A new report declares an area of Chicago to be “America’s mass-shooting capital” and described it as more dangerous to live in than some of the world’s most murderous countries.
West Garfield Park, which has a population of 18,000, saw 21 murders in 2014, according to The Daily Beast’s report, making the homicide rate 116 per 100,000 people.
Honduras, the country that leads the world in homicides, has a homicide rate of 90, according to figures from the United Nations.
The Daily Beast also reports that the average annual income for West Garfield Park is $10,000, and 40 percent of households live below the poverty line.
Other Chicago neighborhoods were noted as dangerous in relation to other countries. West Englewood’s 2014 per capita homicide rate was 73.2, while Chatham’s was 58, according to The Daily Beast. Venezuela and Belize, the countries with the second and third highest 2014 per capita homicide rate, were 53.7 and 44.7 respectively.
According to a Chicago Tribune analysis, at least 2,300 people have been shot in the city so far this year, roughly 400 more than in the same period last year.
In August, the New York Times reported Chicago saw the sixth highest murder rate increase so far this year when compared with other U.S. cities. The report indicated the city had 294 murders by the end of August, a 20-percent increase from 2014. According to Chicago police data, that number rose to 349 as of Sept. 20, up 21 percent from the year before.
