Why Does the Media Have an Obsession with Chicago Violence? (East St. Louis: crime, neighborhoods)

[NOLA101]

Maybe because there are more murders in Chicago than in any other U.S. city?

[CCrest182]

Originally Posted by Opin_Yunated

I'm not an Illinois resident, but I've been in the city many times. Every time an "active" weekend for homicides happens in Chicago, I see it on the national news. Everyone I know balks when I say Chicago is one of the coolest cities we have in the country. They say ".. yea but the crime is awful."

Funny, statistics have Chicago not even in the top 10. I never hear of shootings on the national news for Detroit or Philadelphia, which are far worse. I lived in the Philly Metro for 5 years, and multiple homicides were weekly in Philly, Camden, and Wilmington. Most rustblet cities fair similarly in crime to Chicago (Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, Milwaukee)

Because, 82 shot and 15 killed IS a big deal, especially if those are innocent lives (which unfortunately happened on the weekend). This is the kind of news you'd here coming from the middle east in the war, except it's happening on American soil.



I'm not defending the "Chiraq" reference, but Chicago is the world class first world city that has the worst issues with this stuff. The media can exploit this, and Chicago is often used as a gun control reference, but 82 shot and 15 killed over a span of 3 and a half days shouldn't be some minor story.

And you bring up Detroit. I know this is because Chicago's bigger, but last weekend Detroit only 30 shootings. Chicago had nearly triple that...

[nearnorth]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

Because Obama is from Chicago. And also because until recently, Illinois was the only state to ban concealed carry.

Yep. Between these two things and the history of the Democratic "machine," Chicago is pretty much everything conservatives hate. And, despite their cries of a "liberal media" in the U.S., the major media outlets are owned by major corporations who have pro-corporate agendas first and foremost. They exist solely to make as large of a profit possible for their shareholders, just like any other corporation. There is nothing "liberal" about them.

[nearnorth]

Originally Posted by NOLA101

Maybe because there are more murders in Chicago than in any other U.S. city?

There are also the third-most PEOPLE in Chicago of any U.S. city, and the other two are significantly more expensive, which means they have less poverty and less violence. Are you going to tell us there are more cow-tippings in states with more cows, too? Thanks, Sherlock.

Yes, there are more murders in cities with more people, which is why murder rate is the valid stat. I'm a big fan of your namesake NOLA, but it has three times the murder rate of Chicago. THREE. TIMES.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by NOLA101

Maybe because there are more murders in Chicago than in any other U.S. city?

You truly have to take population into account.

Indianapolis has a murder rate that is increasing

Indianapolis homicide rate nearly doubles - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Kansas City has a huge problem

Kansas City

Top 100 most dangerous cities

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

Note that Chicago and NYC don't make the list at all.

FAQ on how they got their ratings:

What this research list reveals. Our research reveals the 100 most dangerous cities in America with 25,000 or more people, based on the number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents. Violent crimes include homicide, forcible rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. Data used for this research are 1) the number of violent crimes reported to the FBI to have occurred in each city, and 2) the population of each city.

East St. Louis is #1, Flint, MI is #2

You can find the safest cities as well.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by CCrest182

And you bring up Detroit. I know this is because Chicago's bigger, but last weekend Detroit only 30 shootings. Chicago had nearly triple that...

85 shootings in a weekend is definitely a newsworthy event, I agree. Though, per capita 30 shootings at 700K people is worse than 85 shootings at 2.7 million people.

[nearnorth]

There is no doubt that 85 shootings in one city is newsworthy, but it's a matter of relative newsworthiness. Why don't I remember weekly national coverage of Chicago murders back in the 90's when there were nearly twice as many murders as there are now? If the current amount of coverage is appropriate for the current level of crime, shouldn't there have been twice as much coverage back then as now?

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by nearnorth

There is no doubt that 85 shootings in one city is newsworthy, but it's a matter of relative newsworthiness. Why don't I remember weekly national coverage of Chicago murders back in the 90's when there were nearly twice as many murders as there are now? If the current amount of coverage is appropriate for the current level of crime, shouldn't there have been twice as much coverage back then as now?

Yep, exactly. Though some people will turn to the fact that NYC had more homicides than Chicago in the early 90s. I don't remember how much NYC's homicides were covered either, though.

[mjtinmemphis]

I agree with many who think the reputation and the nasty coverage is political. Another issue is the gang culture has been very strong in the city along with the highly publicize crime in the 70's with Cabrini Green and other huge housing projects.

Otoh, some are in denial because they don't identify with the most dangerous neighborhoods nor do they engage with the people who have been on the loosing end of the crime in Chicago. The homicide rate takes on more of a personal issue when you have to console a friend who looses a son to violence than it does if you totally separate yourself from that side of Chicago.

I've had the privilege of living in several cities including Chicago Memphis and St. Louis. I can tell from personal experience that cities have different ways of classifying homicides and other crimes. It isn't always a apples to apples comparison. It can be a difficult thing to pass judgment on the quality of life in a city until you've experienced day to day life there.

[nearnorth]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Yep, exactly. Though some people will turn to the fact that NYC had more homicides than Chicago in the early 90s. I don't remember how much NYC's homicides were covered either, though.

I don't remember much coverage of theirs, either. Apparently 900/year in Chicago and 2,000/year in NYC wasn't newsworthy, but 400/year in Chicago (and falling) is OMG THE WORST THING EVER OMG OMG CHIRAQ OMG!