There were 4,367 people shot in Chicago last year, and 762 homicides, about 90 percent caused by gunfire. The toll of violence is numbing. Do you need to see those figures again? More than 4,000 gunshot victims in our city in 2016, with a body count of 700. Blame gangs and drug-dealing for much of the mayhem.
Everyone knows certain neighborhoods are dangerous, but the unrelenting headlines blunt reality. Chicagoans lament each death yet collectively shrug off the horror because there is no end to this bloodshed, no solution within reach.
Then comes a moment that stuns Chicago out of its stupor. This happens when children are caught in the crossfire. We must do something, caring citizens think. But we don’t know what to do, and soon enough we look away.
So here we are in one of those interludes, when the shooting deaths of three children in quick succession grip the city and demand a response. It’s not crass to observe that, because of Kanari, Takiya and Lavontay, a chance exists to push lawmakers to take action to curb gun violence. Outrage generates momentum: This is how human nature, and politics, work. And yes, Chicago is outraged.
•Early last Saturday evening in West Englewood, Kanari Gentry Bowers, 12 years old, was playing basketball in a schoolyard when shots rang out. Children scattered. Somewhere nearby a shooter was firing wildly and struck Kanari in the head. She died Wednesday.
•A half-hour after Kanari was felled, about 4 miles away in Parkway Gardens, 11-year-old Takiya Holmes sat in the back seat of a minivan. Bullets flew and Takiya also was hit in the head. She died Tuesday. Police charged a 19-year-old who allegedly was aiming at rivals selling marijuana on his gang turf.
•Also Tuesday, 2-year-old Lavontay White Jr. rode in the back seat of a car in Lawndale. Sixteen shots were fired at the vehicle. Lavontay was killed. The driver, Lavontay’s uncle, was shot in the head and also killed. Police said he was a documented gang member and the intended target.
In January 2013, another killing riveted Chicago. Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old honor student who had performed at President Barack Obama’s inaugural festivities a week earlier, was killed by gunfire while hanging out with friends in a South Side park. Her death spurred progress in Springfield on a bill designed to keep thugs off the streets for longer periods of time. That legislation would have imposed tougher sentences on repeat gun offenders. But lawmakers’ resolve was fleeting, and the bill failed.
Several lawmakers are trying again with legislation that would send repeat gun offenders to prison for longer stretches. But it’s not draconian: It also gives judges flexibility on sentencing. We want it to pass, to deliver a message of deterrence and to stanch some bleeding because gangbangers in jail can’t roam the streets looking for targets.
The proposed law, which has Democratic backers that include Sen. Kwame Raoul, of Chicago, and Rep. Mike Zalewski, of Riverside, would raise minimum sentences for repeat gun offenders from three years to seven years. It targets anyone caught carrying a loaded gun who has a previous gun offense or a record that includes certain violent acts such as murder, rape or armed robbery, Raoul told us. Crucially, the legislation would give judges discretion to hand down more lenient sentences, as long as they explain why a defendant deserves the break. This addresses one concern with the previous bill: That punitive sentencing does more harm than good to communities by warehousing young men in prison.
The value of harsher sentencing as a tool of prevention is debatable: Hoodlums typically don’t consult the sentencing guidelines before committing crimes. But we also know gang members don’t fear prison now because punishments are too lenient. So let those who don’t get the message otherwise learn the hard way. Raoul calls it a "common sense" approach. "There are people who have said in opposition to this proposal that these are just people carrying guns. They haven’t shot anybody yet," he said. "We shouldn’t have to wait until somebody is shot to treat these cases seriously."
Tougher sentencing isn’t the end-all answer to what plagues Chicago. The roots of violence in impoverished neighborhoods run generations deep and will take generations to heal. We don’t have that kind of time to make progress. This proposal represents one step and should be enacted. It will, if Springfield lawmakers respond to Chicago’s agony. How can they not?
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