How Many Murders Are Enough for Mayor Johnson?

Over Labor Day weekend, Chicago had 8 murders and 58 people shot. How many murders and shootings are enough for Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson to admit his city could use some help in keeping its residents safe?

Mayor Johnson and Governor Pritzker have substantially contributed to the very high crime rate in Chicago

In my world, a common sign of good judgment is knowing when to ask for help. Instead, Mayor Johnson has chosen to not just ignore Chicago’s crime problem, but to get defensive when reporters dare to ask him about it.

In reviewing Chicago’s homicide rates between 1930 and 2024, the highest rate recorded was 32.9 homicides (per 100,000) in 1990. The second highest murder rate was 28.7 in 1980.

Homicides significantly decreased after a mid-1990s peak and fell to just 15.6 homicides in 2010. However, the homicide rate in 2024 was 21.1, so it is appropriate to ask what is going on to drive the homicide rate back up, especially between 2019 and 2023. Could it have anything to do with city officials – almost all Democrats – wanting to defund the police and proudly advertising Chicago is a sanctuary city?

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker makes sure he mentions in just about any media interview that Illinois is a sanctuary state. Continuing to proclaim loudly and proudly that a city or a state is “a sanctuary” will ultimately attract all sorts of criminals, including drug dealers and illegal aliens. By maintaining and advertising sanctuary jurisdictions, Mayor Johnson and Governor Pritzker have substantially contributed to the very high crime rate in Chicago.

Mayor Johnson and Governor Pritzker are both in deep political trouble

According to a City of Chicago website, there were 734 murders in Chicago so far in 2025. This represents a 32.3% decrease in homicides compared to the same period in 2024, which had 1,084 homicides, so technically Mayor Johnson is accurate in saying “crime has gone down.”

However, in 2024, Chicago remained the homicide capital of America for the 13^th year in a row. I sincerely hope Mayor Johnson’s goal is not to continue this trend, but without some significant change in city policy, I don’t see things changing much.

I find it both interesting and alarming that so many major American cities like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis, all of which are major Democrat strongholds, are willing to allow this senseless shooting or killing of their citizens, many of whom are innocent victims, simply to maintain the illusion that “all is well” for the sake of their egos and the Democrat Party image.

In my opinion, Mayor Johnson and Governor Pritzker are both in deep political trouble, but they have not been smart enough to change course. Sadly, even more people are going to be killed or shot until these so-called leaders wake up to the fact that they are not helping their own political careers by digging in their heels. Allowing your fellow citizens to be shot or killed does not endear you to the good people of Chicago or Illinois; it only makes you look incredibly callous and stupid.

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