Chicago gang members speak exclusively with Fox News: 'You die or go to jail'
Fox News' Mike Tobin reports on the violent lifestyle of Chicago gangs as crime surges nationwide.
Members of Chicago's most notorious gangs spoke anonymously with Fox News in an exclusive interview on Thursday, offering viewers a glimpse into their everyday lives driven by crime, violence and bloodshed.
The Windy City has struggled to quell the crime wave as homicide rates and gang-related violence reaches staggering highs. Fox News' Mike Tobin sat down with two gang members who agreed to be interviewed under the condition that Fox News not disclose their names or gang affiliations.
To them, guns and violence are a means to survive, they said. They attributed their lifestyles to a lack of opportunity, adding that a major factor driving gun violence in Chicago is that the gang structure themselves have fallen apart.
"There's no one who people look up to," one member, whose face was blocked for anonymity purposes, told Fox News. "Everyone takes orders from themselves. If you want to go kill that man, you're going to go kill that man."
"We either die or go to jail. That's what comes with being on the street…I chose my life already."
With many of their original leaders behind bars, Chicago gangs have evolved into unstructured groups of friends with loaded guns ready to shoot over the pettiest of offenses, they explained.
An innocent person could get shot for something as small as "stepping on somebody's shoes in Chicago." the gang member told Tobin.
Chicago has seen plummeting arrest numbers and police morale in the city while crime has surged since 2020. (Getty)
"People get shot over dumb reasons," a second gang member said. "People get shot over someone sneaking with another person's girl."
The first gang member said he is in possession of both legal and illegal guns. Asked which one was easier to get, he answered without skipping a beat, "the illegal one."
Men on the street have no aspirations or hopes for their future, they said. They live day to day and accept the fate that comes with their lifestyle.
FIVE MAJOR CITIES ON PACE TO PASS STEEP 2021 HOMICIDE TOTALS HALFWAY THROUGH 2022
"What happens to guys in the gang when they grow old?" Tobin asked.
A Chicago Police officer monitors the scene after a shooting in Chicago, Illinois, on March 14, 2021. - At least 15 people were shot, two of them fatally, after gunfire broke out at a South Chicago business where a party was being held early on March 14, 2021. (Kamil Krzacznski/AFP via Getty Images)
"We either die or go to jail," the first gang member responded. "That's what comes with being on the street."
"I chose my life already," he added.
The gang members said they commit crimes because they don't fear the consequences.
Chicago has documented over 1,500 shootings so far this year and attributes almost all of it to gang violence, Tobin said. 2021 marked the city's deadliest year in a quarter-century.
Critics have blamed Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and others for the troubling spike in crime, which they say is in part due to the progressive policies implemented under her leadership. Many have accused Chicago officials of looking the other way and emboldening criminals, who know they won't be held accountable once a crime is committed.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell has been outspoken about Chicago's gun violence after losing his 18-year-old brother on the south side of Chicago last month. Police said his brother Christian was standing on the street when an SUV pulled up and four men began firing at him, killing him almost instantly.
A man standing near Christian was the intended target. No arrests have been made for Christian's killers.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.