Chicago hits grim milestone of 700 murders for 2016 and the year's not over
Aamer Madhani , USA TODAY
CHICAGO— Mired in a level of violence not seen in nearly two decades, the nation’s third largest city recorded its 701st murder on Thursday, reaching a stunning milestone before year's end. Johnson has blamed the violence on a combination of increased gang activity and weak gun laws that he says don't dissuade convicted felons from carrying and using weapons.
But anti-violence activists say the killings—the bulk of which are occurring in a few low-income and predominantly African-American neighborhoods on the city’s South and West Sides—also raise concerns that a dark edge has set into young people in some of the communities most impacted by the violence.
About 47% of Chicago's black men, ages 20 to 24, are unemployed, according to a report published earlier this year by the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Great Cities Institute.
The city has reported over 100 more murders this year than New York City and Los Angeles combined, according to the departments’ data.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/12/01/chicago-700-murders-2016/94732276/Chi-Town Getbiggers, why can't your city get crime under control?
