Rahm Emanuel loves to blame “guns” as the cause of Chicago’s perpetual orgy of criminal violence.
It’s a nice diversionary tactic from the true causes of violence in the Windy City. John Lott doesn’t let rhetoric get in the way of facts and excoriates Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a piece released this week. The fact is that police in Chicago aren’t solving crimes because there are fewer beat cops, fewer detective bureaus (and the remaining ones are located many miles from the highest-crime neighborhoods), and fewer anti-gang units. It’s not rocket science to figure out that with fewer cops, bad guys can feel emboldened.
Check this out:
Chicago violence: The buck stops with you, Rahm Emanuel
by John Lott
(Fox News) – Over the July 4 weekend, in Chicago alone, 16 people were shot to death and another 66 were wounded. At a press briefing on July 11, the White House weighed in, stating that Obama would “continue to make the case” that lawmakers should adopt new gun control laws. Two days later, on Sunday, Gov. Pat Quinn also called for more gun control, in particular a state ban on assault weapons, as the solution.
But Chicago’s problems lie with the city’s politicians. Nationally, police solve almost two out of every three murders – 63 percent of them. That figure is much lower in Chicago. In 2010, right before Rahm Emanuel became mayor, the rate for Chicago was 39 percent. But by Emanuel’s second year in office, it had plunged to an official rate of 26 percent. (In reality it is even lower, because Chicago has tried to hide how bad things are by increasingly misclassifying murders as non-murders.)
After becoming mayor, Emanuel did three unfortunate things to the Chicago police force:
1) He closed down detective bureaus in Chicago’s highest crime districts and moved them elsewhere, sometimes quite far away.
2) Instead of increasing the number of police officers by 1,000, as he had promised during his campaign, he actually cut the number of police.
3) He disbanded many gang task forces.
Not surprisingly, when you don’t catch criminals, the result is more crime.
Of course, if you read this article to Michael Bloomberg’s Congress(wo)man Robin Kelly, she would stick her fingers in her ears and go “LA LA LA LA LA LA LA”.
Nothing will change as long as Rahm can use tax money to give to his base for voting for him.
I can tell you’re not an Obama fan, you forgot the ” I ” in administration.
And Congresscritter Kelly would do no such thing!
She’d call someone with a gun to remove you.
Less cops equals more emboldened thugs.
Inept Brobama equals more emboldened terrorists, more emboldened Putin, etc.
“Gangs” is kinda like “guns” and “our side” plays a very dangerous and I think hypocritical game with that word. Just as there is a right to keep and to bear, there is a right to free association. Like minded people are free to congregate amongst themselves – just as we are free to do. What happens if “we” “win” the “gang” debate and then loyalists deem US a “gang”? Sorry, but that’s just like the collectivist game of “hunting”. It’s a recipe for disaster!
The problem is what those individuals DO – together or by themselves.
Please don’t get lost in the rhetoric. The problem is straightforward – and we must brave the catcalls of racist by just telling the truth. The vast majority of violence is committed by young black males. It’s not that way BECAUSE they are black – it’s because they think they are not accountable for their actions (generations of blaming the white “race” is umm coming home to roost.
The problem with Chicago is Illinois gun control laws. We have removed the checks and balances in our state between the good guys and the bad guys. Repeal the stupid FOID card and let people arm themselves and watch crime go down.
I totally agree. The FOID card system is an utter failure. The proof is in the fact that criminals still have access to guns and ammo.
20yrs ago the debate was about Peaceful intentions. So how that got changed to reasonable restrictions. Anyone with Peaceful intentions should be able to own firearms. Prior the 1968GCA even non-violent felons could own guns. We didn’t a revolving criminal class like we do today.
Shall NOT be infringed should be up held
The failure is gun control in general.