From the leftist paradise of Chicago, where both gun-related murders and assaults against police officers are on the rise, comes this comprehensive study that makes a convincing case as to why. Care to guess? Namely, The anti-police #BlackLiveMatter protests in the wake of the Laquan McDonald shooting.

According to the FiveThirtyEight analysis, crime data shows 175 homicides and 675 nonfatal shootings incidents occurred in Chicago over the time period beginning December 1, 2015 and ending on March 31, 2016 (the McDonald shooting video was released on November 24, 2015). This reflects a 48% percent increase in homicides and a 73% increase in nonfatal shootings from the same time period one-year ago. FiveThirtyEight describes the statistical variations from year to year as too significant to be “explained by seasonal [weather] fluctuations or chance.”

If these numbers hold, Chicago will be on pace for approximately 570 homicides and more than 2,000 nonfatal shootings, which would make it the most violent year for the city in over a decade. Even more troubling, FiveThirtyEight says the numbers that could get even worse if violence increases with warmer weather over the summer.

Now I know, I know. "Correlation does not equal causation." I took basic poli-sci courses in college too. Good times. Now, if you continue on down the education trail (be it through university or hell, this beautiful thing called the "internet") you'd also be equipped with some rudimentary reasoning skills that assist with determining the legitimate value in statistical studies. Basic questions like "What was the methodology? Are there relevant confounding variables at play etc?" Simple stuff. Not as simple as tossing out your newly adopted buzz-phrase on a message board(courtesy of your rad professor with the newsboys cap), but still. It's basic critical thinking.

So, while yes, this study should be taken with a grain of salt, the mere reason for its existence is important. Due to the staggering rise in violence (read "Chicago Gun Control? Gun Violence From Illegal Weapons on Dramatic Rise" here), people have been scrambling to determine the root problem, and hopefully a solution. A 48% percent increase in homicides and a 73% increase in nonfatal shootings is what we call "statistically significant." As the study points out, it's welllllll beyond the basic fluctuation of crime rates (especially when crime in many cities is on the decline). It just so happens to correlate to the week, that a video which was subsequently used to stir up race-baiting bigots with anti-white and anti-cop propaganda was released. To the week.

So boom, video released, followed by immediate riots/protests, proceeded by an immediate and alarming increase in violent crime. Now if only we had some precedent to point to...

Oh wait. In Wake of Freddie Grey, Baltimore Sees Deadliest Year on Record, Ever.

And... Baltimore Crime Surpasses Detroit in Wake of City Reigning in Police.

And who can forget the results of the Detroit riots?

Hmmm... I'm noticing a trend here. But statistics and precent aren't enough, right? Well, what about these #BlackLivesMatter protestors? What about these Chicago demonstrators? Do they have a clear motive? Do we know what they really want? Oh wait... Chicago Protestors Demands City "Defund the Police."

Okay maybe we're onto something. Speaking of Detroit. Behold what decades of leftism does to a once great city...