There are two places where genocide is happening right now.
The first is Aleppo, Syria where Russia, Iran and Assad are genociding Sunni Muslims.
The second genocide is Black on black genocide in the ghettos of Chicago.
Something to think about.
begin quote from:
500 homicides. 9 months. 1 American city.
| CNN | - |
Chicago's
500th homicide of the year happened over Labor Day weekend, according
to the Chicago Tribune. That number carries a lot of weight for the city
-- not just in quantity, but in meaning: 2016 is now the deadliest year
in two decades.
500 homicides. 9 months. 1 American city.
Updated 10:49 AM ET, Tue September 6, 2016
Chicago's 500th homicide of the year happened over Labor Day weekend, according to the Chicago Tribune.
That
number carries a lot of weight for the city -- not just in quantity,
but in meaning: 2016 is now the deadliest year in two decades.
CHICAGO VS. OTHER CITIES
When
you compare Chicago's homicide rate to that of other big cities in the
country -- New York and Los Angeles, for example -- it tops the list.
But Chicago is not the homicide capital of the United States.
New Orleans, St. Louis, Detroit, Baltimore and Newark all have higher rates when you drill down the data per capita.
However,
this doesn't tell the entire story of Chicago's bloodshed. There's
another statistic that points to a disturbing trend the city is facing: a
surge.
WHAT 500 MEANS
In
the early 2000s, the homicide rate in Chicago held steady, but it began
an upward tick in 2014 and has been increasing ever since.
But 2016 is the deadliest year in two decades when it comes to homicide rates.
Chicago hit 500 homicides before the end of the summer. In 2015, the city had 480 homicides total.
The day-to-day breakdown of those figures is alarming. For example, there were 12 murders on Father's Day weekend alone. The youngest victim was just 16.
THE GUN PROBLEM
A
lot of the homicides in Chicago are gun-related. There are nearly 82
shootings per week. In just one weekend in August, there were eight
gun-related homicides and 64 non-fatal shootings.
Chicago
has strict gun laws, which is why many gun rights advocates point to it
as evidence that tighter regulation doesn't equal less crime. But
Chicago's gun violence problem is more complicated. Sixty percent of the
guns used in shootings were purchased out of state.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed a new gun control law that imposes harsher penalties on those who bring in guns from out of state to sell and do not have gun-owner ID cards.
WHO'S TO BLAME?
There's a deeply rooted distrust of Chicago's police force.
The
city's police department has been under review for months in the wake
of high-profile officer-involved shootings, including that of Laquan
McDonald.
Laquan McDonald: The video that ignited protests 01:36
An independent task force has accused the police department of institutional racism, saying officers "have no regard for the sanctity of life when it comes to people of color."
But
the other side of this battle is the street crime in Chicago, which has
led to the killing of innocent bystanders and kept residents shut
inside their homes out of fear.
Englewood resident Stephanie Armas, 43, said she taught her kids from a very young age what to do when they hear gunshots.
"If
you live in a society where (your children) have to learn to duck and
dodge bullets, you have to teach them how to duck and dodge bullets,"
Armas said on September 1. "That's all you can do."
Some Chicagoans partly blame the violence on economic struggles and lack of jobs. However, Chicago's unemployment rate fell from 6.1% in 2015 to 5.5% in 2016.
THE PEOPLE
Tambrasha
Hudson is comforted as she joins demonstrators protesting the shooting
death of her son 16-year-old Pierre Loury on April 12, 2016 in Chicago.
We
often point to Chicago's alarming homicide numbers, but the real
tragedy in this city are the victims and the families left behind.
They
are the ones who face this violence every day, the ones who stand over
gravestones, the ones who've lost hundreds of sons, daughters, brothers,
sisters, mothers and fathers.
Here are a few Chicagoans we've met during our reporting:
Tre
Bosley lost his brother, Terrell, when he was mistakenly shot by a gang
member while helping a friend take drums into a church.
'It just never felt the same' 03:19
South Side resident Jahmal Cole in March 2016.
Englewood
resident Stephanie Armas on what she has to tell her grandchildren some
days when the streets are too violent, September 2016.
She
added: "All mothers -- because we're all in some type of war zone,
somewhere -- you have to teach (your children) to protect themselves."
Chicago resident Darlene Perkins, referring to officer-involved shootings in November 2015.
Michael Gabb, whose grandson was killed near a park just blocks from his home, in March 2016.
Go deeper on Chicago
Read our past coverage to learn more about Chicago's violence, police department, high-profile shootings and victims.- Laquan McDonald video: Shot teen spins, falls onto road
- Why did it take 13 months for police to release that video?
- 'Lord, when is this going to end?'
- Task force accuses Chicago police of institutional racism
- Fears of a 'long, hot summer' as Chicago racks up a deadly record
- Inside Chicago's broken trust
- The forgotten victims of gun violence
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