The lying mayor of Chicago went off on a reporter during a press conference today, ridiculously declaring that there were no racial riots in her city in 2020, despite all of us having eyes, and then boldly claiming that killings and shootings are down this year compared to previous years, implying that the city is progressing:
The first point is this: Following George Floyd’s killing last year, there were unquestionably race riots in Chicago. It’s ridiculous that she denies it. But I think she’s also playing a semantics game by not referring to the protests as riots or something. Last year, Chicago was wracked by riots, or whatever you want to call them. At one point, the mayor advised gun owners not to use their weapons to defend themselves against rioters, but rather to call the cops. Another ridiculous remark from a dreadful mayor.
Second, she is fiddling with the numbers when she states that homicides and gunshots are lower this year compared to previous year. A few days ago, a local Chicago news station published the following article:
Fewer killings were reported over the first six months of 2021 in Chicago compared with the same period last year even as the number of shootings and people shot increased, according to statistics released Thursday by police.
Between Jan. 1 and Wednesday, there were 332 killings in the city — six fewer than in the first six months of 2020. Both numbers are much higher than the 246 recorded over the first half of 2019.
Chicago ended 2020 with 769 slayings. So far this year, there have been 1,515 shooting incidents and 1,880 people shot in the city. Shootings incidents and victims over the first six months of 2020 totaled 1,377 and 1,656, respectively.
In other words, the number of killings is only marginally down over last year, by only six killings. I should note that article was written before the major shooting spree that took place over the holiday weekend, so that’s probably changed since then.
But the number of shootings, where people have actually been shot, are vastly increased over last year. This year it’s 1,880 people as of July 1st and last year it was 1,656 along the same period. That’s well over 200 more people shot.
Lightfoot suggested both categories are down for the last few months, but the stats I’m giving you are more comprehensive, for the entire year, and probably tells a more accurate story than what she wants to convey.
As I suggested above Chicago had an awful holiday weekend, even compared to last year:
From Friday at 6 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Monday, at least 100 people have been shot, including two CPD officers and five children 13 and younger.
There were at least 18 killed.
During the same time period over the holiday last year, 87 were shot and 17 were killed.
Both homicides and shooting are up this year over this one weekend. For Lightfoot to play this down at all is despicable and very much divorced from the facts.
