The city of Chicago is going through a period of violence that is gaining national and international attention. Stories highlighting extreme gun violence in certain parts of the city appear in the media every week. This weekend alone, Easter weekend, there were 23 shootings in the city and large groups of teenagers rampaged through the wealthy business district along Michigan Avenue. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other city leaders are increasingly concerned about the reputation the city is getting as a place of violence. These leaders fear that tourists and international businesses will stay away from the city out of concern that the city is ungovernable. Chicago is viewed as an economic, cultural and political capital of the American Midwest and millions of people flock to the city each year for both business and pleasure. Many are now beginning to wonder if the city’s reputation as an exciting destination can survive this latest outbreak of violence.

Recent violence has mostly focused on minority urban communities. Sections on the south and west sides of Chicago have been known for drug and gang violence for decades and the city’s infamous government housing projects such as the now-demolished “Cabrini Green” were the subject of much attention both in the news as in popular culture. The problems in Chicago’s minority community are systemic and center on a lack of jobs, a poor educational system, and a widespread lack of opportunity. During the recent Great Recession, unemployment in the minority community skyrocketed, and even with some improvement in the economy, unemployment among young African Americans, especially African American men, exceeds 30% and in some places is approaching 50%. This combination of hopelessness and no prospect of economic change leads people to turn to criminal activity and, in many cases, to violent solutions to their many problems.

However, the violence itself may not be a threat to Chicago’s reputation. Chicago has always been a rugged place, and violence is part of the city’s tradition and appeal. It’s no exaggeration to say that when the common American is asked to think of words that come to mind when he thinks of Chicago, those words generally include things like Oprah, Lake Michigan, Michael Jordan, the Cubs, and almost certainly Al Capone. In fact, the violence that gripped Chicago during the Prohibition period of the 1920s and early 1930s was much more severe than current violence and much more widespread, and occurred in places where Chicagoans were gathered to live and work. The infamous “Valentine’s Massacre” is remembered as the bloodiest day in the city’s history. That event is also remembered as a fascinating part of Chicago history and this period of mob violence is used daily to promote the city. In many ways, violence is part of the fabric of the city and is considered by many to be part of the city’s DNA.

Still, many worry that the current violence gets caught up in the broader discussion of violence in the United States, gun control, and the policies implemented by democratically elected leaders. It is no small matter that President Obama is from Chicago, so his opponents respond to almost all of his policy statements on guns and violence with the refrain that if these policies were so effective, why aren’t they working in Chicago? , who has some of the toughest and harshest? more restrictive gun control laws in the United States. With roughly half the country against the president and his policies and with him the face of Chicago, the City already runs the risk of alienating hundreds of millions of people who see the City as an example of all that is wrong with the Obama presidency. .

Even more troubling is the incident that occurred on Easter weekend when youth groups rampaged through the Gold Coast and Miracle Mile shopping district along Michigan Avenue. Although there was no major violence, if the shootings and violence that prevail in the minority community spills over into the wealthiest and whitest sections of the city, many of those who still see Chicago as a destination of choice will begin to reconsider and avoid the town. . As the summer intensifies and the warm weather draws more people to the downtown areas, only time will tell if this becomes a problem.

Yet in the end, as a Chicago native, this writer believes that Chicago will most likely survive the current blow to its reputation. The Obama presidency will continue, the economy will steadily improve, and violence will likely decline, leaving Chicago to regain its reputation as the preferred, vibrant, exciting and friendly Midwest destination.

By Stanley G Buford