Is It Time To Call In The National Guard To The Streets Of Chicago?......

[global1]

Chicago weekend shooting toll: 8 dead, 45 wounded

The shootings bring the year's total to at least 2,213, according to an analysis of a Chicago Tribune database. That's an increase of more than 350 over last year and more than 500 over 2013, according to Tribune data.

There were at least 365 homicide victims in Chicago through Monday morning this year, 53 more than last year and 38 more than 2013, according to a Tribune database on homicides.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-weekend-shooting-totals-20150921-story.html

It's getting scary folks. When will the people of Chicago demand something be done. It's getting harder and harder to justify living in or going into the city.

[Tipperary]

1. Posters here on the du do not want to discuss this type of violence although I do

not understand why not.

[whatthehey]

3. Mostly because it is very localized and easy to almost entirely avoid for most people.

I've never lived in Chicago but I know the place reasonably well and I've lived in two other "murder capitals".

In each case the vast majority (note one or even a few examples do not refute this) of these sensationalized crimes are in limited high-risk neighborhoods among limited high risk groups. If you stay out of the battle zones (and no that doesn't mean you need to live on millionaire row) and keep away from the drug trade and street crime as chosen activities, your risk falls to a very low baseline that doesn't vary much by city, or frankly by location. Sure a few innocent residents with no option to move away get tragically caught in the crossfire, and occasionally a major grudge will cause the predators to extend their range every now and again, but these are extremity-countable out of that 300+.

Should we care about those in the battlezones, even when they choose to be participants? Of course, but that's the long game which requires deconcentrating and diminishing poverty, a paradigm shift in policing high-risk communities, infrastructure and enterprise investment, creative education policies, employer of last resort programs, welfare policy shifts, and a generation or two to work. Putting in the National Guard is likely to exacerbate the issue more than help. They will be seen as just another gang with green colors.

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. Exactly right...I live in Chicago and you've pinned it exactly

I'm not sure where the OP lives, or what the OP means by "justifying" living in the city or going into the city. My area of the city is low crime, safe, middle and working class affordable. And quite lovely. We're also supposed to "demand" something be done, according to the OP. Usually, when Chicago shootings come up on this board it is gun types poo-pooing gun laws, or racists winking out their racism. Neither group, of course, gives a good goddamn about Chicago or its people. Not sure if the OP is in either of those categories. I hope not, though. We need productive long-game solutions, as you note, not cheap theatrics for 'winning" online arguments.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

7. I just spent two days in the heart of Baltimore.

I walked around multiple neighborhoods, drove around some more, in daytime and in nighttime, spent overnight in the middle of the city, and not once did I feel anywhere in the least bit unsafe. The very worst thing I could say about it was that Friday evening it was damn near impossible to find a parking space near the house I was staying because of all the restaurants and hot spots in the area.

And yet to someone not familiar with the ins and outs of Baltimore, I'd tell them I'm staying overnight in Baltimore and they'd think I'm crazy and I'd need a flack jacket.

But I absolutely love that city. I've been New York and DC and neither of those cities with their international allure match up with Baltimore in my opinion.

You are 100% spot on in your assessment. Yes, David Simon's version of Baltimore (and from my screen name, you can tell I'm a fan) is very true to life and realistic (to the point where The Wire could be confused with a documentary), but only for those given areas. And the problems there are very real and they need attention and community building (but not the National Guard). Major cities are huge places with a lot of different neighborhoods. And even the worst neighborhoods in these cities shouldn't be confused with actual war zones.

[Bluenorthwest]

11. Have you seen 'Show Me a Hero' yet? It's great, Simon 6 part about public housing in Yonkers NY

It's terrific. HBO. See it.

[Tipperary]

9. The large city that I live near has the same thing going on. There was a spate of murders

over Labor Day. All in the same area. Again, gangs were implicated. The rest of the city is very safe. I actually have to travel through one of the areas where there are shootings and I have to do that in the very early morning. I keep my eyes open and I am not frightened. I am careful however. I agree with you that those who participate in this nonsense really have no one to blame but themselves but a 7 year old was killed during the Labor Day shootings. This country should be better than this.

[whatthehey]

2. Why Chicago? Not even in the top 10.

Per capita rates are the best metric here as they major rates not raw numbers, and there are many cities worse than Chicago.

[Travis_0004]

5. Chicago is a very large city

There are some very safe areas, and some very dangerous areas, so on average, it does not make the top 10.

There are parts of chicago that are just as dangerous as some cities.

[romanic]

4. I think it's getting to that point.

Really sad.

[closeupready]

8. Why? They didn't do that in New York in the bloodiest days of the 80's/early 90's.

Yet, crime declined to the point where New York became and remains still now just about the safest big city in the US.

[oneshooter]

10. No, I am sure that the democratically elected city officials have everything under control. n/t