Good evening Mr. President.

First off, this isn’t a hate letter. This isn’t a “screw you” letter.This is a letter showing my general concern towards the absolutely breathtaking city of Chicago.You keep talking about all of your worry for the city and how you’re going to “send in the feds.” You keep talking about how you want to put an end to the shootings in Chicago. An end to the violence. An end to the crime. Which is great. We, as a city, need to figure out what is going on.

But then… I read an NBC article on you voicing how you’re now blaming the majority of crime and violence in the city on undocumented gang members.

So, that was the first thing that made me angry and taken aback. The fact that you had the nerve to put down an entire group of people because you think that the individuals who are supposedly smuggling drugs and hate into our country are also the same ones causing the mass amounts of violence in Chicago. But you, Mr. President, have no evidence. No supporting facts. No counter arguments. No details. And I don’t know a whole lot about running the country, but I know if you wrote about that with such a lack of evidence, in a college level English class, you would have failed… D+ essay, AT BEST.

The second thing that made me angry...actually, scratch that. To be perfectly honest, this didn’t even make me angry. It made me question who you think you are, with implying such false and rude accusations.

“It’s so sad. Chicago’s become so sad.”

Who do you think you are? Having the nerve to call, what I and many others consider, the greatest city in the world, SAD. Because when I think of Chicago, the last word that filters through my head is "sad." Hell, it doesn’t even come to my mind. Let me tell you what does come to my head when someone says Chicago.

Vibrant. Diverse. Incredible. Beautiful. Breathtaking. Unlimited opportunities. Love. Happiness. Stunning. Infectious. Clean. Overflowing and seeping with some of the greatest people and places you’ll ever meet/see in your entire life.

… And all you have to say is that our city is… SAD?

I changed my mind about this not being a “screw you” letter. SCREW YOU.

I really didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot with you, Mr. President. But when someone refers to the very place that is one of the reasons I get out of bed every morning as... sad? Well, then we may have a few issues.

I understand that there is a problem. And the problem isn’t getting any better. Just within the first month of 2017, the number of shootings and violence has actually gotten worse — which I didn’t even think was possible, but clearly, I was wrong. For goodness sakes, last week a man got robbed and stabbed at the very same Blue Line Jackson station that I take back and forth to work every day after I finish classes. It’s getting scary. And I get that. I’m living in it.

But with you trying to settle the issue by saying that the majority of crime is being caused by undocumented gang members is painstakingly shallow. Just because it backs up your building a wall theory… doesn’t make it right. Stop trying to take the easy way out and pinpoint this issue with a single diagnosis. It’s like saying the obesity issue in America is caused by the hummus that the same undocumented immigrants are bringing here to the United States. Yeah, they brought hummus to the United States. That shit is some good stuff (pita chips with it happen to be my personal favorite).

So all I ask of you is to stop with all the talk. All of the hate talk. Putting down my city. Putting down my neighbors. Sure, certain races and ethnicities may have more data with violence in the city than others, and the reason behind that most definitely needs to be solved. But you getting up in front of people, and speaking behind podiums, spewing out false facts and statements is extremely inappropriate and unnecessary.

Actions speak louder than words.

If you truly want to stop the violence in Chicago. Come here. Come to the rough parts of the city. Come talk to the people who live here. Find out where the violence is stemming from. Make changes in the ways that police may or may not be addressing situations. For the love of god just do something. And stop blabbing on and on about it to reporters. Just to make you look stupid, and make the people of the wonderful city of Chicago (me) gut-wrenchingly upset. Because who are you helping by doing that? No one. As a matter of fact, you’re actually hurting more people Mr. President. Because you’re making people angry. And people lash out when they’re angry. They get upset. They want to retaliate.

I’m just a concerned citizen of the wonderful and beautiful city of Chicago. A concerned citizen of Chicago that wants to see it become more wonderful and beautiful. To thrive. And flourish. Because it already is. And it always will be. But we do need some help. We have to figure our shit out. But we can do it without putting our city down, or the people of our city down.

Pretty please, with hummus on the side… Mr. President.

Sincerely,

A proud citizen of the greatest city in the world.

P.S. Go, Cubs, go.