It's only murder. Just one of a delightful variety of violent crimes. Never mind why homicide rates are considered the single most reliable and consistent piece of crime data.
And sure, Chicago doesn't get much attention in the national press these days. My apologies for picking some random backwater to make a point, but I'm sure that someone as informed as you realizes that there is not a good national dataset covering murders. Fox News. Cranky uncles. Facebook. What do I get for pronouncing the magic words?
Bullsh**t, you saw an Illinois AV and, apparently not owning a map, thought ‘Chicago’ is a great own on everyone in 400 mile radius.
Aside from which, How are violent crime rates relevant to the ‘wave’ of shoplifters the bill in question is supposed to stop?
Robbery is considered a violent crime because it involves violence or the threat thereof. 20 people simultaneously engaging in organized theft very well could be considered an implicit threat of violence and thus robbery.