Television I watch - Chicagoland

Chicagoland is a series on CNN.

The riveting, real-life drama of a city looking to unite at this critical moment in the city’s history. In the aftermath of a countrywide economic collapse, Chicago faces the challenges of improving its public education system, and neighborhood and youth safety. Can the city’s leaders, communities, and residents come together in ways that expand opportunities and allow aspirations to be realized?^[6]

It's riveting and exhausting.  Most of the action takes place in the neighborhoods of poverty and gang violence.   We see the problems of school funding and violence in the streets.  Chicago is known as the murder capital of the US, and although the statistical numbers look better in 2013, there are still too many murders.

Fenger High School plays a key role and principal Liz Dozier is quite extraordinary.  She has devoted herself to helping the kids make the best choices for themselves even in the face of unrelenting challenges.
Another man is both a trauma surgeon at a city  hospital and a Chicago police officer with a wife and three children at home.  Who has the energy for all that?  He does.
We meet many people doing amazing work so kids have a chance in life.  I know it has an impact on individual kids, but it makes no dent in the problem.
I don't understand how they can be working in such a dangerous and depressed area and maintain a level of professionalism and dedication.  If I knew how to be like that, I'd be proud of myself.

Something else I don't understand is who are the people doing all the bad stuff?  The docu-series interviews a lot of residents in some of the neighborhoods most affected by gun violence.  Every one of them talks about how bad it is and they don't understand what this world is coming to.  They're vague about who is responsible.  If everyone is truly opposed to the violence then it would stop.  So, who's causing the trouble?
I think it's hard to live differently than how you grow up.  It's possible, but it's difficult.  I imagine some families are invested in the gang lifestyle.  Unfortunately, the people with guns - who don't value life and don't value peace - those are the ones who hold the rest of us prisoners to their insanity.  

Anyway, it's a really great series.  It only has one or two more episdoes and it can be found on CNN.