Chicago’s Memorial Day weekend sees 34 shot and 8 dead in ongoing summer violence.

Tim MeadsMay 28, 2023

Chicago’s Deadly Memorial Day Weekend

As Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, Chicago is already experiencing another season of mayhem. Over the weekend, 34 individuals were shot and eight were killed in the Windy City.

Despite Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s safety program, which includes having more police on the ground, the numbers suggest that his efforts are not making a significant impact in curbing crime.

Soft-on-Crime Policies

Perhaps those inclined to commit such recklessness in Chicago don’t exactly fear Johnson or his soft-on-crime policies. Readers should keep in mind what happened after one April weekend during which throngs of teenagers rampaged in the streets, jumped on cars, and beat up at least one innocent couple. Johnson effectively dismissed it as youthful shenanigans. He even compared the behavior to his young child jumping down the flight of stairs.

He went on to say that youngsters “make silly decisions! They do. So we have to make sure that we are investing to make sure that young people know that they are supported.”

More Government Funding

Johnson’s solution to this disarray, as well as the near-daily shootings in Chicago, is more government funding for programs often unrelated to the enforcement of the law. He should be doing more to back the police so that they can feel confident they have the support needed and authority to actually enforce the law.

The Real Answer

Of course, the real answer to this chaos can’t just come from government funding or improved policing. He must advocate that fathers stay in the home and encourage mothers and fathers to stay together. Fatherlessness in Chicago, especially in the black community, can explain much of the city’s crime.

Until a true shift toward focusing the family on happens, Chicago will likely have many more deadly summers.