&gt;Chicago has higher population density than most of the surrounding areas,

New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, Newark, Miami, San Francisco, and Providence all have a higher population density but don't have the astronomical murder rates.

&gt;which also means higher population of people in poverty interacting with other people in poverty.

*Absolute* poverty is not a cause of crime, rather crime is a cause of *relative* poverty. Poor people being surrounded by poor people doesn't lead to more crime. [Absolute vs Relative Poverty](https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/glossary/definition-of-absolute-and-relative-poverty/)

&gt;There are multiple academic research that shows that there is a direct connection between poverty and crime, as well as things associated with poverty (poor education, poor nutrition, single parent households, etc.)

Sure. If as a child you see nothing but people making bad decisions than you are more likely to make bad decisions.

[Central Falls, Rhode Island](https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ri/central-falls/crime) has a higher population density and a lower murder rate than Chicago. 

Also, murder is not a crime of poverty. You don't need to kill someone to eat. Most murders are the result of gang activity, and you don't have to join a gang to eat either. You join a gang because you want "easy" money and you don't care about hurting people to get it.

Lastly, why did you mention that gun laws were lax in the areas surrounding Chicago if you weren't trying to excuse the absurdly high murder rate by citing it?