As Chicago closed on one of its most violent years in decades, President-elect Donald Trump tweeted Monday the city should seek federal help if local authorities can’t handle the crisis.
“Chicago murder rate is record setting - 4,331 shooting victims with 762 murders in 2016,” Trump tweeted. “If Mayor can’t do it he must ask for Federal help!”
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Data made available by the Chicago Police Department shows 2016 was one of the most violent years in the city since the mid ‘90s. While it wasn't a record, as Trump stated, Chicago saw 762 murders, 3,550 shooting incidents and 4,331 shooting victims in 2016.
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to Ward Room’s request for comment on Trump’s tweet, though Police Supt. Eddie Johnson told reporters Sunday he plans to hire nearly 1,000 more officers by the end of the year to help combat violence.
“If you give us the tools that we need to hold these individuals accountable, I promise you 2017 will be a much better, and safer, year for the city of Chicago,” Johnson said.
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to Ward Room’s request for comment on Trump’s tweet, though Police Supt. Eddie Johnson told reporters Sunday he plans to hire nearly 1,000 more officers by the end of the year to help combat violence.
“If you give us the tools that we need to hold these individuals accountable, I promise you 2017 will be a much better, and safer, year for the city of Chicago,” Johnson said.
Over the course of the campaign, Trump repeatedly referenced Chicago’s violent crime.
“In Chicago, they’ve had thousands of shootings — thousands — since January first,” Trump said during the first presidential debate in September. “And I’m saying, ‘Where is this? Is this a war-torn country? What are we doing?’”
The Chicago City Council voted in November to remove honorary “Trump Plaza” street signs near the president-elect’s riverfront hotel and condominium tower as a response to the Republican's incendiary rhetoric about the city.
Johnson made a commitment Sunday to reduce the city’s violence in 2017. Besides hiring additional officers, the CPD plans to fund economic growth and provide support for young men in violent neighborhoods, police said.
On Sunday, “60 Minutes” aired a segment titled “Crisis in Chicago,” bringing renewed attention to the city’s murder rate.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel met with the president-elect last month at Trump Tower in New York City, delivering a letter from mayors across the country calling for protections for young immigrants. However, it’s unclear whether Emanuel and Trump discussed Chicago’s violent crime.
Trump also met with Chicago rapper/producer Kanye West in December. Following the meeting, West tweeted that he discussed the city’s violence with Trump.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
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