Chicago is engulfed in a seemingly endless crime wave.
Over Memorial Day weekend alone, there were at least 41 shootings with 9 fatalities, according to the Chicago Police Department.
In Alderman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth’s 48th Ward, robberies and sex crimes are at their highest level in over a decade.
But Manaa-Hoppenwort said she will no longer post crime alerts on social media or send crime alerts to her constituent email list.
In a blog post, she shared that “over-reporting,” or more accurately ACTUALLY reporting crime, leads to an inaccurate public perception about crime rates.”
Our updated alert system is based not only input from our community but is also informed by research from recent years that shows how over-reporting of crime leads to an inaccurate public perception about crime rates. Research also shows us that over-reporting of crime negatively impacts our most marginalized and underserved neighbors.
Read more about the influence of crime media on the public’s expectations of crime rates here. [MDPI]
Read more about how over-reporting of crime in neighborhood safety apps influence perception of crime here. [APA]
While subscribers must now opt in to receive crime alerts, note that doing so does not guarantee that you will receive an alert for every instance of crime in the ward. We will continue to send alerts based on the questions and research above and the capacity of our team.
Constituents who want to keep their families safe in her Ward will now have to “opt in” or call the local police districts.
It’s strange that Manaa-Hoppenworth would take this moment to stop telling grown adults about the ward’s rising violent crime problem. Four men were shot in her ward between May 22 and May 27 in three separate incidents, according to Chicago police.
The first two shootings occurred at the exact same address, according to CPD records. Manaa-Hoppenworth tried to explain away the first shooting by saying it was “isolated.” That came back to bite her when the second shooting occurred at literally the same location. We ribbed her about that. Anyone want to bet our nudge was a major factor in her decision to shut up about crime?
Year-to-date shooting incidents in the 48th ward are at the highest level since 2015, according to the city’s data portal. As of May 13, 41 robberies had been reported this year in Manaa-Hoppenworth’s ward. That’s up 78% compared to the same time last year, and it’s the highest number of year-to-date robberies since 2012.
Also at the highest level in her ward since at least 2012 are criminal sexual assaults. There have been 14 reported so far this year, up from six at this point last year.
