Like so many others who have lived in a large city their entire life, I’ve become desensitized to the interesting characters that inhabit the streets of Chicago — unfortunately, so much so that these people have become less human being than cartoon character. There’s Burlap Guy, a hulking man with a long beard clad in layers of elaborately put together burlap sacks. Or Jesus Guy, who I would see walking up and down the streets of the Lakeview neighborhood donning a crown of thorns and carrying a large cross on his shoulders which was apparently made out of cardboard. Or Crazy Mary, flashing her old, wrinkly breast to get drunken frat boys to throw her coins along Rush Street. But despite their differences, they all have the unmistakable air of desperate homelessness, with their obvious mental illness either the cause of it or because of it. Which is why it was rather jarring when I came across this man, who apparently has a beef with someone at the FBI:

The comment thread at Chicagoist has some insight (and albeit, some complete bullshit) about this man’s obvious despair.

View all of our random crap

Bookmark to: