Contrary to Popular Belief, Crime is Down in Chicago: Mayor’s Press Release

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With Donald Trump threatening to occupy Chicago with the National Guard because of Chicago’s “out of control crime,” it’s important to stick to and promote the fact that crime in Chicago is down. It has been trending downward since the mid-1990s.

Here are the most recent Chicago crime facts, according to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office:

“MOST RECENT YEAR-TO-DATE STATISTICS:  

• Overall Violent Crime: –21.6% 
• Homicides: –32.3% 
• Overall Shooting Incidents: –37.4% 
• Multi-Victim Shooting Incidents: -44.6% 
• Robberies: -31.9% 
• Vehicular Hijackings: -49% 
• Aggravated Assault: -18.1%”

Importantly, it is vital to remember what people feel and what the numbers show can conflict. People’s feelings are real. For instance, to a person who rides the CTA every day and sees everything from battery to people smoking on the train, these numbers are no more than words on a page. Still, in a grander context, one must realize their lived experience does not reflect the totality of reality.

As an example, opposed to the person riding the Redline train every day, there may be a person who drives and sees couples walking hand-in-hand along the lake every day. That same person can recall a time when no one felt safe enough to do that. From their viewpoint, crime is down.

Stepping back from both of those subjective viewpoints, the data is in. It proves that crime is down and that it has been trending downward in Chicago since the 90s, as noted in this Yale University study. Now, with those points made, this is the full press release:

You can also see it here online, directly from the Mayor’s Office.

The Takeaway

Saying crime is down in Chicago won’t get you any clicks, even though it’s true. It’s unfortunate that narratives made of negative lies spread quicker than the truth. Share this. Spread the truth.

This article was written by Jermaine Reed, MFA, the Editor-in-Chief of The Reeders Block.