Opinion: Why isn’t anyone talking about the violence in Chicago?

 Missing from so many nightly news broadcasts, except maybe in Chicago, is the staggering statistics of gun violence and gang-related homicides in the Windy City. In 2016, Chicago witnessed an unthinkable amount homicides, and this year is on a track to see the same or even worse. 

 According to the FBI’s own statistics, last year there were 762 homicides with at least 4000 people wounded. Despite these shocking numbers, most major news networks show little more than a passing mention about what seems to be occurring on an almost daily basis. At some point, it is time to ask why have such incredible numbers received so little attention.

On March 31 of this year seven people were murdered during three separate incidents within a mere four-block area. On April 18 an unimaginable 14 shootings took place, resulting in three murders, including one double homicide that occurred at approximately 8:15 am. And this week alone, three people were murdered and 12 were wounded. One of the deceased was an 18-year-old man who was shot in the head while sitting in a parked vehicle.

People who live in high-density urban areas are somewhat accustomed to horrific events like multiple shootings, but the numbers reached in Chicago thus far should make even the most seasoned urban-dweller pause. Stunning stories like these seem to be becoming the norm in Chicago, particularly on its West and South sides, which are home to some of the most violent districts in America. It’s hard to imagine that the murders of so many, mostly, young African-Americans would garner less coverage from most major news networks than President Trump’s latest tweets – though it has. So what is a public, that has been kept mostly in the dark about such overwhelming and constant stories of violence supposed to think?

Is the American viewership supposed to infer that these stories are not as important as protests at Berkeley College over a speech being given by Ann Coulter? In the past few years, we have seen almost nightly protests in several urban areas after a death involving a police officer, where scores of protesters and politicians would converge on cities like Baltimore and Charleston. This is not to say that these stories are not important, because they are. However, the same national figures the public have seen giving fiery speeches denouncing suspected police brutality, have been virtually absent from areas like Chicago, where gun and gang-related violence has claimed so many more lives.

Just to put things in perspective, in 2016 in Los Angeles where there was been a reported increase in shootings, there was 290 homicides. In 2015 New York City, with a population two-thirds larger than Chicago, there were 352 homicides. According to the New York Newsday, Chicago’s murder rate per 100,000 residents was a horrific 27.7 percent, compared to New York City which is 3.92 percent.

To highlight an even more shocking reality, Andrew Holt Ph.D. conducted a statistical study that found since 2001-2014, there were 6,778 combat deaths of U.S. servicemen in both Iraq and Afghanistan combined. In this same time period there were 8,384 homicides in Chicago. One can say these numbers are skewed because U.S. troops wear body armor and drive around in armor-plated vehicles. However, U.S. troops also face more devastating weaponry such as IEDs, suicide bombers, rocket-propelled grenades, and mortar attacks.

So is it fair to ask whether there is a concerted effort to avoid reporting the striking rise in gun and gang-related violence in Chicago? It’s becoming harder each day to concede that there isn’t. For some who may argue that tougher gun laws are the answer, it is worth mentioning that Chicago has some of the most stringent gun laws in the country. Perhaps it is the failure of such logic that causes Chicago’s gun violence to be virtually absent from nightly news broadcasts. This is not to say there shouldn’t be any gun laws, but it is glaringly obvious that writing more gun laws will not solve the problem. By definition, criminals who plan to commit acts of violence will likely find ways around even the stiffest gun laws. Violence of any kind is often caused by a variety of issues such as economic, lack of comparable education systems, and unemployment just to name a few.

At the very least, the FBI feels the amount of gun and gang-related violence deserves some special attention. Currently, the Bureau has formed a special homicide task force, where agents will work alongside CPD, particularly to assist in the gathering and utilizing of gang intelligence. The FBI also plans to continue to work closely with Chicago’s schools and enhance community outreach programs, since even more shocking law enforcement is seeing gun wind up in the hands of children as young as 11 or 12 years-old. The Chicago Police Department plans to continue to improve relations with local community leaders and residents, since one of the toughest jobs any law enforcement or prosecutor faces is getting people to come forward as witnesses or to report crime.

According to the Chicago Office of the FBI’s Special Agent in Charge Michael Anderson, “The numbers of shooting is at a level that hasn’t been seen here since the early 1990s.” There is little denying this reality requires quite a bit of attention. To this end, perhaps there is one thing that can be said which is, like any chronic problem, recognizing there is a problem is the most obvious step to finding a solution.