Name
Professor
Course
Date
Narrative Research Discourse-Argument Essay
The topic I chose for my research project is why there has been an increase in the Chicago crime rate than other cities for the past years. Before starting my research, I had in mind that the crime rate was at a high peak from the rise of Covid-19. I had to write down on a piece of paper all that I knew about Chicago. I had to put it down what was c contributing to the city’s increase in crime rate. I had to look for more details on websites about Chicago. I also looked at what could be done to curb the rise in the crime rate in Chicago.
Before starting my research, I came up with a question as to why there was an increase in the crime rate immediately after the emergence of the Covid-19. I realized that job loss was the major reason why many people turned to commit crimes for survival. I turned out that so many Chicago people had lost their jobs, which negatively affected the people of color living in the city. In my research, I discovered that about three thousand people died from Covid-19, where many of them were Black and Latinx.
Our instructor recently paired us with my classmate Leannie Rodriguez to look at our writing and research process. We were asked to look at Narrative Research on the increase in the crime rate in Chicago. To my surprise, my partner wanted to look at why the youth in Chicago are engaging in crimes. She was determined to research various materials to know the main ideal for youth involvement with crimes in the streets. I was so much relieved to see that my partner had the same idea as me. Moreover, she was eager to know why only African American is involved in this violence. Leannie has been living a victim of violence after being shot during the street violence as she was going home from shopping in a mall. According to her research, she found out that the African American youths were bitter about racial discrimination in the city. Moreover, she found out that the unemployment rate among African Americans was very high, which made it difficult for them to access quality education like their fellow white youths.
My research and my partners differed in that I saw the cause of an increase in violence as the emergence of Covid-19, but she thought it was the lack of education among the youth. According to me, I saw that the crime rate increased immediately after the rock down because the youths had nothing to do. Moreover, many were left jobless and had nothing to support their normal lives. For those reasons, the youths had to take guns and go to the streets to make ends meet through committing crimes such as stealing and drug trafficking. In my research, I also found out that due to the closure of bars and lounges due to Covid-19, many people were congregating on blocks even late. As a result, it was very easy for them to be targeted for shooting. I also found out that the shootings during Covid-19 were carried by both the criminals And the police who were meant to take care of the people. On the other hand, my partner found out that the increase in crime rate was due to illiteracy increasing in the city. According to her, few youths from African Americans got an education due to poverty. Many families live in slums and cannot meets some of the important basic needs like food and clothing. They are the same youths who commit crimes in the streets as they try to find money resources to better their lives.
The only thing we had in common in our research is that the increase of the streets’ crime rate could result from discrimination of the race among the African American youths and the white color. Our research found out that the youths from the African American race were not treated fairly and had no chances of getting employment in the city.
My partner and I decided that we will have to conduct our research by interviewing people to hear their points on matters concerning discrimination in the future. Moreover, we decided to continue with our topic to see how we can help solve the problem. I decided to read different materials to know how youths are engaging in crimes in Chicago. My partner decided to do the research separately through befriending the youths and get to know from their mouths how they organize their crimes. I found out very risky to get involved with the crimes to get to know how crimes are organized and how they do it.
1
Works Cited
Name, Student. Personal interview. Date
Research Log
______________________________________________________________________________
Source #1:
Amber, Jeannine. “Chicago Hope.” Essence, vol. 44, no. 3, July 2013, p. 98–1NULL. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=88857136&site=ehost-live.
Summary: It is about gun violence where people are losing their loved ones due to gun shootings’ killings. Nelba and Jimmy are a family with grieve of losing their six-year-old- daughter from shootings that happened in school. There is a story of bringing peace to Chicago with its heading “Chicago Hope.” It is about restoring peace and hopes to the people of Chicago. It will be achieved through eradicating gun violence in the streets.
Evaluation: This source is reliable because it brings hope to the people of Chicago who have suffered violence and gun shooting. The City of Chicago has become a place for murder because innocent people are killed carelessly in evil people’s hands owing guns against the law.
Relationship to other sources: the mention of guns, violence, murder
Paraphrase or a direct quotation to use in the paper: The third, and final installment of the series, “What Does it Take to save a life? (Amber)” about the city of New Orleans’ innovative approach eradicating gun violence, is on stands now.
Source #2:
Frates, Chris. “‘Everybody Agrees We Ought to Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Criminals, the Seriously Mentally Ill, Domestic Abusers.’” National Journal, Apr. 2013, p. 4. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=87047988&site=ehost-live.
Summary: It is about domestic violence in connection to firearms. The research shows that people who have ever been convicted can use their guns to threaten their intimate partners. Women are highly exposed to the risk of killings through violence and abuse by their intimate partners. It has been discovered that the homicide killings in the U.S are done with the use of guns. The rate at which these killings are done is increasing, and women are suffering more than men.
Evaluation: The source is reliable as it has been addressing killings using guns when left in the hands of unauthorized people. A murder case with guns is increasing in America, where women are left to suffer trauma and stress.
Relationship to other sources: Mention of guns, murder.
Paraphrase or a direct quotation to use in the paper: “female victims of intimate partner homicide in US are killed with a gun (Frates). ‘The rate of killings of women by violent partners with a firearm has accelerated in recent years.”
Source #3:
Samuelson, Kate. “President Trump Says He Is Sending Federal Help to Quell Chicago’s Violence Problem.” Time.Com June 2017, p. 40. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=123864431&site=ehost-live.
Summary: The source is about President Trump asking for help to fight gun violence in Chicago. The city officials affirmed that the Bureau of Alcohol, tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives aimed at reducing the crimes because murder cases have been rising. The homicide rate in Chicago has been increasing each day. The number of murders has been increasing in Chicago than in other cities such as New York and Los Angeles.
Evaluation: The source is very reliable because it gives the fact to the increase in murder in Chicago. The city has turned out to be a venue for crime rates. People are living in stress and trauma for the increase in gunshots in the city. Innocent people have been murdered, making the survivors living in tension.
Relationship to other sources: Murder, guns homicides.
Paraphrase or a direct quotation to use in the paper:” Over the last few years, homicide rates in Chicago has reached levels not seen in the city in decades.” “The number of murders was more than New York and Los Angeles combined. (Samuelson).”
Source #4:
Madhani et al. “Crime Rates in Chicago.” USA Today. Aame EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=J0E191826553417&site=ehost-live. Accessed 10 Sept. 2020.
Summary: The nation’s third-largest city of Chicago has made a significant increment in the overall crime in the past few years. The high numbers of killing have increased drastically. Chicago is dealing with a massive gang fueled drug violence. For the second year, straight Chicago has totaled more murders than New York and Los angles combined.
Evaluation: This source is credible because of its awareness of violence in our city. More broadly, there are tools for supporting crime statistics by the Chicago police department. It also gives the department the importance of gun laws that make it too easy for dangerous criminals to access illegal weapons.
Relationship to other sources: The resource supports evidence of violent crimes increasing over the years. Still, some communities, including smaller cities, suburbs, and rural areas, continue to experience a surge of street gangs’ violence. President Trump has linked gang violence to immigration rates and advocated stricter immigration enforcement to fight gangs.
Paraphrase or a direct quotation to use in the paper: According to USA Today, a disproportionate amount of the city’s violence occurs in a few neighborhoods on the South and West Sides, predominantly black and Latino enclaves where poverty is a persistent problem. (Madhani)
Source #5:
Amber, Jeannine. “Chicago Hope.” Essence, vol. 44, no. 3, July 2013, p. 98–1NULL. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=88857136&site=ehost-live.
Summary: Chicago’s south and west side has become a war zone where troubled young African American men are armed with anger and firearms, which in most cases led them to the streets looking for ways to seek revenge. As homicides rates continue to rise, community leaders are on a mission to cease the ongoing violence in their neighborhoods.
Evaluation: This source is reliable because it gives facts to Chicago’s overall soaring murder rates by 9% in the last two years. Including burglary, robbery, theft, and criminal sexual assault complaints. The gang cultures in Chicago have turned the city into America’s murder capital – but only 25% of murders are solved. The murders have now become so extreme people are actively living in trauma.
Relationship to other sources: Murders, guns, gangs, and racial discrimination.
Paraphrase or a direct quotation to use in the paper: As stated by essence, “Separating the scores of police and their vehicles from a crowd of anxious onlookers was a line of thick red caution tape. “Anytime you see that you know there has been shooting” (Jeannie). This quote refers to the affected neighborhood in Chicago who are exposed to criminal activity every day.