Teenagers running rampant and committing crimes in the Windy City is nothing new.
But, the problem has worsened considerably under Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Now, a Chicago teenager was fatally shot as a large gathering spiraled out of control.
It’s been a frequent occurrence in Chicago in recent years.
Large groups of teenagers have gathered and gotten involved in violent clashes.
For those hoping for some improvement in the youth crime wave after Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) succeeded former Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D), there’s been a palpable sense of disappointment.
Before he even assumed office, Johnson seriously downplayed the dangerous and violent acts by Chicago’s youth.
Rather than taking a “get tough” approach on a festering public safety issue, Johnson instead advised residents to not “demonize” those hundreds of teens who violently took over Chicago’s streets.
He even made excuses for them, saying that teenagers have been “starved of opportunities in their own communities.”
This enabling behavior has meant that, as Jeremiah Wright, another Chicagoan made famous by Barack Obama, once said, the chickens are coming home to roost.
Another violent mob of Chicago teenagers used social media to plan a gathering on Saturday.
A crowd of hundreds of teens flooded into the South Loop neighborhood that Saturday, which led to fighting and shooting shortly after.
Video of the incident shows some of the teenagers engaging in a fight.
Some within the crowd started to film what was going on with their phones.
A police officer was then seen arresting a young woman while shouting and laughing can be heard in the background.
Crowds of teenagers took over the streets of Chicago’s South Loop last night.
As a result of this chaos, which lasted several hours, two people were injured pic.twitter.com/sqqiGmc40A— S p r i n t e r (@Sprinter99800) March 3, 2024
This night was far from all fun and games.
Another teen dead in a large youth gathering turned violent
Amid the mayhem, two teenagers at the scene were shot, and one of them died, according to CWB Chicago.
A 17-year-old boy identified by CBS Chicago as Jeremy Smith was struck by gunshots to his chest and neck and was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital, according to police.
Another 15-year-old boy was listed in fair condition at the same hospital with a gunshot wound to his left leg.
2 teenagers were shot, one fatally, as hundreds of people flooded the South Loop on Saturday evening. Cops made dozens of arrests, including the suspected shooter.
Video via @ChicagoCritter and audio of CPD radio traffic are included in our report:https://t.co/Lf6POIrTUZ
— CWBChicago (@CWBChicago) March 3, 2024
Since officers were already in the area, they immediately called out shots fired on the radio and responded.
According to police, they detained the gunman and recovered a firearm.
Local business leader on youth crime: “Enough is enough. Somebody needs to do something about it fast”
A local business owner told CBS Chicago, “Enough is enough. We need to do something about it and somebody needs to do something about it fast. My business has security guards and they lock the doors for a while sometimes because there’s only so much that we can do.”
Misdemeanor charges were filed against twelve people with some also cited for violating curfew.
Three boys ranging in age from 14 to 17 and two girls, aged 16 and 17 were accused of misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
Two separate teen girls were charged with reckless conduct, according to CWB Chicago.
Additionally, an 18-year-old woman named Sybrina Collins has been charged with misdemeanor resisting.
In the last year, 461 arrests were made of 17 to 19-year-old Chicagoans for Unlawful Use of Weapons, and there is no sign that Mayor Johnson’s kid-glove approach is helping matters.
Instead, his actions are justifying the crimes that Chicago’s youth have imposed on law-abiding residents.
It’s clear that the current approach isn’t working, and stricter penalties for illegal acts are needed to deter the offenders.
Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story.
