At least seven people were killed and 47 others were wounded in shootings in Chicago over the past weekend, police reported, at a time when the U.S. federal government has expressed its desire to militarize the city to reduce crime and despite the rejection of local authorities.
Figures released by the Chicago Police Department reveal that seven people were killed in the last two days in shootings, with an additional 47 injured.
Chicago on alert after increase in violence
Such a high death toll is not uncommon in Chicago, a city with a high crime rate that the week of August 18-24 recorded 43 shootings and the murder of nine people.
However, these figures come as President Donald Trump’s administration has threatened to deploy the National Guard to the city soon.
The possible militarization has drawn strong criticism from Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, both Democrats.
Both question whether the deployment is part of Trump’s plan to arrest undocumented migrants and deport them.
The mayor signed an executive order last week preventing local officials from collaborating with the federal government, should the deployment go into effect.
In addition, during protests for Labor Day, which is celebrated on the first Monday of September in the United States, thousands of people took to the streets of Chicago with banners against Trump’s measure, asking him not to go ahead with his plans.
Nevertheless, Trump seized on the violence figures in Chicago and claimed, on his Truth Social platform, that “crime is totally out of control.”
Trump’s threats are already a reality in Washington D.C., where he recently ordered the deployment of troops to combat insecurity, also despite the rejection of the Democratic mayor.
The deployment in the capital followed the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops in Los Angeles (California), a city and state with strong Democratic roots, and in the context of protests against immigration raids last June.
Un balance de víctimas tan elevado es frecuente en Chicago, una ciudad con una alta tasa de criminalidad
Agencia Efe
With information from Agencia Efe
