Quote:
Originally Posted by GenuineRisk
The problem with "highest number" is that it can be very misleading, since the numbers of murders must always be compared to the population size of a city. "Per capita" is the number you want to look at to get a sense of a city's actual murder rate and, from that standpoint, Chicago doesn't even make the top 25:
http://www.politicususa.com/2013/07/...an-cities.html
Put another way, my current home city had over 400 murders last year, compared with my childhood city, which had 12. But believe me, I consider NYC a lot safer than Harrisburg, PA. And in fact Harrisburg rates much higher than NYC (16.1 per 1000 people, vs. 3.86 for New York City). Chicago is even lower than H'burg (15.9), and much lower than New Orleans, Detroit, Ft. Myers and Pine Bluff, AK.
GBBob makes an interesting point about whether concealed carry will affect the murder rate in Chicago- the article at the link concludes with a brief look at murders in Chicago after handgun control was passed in the early 1980s.
I'm not claiming Chicago's murder rate is cause for celebration, but it's hardly a "murder capital." It's always important to put numbers into context. No matter how much one may hate Rahm.  |
You and the article cited are correct. Chicago as a whole is not a dangerous city. However wander into the wrong neighborhood and it becomes extremely dangerous.
Consider these numbers:
Englewood, a 20 square block area, with a population of 30,000, had 60 murders last year. The 30K represents just 1% of Chicago's population while the 60 murders represented 12% of its murders. 60 murders among a population of 30K transposes to a 200 per 100,000 murder rate. And if the city as a whole had the murder rate of Englewood it would have totaled 6,000 murders and not 500.
You're right, the murder rate should be considered per capita and compared to the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, Harrisburg PA seems like a gated community with private security. You are not double or three times more likely to be a murder victim but 12.5 times if you happen to wander south down State St. past 55th Street.
As the article cited below explains, the police know who the bad guys are, it's just a shame black leaders in this city put the civil rights of the gangbangers above the civil rights of the public, preferring to form late night basketball leagues where even the 3 year-olds of the bangers can enjoy rather than instituting harsher gun penalties.
BTW Police this morning picked up two 22-year olds that are suspected in the shooting of the 13.
http://newsone.com/2020339/chicago-murders-2012/