Ever wonder why Chicago has so much crime? It doesn't require a PhD in criminal justice nor does one have to spend weeks with a journalist to pin down small morsels of truth to build a comprehensive image of crime fundamentals in Chicago.
Here are three quick perspectives on Chicago's crime problem that expertly paint the full canvas.
Dumke and Main (2017) report:
· Chicago Police know who is likely to be a victim of violence and who is likely to commit violence. It generated a list of names.
· 87% of the high scorers on the list have been arrested for violent crime, like a gun arrest and multiple drug offenses.
· 85% of those who are on the list are Black.
According to Lott (2017):
· Less murders are being prosecuted. In 1991, 67% of murders were prosecuted. Now the rate is now 20% under Mayor Rahm Emanual.
· Mayor Emanual has closed several detective buraeus in high crime districts.
· Several gang task forces have been disbanded.
· While working with the ACLU, it is now harder to investigate crimes in Chicago. This has impeded the progress of police officers to deal with criminal behavior.
Hickey's (2016) writes:
· "The cycle of violence has resulted in more than 800 shootings so far this year, including seven shootings and one murder on April 4 alone. Escalante’s successor, former Chicago Police Department Chief of Patrol Eddie Johnson, says the rate of murders and shootings can’t be reversed until the criminal justice system begins to hold offenders accountable."
Reflections
The algorithm for computing victims and perpetrators of violence is being hidden from the public (Dumke and Main). There also appears to be a great degree of Chicago politics surrounding the algorithm because leaders are changing the formula to not place as much weight on gun and drug arrests.
Gang membership has also been taken out of the equation. This is quizzical, especially considering Chicago’s Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson's claim that a "...majority of the shootings were between rival gang members" (Thompson, 2016). Johnson was referring to 27 shootings (12 fatal) that transpired over the 2016 Christmas evening.
So one has to ask, "Why would a mayor disembowel Chicago's gang units with all this gang crime happening?" The simple answer is 'liberal Chicago policies.'
For instance, Members of the Legislative Black Caucus oppose a bill that would raise the minimum sentencing of those who are caught with a gun and have prior convictions. They believe it would disproportionately target Black communities (Pfeifer, 2017).
Yes, areas inhabited by poor Blacks are plagued by violence and they require special attention. Would the Black Caucus tell us police leaders should not follow the data and consequently place an equal distribution of police officers throughout the city? Doing so would fly in the face of logic. It would be a tremendous waste of resources and sincerely lack compassion to do such a misguided deed.
If Black lives truly do matter -- and they certainly do matter! -- liberal policies have to be viewed for what they are: detrimental to those who live in high crime neighborhoods.
Listening to Mayor Emanuel and most other democrat leaders try to convince us that there really is no gang problem or that there is no drug problem is a complete fabrication. Sadly, gang violence is well documented in Chicago (Medhani, 2017). These gangs are still moving drugs throughout Chicagoland, using Chicago as its hub (Lowe, 2017).
Chicago versus New York
Compare Chicago to New York to see a stark, disturbing contrast. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports (2015), Chicago's murder rate was 17.7 per 100,000 people, but New York's was 4 per 100,000 people. That means Chicago's crime rate was about 4.4 times that of New York's crime rate. Chicago has about 30% New York's population but over four times the murders!
High Crime Affects Everyone
Some people think crime in Chicago only occurs in poor areas where minorities dwell. These people are truly clueless. These events tell us how bad the crime problem really is in Illinois and that crime is everywhere.
· Cook County Circuit Court Associate Judge Raymond Myles was shot outside his home on the South Side of Chicago (AP 2017).
· There were several carjackings in a 12-hour period from Michigan Avenue to Wrigleyville (CWB Chicago 2017).
· Two people were shot to death one mile from Wrigley Field (CWB Chicago, Jan 2017).
· A man was shot in the head near Millennium Park (Jones, 2016).
· A group of teens rob victims downtown (Elgas, 2016).
· Track all murders in Chicago via The Homicide Watch site (Sun-Times). See a placement of murders on a map of Chicago (below).
By turning our heads to violent crime in the Chicagoland area and the liberal policies that foster it, we who live in the greater metropolitan area are passively complicit. As a result of our inaction, we are placing everyone in harm's way.
References
(AP, 2017) Cook County criminal judge shot to death in Chicago. AP. Accessed on May 21st, 2017 at: http://fox2now.com/2017/04/10/cook-county-criminal-judge-shot-to-death-in-chicago/
(Elgas, 2016) Police: Group of robbers attacking victims walking downtown. ABC News. Accessed May 21st, 2017 at: http://abc7chicago.com/news/police-group-of-robbers-attacking-victims-walking-downtown/1566783/
(FBI, 2015) Illinois Crime. Uniform Crime Reports. Accessed May 21st, 2017 at: https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2015/crime-in-the-u.s.-2015/tables/table-8/table-8-state-pieces/table_8_offenses_known_to_law_enforcement_illinois_by_city_2015.xls
(FBI, 2015) New York Crime. Uniform Crime Reports. Accessed May 21st, 2017 at: https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2015/crime-in-the-u.s.-2015/tables/table-8/table-8-state-pieces/table_8_offenses_known_to_law_enforcement_new_york_by_city_2015.xls
(CWB Chicago, Jan 2017) UPTOWN FLUNK: Double-Shooting Claims 2017's First Two Homicide Victims. CWB Chicago. Accessed May 21st, 2017 at: http://www.cwbchicago.com/2017/01/uptown-flunk-double-shooting-claims.html
(CWB Chicago, April 2017) 12 Hours On Friday: 7 Carjackings Stretch From Wrigleyville To Mag Mile To West Town. CWB Chicago. Accessed May 21st, 2017 at: http://www.cwbchicago.com/2017/04/friday-7-carjackings-stretch-from.html
(Dumke and Main, 2017) A Look Inside the Watch List Chicago Police Fought to Keep Secret. National Review. Accessed May 21st, 2017 at: http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/what-gets-people-on-watch-list-chicago-police-fought-to-keep-secret-watchdogs/
(Jones, 2016) Man shot in the head near Millennium Park. ABC News. Accessed on May 21st, 2017 at: http://abc7chicago.com/news/man-shot-in-the-head-near-millennium-park/1525501/
(Hickey, 2016) Chicago's grim murder trend blamed on light sentencing, misguided reforms. FOX News. Accessed May 21st, 2017 at: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/04/11/chicagos-grim-murder-trend-blamed-on-light-sentencing-misguided-reforms.html
(Lott, 2017) Why Chicago’s Crime Problem Is Growing, Nathional Review. Accessed on May 21st, 2017 at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/444610/chicago-crime-police-gun-control-laws-growing-crime
(Lowe, 2017) More than 50 arrested in drug, gang raids on Chicago’s West Side. WGN News. Accessed May 21st, 2017 at: http://wgntv.com/2017/03/24/more-than-50-arrested-in-drug-gang-raids-on-chicagos-west-side/
(Medhani, 2017) Chicago violence: 7 killed in one neighborhood in 12 hours. USA Today. Accessed May 21st, 2017 at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/03/31/chicago-violence-deaths-7-killed-in-12-hours/99864262/
(Pfeifer, 2017) Lawmakers Propose Harsher Gun Sentences, Tiptoe Around “Mandatory Minimums” Chicago Magazine. Accessed May 21st, 2017 at: http://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/January-2017/IL-Repeat-Offender-Law/
(Sun-Times, 2017) The Homicide Watch. Sun-Times. Accessed May 21st, 2017 at: http://homicides.suntimes.com/homicides/map/2017/
(Thompson, 2016) Authorities Blame Gangs For Deadly Christmas Weekend In Chicago, Vibe Magazine. Accessed May 21st, 2017 at: http://www.vibe.com/2016/12/gangs-blamed-chicago-shooting-christmas/
