Roy Exum
After the first weekend in August, the United States was shaken to its core as every major media outlet reported that 67 people had been shot in Chicago, 12 of them dead in the senseless carnage. Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel pleaded for calm and announced an additional 600 police officers would join other law enforcement in the five most troubled districts.
This past weekend, which contained 60 hours (between noon on Friday until midnight on Sunday,) the thugs in the Windy City blazed bullets like a well-oiled train – 60 persons shot (one for every hour) and seven of them dead – again, just this past weekend. Excuse me, this is the United States and the American people are allowing this horror story to keep playing?
Year-to-date there have been 1,970 Americans shot in our third-largest city and, to put it in better perspective, there have been only 2,372 American casualties in Afghanistan in all of the last 18 years combined by our U.S. troops.
Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said at a press conference on Monday “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist” to figure out why shootings are notorious in Chicago. “Too many criminals aren’t afraid to pull the trigger, because they don’t face significant prison time when they do.
“I’m tired of it, and you all should be tired of it too,” Johnson told the same old crowd of reporters in what has become a weekly scenario at Chicago Police Headquarters. “People are sick and tired of it, and they should be.”
So why does this black-on-black catastrophe continue unbridled week after week? “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist” the chief said and he predicted that with seemingly-toothless prosecution literally letting the gangs get by with murder, a solution will not be found anytime soon.
Johnson repeatedly has called for legislation that would impose more severe prison sentences for repeat gun offenders.
“As long as we fail to create repercussions for carrying and using illegal guns, or more importantly hold repeat violent offenders accountable for their actions, we’re simply going to continue to have these discussions on Monday mornings,” Johnson said. “Because it’s the same people who are pulling the triggers in some of these communities, this isn’t a widespread issue among Chicagoans, it’s the same people.”
“Crime isn’t just about what the police do,” Johnson responded to questions. “Crime is about what the criminals do.
“Let’s not forget the police aren’t the ones out there doing it. We can only do so much,” Johnson continued. “We cannot be on every street corner ... every moment of the day. We just can’t. That’s an impossibility. It’s unreasonable. There’s no police department in this country that can do that. The Chicago Police Department alone cannot solve the city’s violent crime problems.”
Mayor Emanuel is now being heavily criticized for what is believed to be his ineptness. "We have a heavy heart," the Democratic mayor said at a news conference Monday. "Our souls are burdened. What happened this weekend did not happen in every neighborhood of Chicago but it is unacceptable to happen in any neighborhood of Chicago. We are a better city …”
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According to the website, HeyJackass.com, which is the authoritative source on Chicago crime, consider these figures on the actual cost incurred when there is a shooting within the city limits. Note: almost none of the victims have health insurance
* -- $55,000: Average gunshot victim ER and hospital expenses.
* -- $1000: Average Chicago Fire Department ambulance ride, only applicable to 80% of victims, rest self-transport.
* -- $800: Homicide-related autopsies.
Doesn’t include hospice care or ongoing rehabilitation.
* -- Cost estimates (provided by Chicago Killings): $2.5 Billion.
* -- The cost of a gunshot wound is $21,000 for the first 35 minutes.
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