I live in a city that had more murders last year than New York City and Los Angeles combined.
In 2016 alone, Chicago had 3,550 shooting incidents, 762 homicides. That’s two murders and ten shootings per day. Per day. What is more, that number (762) has surged considerably from the previous year: in 2015 there were – I cannot say ‘only’ – 496 murders. Now, given the huge population of Chicago, the actual murder rate per capita is not even close to the highest in America. But the combination of sheer numbers of those killed and the dramatic increase over the last year has many understandably concerned. There is a ‘we must do something about this’ moment approaching.
How to respond?
I will leave the policy setting, and the policing, and the structures and laws, to those far more qualified than I am to speak about such matters.
