Gun violence in the nation’s third largest city spiked over the weekend, leaving 53 people injured and at least ten dead as Chicago struggles to clamp-down on the escalating gang clashes sweeping the region.
According to ABC Chicago, city officials plan to hold high-level meetings Monday to ease public concerns after the bloody weekend; citing recent statistics that show gun deaths down so far this year.
“The violence has spilled over into Monday morning, including a murder that happened just after midnight in the Roseland neighborhood not far from Chicago State University,” writes ABC. “A person in a ski-mask fired shots at two people standing in front of a home. A 50-year-old man died a 55-year-old woman was hurt.”
“Detectives are working around the clock to investigate the incidents, build a timeline of events and identify any shooter,” said the Chicago Police Chief. “We’ll also be conducting coordinated enforcement missions to target individuals that are driving the violence in these areas and focus on where we believe retaliatory violence may occur.”
Read the full story here.
GANGLAND CHAOS: Chicago Activists SHUT DOWN HIGHWAY to ‘Target Affluent’
Anti-gun protesters shut-down a major highway in the nation’s third-largest city Thursday, creating traffic chaos as Chicago police scrambled to contain the mass demonstrations.
According to the Associated Press, the planned march in the Windy City effectively stopped traffic along Lake Shore Drive, with demonstrators telling local news they’re “willing to be arrested” to highlight the region’s spiraling crime crisis.
Lake Shore Drive traffic shut down from Irving Park to Fullerton Ave. Ashland Ave and Western Ave can be used as alternative routes. #LakeShoreMarch
— Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) August 2, 2018
Chicago highway closure latest US protest targeting affluent (from @AP) https://t.co/rV7fZLFVa9
— Roger Schneider (@RogSchneider) August 2, 2018
“I’m hoping we have enough to…block traffic, to be a disruptive force” said one of the event’s organizers. “This is an act of civil disobedience.”
“You want to go where they chill out and relax,” he added.
Read the full story at the AP.
GANGLAND: Chicago Activists Demand RAHM EMANUEL’S RESIGNATION as Violence Swirls
Chicago’s anti-violence activists are calling for the resignation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel ahead of this week’s citywide demonstrations; saying the liberal leader isn’t doing enough to stem the spike in violence and murder.
According to Fox News, organizers behind Thursday’s march are urging Emanuel to step-down as gun crime and gang warfare run rampant throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods.
“The call of the people is ‘Resign Rahm,’” said one local reverend. “So how, then, can you back your own regime change? How do you sanction your own termination? How dumb, naive and self-hating do you think we are?”
“Honestly, when the mayor endorses a protest, it’s no longer a protest,” said another activist. “It becomes a parade, and we’re on serious business.”
The anti-violence demonstrations come as Chicago residents flee the city as murder rates, robberies, and assaults escalate throughout the region.
Read the full report at Fox News.