The violence in Chicago has gotten worse over the past two years. With someone like Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx involved, it isn’t difficult to see why.
A gunfight between two warring factions of a street gang broke out on Friday. There were more than 70 shell casings found at the scene, one shooter was killed, and two others were wounded. Police wanted to charge all five suspects with murder and aggravated battery.
Prosecutors declined. They cited a lack of evidence and “mutual combat.”
The claim that there is a lack of evidence is a confusing one. Yes, the suspects/victims did not cooperate with police. But the gunfight was caught on a police POD camera, and the shooting stopped when a police cruiser arrived. A brief police chase and a SWAT team standoff ensued separately, but no one has been charged.
The situation is so galling that Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a former prosecutor, also weighed in. “It’s complicated, for sure, but we really urge the state’s attorney herself to get personally involved, look at the evidence,” Lightfoot said. “And I believe that there are charges that can be brought at a minimum against the individuals who initiated the gunfire. We can’t live in a world where there’s no accountability.”
Foxx disagreed, saying Lightfoot’s assertion was “inappropriate” and “wrong.” It isn’t a surprise that Foxx would rather not prosecute this case: A Chicago Tribune investigation last year found that Foxx had dropped all charges against 30% of felony defendants, an increase of 54% from the previous state’s attorney.
There have been 626 homicide victims in Chicago, according to the Chicago Sun-Times homicide tracker. That’s over 100 more than the city saw in 2019, and it is on pace to surpass the 2020 total.
It’s a problem that is only getting worse, and it’s no wonder why, given that gang members now have license to start gunfights in the middle of the street without repercussions. Foxx evidently isn’t too concerned about it, and why should she be? She was reelected amid the surge in homicides last year. Chicago, like so many other cities, chose this “progressive” version of justice. This is the result.
