Shame on Ald. Tom Tunney of the 44th Ward, who claims that licensed street vendors are taking up too much room on the streets around Wrigley Field. Tunney said "it's a public safety issue." I have been going to the Friendly Confines since 1945, and street vendors are as much a part of the ambience as the ivy vines! If Tunney really cared about the safety of the fans, he would rescind the rights given to nearby bars and restaurants for sidewalk sitting areas. They take up far more room than the vendors and often cause fans to walk in the street, even on days and nights that the Cubs are not home!

There is no question that the killing of 9-year-old Chastity Turner was a tragedy. Nor is there a question that the blame or understanding of "why" goes beyond the arrest of the two young men accused of the shooting. As a parent, as a Chicagoan and as a member of the community I, too, am saddened and outraged that we live in a society where senseless killings have become routine and where young people increasingly feel that conflict can be resolved with a gun.