Wirepoints' Matt Rosenberg writes:
Violent crime on Chicago’s transit system, the CTA, is chewing up the scenery. Fatal shootings, armed robberies of passengers, and now, passengers fighting back. With knives.
Does risk management for CTA riders mean carrying a knife for self-defense? It’s starting to look that way.
It starts with stuff big and small.
First, there is the tolerance of everyday crime on trains. People smoking frequently, and no enforcement. Injection drug use, and no enforcement. Open drug markets, and no enforcement. Then there’s stunning lenience of Cook County judges who have released dangerous criminals back to the street. Some have been charged with new and heinous crimes on CTA trains, platforms, and buses or outside stations.
Is the CTA a microcosm of all that’s gone wrong in Chicago? It’s beginning to look like it. More technology and manpower are needed to catch CTA criminals but without more prosecutions and tougher punishment, it’ll only be window dressing.
Read Rosenberg's take on the situation on Wirepoints
