Tracy and Sam

When I arrived, Tracy Sr. and Tracy Jr. were already there, waiting for JJ, who came in late. Tracy Jr. was there to get sparring with JJ, which he did. He's only about 15, but he carries himself as if he is a lot older. Plus he has, as Steve said, "man strength". JJ commented on how hard Tracy Jr. can hit.

A man from Cameroon came in to work out. I noticed Older Jim watching him closely as the man shadow boxed. When I turned around again, it appeared as Older Jim was giving him tips, but it probably was the other way around. Older Jim hadn't been there two minutes, before he made a comment: "The gym is busy tonight." He was probably was thinking that he wasn't going to get a chance to work on the punch mitts. He didn't.

Sam, whom I hadn't seen in months, showed up. He gave us an update on Javon, another kid was shot recently. Sam and Javon had been hanging out at a friend's house. Javon had agreed to walk some dogs that were on the premises. He was approached by some gang banger. Javon told the guy he wasn't gangbanging, just out walking the animals. The gang banger seemed to accept this answer and he walked off. Javon returned the dogs back to their house, then left the house again. The gang banger double-backed, spotted Javon and said, "I got you now!" before putting a bullet in him. Fortunately, Javon is doing okay. "This happened in Hyde Park, which is something else, because that stuff doesn't happen in that neighborhood often," Sam told us.

Just like Rogers Park, Hyde Park has a diverse population, anchored by a university, in this case, the University of Chicago. One of the differences between the two areas is that Hyde Park has embraced diversity for a long time. In recent years, some of the encroaching condo and townhouse buyers in Rogers Park stereotyping races, most notably African-Americans and Hispanics. They openly wish "those people" would get out of the area on some of the blogs about the neighborhood. The idea of diversity has seemingly been more embraced in Hyde Park. But just like most Chicago neighborhoods, that neighborhood is not immune from crime.

As I was taking off my wraps at the end of the night, I noticed my medical ID bracelet was gone. If it had fallen inside the gym, I would have found it. The gym is not that big. It probably fell off when I took my jacket off while walking through the park to the fieldhouse. That damn bracelet has been threatening to fall off for the longest. Frankly, I had become tired of wearing it. I do have to replace it, however, but this time, I'll get a necklace.