SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL: Chicago violence off the charts. 23 homicides, 147 shot, ONE ARREST… “The streets aren’t so forgiving”

Chicago’s crime problem has exploded.

Since New Year’s, there have been 147 people shot.

23 homicides have been reported, and while a handful of those are justifiable, police have made only a single arrest in the remainder of the homicide cases.

Deadly start to the new year in Chicago: ‘The streets aren’t so forgiving’

(Chicago Tribune) – When the Rev. Michael Pfleger marched against violence, he marched against people like Phillip Dupree.

Dupree, 25, was a gang member with a record of arrests for drugs and guns. But last summer, Dupree showed up at Pfleger’s door asking for help.

“He was just tired of the streets, he looked for help and support to make that change,” Pfleger said. “I watched him go from people we called out during the marches to walking the marches with us.”

He was just turning his life around, right?

Around 2:50 p.m. Wednesday, Dupree was riding with his 62-year-old grandmother in the 7900 block of South Laflin Street in the Gresham neighborhood when someone shot into their small Kia, according to police.

Dupree died on the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. His grandmother was taken in serious to critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, said Officer Thomas Sweeney, a police spokesman.

The Kia, pocked with bullet holes, came to rest near a hair braiding business — about five blocks down the street from Pfleger’s church, St. Sabina.

Question:  What caliber is best for stopping a Kia?  Is a 9mm too much or should you stick with a .32 or smaller?

Dupree was among three people killed and at least seven wounded in Chicago on Wednesday into Thursday. Fourteen days into the new year, nearly 150 people have been shot in Chicago so far, 23 of them fatally.

So, what are the Chicago politicians looking to do about the violence?

From our post on a Cook County Commissioner proposing to effectively ban firearm sales to solve this violent crime outbreak:

How about this:  In Florida, almost one in five adults has a concealed carry license.  Florida also currently has the lowest recorded level of firearm violent crime.  (So much for COOK COUNTY DEMOCRAT Richard Boykin’s “too many guns causes crime” meme, right?)

What does Florida have besides warm weather, sunny beaches, palm trees and one in five people carrying guns?  They have 10-20-Life and they use it.

Possess a firearm in the commission of a violent crime, get 10 extra years.  No plea bargains.  No parole.  No probation.

Fire said firearm in commission of a violent crime and you’re gone 20 years on top of the crime’s sentence.

Hit someone with that gunshot and it’s 25- to Life.  Hard time.

Instead of practicing “Catch and Release” when it comes to violent crime – along with blaming the law-abiding gun owners, perhaps Chicago politicians should try putting violent offenders behind bars.

Recall those two schmucks that got shot and killed at the liquor store about a week ago?  (See story:  HUNTING OVER BAIT? Chicago “NO GUNS” store attracts two more goblins, shoots them down like dogs (Graphic crime-scene photo inside))

The 17-year-old, pictured bleeding out on the floor (you could see his face), had been arrested thirty-plus times on charges up to and including armed robbery, according to our sources.

The 15-year-old had been arrested at least three times, if not more.

Chicago’s violent crime is exploding this year.  Homicides are up 125% thus far this year and shootings are up 218% over the same time period in 2015.  Gun arrests and gun confiscations are both down about 35% from last year.  All of this per DNAInfo.com.

Second City Cop reports that police investigatory stops in Chicago are down 80% from last year.  It’s not just Chicago.  Cook County Jail admissions – for arrests made in the entire county – are down from roughly 250 per day to 60-70.

What’s more, in a desperate bid to save money, Cook County is letting people subscribe to Electronic Home Monitoring instead of holding them in the Cook County Jail.  Something like just shy of 4,000 people are out on monitoring, and they don’t have enough staff to monitor them.  Translation:  They can pretty much come and go as they damn well please to commit more crime without worry that they’ll be returned to jail.

No, instead of putting violent Democrat voters in prison to protect everyday Illinoisans, Cook County Commissioners want to protect the violent criminals.

Elections matter.