President Donald Trump’s latest threat to dispatch National Guard troops to Chicago has reignited a long-running clash over how to address urban violence, drawing sharp pushback from city leaders, residents, and anti-violence advocates who argue the city is seeing real progress without federal militarization.
The president escalated his attacks by labeling Chicago a “hell hole” and claiming residents are “screaming for us to come.” His remarks, which echo past comparisons of Chicago to war zones like Afghanistan, struck a familiar chord: in 2017, he pledged to “send in the feds,” and the city has remained a favored punching bag in both his 2016 and 2024 campaigns.
But the portrayal of Chicago as a “killing field” clashes with recent data showing some of the most dramatic declines in violent crime in more than a decade. According to city records, shootings have fallen 37% and homicides are down 32% this year, contributing to an overall 22% drop in violent crime. “The empirical data is very clear that the Chicago trend is extremely positive,” said John Roman, who directs the Center on Public Safety and Justice at the University of Chicago. “… Chicago is doing better than the rest of the country on a lot of really important measures.”
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Community leaders warn that Trump’s proposal to send in federal troops threatens to derail this momentum. “It’s a direct affront to the progress our communities have made,” said Bradly Johnson of BUILD Chicago, an anti-violence nonprofit on the city’s West Side. “It’s not a war zone. They’re vibrant resilient communities where young people deserve opportunities and not intimidation.”
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Residents going about their daily routines, from cyclists navigating downtown to workers along Michigan Avenue, echoed that sentiment in an AP report, saying troops would only inflame tensions. Pastor Donovan Price, who supports families affected by gun violence, voiced similar fears: “When things are finally starting to turn around, you have someone come up with something totally unnecessary that could perhaps change the tide. He’s trying to strike the hope out of the hearts of good people in our city.”
The backlash has united unlikely allies. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker convened nearly 100 clergy, elected officials, business owners, and activists for a press conference flanked by Chicago’s skyline. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin joined the Rev. Michael Pfleger, who delivered a pointed rebuke: “Take the wasted money in sending the National Guard and the wasted money used on threatening commercials by your Homeland Security secretary and use it on real violence and prevention programs that will bring peace.”
Others pointed to contradictions in Trump’s message. “He can’t think it’s that big a killing field; he wouldn’t have built a building here,” said longtime resident and business owner Art Jarrett. “He’s full of crap.”
Despite steady declines in crime, disparities remain. Chicago recorded about 570 homicides in 2024, and neighborhoods hit hardest still face homicide rates dozens of times higher than safer areas. “It depends where you’re at and what time it is,” said maintenance worker Rene Cardona, who grew up in the city. “Overall, Chicago’s a pretty good place to live … There’s more good people than bad people here.”
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Experts stress that recent progress stems from targeting systemic drivers of violence, not militarized crackdowns. “Chicago is a hub for innovation in gun violence prevention,” said Kimberley Smith of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, adding that federal resources would be better spent studying and scaling those approaches.
Grassroots groups also emphasize the need to recognize work happening at the neighborhood level. Jahmal Cole, who founded My Block, My Hood, My City, put it bluntly: “Trump’s comments erase this work being done on the ground by local leaders, community organizations and residents themselves.”
For residents like Sydney Aldrich, 26, the real challenge is reshaping the story told about their city. “We have a lot of community members around town that are supportive of one another, and we watch out for each other,” she said. “As for Trump’s remarks, it’s worth remembering that rhetoric alone doesn’t improve public safety. We need smart, community-focused investments, not sensationalism.”
