On November 9, a robbery and shooting occurred near the University of Chicago . A 24-year-old Chinese international student was unfortunately shot and died. It is extremely sad! This is also the second Chinese student killed in a shooting incident at the school this year.
It is reported that Zheng Shaoxiong graduated from Hong Kong University with first-class honors, and then entered the world-class university, the Department of Statistics of the University of Chicago, for graduate school. In September this year, he had just completed his studies. Because he was worried about his mother's health, he gave up his wish to study for a Ph.D., and wanted to work in the United States to gain experience first, and prepare to return to China for development, pay off his debts, and honor his mother.
Outside of academics, he enjoys traveling and cooking, as well as playing the piano, squash, and table tennis. Friends of Zheng He say he was also interested in Chinese calligraphy and photography—although he was more interested in the technical aspects of photography than in the simple act of appreciating the beauty of the world.
"He wanted to enjoy every moment of his life," said his girlfriend, Shirley Cai, a graduate student in political science. "The sky, the sunset, the stars - he just wanted to keep them."
"Meeting him was one of the luckiest things that ever happened to me," she said. "I'm lucky to be with him. He is the kind of person I want to be."
Zheng Shaoxiong's friend Jin Gu described in an interview with the media: Three days before his death, it was his mother's 57th birthday, and he pinched I sent a box of perfume to my mother in advance, and it just arrived on this day.
After receiving the gift, Zheng Shaoxiong’s mother happily showed off the gift in the group. And this bottle of perfume became the last birthday gift she received from her son.
After the incident, public opinion paid more attention to Chicago the city's security issues. As the city with the largest concentration of black people in the United States, Chicago's security problem seems to have become an incurable disease. Many students who go to school in Chicago joke that they study "under a hail of bullets every day."
On November 16, local time, hundreds of Chinese students, faculty, staff, and parents gathered at the Main Quad in Chicago.
"Am I next?" "The third student was killed, who is next?" "We are here to study, not to die." slogans shouted from posters held high by the parade. , are filled with the anger and sadness of students. Young Zheng Shaoxiong cannot die in vain, and the safety of Chinese students cannot be ignored!
The rally, spontaneously organized by Chinese international students, started at noon that day. For nearly an hour, hundreds of people held slogans and posters of victims, demanding that the school make substantial improvements to ensure student safety.
Source: Twitter
As the students said: Within one year, three students were shot and died near the University of Chicago campus. How can we not make them frightened?
Source: Twitter
In January this year, Fan Yiran, a classmate of Peking University Bachelor, Cambridge Master, and Chicago University Ph.D.Fan Yiran, was indiscriminately killed by a crazy gunman in the parking lot and died on the spot! He planned to submit his graduation thesis this year and return to teach at Peking University. He had a bright future, but his life was forever fixed at the age of 30.
In July this year, 20-year-old Max Lewis, a junior at the University of Chicago, was hit by a stray bullet in the neck and died of injuries while on the subway returning to school.
Less than four months have passed. The computer and mobile phone that were stolen from Zheng Shaoxiong by the gangsters who killed him were finally sold for only $100! For just $100, this "gentle and excellent senior" who just graduated from the University of Chicago this summer, Hong Kong University first-class honors graduate, was separated from us forever.
With 9 million confirmed cases, Mother Zheng, who went to the United States to take him home, could never have imagined that the person who killed the son she devoted all her efforts to raising was actually a recidivist who had committed violence against others, carjacking, and evading police. !
What is even more ridiculous is that when Zheng Shaoxiong was shot and killed on the 9th, the murderer was still on bail from the previous case...
"No one is truly safe in the face of a common tragedy." No one knows when he goes to class, the canteen, or the library. On the road, will you encounter a crazy murderer? No one knows whether an ordinary day will become the end of life. No one knows whether he will be the next to die under the gun...
When Fan Yiran was shot, the president of the University of Chicago promised that "the first priority is to maintain the safety of the school." However, the occurrence of each tragedy has made this sentence difficult. The promise becomes unreachable, gun violence continues, and there is never peace on campus!
So, how is the security situation in Chicago? Is it worth "risking your life" for international students to study abroad? This article interviews three Chinese people who study and live in Chicago. I hope their experiences can restore the true appearance of this "sin city" for you.
@wilson University of Chicago Junior student: The University of Chicago is even safer than other universities
The University of Chicago is indeed in a dangerous environment. Except for the east, which is offshore, the north and south of the University of Chicago are surrounded by black areas, and the black areas are The area with the worst public security and the highest crime rate.
In the DC comic , the prototype of " Gotham City " where Batman is located is Chicago. We all like to make fun of the fact that there are gang fights every day in the black area, and we often complain that the sirens blaring outside the window can't be distinguished from the sirens blaring in GTA (a game). This is indeed the case.
△The fictional Gotham City in DC comics is based on Chicago
But don’t worry too much. The University of Chicago police have always attached great importance to security. When new students start school, the Security Department will focus on giving us safety education classes. For example, school safety areas, school police contact information, emergency light sign locations, how to defend against robbery, and a series of other things. They also tell us that if we have to go out at night, it is best to carry $20 with us. If we encounter a robbery, we can give the money to him to avoid trouble.
△ Inside the red circle is the warning light
The square area from 50th Street to 61st Street is within the jurisdiction of the University of Chicago, so there will basically be no safety risks in activities within this area.
Of course, if you are late reading in the library, or if you feel your safety is at risk at any time, you can call the Campus Guard. No matter the time, no matter the distance, they can escort you to where you want to go.
Generally speaking, Chicago students will not go outside this area, because 50th Street to 61st Street are basically residential areas, and there is no reason for us to go. Moreover, as long as you walk into the black area, you can clearly feel through the environment that the atmosphere is not good, so it is best to evacuate first.
△ Generally there will be no problems if you are active in the area.
In addition, the school's security community sends emails every day to announce some criminal incidents. Basically, they were some security incidents that occurred in the surrounding black areas and had nothing to do with the school. Moreover, the west side of the school is adjacent to Washington Park, a large park that directly blocks the distance between us and the black area to the west.
But one thing that is a bit dangerous is that if you take the subway into the city, the "Red Line and Green Line" are right next to Washington Park. However, there are buses directly from the school gate to the subway entrance. No one is stupid enough to walk there, and the city The security situation here is the best. However, for your own safety, it is recommended to move during the day and stay in the dormitory at night.
△I often go cycling by the lake, and there is no safety problem at all.
If I have to say something unsafe, there are 3-4 cases of student suicide at the University of Chicago every year. But this falls under the scope of psychological safety. In fact, this problem exists in universities all over the world.
Overall, Chicago is very safe. I even think that the University of Chicago does a better job than other schools in terms of safety and security. Because it is in such a "three-sided" area, the school is stronger in safety and security. Everyone knows their own situation and has safety awareness. That's higher. But taking Chicago as a whole, the situation is not so optimistic.
would like to give you four safety mantras. You must not run around blindly, remember the neighborhoods clearly, do the activities during the day, and keep in touch with the security guards.
@Carrie The Art Institute of Chicago Summer School: I don’t like to live on tenterhooks anytime and anywhere
The Art Institute of Chicago is located in Midtown, the most prosperous part of the city. Although the safety factor in the urban area is relatively high, I am still more vigilant. This kind of vigilance is not without origin. It happens to be due to what I have seen and heard with my own eyes: for example, when walking on the street, you will hear black people yelling for no reason. You don’t know their names, but you can feel that they are very angry. .
I once saw a black man lying motionless in the sun in a high temperature of 38°C. The police pushed him three times before he woke up and left. However, we all thought he was dead. Anyway, it is difficult to understand their series of behaviors, which makes me feel inexplicably scared.
△Chicago’s black district
A friend of mine was buying coffee with cash in a coffee shop. When the clerk asked him for change, a black man stood next to him and asked for change (it is recommended that everyone pay with a credit card). In the black district, many people Black people will appear in cafes/convenience stores and ask for money directly. There are homeless people on basically every street.
△ Street scene in the South Side of Chicago
Once I was shopping at a convenience store on the corner of the street. When I was checking out, I glanced out of the window and saw someone staring at me. Even though it was daytime, after I paid, I immediately turned to the convenience store and waited for a while. I didn’t dare to go out until I was sure that the person was gone. The most memorable time was when I had to meet a friend for dinner one evening. It was dark, there were almost no people on the street, and there were no police cars parked on the roadside. As a girl, I was a little scared walking alone on the road.
Then, I saw a black man walking towards me not far away, so I immediately changed to the sidewalk on the opposite side. After walking less than two steps, I found a black homeless man sitting on the street. So after the black people on the side of the road had gone away, I changed back to the original street. From God’s perspective, I kept switching between the two sidewalks that day, with the purpose of avoiding direct contact with black people.
△Forgive me for being a soul painter, but I kept shuttling back and forth like this at that time
The north side of Chicago is safer than the south side. The black areas are basically concentrated in the west and south. Since the north is the center of the city and a wealthy area, the security situation is better. But the situation is different at night. For example, in the CBD near Willis Tower, there are basically no people active in this area at night, and it is like a ghost town.
In short, I personally don’t like the environment in Chicago. I am always on tenterhooks and will never go there again.
△Willis Tower, the brightly lit "ghost town"
@金波 Ten years of study/life experience in Chicago
I have studied and lived in Chicago for nearly 10 years, and Chicago has always impressed me as a simple city. Different from the rush and indifference of New York, Chicago's Midwest culture and local culture are very strong, and the local people are more enthusiastic. For example, when riding the subway in Chicago, they would look at each other and smile when they saw each other. Having lived here for so long, I have never been robbed or had anything stolen. I often go to black areas and have never encountered any safety problems.
△Chicago is indeed a beautiful city
This shooting murder is definitely a small probability event, which can be seen from the location where the crime was committed. Generally speaking, black people will rarely go to white areas because they will look out of place, especially in Chicago.This African-American man must have carefully planned it before, or he may have a mental disorder.
If you want to study or live, I will give you four suggestions.
First, try to live in white areas/universities, both in terms of public security and public services.
Second, if you accidentally end up in a black area or a dangerous environment, don't act too scared. Black people are very good at picking people off. If you look weak or too timid, you are likely to be the target of being robbed.
Third, it is best to carry a certain amount of cash on you. If you are really robbed, giving them the cash on you can basically avoid trouble. And if they call you, such as: "Hey, you stop!" you must stop, He also gave them all the cash he had and expressed his understanding of their experience.
Fourth, try to avoid going out at night.
