Chicago has achieved a significant milestone in 2025, recording the lowest number of homicides in six decades, as indicated by preliminary data from the Chicago police. Furthermore, incidents of shootings have decreased by more than 33%.

Despite these encouraging statistics, the city continues to grapple with a prevailing perception issue regarding public safety.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

The challenge city leaders face in the new year is aligning public perception with the reality of improved safety, even as they celebrate a year marked by a broad decline in violent crime.

“I don’t know how many more times in my life I’ll be on the front page of the paper,” remarked Gentry Hunt, a shooting survivor.

Hunt distributed copies of a newspaper that detailed his recent survival story. The volunteer basketball coach convened with both current and former players to discuss the incident for the first time. The shooting occurred Sunday night, when Hunt was struck in the shoulder during an altercation outside the St. Sabina gym, an argument in which he was not involved.

“So I’m just grateful that I can tell my story versus having someone else you know, having to tell it for me,” Hunt said. “I mean, my pedal is more to the metal that’s ever been for 2026. I want to get more kids. I want to get more players in the gym.”

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, Monterey 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.”

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.

INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER | Track crime and safety in your neighborhood