It is truly shocking that in the United States of America you can have a situation in primarily black neighborhoods where innocent men women and children are being gunned down by vicious drug gangs.

That's been going on for years in Chicago and little is being done about it.

Here are the shocking statistics out today:

Homicides in Chicago up 70% so far this year from last year.

Non-fatal shootings up 87%, the overwhelming majority of the victims are black.

With 1,014 people shot so far this year, the human toll is staggering:

AMBER HAILEY, MOTHER OF SEVEN-YEAR-OLD BOY GUNNED DOWN: "(Crying) My baby was seven years old.  Seven.  He had plans.  He wanted to be somebody."

((EDIT))

PIERRE CURRY, FATHER OF WOMAN KILLED IN CHICAGO SHOOTING: "(Emotional) I buried my last born last year.  Now I have to bury my first born this year."

((EDIT))

DIAMOND TRUSTY, COUSIN OF SEVEN-YEAR-OLD BOY GUNNED DOWN: "(Crying) He was such a curious, creative child.  He was our everything!"

((EDIT))

MONICA WHITE, MOTHER OF WOMAN KILLED IN CHICAGO SHOOTING: "(Crying) Today it's us.  Tomorrow it may be you.  Put down the guns."

Now let me ask you a very simple question: If this were happening in Beverly Hills or Georgetown or on Park Avenue here in New York City, would the authorities not solve the problem?

We all know the answer to that question, thus the only conclusion we can arrive at is that racism is in play.

The Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel, a Democrat, and the Governor of Illinois Bruce Rauner, a Republican, have simply failed to protect their most vulnerable citizens.

These two can bloviate all they want, but they haven't done anything effective to stop the carnage and, indeed, the situation is getting much worse.

There is no National Guard in these neighborhoods, the Chicago police force is in disarray with charges of racism against it, and the new police chief seems to be overwhelmed.

The poor people living in the free-fire zones are as threatened as anyone living in Afghanistan.

Where is the National Guard?

Where is a flood of police officers patrolling on foot 24/7 in these violent neighborhoods?

Again, this atrocity, these murders should not be happening in the USA.

It is long past time for a state of emergency to be declared in certain Chicago neighborhoods.

It is also long past time for gun-wielding thugs to be punished severely with very long prison terms.

Finally, a direct message for folks trapped in bad Chicago neighborhoods.

You guys have got to speak out, you have to march, you have to demonstrate, you have to protest.

Don't count on Black Lives Matter or Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson or even President Obama.

They haven't shown up, they don't seem to care.

And that's the memo.