2020 has seen rising violence in many of America’s larger cities, but it’s been particularly bad in Chicago. The overall figures for shootings and other violent crimes have been regularly reported, but one aspect of these trends is particularly disturbing. Increasingly, many of the attacks have been against the police. We’re not talking a small amount, either. The number of times that Chicago PD officers have been shot at or struck by bullets is a full 300% higher than during the same period in 2019. That’s a much sharper rise than the jump in overall shootings seen in the Windy City. This alarming statistic should have everyone worried. (Washington Examiner)
Statistics from the Chicago Police Department released Sunday and reported by the Chicago Sun-Times show 67 officers have been shot at, with 10 of them struck by bullets. The uptick is four times more than last year, when 17 officers were shot at, two being struck by gunfire.
Through Oct. 31 of this year, 655 murders were recorded in Chicago. In 2019, only 431 were recorded during the same period. That’s a 51% increase from last year. In 2016, there were 612 murders by Oct. 25.
This year, 3,465 people were shot in the city, rising by 56% from 2019, when 2,221 people were shot in the same time frame.
Those are some grim numbers, to say the least. We’re fortunate that none of Chicago’s police officers have been killed in the line of duty this year, but the brazen nature of the regular attacks on them is yet another sign of the deterioration of law and order in our major metropolitan areas. Much of the violence can be attributed to Chicago’s perpetual gang problems, but not all of it. Going from 17 incidents of gunfire directed at police in 2019 to 67 thus far in 2020 is simply too significant to write off as a statistical anomaly.
Meanwhile, the 655 murders recorded in Chicago by the end of October represent a full 50% increase over the same period last year. That figure runs roughly parallel with the 56% increase in overall shootings. Nearly 3,500 shootings in nine months represent a lot of lead flying around.
Meanwhile, a short distance to the north at Northwestern University, we find more evidence that not all of the anti-police violence is coming from gang members. That school actually has an anti-police student activist group called “NU Community Not Cops.” Their group activities clearly involve more than marches and handing out pamphlets. This week they sponsored what could only be called a riot and it including hurling bricks and shooting fireworks at police officers. (Free Beacon)
An anti-police student activist group at Northwestern University rioted this weekend, launching fireworks and bricks at police officers and vandalizing city property.
Officers say that about 150 students involved with the “NU Community Not Cops” activist group gathered on Saturday night to call on Northwestern officials to abolish the school’s police department.
Evanston, Ill., police chief Demetrius Cook said his department allowed the protest to continue until students began throwing projectiles, including bricks and fireworks, at officers. Protesters also graffitied traffic signs and damaged other city property, the police said in a statement.
Can we honestly claim to be surprised that anti-police violence is on the rise in that area? You have a city government that constantly blames the police for problems instead of the criminals. Elected officials regularly speak out in support of calls to defund the police. College campuses allow the growth of groups that are literally dedicated to abolishing the police and physically attack them in the open. How long can conditions like those remain in place before the wheels start coming off?
You really want to abolish the police? Go for it. I’ll offer the same solution that I have for New York City and Portland. Transfer all of the cops to other regions where they’ll be more appreciated. Then build a huge wall around the entire city and let everyone fend for themselves. See how well that works out for you.
