Governor Pritzker’s Comments on Chicago’s Crime Rate
In an interview on Thursday, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) made another attempt to address the violence in Chicago, which has been a significant issue. Fox News host Bret Baier was quick to challenge Pritzker, presenting him with the stark reality of Chicago’s alarmingly high murder rate.
Baier asked, “Why does Chicago have the highest murder rate of all large cities?” This straightforward question opened the door to a more in-depth discussion.
“JB Pritzker flat-out lied about obvious facts.”
Recently, Pritzker claimed during a meeting with former President Donald Trump that the murder rate in Chicago isn’t among the top 30. He stated, “Our murder rate has been cut in half over the last four years, and it’s been going down by double digits every year.” He added that the statistics for all violent crimes had also decreased.
Baier then presented a map illustrating the homicide rates in major U.S. cities, showing that Chicago has the highest rate with 17.47 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. For context, Philadelphia followed with 16.91, Dallas at 13.62, and Houston at 13.8. Other cities like San Antonio and Los Angeles had much lower figures, highlighting Chicago’s severe situation.
Last year, according to research from Wirepoints, Chicago topped the list of the largest U.S. cities with a total of 573 homicides and also led in murders per capita among the 20 largest cities.
As of October 19, the Chicago Police Department reported 347 known homicides in the city for the current year. When Baier pointed out that Chicago was still number one, ahead of Philadelphia and others, Pritzker maintained that the statistics could be verified by anyone.
Baier pressed, “No, no, no. These are murders.” To this, Pritzker reiterated his earlier claims about the national murder rate declining.
Critics were quick to respond to Pritzker’s comments, seizing upon what they saw as blatant misstatements. Elon Musk expressed his disbelief, while former NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch pointed out the irony in boasting about a reduced rate when it still ranked first.
