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| Chicago, Illinois has growing gang violence and its reached a terrible milestone of over 500 murders. |
As a firearm owner, I want to share my honest opinion about this issue with Chicago and how the conservative media portrays the firearm debate.
I've said time after time and I stand by this theory.
GUN OWNERSHIP FOR WHITES! GUN CONTROL FOR BLACKS, HISPANICS AND MUSLIMS!
Lawmakers want to push forth laws to make it a 15-year to life crime for gun crime. They want to push forth laws to allow firearms in bars, restaurants, movie theaters, banks and libraries. Places where most people fear a tragedy may occur. And yet, Republicans who live in suburban or rural communities aren't worried about a shooting tragedy. They shop at Walmart, Target and Home Depot.
They don't want to go into the city because of their fears of Blacks and Hispanics living in deplorable communities. They don't want to go into the city because they fear a certain area that is notorious for crime.
They don't want to go into the city because all the luxuries of shopping, entertainment, open spaces, restaurants, community centers, sporting venues, parks, hospitals, movie theaters and bike trails are in the suburbs.
Urban areas are prone to having at least violent crimes. Murders and homicides are based on region not city.
Police are grappled with budget cuts and are now using other techniques to curb violence. You've got red light and speed cameras to replace the cop sitting behind the billboard. You have the revolving camera in the housing projects. It replaces the two or three cops who could catch the shooter, the looter, the tagger, the dumper or the hooker that stands by waiting.
Police are tended likely to hold their holster when their engaged in a vehicle pull over! But when it's dealing with a minority of color who is a male, they may get trigger happy if the situation merits a swift reaction. The thoughts of law enforcement dealing with a hostile Black and Hispanic drivers is common. Police officers are coached about diversity training and are recorded by the number of pull overs in a year.
White males who have likely conservative views paint Black men as "natural born criminals".
This week alone, we've heard conservatives talk about entertainers Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg for their support of President Barack Obama. But since they're rappers and sing about controversial issues like firearms, drugs and sex, conservatives consider them "criminals by nature" and they'll try to link them to President Barack Obama. Every time a rapper sings a verse in favor of a controversial theme, expect a critic especially in the conservative media to zero in on it and make it a talk about President Barack Obama.
Republicans are crowing about the president coming for the firearms. They're confident that the president may win the election and his second term could come with firearm regulations.
If President Barack Obama was really coming for them guns, how come these same agitators are crying about his hometown of Chicago, Illinois being considered the most dangerous city in the nation?
Over 500 murders and homicides in the city alone this year, surpassing its previous year.
Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel is under pressure by local residents to have something done about this epidemic of crime. The Republicans are attacking the president for not focusing on America's third largest city as well as many other issues in their attempt at NIGGERIZATION.
The gun lobbyist are pleased aren't they?
The sales of firearms are up. More Americans are now purchasing firearms and concealed carry permits.
Gun owners are now driven to carry their firearms in the public eye. This is unprecedented.
The National Rifle Association, one of the oldest gun lobbying and civil rights groups out there is not blinking one eye. As far as they're concerned they'll eat and sleep with their gun.
But you hear a conservative say that Chicago is a foreign nation with ravage beast killing destroying one another, it's a word salad of blame Obama for everything! Conservatives are claiming that the president is spending more time with Jay-Z, Katy Perry and David Letterman than curbing violence in hometown, meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, or stopping terrorists with "radical Islamist" views.
Gangs are sweeping the city and it's likely in the next ten years Chicago's decline population may hurt its ranking as the third largest city. Houston, Texas is growing and it's likely in the next few years to surpass as the third largest city in the nation.
Wikipedia chronicles the rise of violence. These issues chart a controversial theme among the city's urban youth.
In 2012, Chicago has the highest murder rate in the Alpha world cities with 19.4 murders per 100,000. This rate is more than triple New York (6.0) and more than double Los Angeles (7.5), and ahead of Mexico City, Moscow, and São Paulo. Chicago is projected to have 505 homicides for the year which would be a 16% increase from 2011.
Like other major industrial cities in the US, Chicago had a major rise in violent crime starting in the late 1960s. Like most major American cities, Chicago has also experienced a decline in overall crime since the early 1990s.
Murders in the city peaked first in 1974, with 970 murders when the city's population was over three million (resulting in a murder rate of around 29 per 100,000), and again in 1992, with 943 murders when the city had fewer than three million people, resulting in a murder rate of 34 per 100,000.
Following 1992, the murder count slowly decreased to 641 by 1999. That year it still had the most murders of any big city in the U.S.
After adopting crime-fighting techniques in 2004 recommended by the Los Angeles Police Department and the New York City Police Department, Chicago recorded 448 homicides, the lowest total since 1965. This murder rate of 15.65 per 100,000 population is still above the U.S. average, an average which takes in many small towns and suburbs. This homicide rate is similar to that of Los Angeles in 2004 (13.4 per 100,000), and twice that of New York City (7.0 per 100,000).
Chicago's homicide tally increased slightly in 2005 and 2006 to 450 and 467, respectively, though the overall crime rate in 2006 continued the downward trend that has taken place since the early 1990s, with 2.5% fewer violent crimes and 2.4% fewer property crimes compared to 2005.
According to the 2005 Homicide Report of the Chicago Police Department, the murder clearance rate (in terms of an arrest being made within two years of the homicide) has dropped from over 70% for 1991 to under 60% for 2003. Summer months have significantly higher murder rates, and over 70% of murders take place between 7pm and 5am. The percentage of murder offenders between 14 and 16 years of age has declined from a 1994 high of approximately 15% to approximately 6% in 2005.
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| Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. |
In 2005, 75% of murders involved a firearm, and 11% were the result of a stabbing. 41% of domestic murders were stabbings. 10% of murders in 2005 (39) were the result of an armed robbery, 9% were of undetermined cause, and at least 30% were gang altercations. Over 40% of victims and 60% of offenders were between the ages of 17 and 25. 85% of victims and 93% of offenders were male. 76% of victims were African American (77.4% of offenders were), 18.3% were Hispanic (17.3% of offenders), and 5.6% were white (5.3% of offenders). The African American murder victimization rate was approximately 34 per 100,000; the Hispanic rate was 11 per 100,000, and the white rate 3 per 100,000. Over 75% of victims and 88% of offenders had a prior arrest history. 11% of armed robbery victims were female, 50% of domestic victims were female, and 7% of gang-related victims were female. 31% of armed robbery victims were over 45 years old. 29% of domestic-related murders were committed by women. From 1991 to 2005, 19.2% of armed robbery murder victims were white, and only 4.3% of armed robbery murder offenders were white.
(2005) Victims of gang-related murders: 70% African American, 26% Hispanic, 3% white; 93% male. Offenders in gang-related murders: 76% African American, 20% Hispanic, 3% white; 99% male. Victims of domestic-related murders: 79% African American, 10% Hispanic, 11% white. Victims of armed robbery—related murders: 68% African American, 13% Hispanic, 19% white, 89% male. Offenders in armed robbery—related murders: 87% African American, 9% Hispanic, 4% white; 93% male.
Homicides in Chicago 1990-2012
1990: 851
1991: 927
1992: 943
1993: 855
1994: 931
1995: 828
1996: 796
1997: 761
1998: 704
1999: 643
2000: 633
2001: 667
2002: 656
2003: 601
2004: 453
2005: 451
2006: 471
2007: 448
2008: 513
2009: 459
2010: 436
2011: 433
2012: 505
For the many faces who were lost this year to gun violence, the Congress isn't concerned. I mean there's got to be a solution to the tragedy. The gun makers are doing reasonable well. With the fear mongering and fundraising attempts by the NRA and Gun Owner's Association, the Congress is fearful of being labeled soft on issues involving firearms.
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| The Chicago Police are driven to curbing violent crime in the city. |
Many Democrats from politically conservative districts are very cautious about firearms. Retiring lawmakers Congressman Dan Boren (D-Oklahoma), Senator Jim Webb (D-Virginia), Congressman Heath Shuler (D-North Carolina) are gun owners and staunchly conservative Democrats. They've given up on congress because of their liberal members trying to push forth laws to curb unregistered firearms and liability assurances by gun owners.
The NRA are strongly against citizens suing the gun makers and urge lawmakers to relax federal laws that require background checks.
The recent shootings at a suburban movie theater and Sikh temple hasn't budge Congress. They've been forced to play Russian Roulette with the debt ceiling and economy.
The issues of Chicago have a personal feel. One of my best friends lives in the city. He moved from Ohio to live in Chicago. He's a father of a daughter and coaches football.
I wish him well, but I don't want to hear the bad news about him dying because of firearms.
Now it's up to you the reader to understand these words.
Chicago has to win back it citizens. They have to return back to the days where people felt it was safer to walk down the streets. The police have to be more assertive but never aggressive. They have to maintain a community friendly stance with its citizens.
Republicans and Democrats have to get over themselves. They need to stop the partisan games!
We all have to get involved to help make our communities safe. We need to get pass the racial stereotypes and resentment of one other.
We need to vote.
VOTE.
VOTE EARLY!
VOTE NOW!
Help put President Barack Obama back into the White House!
