Chicago has hit a new earmark it most likely wished to miss: With just shy of two weeks to go in the year, the city clocks it's 500th homicide in 2008.
The yet unidentified victim was slain Monday night; her death aiding the city in scoring the most homicides since 2003. Surprisingly this is still historically low compared to the last four decades in Chi-town history.
Why are there so many murders in what, I think, is one of the greatest cities in the country? Perhaps it has something to do with the country itself? If you tripled the population of Japan and how many murders it has, the United States would beat it by 10,000 murders.
Our culture idolizes men who gained power through the use of armed combat with firearms. Just look at Scarface or The Sopranos. Cowboys and ethnic gangsters are the heroes of our most popular stories. Our celebrities like 50cent or the characters from the Godfather solve problems and assert power with firearms. On the other hand, European and Asian cultures shun violence. They even edit episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before their children view it so as not to promote violence.
In Chicago, the gang culture is glamorized by celebrities as well. The battle between People and Folks becomes a game played with drugs, money and your life. If you aren't willing to sacrifice your life for the gang wars then you're not good enough to play with either faction. In fact, it's almost impossible to walk down the street and NOT notice one-sided tattoos, flipped hats, or pulled clothing denoting your allegiance. Left for People, Right for Folks. This prison identification has moved to the streets of Chicago and created a warzone where all neutral parties are caught in between.
Sexy, yes -- Peaceful, no
If you're not from Chicago and want to know about the gang culture, this site is short and concise.
http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/police/pf.html
Perhaps the problem is that there isn't enough outrage from the people. For most Chicago residents, murder is about "them", not "us". In 2002 less than 7% of Chicago murder victims were white, and 65% of victims had previously been arrested by police. Also, most murders take place is Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. The Hundred Blocks, Bush, South Shore, Englewood -- there's some places you just don't go unless you're from that hood.
Put short, the murder rate here isn't the outrage it should be.
One reason is that, for many Chicagoans, murder is about "them," not "us": Fewer than 7 percent of last year's homicide victims were white. And 65 percent of the victims previously had been arrested by Chicago police (although most often for nonviolent offenses). As the map at right suggests, the disparity is geographic as well, with most murders taking place in Chicago's poorest neighborhoods.
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