We’ve been writing about the shocking number of murders in Chicago for years, but the Windy City has reached another horrific milestone: 500 homicides this year, up drastically from 333 at the same time last year, though roughly on par with 2016. Democrats dishonestly insist that the increased violence plaguing big cities constitutes “Trump’s America,” but as we nearly tire of pointing out, these cities have been run by Democrats for decades. The last Republican mayor of Chicago left office in 1931.

Some other appalling statistics:

The year-to-date murder rate is a whopping 49% higher than 2019, though it’s still a long way from the bloodiest year, 1974, which saw 970 homicides. Chicago’s not alone in that three-quarters of America’s biggest cities have endured a double-digit spike in murder rates this year. Shootings in Chicago are up to 2,152 from 1,413 at this point last year. So far in 2020, some 51 Chicago police officers have been fired upon with 10 of them hit. “I think there’s more than a suggestion that people are seeking to do harm to cops,” says Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown.

Indeed, the city’s FBI field office issued a warning this week that 30 gangs have formed a pact to “shoot on-sight any cop that has a weapon drawn on any subject in public.” The alert says, “Members of these gang factions have been actively searching for, and filming, police officers in performance of their official duties” in order “to catch on film an officer drawing his/her weapon on any subject and the subsequent ‘shoot on-sight’ of said officer, in order to garner national media attention.”

There are small glimmers of hope, however. Murders declined 45% in August from July’s near-record bloodbath, largely thanks to changes in policing strategy, including allowing federal agents to deploy in the city. Amazingly, ABC 7 Chicago also reports, “The City has seen overall crime decrease by 9% year-to-date. These declines were driven by double-digit reductions in criminal complaints for theft and criminal sexual assault. Additionally, burglary, robbery, theft and overall crime figures in Chicago remain at 20-year lows, looking at year-to-date figures.” Still, that’s hard to believe with all the rioting and looting.

Democrat Mayor Lori Lightfoot, naturally, says it’s a “gun problem.” She’s wrong. This violence is not driven by guns. Nor is it being perpetrated by the MAGA-hat-wearing Trump fanboys of Jussie Smollet’s hoax. This deadly plague is driven by racial violence fomented by the grossly misnamed “Black Lives Matter” mob.

A final note: Chicago faces a historic $1.2 billion budget deficit for fiscal 2021, to add to its 2020 shortfall of $799 million — and that’s despite receiving $470 million in federal aid in May. Lightfoot blames the “catastrophic” economic collapse brought about by the COVID shutdown, as well as the estimated $60 million in physical damage to the city during riots and the resulting blow to tourism that caused as the city tried to reopen. Fair enough, but like Illinois and its fiscal crater, Democrats have no one to blame but themselves.

Call us crazy, but Illinois and Chicago voters might need to rethink their electoral strategy.