Violence is out of control, time for action, not words
Chicago Tribune reported two double-shootings minutes apart in West and South sides of Chicago that took the lives of three people last week.
A man and woman were killed while seated in an SUV while another man died after being shot while walking. Before the finger pointing, let’s realize that the victims and perpetrators are both human and likely U.S. citizens, not simply African-American.
And, no, asking me or anyone to take responsibility for the actions of people tethered to our ethnic group or race, is not culpability that receives my support.
Humans deliver their individual acts of crazy whether perched with a firearms or rifles in a Las Vegas hotel room, delivering an assault inside a Florida disco or on any given day in the Windy City.
Shootings in Chicago seem so commonplace that reading the Chicago Tribune article makes gun violence sound ordinary. Consider this report.
“In other shootings in Chicago Wednesday, one person was killed in another doubleshooting and seven others, including boys ages 11 and 16, were wounded,” the paper reported.
The Chicago War included victim. Mayo Martez, 20, shot and killed around 1:35 p.m. during an argument that left another man wounded in a home in the 11100 block of South Emerald Avenue in the Roseland neighborhood on the Far South Side, according to police media notification.
The paper reported Martez suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:02 p.m.
The other person wounded, a 25-year-old man, suffered a gunshot wound to the face. He was taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, where he was in good condition.
The Chicago Tribune article noted the 11-year-old boy received a serious wound “when someone shot into a home in the 10300 block of South Avenue N in the East Side neighborhood at about 8:50 p.m., police said. The boy suffered gunshot wounds to his left arm and chest, according to police.
Imagine a boy just standing in his home and a car drives by as a passenger fires bullets that strike him. Number one, it’s time to move. A tent pitched in the Mojave Desert sounds better than attempting to make a life in Chiraq. Chicago’s paper of record explained that the 16-year-old boy suffered gunshot wounds to the leg and body. Police officials listed his condition as critical. A 19-year-old man was shot in the right calf. A 25-year-old man shot twice in the right leg. Both men were listed in good condition although nothing good can be associated with bullet holes.
And more. A 23-year-old man shot in the Southside; another man shot in the stomach and torso a half-hour later; and finally, mercifully, an end to the carnage when a 36-year-old man suffered a graze gun wound to his neck.
That last shooting happened at 6:05 p.m. Wednesday although one can assume other incidents occurred after the Chicago paper went to print.
Final tally? Fourteen people shot, four fatally during the day’s shoot-a-thon.
In January, 2017, President Donald Trump criticized Chicago officials and law enforcement.
“They’re not doing the job,” he told ABC. He added: “Maybe they’re not gonna have to be so politically correct. Maybe they’re being overly political correct. Maybe there’s something going on.”
Trump said Chicago’s violence had an easy solution but the president did not offer elaborate on his plan that could support Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel who appears overmatched by his city’s crime issues.
In 2016, Chicago witnessed 771 murders and 4,349 shooting victims. Last year, Chicago leaders boasted improvement with 650 murders and 3,457 shooting victims.
The violence delivers worse casualties than U.S. wars being waged in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia and Libya.
If President Trump has a solution then he should deliver that message now before Chicago experiences another bloody Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.