Thursday, May 27, 2010
Politics / Clout City / News Mayor Daley Shoots Down More Questions About Guns Without Answering Them
Posted by Mick Dumke on 05.27.10 at 08:08 PM
You can say this about the mayor: he’s sticking to his guns.
More precisely, he’s sticking to his contention that Chicago’s crime problems are rooted in easy access to guns, which is why the city needs to ban them, even though the city already bans them, but at least there’s a parade this weekend. And by the way, there are bad people who live in the suburbs too, and some of them are causing problems in Chicago.
This is what we learned at Mayor Daley's latest press conference on public safety. The line of thinking might be a little confusing unless you understand that he isn’t trying to talk straight. Then it makes perfect sense.
- TONIKA JOHNSON
This morning the press corps gathered at the Ogden Park field house in Englewood to hear the mayor unveil a pilot program for keeping kids safe this summer. As usual, police will vigorously enforce the city’s curfew for youth under 17. But in three police districts on the south and west sides, kids caught out after 10 PM on weeknights and 11 on weekends will taken to park field houses instead of police stations. There they’ll receive mentoring and social services before being released to their parents.
“To me this is the kind of forward-looking thinking we need to embrace in every area of government,” Daley said. “We need to conduct pilot programs, be creative and even bold in our thinking and approaches.”
The reporters in the room had a few questions. For one, given the violence that’s broken out on the lakefront this week—assaults, a shooting—what is the city’s plan for the holiday weekend?
“The plan, number one, is that we have a Memorial Day parade," the mayor said. "That’s number one. I want to make sure you understand, it’s one of the largest parades in the city of Chicago. We have over 9,000 public school students marching, and I want to see all the press there.”
Unfortunately, not everyone is confident that the parade will take care of all our problems. Some people, including 43rd Ward alderman Vi Daley, say that crime on the north lakefront is out of control.
The mayor said it's not. He explained that police believe much of the recent violence on the lakefront was caused by suburban youth who'd sent text messages to each other to arrange meetings in the city.
“Texting—they text people, where people are going, in congregation," he said. "So every night you make a number of arrests, and a number of arrests were both city and suburban. We had a lot of suburban people arrested. You have to understand that—it’s not just city people. It’s suburban people too."
But the mayor and the police are on top of the problem.
"We know there’s texting going on. There’s something going on in the suburban areas with a lot of young adults.”
So let's get this straight: it's texting—not gangs—that we should be worried about.
“Well, it could be some gang problems, they know that, but it’s also other issues. We don’t know if everybody’s a gangbanger, but there’s other issues that concern that. Drinking on the beaches is always a concern.”
Yes, but we don’t typically have shootings at the beach.
“You have shootings all over.”
It was hard to argue with that point.
One of the shootings this week involved a senior citizen on the west side who armed himself—in violation of the gun ban—and killed someone who broke into his home.
The mayor had heard about it. "I think everybody understands the frustration that people have in regards to guns, you know, in that instance. And I think we understand that. But again, the access to guns in America, the access today, it’s higher than any period of time in America. And guns on the street will kill people. It’s the access to guns that you have in America. And I’m not arguing about this instance. I understand some frustration that’s taken place. But access to guns in America will destroy America faster than any war in America.”
Still, another reporter wondered, if the senior citizen had followed the handgun ban, isn’t it possible he would be dead right now? That's what his family is saying.
“What I’m just saying: access to guns," the mayor said. "You’re more likely to get killed by someone walking down the street with a gun. Access to guns.”
But many people believe the senior citizen had the right to protect himself.
“I’m just saying, you firmly believe that people should have access to guns at all times, you have a totally different kind of society. You have access to guns in Naperville, in Highland Park, all these places, different places, I’m just telling you: I don’t think the answer is guns."
So what about the senior citizen? Will he be charged with violating the gun ban?
“I don’t know," the mayor said. "Thank you very much."
He grabbed his papers from the podium and walked out of the room.
A couple hours later the police department issued a statement: "The investigation into the Home Invasion and subsequent shooting which occurred on May 26th, 2010, in the 600 Block of North Sawyer is ongoing. Two weapons have been recovered from the scene. No charges have been filed at this time. Updates will be provided once the investigation is complete."
Comments (12)
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"Da Marer" is out of touch with reality, which is understandable since firearms have protected him for his entire life. Consider that as a child and young man he was protected by the armed bodyguards assigned to his father King Richard I. Then as a crime fighting State's Attorney he was also provided armed bodyguards, and worked with police, like Cmdr. Jon Burge who would send cases to Daley's office for prosecution. (But like Hired Trucks, O'Hare, Da $12.5 Million Shakman Settlement; Daley knew nothing.) As for the Lakefront, there has been a problem there after the park closes for years, and that used to be addressed by a Police Unit known as Summer Mobile consisting of officers and sgts. from all over the City assigned to the specific mission of policing the lakefront. At the end of the summer the Unit would be disbanded and the officers returned to their regular asignments, but with current personnel shortages that cannot be done. This summer it might be wise to stay away from the Lakefront after dark; unless of course you have 25 police officers assigned to guard you and your family, as Da Marer does. Also, why have we not heard of the "Wildings" that have taken place in the River North Area? When the victims are tourists who do not stick around for court, the crimes go unreported.
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We have politicans who have been out of touch with many problems that were created by them. None of them want to face the facts and have no idea how to correct the problems.
I DO. I am running for Mayor of Chicago in 2011, however, none of the media has taken me serious. My web site is: http://www.Fredrick-K-White.com
On it I have posted my platform and will be adding to it weekly.
Daley needs to be brought up on charges of violating constitutional rights, aiding and abetting in murder and armed robbery and any criminal act involving the use of a firearm on an unarmed citizen. He has as much blood on his hands as any of the villians who are preying on the defenseless that Da Maya has laid before them.
This guy is a complete idiot. Why do the good people of Chicago allow this poor excuse of a human being to rremain in public office. just because his daddy was mayor, doesn't mean he is a mayor. Crime and the union are the ones who keep this piece of trash in office.
People of Chicago, wake up and look at the rest of America, they are laughing at you and your city, all because of your so call mayor.
"Daley needs to be brought up on charges of violating constitutional rights, aiding and abetting in murder and armed robbery and any criminal act involving the use of a firearm on an unarmed citizen."
Another legal expert heard from.
Daley is an idiot but so what. Look at the other geniuses to come out of Chicago lately e.g. a former Governor, a couple of Senators and a President. All of whom have no common sense and absolutely do not care about anything the citizens of any city or state think or want. These so called politicians are all about personal power at the expense of those who they are supposed to serve and help. They only serve and help themselves leaving behind devastation that takes years to clean up if it can even be cleaned up. Perhaps Daley et al should be the ones with the guns sodomizing them...problem is, they probably would like it.
The irony of Daley wishing that an "incident" occur to a Supreme Court member to sway their decision and see things his way, and then this 80 year old man defending himself and his family a couple of days later is rich.
Daley would rather eat glass in his shorts on the 10 o'clock news than admit that law abiding citizens can defend themselves and their home.
He totally ignores the actual track record in the 48 other states that actually allow citizens to carry on the street with no blood bath and clings to his "Guns r bad, m'kay" logic. Always delivering his sermon from behind a coterie of armed bodyguards telling how no one needs to have a gun.
I think the African American and Hispanic communities are starting to finally realize that he has absolutely no intention of addressing the crime in their areas. No new police hired, no real enforcement strategy, but he "means well" and "cares about the children" so keep voting for his people. If they want to stop the crime, they will have to take it into their own hands.
And while they're at it, field a candidate or two for city council and the mayors office without his support. You don't need him any more or any of his stooges.
"He totally ignores the actual track record in the 48 other states that actually allow citizens to carry on the street with no blood bath"
A permit is required in all but three states, and good luck getting one in California, New York, etc.
http://www.nraila.org/maps/rtc.jpg
Actually, the real irony of this sad incident is that both parties involved are not your ordinary citizens of Chicago for two reasons.
Firstly, the laws on the books, if enforced, should have kept the guns out of the hands of the would-be motorcycle thieves, since they were already convicted felons.
Secondly, the officer and his father (a retired officer) were allowed by Chicago policy, if not by law, to keep firearms in their home and on their person.
So what was Daley's point with his diatribe? Was it to get the guns out of the hands of off-duty and retired police as well as convicted felons and ordinary citizens?
And the Mayor totally ignores the fact that people who own guns legally and who are law abiding-- aren't the cause of the uptick in shootings in Chicago. The gangbangers, thugs and other miscreants who own guns illegally are the issue.
The gun ban in Chicago hasn't and isn't curbing violence at all. We have the most stringent gun laws in the nation-- yet all this damn violence and shooting.
What he and his syncophants need to focus on is getting illegal guns off the street!
I mean this is just f-cking disgusting. THIS was the press conference on violence...we're having a goddamned parade?
Keep up with this Mick, keep up with hammering him with questions until his fat head explodes. This enrages me. "Access to guns". I am a white, 39 year old, mortgage and wife and kid-having regular schmoe. I have access to guns...I could step outside my Rogers Park condo and I bet with enough cash I could have a handgun with an hour or less. How's that for Access, Daley? It's time to admit the gun ban does NOTHING to prevent guns in the hands of those that would use them for ill. Nothing. At. All.
Good for you MD.
"You have access to guns in Naperville, in Highland Park, all these places, different places, I’m just telling you: I don’t think the answer is guns."
Is there some sort of massive increase in gun violence in Naperville and Highland Park that I'm not aware of? Once again we're left wondering what the hell Daley's point is.
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