Chicago's 2013 Murder Rate is Already on Pace to Top 2012's

Things have already gotten worse.

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While Chicago's 500 homicides in 2012 are a drop off from previous years, the figure is still startling and unfortunate. Eight days into 2013, things are not looking much brighter for the windy city, as NBC Chicago has reported that 13 homicides were reported in the first six days of the new year. Should that pace sustain for the remainder of the year, the city would have its highest murder total since 1997.

Most of the homicides have occurred on the city's South and West sides, and most of the victims are African-American. Chicago already has twice as many murders as Detroit, and more than New York City, which didn't record its first homicide until Jan. 3.

It's discouraging to think that with a new year comes the exact same problems that have plagued Chicago for over a decade.

RELATED: R.I.P.: Remembering the Lives of Every Teenager Killed in Chicago This Summer

[via Chicagoist]

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