Chicago City Wire

Elementary school students and teachers lost their lives in Uvalde, Texas, during a mass shooter event — Chicago, unfortunately, has experience with this.

“CBS reports Chicago has 10 mass shootings this year compared to 5 for New York City and Los Angelos combined,” Former CEO of Chicago Public Schools Paul Vallas wrote on Twitter. Chicago had 60 mass shootings last year, almost 10% of (the) entire nation. More disturbing is that there are few arrests as (the) city hasn’t given Chicago Police Department resources to protect witnesses and victims.”

So far in 2022, there have been ten mass shootings in Chicago, leaving 7 people dead and 45 people injured, CBS News reported. In 2021, Chicago saw 60 mass shootings, which left 31 people dead and 287 people wounded. Last week, a shooting outside of McDonald's at Chicago Avenue and State Street left 2 people dead and 7 others injured. One suspect is in custody for the shooting.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has turned down any suggestion of calling in the National Guard to address the city's violence issues, CBS reported. 

“I don't see any reason for that,” Lightfoot said. “The National Guard is not a panacea. The National Guard is a military force. They are trained, not in civilian use of force, but in military use of force, and when they see a challenge, their training tells them to put down that challenge with deadly force. That’s not what we need at this moment. We don't need more gunfire, and we certainly don't need our residents being subject to a military force on our streets.”

The Congressional Research Service defined mass shooting events as incidents where four or more people die in a public space.

Violent crime in Chicago is near an all-time high, with 2,136 aggravated assaults, 2,260 aggravated batteries, 563 sexual assaults, 202 homicides, and 2,689 robberies reported as of May 9, CBS News reported. Chicago business owners are concerned that the violence will lead to a decrease in tourism this summer, hurting revenue.

“Our main headwind right now is public safety,” Michael Jacobson, the president of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, said to CBS News. “Unfortunately, we have seen both individual leisure travelers begin to cancel their hotel rooms for the next several weeks and months because of what they’ve been hearing on the news and seeing happen downtown. More concerning is we’ve even seen conferences pull out of Chicago altogether for other cities in the Midwest.”

The Congressional Research Service reported the Uvalde mass shooting is the deadliest in 2022 as of Thursday.

Vallas, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is considering running for mayor of Chicago in the upcoming election, Chicago Sun-Times reported. Vallas ran an unsuccessful mayoral campaign last election cycle. Vallas has experience with the city's finances, having served as city revenue director and budget director under former Mayor Daley. Vallas is a law enforcement supporter, helping to secure raises for Chicago Police Officers while serving as an unpaid advisor to the Fraternal Order of Police.

Gun Violence Archive is a website that regularly lists shooting events in the United States.