Once upon a time, there was a movie called “Having a Wild Weekend.” I’m probably the only person in the AT universe who remembers that movie, but that’s because my brother and I collected 45s and LPs back then. Remember 45s? They were the ones with a big hole in the middle! The lyrics to the movie’s accompanying song went something like this: “Oh, we’re havin’ a wild weekend, we’re havin’ a wild weekend, reelin’ and a-rockin’ rockin’ and a-rollin’.”
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We’ve come a long way from teens rocking and reeling on weekends. Just take a look at how today’s teens decided to pass the time this past weekend in Chicago. Let’s check the story:
This past weekend was filled with multiple out-of-control teen gatherings.
They included a teen takeover on the lakefront in Hyde Park, where an estimated 1,000 young people gathered at one point. In the South Side neighborhood, near the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, the sound outside around 10 p.m. on Monday was like that of a war zone. For at least an hour, screaming sirens were everywhere, as was the buzzing of at least one helicopter.
News reports the next morning unsurprisingly disclosed that three teens were shot on East 55th Street, just blocks from the lakefront. Thankfully, none was seriously wounded.
In the early morning hours of Sunday, five Chicago police officers who were part of a force trying to disperse a large crowd of teens on the Near West Side were struck by a car. The alleged driver, Rashad Johnson, 18, of southwest suburban Plainfield, was charged with five counts of attempted murder and unlawful possession of a weapon.
It was simply good fortune that no one died in these incidents.
Out of control teens and thank God that no one was killed? Again, it’s amazing how we’ve lowered our standards over the years.
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Why are so many teens in the Windy City out of control? What in the world is happening there? Where are the parents? Where is Mayor Johnson? As far as I can see, the only time that we hear from Mayor Johnson is when he is complaining about President Trump, or knocking the Bears for moving out of the city. Where is the governor of Illinois? Where is anyone interested in supporting the police or the ones who have to clean up this mess?
For years, teens have had fun on weekends. They like to go out to the lakes and parks and act like teenagers. So far so good. In Chicago, they act like wild animals out of control who enjoy destroying and making life miserable for the others who want to enjoy the scenery. Worse than that, the mayor treats them like victims rather than the criminals that they are.
Having fun on a weekend does not include breaking into a shopping center and stealing whatever is in front of you. Or blocking traffic. That’s not included or part of the fun package. That’s called breaking the law and it’s time for the police to start cracking some heads. Yes I mean cracking like someone hitting one of these fools on the head with something that really hurts. I’m sorry, but it’s time for the adults to start reminding the children that they are misbehaving.
Where is old man Daley when we really need him? I mean Richard Daley, the guy who ran this city with an iron fist. Yes, the old man was rough, but teens knew that there were consequences for acting like animals or blocking traffic.
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Image generated by ChatGPT.