According to data provided by the Chicago Police Department, there have been 200 shootings this year, an 80% increase over the same period in 2019. Residents who have been personally affected by gun violence are likely to have differing opinions on the role police should play in their neighborhoods. When protesters held a demonstration outside the Chicago Police Department’s Seventh District station, a group of residents—including Keith Harris, whose 29-year-old son was shot and killed three days prior—argued against them. “I’m the last person who would be a police cheerleader, because I’ve had my own run-ins with them,” he said. Those who support defunding police want portions of their budgets to be spent on initiatives to build up under-resourced areas.

Source: Wall Street Journal August 21, 2020 21:00 UTC