Eddie Johnson was named as Chicago’s Police superintendent only two months ago. After the hapless, hopeless, historically violent term of the odious Gary McCarthy, Johnson had only one way to go…up. But since assuming the top cop job, things haven’t gotten any better. Which was why, with 2016 gunshot deaths up 55% compared to last year and a long hot summer ahead, Johnson let it be known last week that he wasn’t going to accept the current state of affairs . . .
As we look toward the summer months, Superintendent Johnson has made it very clear that the violence will not be tolerated – period. The cause of the violence traces back decades, and everyone has a role to play in fixing it – police working with parents, judges, residents, clergy, community leaders, and others. Put simply, we need more values, fewer guns and stronger sentences against violence offenders.
And then the Memorial Day holiday hit the city like Katrina hit the Big Easy. As the Chicago Tribune eports, 58 people were shot over the long weekend. Four of them have died.
But as the Sun Times notes, some things never seem to change, no matter who’s in the big chair.
The department’s message following the shootings and killings this Memorial Day focused on the need for tougher gun laws — another common thread in recent years.
When in doubt, disarm the populace. Because that’s been so successful, right? Except as the Sun Times reveals in the very next graph,
Using computer analysis, the department estimates from 1,300 to 1,500 people in Chicago commit most of the gun violence, and many of them have been arrested for gun crimes without serious punishment in the justice system.
Maybe the Chicago brain trust should fire up the ENIAC again and try to figure out who those 1300 to 1500 people are. And then they might consider spreading enough cash around city government to get a few judges on the bench who will actually sentence them to meaningful time. Just a thought.