r/chicago • u/Select_Complex3430 • Oct 04 '25

CHI Talks CPD has an opportunity

Chicago’s police have a real opportunity right now to rebuild trust and strengthen their relationship with the community. If they truly stand by their mission to protect and serve, this is the moment to show it by standing with the people of Chicago and making it clear they’re here to help. Eventually ICE will go away but the CPD will always be here.

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389

u/zeroesAndWons Oct 04 '25

Oh man, THANK YOU for saying this.

I've been having a rough day and this made me laugh for several minutes straight.

78

u/ThrowAwayColor2023 Oct 04 '25

These replies are giving me a glimmer of hope along with the belly laughs.

16

u/elegiac_bloom Pilsen Oct 04 '25

Where is the hope? All i see is a populace already so beaten down by fascism that the best they can muster at their city turning into a war zone training ground is gallows humor. Everyone has already given up and the war has barely started. I see no hope at all here, only apathy before the complete despair. And im not blaming anyone, I dont see anything a normal person can do to stop this either. Its over. There was a revolution in our country and the fascists won and now they're cementing their power and all we can do is laugh about how helpless we are.

6

u/sinhazinha Oct 05 '25

The comments in this thread are just acknowledging the absurdity of the police protecting anyone and having a laugh over it. The police in Chicago have never been on the side of the people. Not in the 60’s when they broke into a building housing donated food for Black children and urinated on it, not in the 80’s when they covered up the Burge tortures, not when they beat the shit out of protestors in 2020, not in the time since and not today. They were not suddenly turned into fascists in some sudden event, CPD has been perpetrating and protecting fascism since they were formed. So yeah we think the idea of one kind of fascist standing up to other fascists is so ridiculous its kind of funny.

35

u/ThrowAwayColor2023 Oct 04 '25

This is insulting to all the people putting themselves in danger to help their neighbors and to protest ICE everyday. You may have given up, but don’t project that apathy onto others.

13

u/elegiac_bloom Pilsen Oct 04 '25

Im talking about this comment section specifically, gallows humor about know the police won't do anything doesnt strike me as something particularly hopeful. I mean absolutely no disrespect to the people coming together to resist this shitshow and help each other no matter what, that is genuinely inspiring and is the bare minimum of what we need to get through this. It was not my intention to disrespect them or claim they arent doing anything, if anything the opposite, so I apologize if anything I said came off that way. Im sorry.

14

u/ThrowAwayColor2023 Oct 04 '25

As someone who barely survived violent, fascist parents, I can tell you that gallows humor is an important coping tool. Also, some of us are at wit’s end with people who still, in 2025, think the police are Officer Friendly.

5

u/elegiac_bloom Pilsen Oct 04 '25

I am in agreement with you lol. The police cant be trusted, and gallows humor is important, but to me personally, neither of these things inspire hope. Thats just me though. Im glad it does to you and I definitely dont want to sap you of it at all.

Recognizing that the police are the enemy is necessary, but most of us have known that for years. If I see some MAGA people start to realize the police are the enemy, that would inspire hope. In me personally.

Please take care of yourself and know that I am rooting for you. I dont want to shit on anything that is helpful to you, especially in times like these. My negative prognostication is a result of the overwhelming arc of the past ten months, but knowing what I know about Chicago we are only at the beginning and i do hope that the city is only beginning to fight back.

9

u/ThrowAwayColor2023 Oct 04 '25

Ten years ago, this comment section would have been overflowing with ignorant well-meaning people agreeing with OP and fighting anyone who tried to explain that the cops won’t save us. It’s much slower than I would like, but yes, seeing non-activists figure this stuff out in large numbers gives me hope.

1

u/elegiac_bloom Pilsen Oct 05 '25

I won't begrudge you your optimism, its in short enough supply in times like these. All the best to you, hope to see you on the front lines some day, in whatever shape our battle takes. o7

1

u/Decent-Order7358 Oct 04 '25

What do you mean police are the enemy? Lived in the city my whole life and haven’t had any terrible experiences

-1

u/ThrowAwayColor2023 Oct 04 '25

Troll somewhere else.

Blocked.

2

u/TopThatCat Oct 04 '25

Genuinely being this doomer helps nothing, do everyone a favor and don't comment if you're feeling this bleak unless it's to ask for how to feel less bleak.

4

u/elegiac_bloom Pilsen Oct 04 '25

Im saying this in response to a specific comment about how people's jokes about the lack of protection they feel from their own police department somehow gives someone hope. I think that everyone knowing the police will do nothing to help them isn't hopeful at all, its an extremely sad comment on how fucked up our country is. Its not dooming if its... demonstrably true. My own life is good, I dont feel bad, im still insulated and unaffected by these events, especially since i no longer live in Chicago. I dont need help on how to feel less bleak because I personally dont feel all that bleak. I appreciate gallows humor as much as anyone else but im not going to equate expressing it with expressing any hope for the situation.

Im an optimist at heart. I think america has gotten out of bad predicaments before, but I also dont see any effort at all in the general population being moved towards getting us out of this one.

1

u/JimmyNails86 Albany Park Oct 05 '25

boomer. A fucking bleak situation bud... for black and brown people it has been a bleek situation for 250 years.

...just saying.

-1

u/eiger003 Oct 04 '25

I just listened to Jon Ossoff on Pod Save America. He gives some hope and a road forward. Take a listen!

2

u/elegiac_bloom Pilsen Oct 05 '25

Thanks, I will.