A new report by one of President Obama’s favorite liberal think tanks suggests that the answer to curbing Chicago’s gun violence is raising the minimum wage.
The Center for American Progress’ Stand Up! Chicago reports finds: “Decades of research have demonstrated that there is a statistically significant link between low wages, income inequality and crime. Researchers have found that the majority of increases in violent crime can be explained by downward wage trends, and The National Bureau of Economic Research reports that a twenty percent drop in wages leads to a 12 to 18 percent increase in youth crime.”
“Much of Chicago’s poverty crisis is attributable to the problem of low wages and unemployment,” the report continues. “According to a recent report by Women Employed and Action Now, the number of low-wage workers in Chicago, defined as those making $12 per hour or less, increased by nearly 30 percent over the last decade.”
The report also points out “income inequality,” saying Chicago houses at least 18 billionaires, thousands of millionaires “and several of the richest zip codes in the nation.”
In order to reduce violence, CAP recommends raising the minimum wage to a “livable wage” and creating more public jobs.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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