Chicago Saw A Rise In Gun Crime In 2020, And No Speedy Trials

Violence in Chicago this year was reminiscent of 2016 — which saw 778 murders that year — but experts say history is not repeating itself.

By Meha Ahmad
Chicago Violence
A pedestrian walks across Michigan Ave., Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, past a Chicago police department vehicle, a few blocks north of the raised Michigan Ave. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chicago Violence
A pedestrian walks across Michigan Ave., Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, past a Chicago police department vehicle, a few blocks north of the raised Michigan Ave. ASSOCIATED PRESS

Chicago Saw A Rise In Gun Crime In 2020, And No Speedy Trials

Violence in Chicago this year was reminiscent of 2016 — which saw 778 murders that year — but experts say history is not repeating itself.

By Meha Ahmad
WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

This year there were more than 750 murders in Chicago — a 50 percent jump from last year, and on par with 2016, a year so bad that it compelled anti-violence groups to join forces in the fight. But the picture is a bit more complicated than it seems.

GUEST: Patrick Smith, WBEZ criminal justice reporter