Chicago City Wire

Jim Iuorio, a financial trader based in Chicago, expressed concerns about the city's rising violence, stating that it has created unsafe living conditions and deteriorated the quality of life. This statement was made on X.

"I've stepped over pools of blood from a dead person in front of my parking garage," said Iuorio. "One morning I couldn't workout because gang bangers shot the windows out of my health club. If you're some pampered upper crust activist who's protesting federal help to make people safe you are a hateful cruel sociopath."

In 2024, Chicago's crime debate intensified as politicians spotlighted public safety concerns. Despite this focus, overall violent crime and homicides continued to decline. Critics claimed Chicago remained dangerously violent; however, the city's homicide rate was far lower than several Republican-led cities, highlighting a disconnect between perception and data. According to The Guardian, Chicago's homicide rate stood at 17.5 per 100,000 in 2024, well below cities like New Orleans or St. Louis.

Chicago recorded approximately 581 homicides in 2024, representing a five-year low, alongside 2,815 shootings, of which 2,301 were non-fatal. These figures underscore a significant decline compared to earlier years when annual homicide counts exceeded 770. Wikipedia’s compilation of city crime statistics reports that the 2024 numbers mark a sustained downward trend in violence.

Compared with other major U.S. cities, Chicago's homicide rate remains high in raw numbers but not per capita. In 2024, Chicago's rate was about 21.4 per 100,000 people, while St. Louis exceeded 54 per 100,000 and Detroit also ranked higher. The Center for Public Safety Initiatives reports that this places Chicago mid-range nationally among large urban centers despite its visibility in political debates.

Iuorio is a managing director at TJM Institutional Services with over three decades of experience trading futures and options for institutional clients. He focuses on equity indexes, interest rate products, commodities, and foreign exchange while also trading his personal account in futures, equities, Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), and options. As reported by the New Orleans Conference biography, Iuorio frequently provides macroeconomic and market commentary.