Chicago sees record violence over Memorial Day weekend
Despite new city and police leadership, Chicago just experienced the most violent Memorial Day weekend on record.
CHICAGO – Despite new city and police leadership, Chicago just experienced the most violent Memorial Day weekend on record.
“Our public safety agencies have plans in place this weekend and throughout the summer months to ensure everyone can enjoy our city in peace,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said last week.
During the first major test, these plans fell well short.
Fifty-three shooting victims and 12 murders in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend, worst yet.
Most of the violence was concentrated on the city’s West Side.
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“Young people get shot. Two 2-year-olds were gunned down this weekend. Why aren’t we taking this seriously?” asked Ja’Mal Green, a community activist and former mayoral candidate.
The mayhem began Friday, with a North Avenue Beach fight that led to shots being fired and part of the beach being closed.
Gov. JB Pritzker’s office was promoting a new “peacekeeping” initiative, sending 30 social workers into city neighborhoods to de-escalate the conflict. It’s a program that is costing taxpayers nearly a million dollars through the end of June.
The state could not tell FOX 32 Chicago where the peacekeepers were deployed. This weekend, shots rang out in almost every corner of the city.
“Our city is well prepared for Memorial Day,” Mayor Johnson said last week.
This was before the violent weekend.
Mayor Johnson issued a statement Tuesday that read in part:
“The violence our city has experienced this weekend is intolerable… I am committed to using every resource at our disposal to protect every life in our city.
This holiday weekend, thousands of police officers, first responders, city workers, business leaders, organizers, faith leaders, and violence breakers worked tirelessly to keep Chicago safe… on work done by these people this weekend is the basis of how we will finally ensure safety together.”
