Essay Example on Chicago Gun Laws Failing: 62% Increase in Homicides & Shootings

Introduction

Chicago is one of the cities in the United States with some of the strictest gun laws, yet it has the highest rate of homicides and shootings. Eidson (2019) says that it might be that the gun laws are disappearing slowly. For instance, a 22 years old Parrish Flournoy was shot and killed. There was also gunning down of a young black male on the south side. Chicago has about a 62% increase in the rate of violence, with about 216 people killed in the mid- May and shootings rising to 60%. The city began in the 1990s and had a history of a high rate of homicide (Eidson, 2019). The city has a diverse population that includes a large number of blacks, Hispanics, and whites with a high range of economic fortune. It has a high population, just like Brooklyn, but the rate of homicide cases is different.

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Causes

Gang disputes in Chicago take the most prominent part in the homicide cases, as described by Kavish and Boutwell (2018), who represent them as local disputes. There is a fracture of the Chicago guns that have led to more violence. The Latino gangs are still hierarchical, but the black bands are splatted into small groups with their disputes being over the territory and the profits. There are also more personal insults and shames that are fueled by social media. The young people are indirectly threatening the rival gangs and the cliques, which are interpreted as threatening (Eidson, 2019). In addition to the threats, the individuals at times post their location on social media, proving to the rival that they are tight.

An example is by the gang member Gakirah Barnes who was said to have killed about 20 rival gang members and referenced the location that she frequented most on twitter (Williams, 2016). She was later killed near the address that she had tagged. Whether the violence is encouraged by the gangs or presence of guns, the Chicago killings happen on familiar turf in that the city has poor and segregated neighborhoods in the South and Westside. Some say that they are the real causes of violence.

The gangs, as describe by Kavish and Boutwell (2018), take root in the neighborhoods, which then drive to other problems. There is a gang problem in the deeply concentrated poverty in the suburbs. The concentrated poverty rates predict violent crimes, and this also determined by the high level of black segregation. Williams (2016) says that the rate of homicide corresponds with the segregation. The segregation is in such a way that every man, woman, and child is of the same race. These radically segregated minority neighborhoods have a history of adversity, such as increased poverty, joblessness, inadequate housing, and environmental toxins. People in the neighborhoods are seen to be more cynical about the law and their distrust with police. The conflict encounters with authority also lead to the eruption of more violence (Eidson, 2019). The major cause of violence that is underlying is similar across the cities and the intensity caused by the connection between the social ills and the violence which seem to be more persistent in Chicago.

Solution

However, there can be a solution to violent acts in Chicago. The violence should first be treated as a public health concern. There can be the use of campaigns and the technology to reach every citizen and family in Chicago. Everyone should be made to feel important and cared for through parenting interventions, well-being campaigns, and early childhood education against violence (Eidson, 2019). The program should be localized to target mostly Chicago. The government should also focus on the hotspots by using scientific hotspots and focusing on the 'hot people' to prevent or reduce the crime rate. This should, however, be accompanied by other measures such as urban upgrading, having better urban planning, and situational prevention, especially through early childhood intervention.

Looking at the whole picture, people are aware of the high rates of violence misrepresented by the media as a dynamic between cops and robbers. There is much more that is needed to be done to understand the official and non-official social, economic, and political structures that are sustaining the high levels. There should be a well-targeted program to reduce homicides (Williams, 2016). A program selection should be located in the hotspot areas, focusing on the population group that is most likely to commit violent crimes, often the young males between the ages of 10 and 29 (Kavish & Boutwell, 2018). There should be a diagnosis of the risk factors of the involved young males in criminal activities who are supposed to be complemented with a treatment plan that should involve the families and the community at large.

Another focus should be on the prevention of criminal activities and violence. The conditions drawing people into violent and criminal activities should be prevented and well-focused on (Williams, 2016). To attain this, there is required a systematic, integrated, and well-coordinated approach that will combine the responsibility in a wider range of state and non-state actors. However, there should be no repressive policies, as seen in most nations that have approached the violence issue as crime and from a security angle (Kavish & Boutwell, 2018). Although the justice and policy have an important role to play, repression will only be counterproductive if it is not combined with some developmental interventions which will look at the drivers of violence as well as tackling issues like the skills and youth education, social, economic inequalities as well as access to the community services. The authorities should also invest in proactive measures such as supporting proactive community associations and schools. This will activate the involvement and will demonstrate positive results in Chicago. There should be the promotion of links between the neighboring communities and adjoining them.

There have been a lot of interventions that are more focused on women's noble rights. However, the majority of the violence is carried out by men who are killing men. By addressing the male drivers of violence, there will be a gradual reduction of female harm and violence (Eidson, 2019). The male and female should also be treated the same and as the same issue as they are connected. There should be a move also away from the focus on poverty. By criminalizing certain areas or certain groups, it becomes harder for the people to peacefully coexist, and emphasizing poverty is also misleading. Studies by Williams (2016) show that poverty and violence are not directly correlated (Kavish & Boutwell, 2018). Some nations have overcome poverty and also remained violent; therefore, there should be more insight beyond that solution and other factors driving the rates.

There should be a focus on gun control as to where there are no guns; there are no gun deaths. A simple and practical way to impact armed violence will be by stemming the flow of illegal guns. The first step in this will be having a belief in gun control. It is important to understand that the violence is going viral (Kavish & Boutwell, 2018). Cyber violence is becoming the main domain of violence, ranging from the use of social media to the projected force. Online sites are being used to recruit members of the extremist groups and sell the deep web. There should be better ways of handling virtual violence. There should also be a balance between repression and prevention of violence (Williams, 2016). The local experiences and efforts are seen to deal with interpersonal aspects of violence mainly. There should be a system that will be based on entirely not on the prevention and repression but a well-balanced and incorporated rehabilitation and reintegration policy as well as funding the security strategies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, violence in Chicago should be seen as a priority. There should be a use of nonviolent language and communication. Also, the link between violence and organized crimes should be understood (Kavish & Boutwell, 2018). This will also require more police resources. The city should focus on improving community relations and restoring the public trust that is lost after viral videos showing police shooting the locals. Sports and arts is also another strategy which can be used to mitigate the violence where schools should restore the sports (Williams, 2016). All the students should have a mandatory sport or cultural activity such as basketball, football, dancing. They can also participate in the music and painting so that they can be structured and have a constructive activity after which they will be able to re direct their attention to encouraging social development.

References

Eidson, K. (2019). Complex Relationships: Public Policy and Law Solutions to Rebalance the Confrontation Clause, Evidence-Based Intimate-Partner Violence Prosecution, and Public and Private Violence After the Resurrection of Roberts. https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1780&context=theses

Kavish, N., & Boutwell, B. (2018). The unified crime theory and the social correlates of crime and violence: problems and solutions. Journal of criminal psychology. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brian_Boutwell/publication/328253187_The_Unified_Crime_Theory_and_The_Social_Correlates_of_Crime_and_Violence_Problems_and_Solutions/links/5bdc6fe24585150b2b9954b4/The-Unified-Crime-Theory-and-The-Social-Correlates-of-Crime-and-Violence-Problems-and-Solutions.pdf

Williams, B. (2016). Federal Solutions to American Gun Violence: A Regulatory Framework in Three Parts. https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1047&context=trinitypapers