by Jared Evan
“Thoughts and prayers are simply not enough. At this point, sorrow itself is not enough and what it says is we need to do better as a city. This day, this year and really every day, we simply must fundamentally recommit ourselves to focusing on the root causes of the violence is every bit a public health crisis as COVID-19. And we can never lose sight of that fact”, the Mayor Lightfoot of Chicago grimly spoke after another blood-stained July 4th weekend in Chicago.
President Trump on Sunday Tweeted to help Chicago and New York City, after a weekend of violence:
Chicago and New York City crime numbers are way up. 67 people shot in Chicago, 13 killed. Shootings up significantly in NYC where people are demanding that @NYGovCuomo & @NYCMayor act now. Federal Government ready, willing, and able to help, if asked!
Fifteen people were killed, and 64 others wounded in shootings across Chicago over the Fourth of July weekend, according to Chicago Sun Times.
Eleven of the weekend’s victims were minors, and two of the children died from their injuries. A 14-year-old boy was among four people killed in a shooting that wounded four others Saturday night in Englewood on the South Side.
“Tonight, a 7-year-old girl in Austin joined a list of teenagers and children whose hopes and dreams were ended by the barrel of a gun,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement on Twitter. “We cannot grow numb to this. We are making progress in slowing shootings, but we have to do better, every single one of us.”
Early on July 4th a 7-year-old girl was shot at a party, when someone opened fire in the direction of the gathering, which included many children. Crime in minority areas of inner cities has exploded, almost metronomically with the George Floyd BLM protests. Crime and “peaceful protests” go hand in hand.
“We need more effort and resources devoted to the illegal gun trade. We cannot simply accept that illegal guns flooding our streets is normal. Because it is not. And we should not accept this as a given. It may not be. And it must not be,” Lightfoot said. “I want to disrupt the pipeline that sees too many of our young boys become men raised by the streets. For young Black and Brown men, their career path cannot just be a corner. Instead of college or careers”, the socialist leaning mayor continued.
“What we’re seeing is these large gatherings are tracked and for people who think it’s okay to indiscriminately shoot into crowds. Eighty-seven people shot is never acceptable. Eighty-seven people shot in a week or a month is never acceptable. So, we’ve got to go back and look at what we need to do better.”
Currently, Lightfoot has not responded to President Trump’s offer thus far. The first term mayor’s tenure so far has been disastrous for the already troubled city. Shootings across the city increased by 71% last month, with 409 people shot in May 2020 compared to 332 shooting victims in May 2019, according to police statistics. Murders were also up by about 60%, with 85 reported in May 2020 compared to 53 last year, according to Chicago Sun Times
From January through May, 1,127 shooting victims have been recorded in Chicago, up nearly 30% from 868 in the same period in 2019, according to police. The 245 murders from January through May also mark a 25% increase from the 196 murders in the same period last year.
