Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy likened the department's progress with their anti-violence strategy to "basically treading water" during a press conference Saturday.
"We're not winning, we're not losing. We’re basically treading water," McCarthy said. He said that in the month of August, "we had some trouble because some of these retaliatory shootings are happening quicker than we can stop them."
During another violent weekend in Chicago, where seven people died and 24 others were wounded in shootings, McCarthy talked about a crackdown on two South Side drug markets and his anti-violence strategy "taking root."
Police arrested a total of 15 people linked to two drug markets controlled by members of the Gangster Disciple Street gang during an ongoing narcotics investigation, McCarthy said.
McCarthy touted the drug busts as a "critical piece" of their anti-violence strategy because it curbs violence stemming from narcotic activity.
"They argue over turf, they get into these violent disputes with each another, and that's how people get hurt," McCarthy said. "The strategy now is to partner with the community, to hold on to those spots, to not let them regress to the conditions that they were in previously."
In the last four months, areas where police conducted drug busts experienced less crime, said McCarthy.
But it's hard to overlook the continued gun violence happening all over the city.
"We're not going to win every day, we're not going to win every week," McCarthy said. "Sometimes, we've got to do better. We are making progress."
