Christmas in Chicago was marred by violence and death. According the Chicago Tribune, 61 people were shot and 11 were killed during a deadly Christmas weekend that began on Dec. 23.
Most of the gunshot victims were under 30 and Black. The violent Christmas weekend began on Dec. 23 when two young men, 20 and 21, were killed. At midnight on Christmas Eve, a 27-year old was shot and killed.
On Christmas morning, a 21-year-old was found in a backyard with a gunshot wound to the head. A family was enjoying Christmas on their porch when a gunman ran from an alley and began firing. Two brothers, 18 and 21, were killed during the incident which wounded three others. No arrests have been made in the shooting.
On Christmas day alone, seven people were killed. It’s a drastic change considering that six people were killed on Christmas in Chicago in the past three years combined.
Violence continued on Dec. 26 as more youth became victims. Two teenage girls, 13 and 14, were shot while in a van with their 2-year-old sibling. The 13-year-old girl’s father parked the van and walked to meet someone when the shooting occurred. Police believe the girl’s father was the intended target. The 2-year-old was not struck.
An 18-year-old was struck in the West Englewood around 7 p.m.; a 23-year-old was shot while walking on South Hermitage Street shortly before 6 p.m.; and a 25-year-old man was shot while waiting in a car on West Van Buren Street.
Chicago continues to deal with overwhelming violence. Over 4,300 people have been shot and 750 people have been killed thus far in 2016. The high death toll has caused 2016 to be the deadliest year in Chicago in over 20 years. In 2015, 2,989 people were shot and 492 were killed.
“We don’t need more money in law enforcement,” said ex-gang member and Build Inc. director, Clifton “Booney” McFowler. “We have some of the baddest law enforcement in the world. The police shoot and kill as much as the guys on the street. The key is economic control in our community. We have to bring the neighbor back into the hood. We have to stop being the hood and become the neighborhood. We have to care about each other. We can’t look for people to do for us what we can do for ourselves.”
