Why Isn't this Business as Usual? (Chicago: crime rate, neighborhood, gangs)

[JacksonPanther]

Take a look at this article in the Sun_times:

Top cop

Now explain to me why this level of control by the police isn't the standard behavior for ALL street gangs in every area of the city? Why does this only happen after an innocent is shot?

And what really burns my buns? The comment by the unnamed gang member, who says that "Cops have said they don't care about small amounts of weed being sold to feed our families..."
So now individual cops have the leeway to not bother with crimes they consider to be "unimportant." Yet that ends up being the same guy who later on shots at a rival and hit a bystander.

Madness!

[Chicago South Sider]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

Take a look at this article in the Sun_times:

Top cop

Now explain to me why this level of control by the police isn't the standard behavior for ALL street gangs in every area of the city? Why does this only happen after an innocent is shot?

And what really burns my buns? The comment by the unnamed gang member, who says that "Cops have said they don't care about small amounts of weed being sold to feed our families..."
So now individual cops have the leeway to not bother with crimes they consider to be "unimportant." Yet that ends up being the same guy who later on shots at a rival and hit a bystander.

Madness!

The real madness is why do these people keep reproducing? This isn't just about economics, it's about how you were raised. I say we cut Link money off at 2 kids and watch the crime rate drop like a rock.

At any rate, the police don't have the manpower to bust every nickel and dime weed dealer. Anything less than an ounce or so will get you a ticket or a gentle slap on the wrist so what's the point?

[aragx6]

^Yeah, let the kids starve, I always say!

[Chicago South Sider]

Originally Posted by aragx6

^Yeah, let the kids starve, I always say!

Or we can keep fattening up future criminals.You do realize that many people have kids simply to get more money from the state? Many of them are ready to kill by the age of 14. The next generation will be killing at age 9 or 10.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider

At any rate, the police don't have the manpower to bust every nickel and dime weed dealer. Anything less than an ounce or so will get you a ticket or a gentle slap on the wrist so what's the point?

If he's a known Maniac, or GD, or whatever (because he has a card filled out) then No, I don't understand why he would be let go with a slap on the wrist. That seems to go against the stated policy of shutting these guys down.

[dewthedru]

i have little problem with that. there's only so much time and money they can spend doing what they can. kids selling a little bit of weed isn't going to ruin the neighborhood. selling harder drugs and shooting folks will.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

If I was mayor and I read that article I would be pissed off and smacking around my chief of police, asking "Why the f@ck haven't you been doing this from day one?"

There are a few reasons, most of them relate to manpower.

- All of the extra manpower in that area is coming from somewhere else. There are certainly issues with how many police are assigned to each district, but in general there will be increased crime in other areas as a result of the crackdown.

- Much of the crime just gets shifted to other areas. If you're dealing in an area and the cops crack down, just move to another area (preferably one of the areas that has lost some cops to the area with the crackdown).

- The crackdowns can actually result in an increase in violence as gangs are forced from one area to another and turf wars break out.

There's been an increase in crimes in areas to the South and East of the crackdown that might be related to the crackdown. We'll have a better idea in the Spring when the weather really warms up and there's more gang activity. Ultimately more money is needed for more cops (or the CPD needs to cut pay and benefits) to cover the whole city at a much higher level.

[ofcjim40]

Ummm. Crime is down and the city lost 200,000 people. All is fine, nothing to see here. Also unnamed gangbangers are to be trusted in the comments they make about the Police. Also they aren't really gangs, they are misunderstood community organizations.

[ofcjim40]

^ This sums up a good part of the issue. Also there is not enough manpower in the world to shut all gangs. Basically you need hundreds and hundreds of Officers per District to babysit them. Right now 07 and 11 have the major crackdown but there is NO WAY the number of Officers deployed there can be maintained. It is a band aid at best. And right now they have a loud mouth Police Chief that doesn't fully support them. They are overworked, understaffed, morale is in the crapper and G8/NATO disaster is around the corner. Gee, what could possibly go wrong.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by Attrill

- All of the extra manpower in that area is coming from somewhere else. There are certainly issues with how many police are assigned to each district, but in general there will be increased crime in other areas as a result of the crackdown.

- Much of the crime just gets shifted to other areas. If you're dealing in an area and the cops crack down, just move to another area (preferably one of the areas that has lost some cops to the area with the crackdown).

- The crackdowns can actually result in an increase in violence as gangs are forced from one area to another and turf wars break out.

There's been an increase in crimes in areas to the South and East of the crackdown that might be related to the crackdown.

Conventional Wisdom says that attacking crime is like pressing a hump in a carpet - it will just appear somewhere else. But I think your 3rd bullet point is not true, and it disagrees with the comments in the article. If the police shutdown the gangs and drugs in one area, those thugs cannot just pick up and move to another neighborhood - that is someone else's turf, which they would defend. The article says that and instead shows that what happens is that the thugs have to work together and share the remaining turf.

So in reality the drugs didn't get worse in other areas, and no turf war broke out - the result is that the remaining drug spots have to share their diminished remaining pie, while the area of the crackdown remains clean.

Imagine if the CPD decided to shutdown only Austin and Lawndale - that would effectively shut down the entire west side, with those thugs unable to move anywhere. They're not going into Hispanic areas of the west side (not without a fight, which will kill their business), and they're definitely not going into the south side where they're not known.