STREET WOMEN

THEY WERE PUSHED OUT of cars midstream in traffic unwilling to wait, not capable of seeing that there was a body writhing on the pavement for what ever her crime had been prior to the current displaced position of spread eagled horror in the oncoming headlights of following vehicles.

But for a simple "girls night out" with or that "sharp 1970's fella just met toting his pimp like ardor like a flint of gold on his shoulder" they were the last ones who could be told, "not to go" with that one. The news was full of sad endings of women found mutilated on the local expressway, ripped up by oncoming cars... traffic moving too fast to see someone lying in the traffic lane. Why they were in that position in the black of night was usually an unanswered gambit on the tongue of every journalist brave enough to report them, one after another over the string of months forbearing the elimination of single women. None were announced as having been wife or mother, but given the justifying characature of street women whether actual or preferred. In all, there were perhaps a count of near twenty early aged females spoken to have been from the suburban towns south of Chicago. Who they actually were or why they were thrown out of moving cars into speeding traffic to their death or mutilation, was never resolved. No one mentioned exact names for fear of being tied to the drama surrounding the criminal act. No one claimed to inquire of the missing family member if they were at all from the local area. No one made signal nor signage about an untimely death if identification could ever be finalized. There was only the day after day and week into week televised announcement of another woman's body found ground into the pavement of the Dan Ryan Expressway.

Who were they? Why were they out there? Who did such a dastardly act as to push a living person out of a speeding vehicle into speeding traffic lanes in the darkness of night? While cuddling one's children, too early born into a social scene of marriage and family, was one path out of the brashness of street life; it too was a negative route for high school and beginner college women to enter the world of independence. Early marriage into a forced marriage at the root of rape... pregnancy... family honor and "doing the right thing" often ended in resentment and revengeful strikes by the forced party and/or their compatriots willing to regain their single lifestyle if even at the hand of murder. Street gang assaults on women affiliated with members of opposing street gangs were found mutilated with boastful claims to the damage done. The illegals, females drifting into and through communities... usually along with a promising contact, were unknown, undocumented and invisible. Prostitutes were common with the particular communities and locale joints where they could pick up a paying customer and step out in search of her next tag on an ongoing and seemingly permissive basis... without other than the usual rebuttle. Most became COLD CASE FILES centering around the what and why of the event long after any conclusion as to who an identification of the deceased individual. Cold case files are usually never resolved due to the intricacy of details surrounding the dates, time of occurence and motives of the missing individual or individuals who may have seen anything or known the victim or assailant or purpose behind either. COLD CASE FILES resolve when the need for clarification of a missing person is needed to bring closure to the absence if anyone can be counted for having missed them. Who were they?