attorney’s office refuses to approve felony charges in many cases, blaming the police for shoddy investigations. Worse, they plea bargain too many felonies down to misdemeanors. Toni Preckwinkle’s lenient bail bond initiative allows criminals to return to the streets. The electronic monitoring system is a joke.

Violent crime in Chicago reached pandemic levels over the summer. It is precisely what Preckwinkle and Foxx want. Lightfoot cannot fight back. She always caves into the devilish duo. Lightfoot makes nice while they plot her demise. She, too, bears the blame. She hired an incompetent Superintendent of Police.

If Chicago had a real news media, as we did in the past, Preckwinkle and Foxx would never get reelected. David Brown would be back in Texas. The editorial boards are either cowardly, gullible or willfully blind to the deception.

No one is standing up for the victims. No one is speaking for the dead. No one is speaking for the families in their grief and mourning.

It is not only the injured or their families who must speak out. The vast majority in this city is up to those who are not suffering to express our outrage. We deserve better than this political Ponzi scheme perpetrated on us.

People, you are not helpless. You have voices. Let them be heard.

By the way, where is Superintendent of Police, David “Tex” Brown? Is he on vacation, missing, AWOL? Should we put his picture on milk cartons?

*The Illinois State Police have jurisdiction over the expressways. Their figures are not included in the City of Chicago reporting.

A legend in his own mind

Published by pvbella on October 15, 2021

I was a Chicago Police Officer for almost thirty years. The Chicago Police Department signed its first union contract in the early 1980s. I knew nearly every Fraternal Order of Police President, from John Dineen to Dean Angelo Sr. Each was a well-spoken polished gentleman.

The immediate past union president was a well-spoken bully in a cheap suit. The current president, John Catanzara, is an ignorant guttural base snipe. Both despise Mayor Lori Lightfoot and let it be known publicly every chance they could.

I do not understand Catanzara’s anti-vaccine stance. He is directing Chicago Police officers not to report their vaccine status to the city today, Today is the deadline for the city’s mandate that all employees be vaccinated and prove it. He is going to war over a public health crisis. Catanzara is not only misleading the members of his union, he is lying to them.

The courts have upheld vaccine mandates for over a century. There is no HIPPA violation in the city mandating officers prove their vaccination status in order to work. Governments on all levels have a great deal of latitude to impose mandates during public crises, including public health crises. COVID-19 is still considered a public health crisis. The city has a responsibility to keep its employees and the citizens safe. So do the unions.

Over 500 police officers nationwide died of COVID-19. Chicago Police officers died of the disease. Dean Angelo Sr. recently died of the disease. Flu season started and COVID-19 cases could start rising dramatically again.

During a public health crisis, mandates are not bargainable working conditions. Instead of making the health and welfare of his members his highest priority, Catanzara would instead pick another fight with Mayor Lightfoot, putting his members in jeopardy.

Catanzara’s only priority is to battle Lightfoot tooth and nail over inconsequential issues like his immediate predecessor. His distaste for the mayor is palpable. His no holds barred style is embarrassing. He is more of a street thug than a polished leader. He is now going to waste the union’s money in a legal fight he may welll lose.

For over a century, courts, including the SCOTUS, upheld vaccination mandates. There is no law against people providing proof of vaccination. It does not violate HIPPA. The city is not violating rights or limiting freedoms.

The city has the ultimate responsibility to ensure public health. It has a responsibility to protect employees and the citizens. Police officers have a responsibility to protect each other and the citizens, not to infect them.

How can citizens trust the police to protect them if they will not protect themselves or the public from a disease that killed so many and left others catastrophically damaged? If citizens cannot trust the police on a simple thing like this, how can they trust them at all?

What do we have to do? Call 911, and demand they only send officers who will provide proof of vaccination? This is what it may come to. The citizens of this city should be outraged at Catanzara. But there is no outrage in Chicago. Look at the citizens meekly tolerating the daily murder and mayhem on our streets.

John Catanzara does not care about the health and welfare of his members. He does not care about their rights, freedoms, or lack thereof. Catanzara does not care about the union contract.

John Catanzara only cares about one thing, and one thing only, battling Mayor Lightfoot while pretending to be a tough guy. That is what cowardly bullies do.

John Catanzara is a legend in his own mind.

Grouse hunting

Published by pvbella on October 14, 2021

This is the time of year I daydream about the northern woods of Minnesota and Ruffed Grouse. Bonasa umbellus, Ruffed Grouse, is native to many northern woodlands. They spend most of their time foraging on the ground for food. Legally, you must shoot grouse on the wing, that is they must flush, and you try to shoot them in the air. They are a challenge. You hear them flush before you see them. They flush fast and veer right or left. Most of the time, you are sky blasting or shooting tree branches. Shooting at them is like shooting trap or skeet with brains.

The second week of October was a two-week excursion to hunt the elusive ruffed grouse for about four years. I would drive to Minneapolis to meet my late friend John, and we would go further north to Moose Lake Lodge, 14 miles from Black Duck, a small town.

We had to bring our provisions, food, beer, booze, book bags, and cigars. John brought the dogs, Springer Spaniels. We rented a bungalow, one of four on the shore of Moose Lake. National forests surround the area.

The usual routine was getting up before dawn, checking the weather, and going for a long walk in the woods, together or alone with one or both dogs. Return to the cabin around noon, eat lunch, maybe nap, or read, then go back out until the sun starts to set. You did not want to be in the woods after dark. Up there, dark is darker than dark. Getting disoriented is easy, and the chances of hitting a deer on those unlit roads can be a danger..

Many years we were skunked, two weeks and few or no grouse. Feet hunt grouse. You must walk, sometimes miles, to even see or flush one. They are cagey and skittish. Many times, you hear them flush before you see them.

Sometimes, we would hunt the areas around the cabin. Others, we drove miles to different parts of the forests in search of those birds. Shooting grouse is an achievement. You are grateful. They are beautiful birds and taste good.

The walks in the woods were therapeutic. There is no hustle or bustle of city life: no traffic noise or other urban sounds. The sounds were only the wind in the trees, leaves rustling, and the sounds animals make going through the woods. The woods were pines, birch, maple trees, and aspen groves. Most of the grouse habitat is in the aspen groves, as they eat the buds.

Geese and ducks were plentiful, though we never hunted them. It was too easy. Grouse are a challenge.

John was scientific about the hunt. He would check the weather and barometric pressure. Grouse are affected by both. On the off days or when there was a possibility of rain, I would take road trips to nearby towns. I would visit the local merchants or eat lunch at the one restaurant in the town, usually what we call a diner.

The local people were welcoming and willing to talk to a visitor. Their concerns are foreign to urban dwellers. They do not talk about crime, noise, pollution, race, or any of the myriad things we are absorbed in. They ask but drift off to discuss the weather, crop and livestock prices, hunting, fishing, logging, and doses of gossip.

The politics are odd. Their ideologies are a mix of conservative, liberal, socialist, with doses of left or right extremism. Their politics are based on what directly affects their lives, strictly local or regional.

Once or twice during our stay, we would drive forty miles to Bemidji or Walker to restock our groceries, liquor, or other items we could not get in Black Duck. Sometimes, we would eat an early dinner. I would drive alone occasionally, park, and walk through the towns. I would imagine living there.

Eventually, after four years, life interfered, as it has a nasty habit of doing. I could no longer make the trek north and stay for two weeks. I used to say maybe next year, but next year came and went every time.

I miss those days. When I crossed the border into the Chicago area, I became frustrated. Living in an urban area, compared to the Northwoods, is night and day. I could never live up there permanently. Everything is too far away. You need good coping skills. I do miss those trips. The stress of urban living disappeared. There was beauty in the natural world. The people practiced what they call Minnesota Nice.

One fall season, before I turn into worm food, I will return. Not to hunt but to roam the woods, smell the pines, see the various woodland creatures, and witness the wonders of nature. At night, I would gaze at the stars and galaxies you never see in the city. I would lift a glass to my friend and the past memories.

Searching for the past

Published by pvbella on October 13, 2021

About two years ago, I submitted a DNA sample for genealogic analysis. The results came back as I expected, over 80% Southern Italian, 4% Greek, and the rest from other parts of the region. I did not know their sampling only went back to the 1600s.

Recently, I started doing genealogical research and assembling my family tree. I subscribed to a site that uses data from the Church of Latter-Day Saints, the largest and best repository of worldwide genealogy and records.

I submitted the DNA analysis from the other company to their site. Their genealogy sampling goes back 10,000 years, so the percentages were different.

The results:

Greek/Southern Italian- 77.6%
Sardinian- 10.1%
North African- 6.7%
Mideast- 4.8%
Nigerian- 0.8%

The surprise was having more Greek DNA than Southern Italian. But going back 10,000 years makes sense, as Sicily was part of the Greek Empire.

The rest was not. Historically, the Mediterranean region was an area of trade, conquering, and repopulation. The Phoenicians- Modern-day Lebanon and parts of Israel and Syria- conducted trade with and populated Sicily.

North African areas did the same as the Phoenicians or conquered parts of the island. Egypt was the highest percentage, though it was less than 1%.

Nigeria was the surprise. Who knows, I may be related to one of those billionaire Nigerian royals who keep sending me emails to help them move their money. I could email them back, “Hello, brother.”

Through record searches, I found my maternal grandfather had a brother we did not know existed. My paternal grandfather was denied citizenship in 1925 by the Labor Department* for “ignorance, refusing to learn,” whatever that meant. I find new information or records about my parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins every day. I found the names of my paternal great-grandparents, along with great aunts, uncles, and third, fourth, and fifth cousins.

The records available are sometimes overwhelming- draft notices, ship manifests, passport applications, news stories, yearbook pictures, wedding announcements, etc. The written government records are occasionally hard to read, as they were handwritten using fountain pens. This explains why many names, including the maternal side of my family, were misspelled.

I limit the research time because it is too easy to go down an hours-long rabbit hole searching records, census data, news items, and even yearbooks. The research gets addictive.

I discovered some minor discrepancies from what I was told about my family. My family tree is expanding. I lost contact with most of my cousins, but their information is out there.

If you have the time and the money- the genealogy sites charge subscription fees- you should search your past. If you submit DNA, make sure the companies go back thousands of years for more accuracy.

We concentrate too much on the real, perceived, or false sins of history in this era of victimhood and grievance. You should research your own. You learn where your people came from, where they settled, who they were, and who you are.

*The Department of Labor handled immigration and naturalization until the founding of the US Immigration and Naturalization Service in 1933.

Wait til next year

Published by pvbella on October 12, 2021

Baseball is over for Chicago this year. The early season was promising for the Cubs and the Sox. Both teams were on top. There was speculation there might even be Crosstown Classic World Series. While the Sox battled on, sometimes winning ugly, the Cubs started to slide downhill.

After the Cubs traded Baez, Rizzo, and Bryant, the team imploded and went right into the toilet. The Sox kept battling it out. Now, like the Cubs fan’s mantra, it is wait til next year.

There will be plenty of criticism to go around, blaming players, Tony LaRussa, and team management. It is futile. Like all sports, baseball is an all-hands-on-deck team sport., more so in post-season. Ownership, management, coaches, players, and other assorted members must work in harmony, synced to the nth degree.

When the Sox won the World Series in 2005, even hardcore Cubs fans begrudgingly cheered with the rest of the city. When the Cubs won the Series in 2016, the same held. Maybe the Sox needed Billy Goat Tavern’s Sam Sianis goat to breathe some magic in the team since the animal took Sam’s uncle’s curse off the Cubs.

Baseball is a business, besides a sport. Sometimes the business gets in the way of the sport, as happened with the Cubs, though there is no way of knowing if keeping the three past World Series players would have stopped their slide. Baseball is also about fatigue, minor and major injuries, and mistakes. During the post-season mistakes, even minor ones, are more critical.

I am sure the “experts” will hold seances to dissect the Sox season and give us their reasons, excuses, or horse manure for why the White Sox blew it. It will be meaningless.

The season is over for both teams. Wait until next year and hope that next season will be better.

Why we stay

Published by pvbella on October 11, 2021

The fountain at Giddings Plaza/Image: PV Bella

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. There are 77 geographic areas in Chicago. Neighborhoods are made up of communities that may consist of one or more blocks. Each neighborhood is distinct.

My first assignment on the Chicago Police Department was the 010 District, called Marquette. The district spanned part of Lawndale, the Little Village and Heart of Chicago neighborhoods. I spent most of my street training in Lawndale. I spent almost ten years working in those neighborhoods. Even though they overlapped, each was distinct.

Lawndale was one of the most impoverished and dangerous neighborhoods in the city. In the early 80s, a national newspaper cited the ten most dangerous neighborhoods in the country. Lawndale came in at number three. Number one and two were in New York City. Number four was Watts, in Los Angeles.

Lawndale was a place where hope died. If there was nothing left to steal, thieves stole your dreams. There were some middle and working-class people living there. One night, we responded to a burglary. The victims were a middle-aged African American couple. The gentleman was a driver for Coca-Cola. His wife was a public-school teacher. Both were well-paying jobs.

My African American partner asked them why they still lived in Lawndale, as they were people of means and could live any place they wanted. They said they were born and raised in the neighborhood. They met, married, and raised their children in the house they owned. Lawndale was home.

There is a big difference between a house and a home. A house is a shelter, the roof over your head. A home is where you make a life. It is your house, block, and neighborhood. A home is your nearby relatives and friends. It is where you worship if you are a person of faith. If you are a lifelong resident, it is where you were born, went to school, played sports, recreated, got married, and buried.

There were other people like that couple who made their lives in Lawndale. They owned homes or small apartment buildings. They stayed, raised their families, and retired, despite all the problems. Lawndale was home.

No matter the conditions, from danger to crippling property taxes, we stubbornly stay because we made the neighborhood our home. Where else are we going to go?
Now that the violence is spreading out to every neighborhood in Chicago, with no end in sight, many people are afraid to walk or drive the streets, especially at night. Many are threatening to leave the city. Frequently,

My neighborhood is my home. It is where I’ve lived for over fourteen years. Everything I need or want is in this neighborhood. I have good neighbors and friends. It is where I socialize. There are two large parks and a plaza to enjoy. It is convenient, as I can get anywhere in the city quickly on public transportation. If I did move, I would stay in the neighborhood. A condo, apartment, or house is only a roof over my head. The neighborhood is home.

This concept of home is what we need to understand. People put down roots in a neighborhood. No matter how bad things get, they stay. It is home. We cannot blame them for staying, even if they are crime victims.

Chicago is going through a rough time with citywide violent crime out of control. It is anarchy. That will not move most of us from our home neighborhoods. No matter what happens, most of us stay put.

My neighbors and I made our lives where we live. We are here for the long haul. We are staying put, no matter what happens. We are a neighborhood, a community. This is our home.

The favor bank crashed

Published by pvbella on October 10, 2021

“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. ..” (The Lord of the Rings/JRR Tolkien)

A while back, I did a favor for someone. It was something for which I would typically get paid. That person expressed their gratitude. I reminded them it was a favor. Another deposit in the favor bank.

Whether it is politics or business, Chicago relies on the favor bank. Chicago politics lives on the favor bank. You scratch my back, and I scratch yours. That is how things get done in this city of tribal political warfare. Good politicians and business people know this.

The favor bank was never about who wants to be more powerful or thinks they are in control. It is not a one-way or dead-end street. It is part of the Chicago Way. The way things get accomplished. We get by with a little help from our friends.

The favor bank does not rely on love, liking, respect, or loathing people. It is based on mutual need and trust. Just like you trust the bank with your money, favors are based on the gold standard that they will be repaid when needed. No reminder of “Remember when I…” is required or demanded.

The favor bank in Chicago crashed. The proof is the battle between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her nemeses, State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx, and Democratic Party Chair, and Cook County Board President, Toni Preckwinkle. The war is over who rules Chicago, who is the singular power. Preckwinkle wants to rule it all, the county and the city.

Toni Preckwinkle, the Chicago Machine Boss, AKA, the Godmother, understands power. She knows how and when to wield it. Preckwinkle is beloved by masses of gullible voters and the Chicago news media, who drank the Kool-Aid, believing Preckwinkle is a reformer, a goo-goo*. Preckwinkle is no reformer. She is no goo-goo.

Toni Preckwinkle is ruthless in her quest to control Chicago. Like Sauron, from the “Lord of the Rings,” she dispenses rings- favors- and demands more than a return. She demands total allegiance.

Lori Lightfoot was not supposed to be the mayor of Chicago. Toni Preckwinkle was the shining North Star. Lori Lightfoot did not only win the election. She crushed Preckwinkle, taking 49 out of fifty wards. It was a humiliating rout. A rout Preckwinkle will never forgive or forget.

Since her loss, Preckwinkle has done everything in her power to humiliate Lightfoot. She stays quiet behind the scenes while her minions who owe her do her bidding. All in the name of reform, whatever that means.

Preckwinkle’s chief minion is Cook County State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx. Preckwinkle created Foxx in her image, gave her marching orders, and the war was on. Foxx is no reformer, no goo-goo. She is a hard-edged opportunist. She knows the voters are gullible, and the news media is blissfully ignorant. Reform is a dog and pony show.

Their plan is to destroy the city and bring in a hero or heroine to save it. If you need proof, it is right before your eyes. The murder, mayhem, and bloodshed occurring every day in every neighborhood in Chicago. Preckwinkle and Foxx revel seeing Lightfoot twist in the wind while aiding and abetting the anarchy on the streets.

Kim Foxx is supposed to prosecute criminals. Under the guise of criminal justice reform, she continually refuses to charge criminals with felonies. She raised the bar so high that she created a revolving door for violent criminals to walk through to keep terrorizing the citizens. Foxx is Toni Preckwinkle’s Chief Anarchist in Charge.

Foxx is more telegenic and likable than Lightfoot. She is a media darling. She is focused on one thing and one thing only, doing the bidding of Toni Preckwinkle by destroying Chicago, thus destroying Lightfoot. Foxx is not alone. There are several alderpeople under Preckwinkle’s spell who do her bidding. They owe her too.

Lightfoot did Preckwinkle a solid by endorsing her nemesis, Kim Foxx, for reelection. That favor was not put in the bank. It was never meant to be returned. Foxx and Preckwinkle revel in seeing the deaths of innocents, especially children and the elderly. They are a blood cult. They do not care about lives. They care about power. All that matters is the dumb voters and the happy compliant press.

They drag out their secret weapons, social justice, and race when all else seems to fail. They toss out race and victimhood to create grievance and division. The mooks who vote believe the beautiful lies. The mamelukes in the press swallow this and churn it out, turning the beautiful lies into a deadly reality.

Mayor Lightfoot needs to learn the favor bank crashed. She owes no one. She will never get repaid. She is alone, fighting a battle with no allies. Toni Preckwinkle is succeeding in Lightfoot’s destruction. She stands silently behind the veil, letting others do her bidding. She wears the One Ring to rule, bring them all in and bind them in darkness.

The question is, how many dead bodies will it take before the citizens in Chicago and the news media realize the evil they created?

*Goo-goo is a political pejorative for a good government type.

Welcome to Deadwood

Published by pvbella on October 9, 2021

UPDATE: This piece was edited. I originally put the number of people murdered in Chicago versus the number shot This was corrected.

2-70 are the ages of two of the ten people shot between Friday night and Saturday morning. Another toddler and another older person. One starting life and another who lived a life.

Almost 800 people were shot in Chicago, plus over 185 people shot on the expressways.* With the rise of rolling shootouts, it appears the shootings will go on through the winter months. Predictions are that 1000 or more people will be wounded or die by gun violence in Chicago by year’s end.

Maybe we should change the name of Chicago to Deadwood, the historic town known for its violence and criminality. Change the Chicago logo to Aces and Eights, the Deadman’s Hand. Die the river red to commemorate all the bloodshed on the streets. Change the city flag to a body chalk figure with four bloody bullet holes.

Who is protecting us? Who is curbing or preventing the warfare on our streets? Where are the accountability and consequences for those arrested?

Day after day, weekend after weekend, and here we are with another three-day weekend with nice weather. How many people must die? How many families must mourn and grieve? How many people must suffer wounds, some catastrophic?

How many violent criminals must be let on the streets by our catch and release prosecutors and judges? Is criminality now sports fishing?

We refuse to hold anyone accountable. The people responsible for keeping us safe are squabbling like children. They get their backs up in righteous indignation, sometimes pretending to almost cry, and blame each other. The former SNL character, the Thespian, Jon Lovitz, had a word for this, ACTING!

There is no harsh criticism or outrage over the lack of public safety. The systems in place that are supposed to keep us safe are failing on an epic level. The news media reports the carnage, but their editorial boards are silent. The media may as well put Mr. Rogers and Barney in charge of its editorial boards.

Not one person, elected or appointed, will provide a solution to curb this out-of-control anarchy. There is a solution we can provide. Threaten the elected officials to bring things under control, or we will toss them to the curb, where they belong. Toni Preckwinkle, Lori Lightfoot, and Kim Foxx should get a clear message their jobs are at stake.

We no longer want to hear about systemic and intractable something or other, social issues, or equity. We do not want to see officials lie with data. We want to see the numbers of people shot driven down. We want to walk or drive down our streets without fear of being innocent victims of gun violence. We want to see the perpetrators of violence held accountable. We want criminals to know there will be consequences for their activity.

Contrary to what their spokes weasels say, our elected officials are not courageous fighters on behalf of the public. They are craven cowards. Their greatest fear is the unemployment line. Citizens should crank up the heat and put that fear into their hearts and keep it there until they do something besides talk and quarrel among themselves.

Lori Lightfoot made a big mistake meeting with Kim Foxx to iron out their political differences. She should have doubled and tripled down on her criticism. Lightfoot should have thrown Preckwinkle under the bus too. Instead, she decided to fold and play nice. When the people responsible for fueling and driving violence all over this city fail, there should be no nice. There should be constant and consistent harsh criticism.

Love them or hate them, former Chicago mayors Daley and Emanuel would never tolerate the level of incompetence and apathy of Preckwinkle and Foxx. Where are the alderpeople? They should be scorching Foxx and Preckwinkle. Where are the Cook County Commissioners who represent areas of Chicago? They should be standing up for the victims and potential victims.

As it stands, more people are killed by guns than COVID. COVID is still a pandemic. Violence is just another problem no one wants to solve. There is no political will because there is no political threat of consequences for failure.

Welcome to Deadwood.

*Expressway crimes are the jurisdiction of the Illinois State Police and are not reported in Chicago’s statistics, even though they happen within the city limits.