The last set of stories I shared with you were from my husband's years in his previous district on the west side. Now he's working in the 18th district, a whole different world.
018 is a mix of some of the ritziest real estate in the city, a few major hotel and nightlife areas, tourist attractions, pockets of poverty, and hundreds of bars and nightclubs. For those of you familiar with the city, the district includes River North, Streeterville, Navy Pier, the Gold Coast, Old Town, part of Lincoln Park, and what's left of Cabrini Green. The population density is much higher than in his old west side district, and it's much more transient, so he doesn't see the same problem people again.
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Yesterday's story happened after the Bears got shellacked by the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game. Two drunk Packers fans had arranged for a limo ride from Soldier Field back to their hotel in Streeterville. Let's call them Larry and Moe. Moe was a lot more drunk than Larry. When the limo pulled up the the hotel, Moe got into an argument with the driver, refusing to pay.
Moe opened the door and got out. The driver got out, and the argument continued on the street. Moe started yanking on the driver's tie and getting in his face. Two friends having dinner at a restaurant across the street saw them arguing and watched as it progressed. Larry got out, but was a bystander in the action.
After several minutes, Moe was getting really worked up and tried taking a few swings at the driver, but he was too drunk to land a punch. He staggered a bit, and they moved a little further down the street, where a parking valet noticed the action.
The driver, a former wrestler, decided to take a pre-emptive strike, thinking that Moe might get lucky and actually hit him next time. He got Moe in a bear hug, pinning Moe's arms. Moe was wiggling around like a big fish. He probably outweighed the driver by almost 50 lbs.
They fell to the sidewalk, with Moe taking most of the impact. His face got scraped on the pavement. He was dazed and bleeding. The driver picked himself up and walked across the street to call 911.
Scott and his partner arrived a few minutes later to sort things out. The parking valet, having seen only half the story, jumped in, saying "That limo driver was all over the guy." The limo driver and Moe each told their stories. The parking valet had noticed the spectators in the restaurant and pointed them out to Scott.
He went into the restaurant and got their statements. They overheard quite a bit of the argument, because Moe was yelling loud enough for them to hear most of the it through the window of the restaurant, so they told the whole story. Their statement agreed with the limo driver's story.
The driver wasn't hurt, just a bit shaken up. He didn't want to press charges, only to get paid for the ride. Scott and his partner talked it out with Moe and Larry. Larry sheepishly paid the driver, who went on his way.
Moe was so drunk he could barely stand up. He got a few tickets and a ride in the squad car to the detox unit of the nearest hospital.
My hat's off to the limo driver. It took some guts for a smallish 61 year old guy to bear hug a younger guy who outweighed him by almost 50 lbs and take him down.
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More stories to come . . .
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Comments
Surazeus - After all the stuff he see on the job, getting drunk is the last thing he wants to do. That's a win-win.
Bonnie - Chicago politics is never boring. I didn't anticipate this particular twist, which makes this race even more entertaining.
Procopius - Kind of dim - yep, that aptly describes the drunken behavior that is the norm for many of the special people he encounters in 018.
I wish I had Scott's gift for the funny way he tells these stories. He's very good at doing impressions, complete with dialect, facial expressions and body language. I keep telling him that, if he ever considered another career change, he might do well at stand-up comedy.
The latest I've heard is that the IL Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case and grant a stay that will keep his name on the ballot.
Printing of ballots for early voting and absentee voting starts today, so that was critical. If they hadn't ruled on the stay so quickly, his name would not have been on the early ballots, which could have cost him 15-20% or more of his potential base.
Kris - Yes, it sounded like he was very happy to get paid after all that nonsense.