Democratic delegates need not go far to see why Chicago is U.S. murder capital
Chicago for the 12th year is America’s murder capital. The deadliest areas are not far from the Democratic National Convention, with at least one a moderate walk from the United Center and others that can be visited on a city-sponsored tour.
Chicago for the 12th year was just named the nation’s murder capital, and the 50,000 visitors to the Democratic National Convention could find themselves in a danger zone just by taking a long walk in the wrong direction.
Two of the deadliest neighborhoods are west of the United Center, within about two and five miles. Another is basically due south but is a longer trip at nearly seven miles.
So, delegates and visitors should remember: west or south, no go; east or north, your odds are much better of safely returning home.
Chicago had 617 homicides in 2023, up about 200 in a decade. Philadelphia saw 408 and New York City had 386 last year.
Don’t expect justice if there’s a Chicago homicide: the arrest rate is at a 20-year low.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Austin neighborhood saw 42 homicides in the past 12 months and is one of the danger zones to the west of the convention. To get there delegates would pass through Garfield Park, where there were 40 homicides between August 2023 and the end of July.
Johnson is taking the opportunity to try and reshape the national narrative on Chicago crime, pushing the idea that the neighborhoods are safe. The truth is Chicago is home to a few dangerous communities, including Johnson’s, with 10 of them accounting for 53% of all homicides in the past 12 months.
Conventioneers can visit at least three of the 10 most-dangerous neighborhoods on a city-sponsored tour of Chicago’s historical community areas: Garfield Park (40 homicides), Roseland (26 homicides) and North Lawndale (19 homicides).
Chicago also reported the most mass shootings of any city last year and saw more school-aged children 17 years and younger murdered than anywhere else in the nation.
Chicagoans are not happy with Johnson, and crime leads the list of grievances. According to a new poll conducted in early August for the Illinois Policy Institute, 63% of Chicago voters disapproved of Johnson’s record. That makes him the least-popular host mayor to a Democratic National Convention in 40 years.
After the convention activities, those 50,000 visitors might be tempted to take a stroll on a lovely summer’s night. They just need to be careful where they walk. Or, they might play it safe and just head back to the hotel to stream a movie: maybe Charles Bronson’s “Death Wish,” or not.