Parts of Chicago no longer are governed by the rule of law.  In place of ordered civilization, criminal gangs operate with impunity, the residents living in a state of terror, afraid to tell the police anything that would aid in capturing the criminals.  The true exercise of power is in the hands of those who would be called warlords in other contexts, but (at least for now) the term is too harsh for most ears.

The Chicago Sun-Times has produced a stunning story capturing the extent of lawlessness today, with both granular detail and an overview.  After describing one mass shooting:

About two hours after the shots rang out, an alarming dispatch pierced through police radio: Another mass shooting had just rocked the Marquette Park neighborhood, roughly six miles away.

Three alleged gang members had sprayed bullets at a crowd hanging out in the 6200 block of South Artesian Avenue, enjoying the summer night. Twelve people were hit, among them Nyoka Bowie, 37, who suffered a fatal gunshot wound to her chest. Like Grimes and many other victims of mass shootings — defined by the Sun-Times and some researchers as incidents in which four or more people are wounded — she apparently was not the intended target.

In both cases, there was a large number of witnesses and surviving victims, yet no arrests have been made. That is all too common in Chicago, where police say they do not prioritize the cases despite the especially harsh toll such shootings have on a community.

Only one person has been charged in any of the at least 39 mass shootings so far this year, according to a Sun-Times analysis of city data and court records.

That amounts to charges in just 2% of this year's mass shootings — far below the police department's dismal 13% clearance rate for shootings overall, which is the lowest of any big city in the nation.

Going back to 2016, the alleged shooters have been charged in just 21 of at least 212 mass shooting incidents — or less than 10% of the cases, the Sun-Times analysis found.

Just two men have been convicted in those attacks, which through Friday night have wounded 1,032 people, 126 of them fatally, records show. Two of the other 21 people who have been charged were ultimately found not guilty, while another suspected shooter had his case dropped, records show.

Almost a daily occurrence (YouTube screen grab).

President Trump announced a "surge" of federal agents into Chicago in the summer of 2020, which offer was derided by local authorities:

Under no circumstances will I allow Donald Trump’s troops to come to Chicago and terrorize our residents.

— Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) July 21, 2020

It doesn't seem to have done much good.

Naturally, once control of some areas is lost, the anarchy spreads. CWB Chicago:

Armed hijackers physically pulled two people from their Audi A6 near the Magnificent Mile on Sunday morning and sped away with the victims' car, police said. The victims were not injured, but no arrests have been made.

One offender walked up to the vehicle on Ontario between State and Michigan around 6:20 a.m. and ordered a 20-year-old man to get out at gunpoint, Officer Steve Rusanov said. Then, another hijacker pulled a 54-year-old man and a 22-year-old man out of the car. The carjackers were last seen heading west on Ontario with the Audi, which bears Indiana plates that begin with BOM.

The offender who pulled the victims from the car is described as a Black male who wore red headphones. No other descriptions were available.

As of July 24, the city recorded 880 carjackings this year. That's up from 577 during the same period in 2019.

We are watching the premier city of our nation's heartland devolve into something not just third-world, but pre-civilization.

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