"The children get caught up in the activities of the parents"
Which is OK when the parents are recycling computers, taking food to a food pantry or putting new missalettes in the pews at church. If Dad has “ a substantial criminal record, including three trips to prison, and a pending felony robbery charge” chances are that the extra-curricular activities are of a different kind. So, no, I don’t think Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis and/or Mayor Daley were out of line in laying some of the blame on the parents for the shooting of an eight year old. The timing seems a bit harsh, what with the kid still in intensive care, but this may be the teachable moment. Allowing a suitably polite amount of time to pass will just, I am sorry to predict, will just vault us ahead to the next tragedy.

“Although parents need to be accountable, laying blame is a simplistic response to complex problems,” was the response of a University of Chicago urban violence wonk. Well, you have to start somewhere. And we’re talking about an eight-year old, who for today is the innocent face of “complex problems.”