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Chicago is being compared to a Third World Country, also known as a war zone; Afghanistan. Due to its high crime rates of gun violence; just this year alone. With 98 deaths over 28 days span, could the comparison be true? Or is another assertion by the media. However, numbers don’t lie.
“War became a way of life”
Chicago has spent the last decade in the spotlight, gaining notoriety due to gun violence. Earning the title “Chi-Raq” in 2009; “Chi-Raq” is a blended term with the city of Chicago and Iraq, (“And it’s the same in war zones…”). “War became a way of life” stated by a young adolescent (2016). “People live with a threat or elements of danger, and although the degree is completely different, that’s similar for civilian populations in both environments.”, stated another young man; after being asked ‘What are the similarities between Chicago v. Iraq”; as they recorded a music video inside an abandoned building. During that time the city saw a mammoth of gun violence amongst young teens.
Neighborhoods become covered in vigils. Children of Chicago are becoming victims of gun violence at an alarming rate. The crime rate is soaring, and almost every weekend tops the last one with more shootings. Mayor Lori Lightfoot calls violence against city children ‘personal’. As a Chicago native, seeing the headlines and watching the news, we’ve become numb. Gun violence happens so often, we’ve normalized it. The city is in somber.
Written by Doneisha Jackson
Edited by Sheena Robertson
Source:
Washington Post: Trump’s comparison of Chicago to Afghanistan is odd — but not for the reason you might assume
BBC News: Iraq v Chiraq: How Chicago violence feels like a war
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Matt Johnson’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License