by Kevin TranAs of September 28, 2016: 571 total homicides 700 plus projected murders at the end of 2016 3308 total people shot 2 murders a day 1 person shot every two hours These are the statistics of crime in Chicago. The violence in Chicago—in the form of shooting deaths--has become the deadliest in almost two decades and unfortunately the city is one of the deadliest in the United States. This problem did not occur overnight but over the course of many years, with only lackadaisical efforts to try to combat such violence. Much of the crime committed in the city is gun-related and the addition of readily-available illegal weapons, has led to an average of 82 shootings per week. [Chicago Tribune] shockingly, social media has led a public campaign for the gang violence that has occurred. On a larger scale, we will examine the leading factors that cause the upsurge of violence, how lead poisoning correlates with crime, and ways to find reform that might make Chicago a safer place to live. The violence in Chicago is closely related to the rising number of gangs there and accounts for almost 80% of all crimes committed. [Social Sentinel]. The correlation between gangs and crime show that a majority of the crimes committed are in Chicago’s West and South sides. The first gangs of Chicago date back all the way to the late 1800s and were not originally violent. The sole purpose of the original gangs was social; for example in the 1800s a gang named the “Fire Kings” made up of volunteer firefighters was formed to compete against other volunteer firefighters for a positive departmental review. That was a friendly competition but today gang rivalry has turned into something detrimental. Gang rivalry has been fostered by social media. “Gang members use publicly available social media to sell drugs and weapons, threaten or harass rival gang members, and even brag about crimes” says Social Sentinel. Gangs compete to match each other’s violence and lawlessness. Jens Ludwig, the director of the Crime Lab at the University of Chicago has stated that “Chicago’s Police Department, overwhelmed, can respond only to the most serious problems, leaving citizens to feel responsible for their own security” [NY Times]. He adds, “People carry guns in public because other people are carrying guns. It’s an arms race.” This has an impact on the safety of the people of Chicago. The crimes committed happen to occur in the most segregated communities within Chicago and violent crime rates show a correlation with neighborhood poverty. A study conducted by the Chicago Tribune in 2016 links childhood lead exposure and violent crimes. The lead accumulating in young brains disables the frontal lobe, leaving young people with learning difficulties, attention deficits, and lowered IQ. The map of lead poisoning shows a positive correlation with a map of aggravated assault crimes, created much later when those kids were 17 to 22. The scientific journal Environmental Health found that “exposure to lead during early childhood significantly increased the chance that a student would fail reading and math tests, even when controlling for other factors such as poverty, race, birth weight, and the mother’s education level.” The city of Chicago is taking steps to combat the amount of crime. The police department is attempting to seize all guns off of the street. By doing this, Chicago has been able to lower the amount of crime committed with weapons. The city is also trying to get more police officers on the streets and has done do so by using mapping to determine where crime happens the most. There are important proposals on how to stop the violence that involve structural change and thus have not yet been implemented. Creating summer jobs for youth would give teenagers skills and experience while keeping them off the streets. Help in finding employment for those who are getting out of prison would prevent ex-convicts from turning back to the street, the gang and to violence after their records prevented them from finding jobs. A change the drug laws themselves would help, since a majority of first convictions stem from misdemeanors. “Instead of a man of peace and love, I have become a man of violence and revenge” said Hiawatha. In Chicago’s case, instead of finding peace and love for one another, they all have filled with violence. Yet Chicago will find itself with peace one day; it is only a matter of time. Crimes can happen anywhere in the world. Would you take action toward it if it happened in your backyard? It only takes one man/woman to change the world. Will you be that change?
1 Comment
Esmerly
1/20/2017 07:47:34 pm
I strongly believe that Chicago is one of the most dangerous cities to live in the United States. I'm glad there are different approaches to solving this issue, like the one mentioned in your article; providing different jobs or opportunities to young people will help them stay out of trouble rather than participating in gang activities, which only makes Chicago worse. More police enforcement is also an effective strategy to maintain order in Chicago because it will no-doubt reduce the crime rate. I agree and enjoyed this article!
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