In auto racing, Indianapolis is legendary for the Indy 500. Indianapolis and many other cities continue to struggle with a race of a different kind – murders. It should be noted that Indianapolis has had a bad year. Already, as of 12 December, 258 people have been murdered in that city. This year’s Indy murder count is 13 more than 2020’s full-year total, and 25 more than a year ago on this date. Here in Chicago, this city is a day or so away from topping its 2020 full-year total. In fact, the Chicago 800 is underway. Such is a deadly race to see whether this year’s Chicago murder count stays under, hits, or exceeds 800.
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A Quick Look at the Numbers
Officially, as midnight, through 12 December 2021, Chicago’s year-to-date murder count stands at 767. That count is up 4% from the 739 recorded through 12 December 2020. [It bears noting that 2020 was a leap year, and had an extra day to get to 739 murders by 12 December.]
To be clear, Secure 1776 prays that the city never experiences another murder. But, like many, we fear Chicago’s violence problem will continue it’s deadly race up to and beyond 31 December 2021.
As of 12 December, 346 days have been counted in 2021. Through yesterday, Chicago’s official murder count stood at 767.
To stay under 800 murders for a full-year 2021 count, the city cannot add more than 32 murders.
As of Sunday, this year the city has averaged 2.2 murder per day.
Counting today, 13 December, there are 19 days remaining in 2021. Sadly, the city remains on a pace to reach the 800 murders. To stay under this count, the average over these 19 days cannot be higher than 1.7 murders per day. It bears noting, that there were 32 murders during the period of 13 through 31 December 2020.
The Deadly Race and Losing
Back on 6 September 2021, we discussed the race Chicago was already losing, in our post “Groundhog Day in Hadleyville: Lawless and Violent.” We drew upon two movies to make a key point. The first, the 1993 film, “Groundhog Day,” a comedy set in a peaceful community that takes local pride in its annual celebration of Groundhog Day. In that film, Bill Murray’s character relives the same Groundhog Day, each day, for a very long time. Hadleyville, as we have discussed here many times, is the setting for the film, “High Noon.” What we continue to see in Chicago is what we described as a tragedy on par of “Groundhog Day in Hadleyville.” Hadleyvilles are lawless and violent places where gunman feel comfortable roaming the streets. 800 murders sounds like a headline befitting a Hadleyville.
What will Chicago’s headlines read on 1 January 2022? They will likely not be good. There is only one way that the headlines could proclaim a “win” for the city over these next 19 days. A murder-free rest of December. That would be an incredible gift worthy of Christmas.
What is it that Chicago does not need, and what do we at Secure 1776 not want to see or hear? Any claim of a “victory lap” by this city’s elected officials, if the count manages to stay under 800.
Almighty Lord – Chicago is in need of a miracle.
Not Familiar with the Hadleyville Reference?
We are interested in your thoughts, and invite you to comment below.
With temperatures expected to reach the 50’s & 60’s the next 4 days, I’d anticipate 15 homicides over that stretch. It’s a shame that with days like this on the forecast families can’t even head downtown to look at the windows at Macy’s or visit the Kristkindlemarket. It’s just not safe.
For all climate discussions – the truest one is that bitter cold reduces public violence and unseasonably warm weather heightens the risk for increased violence.
Sadly, Chicago continually leads the Country with the highest number of murders recorded by any given city… year after year. It unfortunately will get worse, and may never get better. How did we get to “Hadleyville” so quickly? It is complex and involves the deterioration of many institutions all contributing to our City’s demise.
-We have a non-prosecution judicial system. This is exceedingly apparent with the elimination of an effective juvenile justice system. Additionally, we have a Cook County prosecutor that wishes to decriminalize all property and drug crimes. Soon Illinois will have a “no cash” bail system. What can continue to go wrong here?
-We have a lack of responsible media and investigative reporting in Chicago. The media crafts stories with omission, misinformation and a lack of statistics to fill their twisted altruistic notions. Don’t do us any favors, just report all the facts.
-We have a serious breakdown in the family structure. Loving, moral, ethical and strict parents are becoming more and more absent. The generational cycle of parental absence is expanding. This trend must be reversed.
-We have a substandard public education system (and increasingly substandard private education system). The schools have abandoned teaching the trades, civics, basic personal finance, etc. Additionally, they do a terrible job on teaching science, technology, engineering and math. Teaching students to understand their feelings is not the same as teaching students the hard sciences.
-We are tearing down of religious institutions. Religious hate crimes are on the rise. Vandalism of religious icons and structures are increasing. Individuals are vilified and shamed for their religious beliefs. Prayers are need for the conversion of lost souls.
-We have experienced political “same party” rule for decades. Chicago has been under democratic leadership for decades. What have we gained by this? Higher taxes, less public services, less public safety, a decaying public education system, and over 70 politicians convicted of crimes since the 1970s.
-We have an empowered and greedy public sector union cabal. They provide basic or substandard levels of service and every one of them protects poor preforming employees at all costs. They hold the taxpayers in Illinois hostage. They have funded the campaigns of hundreds of Illinois democratic politicians over the years. There has to be reform.
The pressure from these decaying or dysfunctional institutions has had a crushing effect on Chicago. Until we take a critical stance at repairing these entrenched institutional conditions, Chicagoans will continue to be slaughtered and we will become increasing numb to the reported level of violence (or just move).
As always, thank you for your insights. We concur with your observations and the level of crisis that they describe for an increasingly lawless city.
Lightfoot, Brown, and Carter will no doubt celebrate any homicide total under 800. That’s the reason they’ve canceled days off during a historically low-crime month. This administration has been a complete failure. All three of these people will have to be replaced if we expect violence to be reduced in Chicago. We have a woke Mayor who is consumed with white racism, a clueless Superintendent who promised to get Chicago homicides to UNDER 300, and a First Deputy who neither respects nor appreciates the rank and file. Change has to start at the top.
We concur. The spectacle of 800 murders is so horrendous, 799 may be falsely claimed as cause for “celebration” among the leaders you referenced. We echo our position above: “What is it that Chicago does not need, and what do we at Secure 1776 not want to see or hear? Any claim of a “victory lap” by this city’s elected officials, if the count manages to stay under 800.” Such would be a crass, tone-deaf failure of leadership.
Wow powerful information. Our political leaders are clueless. Time to keep criminals in jail and put Jesus back in ALL schools. Stop making our boys Into girls and teaching critical race theory which is not about history but now teaching our kids at young age to hate themselves and others. Thank you for calling out our leaders and giving the facts!