The USA Today has a handy chart showing just how bad Chicago has gotten: 

According to the USA Today, the police department has stated that gang conflicts and retaliatory violence drove the “unacceptable” increase in homicides. But the USA Today also points out that the police are no longer doing aggressive policing, such as “stop and frisk”:

“The department says it has seen a decrease in investigative stops by cops on the streets after new rules went into effect Jan. 1 requiring the police department to bolster the monitoring of stops and protective pat downs known as ‘stop-and-frisk.’”

Whether you approve or hate those policies, it’s interesting that there could be a correlation between a massive uptick in shootings and killings while the police slow down on “proactive” policing and simply respond to calls. As we pointed out in an earlier piece on the topic, the new motto of the Chicago Police is “Stay Fetal”. If this is what happens when the police “stay fetal”, the public may quickly change its opinion on what police activity should look like.

Based on the chart provided by the Chicago Tribune, things are only going to get worse. Overall shootings since the beginning of the year are already substantially higher than 2015 totals and are nearly on par with the summer months when the most shootings happen: 

Now, you may be asking yourself, how many did the police shoot? Good question. The Chicago Police were responsible for one homicide. Here’s how the man was killed by the police:

“The man shot to death by police in the boyhood home of Bulls star Derrick Rose had broken into the house with his girlfriend to find a man who robbed them three weeks ago, prosecutors said Monday.

Charles Smith was carrying a .40-caliber handgun when he and Breanna Patterson, 20, kicked open the front door of the home in the 7300 block of South Paulina around 4 a.m. Sunday, prosecutors said during a court hearing for Patterson.

As he and Patterson trashed the house and threatened residents at gunpoint, some of the occupants called 911, prosecutors said. Responding officers entered the home, ordered Smith to drop his gun, then fired when Smith shot at them several times, prosecutors said.”

That seems like an unfortunate, but justified police shooting.

As for who is doing the most shooting? So far it looks like the African-American community is largely responsible for the shootings and deaths, which matches previous data we’ve reported on. Here’s an infographic that tells the story: 

Whether anyone wants to admit it, while the discussion about police violence is necessary, there is a much, much bigger problem within the Chicago African-American community that needs to be addressed. Why are so many young, Black men shooting so many people, particularly other young, Black men?

(Image Credit: New Line Cinema, Menace to Society)