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Think before you post

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Illinois

You are an awful human being. And no you don’t get to be my State Rep.

If homeless people are something to make fun of…

Posted by Kyle Hillman on Monday, December 11, 2017

“It was inappropriate,” says Arthur Noah Siegel.

He is talking about his controversial post on Instagram and Facebook last week. It shows someone’s feet in hole-filled socks resting on an L seat. The post describes the feet as “stinky.”

Siegel, who’s running for Illinois state representative against incumbent Kelly Cassidy in the Democratic primary, says he deleted the post after about an hour.

But by then, screen shots were already being shared on social media by people disturbed that someone running for public office would post such a thing.

He indicates the photo was meant to show the reactions of other riders, even though the image is a close-up of the L rider’s feet. […]

Siegel blames his poor judgment on the stress he’s under from challenging Cassidy’s primary petition signatures — and challenges on his own petitions.

To that, [Rep. Kelly Cassidy] responded: “If this process is too stressful, the job is even more so.”

He falsely claims the pic was supposed to be about rider reactions when it was a closeup of the guy’s feet? Then he blames stress from petition challenges for the post? Hilarious.

Not the greatest scandal in the history of the world, of course. The point here is that this guy’s responses under fire show more about his character than he may realize.

Vote accordingly.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:15 pm

Comments

I hope someone from his campaign reads this–I wish I could vote against him.

Comment by Cheryl44 Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:21 pm

Hmmmm….let me think. Kelly Cassidy or THIS guy?

Comment by Chicago Cynic Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:22 pm

two words my friends, Bush league

Comment by Iggy Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:25 pm

First Round:

Cassidy 1 - Siegel 0

Comment by Baggs McCoy Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:29 pm

@Cheryl44

I do get to vote against him and I relish the opportunity. And I know a few of my neighborhood friends that will too.

Comment by Chicago_Downstater Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:34 pm

This is a good piece. The title of the post and the takeaway are (very fairly) “Think before you post,” but it’s a little disappointing that we expect our public officials to be a little more private with their classist antisocial hate, instead of expecting them to be better people. You get what you pay for, I guess.

Comment by Chris Widger Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:34 pm

So, he can’t see the humanity in other people and lies when he realizes he messed up (and lies badly on top of it). Even those who don’t necessarily agree with all of Cassidy’s politics respect her integrity and compassion. Hopefully this will be a cakewalk for her.

Comment by Leslie K Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:35 pm

Don’t delete it, own it - people in that district are tired of aggressive homeless terrorizing their neighborhood.

Comment by Fax Machine Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:36 pm

@Fax Machine, don’t claim to speak for me because you don’t. I have my own voice and I’m capable of using it. This March, I’ll use that voice to vote for Cassidy.

Comment by ImNotTaylorSwift Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:40 pm

@ Fax Machine - all this dude did was be shoeless, in winter, on public transit. If that is terrorizing your neighborhood a) you are a large part of the problems in our world and b) maybe you should do something about fixing it, instead of trying to chase them away so you don’t have to see them. Seriously, I think Rich had posts like yours in mind when he came up with the title of this post.

Comment by Perrid Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:41 pm

===Don’t delete it, own it - people in that district are tired of aggressive homeless terrorizing their neighborhood.===

And if he were taking a position on the issue of aggressive homeless and offering some sort of solution, that might well be something to own. But he wasn’t. He was making fun of someone less fortunate than himself.

Comment by Leslie K Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:43 pm

Vote accordingly and donate accordingly. It was quite cold in Chicago yesterday; I can’t imagine walking around with those socks.

Comment by Robert the Bruce Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:45 pm

The guy was wrong for posting it, but the homeless riding the cta, and using it as a end to end sleeping car is an issue that needs to be addressed. People trying to commute bare the brunt of the homeless when all they’re trying to do is get to work. The situation is really bad. You really can’t get up and go to another car if you encounter this depending on the time of day, because there are several homeless in every car. Most are mentally disturbed and verbally and/or physically abusive to passengers. Can you understand their plight and still want them not to abuse the cta as the do with spawled sleeping over multiple seats, or under the seats? I’ve seen them urinate in place, or go between the cars to do that and other bathroom duties. And some, not all, are in dire need of a shower. It’s bad, unsanitary, and unhealthy for everyone. They don’t want to go to a homeless shelter, because many are unsafe. At least that’s what they tell me when I ask. Others are too mentally unstable to understand that there are homeless shelters where they can go. Many say they don’t want to be around other homeless people, and that’s why they’re on the cta. Whatever the reason, the CTA does the bare minimum to alleviate the problem. They have dog teams of security sometimes, come through a car, and tell them to get up if they are sprawled over several seats, but as soon as they leave, they resume their previous condition.

Let’s recognize that homeless end-to-end riding of the cta is a problem that needs a solution.

Comment by PublicServant Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:47 pm

Kelly Cassidy is a highly regarded rep with a track record of accomplishment. His first bad decision was to run against a great legislator who champions causes beyond her district and has become a serious player. His next bad decision was to think he presents a better option. Of course, now everybody knows that he’s a joke. Time to go away.

Comment by Trapped in the 'burbs Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:48 pm

Haha @Fax Machine, what do you know about my district? “Terrorizing?” Come on, man.

Comment by zorkon Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:50 pm

==Let’s recognize that homeless end-to-end riding of the cta is a problem that needs a solution.==

No, absolutely not. That’s a distraction from the horrible post this barely-a-human-being made. If he wants an earnest discussion about the options available to the CTA and city officials, fine, but you don’t get to make a post shaming the poor and then hope that others misconstrue it into something constructive.

Comment by Chris Widger Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 12:55 pm

No one is misconstruing anything, Chris. I called him out for the post and his comments. I then proceeded to provide information on a very real issue on the cta that was related to the image, not his take on it. The CTA is a mode of transportation that I take every day. If you don’t like my post, I can live with that. I think people here are smart enough to avoid what you construe to be an attempt to distract. Oh, and try to calm down, bud.

Comment by PublicServant Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 1:16 pm

Lol Rich Miller Deleted my post because I called him and all the other democrats cupcakes on this thread for saying taking pictures of homeless people is a mean thing to do. You guys ever see bum fights?

Comment by Dan Hampton Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 1:19 pm

==Let’s recognize that homeless end-to-end riding of the cta is a problem that needs a solution.==

Homelessness is a problem, public policy regarding homelessness is a problem, and lack of compassion is a problem. The human drive to survive is not.

Comment by yinn Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 1:27 pm

Timely reminder of so many who have so little.

Compassion? Humanity? What a jerk.
His excuses are also pathetic.

Comment by Langhorne Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 1:40 pm

===The situation is really bad.===

I ride the Brown line every day. I suppose the Red line could be worse, but I tend to think the CTA does a remarkable job keeping homeless from using the warm trains as temporary housing.

Like I said, I’m a daily user and I don’t see the problem you described.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 1:45 pm

“I apologize if anyone was offended over it,” Siegel says.

That right there. That isn’t an apology to Kyle Hillman and the residents of the district, Arthur Siegel.

That’s a classic nonapology. And the public deserves better.

@FaxMachine - I dunno about you, but my favorite “aggressive homeless” were Joseph and Mary. “Yo! What part of ‘No room in the inn” don’t you understand?” Unfortunately, the bleeding heart liberals in Rogers Park, Edgewater, and Uptown have a very different view of Christmas.

Comment by Thomas Paine Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 1:56 pm

–”It was inappropriate”–

I’d say misanthropic and stupid is closer to the mark.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 1:59 pm

Dan, actually Rich did you a favor the 1st time around. Too bad that you chose to double down on ignorance

Comment by Redraider Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 2:03 pm

What yinn said. If you truly don’t like the fact that people are forced to ride the CTA in order to stay warm and safe, you will ensure there is housing.

==[some] people in that district [who are not homeless] are tired of aggressive (disputed) homeless [people] terrorizing (disputed) their [disputed, change to: “the” or “their shared”] neighborhood.==

It’s always nice and clear what’s happening when one segment of the population is called “people” and one isn’t.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 2:22 pm

“Let’s recognize that homeless end-to-end riding of the cta is a problem that needs a solution” I’ll happily pay a few dollars more in taxes to help solve the problem. What you got?

Comment by Skeptic Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 2:39 pm

– “If you truly don’t like the fact that people are forced to ride the CTA in order to stay warm and safe, you will ensure there is housing.” —

@Crazy, why don’t you drive a homeless person around in your car every morning on your commute then? You could “ensure housing” that way during your 9-5.

Oh, you don’t do that? Because you don’t ride the CTA so you can look like a hero in the comment section while offering no help or solutions to the homeless.

Comment by Matt P. Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 2:55 pm

@yinn-All the things you mentioned are problems. So are the homeless using the cta for sprawled sleeping.

47th - Blue line 5am. I need to get to work early

Comment by PublicServant Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 3:14 pm

Skeptic- I’ll pay double whatever you pay. Deal?

Comment by PublicServant Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 3:16 pm

Never mind - I didn’t notice the first time I read it it said “last week” - I do think the CTA does a good job handling this (and when I see them interacting with beggars and such it’s been “firm but respectful”), but they can’t be everywhere. Definitely yuppies and others trying to show how tough they are doesn’t help at all.

Comment by lake county democrat Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 3:55 pm

Yikes.

As others stated, the problem is homelessness per se; the fact that homeless people ride the CTA to stay warm in winter is a symptom, not a cause.

Treating symptoms is one thing; treating the cause is quite another. I’m a lot more interested in the latter, and am eager to learn what our gov (and in this case, the mayor of Chicago) has done in the past three years to address homelessness in Illinois.

Comment by dbk Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 3:56 pm

next time he should consider offering the socks off his feet.

Comment by Shytown Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 4:00 pm

If having to share your warm El car with homeless people during your commute is the worse thing that happens to you, count your blessings and give thanks.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 4:05 pm

The Marie Antoinette of public transit: “Let them take Uber.”

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 4:13 pm

PublicServant: Not sure why my post didn’t appear, but I agreed to your terms.

Comment by Skeptic Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 4:40 pm

Well you’ve got me there, 47th. And I’ve got many blessings that I’m thankful for. I think the cta can do a lot more, but I’ll wait until we solve homelessness and achieve world peace before pointing out the issue again. I apologize.

Comment by PublicServant Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 4:42 pm

Good, maybe we’ll get something going here.

Comment by Skeptic Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 4:43 pm

A couple of things that folks above have spoken to but I want to draw on a little bit more:
Our state was not in great shape in taking care of our most vulnerable prior to the budget crisis, including people with disabilities, mental health needs, or homeless youth, but the budget crisis exacerbated the problem. This is on top of the fact that housing in Chicago and the surrounding area is no longer affordable. We have people who have full time jobs who are sleeping in tents because they can’t afford market rent. Shelters fill up fast during the cold months. Add the fact that we are gentrifying neighbors at light speed, alderman and the mayor decide your tent is an eyesore to the new hipsters moving into a neighborhood you’ve lived in for 20 years so you have to go and you see why we have this problem. To have someone sleeping on the train during your morning commute seems like an inconvenience if you have to stand but imagine being the person who has slept on a train all night never fully able to sleep because police intervention, CTA train announcements, fear of being hurt and having to get off at the other end. It is cruel to judge someone when they literally don’t have another choice. And the insensitivity of folks (especially a man who wants to represent an area of the city where income levels are across the board) not to understand that this is a systematic issue is troublesome when Google is free 24/7 and the public library is open for you to do adequate research.

Comment by Sasha F. Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 4:44 pm

Sorry Skeptic, that was me.

Comment by PublicServent Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 4:44 pm

=Let’s recognize that homeless end-to-end riding of the cta is a problem that needs a solution.=

People who are homeless riding the CTA is a symptom of the real problem - the lack of adequate resources for permanent housing (not shelters) and services. If you are interested in a “solution” to the them being on the CTA, push for real, dedicated funding. Homelessness is a solvable problem. What we currently lack is the funding and political will to solve it.

Comment by Doug Schenkelberg Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 4:45 pm

PublicServant, your post directed five critical words toward the candidate followed by the infamous BUT and dozens of words criticizing the homelessness situation on the CTA. The original post topic was to elicit reaction to the Facebook post; that’s why I believe you misconstrued…you used an unfortunate incident to release your diatribe about homeless people riding end to end on the CTA. I believe Rich posted the original message for us to discuss social media and how it can bite you in the butt.

Comment by Paunchy Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 4:52 pm

I’m thinking I should have heeded the title of the post at this point. I stand corrected. Sorry about that.

Comment by PublicServant Wednesday, Dec 13, 17 @ 5:27 pm

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