The perils of distorting the fight against racism to suit one’s perspectives are markedly visible, and no one better exemplifies this than Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago. His embodiment of the ‘antiracist’ angle towards criminal justice ‘reform’ has inadvertently led to serious implications for the citizens of Chicago. This becomes particularly evident when we look at recent unfortunate events that unfolded in the city.
On a chilling Tuesday night, a tragic incident happened: 43-year-old Eduardo Gamez was found lifeless in his vehicle by the Chicago police. His vehicle bore multiple gunshot wounds, and Gamez himself had sustained a fatal blow to his abdomen. His car was discovered in a running state, furthering the mystery around the incident.
CCTV footage filled in some gaps, revealing that Gamez’s car had been stationary for a substantial period of around two and a half hours prior to the police discovery. The grim reality was that Gamez had died due to severe blood loss, all because no one had the presence of mind to phone 911 in response to the gunshots. The only reason his car came to police attention was an unrelated complaint about his vehicle being double-parked and running.
Here’s where we encounter a pivotal element of this tragic narrative—the area where Gamez was gunned down was once within the scope of the city’s ShotSpotter network. This life-saving system, dismantled the previous year by Johnson, might have changed the outcome for Gamez. This network was a high-tech setup comprising acoustic sensors that were strategically affixed to lampposts located in the city’s most perilous zones.
The ShotSpotter system was designed to automatically dial 911 and effectively guide the police to the exact location of gunshots upon detection of acoustic violations. This implies that, had the ShotSpotter system been operational at the time, the police might have been alerted sooner, potentially facilitating the provision of urgent medical attention that Gamez so desperately needed.
Data from a brief period—the few days from Sept. 23, 2024—highlight the toll that violence has taken on this city, with a staggering tally of 27 shootings, 12 of them fatal. This stark figure suggests the system’s removal could have far-reaching consequences.
But why was this system dismissed? Johnson peddled the argument that Chicago requires ‘investments in evidence-based, holistic solutions.’ According to him, the primary object should not be merely reacting to violence but taking measures that prevent such incidents in the first place.
However, the paradox is that while the city strives for proactive solutions against violence, it has brushed aside the reactive systems such as ShotSpotter, which helped mitigate the aftermath of violent episodes. Here, the specter of racism arises. The Chicago-based Democratic Socialists of America break it down—due to ShotSpotter, the police were often on high alert in communities of color.
In essence, the system was installed predominantly in the areas of Chicago severely hit by violence, areas coincidentally inhabited mainly by minorities. For Johnson, the racial imbalance this highlighted was problematic, leading him to conclude that the presence of ShotSpotter was essentially discriminatory.
This determination that ShotSpotter propagated racial bias formed the bedrock of Johnson’s decision to dismantle it. The crux of his belief system erroneously equates the proactive execution of public safety measures with racial prejudice.
This perspective, heavily tainted with a distorted understanding of racial prejudice, has now permeated into the public safety policies of Chicago. The void left by the removal of ShotSpotter, based on Johnson’s distorted perspective, has had fatal consequences.
The dire consequences of this misguided policy shift are palpable in incidents like the tragic death of Eduardo Gamez. The removal of racially blind technological solutions based on racial assumptions promises only one outcome—an increase in violence with fatal results.
In conclusion, needless to say, the fight against racism is real and necessary. However, the contention is against the erroneous interpretation and application of the fight against racism, as shown by Mayor Johnson’s worldview. When implemented in a misguided manner, such misunderstood ‘antiracist’ measures can unintentionally inflict more harm than good.