Chicago's gun economy

Jul. 30, 2012
Over the past twenty years, it’s become increasingly clear that mass shootings, no matter how tragic, don’t lead to reforms of gun laws, says one expert.

Long Hot Summer: The tension between hip hop and violence

Jul. 23, 2012
Chicago has produced marquee artists in the past—the Windy City is, after all, the home of Kanye, Common and Lupe Fiasco, to name a few. But Chicago has typically been associated with rap's conscious styles. In other words, Chicago has never had its street moment—until now.

Understanding the stats fueling McCarthy's strategy

Jul. 16, 2012
Police superintendents weren’t always slaves to crime statistics, but CompStat changed all that. The system, which collects data on everything from curfew violations to murder, generates reports on crime trends within a geographic area. Once the numbers are crunched, ranking officers are called to the carpet to field questions from their command staff and chief, who will undoubtedly be probed on the numbers by the mayor — and citizens — of the city he’s been charged to protect.

Getting kids off the corners—and back to church

Jul. 2, 2012
John Fountain, a longtime Chicago journalist, has lived through and reported on the city's gang violence and crime.  He says the faith community remains a vital part of the black community. “In some ways,” he explained, “it is an overweight, cumbersome, sleeping giant that needs to get fit…and return to the business of doing good work.”