Lightfoot cites 'unloved' youth after police reveal 57% of carjacking suspects are juveniles
Lightfoot said Chicago cannot "arrest ourselves" out of crime issues
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the youths of the city are "unloved" after police revealed more than 50% of carjackings are carried about by juvenile suspects.
"There are too many young people in this room that feel unloved, and we need to change that if we are going to change the trajectory of their lives," Lightfoot said at a town hall with Chicago youths at Harold Washington Library on Saturday.
FILE - Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a press conference at City Hall, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in Chicago. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she has tested positive for COVID-19. The Democrat said Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, that she has "cold-like symptoms" but otherwise feels fine. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune via AP) (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune via AP)
Chicago police recently released data showing 57% of the city’s carjackings are committed by juvenile suspects.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lightfoot said Chicago cannot "arrest ourselves" out of crime increases, Fox 32 reported.
The mayor suggested back in February that the city's carjacking spikes were linked to remote learning sparked by the coronavirus.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CHICAGO MAYOR LIGHTFOOT: CARJACKING ‘CRISIS’ IS LINKED TO REMOTE LEARNING
"We started seeing this rise in cases in 2020. And I’ll be frank and say in Chicago there was a correlation we believe between remote learning and the rise in carjackings," she said at the time.
Shootings and homicides are down in the city so far this year. There were 508 shootings as of the end of March this year, compared to 582 shootings during the same time period this time last year. There have been 128 homicides so far this year, notching a 7% decline over the same time period last year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Officers with the Chicago Police Department are out on patrol in the city's lakefront area during Fourth of July weekend. The police union and city have reached tentative agreement on a new contract. (Chicago Police Department)
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Other crimes, such as carjackings, are on the rise. There have been about 433 carjackings in the city this year and 72 vehicular hijacking arrests. There were about 425 carjackings during the same time period in 2021.