With Memorial Day upon us, summer is unofficially here and that almost certainly means another season of mayhem in the Windy City.
As of early Sunday morning, there were already 34 individuals shot with eight dead in Chicago over Memorial Day Weekend.
The deadly weekend comes as Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is rolling out a safety program that includes having more police on the ground — which he’s accomplished by canceling days off, an increase in peace safety officers on hand to de-escalate situations, and events and programs for Chicago’s youth.
“It’s going to take all of us, not just the police, not just city government, to ensure that our communities can live and thrive in peace and safety,” Johnson said earlier this week. “However you decide to spend your holiday weekend in Chicago, your safety is my top priority.”
Last year, Chicago had its deadliest Memorial Day in half a decade. More than 50 were shot and nine were killed. Based on those numbers in comparison to this year, it doesn’t really seem like Johnson’s having a major impact in curbing crime. The weekend is not over, and Monday’s Memorial Day events will likely only bring more bloodshed.
Perhaps those inclined to commit such recklessness in Chicago don’t exactly fear Johnson or his soft-on-crime policies. Readers should keep in mind what happened after one April weekend during which throngs of teenagers rampaged in the streets, jumped on cars, and beat up at least one innocent couple. Johnson effectively dismissed it as youthful shenanigans. He even compared the behavior to his young child jumping down the flight of stairs.
He even told the press that it “is not constructive to demonize youth who have otherwise been starved of opportunities in their own communities.”
“Have you ever taught middle school? I have,” Johnson asked. “Have you ever raised young people? Do you understand the risk that young people take just because they’re young? Do you know that home plate is at the bottom of my stairs? I found that out when my son was sliding down those stairs trying to score.”
He went on to say that youngsters “make silly decisions! They do. So we have to make sure that we are investing to make sure that young people know that they are supported.”
Here is part of what those “silly” kids were doing:
🚨#BREAKING: Chaotic Scene Unfolds in Downtown Chicago as Teenagers Vandalize Cars and Gunfire Erupts
📌#Chicago | #Illinois ⁰
There is currently a significant police response taking place in downtown Chicago due to a large group of teenagers causing chaos. They have been… pic.twitter.com/n7xhBpsTKs— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) April 16, 2023
Johnson’s solution to this disarray, as well as the near-daily shootings in Chicago, is more government funding for programs often unrelated to the enforcement of the law. He should be doing more to back the police so that they can feel confident they have the support needed and authority to actually enforce the law.
Of course, the real answer to this chaos can’t just come from government funding or improved policing. He must, as this author has previously observed, advocate that fathers stay in the home and encourage mothers and fathers to stay together. Fatherlessness in Chicago, especially in the black community, can explain much of the city’s crime.
Until a true shift toward focusing the family on happens, Chicago will likely have many more deadly summers.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.