Violent crime is down in Chicago. But if you turn on CNN or pick up the New York Times, you certainly wouldn't think so. The topic of violence in Chicago has become a national issue--the news hook for stories about random acts of violence or kids getting killed on the streets, but has Chicago's violence problem been blown out of proportion? Some, including the Chicago Police Department and Mayor Daley, think so.
As of Wednesday, there were there were 130 homicides this year in Chicago, compared to 124 last year, but overall violent crime was down 11 percent through April, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Unfortunately, this year's early spike in crime (which could be linked to warmer temperatures early in the Spring season) has been paired with some seriously scary news stories.
First, lawmakers were calling for a National Guard presence in Chicago, saying that the police department has done a commendable job, but its resources are stretched thin.
Then, there were the two young women mugged and brutally attacked with baseball bats in Bucktown, a neighborhood known for its boutiques and restaurants more than its violent crime. The story drew international coverage.
And let's not forget the doctor from Iowa, who claimed he was stabbed while jogging on the Chicago riverwalk. The story again drew national attention, but this time--it was a hoax. The doctor made the whole thing up. On Wednesday, Mayor Daley pleaded with members of the media to cover the fact that it was a hoax with the same gusto they used to cover the initial story. He said the city plans on suing the doctor for all the bad press.
"This is unfair," Daley said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "This is not right. That's why we're suing him. ... We're gonna sue for all this cost, [all of the] bad P.R. Look what he did to us."
While the police department has launched new initiatives to combat violent crime and gangs (which are responsible for most of the city's murders) they also maintain that things are improving.
"Our current total is consistent with the average from the last five years and the last five years have been the lowest 5-year total since the city began keeping this statistic," Chicago police spokesman Roderick Drew said of the homicide rate following the National Guard debate.
"There will be ebbs and flows along the way, and what we're seeing now in Chicago is consistent with other major cities from New York to L.A.," Drew added.
Even Tio Hardiman, director of CeaseFire, says things in Chicago are bad--but not that bad:
"Chicago has come a long way in regard to getting homicides down if you look at the tale of the tape," Hardiman told the Sun-Times. "Right now, what is lacking in the city is that people involved in violence prevention need to collaborate better."
WBEZ hosted a web chat with members of the media about Chicago's image problem on Wednesday. Matt Pais, a writer for Metromix Chicago, summed the whole thing up. Whether or not the city's violence is partially hyperbole, "these stories certainly don't make anyone more interested in coming here."
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