A violent weekend brought the 400th murder so far this year to Chicago, the third largest city in the United States, a 25 percent increase from the same time last year.
Local media reported that 25-year-old Jose Escobar was shot and killed Sunday after a fight near a fast food stand, which left another man paralyzed. Escobar’s family says he was a gang member, but was trying to make a change in his life.
In an unconventional attempt to resolve the violence, city officials last week, asked residents to use social media to share their ideas on how to deal with the city’s illegal gun problem.
Using the tag “#WhatIfChicago”, hundreds of residents shared their ideas ranging from serious to cynical on the social media site Twitter.
“#WhatIfChicago let citizens defend themselves from violent thugs like the other 49 states,” wrote Matt Gilbert.
#WhatIfChicago put more resources into comprehensive community development, including more after school programs for kids” wrote Laura McElroy.
Over the past 20 years, 1992 saw the most murders in Chicago, when there were 943 people killed in the city.
