I was recently in South Korea where they have CCTV everywhere. Why can’t we have many many infrared CCTV in high crime neighborhoods? Obviously, the police and city/state/federal government are all ineffective and are failing us. We need other solutions and we need them now. Drastic measures are called for. How about constant police presence in the areas where the crimes occur??? Where is the forum to discuss and do something now? This is a national shame.
2
These shootings are a result of capitalism and the government, both of which need to be abolished. The solution is anarchist communism.
Good luck Chicago
The sad truth is that most of these crimes are never solved, hence the criminals stay on the streets and continue to commit more crimes. The "no snitch" philosophy hampers the police dept's ability to arrest the perps. So, sadly, the cycle continues.
1
When I was growing up in the 40s, it was Chicago-- memories of Al Capone and Eliot Ness. In the 50s, it was race riots in Chicago. In the 60s it was police crackdowns on antiwar activists, ditto the 70s. It has always been Chicago. Why is anyone surprised today?
Part of the problem is insane war on drugs and the insatiable appetite for drugs. If white kids could buy their dope legally in the local pharmacy, then black kids would have no reason to shoot themselves over drug dealing turf.
NYC has low crime but it took years to get this way.
Chicago crime wave will not be solved anytime soon because the other side of the coin is policing policy. Look at NYPD, probably most ethnically diverse force in the world. But, low crime rate in NYC started 24 years ago when RG started broken windows policy and then stop and frisk. The main beneficiaries of robust policing are those in the marginalized areas.
The Chicago/ Cook County Democratic Organization have failed Chicago black community for decades . Giving token programs and support at best to that community usually through programs run by Democratic donors and charities.
The AA community needs to wake up and not vote for the machine any more
IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE GUN CARNAGE, Tell that to the NRA-ists--the 25% of NRA member who oppose any sort of regulation. The evidence is clear: more guns = more shootings. By the way, dear readers, the NRA is going to face very stringent questioning about it's alleged funneling of foreign campaign donations from Russia, that occurred with the involvement of Ms. Butina, a Russian national and allegedly top NRA administration. Like it or not, the NRA can NOT defend itself against its alleged crimes by shooting its way out of the situation. Especially not the NRA-ists (who are something like Islamists, or Muslim terrorists). Except the NRA-ists worship the cult of guns.
Too many single black mothers; no daddy in sight.
The law professor at Northwestern shows just how out of touch some of these extremely liberal professors are out of touch with society. Maybe if they despise the police so much, we should just remove CPD from their communities and see how they like it then. Also, what does her insight have anything to do with the violence? She doesn't propose anything at all.
Thomas Jefferson and the Unprecedented Monstrous, Uncontrolled, Corrosive and Societal Problem of High Gun Circulation in the United States of America
By Yves A. Isidor, Wehaitians.com Executive Editor
“The constitution of a nation must be amended every 19 years to reflect the new realities of life,” said Thomas Jefferson in registered remarks.
Sure, today a lot more than 200 years later President Jefferson still has a point, that a constitution is not static and the imperatives of the present conjuncture, which may be defined as mass killings, with the help of available weapons, and in abundance those firearms may be, often oblige that it, the charter of land be amended.
Perhaps the residents of Chicago should fly to Central America then trek north to apply for asylum due to the pervasive violence of their home living conditions? The left seems to be obsessed with anyone who's not a citizen trying to come here. Maybe it's time to apply the same concerns to our fellow citizens who are here now and live in conditions at least as bad as the crowds at the southern border claim.
When is Trump going to chime in? It's got all his favorite dog whistles: Democrats, minorities, gangs, Obama.
Several thoughts:
Gun control will not eliminate crime but it will make it a lot less lethal, and that is a worthy step.
One of the things that the PC Police will not allow, is a full discussion of Black on Black crime. It is endemic and killing off an entire generation of young men who deserve better.
I have no science to prove this, but my strong feeling is that the violence that permeates our music, games, TV, movies, our society, is making a bad situation so much worse.
We have gotten off on a wrong path as a society and the symptoms as all around us, if we but have the eyes and willingness to see. It is up to us to make the changes necessary to save ourselves.
1
Cops are so protective of each other. More than the communities they serve. Like politicians. This will never change.
There are really two Chicago. One had 66 people shot during a weekend of violence while the other Chicago had a music festival where everyone had a great time.
There are issues that pertain to how the mayor and the powers that be of Chicago have dealt with these impoverished neighborhoods, sometimes for decades. However, nobody in their right mind can think Rahm Emmanuel has the power to reverse years of economic blight or change the nature of capitalism. When I hear the chief of police implore the people of neighborhoods to come forward with the names of those perpetrating horrible acts of violence its hard not to agree that no matter how bad conditions are, there has to be more willingness from within to do so. How are police supposed to stop this without support from residents? And maybe I am wrong but where is the outrage that occurs when police shoot someone? Literally hundreds of young black men are being murdered, not by police but by each other. I don't claim to understand what its like to live in Englewood or the West Side but the simplistic responses and blaming of the police aren't going to solve any of this violence. It will take resources and effort far beyond the capabilities (and budget) of the city of Chicago to turn these areas around. The sadness is that there is not National will to fight poverty whether its in an urban or rural setting.
9
Meanwhile in Edinburgh, Scotland, police are criticised for pointing their guns at people for no good reason.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-45098172
You do not have to live like this.
@Peter Peterson
Bet the anonymous call was initiated to measure police response times.
O my Chicago, City of Broad Shoulders! We are one of the greatest cities in the nation, with world-class universities, theater, parks, and people. We have a history of rolling up our sleeves, and we should be able to go to work on this complex problem.
For a time, I did a job in one of Chicago's poorest and most disadvantaged neighborhoods. The relationship between the police and the community is generally one of long-time, deep-seated distrust and fear. Whom among the good people in those neighborhoods would come forward as a witness to a shooting, trusting that the police would protect you and your family? How do you rebuild those relationships? Let's note too that the police have tough challenges: Most of the guns that police seize are coming from States such as Indiana, which have lax firearms laws.
Chicago is one of the most racially segregated cities in the nation, which has led to economic segregation: poverty, lack of opportunity, even lack of access to healthy food and good schools. These are problems that will require long-term solutions, not quick fixes.
But I can tell you that Guiliani with his imbecilic, incorrect tweets about violence and our Democratic government is just fanning the flames. He is exploiting tragedy for political gain, so should stay out of it and let us work out our problems. We can do it.
1
uncomfortable, rarely-mentioned truth : there has never been a majority Black neighborhood that wasn’t VASTLY more violent than a majority anything-but-black one. Wish ot weren’t true. And deep inside it is a given. Would that this were not true.
16
Chicago is a tale of two cities: One is growing with many new high rises, investments (river walk, O'Hare, ...) and gentrification (Lincoln Yards, Bloomingdale trail, ...), the other is left hanging (no investments in schools, housing etc.) with people leaving because of rampant crime.
It's understood that mayor Rahm Emanuel is trying to solve crime the New York City way: Pushing and pricing the part of the population with high crime % out of its city limits.
1
@Anne
First of all they did stop and frisk which cleaned up the city in allowed the Real estate market to rise on its own. People were sick of over 2300 murders per year. gentrification was possible only after they got rid of the thugs.
1
I've lived on both the south and westside Chicago and a big part of the problem is corporate does not want to have anything to do with neiborhoods in poverty. And sadly it's not going to change corporate America is the queen piece on this board.Heck even big retailer's cancelled Plans to build more stores in Chicago sad.
@D Maybe they're worried that customers won't frequent shops in dangerous areas, and that employees won't want to work in them, either?
1
Fret about the "...police department or the city government, too many guns in circulation, the failure of courts...". Everything except the underlying culture. Public institutions and outsiders are barely relevant if these communities cannot or will not deal with social problems from within.
18
Kind of ironic isn't it. Chicago is just like Guatemala, Honduras and Ecuador. Chicagoans need to start emigrating.
5
There is a horrendous crisis of violence in so many African American communities in our society. From the outside, its easy to categorize it as 'black-on-black' violence.
Black men are not killing other black men because they are black.
They are beating, shooting, stabbing, robbing and killing because they are caught in never-ending cycles of poverty, ignorance and idleness.
To stanch this crisis will require an explosively extraordinary approach, one that totally obliterates and replaces the current zeitgeist in the African American world. And it has to come from within. Clearly, non-black America is not going to save the African American community from themselves.
Our society is no where near that evolved.
9
The guns are an obviously huge part of the problem, but the fact is that Chicago is one of the most segregated cities in the country. Until real, meaningful steps into solving the complex socioeconomic issues that have been entrenched in the city for decades are taken, this problem will continue.
1
Obviously easy access to guns always plays a part in these tragedies, but clearly there's a lot more to it. WY and ID have about the same population as Chicago. These two states have about 30 gun murders a year combined. Chicago has about 500. We have lots of guns out here, many people do not have much education and aren't wealthy. Presently there aren't a lot of gangs roaming these states. Chicago seems to be nothing but gangs and victims. I realize I'm an evil, white, straight male and have no right to say anything, but I'd be thinking along the lines a black police force that patrols the streets and identifies and arrests anybody for any offense (make sure it's all legal) and getting them off the streets so the normal people who live there can feel that the police are there to protect them proactively rather than just show up to draw the chalk lines. No one wants to live in a police state but what they have now is worse.
11
Several posters imaging that what happened in Chicago is unique to Chicago or to urban areas. It is not.
Gang activity and violence is a problem in rural areas
https://thecrimereport.org/2018/05/14/rural-violent-crime-rate-rises-abo...
Teen pregnancy is more prevalent in rural America than in urban areas
http://www.womenshealth.northwestern.edu/blog/teen-births-proportionatel...
And rural drug abuse is rampant
https://www.addiction.com/3441/urban-vs-rural-drug-use/
And BTW, Chicago was #25, not #1, on the list of us cities for murder rates in 2017. Even “safe” cities like Denver are experiencing record murder rates driven by gun violence.
In short, the Chicago tragedy has its own unique features but is part of a national problem that needs attention.
1
@JasFleet Agree, but I would bet that the increase in violent crime in Denver and other western and southern cities also has to do with the increase in gang activity, and the gangs in all these cities look the same.
3
@JasFleet
"And BTW, Chicago was #25, not #1, on the list of us cities for murder rates in 2017. Even “safe” cities like Denver are experiencing record murder rates driven by gun violence."
Its not just about murder. As if anything less that being shot to death shouldn't count is appraisals and estimations?
Sixty people were shot in a single weekend!
Gun violence in general in Chicago is out of control and has been for years!
Soft-peddling facts and shifting focus points does little except dilute the effectiveness of solutions.
7
How long will the citizens of Chicago continue to accept Rahm Emanuel's idiotic excuses for the continued violence in the city? Is it a coincidence that the Laquan McDonald video was not released until after the election? When will the city find a mayor that is serious about reform rather than using his position as a political platform? I suppose these are all imponderables without real answers. My wife grew up on the south side of Chicago. Her relatives still live there. To see a great American city decline to this extent is deeply distressing.
1
@John H
Well said, Sir.
Chicago, Baltimore, New Orleans, Detroit, Memphis, St. Louis, Oakland: American cities with historically rich and particular cultures that are increasingly dangerous and violent places.
However, isn't it folly to think that this ultra-destructive fraying of our fabric will somehow halt with a change in public office holders?
5
Yes, it's complex. There are many reasons for the violence, as discussed by the article and other comments here. But one easy way to dramatically reduce the violence is: Get Rid Of The Guns! The NRA's sick mentality of guns everywhere is helping to destroy America.
@Bion Smalley Many citizens of MT, UT, ID etc own guns, and large numbers of Americans (and Swiss, and Canadians) have been gun owners for a hundred years, but the murder rate was no where near where it is now. I think it's a cultural problem.
4
@Bion SmalleyDo you volunteer to confiscate them from a hundred million gun owners?
3
In the 1970's I lived on the South Side of Chicago and even then the threat of being mugged or shot was so great that I was afraid to walk the streets at night, even to walk a block or two to visit a friend or go out to dinner.
The problem was so pervasive I moved to another, much safer part of town (not the burbs), where my fear of going out at night greatly diminished.
I found this a disturbing article, which leads me to wonder what the Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, something of a carpetbagger, is doing about this astonishing and frightening level of violence. Many believe he has presidential aspirations and is using the Mayor's position merely as a steppingstone to the highest office in the land, but I think his demonstrated failure to deal with such monumental violence will undermine his political ambitions.
And, if black lives really do matter, I also wonder why Black Lives Matters is not filling the streets of Chicago with their loud, angry and telegenic protests.
15
People in the neighborhoods know who the shooters are. Not all people, not every shooter, but overall they know.
Therefore, I see three possibilities.
First, and easiest, do nothing and say nothing. This is what is going on now, and if you do not change the actions you will not change the outcomes. You are saying that weekends with 66 murders are acceptable, and that is a choice one can make.
Second, let the police know what you know. This may lead to arrests and it may lead to you being labeled a snitch with possibilities of bad things happening to you. It may also lead to murderers being taken off the streets.
Third, do something yourselves. Not living there I do not know the true numbers, but I keep hearing that it is only a minority of residents who are doing these things. I also keep hearing that part of the problem is that guns are readily available. Let the majority of people who want a peaceful neighborhood organize, get some of those readily available guns, and do something about the minority who violate the peace.
To complain that the police and courts are not doing their job while keeping silent about what you see and hear is foolish at best, and leans towards hypocrisy.
8
@mikecody I would bet good money that at least some of the shooting last weekend were in fact people 'doing something', i.e, taking the law into their own hands. Revenge shootings.
“. . . people in the neighborhoods with the most violence needed to “step up” and help the police solve these crimes. But community leaders, civil rights groups and critics of the police say those statements belie a deeper problem: That the police have given the people who live in the neighborhoods hardest hit by the violence little reason to trust them. “
“. . . the shootings mostly took place in four areas with high crime and high levels of gang activity.”
And there lies one of the more juxtaposing complexities about this entire situation: the fear of reprisal and retaliation for “snitching” is stronger than believing the police can protect these residents and/or solve these murders and crimes. One of the saddest and honest truths is until this “chicken and egg” scenario of who do you fear vs. who do trust is resolved, gang related crime and murder will continue.
5
Perhaps ubiquitous surveillance would help. Drones on 24/7 patrol, capture images of the shooters and display them on electronic billboards for everyone to see.
2
Chicago has some of the strictest gun-control legislation in the U.S.--and the most gun murders. What's wrong with this picture? Could it be that gun control enforced by the always violent police powers of the city is counterproductive? Violence begets violence. It will never serve to reduce or eliminate it. Gun control itself is violence.
2
Create a Detective night time task force made up of young officers black and white to stop and frisk based on observation. Stop cars and find some infraction and for the officers safety search everybody. You will get a lot of guns off the street and good arrests will or should bring a year in jail for conviction of having a weapon. No more political correctness in a war zone.Also bring bring back the Tactical Patrol Force to Chicago.
8
Sounds like a bunch of political finger pointing and not much problem solving. Need a dose of pragmatism.
2
Before you can save others you must first save yourself. While 66 people, mostly black the reports indicate, get shot in Chicago Mr. Sharpton is Tampa Bay protesting one "stand your ground" shooting. While the "stand your ground" law is certainly questionable, one has to wonder about the priorities of the current civil right leadership. What would Dr. King say and do this week in Chicago if he were still alive? I don't know, but I wonder.
26
@Mr. Jones
If Dr. King were still alive, he’d probably be down in Tampa Bay with the Reverend Al.
@Thomas Martin Really? I had no idea that MLK advocated stealing handicap parking spaces from disabled people and slamming decades older and much smaller individuals into concrete.
Just read as many comments as I could stand. Amazing how, although not living in any of these neighborhoods, so many commenters blame the people who live there. And, of course, those commenters have the answers to the problems., having no idea what it's like to live in war zones where the police are just another gang with weapons.
2
@DeborahWhen someone gets a gun, loads it, aims it, pulls the trigger and kills someone, who else is to blame??
7
The people doing this have simply reverted to primal instincts which includes no regard for human life. What is going on in Chicago was going on 10,000 years ago. They are just doing what we are programmed to do: live in poverty and kill one another. Living in a gentrified society is learned behavior no one is teaching anyone there and in other impoverished areas of the world. Can't buy what you need, take it! Someone angers you, kill them. Simple. Take away guns and they will use rocks, baseball bats, and bare hands. They have turned their backs on modern society because for the most part modern society has turned its back on them.
6
@Pete Modern society has turned its back on senior citizens as well, but they haven't turned into violent predators.
Where is the group Black Lives Matter? Aren't these shootings a concern? Surely many residents know the shooters. Why doesn't BLM create lists of the gang members who shoot and kill innocent victims?
36
Because it is not white on black killings
The article blames courts and judges for failing to hold gangs accountable for violent crime. Then the article chastises the police for treating young black and Latino men differently. NYT, guess who the membership pool is for Chicago’s gangs? The sad truth is that until inner city youth are convinced black lives matter little will change.
26
I’m glad all the people from Virginia and Florida are so insightful on how this is clearly a problem with the community and nothing to do with poor policing! You all are so brilliant, you should be part of a Trump task force for fixing gang problems! Bravo to you and your armchairs, I mean pedestals!
Having lived in Chicago for years, I came to realize that there are problems both with the culture and the lack of police enforcement. The people in the neighborhoods are routinely terrorized into silence by gun-wielding thugs. Police do little to break down these gangs. Why would any civilian individually try to fight this situation? I would bet none of you armchair anthropologists would have the guts to risk your precious lives to help your neighbors in the same situation.
4
@Abe
And where did all of these thugs come from? Alaska? The chances are they were born and raised in that community. Nothing will change unless the community changes how they raise their children and the community decides on standards of behavior that don't allow for senseless violence. It's not the police keeping the violence under control in communities I've lived in; it's the people who live there who don't engage in it.
20
Despite the "Protect and Serve" motto, the police do not have jurisdiction to investigate anything until AFTER they have probable cause to believe a crime has been committed. So if you want protection and service, hire a bodyguard; the police won't do it. It's not their job. Admittedly, they don't always follow that legal requirement, something for which they are often criticized, e.g. stop and frisk policing a la NYC. And the police can no longer shoot fleeing suspects in the back, so if confronted by the police . . . run. You're faster than they are and you know they won't shoot. All those shootings and no arrest testifies to the success of that strategy.
6
A lot of really ill-considered comments here. A few points.
-Gang violence is not equivalent to a Dylan Roof or Vegas. There is no parallel in American white society right now so attempting to draw one is futile.
-Inner cities are locked in a cycle of poverty and lack of opportunity; the solution to this problem is not policing but expansion of opportunity.
-Working on inner city violence is not an exclusive endeavor. Society can work on many problems at once.
-Calling white liberals hypocritical for not protesting inner city violence is a red herring and self indulgent. Far better, it seems, to yell about parents and totally avoid discussion of systemic solutions. If this concerns you, organize a protest. Liberals will be the ones who attend.
24
@Dan. Omy! What da heck is « white America » ? What an insult to Americans! We are America and America is us. And divisions by skin color are artificial. Silly. And wrong
3
@Dan stop and frisk arguably saved 2000 lives a year in New York City. Yes it rumpled the feathers of many innocent people. But no one can argue the fact that homicides went from over 2300 to 2000 a year less. It may not have been the only factor but it surely was a factor. I’ve always been a liberal but I have to admit it worked. This is such an obvious situation that liberals look pretty stupid arguing against it. But if you carry a gun during stop and frisk you’re eventually going to go to jail. That saves lives.
5
Chicago and Baltimore are two cities where BLM, ACLU and other left wing activist groups gained the upper hand over the police after some unfortunate incidents. The result is a demoralized police force that is constantly looking over its shoulders and not doing their jobs. The crime rate in both Baltimore and Chicago is through the roof. The biggest victims, African Americans. The left wing groups all harp on the declining crime rates since the early 90s but always gloss over the real reasons the crime dropped, aggressive policing and long sentences for repeat offenders. The US left wing constantly compares the US to the European criminal justice system and incarceration rate but forgets that the US is a violent society and there is toxic mix of guns, drugs, poverty, unemployment and hopelessness in US cities that exists nowhere else in the world. The lesson for city politicians and activists is to let the police do their job. Let the courts and internal disciplinary processes deal with any overly aggressive use of force by the police. Once the police stops doing its job, the results are before everybody to see and it will take these cities many many years to undo the damage done to the law enforcement machinery.
47
@Rahul you’ll never bring back the lives that was lost. But you could save the lives that would be lost in the future. Stop and frisk. Let’s get real people. Stop worrying about the ruffling of feathers of innocent people and think about the lives that it saves.
4
@Rahul what silly misstatement. The ACLU has no upper hand—and would defend cops who were transgressed against. And the « left »? Again you misstate a perspective
@Rahul
I can't speak for Baltimore but in the case of Chicago this is absolutely incorrect. Mayor Emmanual did not make any of the changes their own government-requested investigation suggested necessary for improvement. The federal agreement reached recently, a result of the ACLU lawsuits, mandates many changes to be brought about. Unfortunately there is no date set or even a timeline given for implementation, the Chicago Police Union has successfully fought every recommendation in the past, is currently fighting this agreement and will likely be successful once again. The police are doing their jobs, and are not being hampered by anything but logistics, along with people too terrified of consequences and too distrustful of the police to speak up if they see something. The most shootings this weekend happened between 12-3AM. How many people are up during those hours to have witnessed them?
Once again I would like to remind people that Chicago is not even in the Top Ten of cities' murder rates, but for some reason the media loves to focus on Chicago. The shootings consistently manifest in a particular area, abetted by the fact that 2/3 of the illegal guns recovered by the CPD come from its three surrounding Conservative states and their very freewheeling gun fairs where most are sold. And IL's Governor - voted worst in the US - refuses to sign legislation even requiring gun sellers to be certified.
@Dan, @kapeadam and others covered the sociological bases.
11
Sorry, and I know this isn’t PC, but the police aren’t to blame. I’d second the motion that it’s poor parenting. Far too many people having children when they’re unmarried and have no material resources to raise children. Children do best with committed parents, ideally a mother and father, who demonstrate values such as valuing education, hard work and being law abiding.
Also, how come Black Lives Matter only when it’s a cop shooting a black person but they don’t seem to matter much when it’s just blacks shooting other blacks? The cops can’t stop this. The mayor can’t stop this. Only the black community can stop this. It’s horrific and you couldn’t pay me enough to live there.
59
@Greenie
There's no question that the black community would love to be able to stop this, but it is helpless in the face of lawless gang violence like this.
This kind of violence requires severe police-state action, in other words draconian measures that will anger rights' activists. It would take a very brave mayor to buck the opponents and introduce measures to protect the community. Mayors like Emanual and de Blasio are not the right mayors for getting tough on crime.
9
@AACNY
And if the police did what was needed to eliminate the gangs and the violence, would the community support them or would they turn on them and yell police brutality? That's the million dollar question. I cannot believe that the police don't find the senseless violence and innocent lives lost devastating. I'm sure they want this to end as well.
Meanwhile Chicago Mayor Emanuel and Illinois Attorney General Madigan are worried about identity issues in the Chicago Police Department. In the recent draft consent decree, is this requirement:
"...protocols regarding 'transgender, intersex, and gender non-conforming individuals,' to make sure that the CPD policies properly define these terms and that officers address intersex, transgender, and the gender non-conforming with the “names, pronouns and titles of respect appropriate to that individual’s gender.'*
Give Heather Mac Donald a read. She has her facts and figures straight, although her conclusions may anger NYT readers.
******
* "Shooting Up Chicago", https://www.city-journal.org/html/chicago-violence-16098.html
14
I find your assertion that a large organization must focus on one thing at a time to be specious at best.
This is appalling & so sad! Many socio-cultural, educational and economic variables working against the poorest of areas.
At the risk of sounding like a cliché -- Change has to start within the family...
13
If one of the shooters were white we would hear about it for the next two years.
48
@Mick exactly.
1
@Mick If 66 white people were shot, Trump would be furiously tweeting his condemnation, arrests would be quickly made, politicians would be racing to make statements and we would be hearing about it for far longer than two years.
1
@Mick
If I were a Police Officer, why would I get out of my cozy squad car in case I encounter the next Trayvon Martin or Michael Brown. Just write up reports and file the paperwork and be done with it. Next week there will be more victims and more reports to file anyway. The job pays the same whether you put yourself out there or just hang back.
Can you guess which were the top two cities for population loss last year?
Chicago and Baltimore
https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2018/03/22/baltimore-city-was...
People have already started voting with their feet. Rents have already started dropping in these two cities which will be followed by property values. next to flee will be what is left of the small businesses and the small landlords. What will be left would be the hoods on the street and the police watching them from the safety of their squad cars.
People who wonder why Trump got elected have their answer right here.
6
12 people dead from gun violence and the community and media still standing by the tired explaination of police failure and blame. No, the community, larger community, and media are to blame, and the distrust of the police is entirely the community and media's doing. Let's be honest, it's gangs,anti snitch culture, growing lawlessness, and unwarrented and unhelpful animosity towards the police, and the tolerance of gun and criminal behavior that are to blame for these crimes, not the police.
The entire city shares the same police force without the same level of crime, so instead of continuing to blame the police and building the distrust, why not try something new, and helpful and blame the gangs, and communities that chooses to blame the police instead of the killers, and a larger community and media to whom the blaming of the help and ignoring, excusing the problem is the standard. These problem don't just occur and until you correctly identify the problem, it's pretty hard to come up with a workable solution.
46
I lived in Chicago in the '80s. These neighborhoods were combat zones then and they're still combat zones. If you were any color but black and went in, there was a 99% chance you'd be mugged or worse, and for blacks, it was a 95% chance. The people who live there blame everyone but themselves. The rest of the city has gotten better, but these folks still complain about the cops, refuse to cooperate, and wonder why shooting is risk free. How about if these neighborhoods step up to their responsibilities and figure out how to partner with police even if they don't like them. Yeah, nobody cares, nobody is going to save them, and if they are waiting to be saved it'll be a long wait. They have to save themselves and that means working with the cops.
59
@Jim
Sorry Jim, but yours is an inconvenient truth to the editors and the opinion writers of this paper.
4
@Jim a bit of an exaggeration.
1
@Jimstop and search worked in New York City and it would work in Chicago too. It might ruffle a few feathers of innocent people but in New York City it arguably Saved 2000 lives a year. Sometimes liberals just got to get over themselves.
6
Political correctness has convinced the residents of some hard core urban communities that they are powerless victims. In reality, the solution to violence is solely within their hands. It is beyond doubt that they know the violent thugs that haunt their communities. They choose to remain silent and deflect blame to the police.
The moral compass is broken in these areas. Crime is viewed as a legitimate occupational choice. Police are hated because they attempt to enforce the law. Incarceration rates are disproportionate simply because they commit more serious crimes.
While better policing may help the problem in these communities, introspection is what is really needed.
42
@Bongo
It's hard to argue that a $10K/week (or more) illegal drug business isn't worth it. Many will take all the risks involved in this violent trade and not be sorry when they land in prison. Worth noting is the prison doesn't make them stop behaving illegally. It just moves their activities under one roof.
Read "Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx" if you want some insight into this community.
3
The solution to violence in Chicago will ultimately have to come from the black community. Most of the perpetrators and victims are black. The police have very little ability to solve these shootings when witnesses refuse to come forward with information out of fear of retaliation. Sheila Bedi complains that the police are "not there to stop any violence. They're entirely a reactionary force." Does she want proactive policies like stop and frisk and broken window? The police and many state government officials have been trying for years to toughen penalties for illegal gun possession, especially if used in a crime, but have been repeatedly blocked by the Illinois Black Caucus who don't want young black men sent to jail even when they commit violent crimes. Add into the mix that almost 90% of black babies in Chicago are born to single mothers and the need for the black community to seriously reevaluate a new approach to addressing the problem of violence. Blaming the police is not effective. It's like blaming the doctor when a gunshot victim dies in the ER. The doctor didn't kill the victim, the shooter did.
43
Any look on the statistics, namely of iincome in these neighbborhoods would show you that you deal with a part of the population that has way below the average in means. The city continuously underserves neighborhoods on the south and west sides. Jobcenters and unemployment offices, after school programs, daycare for kids are absent. Being black in America still means a much higher chance of being poor. Governor Rauner has cut effective first aid programs such as "Cure violence" - and here we see the result.
The city sends police officers rather than money for education programs. More than 1000 were sent out 2 years ago. But they will not solve the problem any teenager in these areas faces.
If this society systemically discounts some of their members based on their skin color that sets them up to act according to their own rules. We can only change this if we recognize these parts of the city as integral parts of it and work with them to implement change.
11
@kapeadam I agree. Just look at Asian-Americans. They've never suffered any racism in America, which is why they've succeeded. We all need to band together to help blacks because, as a race, they need more help. Not because of them but because of whites.....and slavery.
@kapeadam Millions of seniors on SS are living 50 percent below the Federal Poverty level, but yet they don't riot and shoot people. And no one advocates for them...
Chicago’s problems and society’s problem as a whole will not go away until: uneducated, jobless, teenagers stop having children. Ignorance and poverty beget ignorance and poverty. And more money devoted to these issues is NOT the answer. A report by CBS states that the US spends more per pupil than any other country in the world. Unwanted, poorly reared children, is the problem. Until that cycle of insanity ends, the violence will continue.
41
This article doesn't address the underlying causes. Chicago was ground zero for redlining and the making of an exclusionary ghetto. In fact the "Chicago model" served as the model for racist federal housing policy for generations. (See e.g. Beryl Satter's Family Properties). The problem in Chicago is the academic and economic marginalization of a whole segment of the city's population. The police are just the military/enforcement wing of white supremacy. The policies come from the politicians, business community and ultimately the white voters/residents. Hundreds of thousands of uneducated/miseducated unemployed young men with ready access to guns in a hyper capitalist society that glorifies violence aren't going to be well adjusted contributing members of society. But what did you expect?
9
@GLW
I would expect Cival leaders, clergy, African American. Athletes, like Michael Jordan and others to “speak out”
And more than that actually do something.
Offer rewards for turning in guns, teach young men to respect women and not impregnate them and disappear.
Get them on the ball fields playing games, introduce more and better education in their lives. Get City Hall to take steps to improve the schools. Provide jobs to gang members to encourage them to change their lives.
A large part of the problem is lack of jobs.
2
Ironic how the "European American" clergy and civic leaders and athletes didn't speak out or act against the making of these marginalized communities. In fact, the white church, the business community, a white police force, the university of Chicago, and mobs of white residence were all active participants in creating the condition. But now, it's a problem for the "African Americans" to solve.
Please read Ghettoside by Jill Leovy. The complexity of these communities, and their long history of living with unsolved murders and shootings, is critical to understand.
7
@Jessa Forth I don't have to read it. I get it. Blacks are not responsible for their actions or choices or their lot in life. Only blacks, as a race, can be absolved of accountability for their lives, because, y'know....slavery.
I've already read that chapter.
7
@mch Ok, your other post WAS satire. Sorry for my response....
As a resident of Philadelphia this is all too familiar. I wish the media covered such shootings with the same ferocity as the far less common unlawful police killings and horrific, though statistically minuscule mass shootings.
38
"Over the weekend, 14 children were shot and two, both 17, died" and this article doesn't have the decency to give them or their families names or faces. If this had happened to whites living elsewhere in Chicago or in suburbia, this would be a huge story. It is clear that black lives don't matter and until they do, this violence will continue.
8
@VH First, many publications avoid publishing minors' names. Secondly, whites are NOT automatically responsible for murders committed by all other ethnicities, INCLUDING African Americans.
@VH Sorry but white people are NOT automatically responsible for crimes that other ethnicities, including African Americans, commit.
I keep remembering Mayor Daly and the Chicago police riots of 1968, and wonder what's changed.
4
And the city is run by Democrats as is most cities troubled by violent crime. You can talk about guns coming from neighboring states but unless those states have the same crime problem.....
24
@Mr. Slater
Anyone in Chicago who wants guns only has to drive to Gary, IN to load up. Blaming the gun violence on Democrats is the standard, go-to logic for racists.
1
So are Portland and Seattle, which have zero crime. And Alabama and Mississippi, run by Republicans, have high crime.. Your analysis needs to run deeper. Just blaming Democrats is lazy. And I’m not even a Democrat.
1
@Mr. Slater C'mon, this is a terrible take. Educate yourself because that is simply not true at all. This transcends party lines of any sort.
This is a complicated problem with a fairly (if not legal) solution. Most of the issue is related to gangs, just eliminate them. Sweep the area and arrest every person you can, take their guns, send them far away until you can have their trials. No bail. Perhaps if the Mayor was reasonable the untouchables could return in a massive coordinated attack on the gangs. Not that he would listen or the people be thankful if the feds did that.
19
@vulcanalex
How long before progressives were protesting the separation of gang members from their parents?
The fact that gangs are terrorizing people on the Chicago Miracle Mile during Saturday afternoons would completely disappear. Trump would be demonized. Chicago would be called a police state. It's all just so predictable. And the reason why Chicago remains such a violent place.
16
You think it would be easy to know who is a gang member. Lots of innocent young black men would get swept up in your plan, just like cops all over America harass blacks because they assume every black is a criminal. Treat black communities with as much care and concern as you do white communities. That’s my cure.
1
@vulcanalex stop and search worked in New York City and it would work in Chicago too. It might ruffle a few feathers of innocent people but in New York City it saved 2000 lives a year.
2
Man... I don’t really know what to say about this. Since I live in a place with so much opportunity, and such little crime I have no idea where to start.
As an outsider looking in, it seems like a systemic failure all around. The Chicago PD is insane to think they don’t play any responsibility for creating a cycle of violence though.
They just want citizens to close their eyes and pretend like Jon Burge never happened. That’s their legacy. Doesn’t seem like they’re wanting to change that perception. It’s easy to blame “parents”, but those parents aren’t public servants in a volunteer police force. Any cop that isn’t willing to be held to a higher standard should turn in their badge and go work private security for celebrities.
Someone’s gotta be the first one to the table. Again, as an outsider looking in, I think it should be the cops. They’re the ones with the most to gain from admitting the mistakes committed in the past while working with community leaders to solve problems looking towards the future. If they make sincere efforts to reform their departments the citizens will see that, and they’ll work with the police, making everyone safer.
6
Let's do a social gedanken experiments. Let's assume that all guns in Chicago - legal or not - suddenly vanish for one day. The questions are, 1- will all violence stop? i. e. no stabbing, no physical assault of any kind,.. and 2- will the city remain gun-free or will there be a bustling cottage industry of importing and selling guns in Chicago?
7
To many people are ignoring the fact that most of the criminals are unskilled, uneducated lazy unemployed people that have no interest in doing anything in life.
Other communities have more and better firearms and the residents don't go around shooting each other, or in London, England. where there are more deaths by knives than guns in NYC.
25
@mrmeat Though I agree with your characterization of the perpetrators, your comparison of London is NYC is off. You have to look over the long term (not just a few months this year) to see that your chances of being killed in NYC are much higher than in London. I would encourage you to look at the last couple years, even.
Crazy stat: Your chances of being mugged in each city is the same, but dying in NYC from a mugging is far more common.
On the contrary, nearly all those involved are highly entrepreneurial, working hard day and night to grow their tax-advantaged businesses.
The truth is is that in the U.S., especially in cities like Chicago, the majority of violent crimes are committed by African-Americans and the majority of victims of violent crimes are African-Americans. This is the real problem in the African-American community that the Democrats want to ignore. The Democrats have cleverly convinced the black community that the problem is elsewhere, lbut less than a fraction of 1% percent of deaths of African-Americans are at the hands of a policeman, and, even then, many of those killed were engaging in some sort of criminal behavior or one could argue that the police had a reasonable fear of danger.
Because of all the protests against these police-related deaths, the police are now more reluctant to actively police African-American neighborhoods for fear of being branded racists, to the detriment of law-abiding blacks. See the work of Heather Mac Donald. Again, Democrats' supposedly good intentions are harming those they supposedly are meant to help, like welfare (causing a breakdown of the African-American family) and affirmative action (increasing the rates of dropouts among African-Americans).
And it doesn't appear that gun control is the answer. States like Vermont have some of the most permissive gun laws and highest rates of gun ownership in the U.S. but lowest levels of violent crimes. And South Africa has one of the highest rates of violent crime in the world without the permissive gun laws that the U.S. has.
63
@Alison ... WOW...I do not know if you are correct. I suspect you are more correct than not...My WOW is that the N YT published your comment. I am sure the Wash Post would not.
13
I’ve been living in Chicago for 25 years. The problem with violence in my opinion is rooted in the failure to govern the city, the problem is in the city hall and how chicago’s top politicians handle the public policy.
I simply get depressed when I sometimes pass through some black neighborhoods and see that NOTHING has changed there for all these years. NOTHING! Over my 25 years here I’ve seen nothing but abandoned people there. I hate to call these neighborhoods “ghettos” as some people do. But that is the reality—we have ghettos in Chicago, and I am deeply troubled by it.
25
@atk So the government is the solution? Should they arrest the criminals, or you want investment?
6
Sad, indeed, but this is a story about the failure of uber-capitalism, racism and our inability to bring full equality to all our citizens. We've been spending trillions on defense and homeland security, but very little on our own citizens. At the same time, I believe that law enforcement and government could, if they truly wanted to, shut down the gun trade, the drug trade and make the changes necessary to stop this. Rahm Emmanuel needs to either do the job or step aside... there's no confidence left in him.
13
@Karekin Very little?? We spend massive amounts in a "war on poverty" that can't be won by government entitlement programs.
18
We don’t spend enough on citizens?
We spend trillions.
Per Politifact states spend over $620 billion on K-12 education.
Per Pew spending on higher ed is over $150 billion. The federal government spending over $75 billion, states over $73 billion and local governments adding nearly $10 billion.
Chip spending - that’s free, taxpayer funded health care - is over $1.2 billion.
There’s section 8 free/subsidized housing. There are food stamps. There are myriad health and nutrition programs. New York City has so many free benefit programs they had to create a new agency to help direct citizens to the handouts.
21st Century Community Learning funds over $1 billion in grants to after school programs. After School Alliance claims the average after school spend in the US is around $1,500 per student.
Then there are Boys and Girls clubs, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. There’s the United Way. There are churches and community centers. There are free breakfast and lunch programs. There are city and state funded summer programs. There are free sports programs and free art programs. It goes on and on.
Money isn’t the problem.
28
@Karekin
Sorry, but this is not a story about the failure of uber-capitalism, racism and an inability to bring full equality to all citizens.
You can believe what you want to believe, but this is a story about black people shooting black people.
17
Where are the black ‘leaders’?
We’ve all heard of Trayvon Martin.
Who are these Chicago victims? No names?
Does Chicago have ‘stop & search? Shouldn’t they?
29
@Tuco
Shaquan Tyreek Williams
Mustaffah Jamiriah Jackson
Ty'Javarius Damon Jefferson
Laquandishion Imario Williams
Quintavion Latrice Jackson
KeeLaJuan Shantavio Williams
DeMarcaleon Mikkaall Jefferson
LaShawntaviaridontiomarcus Javarmarterrio Jackson
and one who was an immigrant but joined a a gang nonetheless...
Oktowoobongolupo Ojolukowatumaleye
lol. Don't worry we make fun of Asian names even during tragedies like tsunamis and plane crashes. Asians are hard-working, expendable brains that should be sacrificed to appease blacks' sense of accomplishment and to off-set black racial baggage.
8
@asianswastika I don't worry. I just don't understand what you're trying to tell us.
This problem will never be solved until we can talk about the BEHAVIOR of the perpetrators.
Can this be done in the PC climate that we live in?
58
@Renee Richmond. The article does talk about behavior, about how most of this is gang related. It’s not forbidden to discuss. But it’s a pretty complicated situation too, as the article makes clear, a vortex of factors. Personally if I was from these neighborhoods I’d do whatever I could to get my kids out of there.
4
@Renee Richmond Talking and marching won't accomplish anything much other than advertising. Arrest all the gang members and remove them as a start. Nothing else would have any chance of working.
9
@Renee Richmond
Tried and true solutions like marriage, not having children before marriage, staying in school, etc., are rarely mentioned by democrats.
In truth, the gangs have become unmanageable. More and more people in Chicago are appealing directly to the president. There is an ATF task force working with the Chicago PD to address illegal guns, but it's unclear whether it has had much success.
2
I noted from various sources that several victims were 14-17 year olds who were on the street during the wee hours of the morning.
Think a good part of the situation may be caused by a culture that allows such behavior?
How about a rigidly enforced midnight curfew for anyone under age 18?
40
The root causes are a noxious culture that prizes materiality and bravado over human life. A noxious culture that grows and spreads due to family breakdown. A culture tolerated by elites because to condemn it would be considered racist. A culture that puts the criminal over the police.
There’s not much to be done. I suppose the mayor could do stop and frisk but the same activists would accuse him of racism.
58
Black Lives Matter not to Black People who shoot Black People.
Anyone care to estimate how many of these shootings were by white people.
Yep, you guessed it.
We have a dysfunctional culture that rules black urban neighborhoods. It is the result of two forces:
One, the "war on drugs" has resulted in mass incarceration of young black men and has contributed directly to the dysfunctional culture. Whether the resulting arrests, incarceration, parole and subsequent shunning from job opportunities was the result of racist legislators or not, the impact has been disastrous. This "tough on crime" social attitude has destroyed generations of Americans.
Second, the breakdown of family structure and middle class values, juxtaposed against the gangbanger wannabe culture has proven Moynihan right. Villages and communities do not raise children to be anything other than reflections of the prevailing village culture. In Chicago, the prevailing village culture was demonstrated over the weekend.
The problem is not the cops any more than the problem is the black male population.
The problem is that small percentages of men, rogue cops or thugs, exert disproportionate impact on the populations at large. Their actions poison any attempt to have problem solving conversations, let alone actions.
Its not a whites versus blacks issue. But one truism is inescapable:
If Black Lives Matter, then Black People must stop the insanity in their culture.
86
@TDurk I dispute your claim that the problem is not black male population.
At https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2016/demo/families/cps-2016.html, table C3, you will find the distribution of children being raised by a mother alone for various categories. In particular, the percentage of children under 18 being in a household with only the mother present is 53% for blacks, 18% for whites.
What signal does that send to the young black male?
4
@Texas Liberal
Well, you are right in your data and I don't challenge your assertion wrt the black male population's abandonment of parenting. The numbers don't lie.
What I have been internalizing more and more is the impact of the war on drugs on black males. That "war" has been waged almost exclusively in black urban neighborhoods. ~46% of the state and local prison populations are for possession of pot and coke. That's absurd given the prevalence of such drugs in white, brown and black America. Basically, that's the reason why ~1/3 of all black men find themselves in the prison cycle. This is undoubtedly a contributing factor to the appalling single mother head of household. This must change and white voters are accountable to pressuring Congress to change this situation. It is immoral.
The problem of course is that over time, nobody cares since the incidence of black violent crime coupled with a totally dysfunctional urban culture erodes empathy.
That's why the problem of "Chicago" or Baltimore or wherever is a Black problem which must be solved by Black people.
Lived on the West Side of Chicago for a decade and worked in Englewood on the South, right upside the old Robert Taylor Homes. Remember driving by with my African-American boss one dark night and watching an old woman with groceries struggle through a clutch of dealers. "Why don't they fix the lights?" I asked rhetorically, to which my companion replied, "oh, they do. The dealers bust them out again as soon as the maintenance crews leave".
Chicago has relatively high sales and property taxes and already spends massively for remedial school programs, after school programs and lots and lots of subsidized housing. Sure, all these could be improved, but the problem at its core is a cultural one. I know for a fact the people who live in these communities are desperate and contrary to what many think speak out and march against violence on a regular basis. My question is: where is BLM while this is going on? A national coalition with a giant megaphone, that instigated a national conversation over a half dozen police shootings, has remained utterly silent regarding this cancer of violence which a couple of years ago killed almost 800 young men and women in Chicago alone. Time for the African-American intellectual class to step up, irrespective how uncomfortable the resultant conversation.
169
@Glenn Baldwin Sure it is a culture issue, but where are the police when these gangs are out in the open?
1
@Glenn Baldwin
Sorry, but that does not fit the BLM narrative. Nor does it fit the editors' narrative.
Better for their agendas to trumpet the instances of white on black incidents that can be labeled racist than address the core cultural issues that are dooming another generation of black kids to marginal existence.
It is way past time to take this out of the black and white blame game and focus on changing the culture.
13
@Glenn Baldwin You are absolutely correct about Black Lives Matter (BLM). Also, where are Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton? Why aren't they leading marches through the affected communities on a regular basis to inspire the residents to become responsible for safe-guarding their young people and to develop methods of covertly working with the Chicago police to identify perpetrators of shootings and individuals who illegally possess guns?
2
The poverty and social dysfunction in the highest crime areas around Chicago are at such levels that violent crime is just one symptom of a much broader problem. The police, good cops or bad cops, are an all but microscopic component of the overall equation and the same applies to the unrealistic expectations put on teachers and schools in the affected areas. Just so many deck chairs to continually rearrange on the Titanic as it slides under. Sadly, the most effective approach to these problems remains a mystery.
25
@A.C No mystery - just need intact families with two married and caring parents. This is the one fact not spoken but the only one that can solve this.
28
Rahm has frequently said that horrific crime is unacceptable, sometimes with tears, that sort of reminds one of the sweater interview. There is no shortage of experts, especially in other large cities that are not turning into another Baltimore. He is accountable. He has a list of a million insignificant accomplishments that he loves to tout. Unfortunately, crime should be at the top of his list. He sort of likens it to the weather, not sure how this happens. As the consumate politician he is focused on one thing and that is how to overcome the ineptness of the handling of the Laquan McDonald fiasco that came from his desk that he was not aware of. If only he could think of a tax that could curb crime? It seems to be his cure for so many other situations. Is it time for a change in Chicago? Chances are there will probably be 4 more years there as there probably will be in Washington. It is not so much the power of the incumbency as the absence of real qualified achievers interested in these very difficult jobs. How many years under his leadership has the crime worsened by the day?
26
@John
Mayor Giuliani's tough crime fighting policies were ultimately derailed by progressives. It's likely Emanuel cannot bring himself to truly get tough on crime because of the progressive ideals he holds.
4
I moved to Chicago for several years beginning in 1979, and basically, things haven't changed where these crimes have been taking place for 40 years. Gangs and random gunfire were problems then. Poverty and a strong distrust for the police were already in place. Welfare and drugs were the norm for many residents.
The mindset of teenage girls having babies, dropping out of high school and getting onto welfare perpetuates this. These girls were raised in single parent homes, with poor training, see very little hope in getting out, and continue the life cycle they know. They're street smart and need something to love. They're not trained to be good moms who read to their kids, hold a job, and respect themselves, so how can you possibly expect a child to act differently?
It's not the fault of the police, or Chicago gun laws, which are the toughest in the country.
The community of people here have no intention of 'snitching' on a cousin, neighbor, or son.
79
Why would the police have regard for these people when they don’t even have it for themselves? The answer has got to come from within.
32
Under the rationale many are applying to the wave of migrants from Central America, perhaps Chicagoans can now claim asylum in Sweden.
38
Not too long ago Republicans continuously blamed the President for gang violence in Chicago. They went on an on about it. Well, who is President now? And what is he doing? Do we have any policy at all? Will he even address the problem? Certainly the Mayor of Chicago has responsibility, regardless of party, and at least he recognizes that. But do we have a national policy? Does our current president believe he is president to the people of Chicago too or does he believe that of only the prior president?
28
@PNBlanco
Correct. I thought the "American Carnage" ended the moment djt was sworn in. At least that is what he told us. As the signs at his rallies claim, "Promises made, promises kept."
Really?
8
@PNBlanco since when a city business belongs to the office of Presidency? There is a mayor - locally elected for that. And there is a governor also.
9
@PNBlanco So we need a national policy for a few crime ridden cities? I do wish the president would create a task force and sweep Chicago clean of gangs and other illegals. I bet Dems would cry racist, so perhaps he is correct to do nothing until asked. And Obama was from Chicago, he should have cared a lot and done what is required. That would be get the gangs out.
10
This problem is beyond the ability of either the city government or the police department to affect in the short term. They need long term reform with Federal oversight. Innocent people are living in a war zone and dying. It would be appropriate and should be incumbent upon the Governor of Illinois to deploy National Guard troops to every street corner if necessary to restore order and a sense of security to the populace in these areas. This has to stop, and it has to stop now, with discipline and a show of overwhelming force.
13
Here’s a news story that points to why we on the Left are losing many to Team Trump. The sickening scourge of death running rampant through the black inner cities prompts little outrage, little organizing and no marching – at least not insofar as can be told from the front pages of newspapers across the country, the story an exception. Yet, when a cop shoots a black man and contributes to a relative handful of cop-driven deaths annually, there is no end of outrage. We on the Left are prepared to dismiss black on black crime from our bucket list of political concerns (indeed, the phrase black on black crime is taboo) because it doesn’t quite fit the prevailing narrative.
120
@Jim You nailed. As long as the media goes out of its way to make sure this story is page 3 news things will not change. No snitchin is the law of the streets in Chicago and across America.
19
So on point, Jim. As a resident of Philadelphia the violence is persistent and destructive, but people (the left) are afraid to talk about it.
9
I completely agree. Black lives matter but not to gang affiliated blacks or even the group BLM who anti cop stand mirrors that held by the street and criminal culture to whom distrust, hate of and uncooperation with the police is the norm and a badge of honor. Blaming the police for gang violence shows how deeply ingrained gang culture is in these communities and even within the larger black community and it's leadership. It's not at all woke, it is in fact the opposite, deeply ignorant and blind.
7
What is that saying: You can lead a horse to water, but can't make him drink the water. So be it for Chicago and its people. Again, how many times does one have to say it: get rid of your weapons. And along with that it would be good to get rid of your politicians that don't solve problems, essentially are the problem. Words are cheap, true, but one has to start somewhere.
12
Gun availability magnifies the problem. My guess is that the guns used in these shootings were bought by someone in a legitimate gun store likely in another nearby state and then sold in the streets. Or the guns were stolen, maybe inherited then sold. The guns aren't made in someones house. Regardless of the route, its gun availability, again, that makes street fighting into deadly shooting. This is what 'guns for everyone' looks like when society rules break down.
43
@Mickey
The gun argument is weak. And soon they'll have guns made with 3D laser printers.
7
@Mickey A federal government intrusion of force is racist. One could make the case that gun ownership is higher per captia in rural Pennsylvania than Chicago which has stronger gun laws. As long as black on black violence remains a taboo subject in the media, no snitchin will prevail, and things will not change.
13
@Mickey, gun ownership is not the problem. The folks that have the guns are the problem. Illinois requires a Firearms Owner Identification Card to own a gun. The card is issued by the state after a background check. How many of these folks have one? Look to Vermont where relatively loose laws do not lead to the mayhem that Chicago has.
2
Gun laws in Chicago or surrounding states have nothing to do with it. Cities like Los Angeles and New York City face the same dynamics and both have largely solved the problems that have belied Chicago politicians for years.
There is no real penalty for being caught with an illegal weapon in Chicago. In New York, the penalty is swift and harsh, and the criminals know it. It is not that difficult to figure out.
95
I pretty sure The Chicago police wanted handguns banned and the idea was struck down by courts.
4
@Chris I disagree. Real estate prices have solved the crime problem in New York and LA. Chicago's sustained affordable housing is directly responsible for the greater percentage of crime within its city limits.
2
@Chris An excellent point, but why would a criminal who is going to shoot somebody be concerned about the lesser crime of being caught with a gun?
"..officers react in force to shootings but virtually disappear when it comes to crime prevention, community policing and, often, investigations."
That was NYC in the 70s and 80s. You only saw the police when there was violence in progress. Otherwise nothing. So there's hope for Chicago.
12
2 Questions:
How is it Rahm Emanuel is still the Mayor when he's done nothing to eradicate any of this and secondly, given all the bloviating we've heard from William Bratton and Raymond Kelly for decades, why've they not done anything either? These are all supposedly, such big-gun officials.
13
This is appalling, obviously. Where are the community activists and why aren't they organizing protests against this violence?
67
Ironically enough there have been protests in recent weeks. One as recent as last week when activists organized to march down a snatch of lake shore drive on the north side and end at Wrigley Field. Activists chose to demonstrate up north to "distribute the pain". From photos and footage of the event, the turnout wasn't that great. There's so many disconnects here.
4
Also, as commendable is protesting violence - what really does it do? The alternative isn't inaction of course. It's just a lot.
3
@MThey are focusing on the Dan Ryan and Lake Shore Drive. Not quite sure of the logic, but the focus is obvious.
1
Anyone shot with a plastic gun?
8
Chicago, Baltimore, New Orleans, and several other cities are caught in cycles of violence and poverty that seem unsolvable. Blaming gun sales is missing the fact that we are underinvested in the urban youth. Unless there is a massive investment in schools and jobs for these areas, this cycle will not be broken. Unless there is better policing, this cycle will not be broken. Unless there is a reinvestment in social institutions like churches or neighborhood groups, the violence will remain. There are no shortcuts to solving the violence, just the hard work of good governance and investment into these communities.
84
@Ben P The one, and most important, thing you left out is parents. No amount of money or government programing is going to make up for neglectful parenting.
14
@Ben P
I wonder if there's some common factor or demographic in all of those cities that causes all this. The major cities in the western US don't seem to have these problems.
9
Right. What they need is more investment. . . How about some accountability and responsibility at home? There’s a lot more blame going around than accountability. This problem starts with people having kids they can’t afford. Poor parenting and a culture of purposelessness and violence are the roots of these problems in my opinion.
24
Why are people shooting each other down? Or is it a question still? Maybe people even stopped asking that. Now the question to ask is "when will I be shot down?"
"Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, for it tolls for thee."
10
This is so illustrative of the progressive mindset. People are enraged to the point of psychosis when President Trump takes a hard line on illegal immigration, but 66 people are shot in one weekend in a sanctuary city and the thousands who marched all weekend to protest the detention of migrants shrug their soldiers at this carnage and the city's complete inability to stop it or even apprehend one shooter.
97
Non sequitors are neither interesting nor helpful.
The fact that the mayor and the police commissioner deflect responsibility says it all for me. If there has been a blue ribbon commission with recommendations I would follow them. If not, I would constitute one and follow its recommendations.
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@Grunt Interesting and at the same time baffling how this article led you to the conclusion that "...the progressive mindset" is responsible for these neighborhood killings. What about the culture of guns this president so vehemently supports with his backing of the NRA and lack of interest in sensible gun control? What about his tunnel vision on law enforcement's use of excessive force in apprehending suspected offenders? No mention of illegal immigrants as the perpetrators of these shooting as far as I can see; am I missing something?
Chicago needs help with combating crime. Police need to get involved in getting out the word and educating community and religious leaders that you are not being a "snitch" but a hero in helping prevent a future crime against your family, friends; yes, and to be realistic, even fellow gang members as they will always be present.
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@Grunt
Do you even understand why there is a sanctuary city? It's to actually make it possible for people to report crimes without the fear of ICE.
In any event, being a sanctuary city or not has little to do with the urban gang warfare and the distrust of the police. From what I can garner, the violence is not immigrant fueled anyway.
Immigration policy with that brilliant strategy of kidnapping children actually is worthy of rage. Not for folks on the far right of course...
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Just like drugs, there is need to find origination of these guns and intercept them before they reach Chicago. Tough gun laws in Chicago will not work unless neighboring states have similar laws. Chicago should sue these states ( Indiana) or treat them like we do the drug sources in South America. There is a need for federal control so that lax laws in on state and no restriction on inter state transport of guns, will continue to penalize Chicago and similar regions. The blood is on the hand of federal government and on the hands of neighboring states.
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@Kumar When I was a kid every family owned at least one gun, yet there were no mass shootings or this kind of violence. It's not the guns, it's the family and society.
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@Kumar That's ridiculous. You are blaming people hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away for murders in Chicago, a place many have never even visited. Although you won't admit it, you want to impose the VERY dubious liberal value system and culture on states that have their own value system and culture. More and more, I see good reasons for this country to just split into two or three separate but equal entities.
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But their not shooting each other like this in Indiana. Why is that? Maybe the question is why are they doI g it in Chicago and not neighboring states.
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