You and friends are ready to forget about school and have fun this summer. Festivals, parties, parades. Chicago is a known place to be buzzing and full of life, but also death.

According to the 2021 Annual Report from the Chicago Police Department, there were 800 murders in 2021, increasing 3.63% from 2020. Murder is only one category of violent crimes that happen in the city of Chicago. There are even more property crimes that happen than violent crimes.

Yet people still eat it up during the summer. Once everyone is out of school and work, the streets of the city become their playground. And young people are the ones who want to play the most. 

Up until 2020 when the Black Lives Matter protests and riots started sparking all over the country, the crime in Chicago was “normal”. Or what people from the city would call normal. It was mainly young people that were protesting. The Statista Research Department published the results of an online survey about the different age categories and their support for the protests following George Floyd’s murder. The survey shows that 50% of those 18-34 years old supported the protests the most, and 20% of 65+ year olds opposed the protests.

The city of Chicago today is filled with more crime since it never really recovered from the 2020 BLM protests. A couple weeks ago there was an incident in downtown Chicago where multiple teens were seen attacking vehicles and people inside them. According to Fox News  the “Teen Takeover” consisted of groups of teenagers roaming in front of traffic, jumping on top of cars, smashing windows, and trying to access Millennium Park which had been closed to those under 21. A man had to be hospitalized after being beaten by some teenagers who beat him while inside his car, as well as smashing his windshield. The city that was once filled with so much life with parades and festivals is now being stripped of its essence and being filled with hatred and danger.