While the killer Coronavirus continues it’s deadly toll and infects hundreds of Chicagoans, the City’s other epidemic just keeps rolling along with no apparent strategy whatsoever. When Chicago awoke this morning those who bothered to read the daily papers were shocked to see (well maybe) that on a Tuesday with the weather in the 70s, 21 people were shot including a 5-year-old toddler and 7 folks were murdered. This while the State and City are under a stay at home lockdown. As of April 4th Chicago has had 86 deaths caused by the virus, 61 of those were Black Americans, 70% in a City whose Black population is just under 30%.

Thus far in 2020 in 98 days we have had 600 people shot, and over 122 people murdered. Those figures are overwhelming minorities killing and shooting minorities. The people in those neighborhoods are being devoured by violence and are living in fear.

The skin counters have come to the conclusion that’s it’s just a continuing inequity and neglect in the Black Neighborhoods. I have no answer for that, I’m not qualified like some of our politicians proclaim to be. Congressman Bobby Rush is one of the ones who has suddenly taken on this subject. Although I cannot recall his ever mentioning the shootings and murders in his congressional district in recent memory. CLUE! it’s a staggering number.

These numbers are numbing to most folks but since noon Friday through Tuesday, 78 people in Chicago have been shot and 18 murdered. Three thugs are also being sought for pushing a person in front of a fast-approaching El Train during the height of rush hour in the heart of Downtown. A conflagration of death in a City that seems at a loss, except to order people to stay home. An order that is obviously not happening any time soon.

After announcing a stay at home order for  Chicago residents under threat of heavy fines or physical arrest, implementing social distancing of ten-feet from other humans and ordering the citizens to cancel all nonessential activities,   the mayor has a gotcha moment when she is caught on camera getting a hair cut, with her hairstylist a whopping 6 inches from her person I guess one person’s social distancing and nonessential activity is far different than other’s.

The world is littered with Political leaders who have a hard time understanding just what leadership entails. We’ve all heard that expression “DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO.”  Politics is overloaded with hypocrites, like the environmentalists who travel in Private Jets, or those who accuse others of racism and refuse to hire minorities or the politician who sends his children to private schools while opposing measures to give other kids the same opportunity.

Her reply was she’s on TV a lot and she needed a trim.  Just a few minutes ago she has announced that a 9 P.M curfew will be placed on the sale of liquor in the city, in order to curb the coronavirus. If she has said one word about the weekend slaughter up through Tuesday, I did not hear a word. She has an extraordinarily tough job, she’s been at it a year, the Coronavirus was entirely not her doing but Chicago’s violence rate, cannot be ignored, and the alarming rise in shootings and killings desperately needs a leader with an enough is enough attitude. The Virus updates are starting to sound like campaign speeches. Death by virus or death by being murdered on the streets is death no matter how it’s spun.

The summer is coming more and more will die, one is a newcomer that has changed millions of lives, the other has been around for decades and has continued virtually unabated. Coronavirus must be defeated with common sense and leadership. The ongoing gang violence will only be defeated by an opposing force, the gangs are a monster power in Chicago, and power concedes nothing without a demand. Chicago needs the leadership willing to make that demand. “Wise men talk because they have something to say, fools talk because they have to say something” we’ve have been hearing lots of talk, we have to start hearing it from wise people.