Chicago mayor targets street violence

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and police leaders unveiled a plan for combating street violence that includes targeting liquor and convenience stores used by gang members as hangouts.

Emanuel, citing the city’s “unique gang problem,” said the plan would merge the efforts of police and other agencies into a single front, focusing on businesses he called a “cancer” in troubled neighborhoods. The announcement followed a holiday weekend that saw more than 40 shootings and 10 homicides in the city over four days. Homicides spiked by 60% during the first three months of this year to 120.