Letters: Op-ed writer ignores the brutal toll of Larry Hoover's time as a gang leader

Chicago Tribune

14 hours ago

My jaw dropped while reading Jeremy Busby's impassioned plea for Gov. JB Pritzker to free from prison post-haste the notorious 1970s gang leader Larry Hoover ('Pritzker should take page out of Trump's book, free Larry Hoover,' Aug. 7). Busby makes not a single allusion, nor even a hint, at the wholesale destruction, misery and pain of not hundreds, but thousands of African-American families attributable to Hoover's vicious stranglehold on the city's South and West sides in the name of drug warfare for untold years.
Has Hoover reformed? Today, is he truly committed to atoning for his past misdeeds in the name of, as Busby insists, improving 'the plight of those in the Black community'? I hope it is so. No person can say what is in another person's heart. But it does not undo the irreversible damage Hoover wrought in the very neighborhoods he now claims to care for.
The right call, the only call, is to let Hoover continue his acts for the common good from where he truly belongs — in his jail cell. That would demonstrate more than any other act how much he has changed and to further his campaign for love and inclusion.Regarding Jeremy Busby's op-ed, advocating for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to pardon Larry Hoover for his Illinois crimes: No. No. No. Hoover is a brutal murderer. He was still running the Gangster Disciples and its followers while incarcerated. He is cunning in renaming his criminal organization, leading people to believe it is legitimate.
Hoover should never be released from prison.What Jeremy Busby forgets to mention in his opinion piece about freeing Larry Hoover is that Hoover was convicted of murder in 1973 for the killing of a 19-year-old drug dealer.
For this, he was given 150 to 200 years in prison.In regards to the recent op-ed by Jeremy Busby suggesting Larry Hoover be freed by Gov. JB Pritzker because Hoover grew up in a tough environment and the 'organization' he created, the Gangster Disciples, was not only a symbol of empowerment but did good things for the community, I must be missing something. Killing, or ordering the killing of, people; terrorizing communities; and selling poisonous drugs to said communities are good things? How is freedom justified?Mayor Brandon Johnson made an alarming statement in saying that 'we have reached the point of no return' when it comes to Chicago's financial situation. While it's true that the city faces grave challenges — including the mayor's own decision to borrow $830 million for city operations and the mounting $35 billion in unfunded pension liabilities — I reject the notion that Chicago is beyond saving.
Chicago has always been a city of resilience. We don't give up when things get hard. We organize. We innovate. And we fight for a stronger future.
That's exactly why I launched Leading A Better Chicago — a civic engagement initiative dedicated to bringing transparency, accountability and bold action to the city's most pressing challenges. Our goal is to reimagine how we tackle long-standing issues, starting with the city's structural fiscal crisis.
Our first step has been to partner with Tusk Philanthropies to commission an in-depth analysis of Chicago's current fiscal state, laying out out a road map of realistic, impactful reforms by examining proven approaches from cities such as New York, Detroit and Philadelphia and adapting them to fit Chicago's unique landscape. It's not just a critique — it's a call to action, rooted in data and informed by what has worked elsewhere.
We don't just want to study the problem. We want to solve it. Leading A Better Chicago will pair this research with real-world input from people all across the city. We'll gather feedback from residents, engage with community and business leaders, and tap national policy experts to generate bold, actionable ideas for change.
Does the mayor believe that there are no feasible solutions to Chicago's issues, that its leaders have tried everything and failed? I believe we haven't tried enough.
What we need now isn't despair but determination. Chicago needs fresh thinking, a willingness to challenge the status quo and, most importantly, serious leadership.
Because despite what anyone says, Chicago hasn't reached the point of no return.
Chicago is always worth fighting for.I'm pleased to learn that the CTA is working to deal with the problem of ghost buses. I hope that it will now address another vexing issue: erratic bus arrivals. I have lost count of the number of times that I have waited for a bus, only to have two and sometimes three arrive simultaneously, and then I learn from the bus tracker that the next bus is 25 to 30 minutes away.
This is not a rare occurrence, and it is not limited to certain times of day. I have encountered this problem on Routes 22, 36, 66 and 151. To make matters more annoying, this bunching sometimes occurs within a mile of the route's starting point. I have read that there are supervisors in the field monitoring bus arrivals. Clearly, this approach is not working. Perhaps a centralized system that allows for direct communication with drivers would be more effective.
Trains sometimes bypass stops in order to get back on schedule. Why can't this be done with buses as well?I was sorry to hear about the horrible experience that a disabled traveler had at O'Hare International Airport ('O'Hare failed me,' Aug. 3). Mine was the complete opposite. I, too, require a wheelchair, and the redcap who greeted me at the United terminal entrance, and was told of my wheelchair request, sat me down, retrieved my boarding pass and arranged for a wheelchair. A nice young man came, wheeled me to the gate and informed the crew at the gate of my needs. I was the first to board.
Coming home, there was a delay to get my wheelchair, but when the young man arrived, he could not be more considerate. I advised him that I would be taking an Uber. As he wheeled me down toward the luggage pickup, he advised me when to order the car, and he proceeded to stay and wheel me the long distance to the Uber pickup and stay with me until the car arrived. He earned the large tip I gave him and my thanks for being so thoughtful and extending such courtesy.
All in all, a great experience at O'Hare.