Gangs in Chicago

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Gangster Disciples tag on West 50th Street and South Hermitage Avenue, Chicago IL

Chicago is considered the most gang-affiliated city in the United States, with a population ranging from 100,000 active members from 57 gangs[1] to 70 gangs with more than 150,000 members.[2] Gang warfare and retaliation is common in Chicago. Gangs were responsible for 61% of the homicides in Chicago in 2011.

Causes[]

Former Chicago Police Superintendent, Garry McCarthy, blames Chicago's gang culture for its high rates of homicide and other violent crime, stating "It's very frustrating to know that it's like 7% of the population causes 80% of the violent crime... The gangs here are traditional gangs that are generational, if you will. The grandfather was a gang member, the father's a gang member, and the kid right now is going to be a gang member".[3]

Policing strategy[]

Mayor Rahm Emanuel disbanded the Chicago Police Department's anti-gang unit in 2012 in order to focus on beat patrols, which he said would have a more long-term solution to violence than anti-gang units.[4][5]

Population[]

As many as 57 active Chicago street gangs with 747 factions have been identified.[6][7] Some of the gangs that contribute most of the crime on the streets of Chicago:

History[]

Detailed analysis of the homicides timeline by month show that homicides (of black) went up right after Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in 1968. Hispanic-on-Hispanic homicides were alleged not to have increased until the summer of 1971 due to the Latin Kings gang election meetings.[8] In July 2020, federal agents participating in Operation Legend arrested 23 Black Disciples gang members associated with drugs and gun violations in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.[9]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Chicago Gang Violence: By The Numbers". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  2. ^ "Chicago Most Gang-Infested City in U.S., Officials Say". NBC Chicago. January 26, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  3. ^ "Gangs and guns fuel Chicago's summer surge of violence | PBS NewsHour". Pbs.org. July 20, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  4. ^ "Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is defending his decision in the first days of his administration to disband anti-gang units like the Mobile Strike Force | WBEZ 91.5 Chicago". Wbez.org. July 9, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  5. ^ "Terrorised Chicago residents plead for police crackdown as gang war murders soar". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  6. ^ "Chicago Street Gangs". Chicago Gang History. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  7. ^ "Gang Areas in Chicago". Uic.edu. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  8. ^ "Latin Kings 1971-72 Election Meetings". Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  9. ^ CHICAGO BLACK DISCIPLES GANG LEADER AMONG 23 CHARGED IN FEDERAL INVESTIGATION, OFFICIALS SAY ABC7 Chicago, July 29, 2020
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