That Toddlin' Town

There are many...MANY things that run through my brain during the day...

"Is my DVR in some cosmic universe where they are showing new episodes of Dirty Sexy Money? I thought they canceled it...am I the only one watching new episodes? Will this happen with Lipstick Jungle as well? If so...I'm going to marry my DVR..."

"Why did the mother at my play date keep talking about moving closer to a ski hill, when she hasn't skied in over 10 years? Why is skiing so important to a non skier?"

"I have a GREAT idea that involves approaching a real company (BIG) how can I get more followers so I look like a big gun??? Do I have to appear to be a big gun to be taken seriously?"

"What color scheme should I use for the blog I'm designing with The Golden Gate Bridge? Should I run the header all the way across? Do I do that too much???"

Not exactly deep thoughts...ya know:P It's my life...that's what bounces around in my head...until lately...

About a week ago, I was pushing the kiddos in the stroller (I swear if I renamed my blog, I'd call it Stroller Tales) As I walked along, I noticed an enormous deep red stain on the sidewalk. It startled me. I walked along slowly looking down, the red stain was followed by drops, and bare footsteps walking away...To me, it looked as if someone had the sh*t kicked out of them. I knew it was blood...but I kept thinking "this has to be some kind of prank...someone must have done this with red paint to make it look like an attack...this kind of thing doesn't happen in my neighborhood..."

The bloody footprints kept leading us down the path we were going...so did the droplets. I have heard about people being attacked for their shoes...but that couldn't be why I was now seeing bloody footprints walking away from the scene of a heinous aggression. Not in my neighborhood...

Flash forward to last night...

The news reported a series of attacks, frighteningly close to us. Men had been approached in the early morning hours from behind, brutally beaten, then robbed. In all cases the beatings continued after the robbery. I know the bloody footsteps I encountered were from an attack that wasn't, for whatever reason, reported. The scene that played out under our stroller was exactly what the newsman reported.

I am not naive. I know that living in a major metropolitan area comes with crime. That said, when the crime happens in your front yard, it makes you want to run...

Wanting to run, for me, involves moving to Vail. When Husband's company failed, and we had to sell our house, there was a HUGE part of me that wanted to pack it in and move to Vail. It's my happy place.

Right now...my city is sick (quite frankly, the whole darn country is sick). The Mayor is so obsessed with his Olympic dream that he refuses to spend money to fix the problems of the present...opting instead to save all the money on dreams of Olympic rings.

For the here and now, that means the highest sales tax in the nation, a jobless rate higher than the national average, and unfortunately escalating gang violence and crime.

If I were the uber blog designer to the stars (making enough money to support our family) I'd move to Vail in a heartbeat. I think if Husband could do his job from the mountains...he'd probably move in a heartbeat as well. The fact of the matter is...that ain't reality:P

I'm not throwing a pity party here. I know, I have it easy. I am in one of the safer areas. When crime breaks out in this neighborhood, the police take it very seriously. I know these perpetrators will be caught.

It's just for the short term...there is a piece of me that is scared, and I hate that feeling:( I love this city...I just wish I knew how to fix it...or at least had the confidence that the folks in charge, were doing what is necessary to fix it.

26 comments

  1. I would be scared out of my mind, too. I am thankful I live in a safe city - the capital of Canada - and not in Toronto, where the crime rate is insane. This is the sort of thing you don't realize until after you have kids, you know? I'm sorry, hon... stay safe, okay?

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  2. holy crap, that IS scary. That would have freaked me out.
    BUT - I'm sure you live in a great neighborhood. Any big city is going to have crime - you just gotta' be smart.

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  3. That's terrible! I'd be scared too. I like to think crime won't happen where I live, but I know it's possible anywhere, really. You're in my thoughts =)

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  4. Horrible horrible crime happened in every neighborhood we lived in in Chicago, but I never saw bloody footprints.

    And pretty ugly stuff is happening not far from my home, even here in Wisconsin.

    So sorry you're feeling scared. When I feel like that I just try to have faith and turn OFF the tv reports.

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  5. How bizarre it must have been...walking along that same path so soon after the crime. I hope your fear doesn't last too long ((hugs))

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  6. that's totally frightening. i'd be wanting to take my children and get the hell outta dodge.
    the whole thing is scary. this country. those footprints. the whole thing.

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  7. Wait back up, I taped 1 episode of DSM, and one is scheduled for this Sat, the series finale, have there been more?
    AND I'll say it again Dayor Maley is NOT his father. His obsession with the Olympics will make the current problems worse and then there wil be no Olympic rings in Chicago, then what Richie? Then what?

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  8. I think if I saw bloody footprints I'd start heading in the opposite direction and start dialing 911. How scary! Aww I hope you get to move to your happy place eventually! I also agree this country needs to make some serious changes!

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  9. I just don't understand why people do things like that to other human beings. That is so scary. Stay safe.

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  10. a warning was just sent out in my hood about a lot of burglaries. My happy place is on the 10 floor or higher in a doorman building in NYC.

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  11. Oh, NW, this is TERRIBLE! Your poor children! All I could think of reading this is your poor hubs cominghome at night - I hope he gets home before sunset! Stay safe! Tiaras

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  12. Well, that IS scary. I'm sorry that those things are happening so close to your home.

    And let me tell you, on the subject of having the Olympics there... I thought I might jump out of a window in the terminal at O'Hare because I had to hear Sean Johnson's spiel on the intercom about a MILLION times while waiting to board my plane. Ugh. Thanks for letting me get that off of my chest... ; )

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  13. Reading the play by play...makes me want to break about my camera..in my mind..I was already thinking about how I would process the scene...

    Please don't make me think of work when I'm trying to relax and read blogs....DON'T EVER!! You hear me!!!

    Ack....that's not something you want to see when "strolling" around though.

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  14. This was really frightening to read! Especially knowing that you were walking along, pushing the stroller. Take care over there.

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  15. That is truly scary. And I also wonder why such a vicious attack in your neighborhood would go unreported. It seems like someone should have heard something. Do you have a neighborhood watch in your community? If not, it sounds like it is time to develop one.

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  16. That is really scary stuff. Sometimes I get nervous running or going for walks by myself. I seem to always check over my shoulder all the time. Stay safe.

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  17. I used to live in downtown Baltimore. In the *gentrified* area. I was mugged at gunpoint six blocks from my house. A few months later, my next-door neighbor was beaten, nearly to death, in his home during a home invasion/robbery. Now THAT is scary. When we decided to get married and have kids, we hightailed it for the burbs. I hate to think that we let the bad guys win, but I just couldn't subject my future babies to the possibility of that kind of ugliness.

    PS - I wish my DVR was still kicking out new episodes of Pushing Daisies. I miss that show.

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  18. This is horrifying. My hubs, as you know super-bearish in the extreme (still), thinks the incidence of violence - in upper scale areas too- will continue to increase everywhere.

    I hope he's wrong...

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  19. I know what you mean. I'm becoming
    More and more afraid to go out these days bacause it seems that with the economy falling crime gets worse every day and the news is now filled with robbery, theft and murder. Just be more cautious than you ever were. And hopefully in terms of the rising crimes, this too shall pass.

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  20. I would freak the heck out. For reals.

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  21. Holy Hell, Cyn.
    That is beyond frightening. I would have freaked.

    and..

    love stroller tales ;-)

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  22. I have so much to say about this post . . . Chicago, it is a living and breathing organism--full of angst and steeped in hope (for what, who knows . . .).

    Vail--your bliss. One day I think you'll be there, for real.

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  23. I read this yesterday and then saw it on Twitter today and thought, oh no, not again.

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  24. I usually feel very safe in my neck of the Chicago woods, and I think I tend to get too complacent about things.

    The sales tax is killing me.

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  25. Oh man! That would freak me out. We didn't live in nearly as safe a neighborhood as you do when we were in the "major metropolitan area." We heard gun shots from time to time. Sirens were like lullabies to my boys. We had a meth lab one block away and a whore house two blocks away, but I never saw anything like that. I think I'd want to pick up and move to Vail too after that!

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  26. I love this post! Your passion for your city is wonderful. Now if we could just get you in charge since you obviously care more than the politicians and I would be willing to be you are 10x smarter!

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