Murder Rate Goes Up Over Mother’s Day Weekend In This Liberal City
(UnitedReader.com) – Chicago and other large metropolitan areas, such as New York City (NYC) and Los Angeles (LA), have seen upticks in crime since last year. While overall violence has been on the rise across America’s major cities, homicides and shootings have actually decreased. Despite the apparent decline, Mother’s Day weekend saw plenty of both in Chicago.
Not Your Typical Mother’s Day
Normally, people associate Mother’s Day with spending time with their mothers, grandmothers, or even the mothers of their children. However, in Chicago, it turned out to be a nightmare for some families. According to Fox News, the Windy City saw at least 32 people become the victims of shootings, with at least another seven dying as a result of gun violence.
One victim was a 12-year-old boy. The child was standing on the sidewalk in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, at around 8:45 p.m. local time, when two men approached and shot him. Fox 32 indicated authorities believe the boy will survive.
In a separate incident, 64-year-old Larry Purnell was shot in the chest while standing in his yard. Emergency services rushed him to the hospital, but medical staff pronounced him dead. Police don’t believe Purnell was the shooter’s intended target.
Another victim from a separate incident, Krista Loston, spoke on Mother’s Day about her son’s death. Just days before celebrating Mother’s Day, Loston lost her eldest son, Jamarion Loston, 22. Authorities found the victim in a car, deceased, after suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. When police tried to talk to witnesses, no one wanted to cooperate. The mother urged the city of Chicago to do something, calling for an end to all the violence that plagues the city. She’s far from the only one, with several frustrated residents reiterating her plea and demanding action.
A Common Trend?
The Hill reported that Chicago has seen an increase in crime since last year, around a 36% spike. Even so, shootings and homicides were down from 2021’s numbers. Chicago has become a center for gun violence, with car thefts and burglaries seeing alarming increases.
Chicago Police data shows, while murders were down 6% and shootings fell 11%, carjackings jumped 43%, burglaries increased 36%, and thefts were up by 70% compared to the same time period in 2021, ending on March 27. In all fairness, the Windy City recorded the most homicides last year than it had in the previous two and a half decades, according to AP News.
Chicago isn’t the only city seeing such staggering numbers. In fact, NYC and LA both reported similar trends. Police data in NYC indicated that while overall crime spiked by 45% compared to the same time last year, shootings decreased by 17%, and homicides dropped by around 5%.
The Hill also reported that LA also saw a drop in its homicide rate, a 13% decrease. Additionally, the City of Angels also recorded an 8% decrease in shootings — although, like NYC and the Windy City, LA’s overall violent crime rate spiked by around 12%.
There seems to be a trend setting in major cities across the country. While shootings and killings are decreasing, the surge in overall violent crime is concerning. Of course, many departments correlate a rise in crime with a rise in temperature; as the weather gets nicer, many cities also see increases in crime. Liberal defunding has done no one any favors, so for now, all anyone can do is hope authorities find the means to reduce these incidents.
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