Someone is realizing that they can't count on the deterrent effect of police if there are no police around to deter:
- For the last couple of days, things have been pretty tame in Boystown, particularly on North Halsted Street... now we know why.
According to the folks at the Take Back Boystown Facebook page, armed security officers, dressed in yellow shorts and bullet proof vests, are patrolling the area.
The private security team was allegedly hired by the Northhalsted Business Alliance.
We daresay that this is Rahm's ultimate goal - cut back on police and count on business and community groups to come up with the difference in coverage. We imagine some initial resistance from some, but peer pressure will force them to toe the line at some point. Rahm continues to get to cut manpower and shifts liability from the city to security companies.
Of course, if any of these security companies end up with a liability issue for injuring, maiming or killing someone, they go under and the rates climb for anyone else doing this sort of business. The costs get passed to the business associations and who knows where it all ends. Probably with more businesses fleeing the un-re-gentrifying areas.
Did we just invent a word? "Un-re-gentrifying" describes the decreasing of the increase of the portions of the city formerly uninhabitable. Or something.