Wicker Park 'Gutter Punks'

[Oildog]

I don't recall these folks when I lived there in the late 90s. They must have come after the gentrification efforts. I'm guessing they don't ride the red or green line rails to camp out. Then again I'm guessing at the time my hispanic neighbors would have dealt with these clowns.

[It'sAutomatic]

Whoever gives money to these creeps are complete morons. They're clearly going to spend the money on weed or crack, and they don't even belong here, solely rolling up for a few months out of the year to make an otherwise nice street corner their stinky nasty party spot so they can make some cultural statement.

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by Oildog

I don't recall these folks when I lived there in the late 90s. They must have come after the gentrification efforts. I'm guessing they don't ride the red or green line rails to camp out. Then again I'm guessing at the time my hispanic neighbors would have dealt with these clowns.

They would have their asses kicked by the locals in the pre-Urbis Orbis period for sure.

[Oildog]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

They would have their asses kicked by the locals in the pre-Urbis Orbis period for sure.

Had to google when Urbis opened, that was before my time. I was there for its last couple years. I actually lived about 150 steps from the house while the RW was going on there. Watched all the suburbanites come in to protest, local businesses refused to serve the RW group, etc. That's for another thread though.

You are right about the ass kicking that would have happened....probably by some of the hookers.

[RarelyOffended]

Weren't the two shooting in Wicker Park gang related?

[Link N. Parker]

Originally Posted by Oildog

I don't recall these folks when I lived there in the late 90s. They must have come after the gentrification efforts. I'm guessing they don't ride the red or green line rails to camp out. Then again I'm guessing at the time my hispanic neighbors would have dealt with these clowns.

I dont actually see the crusties on the EL train, but they do ride trains to get to other states, sort of like hobos used to do. Also, I dont know if the crusties were present in Wicker Park back then or not, but back in the 90's, I do remember there being small packs of kids like this that lived like bums, especially on the West Coast. One group were called "Freegans", and literally ate out of dumpsters. They would scavenge for food that had been thrown out in dumpsters. It was some kind of cult that was doing it "for the environment". They were kind of a fringe group that would live on the streets, would avoid the police, begged for money, and looked really rag-tag. In many ways, they were really similar to the rail riders of today, especially in their views on society.

Also, I think some people really took the 90's grunge scene too seriously and did in fact intentionally looked grungy or like a garbage bum back then.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Oildog

I don't recall these folks when I lived there in the late 90s. They must have come after the gentrification efforts. I'm guessing they don't ride the red or green line rails to camp out. Then again I'm guessing at the time my hispanic neighbors would have dealt with these clowns.

Originally Posted by Link N. Parker

I dont actually see the crusties on the EL train, but they do ride trains to get to other states, sort of like hobos used to do. . .

I've seen them on the Blue Line from time to time. Had the pleasure of getting in the face of one who tried to steal one of the system maps from the overhead display above one of the doorways. I mean, really... of all the things to steal

[crookedchitown]

What do you expect in crook county where everyone is crooked in someway. From the judges to the police to the lawyers to the politicians. We trade one crook for another

[Drover]

Originally Posted by crookedchitown

What do you expect in crook county where everyone is crooked in someway. From the judges to the police to the lawyers to the politicians. We trade one crook for another

Excellent post, and right on point. Maybe you can also wander over to the "best Italian beef in Chicago" thread and tell us all about how the city is failing to properly maintain its transportation infrastructure.

[Link N. Parker]

Originally Posted by Drover

Excellent post, and right on point. Maybe you can also wander over to the "best Italian beef in Chicago" thread and tell us all about how the city is failing to properly maintain its transportation infrastructure.

I do admit, there has been a rash lately of people coming in to threads and start rambling about something that was totally unrelated to the main subject of the thread....its kinda funny. It is kinda like the internet version of someone being in lets say, a business meeting, and a homeless guy stumbles in to the office and starts ranting about Mayor Daley or something else totally unrelated. Everyone in the office would be like "WTF??"