Viewers react to 60 Minutes' Chicago report
Crime and casualties in Chicago “surged to a level more in line with a war zone than one of America’s great cities,” correspondent Bill Whitaker reported on 60 Minutes this past Sunday. In 2016, with more than 700 murders and more than 4,000 people shot, Chicago saw the worst bloodshed in 18 years.
As crime in Chicago went up, police activity, at some point last year, underwent a drastic change. Data obtained by 60 Minutes showed that while gun violence spiked, police activity dropped in all 22 of Chicago’s police districts.
“The police are on their heels,” former Chicago police superintendent Garry McCarthy told 60 Minutes. “We’re reaching a state of lawlessness.”
Many viewers who tweeted responses to our story put the blame on Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who declined 60 Minutes’ request to be interviewed for the segment.
President-Elect Donald Trump tweeted the morning after the broadcast with some advice for Mayor Emanuel.
Trump’s tweet prompted a range of reactions:
Many viewers disagreed on social media over who to blame for the bloodshed -- cops or criminals:
