WHY SO MANY KILLINGS IN CHICAGO?

I have five reasons what's causing all of the killings in Chicago…but are they right? Let me know. The first belief, that Chicago is dangerous, ain’t true! Homicide rates in Chicago have been lower recently than most other cities in the United States, and in the motherfuckin world as a matter of fact. Homicides have declined since the 90’s and recently as low as the 1960s. Most of the killings are concentrated in six districts (I call them the murder zone), all of which are plagued by intergenerational poverty, gangs, momma only households, social disorder and economic blight. In 2010, 52 percent of the city's murders were committed in these six police districts. The remaining 19 are really safe! The second belief is that the police should be solely responsible for lowering the city's murder rate; this is some false shit! Despite all of the technological shit in law enforcement, CPD alone can do little to prevent homicides. Policing is really reactive to me. The police can no more prevent murders than firefighters can prevent fires or paramedics can prevent heart attacks. Yet, Mayor Rham and the top cop are criticized every time another young life is senselessly and needlessly lost to homicide. The third belief is that gangs increase Chicago's murder rate; now this shit is mostly true. Gang-related killings make up 60 percent of the murders and often involve shootings to gain control of a corner, or area, or to enhance a gang's reputation or power. Silly ass gang members also kill for reasons that have nothing to do with the gang's interests (personal insults, relationship conflicts, etc.). Last year’s warm winter and spring, and one of the hottest summers increased the number of street interactions. Loosely connected gang loyalties and a lack of mature gang leaders to keep the younger, more violent fools in check also escalate violence. In addition, gangs in Chicago have been forced out of project high-rises and into unfamiliar neighborhoods where they are confronted by rival gangs, or by rival factions within their own gang. Sad shit! The fourth belief is that murders are predictable, which is some false shit again! "Heat of the moment" killings generally take place suddenly and in a house or an apartment — where they’re virtually fuckin impossible to prevent, but those are easier to solve. They are between spouses, partners, family members, or neighbors, and the killer usually leaves behind a whole lot of CSI shit for evidence! In contrast, instrumental (cold-blooded) killings are committed to accomplish a motherfuckin goal. They are easier to prevent; the police can collect information when the murder is being planned or when conflicts are brewing. Unfortunately, this information rarely comes to police attention until the murder has been committed. Hum? (Snitches are needed) Even a fluke accident can end in death, turning a shooting into a homicide. Check this shit out I learned from CSI: the trajectory and caliber of the bullet, where it enters the body and how it tracks after it’s in the body, the size and body weight of the victim and the proximity of the shooting to the nearest trauma center are all in the homicide equation. Yea it is! In some years, these factors favor the survival of the victims; in others, they do not, and homicide rates go down or up. The fifth belief is that handguns add greatly to the high homicide rate in Chicago, this shit is really true. Pistols are used in 80 percent of Chi’s murders. That means fewer guns might, but not necessarily, translate into fewer homicides. Hum? Chicago's homicide rates went through the roof when the handgun ordinance was enforced. Most people own guns for sport or self-protection, not to commit a felony. The impact of gun buyback programs on homicides is trivial; usually law-abiding and good citizens turn in their guns for cash, because they need the money! So, what the hell are we to do? The city of Chicago, and I mean everybody, Black, white, Hispanic, Jew, etc. must come to understand that violence is both a public health and criminal justice problem. I don’t care where the hell you live in Chicago; multipronged strategies are needed to tackle the complex understanding of homicidal behavior, which is an expression of a highly disturbed nigga living in a highly distressed community. (The hood) I think most causes of violence can be addressed most effectively through the social, political and economic revitalization of these distressed neighborhoods. Remember the original CAPS (Chicago Alternative Policing) model, the police should leverage the city to tear down or board up abandoned homes and buildings — especially those that gangs use for secret shit — and remove graffiti, garbage and abandoned cars from the streets. Reductions in physical disorder will increase community solidarity and lower the rates of crime and violence in the “hood”. Yea it will!! The CPD should use the best pieces of the original CAPS model, like, uh, long-term (permanent) assignment of police officers to the same beats, especially in the murder zone. Drug sweeps every damn day, saturation patrols and gang audits are somewhat useful, but the effects are only temporary! Hot spots eventually cool off and motherfuckers just go on other street corners after the police leave. Recent police hiring will only maintain the current level of staffing. Folks in Chicago will support budgetary restructuring, even the imposition of a safety tax, if the money is used to hire the additional police officers necessary to make the hood truly safer. Mike Bloomberg’s New York Miracle — big ass reductions in all categories of serious crime— was made possible by the city's hiring of 8,000 new police officers. Hum? The second element is the renewal of regular beat meetings, especially where the risk for homicide is greatest. Beat meetings highlight police-citizen partnerships in the co-production of hood safety. Through the establishment of closer and more trusting relationships with police officers, (cringing), more residents could be enlisted to help solve gang-related killings, which have a very low clearance rate. In conjunction with beat meetings, the most violent districts must establish an anti-homicide task force, consisting of police officers; lyin preachers, city, and school officials; community organizers; and researchers. The task forces should meet weekly with Rham and the top cop to discuss the latest data on shootings and the adoption of district-specific measures to enhance safety. The city should also re-vamp the Cease-fire Program, a pretty good approach that hires former gang members as violence interrupters who get information about impending gang-related homicides to avoid retaliatory gang warfare. Whew! Violence interrupters also can teach young men better conflict-resolution skills. Cease-fire and other community organizations and institutions must focus on changing the culture of violence that flows through the lives of young Black men, the most likely victims and perpetrators of homicide in the city. The thugs who use guns never own them legally and never buy them mothefuckers in Chicago, which has no gun shops. The ATF claims that Chicago's gangs get their guns from outside of Illinois. Duh? Furthermore, most chronic offenders are prohibited from gun ownership because they have a felony or are on probation or parole supervision. To ensure that guns do not come into the possession of these niggas, the CPD should reestablish its specialized gun unit in each of the distressed districts in the murder zone, working with beat officers and ATF agents in mutual styles of policing. The longer-term assignment of specialty officers to districts would minimize the likelihood of the abuses that were attributed to the “jump-out boys.” In addition, using the RICO statute, holding gang leaders accountable for every gang-related murder committed by their members, could compel gang leaders to control the silly ass uneducated shooters among their ranks. The CPD has got to shut down the out-in-the open drug markets, ending the violence that comes from conflicts over territory. In New York, outdoor drug sales were driven indoors, where conflicts between rival drug dealers were minimized if not prevented altogether. A positive byproduct of closing down the open-air drug markets is the increased inconvenience of buyin the shit! The ramps of the Eisenhower Expressway would no longer provide easy in and out for suburbanites buyin heroin, cocaine and Kush from street gang members. Homicides end young Black lives senselessly, damaging families and communities for generations to come. The complexity of this problem calls for diverse solutions in which police, residents and community leaders create orderly environments where shooting will never be a viable solution to a problem. The city needs more officers engaging in more “gangs-drugs-guns” policing in the districts where the risk of becoming another horrific homicide statistic is greatest. The benefits of reducing homicides will transfer to all residents in ensuring that Chicago remains a world-class city.