Racist Chicago Tribune Columnist Steve Chapman Declares War on Newspaper’s Readers

By Nicholas Stix

The police need to stop asking victims and witnesses of violent crimes the race of the perpetrators, because, Chicago Tribune columnist and editorial board member Steve Chapman informs us, “it tells you nothing useful.”

Chapman wrote this while the city’s toniest districts—the Gold coast, Streeterville, and Lakeview—were besieged by black thugs who would plan the attacks and travel up to an hour each way, just to harm whites and Asians, whereby the robberies were an afterthought. This was all about racial terror.

Note, too, one of Chapman’s more ridiculous passages:

And what good would it do to trumpet the skin color of the thugs? So pedestrians on Michigan Avenue can run away when they see two or more African-Americans? Lots of black adolescents and young adults can be found on the Magnificent Mile on any given day. I'd guess at least 95 percent of them are harmless.

You could go to the wealthiest black neighborhood in Chicago, and the percentage of young black males who are criminals would be much higher than five percent. At the time Chapman was writing about, the percentage of young black males in groups of two or more in the areas being hit was probably more like 50 percent.

The larger question is why would a columnist at one of the nation’s biggest newspapers—with his editor’s adamant support—be deliberately seeking to cause harm, and possibly even death to many of its readers?

At the time Chapman’s racist rant ran, a number of readers left comments that made him look like a piker. Chapman’s cronies bailed him out, by deleting all of them, but I was able to rescue 11, before the censors did their work.

* * *Race and the 'flash mob' attacks
Steve Chapman
June 8, 2011, 3:24 p.m., CDT

Here's my question about the teenagers who have been attacking and robbing people on North Michigan Avenue in recent days: Were they Christians? And if so, what denomination? Baptist? Catholic? Seventh Day Adventist?

Those may sound like ridiculous questions. But so is the question raised by many Tribune readers about our coverage: Why aren't we mentioning that the culprits are black?

There are good reasons not to identify the attackers by race. It's the newspaper's sound general policy not to mention race in a story, whether about crime or anything else, unless it has some clear relevance to the topic.

If a reporter goes out and interviews people about the weather, would it make sense for the story to say, "Joe Smith, who is black, is hoping for a cool front"? If a pedestrian gets run over by a bicyclist, should the story mention that the rider was white?

In the attack coverage, what difference does race make, unless police are putting out descriptions or sketches in hopes of getting tips from witnesses? Getting beat up for your iPad, I suspect, feels about the same regardless of the color of the thieves. Police don't seem to think victims were targeted because of their race.

And what good would it do to trumpet the skin color of the thugs? So pedestrians on Michigan Avenue can run away when they see two or more African-Americans? Lots of black adolescents and young adults can be found on the Magnificent Mile on any given day. I'd guess at least 95 percent of them are harmless.

My question to readers accusing us of political correctness is: Why do you care so much about the attackers' race? If you fear or dislike blacks, I suppose it would confirm your prejudice. But otherwise, it tells you nothing useful.


James Reyes at 1:31 AM June 9, 2011

So why do they bother mentioning clothing. So we can be on the look out for somebody in a t-shirt and jeans? Maybe I should report myself as a suspicious person.

2
0


Misanthrope at 11:57 AM June 9, 2011

Are you serious? I remember in 2003 driving up from Southern Illinois and listening to the NPR coverage of the riots in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Not being familiar with Benton Harbor, and due to the exclusion of race in the story in furtherance of politcal correctness and racial sensitivity, I was left wondering who was rioting. College students, the Grey Panthers, Hassidic Jews? When journalists start censoring who, what, when, where, how and why from stories, it's no longer a story, but an editorial..

2
0


Lilith at 3:22 PM June 9, 2011

Why are so many in the media referring to this group as a "flash mob"? Don't they know what a flash mob IS?

1
2


WendyCCH at 7:55 PM June 9, 2011
Does the refusal to identify the race of these culprits absolve you of any suggestion race may have a role in these attacks?

2
0


KXB60056 at 10:56 AM June 10, 2011

The reason people would like to know about the ethnicity of the assailants is because of self-protection. The young boys who are committing these crimes seem to be targetting people who are different from them, because in their messed up heads, they believe they are easier targets. Notice, they did not go to a white part of town that is know to have a lot of police residences, such as Jefferson Park. Nor did they go all the way up north to Rogers Park, which is quite diverse, because the subway ride back to the South Side would take a long time, increasing their chances of getting caught.

This was not a spontaneous attack. These boys got together and picked out which neighborhood to hit, and what kind of people to rob.

Think about that Japanese doctor that got beat up. When Japan was hit by that tsunami, people all over the world remarked at how resilient the Japanese were - no rioting, no looting, etc. This guy comes here for a conference, talks a walk on a summer day, enjoying one of the nicest parts of the city - and he is greeting by a pack of thugs.

2
0


PokerChip at 5:48 PM June 10, 2011

Steve – Your argument is absurd. What if a group of white kids went into Marquette Park or Pilsen and robbed a few people and made a quick getaway? Are you telling me that the Tribune wouldn’t report that the kids were white? Or would the Tribune report it because Tribune staffers would assume that the crime was race related? Don’t you think the people of those neighborhoods would want to know that it was a group of white kids? Of course they would! Why? Because it is unusual to see a group of white kids in those neighborhoods and they might be a little more cautious if that rare occurrence does happen. That's not racism. That's being cautious when something unusual occurs like white kids walking around Marquette Park.

Likewise, you are less likely to see a group of black teens walking down Michigan Avenue than other ethnicities. It is absurd to say “at least 95% of them [blacks] are harmless” for two reasons (1) The percentage of blacks in Streeterville is very small so it is unusual (see above) to see a large group of black teens in Streeterville THUS residents would want to know. (2) If you think there are a lot of black teens in Streeterville then do a calculation: If there were 500 black teens walking Streeterville each day then 25 black teens ARE a danger to the community by your own estimation (5%). Is that what you were implying? You can't have it both ways Steve.

3
0


dddddx at 7:04 PM June 10, 2011

Your article and way of reporting crime imply that nothing can be learned from knowing the race of the criminals after a crime has been committed.

You imply that there are a complete absence of trends that would be beneficial to the public.

You are wrong.

For example, doj.gov has FBI crime statistics broken down by race. In 2005, over 37,000 white girls were raped by black men. Zero (0) black girls were raped by white men (there is an asterisk stating 0-10).

Don't you think some beneficial conclusions could be draw from those statistics by black girls in a white neighborhood or white girls who were thinking of going into black neighborhoods?

Don't be naive.

3
0


clem.poston at 7:23 PM June 10, 2011

""Why aren't we mentioning that the culprits are black? ""

Because in general it is indicative of behavior. Is this a trick question?

1
0


freddy_hills at 11:16 PM June 10, 2011

If roving gangs of black teenagers are targeting people of other races on North Michigan Avenue then I think the race of the people involved is relevant. Why does the media want to withhold this information from us? Why are you trying to justify the media withholding this information from us? We have a right to all the information without the mainstream media censoring it.

By the way, I actually would like to know the religion of those involved in the attacks. Were any of them Nation of Islam? Given the racial nature of the attacks and the fact that the NOI headquarters is in Chicago I should think a good journalist might investigate and let us know one way or the other.

2
0


Joe_G999 at 11:53 PM June 10, 2011

Mr. Chapman,

You say race doesn't matter. Would you consider moving your family to a mostly black Chicago neighborhood, and sending your kids to a mostly black high school? Why not? Housing is much less expensive in black neighborhoods. I would advise against it, because I know race does matter. Does the fact that the flash mobs are always all black make a difference? If white flash mobs were repeatedly entering black areas and robbing and beating blacks, would race be a factor for you then?

1
0


scrappy koala at 12:03 AM June 11, 2011

I've said it before and I'll say it again that you are right. Race doesn not matter and you dont need to tell us what race it is because we already know. Especially when you dont tell us. If this was White on Black crime there is no doubts on anyones mind that all of a sudden race would matter and you would report it but if its black criminals you wont say race which actually tells us the race. When ever a news site wont say the race I instantly know which race. This works pretty much 100% of the time without fail.


[From WEJB/NSU’s Chicago Files:

“Illinois Sentencing Guideline for Robbery + Assault + Attempted Murder by a Black on a White: One Year;

“Chicago: 21-Year-Old Shoots 84-Year-Old for ‘Disrespecting’ Him (with a Surprise Ending!)”;

“Chicago is Enriched by ‘Jaliscan’ (or is It ‘Arizonan’?) and ‘African’ Diversity”;

“Shooting at Whitey: Running the Gauntlet in Chicago Public Transportation”;

“Amish Gone Wild: Chicago Police Brace for ‘Flash Mob’ Attacks”;

“Walter Williams: America's new racists”;

“Chicago: Fifty-Strong, Black Robbery Mob Hits Walgreens on the Magnificent Mile”;

“The Great Chicago Memorial Day Gang Attack Cover-Up”;

“Convicted Murderer to Chicago Tribune’s Dawn Turner Trice: ‘I’m Not a Murderer’”;

“One Act of Memorial Day Weekend Violence That Neither the Chicago Police Department Nor the New York Times Tried to Cover Up”;

“Cognitive Dissonance in Chicago: Last Weekend, 20 People were Shot and 5 Killed of All Ages and in All Situations, Yet Crime is Dropping Like a Rock!”;

“Chicago Tribune Editor to Readers: It’s None of Your Damned Business, Who’s Racially Targeting Whites and Asians for All of These Ceaseless, Brutally Violent Crimes!”;

“Speaking Truth to Black Power in Chicago”;

“Edward Vincent Hanrahan (1921-2009): He Helped Kill Fred Hampton”;

“Air Conditioner Attacks Chicago Sister, Causing a Brother’s Murder”;

“Lynch Mob of Seven Blacks Rob, and Try to Stomp to Death Raceless 18-Year-Old in Chicago’s Chinatown”;

“DADT/Due Diligence, Diversity-Style: For Years, Illinois State Program Did No Background Checks, and Paid Black Convicted Rapists to be Baby-Sitters”;

“The Black Wall of Silence: Harvey, IL, Police Department Conspired for at Least 14 Years to Protect Black Rapists; County Prosecutor’s Office Had to Raid Local PD, in Order to Rescue Stashed Rape Kits”;

“Video: In Racist Attack in Chicago, Two Huge, Fat, Black Sisters, 17 and 18, Jump Skinny Spanish Girl, 14, in Bio Class, Beat Her for 6-7 Minutes, Leaving Her with a Concussion and Internal Injuries; Frightened, Helpless,White Teacher Does Nothing”;

“12 Shot in 11.5 Hours, as Violent Crime Continues to Plummet in Chicago”;

“In Chicago: Happy Birthday … You’re Dead!”;

“7 Dead, 3 Injured Out of Ecuadorean Extended Family in Minivan; Van Hit Deer, was Hit by Semi; No One Wore Seatbelts”;

“The Kelli O'Laughlin Slaying: The Crazy Card, Again”;

“Media Alchemy: Sun-Times, Fox News Staffers Transform a Robbery into “a Fight over a Cell Phone”;

“Federal Judges Thwart Justice, on Behalf of Cop-Killers… Again”;

“Chicago Tribune Breaks with Policy, and Racially IDs Perps in Home Invasion!”;

“The Gouger II: Exulam I. Holman Allegedly Gouged Out Uncle’s Eyes Over TV Remote”;

“Chicago Cops Release Photos of Negro Execution-Killers Celebrating Christmas”;

“Here’s a Mass Murder That Not Only the Nat'l MSM, but Even the Local Chicago Tribune Doesn’t Want Known: Cedric Anderson Murdered 4 Yesterday”;

“Chicago: Spree-Killer Dante Simmons Murders Troy Cameron, 22, Anton Sanders, 15, Shoots Up Chicago Walgreen’s, City Bus, Then Does Taxpayers a Favor”;

“Chicago: Rogers Park Gang Hit at Traffic Light Claims Lives of Dion Miller and Jonathan Bell; Killings Follow Pair the Previous Night.”;

“Six Shot Saturday Night on Chicago’s South Side; One Dead, as Crime Continues to Drop!”;

“Chicago: Murders Exploded in January, While Overall Crime Died”;

“Rub-Out by Hispanic Gang in Chicago Suburb of North Lake Claims James Romero, 18”;

“Chicago: 8 Shot, 2 Dead, in 7.3 Hours Saturday Night, as Crime Continues to Drop”;

“Chicago: 13 Hours, 17 Shot, 1 Dead, as Crime Continues Its Brutal Decline”;

“In Chicago’s Vibrant Little Village Section, 2 Latin Kings are Accused of Killing Girl, 6, from a ‘Two Six’ Gang Family; Police Cover for One Suspect; Chicago Tribune Turns Hispanic Gangbangers into ‘Teens’;5 Shot within 1 Hour”;

“34 Shot in Chicago Over Weekend: 1/16 Friday Night, 5/12 Saturday Night; as Crime Continues to Plummet”;

“Chicago’s Ultra-Violent Racist Derrick King, Again: Prosecutors Magically Transform Felonies Attempted Robbery and Making Terroristic Threats into ‘Misdemeanor Assault,’ While AOL’s Huffington Post Transforms Two Violent Felony Convictions into ‘Accusations’”;

“More Derrick King News, Out of Chicago!”;

“Trayvon Martin: Racist Terrorist Rep. Bobby Rush (Race-Chicago/Black Panthers), is Thrown Off House Floor for Donning a Hoodie, and Denouncing ‘Racial Profiling’; CBS ‘News’ Soldiers on with Race Hoax”;

“Chicago Shooters Don’t Wait for Weekend: 13 Shot, 2 Dead in 6 hours Thursday Night, as Crime Continues to Fall!”;

“Only 3 Shot on a Thursday Night in Chicago: Light Night, or Poor Shooting?”

“Chicago: Homicides Up 60%, Non-Fatal Shootings Up 37%, and Overall… Crime is Down 10%, and Rape is Down 15%?!”;

“Chicago Shooters Get the Weekend Started Early, Shooting 8 on Thursday Night, Including a 7-Year-Old Girl, Killing 1, While Crime Continues to Drop”;

“Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel: Screw the Stupid, Phony Crime Stats, I Care about Individual Sob Stories! Besides, Crime is Dropping; Why Didn't Anyone Impose My Worthless Policies Sooner?”;

“Chicago’s Friday Night Shooting Scorecard: 10 Shot, 3 Dead, as Crime Continues Its Fall”;

“Chicago: Nickeas’ Saturday Night Hit Parade: 2 dead, 7 wounded”;

“Chicago: Nickeas’ Friday Night Shooters’ Score Card: 5 Shot, 2 Dead”;

“Reader Gets to the Bottom of All These ‘Chicago Shooting’ Stories”;

“Neo-Nazi Mob Commits Attempted Mass Murder in Chicago Suburb”;

“In Chicago, Black Subway Robber Travels with Backup, Who Stabs 4 Guardian Angels; Chicago Tribune Forbids Comments!”;

“Chicago: Improved Reporting at Trib on 8 Shootings (1/7);

“Fiend Kidnapped 16-year-old Jessica Tetter in Calumet City, IL, Took Her to Hammond, IN, Murdered (and Did God Knows What Else to) Her, and Dumped Her in the Garbage; Suspect was Sometime Lover of Vic’s Mom”;

“‘Eight people were killed & more than 40 were wounded in a string of weekend shootings, but police say that overall crime in the Windy City is down’”;

“Jessica Tetter Murder: New Story: She was also Raped, Front and Back, and ‘On-Again, Off-Again Boyfriend’ was Really Stepfather, Who Has Confessed!”

“Nameless in Chicago: Unnamed ‘Someones’ Shot by Unnamed ‘Someones’ from Unnamed Gangs, and Driven to the Hospital by Unnamed ‘Someones’; Nickeas’ Friday Night Hit Parade: 10 Shot, 1 Dead, as Crime Keeps Falling!”]