Auto thefts and carjackings in Chicago have become commonplace in recent years. They often happen in the middle of the day and are sometimes live-streamed on social media.
Chicago reported 21,000 vehicle thefts in the past year. In 2021 the number was “only” 14,000.
Unfortunately, the situation is getting worse. Chicago has already experienced over 20,000 vehicle thefts with less than four months left in the year.
My fellow Chicagoans need not worry, as Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan is certain to solve the issue: he is suing Kia and Hyundai because their cars are too easy to steal.
Johnson stated that “the failure of Kia or Hyundai to implement basic auto-theft prevent technology in these models was sheer negligence. As a result, we have seen a crime spree unfold across the country and city-wide around car theft.”
Johnson believes that the criminals who steal cars are not to blame. They are in fact, victims.
Fred Waller said, “We are doing all we can as law enforcement to prevent these thefts but the vehicle companies must be held accountable.”
Blaming automakers is simple. It is much more difficult to address the underlying cause of the increase in car thefts.
Reports indicate that most car thieves are minors, who get slapped on the wrists for their crimes. These juveniles steal cars for street gangs who then use them to commit other crimes.
Why do so many Chicago boys join gangs and put their futures at risk? They lack a father figure who can teach them the difference between right and wrong, instill discipline, respect authority, and serve as a model.
Chicago, like many other cities, is experiencing an epidemic of fatherlessness. Chicago’s rate of out-of-marriage births will reach 46 percent in 2020. Unfortunately, this problem is especially bad among Chicago’s Hispanic and black populations. 82 percent and 56 percent of births were to unmarried mothers.
The common sense and mountains of statistics tell us that boys who grow up without their fathers are more likely to commit crimes, drop out of high school, join a band, or end up in jail.
The U.S. Department of Justice has noted:
The proportion of families without fathers is a reliable indicator of violent crimes in a given community. Fathers are often a source of economic stability, provide a positive role model for young boys, increase household security, and reduce stress for mothers. This is particularly true in families with adolescents, who are the most likely to commit crimes. Children in single-parent households are more likely to be drug users, gang members, expelled from schools, committed to reform institutions, and commit juvenile murders than their two-parent counterparts. Single parenthood reduces the time that a child spends with someone who can provide moral guidance and discipline.
Ironically, Brandon Johnson is an anomaly in his own town. He has three children and is married to Stacie since 1998. Johnson, as the mayor of the city of Detroit, should preach the importance of fatherhood to his constituents’ health and well-being instead of blaming the car manufacturers for the sharp rise in car thefts. This is more about absent fathers.
