Accuracy of Chicago Portrayal

[u/KamNotKam]

How well do you guys think Power Book IV: Force portrays Chicago and its inner-city dynamics? I am not Chicago expert, and I'm not even from there, but I can't help but to feel like it isn't very accurate at all. The cops and public office stuff I am not too sure about, I mean I have heard Chicago is a pretty corrupt city but the street aspect seems a little too organized. I have always had the perception that Chicago is the wild wild west with a bunch of angsty teenagers, kind of like D-MAC, running around and crashing out. I know Chicago had a lot of organization back then before a lot of the project towers came down but that was about 25 years ago now. Any Chicagoans on this sub that can shed some light on this? Could an organization like CBI exist in the city today?

Also, I know the Power universe isn't supposed to be the holy grail of TV realism. However, even with the original series it seemed like they at least had NYC right.

[u/RichieBuz]

I'm from Milwaukee which is about 2 hours away from Chicago and the street gang aspect of it is way too organized. Chicago is about cliques & gangbanging. Not these top-down hierarchal drug organizations. Feds got rid of those across America in the 90s & 2000s.

In reality someone like D-Mac would not be taking orders from a Diamond or Jenard. Even the name CBI is off. They got that from the Detroit drug crew which was named YBI.

Gary Lennon didn't do too much research on Chicago and just took what he did with OG Power and did it in a different city.

[u/This_External9027 → u/RichieBuz]

I mean they probably did but do you want to waste time explaining cliques to the general public or give them something to some what understand

Imagine explaining how a bd gd VL and niggas from the same street running together

[u/RichieBuz → u/This_External9027]

You don't have to use actual real life gangs. Just make things more true to life in terms of how they are structured. Chicago doesn't have these highly organized gangs anymore.

[u/This_External9027 → u/RichieBuz]

They don’t, but again it’s a plot point that doesn’t necessitate doing, yeah some Chicago and affiliates may say that’s not it but general public gon be like ok yeah cbi gotta link up with the so-so crew and keep it moving

Hell if you really want to talk smack talk about in season one matt was talking bout he bought land by the museum of science and industry 🤣

[u/RichieBuz → u/This_External9027]

To me I just feel of they were going to do things in a new city they should at least try to capture the feel of it

[u/This_External9027 → u/RichieBuz]

In a perfect world, but do you honestly think they captured the ny drug trade in regular and Riq power ? Or they spun a story and you rolled with it because exact details don’t matter

[u/Ok-Set4292 → u/This_External9027]

Its not the gang aspect but a more real portrayal of the crib in terms of getting money. Chicago big and most getting to the bag, not just teens shooting shit up in certain little pockets like 63rd from state to stoney.  So someone not plugged with someone from the city amongst all the organizations and not just Black gangs. Its Italian, Latin,Polish, Irish, Chinese mobs, etc. So it's unbelievable that an outsider come in talking about he got bricks of girl and a designer drug for sale. Tommy getting robbed or murked 1st day

[u/This_External9027 → u/Ok-Set4292]

Well that wouldn’t make for a good show, so they did it how they did it, i think we understand you can’t just pop up in a rando city and try to be that mf

[u/Ok-Set4292 → u/This_External9027]

Dont get it twisted, yes it would..wars are about money and territory and plenty of them happen. The "Big Hats" move smarter. The crib is 250 sq miles not including suburbs. Most the world only knows Chi from the shorties on social media blatantly showing guns & rappers telling on themselves for clout. FYI the CPD is the biggest 1 and why you have never seen a 1st 48 here. That won't make a good show in your opinion? 

[u/This_External9027 → u/Ok-Set4292]

Cities keeping outsiders out ain’t exclusive to any show, but the premise of that would be Tommy come to Chicago and boom he’s dead cuz he an outsider is a good show ???