Chicago proudly concluded 2025 with a historic milestone, recording the fewest homicides in six decades, according to preliminary data released by the city’s police department. In addition to this significant achievement, the city also saw a substantial decline in shootings, with incidents dropping by more than a third.

Despite these promising statistics, the Windy City continues to wrestle with a persistent image issue regarding its safety. The perception of Chicago as a dangerous place remains a hurdle for city officials, even as they celebrate a notable reduction in violent crime across the board.

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Often, the public’s sense of safety does not mirror the actual improvements, and this misalignment poses an ongoing challenge for city leaders as they enter the new year.

One poignant story amidst this backdrop is that of Gentry Hunt, a shooting survivor who has found himself unexpectedly in the spotlight. “I don’t know how many more times in my life I’m going to be on the front page of the paper,” Hunt remarked, reflecting on his recent ordeal.

Hunt, a dedicated volunteer basketball coach, shared copies of a newspaper that chronicled his experience surviving a shooting. This week, he gathered with both current and former players to discuss the incident for the first time. The confrontation, which resulted in Hunt being shot in the shoulder, unfolded outside the St. Sabina gym during an argument he was not involved in.

Expressing gratitude, Hunt said, “I’m just thankful that I can tell my story instead of someone else having to do it for me.” Looking ahead to 2026, Hunt is more motivated than ever, saying, “My drive is stronger than it’s ever been. I want to bring more kids, more players into the gym.” His resolve underscores a community spirit determined to rise above adversity, even as the city grapples with its complex narrative on crime and safety.

Hunt’s mother Singrid Jackson hugged him after the meeting.

“This would be a different 2026, for me, had it went any other way,” Jackson said.

In many ways, Chicago was different and safer in 2025 than the year before. Preliminary figures show that there were 416 murders in Chicago in 2025. That’s down 29% from the year before, and the lowest it’s been since 1965.

“So even though the numbers look good, the perception of whether or not you actually feel safe is something completely different,” said Anthony Riccio, Monterrey Security Director of Public Safety. “And a lot of times, those two things will never match up. They’ll they’ll never marry up. So numbers may look good, but if you don’t feel safe, that’s that’s a problem.”

Riccio says that’s something police and the city will have to continue working on, but he says the reality is perception may never line up with the statistics.

“We need to feel safe,” Riccio said. “The numbers are one thing, but it’s how you feel when you walk out of your house or when you’re driving down the street that’s really important as well.”

For Jackson, her son’s shooting more real than declining statistics.

I think we may have moments where it looks like it’s getting better, but I honestly feel like we’re trending in another direction,” Jackson said. “It’s still a very strange feeling. And everywhere he goes, and everything he does, and every single day, I want to talk to him. I want to hear his voice.”

On Friday, in an AI-generated social media post, President Donald Trump continued promoting his “Chicago crime is out of control” narrative, despite statistics showing murder, shootings and violent crime in general were significantly down last year.

“He has no credibility on that argument, but yet, people, at least his people, his base, believes it, and he wants them to continue to think that democratic cities are hell holes, and he’s that’s going to be continued to be his theme,” ABC7 Political Analyst Laura Washington said.

As police and city leaders work to keep violent crime on the downward trend in 2026, they will also have to keep fighting on the public relations front to make people feel safer.

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