Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the city’s top law enforcement officials urged the public to remain calm as the region’s crime crisis spiraled out of control this week; suggesting “hot temperatures” was the main reason behind the recent spike in murders.
“When it’s very hot outside, we have multiple areas with crowds. … An offender, or some type of rival gang sees a large group of people,” said Chief of Patrol Fred Waller. “They take advantage of that opportunity, and they shoot into a crowd, no matter who they hit.”
Mayor Emanuel became visibly emotional while speaking on the Windy City’s South Side Monday, saying “We have a heavy heart. Our souls are burdened.”
“What we saw this weekend, it just rips at everything that I believe in,” added Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.
The press conference came just hours after the city struggled to come to terms with a stunning spike in violence in a small 48-hour period, with 12 people dead and over 70 injured in gang warfare throughout Chicago.
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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: 53 Shot, 10 DEAD Over the Weekend in ‘GUN FREE’ Chicago
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.”
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