This year, Chicago has seen a record decrease in gun violence — but one neighborhood has been left behind. As shootings across the city declined by 36 percent by the end of September, West Garfield Park saw only a 4.5 percent reduction, according to city data.
As in most neighborhoods, gun violence in West Garfield Park peaked during the pandemic. By the end of September, the area had experienced a 62 percent reduction in gun violence since September 2021. Even so, it’s still the neighborhood with the most shootings per 10,000 residents, with a rate of 39.
Local organizers and residents say the area’s lack of progress is evidence of a problem they’ve been noticing — and fighting — for years: that the city has been relatively slow to invest in their community and provide the resources, like jobs, housing, and youth programs, that can ultimately help reduce gun violence…