Chicago’s streets told the truth Monday afternoon — the city’s “plan” for the homeless and addicted isn’t a plan at all. It’s containment while crony corruption continues in City Hall.
Downtown, City Hall had the same silence.
A man lay twisted on the sidewalk outside the building while a black Mercedes — plate EF-25456 — sat parked in the police security lane.
No officers around.
No city workers.
The mayor’s car wasn’t there.
It was late-day rush hour and the seat of government looked abandoned.
Brandon Johnson is still talking about a general strike — against his own administration.
You’re the mayor; you can’t tell the city to strike against itself.
Empty streets made the point better than any speech could.
Back under the Lake Street tracks, the city’s other economy ran without interruption.
People hustled between cars, slipping small bags through windows, nodding toward the viaduct.
One man in khakis pretended to play with his phone, ducking behind a pillar before making a quick exchange.
They say crime is down, but this drug dealing is the middle of downtown.
Looping the two main train stations — Union and Ogilvie — the heart of downtown looked hollow, echoes of pre-pandemic herds.
It was 5:40 p.m. on a Monday, rush hour, and there wasn’t a soul moving.
The mayor keeps calling for a general strike, but the city’s already shut down; maybe that’s the point — to make collapse look like strategy.
Three encampments confirmed it.
Five others showed the same.
Everyone said the same thing: no outreach, no cleanup, no plan for winter.
The tents are new — bright, fresh, and lined in rows — but no one’s coming to collect garbage or check on the people inside.
One woman asked for a broom, not a blanket.
Under the bridges near the Chocolate Factory on Roosevelt, the smell of burnt foil and diesel mixed in the cold air.
Tents ran shoulder to shoulder, trash spilling into the street.
“They cleaned it a few times,” one man said, “but they stopped coming.”
The Salvation Army building across the way sat empty, its doors locked while people slept in the mud out front.
The scanner kept up its own rhythm — a stolen car dumping near Ohio and Trumbull, a kidnapping call at 116 South Perry, a domestic on Lake Shore Drive.
At 63rd, a fight on the Red Line.
At Belmont, an intoxicated rider refusing to leave. Each channel stacked on the last.
The drive west cut through the city’s reality gap.
Fulton Market glittered with tech money and rooftop bars, while the viaduct below filled with sleeping bags and burned-out propane tanks.
The new skyline looked like another country entirely. That same divide ran through the day’s police calls — violence from sunrise to midnight, each tone marking another fracture in the city’s surface.
From Dawn to Darkness: The Short Log
Early-Morning Ambush — 2:39 a.m. | Wentworth & Garfield Blvd Ramp … Black SUV riddled with bullets near the Dan Ryan entrance. Two men, 28 and 22, hit in the calf, shoulder, and leg while driving. Both taken to U of C Medical Center; no arrests.
Midday Heist — 12:00 p.m. | 8140 S Ashland (Fifth Third Bank) Three armed men with pistols and switches robbed a Brinks driver servicing ATMs, fleeing east on 82nd in a white Honda Accord. Driver cut her hand during the struggle; cash amount undisclosed.
Afternoon Crossfire — 2:26 p.m. | 68th & Prairie (3rd District) More than 30 rounds sprayed from a white sedan left two men wounded — one critical, one good. Twelve casings and a rifle recovered nearby; shooters vanished before squads arrived.
Suburban Break-In — 4:30 p.m. | Oak Lawn (Home Invasion / Kidnapping) Demarkus Ross, 29, forced a man into a bathroom during a condo stick-up, bolted with jewelry and keys, and was caught after a drone-aided search. Confessed to detectives; charged with three Class X felonies.
Evening Execution — 6:47 p.m. | 2100 W 52nd Pl. (Back of the Yards) 36-year-old man shot in the head while standing on the sidewalk. Pronounced dead at the scene; masked gunman fled eastbound.
Self-Inflicted Shot — 10:18 p.m. | 224 E 69th Pl … 22-year-old male accidentally shot himself in the hand. One casing, one bullet, one firearm recovered; EMS transported. Filed under #selfie
Masked Drop-Off — 11:00 p.m. | Rogers & Winchester (Pottawattomie Park Area) … 23-year-old male dropped at St. Francis Hospital with a thigh wound; drop-off crew wore ski masks. Scene contained 14 casings and blood; victim in surgery.
The radio calls were interrupted by the reality of the street.
At John Levin Park by Central and Lake, the edge of the day turned dangerous.
Dealers moved in the open; users lay half-conscious in the grass.
You don’t want to slow down here.
That’s a public park, and they [drug dealers] run it. Winter’s coming.
What’s the plan?
There is no plan.
The line between protest and paralysis keeps blurring. The mayor calls for strikes; the city fails to sweep its own streets.
Homeless residents do their own cleanup while taxpayers fund empty shelters and fresh tents.
Professionals, addicts, and migrants all caught in the same failed loop — visible, ignored, disposable.
The old Salvation Army still stands as the city’s mirror: locked doors, lights off, help on hold.
The irony isn’t subtle:
A city that can clear room for a billion-dollar casino can’t reopen a detox bed.
SubX.News® Street Report
Notes & Sources This report was produced from real-time field documentation, live scanner monitoring, and official police releases between 2:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. CST on October 20, 2025. Field verified via live scanner monitoring (Zone 3/6 feeds), CPD Major Incident Notifications, Spot News (X), WGN, and CBS 2 aerials.
Image reference: Ghost in the Machine — 506 N. Desplaines St. A lone tent squats at the sealed entrance of the former Salvation Army Rehab Center, shuttered since 2022 and eyed for luxury reuse in the stalled NOMA project — steps from Bally’s rising casino towers (SubX.News, Oct 20, 2025)
John Levin Park, 7:30 p.m. | October 20, 2025
White doper out here at Central and Lake don't know if he's buying or distributing … seen one of these guys a few weeks ago down in Lower Wacker dropping drugs off to everybody 9:55 p.m. October 20th 2025 pic.twitter.com/rqOFtE9tkR
City ain't doing its job the homeless people under the bridge here did their job cleaning up and the city failed to pick up the garbage keeping the place unsanitary 6:30 p.m. October 12th 2025 pic.twitter.com/7zJg6DPwk0
Is there a plan to handle this or are they going to ask for more money ??? is that what’s going to happen ??? and have a strike 6:15 p.m. October 20th 2025 this is somebody’s house
Chocolate factory tent camp ain't nobody doing nothing over here except giving them free tents 6:00 p.m. October 20th 2025 pic.twitter.com/Ofoh9gmXED
Strange the city is empty yet mayor wants to call a general strike … maybe it's to save some money and he's working with the government … instead of being against the government … like he's pretending to be in the public statements he makes 5:35 p.m. October 20th 2025 pic.twitter.com/CLqELAwC4W
Until today, I wasn’t sure of just how much I could endure. But now I’ve found with thanks to you, I’m stronger than I ever knew. Life is a joyous dance in the rain.
