Chicago City Wire

A new Wirepoints report has challenged the prevailing notion that "red" state-level leadership and policies are to blame for the surge in homicides and violent crime across the United States.

The report reveals that the responsibility lies primarily with local governments rather than states. 

“Yes, state officials set criminal penalties and some broader parameters, but it’s mayors who control police and policing, local prosecutors who decide what to prosecute, and district/county judges who determine who to sentence,” President of Wirepoints Ted Dabrowski said. “Democrats have run nearly all the homicide hotspots. It’s their policies, then, that deserve the most scrutiny.”

By analyzing America's cities with the highest homicide rates, the study found that nearly 87% of the 30 cities with the highest murder rates in 2022 were governed by Democratic mayors, while only two were led by Republicans and the remaining two by either an independent or a progressive mayor. 

“There’s a debate raging over who’s responsible for the surge in homicides and violent crime across the country,” the Wirepoints report reads. “California Gov. Gavin Newsom blames Republicans, saying that ‘8 of the top murder states are red.’ Left-leaning think tank Third Way claims it’s ‘red’ state-level leadership and policies that are responsible for the nation’s homicide problem. And Politico’s recent analysis on gun violence claims the problem is most acute in places ‘where Republicans have dominated state governments for decades.’”

Consequently, the debate surrounding the nation's homicide crisis should be framed as a red vs. blue city issue, not a red vs. blue state one.

“Wirepoints went back to its 2022 homicide survey of the nation’s 75 biggest cities and used the political affiliation of each mayor as a proxy for a city’s overall blue or red leadership. We found that 26 of the 30 cities with the highest murder rates were run by Democratic mayors last year. Just two were run by Republicans and two others were led by either an independent or a progressive mayor,” Wirepoints reported.

Earlier this year, Wirepoints released a survey of 75 of the nation’s cities. The survey found New Orleans and Chicago were the nation’s murder capitals. In 2022, Chicago had the most murders of any other city with 697, the 11th year in a row the city has held that distinction. New Orleans had the highest murder rate per capita, with 74.3 homicides for every 100,000 residents.

“Chicago suffers from a trifecta of failure: Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, the county's Chief Judge Timothy Evans, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot have crippled criminal justice and destroyed police morale,” Matt Rosenberg, Ted Dabrowski, and John Klingner wrote for Wirepoints.

The group said the city’s lax attitude towards crime has led to higher crime rates.

“Much of the deadly violence traces back to a broader decriminalization effort by officials that has increased tolerance for lower-level crimes,” Wirepoints wrote. “Foxx has effectively decriminalized retail theft under $1,000, while state legislation successfully pushed by her political mentor, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, has limited the practice of prosecuting armed juvenile carjackers as adults,” the study reads.

Former mayor Lori Lightfoot shouldered much of the blame for the city’s showing.

“Meanwhile, Lightfoot’s leadership and executive temperament have faltered as crime has mounted. When McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski rightly warned that outsized crime threatened the city’s economic future, Lightfoot wouldn’t hear of it and said he needed to ‘educate himself.’ She calls her critics on crime “haters” even as the city in 2022 clocked a 41 percent increase in major crimes vs. 2021, and a 33 percent increase since 2019,” Wirepoints reported. “Police morale has plunged under Lightfoot’s management. Many officers have fled regular patrols for assignments in special units. Retirements and resignations are common; more than 1,000 officers left in 2022. A string of suicides has rocked the department. Replacements are being hired but sworn officer staffing levels are down 12 percent between January of 2019 and January of 2023.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's first month in office has been marred by a significant surge in crime, with a notable 38% increase compared to the same period last year, Washington Examiner reported. Alarming statistics reveal a staggering 153% spike in vehicle thefts, a 17% rise in aggravated battery cases, a 12% jump in burglaries, and a 5% increase in shootings. Murders saw a slight 5% decrease, resulting in just three fewer fatalities. Despite the mayor's active presence on social media covering various topics, scant attention has been given to public safety and crime-related concerns. Johnson's prior support for defunding the police, coupled with a lack of action to address the ongoing crime wave, raises doubts about his approach to tackling this pressing issue.