CHICAGO — On an early Thursday afternoon, Englewood is cloudy and calm. The street corners and stoops on Chicago’s South Side are overpopulated, but the chatter is quiet. Multiple police vehicles circle the blocks, but the sirens remain silent.
In between the most recent gun shot and the inevitable one approaching, the only sound in Murray Park emanates from a basketball bouncing on the concrete. Juan Benton believes he is alone, but the 15-year-old pauses after making a jumper, the lifelong local staring at an out-of-place stranger approaching the court.
“You here for D-Rose?” Benton asks despite already knowing the answer.