Street violence in Chicago was a major issue in the last mayoral election a few years ago, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel spent nearly $200 million over two years after winning the seat in order to send droves of police into neighborhoods to solve the problem.

But despite lots of new police, the collection of lots of information on gangs and the facilitating of meetings between members of gangs and the families of homicide victims to show the high cost of their behavior, many doubt that Emanuel’s methods are working at all, according to an Associated Press report.

Overall violence numbers have declined, but there are indications that crime is actually rising in some minority neighborhoods and many are saying that their communities still struggle mightily, according to the report.

As Emanuel looks to winning a second term as mayor of Chicago, the violence could be a critical deciding factor for the polarizing figure. In order to claim victory, he must both convince the city that much has been done to reduce crime in the city while also acknowledging that crime is still a problem and he’s the right man for the job.

The total homicide rate dropped from 500 in 2012 to just over 400 last year, which is the lowest figure in decades. However, shootings increased by 12 percent to 2,084 over that same period.

Also, residents complain that he isn’t doing a good job in terms of bringing in business to minority neighborhoods, with most communities filled with fast-food restaurants and small markets, according to the AP report.

All of these problems resulted in a city that still greatly doubts Emanuel’s abilities, even if they’re not quite ready to let anyone else into the mayoral office. Emanuel didn’t get enough votes last month to win the election outright and must face a runoff next month with Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.