2025 09 22

No Parking. Ashland, Wisconsin. July, 2025. © Clayton Hauck

It’s a bit surreal to spend a weekend with friends, bopping around Chicago and falling in love with the place all over again, only to open up your social media on Monday morning to read about how the president is pledging to “save” your city after Charlie Kirk pleaded with him to do so. I grew up in the same area as Kirk and attended the same high school as he did. I’ve lived in Chicagoland all of my life and love it now as much as I ever have. Obviously, we all have our opinions and perspectives on the world (and yes, of course there are issues here), but the stark juxtaposition between what I’m seeing with my own eyes vs. what I’m hearing from outraged folks on the internet… and running our country… is maybe more concerning than anything I’ve yet to encounter in my life. An administration with total immunity to enact whatever policies it wants, choosing my own hometown to make an example out of, is not at all a pleasing thought, esp when you consider the perspective they choosing to view us by — the enemy — whom Trump admittedly hates.

Last week I had a dream about a missile flying overhead and exploding at a nearby but safe-for-me distance. It gave me the feeling that, while there are big issues happening around us, we are still relatively safe to carry on with our lives. It was still someone else’s problem. Then, an ominous motorcycle drone rounded the corner, clearly seeking us, perhaps for a new missile target. As I was startled awake, I couldn’t help but feel for the millions of people currently living in these exact conditions on a daily basis in Gaza, Ukraine, or elsewhere. Then I wondered if we might soon have to learn how to live with the bombs ourselves here in Chicago.

-Clayton