The Windy City likes to tout themselves to tourists as “Chicago: Second to None.” The more cynical among us might say, “Chicago: Come for the food, stay because you got shot.” Why? The indispensable HeyJackass.com, via Twitter, reports that Murder City USA has as of March 1, the city has endured 1461 consecutive days of someone being shot and/or killed.
It has now been 4 years since #Chicago last logged a day w/ out a shooting and/or a homicide. Since 2/28/15: 2,588 killed, 11,649 wounded.
— HeyJackass.com (@w_h_thompson) March 1, 2019
The mainstream media in Chicago have maintained radio silence over the grim milestone. NBC Chicago reported on the two-year mark. They must have heard from city fathers about that, because they haven’t reported on achieving three- or four-year milestones. After all, real news reporting like that doesn’t help the city’s case for luring businesses, conventions or tourists to the blood-soaked city by the lake.
Imagine, 2,588 homicides and almost 12,000 wounded. To say nothing of the rest of the violent crime. No wonder Chicago’s crime scene clean-up services thrive.
The single biggest problem Chicago police face: A complete lack of support in many parts of the city. The common refrain “Snitches get stitches and are found in ditches” sums it up.
In fact, the growing “no snitch” culture in the poor African-American segments of Rahm’s paradise have contributed to the abysmally low homicide clearance rates.
Chicago’s clearance rate – the calculation of cases that end with an arrest or identification of a suspect who can’t be apprehended – dipped to 26 percent in 2016 from 46 percent in 2013, according to the University of Chicago Crime Lab. Most of the killings, largely fueled by gang violence, take place in a smattering of low-income, predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods on the South and West sides of the city.
You want to know what the Chicago Police clearance rate for 2019 (as of February 18th) stands at?
It’s 5.6%. Five point six percent. Chicago PD have identified the assailants in two of 36 murders. Four of 38 if you count the two justifiable homicides – one by police and one by an everyday Joe. But while all murders are homicides, not all homicides are murders.
Clearly, Chicago could benefit from more guns in the hands of more good guys. That would help drive down this problem of criminal gangs intimidating local residents into cowering in fear.