To fix Chicago’s murder rate, we need more famous people

To fix Chicago’s murder rate, we need more famous people August 31, 2016

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACrimeScene.jpg; By Supaflyrobby (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

No, I don’t mean that we need more celebrities to come to Chicago and, well, do whatever it is that celebrities do:  sing, act, you-tube, etc., or even attend anti-crime rallies.

I mean this:  in the recent article in the Chicago Tribune on the quick arrest of two men for the murder of the cousin of basketball star Dwayne Wade, these are the paragraphs that caught my eye:

When asked about the difference in solving Aldridge’s killing within days compared with the overwhelming majority of homicides that don’t end in arrests, Johnson pointed to the community as being more cooperative because of to the high-profile nature of the case.

“You know why we captured them right away? Because the community helped us with it,” Johnson said. “Police officers very rarely witness crime, especially murder or aggravated battery with a firearm. … We take every death in Chicago seriously, but we need the community’s help to bring these cases to a successful resolution.”

I’ve read, and surely you have too, that the murders do not go unsolved because the killers are truly exceptionally skilled at going undetected.  Their families, their neighbors know what happened, but don’t cooperate with the police, don’t turn in the criminals, don’t testify, etc.

But if what it takes to inspire cooperation is for the victim to be related to someone famous — well, then I suppose we need Andy Warhol’s 15 minutes of fame.  How?  Well, yeah, I haven’t figured that part out yet.

 

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACrimeScene.jpg; By Supaflyrobby (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons


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