It used to be they touted all the great restaurants, the great family atmosphere, the fireworks extravaganza. This year there are no fireworks, so what's the draw?
- Following a series of police incidents in recent weeks on North Michigan Avenue that have led to anxieties about crime downtown, city officials also employed one more noticeable change: more police.
Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy announced earlier this week that there would be more plainclothes officers in and around the Taste this year, working at “choke points” such as train stations near Grant Park.
In addition, uniformed officers and private security guards would be stationed around the festival to ensure a smoother food-sampling experience than in years past, when some Taste events have erupted in violence, McCarthy said.
WBBM Newsradio 780 actually had a piece about how "you and your family will be safe this year" playing this past evening. But hey, everything is under control. Nothing bad here. What gang problem? If it gets bad enough, we'll just blame the "heat" and close down a single beach because those damn paramedics can't answer a call that they've handled every summer for 100 years.