More than 100 people were shot in Chicago this past weekend amid calls for the city to take further steps to combat gun violence. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and other city leaders asked for more federal resources for “community support,” while others more cogently blamed Illinois’ lenient policies on crime.
The victims included women and children. Nineteen people died. The city of Chicago is unfortunately not foreign to violence over the Fourth of July, as 57 shootings occurred during last year’s holiday weekend. Erica Pinkerton, the childhood friend of a 74-year-old woman who was shot and injured, heartbreakingly described July 4 as “assassination day.” This disturbing increase in violence from last year reflects a dire need for steps to be taken in the name of combating such malicious violence.
Johnson referenced the dark nature of the shootings when he said, “This is a choice. The choice to kill. The choice to kill women, the choice to kill children, the choice to kill the elderly.”
Yet no arrests were reported. The perpetrators of these crimes will most likely pay no price for the pain they’ve caused, while the victims won’t ever receive the justice they so crucially deserve. This repetition of violence stems from the fact that criminals incur little risk when they carry out these shootings. When 109 people get shot between Wednesday and Monday, but not a single person gets arrested, it’s easy to see why stories such as these aren’t uncommon in Chicago. Unfortunately, these killers are still loose in the city and will inevitably spur more tragedy.
This is not to blame the heroic police officers who are trying their best to protect their communities but to raise awareness about the difficult nature of combating gun violence. Chicago public officials are taking steps in the right direction, however, by calling for assistance from the federal government, questioning Illinois’ liberal bail reforms, and urging communities to foster stronger relationships with the police officers tasked with keeping them safe.
Johnson has claimed that more federal resources will help the city enforce efforts to take guns off the street. He also has urged the public to speak up if it knows someone who has participated in the violence. Alderwoman Jeannette Taylor of Chicago’s 20th Ward believes the most important ingredient in solving the problem is combating the anti-police rhetoric in the city by urging Chicagoans to develop relationships with police officers.
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Illinois’ soft-on-crime policies are also directly to blame. The Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-Today Act took effect on Jan. 1, 2023. It reduced certain felonies to misdemeanors and eliminated cash bail in the entire state of Illinois.
Human beings respond to incentives, and criminals are no different. Lenient policies such as this one actively remove the risk associated with crime and incentivize criminal activity. When zero arrests are made over the course of 109 shootings, and criminals know the justice system rarely administers any, heartbreaking tragedies are going to continue to happen in cities across the country.