Chicago murder rate down slightly from 2016
Mayor Rahm Emanuel remains quiet about the crime plaguing his city
The good news coming out of Chicago also serves as a sad reminder of just how bad the city's violence is: 239 people were murdered as of May 31, according to Chicago Police. That is down slightly from 247 during the same period last year.
In 2016, there were nearly 800 homicides in the city, a 20-year high.
"If anybody thinks that last year's murder rate in Chicago is OK, and if you are a leader in this city, you should not be," said Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.
One of Chicago's most recent shooting victims is 20-year-old Javon Morris, who was shot and killed running away from bullets at the park where we was described as a compassionate volunteer.
"My heart is so hurt," said his aunt, Edna Young.
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Morris was born with cataracts and was considered legally blind. His family says he took great pride in volunteering at a nearby park where he helped children and played basketball.
Young, who taught her nephew how to walk across the street without getting hit, is now planning his funeral.
"His whole life, he never saw a clear picture but he was just a happy kid," Young said.
Chicago's Mayor Rahm Emanuel remains seemingly quiet about the crime that has plagued his city for nearly two years.
Instead, he's been much more vocal about his movement to establish Chicago as the country's premiere sanctuary city – a move that's widely seen as thumbing his nose at the president.
A new city-wide advertising campaign called One Chicago highlights Emanuel's Municipal ID program that highlights his program that gives IDs to immigrants with little to no documentation.
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"Those that might not have all their papers in order are welcome," Emanuel says in the video advertisement.
The new campaign comes as critics and police readily acknowledge the city's crime is unacceptable.
Emanuel has made efforts to stop crime. He recently added 1,000 police officers to the force that will start working overtime.
The city has also expanded its gunshot-detection technology and Emanuel has lobbied with the police superintendent for a new bill that will crack down on repeat gun offenders.
Still, in the month of May, the city averaged two murders and 10 shootings a day, leaving those who've lost a loved one wondering if stopping crime is at the top of the mayor's priority list.
"I loved Javon. He shouldn't have went like that,” Young said. “He never hurt anybody in his whole life."
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