President Donald Trump promised crime-wracked cities some law enforcement help from Washington on Monday, July 20. His comments came on the heels of a Chicago Tribune article claiming 150 Homeland Security agents would be deployed to the Windy City to aid the local police force following another weekend of violence in which ten people were killed.
This news comes despite recent -- and very public -- animosity from Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Unless the mayor finds a way to miraculously rework the statistics, she needs federal law enforcement help badly. Chicago’s crime stats are downright horrific. For the calendar year 2020, shootings in the Democrat-run city are up 46%, and homicides have risen 48%. As of July 19, 402 murders have been recorded. To make matters worse, children are dying at a heartbreaking rate. Just since Memorial Day, 111 kids ages 12-17 have been murdered, and another 20 under the age of 11 have been killed.
These data expose an apparent connection between the George Floyd killing -- which occurred on May 25 -- and the escalation of civil unrest in Black Lives Matter’s efforts to defund the police. Calculating the death dates in the Windy City in conjunction with the race of these homicides reveals an alarming number. The statistics show that since May 25, 147 blacks in Chicago have been killed; the number of murdered black males is nothing short of staggering -- an entire generation of black men is being wiped out.
Here’s how the 2020 numbers shake out, according to the Chicago Sun-Times:
Chicago Murder Victims by Race
Black – 281
Hispanic – 43
White – 33
Unknown – 43
Asian – 1
American Indian – 1
Crank It Up, Karen
Of late, the streets of Chicago resemble a penny arcade shooting gallery, which was the basis for White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany's remark last week calling out the mayor. McEnany said Chicago is home to an “unacceptable” level of violence and that Mayor Lori Lightfoot is “derelict” in her duty to protect the people of the city.
Without missing a beat, Lightfoot tweeted, “Hey Karen, watch your mouth.”
For those unfamiliar with Karen in this context, the Urban Dictionary defines it as a “stereotypical name associated with rude, obnoxious and insufferable middle-aged white women.” Karens, it says:
“are a mutated subspecies that descends from the Soccer Mom, and have many of their traits. Such as a short temper, a crown bowl haircut, an unnecessarily large SUV to take her kids to soccer practice, and be a menace on the road.”
Despite the tangled punctuation, it’s obvious Lightfoot wasn’t heaping praise on the press secretary.
While it’s clear that the Chicago authorities are not able to stem the tide of violence, Lightfoot opposes any law enforcement assistance from Washington. As quoted in the Tribune, she declared, “We don’t need federal agents without any insignia taking people off the streets and holding them, I think, unlawfully.”
That the mayor of a large city engulfed in growing crime would deride help to tamp down violence smacks of partisan politics. As such, McEnany’s “derelict” comment appears to be more descriptive than insulting. Should the mayor decide to put the lives of her constituents above political ideology, the blacks in Chicago will ultimately benefit. Perhaps Lightfoot would do well to look beyond the numbers and at the names of people who have perished since May 25, 2020. Here is a partial list:
Ledell Randel - East Garfield Park | Shooting | M | 45 | Black
Darryl Greer - West Garfield Park | Shooting | M | 28 | Black
Joseph Willis - West Garfield Park | Shooting | M | 19 | Black
Dion Neal - South Shore | Shooting | M | 37 | Black
Derrick Mitchell - Humboldt Park | Shooting | M | 35 | Black
Martell White - Woodlawn | Shooting | M | 33 | Black
Tajanay Samuels - South Chicago | Shooting | F | 19 | Black
Antwainisha Bratcher - South Chicago | Shooting | F | 19 | Black
Deonte Fleming - West Englewood | Shooting | M | 23 | Black
Joseph Smith - Chatham | Assault | M | 26 | Black
Rafael Simmons - Garfield Ridge | Shooting | M | 31 | Black
Farrish Michael - Washington Park | Shooting | M | 28 | Black
David Green - Austin | Shooting | M | 39 | Black
Gregory Lewis - West Pullman | Shooting | M | 21 | Black
Danyal Jones - Avalon Park | Shooting | F | 30 | Black
Kenneth McKinney - Washington Park | Stabbing | M | 53 | Black
Lenell McClain - Burnside | Shooting | M | 26 | Black
Jalieel Jackson - Englewood | Shooting | M | 28 | Black
Keishanay Bolden - Englewood | Shooting | F | 18 | Black
Darius Jelks - Calumet Heights | Shooting | M | 31 | Black
Jaquawn Newman - New City | Shooting | M | 26 | Black
Lazarra Daniels - West Garfield Park | Shooting | F | 18 | Black
Angelo Bronson - West Englewood | Shooting | M | 36 | Black
Tommie Gatewood - Austin | Shooting | M | 27 | Black
John Tiggs - Auburn Gresham | Shooting | M | 32 | Black
Maurice Jelks - Calumet Heights | Shooting | M | 39 | Black
Darius Ferguson - South Shore | Stabbing | M | 26 | Black
Andrew Crues - East Garfield Park | Shooting | M | 34 | Black
Shanon Steward - West Englewood | Shooting | M | 24 | Black
Deshon Dillard - Lower West Side/Pilsen | Shooting | M | 22 | Black
Alex Clark - Auburn Gresham | Shooting | M | 21 | Black
Andre Jackson - Englewood | Shooting | M | 24 | Black
Gerald Johnson - Humboldt Park | Shooting | M | 31 | Black
Loren Johnson - South Chicago | Shooting | M | 42 | Black
Larita Kinley - Roseland | Shooting | F | 37 | Black
August Gills - Pullman | Shooting | M | 18 | Black
Dante Denny - Near West Side | Shooting | M | 29 | Black
Pierre Johnson - West Pullman | Shooting | M | 30 | Black
Johnathan Stanton - North Lawndale | Shooting | M | 31 | Black
Jeremiah James - Riverdale | Shooting | M | 15 | Black
Randle Lee - Avalon Park | Shooting | M | 41 | Black
Darius Smith-Ross - Chicago Lawn | Shooting | M | 29 | Black
Cincere Joiner - South Shore | Shooting | M | 17 | Black
Courtney Horton - Near North Side | Shooting | M | 32 | Black
Denzail Gresham - North Lawndale | Shooting | M | 27 | Black
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Read more from Leesa K. Donner.
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