Chicago Records Lowest Murder Rate in April Since 1962
Could Chicago escape Donald Trump’s critical eye? This thought, a modern twist on Richard Nixon’s infamous statement when he quit the California governor race in 1962, sprang up recently in response to some encouraging reports regarding violent crime rates in Chicago. April finished off in the city with just a total of 20 registered murders, a result of a WBEZ analysis. This is the lowest murder count for the month of April since 1962.
Additionally, the investigation by public radio revealed that the recorded ‘116 murders from the start of this year until the end of April is the smallest total for such a time span since 2014.’ Even though the city prepares each year for a rise in violent crime rates during the summer, it appears to be on track to meet Mayor Brandon Johnson’s aim to reduce the number of annual murders to less than 500 by 2025, for the first time in ten years.
In the midst of this positive development, attentions turn towards Washington. The question is are they aware of these promising turns of events, and how can they contribute to continue this downward trend? President Trump’s remarkable torrent of executive orders towards the end of his current term’s initial 100 days has led him once again to interfere in Chicago’s matters just as the city experiences a period of positive change independent of his influence.
Three of his executive orders seem to be designed with the city of Chicago in mind. One of these aims to terminate all active federal consent decrees related to police conduct. This would impact Chicago’s own decree, which was instated following the lethal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke, back in October 2014. McDonald’s life came to an end after 16 bullets from Van Dyke’s 9mm weapon struck him.
In the exhaustive 400-page documentation produced after the incident, police reported that McDonald had exhibited irrational behaviour while out on the street and had made threatening movements towards officers despite orders to drop his knife. This led superior officers to justify McDonald’s death as a lawful killing. However, video evidence released later showed a different scene, with McDonald was walking in the opposite direction.
This lead to Jason Van Dyke’s conviction for the crime of second-degree murder. Following this, both the city of Chicago and the U.S. Department of Justice agreed to a consent decree to address the core civil rights issues raised by this case. This bears similarities to Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance. This decree, first introduced in 1985 by then Mayor Harold Washington through an executive order, sought to prevent the prosecution of undocumented immigrants solely for their immigration status.
The ordinance also sought to boost legal assistance for officers accused of improper conduct during their duties. While I wholly support law enforcement, the question of local departments using military equipment warrants a broader discussion. It raises an ongoing debate about the prudence and efficacy of the militarization of local police forces, particularly in regard to the risk of excessive force being used against, for instance, political demonstrators.