Chicago in crisis, one bloody day after another
One city. Two months’ time. 1,130 shootings, 212 of them fatal.
That’s nearly 19 people shot a day, on average, with at least three of them killed. Mostly on the South and West Sides.
Let it sink in. This is 61 days in Chicago — May 22, when an uptick in violence began, through July 21.
If Chicago’s violence continues at this pace, it will be unfathomable. The county morgue fills up. Children lie in coffins. And our city faces a daunting rebuilding job in the wake of the civil unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd and the economic toll of the coronavirus.
Who will invest if the violence has no end?
We appreciate that President Donald Trump, for all his bashing rhetoric, finally appears to have gotten on the same page with Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other big-city leaders in his deploying of an initiative called Operation Legend to help end the summer bloodshed.
Earlier this week, our worry was that Operation Legend might be nothing more than a replay of the anti-civil-liberties outrage being pursued by the Department of Homeland Security in Portland, Oregon. Federal agents dressed like soldiers at war have swept people off the street — without cause or charge — in unmarked cars.
But, best we can tell, John Lausch, the U.S. attorney in Chicago, has been instrumental in pushing the Trump administration to come to its senses, drop the thug tactics, and devise a plan to send an extra 200 or more federal agents to our city to work hand-in-hand with local police. Not to patrol the streets, as in Portland, but to use their expertise to help solve crimes.
If Operation Legend truly is about partnering with the Chicago police, and not just another heavy-handed Trump campaign stunt, more power to it. Time will tell. It is reassuring, on that score, that Lausch will supervise the federal resources in Chicago.
Because there’s no denying the crisis in our city. These numbers, compiled for us by Sun-Times Wire Reporter David Struett, tell the story, with weekend days in bold face:
Tuesday, July 21: 23 people shot, four fatally
Monday, July 20: 25 people shot, three fatally
Sunday, July 19: 22 people shot, five fatally
Saturday, July 18: 28 people shot, three fatally
Friday, July 17: 31 people shot, two fatally
Thursday, July 16: 17 people shot, four fatally
Wednesday, July 15: 11 people shot, two fatally
Tuesday, July 14: 14 people shot, two fatally
Monday, July 13: 15 people shot, three fatally
Sunday, July 12: 27 people shot, four fatally
Saturday, July 11: 27 people shot, six fatally
Friday, July 10: 17 people shot, five fatally
Thursday, July 9: Nine people shot, two fatally
Wednesday July 8: Nine people shot, three fatally
Tuesday, July 7: 11 people shot, two fatally
Monday, July 6: 19 people shot, four fatally
Sunday, July 5: 32 people shot, three fatally
Saturday, July 4: 37 people shot, 12 fatally
Friday, July 3: 12 people shot, one fatally
Thursday, July 2: 15 people shot, three fatally
Wednesday, July 1: 15 people shot, two fatally
Tuesday, June 30: 19 people shot, three fatally
Monday, June 29: Six people shot, three fatally
Sunday, June 28: 32 people shot, eight fatally
Saturday, June 27: 28 people shot, 10 fatally
Friday, June 26: Seven people shot, one fatally
Thursday, June 25: 14 people shot, two fatally
Wednesday, June 24: 17 people shot, two fatally
Tuesday, June 23: 16 people shot, one fatally
Monday, June 22: 44 people shot, six fatally
Sunday, June 21: 27 people shot, four fatally
Saturday, June 20: 35 people shot, nine fatally
Friday, June 19: 27 people shot, four fatally
Thursday, June 18: 21 people shot, four fatally
Wednesday, June 17: Six people shot, one fatally
Tuesday, June 16: 10 people shot, one fatally
Monday, June 15: 18 people shot, five fatally
Sunday, June 14: 13 people shot, one fatally
Saturday, June 13: 13 people shot, one fatally
Friday, June 12: 18 people shot, none fatally
Thursday, June 11: 10 people shot, two fatally
Wednesday, June 10: Eight people shot, two fatally
Tuesday, June 9: Nine people shot, two fatally
Monday, June 8: Nine people shot, two fatally
Sunday, June 7: 17 people shot, four fatally
Saturday June 6: 15 people shot, one fatally
Friday, June 5: 10 people shot, none fatally
Thursday, June 4: 16 people shot, three fatally
Wednesday, June 3: 18 people shot, two fatally
Tuesday, June 2: 29 people shot, three fatally
Monday, June 1: 22 people shot, three fatally
Sunday, May 31: 50 people shot, 16 fatally
Saturday, May 30: 18 people shot, seven fatally
Friday, May 29: 15 people shot, three fatally
Thursday, May 28: 11 people shot, two fatally
Wednesday, May 27: 11 people shot, two fatally
Tuesday, May 26: 20 people shot, four fatally
Monday, May 25: 19 people shot, one fatally
Sunday, May 24: 10 people shot, three fatally
Saturday, May 23: 17 people shot, five fatally
Friday, May 22: Nine people shot, three fatally