The public sentiment towards gun violence in Chicago is fraught with frustration, hopelessness, and divided opinions. On one hand, many commenters express anger at political leadership, particularly towards Mayor Lori Lightfoot, highlighting dissatisfaction with the measures taken to address crime. Conversely, others argue that the media exaggerates crime rates and stress that the reality of living in Chicago is often misunderstood, presenting a more nuanced view that acknowledges both crime and community resilience.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot

Chicago City Council

National Guard

No, it’s not a repost, this is genuinely something that more than one person believes. 
Never mind that concealed carry is fine in St Louis and in Detroit both open and concealed are fine, good old Alternative Facts(TM) are still alive and kicking.

[deleted]

If you don't count crime in crime statistics, America is the safest place in the world.

It's funny to see Chicago on here. Statistically Chicago isn't even that violent compared to other cities in the US, conservatives just don't like it.  [Chicago has like 1/5th the murder rate of the others](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/data/ct-homicide-spikes-comparison-htmlstory.html), even with the uptick in crime last year.

More SAS material, but it seems like every single article on "most violent cities in the world" annoying exclude the country name when talking about the US, but include it when its Mexico, Brazil, etc: http://www.businessinsider.com/most-violent-cities-in-the-world-2018-3

berkeley-throw-away

This statistic is completely made up.   It is an NRA talking point that sidetracks people with arguing "you can't exclude your most violent cities".   
   
They don't stop to consider the absurdity of the statistic.   [Hong Kong, Iceland, Japan, and Luxemburg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate) had 0 gun deaths.     Where in those 4 does US finish 3rd?   
   
Even if the "etc." represents EVERY US city over 500k people, the statistic is still made up.

helper543

Wow, TIL that if you discount the places where lots of crime happens, then the overall proportion of crime is less.

C_von_Hotzendorf

"If you didn't mark all those answers wrong, I would have passed the test!"

CoDn00b95

If you don't count the ~~Blacks~~ Thugs then we're actually a really safe country. 

SetzeC4Ein

Not having crime statistics = no crime. 

Disband all law enforcement, ladies and gentleman. We solved it. 

Someone in the other thread did the math.

&gt; And now let's use real statistics instead of bullshit:

&gt; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate

&gt; The US is 94th in the world, not 3rd. It's homicide rate is below world average, but a lot more than Europe average.

&gt; Now if you remove the listed cities (I used data from [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_crime_rate)), the homicide rate would drop from 4.88 per 100 000 to 4.5, which would make the US 99th in the world instead of 94th.

&gt; Last time I checked, 94 is not 3, and 99 is not 189.

&gt; Edit: And also, for the rest of US to be 189th in the list of 193 countries, it would have to have literally zero murders, and the listed cities would have to have an average murder rate of 376.24 per 100 000 people. For comparison, the  average yearly death rate for the world in WW2 was 440.82 (only counting deaths resulting from the war). 

&gt; So they are literally saying that living in Chicago is comparable in danger to being in the middle of WW2.

Fun fact: [during NRA conventions the number of accidental gun discharges and injuries drop.](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/all-talk-no-bolt-action-gun-injuries-drop-during-nra-conventions/)

&gt;A study pokes holes in the idea that experienced firearm users are less likely to injure themselves

kurburux

Not only is the claim completely bogus - how many ''etc. cities'' in the USA would there have to be make their gun crime figures look good, let alone normal?

But even if this were true, why wouldn't they feel a deep sense of national shame that the USA has produced cities with practically third-world levels of violent crime?

ShitBritishPeopleSay

tl;dr: "Unfortunately, the available data cannot at this time point definitively to what caused the
increase in gun violence in Chicago in 2016."

AutumnStar

Because it wasnt cold enough to keep everyone indoors.  If its warm enough for people to be hanging outside shits gonna go down. That's just how it works.

HeadOfMax

No proactive policing because it's all been ALCU'ed up. Stop someone who isn't white and you have to fill out 15,000 pages of paper work to prove you weren't discriminating. So police just don't bother at all. 

Is this a joke? Police stops dropped by 80%, and arrests dropped by 25%.

SaveADay89

I totally agree that it is horrific that Houston has seen their homicides increase to be only just behind Chicago in the per capita amount of homicides. 

The data you posted shows there was a massive difference in 2012. It’s now 10 years later and depending on exactly how the stats are calculated, Chicago is either equal to, or slightly more than Houston. 

Everyone knows Chicago has been a violent city for decades. But Houston? It has gotten exponentially worse.

SockdolagerIdea

why is everything a binary choice?  can't we have 2 problems happening at the same time?

1.  We have a gang violence problem in large cities
2.  We have a hate crime problem from disaffected youths that are being radicalized by influencer personalities.

Excellent_Survey_336

No look down on a map and review Indiana Gun Laws. It’s 20 minutes from downtown Chicago. That is the source of supply.

OPA73

The data is a decade old.  It means about nada.

livingfortheliquid

Since you put out these data with a profound bias, click the link to have a look at the gun stores from where most of the guns come from in Chicago, IL.

[https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/04/27/chicago-sues-gun-store-tied-850-guns-recovered-crime-scenes/4854619001/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/04/27/chicago-sues-gun-store-tied-850-guns-recovered-crime-scenes/4854619001/)

Median HH income is $38k?  WTF?  I realize this is from 10 years ago, but still.

Littleboyhugs

“There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics”,  -Mark Twain

aboreached

So far Houston does not have people walking around in the middle of the night with a hangman noose and ordering a subway.

Kamwind



https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/06/09/houston-police-detectives-working-199th-homicide-this-year/?outputType=amp

Ok_Table_7118

Most of the guns in Chicago come from states in the south and southwest… like Texas. States with loose gun laws. We need FEDERAL action on gun reform to truly get to the root of the problem. Actions that will effect all 50 states.

But this meme does a good job of pointing out that guns are a problem, even though it is from 2012 and its data is as old as father time himself at this point.

banmedaddy12345

you know you've lost the narrative when you have to compare yourself against Chiraq

1234nameuser

This is like a decade old man, essentially meaningless. Stir pot with relevant things pls

algers_hiss

Houston population closer to 2.3 million. Makes Chicago look even worse.

spiforever

Balls-Out-210

ATXdadof4

You do know Dem/Libs ignore that one city has weapons available and the other doesn't, right? They will chew off their own arms to ignore that.

xFacevaluex

Umm... Did any of the commenters here read the entire thing? It is not suggesting conceal carry laws actually do anything. That’s the fucking setup for the punchline, that cold weather causes murder.

In fact, if anything, this was probably made by someone who is against conceal carry laws. Why? Because it is demonstrating that correlation does not equal causation. That just because Houston has a lower murder rate than Chicago has nothing to do with its gun laws, much like it has nothing to do with the weather.

Learn to joke, people.

hligo

Based on this well thought out graphic, I think it's more likely due to the fact that apparently Chicago is supersaturated with people. With that many people in one space there is likely to be tensions, etc. that escalate to violence.

SueSudio

turtleD115

[Houston leads Chicago, NYC, and LA in homicides so far this year](https://www.fox26houston.com/news/houston-leads-chicago-nyc-and-la-in-homicides-so-far-this-year). Don't worry though St Louis is the real dumpster fire. Missouri lawmakers have done their best to ensure things will only get worse there too.

Whornz4

shame on op for this misinformation.

First of all, chicago is right next to Indiana, where guns are freely available and so this entire post makes an absurd and unreasonable comparison of the laws.

second, notice the stats are from 2012? I see lots of comments here saying houston is now comparable to chicago... but it turns out there have been over 800 homicides in chicago vs 473 in houston.

[https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/2021-houston-homicide-numbers/285-53ed3b62-fd67-4c53-b752-2505c601cfd5](https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/2021-houston-homicide-numbers/285-53ed3b62-fd67-4c53-b752-2505c601cfd5)

[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-2021-homicides-final-20220103-lrpzuh5nsjhspmos3edrzxu2ei-story.html](https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-2021-homicides-final-20220103-lrpzuh5nsjhspmos3edrzxu2ei-story.html)

Conclusion: nothing in op's stats lead to the conclusion that gun restrictions lead to more homicides.

american-muslim

Wishdog2049

I get angry at this fear.  I'm a mail carrier in a south suburb office and I have ex military guys talking about how they would never take their families into the city at this point.

For ages I've gone into the city by myself and my family to different (albeit the mostly safe) neighborhoods and the only time I had a bad experience was when I got scammed by a shoeshine guy on my orientation day at Loyola.

I won't deny people have had bad or scary experiences but I would never pass up an opportunity to go into the city because I *might* see a homeless man using the bathroom where he shouldn't or someone yelling on the red line

MrDad83

Chicago has been described by a lot of academics (my faculty in college for example) as the most economically segregated (major) city in the US. Which means some neighborhoods will be safer than Canada and others will be pretty risky. 

Even in “bad” places, though, you should be fine during the day and in commercial areas, and this city is better than a lot of more rural and southern cities in that if you keep to yourself, you should be fine in 99% of situations

ShinyArc50

WhispersInTheSun

Statistically, the average Chicagoan will go their entire lives without ever witnessing a violent crime. That's the average though, obviously a lot of factors increase or decrease the chances of it happening around you.

That said, the media narrative is way overblown, especially giving coverage to the President who has a bone to pick with Chicago always talking about how it is crime ridden. Violent crime has been decreasing overall for years, despite our police force flat-out refusing to do their jobs as a protest against any and all oversight since the BLM movement. Still crime is down. 

But as you can see from replies, most people have never had an experience with crime, and it is a silly thing to be constantly worrying about.

Your drive to the supermarket will put your life in more danger than a lifetime of living in Chicago, and you presumably do that a couple times a week.

DontCountToday

i grew up here--nothing can match the brutality of the early 70s and then again after Reagan gave tax cuts to the richer and defunded programs for lower income people. My Pop worked in Cook County ER for many years. He said in those times esp in early 70s it was typical to have 90 stab wounds on a Saturday night. NINETY. The late 80s it was replaced by guns. People pulled guns on him from their hospital beds. the gun ban took a while to be enforced fully and finally after '92 you saw it drop steadily to our grand low in the early 2000s. After repealing the gun ban, gun crime crept up again. Fck Indiana and their gun fairs. As a person, I feel way way more safe than in the 80s up through 1992.

EDIT--I should also add that many of us were very grateful for the Boys clubs and Girls Clubs and the Park District programming and the generosity of many of the arts establishments for keeping us kids busy in a very dangerous time (for many of my age group in the 80s). We had so many cultural opportunities.  The City changes, but with food banks, increased outreach, many training programs that Rauner and later Trump have been threatening or trying to cut. Chicago is a city with Attitude, a can-do kind, and I hope we stay the city of the Big Shoulders and can deal with these hard times in a humane way.

OG-Bio-Star

There's a few levels to this. 

The first is actual violent crime. As you note this has been going down recently, and is nowhere near it's all-time high. You hear about it, but it's not something I least have any experience with. 

Next there's property crime, like theft, robbery, etc. This went up a lot during the pandemic but has come down in the last year or two. It's a real enough problem, though it's less likely to happen to visitors.

Lastly, there's disorderliness. I wouldn't say this is crime exactly. But it's the homeless encampments, people smoking on the cta (or worse). People aren't exactly harmed by this, but it makes people feel very unsafe. It's also what's driving alot of the suburban perception.

Personally, I roll my eyes at the fear mongering. I remember the early 90's, during the night of the crack epidemic. Much improved since then. The worry i have is that in today's political environment, dumb, inaccurate perception gets blown into something dangerous. I.e. People smoking on CTA --&gt; Chicago has a huge crime problem --&gt; more cops --&gt; send in national guard! 

My 2 cents

Edit: typos

Consistent_Value_179

It would be ignorant to say it doesn't happen, but I've never been proximate to violent crime in all my time in the city living or for work with exception of one incident near a work site (I worked in construction at the time).

That incident was in a neighborhood with a reputation, and what it taught me was to just be aware of my surroundings. It feels much more likely that I could be harmed as a bystander than as a specific target of a violent crime.

Caveats being I am a large man (a point my wife makes sure I understand when I talk about subjects like this or not letting the guy on the Red Line ruin my evening).

fotoxs

nobody is more afraid of chicago than suburban white people. it’s a world class city

Perfect_Earth_8070

This is nothing but a Fox Entertainment trope. Incessantly reporting on “crime in Chicago” is just a response to the election of a black man from here.
You already know, but for those who don’t: Chicago doesn’t even crack the top ten most violent cities (hilariously 4 are in FL) and is somewhere in the high teens…despite gun violence stats collection being under attack for decades, producing only conservative estimates, we know most guns here are trafficked from GA and IN.

Here’s what this resident thinks: 
Those are exactly the kind of people we don’t need visiting…Conde Nast rank Chicago at the top of their “ best places to visit” year after year, so we have plenty of people who are not deliberately and willfully ignorant.

BBinzz

Honestly I think we need to gate keep Chicago more. Let them have their fears and bad food. I don't like the weird fears that some of these people have but at the same time, I say if they can't get over it that is on them not me.

pandabearsrock

I think its entirely reactionary Republicans outside of the ACTUAL city who contribute to the narrative. 

Crime is statistically down, but if you look at r/WindyCity you'd think Brandon Johnson has personally robbed some of the cowardly windbags who post there.

Was born and raised here, and it is exhausting defending our city from the "Ackshually....." neck-bearded contrarians.

7r3370pS3C

It seems to be mostly conservative media that hypes that up, even makes it look like the northern part of the state is on fire (though with the temps the last few days, it has kinda felt that way) and has been since 2020.

BJoe1976

Moved here over 40 years ago, lived in Rogers Park and Lakeview. Our house was robbed, minor, a tidy job, TV and a couple of pieces of jewelry, 35 years ago. Since then nothing. Don't know a single person who's been mugged, carjacked, whatever.

Look at sites listing criminal cities, murder rates, etc. Chicago usually comes 10 to 20 down after a bunch of southern mid-sized red cities. Of course they want to make a big deal of us and distract you from their own problems.

sockpoppit

The “fear” is racism. People like Trump use “Chicago” in lieu of saying “black people.”

So, whenever a pearl-clutching white person brings up crime in Chicago, I think, “Ah, a racist.”

NackoBall

There’s been a few incidents near me where I’ve had neighbors get windows shot out or people shot at very close to me and on a couple of occasions killed. In Uptown, North Park near the border of Albany Park, and West Rogers Park near Warren Park. I’ve been in these areas for the better part of 20 years. It isn’t something that happens often, but obviously these incidents can happen and will be startling when they occur.

Haluszki

I lived in Chicago for nearly 30 years. I was robbed six times. Twice by your normal, everyday criminal and four times by Chicagos finest, yep the man in blue

ThinThroat

I asked my family about this recently. This is, almost word for word, their response.

"Like anywhere, there are some places you know to avoid. But if you keep your head down and keep moving youll be fine. But its less than 5% of the city that I would consider 'too dangerous'" 

-Chicago resident for over 35 years, my father in law.

For reference, he was born in Detroit. So... he knows that shit.

MightyGoodra96

Puzzled-Sea-4325

Widely exaggerated by people who do not know how to live with such a large population of different kinds of people
When someone is used to monotony, 1 changed element is enough to shock

karween

I tell people that yeahs there’s a ton of crime but it’s not directed at normal people. It’s all gang vs gang and it mostly stays in those areas. I know where I’m not wanted and I don’t go there. Easy.

IDidIt_Twice

Overblown 
There are 25 plus cities that regularly rank as more dangerous

287fiddy

It’s not as bad as the media portrays it to be. Yeah there’s crime but for as large of a city as Chicago is, I don’t consider it to be that bad and widespread

Party-Meeting-6266

It really depends on where in the city you are. Violent crime is concentrated in some neighborhoods, while others are safer than many suburbs. I think that plays a part of why there is so much vitriol (and at times extreme rhetoric) locally about crime on the CTA/ teen violence downtown on the weekends, because your have people who don’t normally encounter violence (or even just the potential for it), suddenly being witness to it.

somewhatbluemoose

It’s situational—location, day, date, time, weather, event.  For those that say crime isn’t real, they are as out of touch as those who think crime is omnipresent.  It’s a spectrum, but the biggest challenge is knowing the variables and mistaking those for constants and vice versa.

Beam_Defense_Thach

It’s 80% localized to certain neighborhoods, 20% in common areas like on the trains and in the loop. It’s also highly manageable. As long as you avoid certain neighborhoods and make smart choices (like not riding a train at 3am or letting an app blindly steer you around the city) you will generally be fine. Street smarts is all about doing a little “what if” planning.

Strange_Valuable_573

I’m a white lady who’s lived here for 8 years and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve felt unsafe. 

Yes, crime happens, of course. My catalytic converter was boosted; the business on the first floor of our building was smashed and grabbed this year. That kind of random, sporadic crime is unsettling and expensive/frustrating to deal with, but nobody got hurt. 

A lot of violent crime is based on relationships. You’re most likely to be hurt by someone you know. And the people in my life aren’t violent or unsafe. Yes, random violent crimes absolutely happen, but they get a disproportionate amount of attention compared to how likely they are to happen to you. 

Statistically, violent crimes are down across the city. 

I’m from the South and people acted like I was moving to an active war zone. A lot of it is racism, pure and simple. It’s also misinformation and the distortion caused by the disproportionate attention given to violent crimes, especially random violent crimes.

melbelle28

I’ve never been affected by violent crime, but I lock my bike up and wouldn’t leave my purse sitting on a table if you know what I mean.

imhereforthemeta

I’m a transplant from a small town in Nebraska where people still call Chicago Chiraq. It’s a big city and like all big cities, it has its problems, one of them being crime. But it’s not lawlessness like some portray it. I’ve always told my daughters to be aware of their surroundings at all times, not just at night. Also, nothing good happens at 3am, no matter what city you live in. My 25 year old’s BF was punched in the back of the head at around 2pm by a clearly unstable homeless person. Homelessness is a countrywide problem (and federal funds now have been cut) and we do have our fair share of them. Chicago has always had political BS that’s negatively affects residents, that hasn’t changed in the almost 40 years I’ve been here. But I love this city. What it has to offer more than makes up for it’s shortcomings.

1KirstV

My perspective is just live my life and be aware of my surroundings. And I don’t listen to what the clown or any news outlet says about Chicago.

No-Beach-7923

It's overblown and easy to mostly avoid if you're conscious. 


Personally, I've moved counter clockwise around the city and lived in some of the wealthiest neighborhoods (like Gold Coast) and some of the sketchiest (like K-Town). I've been mugged, but only in situations where I knew there was an elevated risk. I've seen violence too, but it's rarely random. Day-to-day, in most neighborhoods, it's no more dangerous than anywhere else in the country.

Xullister

I'm a white dude that lives in the suburbs but has worked nights on the west side (where at the time it was close to where 3 of the 4 most violent neighborhoods in Chicago were) I had zero issues with violence or crime. Definitely drove through an open air drug market daily, I didn't mess with them, they didn't mess with me. Why would they mess up what they have going to screw with me?

Definitely played the "is it gunfire or fireworks" game (protip unless it's new years or 4th of July, it's always gunfire, on those two days...it's anyone's guess). But no direct threats of violence, for a while I was hoping I got carjacked but even they didn't want my POS car.

As with any city, or situation really, just need to be aware of your surroundings, and mostly mind your own business.

Is there crime? Absolutely. But it's MAINLY kept to specific areas, specific people, and specific activities.

Moist-L3mon

I had a friend travel here in Chicago and visited the city and he wondered off to the city and commuted his ways. He then shared his experience in the train station. As he claimed being offered illegal substance and was followed by people, forcing him to buy something. Luckily he went in a restaurant and called Uber and never step foot in the city without someone local.

deydontknowJack

Been living in Chicago over 20 years and aside from one incident where someone broke into my detached garage, took nothing (wasn’t really anything to steal) and left leaving me with a slightly busted door I’ve never experienced any major crime here and neither has any of my city friends to my knowledge, certainly not violent crime. Before Chicago I lived in Baltimore for 7 years….now THAT city was definitely dangerous in the way suburbanites describe Chicago so I just laugh over the fear mongering of Chicago crime. Here there’s definitely parts of the city you really want to avoid but in Baltimore it didn’t matter where you were for the most part…you’re a target for all kinds of crime.

kfunions

Its way overblown. The violence was actually much worse 40 years ago statistically and in my personal experience  I lived in Hyde Park, Lakeview and the Northwest side when young and now live in the suburbs.  For years up through the pandemic I drove to the West Loop daily and driven to places on the South and West sides regularly as part of my job -- and not had one issue nor felt unsafe.

Yes there is crime associated with density and poverty  -- there always has been and will be and its tragic. Be smart and I would avoid certain places at night. 

But the way its portrayed on Fox News as some sort of war zone is just not true from my personal experience.

debomama

Like pockets and places in any city, trouble and violence will find you. I don't feel unsafe and other than hiatuses here and there, I have lived in the city and suburbs. The media hypes the violence. Now, the gang shit is real, but not as rampant as they’d have you believe.

ScholarOk6434

I don’t know a single person who has ever said they wouldn’t go into the city for anything cuz it’s too dangerous. 

I think if there’s fear mongering and exaggeration it’s worse on the side of redditors who act like anyone who’s ever watched Fox News refuses to cross the city’s boundary. 

theblocker

I was mugged twice in the city (both times on the Northside), but the vast majority of people I know have never had an issue.

Quiet_Lunch_1300

Chicago isn't even in the top 10 for most violent cities. It's a narrative employed by the right. They don't like that cities, especially liberal ones, work. Different people with different backgrounds, races, religions, sexualities, etc., and we're all living and working together. We have a sense of community. Not everyone, but many of us. I think the way so many on the right vilify cities and try to instill fear is merely a tactic to divert from the fact multicultural communities work.

ProfessionalBelt3373

I watched my friends get attacked in front of my face on the L for being white and gay by a group of 20 young jackals. Completely unprovoked. They hit the emergency stop on the escalator we were riding up and peered over the edges on both sides. I'm very traumatized by it but supposedly white people aren't allowed to have racial trauma. The attack continued up the stairs to the platform. They pulled out a knife to stab my friend and were heard on audio saying "naww bihh we funna mace ha azz" and proceeded to jump off the concrete bench and maced my friends face, broke her ribs, stole another friends wallet. And broke his ribs. Their defense in court? "They're just poor disadvantaged kids from a bad neighborhood". They never saw a day in jail and I live with a PTSD most good white leftists try to gaslight me into believing isn't real. I don't care if you never had a dollar in your life that's no excuse to physically harm people for fun.  The delight in their eyes was terrifying and mayor pointy head says they shouldn't be demonized. 🙄

rootboot62

You can always tell who watches Fox News based on their perception of Chicago.

timmyneutron89

I had 2 cousins get shot and killed 3 years ago. I think most if not all of these replies are from white people on the Northside. I'm black and my view on Chicago is different. There are some neighborhoods that are bad, not because people are inherently looking to do bad things, but because there is so little available resources for them today people see crime as the only way to get what they need to survive. This is a small portion of Chicago though. There are easy more good areas and people in Chicago though. I've always felt safe in the city and know where I should and shouldn't be. There was a report that came out about life expantancu and in 1 neighborhood up north it was 90 and in 1 down south it was 60. Violent crime does happen, but it's really zip code dependant so to speak. 

https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/02/24/chicago-life-expectancy-gap

TheBossJNK

Who knows better than the safety of the city then those that don't live in it? 

Fucking suburbanites.

Ok-Juggernaut-4698

It’s safer than when I was a kid, for sure. Gentrification of different neighborhoods is very apparent.

Higher stats for violence and crime are going to be found more frequently anywhere there is a concentration of people and/or poverty.

Raised in Chicago for 30 years before moving. Some areas have gotten better and some worse. My final straw was coming home after work to a person stabbed in my elevator, blood everywhere. It was like a scene from a horror movie. For reference, I lived in the Edgewater and Uptown neighborhoods my entire time in the city.

In any place where there are more people in close proximity there will be higher crime rates just due to that. I can understand why you might be afraid of going into a city if you’ve lived your entire life in the suburbs, but truthfully all you really need to do is just be aware of your surroundings. If you’re going to be walking in an unfamiliar neighborhood don’t have a ton of jewelry on, be on your phone while walking, or wear flashy things.

superswaggy362

Like others have said, it’s neighborhood dependent. We could do a lot better though, and I’m hopeful our new State’s Attorney will deliver on promises to make the city safer.

nevermind4790

As long as you aren't getting into what you shouldn't be getting into, you have a greater chance of being struck by lightning than becoming a victim.

StillLetsRideIL

I live in the South Suburbs which has its own negative stereotypes. Issues are there, but again, overblown. 

I lived on the Near West Side as well. If you’re an easy mark, people are going to try you eventually. 

I was a social worker for 11 years and went into every single neighborhood. Spent a lot of time in the most poverty stricken neighborhoods going into people’s homes. I was confronted by a group one time in 11 years and they didn’t lay a hand on me, just talked a little shit. 

There’s also a huge difference between nighttime and daytime and weekends vs weekdays. Overall, I’d say chance of being a victim is very low if you have any street smarts, even in the “worst” neighborhoods. The media has shit all over Chicago. The whole Chiraq thing and drill music don’t help.

BradyMcBallsweat

The crime and violence that concerns me is done by the hands of business owners, shareholders and private equity investors. Most everything else is interpersonal or targeting something that I obviously don't have because no one ever tries to take my shit.


Also, there's never enough investigation or reporting on shooting incidents. I'm fairly certain that a decent amount of them are due to negligent discharge because there's not really a firearm safety culture and people here hate handgun holsters for some reason, so they inadvertently shoot themselves or someone nearby, barely a crime but adds to the stats and headlines.

Coloradohboy39

My suburbanite in-laws thinking Lakeview is a cesspit. LAKEVIEW. I can’t even…

cassinea

If you’re smart, not up to anything illegal, and aware of your surroundings, Chicago is a very safe and great place to be.

smalltownlargefry

I live in the northwest burbs but am in the city at least 1x a week and lived in Logan Square for ages. There are parts of the city that are very safe and parts that are... Not. For the most part, the unsafe parts are ones you are  unlikely to visit as a tourist or visitor unless you have family/friends there.

I have lots of neighbors who love the city and others who are convinced they will be shot or stabbed if they take Metra in. It's a crapshoot...

For my part, I just wish CTA and CPD would take quality of life issues seriously. No I don't want people smoking on the L train and no I want the police to actually show up if someone breaks into my house.

pizzapriorities

I live in Jefferson Park, on the far NW side of the city. It's plenty safe here except for the drivers. Obviously, as said before, it's neighborhood by neighborhood but the news media sensationalizes violent crime and feeds perceptions of danger.

RJRICH17

If you want to get a feel for what it’s really like in Chicago, go to Broadcastify and search for Chicago PD and tune in. It gets wild after dark but the shit can hit the fan any time.

https://www.broadcastify.com/listen/mid/38

Critical-Test-4446

Chicago resident (south loop) since ‘97, male, white/hispanic.  

In the loop - head on a swivel, don’t stop to talk to beggars, shoe shine, candy bar boys, don’t give to anyone asking you for anything on the street.

The EL is rideable during the day, the red line still has ppl trying to score - avoid if possible.  Once the sun goes down, it gets weirder - head on a swivel, stay away from ppl talking to themselves, eyes down.

Competitive-Future-1

The Trump administration has highlighted the stark contrast between Chicago's murder rate and that of New Delhi, claiming Chicago's rate is 15 times higher.

Gun Violence and Crime Rates in Chicago

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