Over 28 Chicago-area teenagers were arrested this past Saturday after mobs attacked groups of pedestrians up and down Chicago's famed Magnificent Mile.It is believed that close to 400 teenagers in all descended upon the downtown location near Michigan and Chicago Avenues Saturday night.
From there, they began assaulting nearby pedestrians for seemingly no reason."You have over three to four hundred teenagers with mob action, jumping on individuals that are downtown," reports community activist Andrew Holmes. "Multiple people have been arrested and I caution those parents that get this call about your child being arrested -- maybe you need to check your child."
28 teens were arrested on charges of reckless conduct and battery, and were later released. Luckily, there were no serious injuries, and it appears that this mob was more concerned with childish antics than anything else.
Still, are the youth of Chicago starting to get too out of hand? A similar attack happened earlier this year at Ford City Mall, and many people are starting to fear for their safety, specifically over the threat of getting mugged
."It's been happening a lot around here," said Eric Baldinger, who works along the Magnificent Mile. "Just keep your wallet close and your purse closer."
When police responded to complaints of the misconduct Saturday night, they encountered large groups of teens up and down the street. Authorities were quick to corral the group in the Red Line subway system for containment purposes. Undeterred, however, eleven of the arrested teens attacked a group of women in the subway system as well.
"I think it's very childish," said resident Angelica Wilson. "That's what wrong with the generation today because there's always petty fights going on down here and everybody getting hurt. We don't need more problems."
Though nobody was seriously hurt and the crimes appear to be minor, it is clear that Chicago's residents are increasingly concerned for their safety. The only question left is, what's gotten into the youth of Chicago?
