"Be safe" just doesn't cut it in Chicago's shooting gallery

"Be safe". Is that the best the Trib can do to help reduce the daily gun violence on Chicago's mean streets (July 3 editorial). Though slightly down in 2019, gun murders still average 9 a week, with another 29 wounded. That is every single week, resulting in nearly 2,000 shot for the year. This is a local catastrophe that can only be alleviated by a massive and coordinated city, state and and federal effort It must also be the first priority of influential media outlets like the Trib. But it isn't. In another editorial on Mayor Lightfoot's solemn responsibility to reduce the slaughter, the Trib offers these bromides that sound nice but add little value to solving the problem:

1. Re-establishing trust between violence prone

communities and police 2. Intervention to help boys and young men to avoid violence

3. Let everyone who can contribute do so

But the Trib always opposes two of the most meaningful solutions: substantive gun legislation and enforcement reducing availability of guns, and massive rebuilding of Chicago's ghettos which breed joblessness, poverty, despair and....violence. Until the Trib gets behind these efforts, its weekly hand wringing about society destroying violence is a waste of ink and pixels.